questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He should organize at least 15 tourists with the same route."
},
"options": [
"He should design his own route.",
"He should book the tickets in advance.",
"He should accompany the tourists on their travels.",
"He should... | Since we started offering China private tour packages on North-America market in 2006, CTSI has enjoyed great reputation.
Whether you design your tour route or choose one of our pre-designed packages, we will be able to provide a private tour for you.You will be served by professional bilingual personal guide, experienced bus driver and private air-conditioned van.
Features
Group organizer travels free, and even the Chinese visa is free.
If you organize a group of 15 people or more with the same route, we will offer you, the organizer, a free trip, regardless of whether you design your own route or choose one of our tour packages.This is our way of showing gratitude to you as a tour organizer.We even give you a free Chinese Visa.Is that amazing?
As an organizer, your main job is to find tour members.Once the tour route and travel arrangements are confirmed, your task as an organizer is completed and you get ready to enjoy the free trip.
Pick your favorite Airlines
Airfares are a big determining factor of the tour price.CTSI, with strong ties with almost all the airlines that fly between North America and Asia, offers the best price on flight tickets to China and meets various needs of customers.
If you are seeking low-priced tickets to China, you can choose a flight with a layover ,such as Korean Air, Air Canada, and Cathay Pacific.
Chinese Airlines usually offer huge discount on China domestic flights if you purchase both the international and China domestic parts together.[:,,Z,X,X,K]
If you wish to save on flying time, we would recommend direct flight provided by America Airlines and United Airlines.
Flexibility
Sightseeing Spots: you can change or cancel, even add some sightseeing spots when you are on the tour.
Timing: you set up the departure and return time of the day, as well as the sightseeing time in specific sightseeing spots.
Trip cancellation: some member may cancel the trip in last minute, and huge fines may occur.Do not worry, if you can find someone to replace you, we save you more than 80% of the fines. | high10688.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The older a person is, the happier he grows."
},
"options": [
"The older a person is, the happier he grows.",
"The more lighthearted a person is, the happier he is.",
"The older a person is, the more clever he grows.",
... | Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than three hundred forty thousand adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in two thousand eight. At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five.
The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.
Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men. | high4966.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "at 4:30 in the morning"
},
"options": [
"at 4:30 in the morning",
"at 4:30 in the afternoon",
"at 8:30 in the morning",
"at 8:30 in the evening"
],
"question": "Dereck and Beverly start working _ .",
"ques... | Dereck Joubert and his wife, Beverly, have made many films about wild animals in Africa. Their films and photographs are very popular and one of the photographs has been on the front cover of a National Geographic magazine.
A working day for Dereck and Beverly started very early--at 4:30 in the morning! That's when they get up and start filming. And it's a long day--they often work until 8:30 in the evening. In the winter it's very cold and in the summer it can be 40C. Dereck always does the filming--Beverly never does that, and she doesn't write. But Dereck never takes photographs or records the sound. They work very well as a team, and they both believe we should shoot animals with cameras--not with guns!
When they have finished filming and taking photographs for the day, they have dinner and Dereck usually writes while Beverly looks at her photographs. At night, they usually sleep in a small tent, but they sometimes sleep in the Land Cruiser--when they're very close to wild animals, it's sometimes safer to sleep in the car!
Dereck and Beverly have also traveled around the world and given talks about their work. Dereck says that the animals are not just something to look at--they play an important role. Beverly thinks the wild animals can teach us a lot about ourselves. | high11596.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because we are likely to have difficulty starting a hobby after retirement."
},
"options": [
"Because we are likely to have difficulty starting a hobby after retirement.",
"Because we are gong to have a vast amount of free time aft... | If you don't prepare yourself now, retirement may be some of the most boring and dull years of your life. To have a happy, fulfilling retirement, you need to start preparing right away.
The most obvious thing for people to do when they retire is to take up a hobby. The most important step to take before retiring, though, is to make sure that you actually have started some hobbies. Once you're retired, unless you 've already started a hobby, you'll find it very hard to get into something new. Some hobbies aren't for everyone. Think about what you enjoy doing and start participating on a casual basis now.
Another thing many people participate in is volunteering. Not only does volunteering give you something to do, it also gives you a sense of accomplishment and can add meaning to your life .Volunteering is also rewarding in other ways, too. There are hundreds of different types of volunteer services and you'll always be able to meet new and interesting people. Also, don't think that volunteering is always only about helping someone for free. Many companies pay their volunteers after they've had enough experience and prove themselves to be valuable workers.
There are plenty of other potions, as well. Going back to school is a great way to keep yourself feeling young. Taking a vacation around the world with your loved ones is another great way to spend your retirement.
Ultimately, though, the key to a happy retirement is simply keeping yourself busy and doing whatever you love. If there's nothing you love doing now, then you'll find that once you have a vast amount of free time, your life will be pretty empty. Now is the time to find out what you want to do when you retire. | high10850.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Reach left arm out of the window pointing to the left."
},
"options": [
"Place left hand out of the window pointing upward.",
"Put left hand out of the window pointing downward.",
"Reach left arm out of the window pointing to... | Driving In America
Keep Right
The traffic follows the "keep right rule". While driving, drive on the right side of the road. On one-way, multiple lanes road, the right-most lane would be slowest and left-most lane is fastest.
Hand Signals
Though indicators are used for the purpose of showing which direction you are going, knowing some hand signals is very important and are usually always asked in a driving test. When you want to turn right, you can put your left hand out of the window and point upward. When you want to make a left turn, you can reach your left arm out of the window and point to the left. If you want to slow down or stop, you can just point downward.
School Buses
Yellow school buses have flashing red lights and stop signs that reach out from the driver's side. The drivers use these warning signals when letting pupils on and off. No matter which side of the road you are traveling on, if you come upon a school bus with its lights flashing and a stop sign used, you must stop. It's the law. Remain stopped until the lights stop flashing or the stop sign is removed.
Using the Horn
Using horns is not common in America. Actually they are very rarely used. You may use your horn to warn walkers or other drivers of possible trouble or to avoid accidents. Do not use your horn to express anger or complain about other drivers' mistakes or to try to get a slow driver to move faster. | high352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "has limited freedom"
},
"options": [
"is completely free",
"feels rather lonely",
"has limited freedom",
"enjoys no freedom"
],
"question": "A man living alone in a desert or forest _ .",
"question_type... | A man living absolutely alone in a desert or forest is free from other people; but he is not absolutely free. His freedom is limited in several ways. Firstly, by the things around him, such as wild animals or cliffs too steep to climb. Secondly, by his own needs: he must have sleep, water, food and shelter from extreme heat or cold. Lastly, by his own nature as a man: disease may attack him, and death will certainly come to him sooner or later.
When men live together, on the other hand, protection against wild animals is easier and they can work together to get food and build shelters; but each man has to give up some of his freedom so that he can live happily with the others.
When men become organized into very large groups, and civilization develops, it is possible to get freedom from hunger, thirst, cold, heat and many diseases, so that each person can live a happier life than he could if he were living alone; but such a society can not work successfully unless the freedom of each human being is to some extent limited so that he is kept from hurting others. I am not free to kill others, nor to steal someone else's property, nor to behave in a way that offends against the moral sense of the society in which I live. I have to limit my own freedom myself so that others will not limit it too much: I agree to respect the rights of others, and in return they agree to respect mine.
The advantages of such an agreement are great: one man can become a doctor, knowing that others will grow food, make clothes and build a house for him, in return for the work he does to keep them healthy. If each man had to grow his own food, make his own clothes, build his own house and learn to be his own doctor, he would find it impossible to do any one of these jobs really well. By working together, we make it possible for society to provide us all with food, clothes, shelter and medical care, while leaving each of us with as much freedom as it can. | high15928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "adolescent"
},
"options": [
"baby",
"adolescent",
"adult",
"wiser"
],
"question": "A middle school student is considered to be a(n) _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | As a middle school student, you are in an age group that is both fascinating and complex. You are no longer a "baby", but you are not yet an adult. You are experiencing biological, physical, and behavioral and social changes. Relationships with your friends and family take on new meanings. This time period, called adolescence, can be joyful and painful at the same time. However, it is always a time of growth. You will be dealing with more complex intellectual tasks. You will be expected to behave in a more mature manner and you will be held more responsible for your actions. In other words, you are growing up. Use your curiosity, imagination, energy, and idealism to make your school an exciting place to learn and play.
As an adolescent, you now have more control over how you apply yourself to your school work and on the kinds of friends you make. As an intelligent and thinking adolescent, be aware of health risks to avoid such as involvement with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and sexual activity. This involvement reduces your quality of life. Be kind and gentle to yourself, seek the advice and wisdom of your parents/guardians regularly, and talk with your teachers and school counselor.
Middle school students are expected to be respectful and considerate of others. You are responsible for your behavior. Think of ways to improve your behavior
^in your classroom
^in the lunchroom
^on school grounds
^during school activities
^on the school bus
^in your community
If you need assistance in working on ways to improve yourself as a person, contact your counselor. The counselor is trained to help students solve personal problems. | high13381.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He was sent by the police to catch the poachers."
},
"options": [
"He wanted to keep the baby gorilla as a pet.",
"He travelled across the border to meet the poachers.",
"He did not have enough money for the gorilla.",
... | The poachers had finally found a buyer for their stolen _ .At the meeting with the buyer,they brought out a bag,inside which was a terrified one-year-old baby gorilla.The poachers had killed the little female's parents and captured her in the forests of Congo, Africa.Then they took her across the border into Rwanda, with the intention of selling her as a pet.
However,the buyer did not bring any money.He brought the police.The poachers were arrested on the spot but the police knew the orphan was still in danger.They had rescued baby gorillas before and understood that they needed to act quickly.They rushed the young gorilla to the nearby Mountain Gorilla Rescue Centre.The vets there realized that she had not been given enough food or water, but they were much more worried about something else.The baby gorilla,which was later named Dunia,had not been getting enough touch.
"Baby gorillas simply don't survive without their mother's constant body contact," says Chris, a vet."They give up the will to live."The project's staff immediately began holding and hugging Dunia,the little baby gorilla.
Dunia resisted attention at first, shying away from people who reached for her. "She needed contact, but there is no reason that she should trust people after what she'd been through,"says Christ."Humans had killed her family."
Although she became stronger a month after she was recued, her appearance revealed the psychological stress she carried inside--much of her hair had fallen out.That was a delayed reaction to the combined terrible experiences of losing her parents and being kept with a poor diet by the poachers.
After six months of loving care, a good diet, and a comfortable home at the centre, Dunia was looking and acting like a healthy, happy young gorilla should. | high23242.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "lamb"
},
"options": [
"pork",
"beef",
"lamb",
"chicken"
],
"question": "Munchies Food Hall does NOT sell _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"a... | Opening week specials at Munchies Food Hall.
At the corner of Green and Brown Streets in the city
Monday 7th of January until Sunday.13rd of January 2008
Feast until you're full! Come down to Monetizes time week to enjoy the special dishes on offer it all of our food outlets. Order from the following:
*Succulent chicken rice *spicy stays beef
*Delicious noodle dishes *plump porky chips
*seafood specialties *crunchy vegetables
*sweet tropical fruit
Halal food is available at the stall. Malay Mood Heaven
Win Prizes and Gifts!
Spend $20.00 or more and win instant prizes from our lucky draw box.
Collect a free party balloon and whistle for each young diner.
Enjoy a free meal if you are the first customer of the day at any of our stalls.
Win a holiday to Western Australia.
A free raffle ticket is given with every receipt . Just fill in your information and place your entry in the box provided.
Winner to be announced inThe Strait Timeson the 15th of January.
Join in the Fun!
Between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm each evening until the 15th of January, your favorite Channel 3 television actors and singers will entertain you:
*May Lee *Jackie Chen
*Kim Yap * Kamala
Autograph sessions will follow each performance! And who will be our extra special mystery star? Come down on Saturday at noon to find out. | high14388.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Jack,Fred and Margaret once studied in the same college"
},
"options": [
"Margaret is Fred's wife",
"Jack is a customer of Fred",
"Brenda is familiar to Margaret",
"Jack,Fred and Margaret once studied in the same colleg... | Dear Jack,
Thank you for your congratulations,my congratulations to you! I remember Margaret Field very well--the girl with that wonderful red hair and those beautiful eyes. She was the most popular girl in our college. You're a very lucky fellow and I'm sure you'11 be very happy with her.
Brenda and I are very lucky,too. Her father gave us this house as a wedding present,so we don't have to pay rent. The house and furniture are insured already,so I can't help you by giving you that kind of business. I wish I'd known earlier that you were in the insurance business. I'd certainly have asked you to give me a policy for the house and its contents.
I'm rather doubtful about the value of life insurance. It's my duty,I know,to see that there will be money for my wife,and later on for the children,in the event of my early death. But I feel that it's wiser to put my money into the shares of good business companies. You say I can get a policy that will provide 50,000 when I'm 65. Yes,but that time is nearly forty years away,and what will 50,000 be worth then?The real value of money has been going down and prices go up a little every year,perhaps only 4%or 5%,but the movement is always up,never down. 50,000 in fifty years from now may be worth only two--thirds or even a half of what it is worth today. Now if I put my savings into the shares of the big oil companies,or aircraft manufacturers,the value of the shares will go up with the rise in costs and prices. So the real value of my money would remain about the same,wouldn't it?I know your answer. You'll say that your life insurance policy provides against my possible death. I've got to balance that possibility against the almost certain fall in the value of money*
I'd very much like you to meet Brenda. Can you come for a weekend some time?What about next Saturday?If you can manage it,please let me know which train you're coming by,and I'll meet you at the station. We can have a talk about life insurance and perhaps you'll succeed in making me see that life insurance is a good thing.
Yours sincerely,
Fred | high23524.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Emoticons"
},
"options": [
"Eye contact",
"Tone of voice",
"Emoticons",
"Gestures"
],
"question": "Compared with face-to-face conversations, which of the following can text messages rely on to convey their meani... | A full stop is used at the end of an idea or thought, and is an important rule in proper grammar. But text messages are changing the rules, as a new study finds digital messages ending with one aren't sincere. The results suggest skipping punctuation altogether, as it indicates you are answering naturally and heartfelt.
Binghamton University's Harpur College observed 126 students, who read a series of messages displayed as texts on a screen or handwritten notes on loose-leaf paper . In the 16 experimental exchanges, the sender's message contained a statement followed by an invitation phrased as a question such as, "Dave gave me his extra ticket. Wanna come?" The receiver then gave a one-word response like "Okay", "Sure", "Yeah" or "Yup". Half of the participants' responses were with a full stop and the other half did not use it. Based on the responses, text messages that ended with a full stop were rated less sincere than those that did not end with one. The students who read the notes on the paper reported that full stop or not, they felt the message was sincere. These results suggest that punctuation can misconstrue or influence the meaning of text messages. The study concludes, " _ "
"Texting is lacking many of the social cues used in actual face-to-face conversations", said Celia Klin, associate professor of psychology at Binghamton University's Harpur College. "When speaking, people easily convey social and emotional information with eye gaze, facial expressions, tone of voice, pauses, and so on. People obviously can't use these mechanisms when they are texting. Thus, it makes sense that texters rely on what they have available to them -- emoticons, deliberate misspellings that mimic speech sounds and, according to our data, punctuation. "
Recently, Klin's team conducted a follow-up study and found that text response with an exclamation mark is interpreted as more sincere. "That's not surprising, but it broadens our claim,"saidKlin. "Punctuation is used and understood by texters to convey emotions and other social and practical information. Given that people are wonderfully good at communicating complex information in conversations, it's not surprising that as texting evolves, people are finding ways to convey the same types of information in their texts. " | high12921.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A young foreign woman taking care of children."
},
"options": [
"A mother raising her children on her own",
"A child learning a foreign language at home",
"A professor in language education of children",
"A young foreig... | One of the latest trend in American Childcare is Chinese au pairs. Au Pair in Stamford, for example, has got increasing numbers of request for Chinese au pairs from aero to around 4,000 since 2004. And that's true all across the country.
"I thought it would be useful for him to learn Chinese at an early age" Joseph Stocke, the managing director of s company, says of his 2-year old son. "I would at least like to give him the chance to use the language in the future," After only six months of being cared by 25-year-old woman from China, the boy can already understand basic Chinese daily expressions, his dad says.
Li Drake, a Chinese native raising two children in Minnesota with an American husband, had another reason for looking for an au pair from China. She didn't want her children to miss out on their roots." Because I am Chinese, my husband and I wanted the children to keep exposed to the language and culture." she says.
"Staying with a native speaker is better for children than simply sitting in a classroom," says Suzanne Flynn, a professor in language education of Children."But parents must understand that just one year with au pair is unlikely to produce wonders. Complete mastery demands continued learning until the age of 10 or 12."
The popularity if au pairs from china has been strengthened by the increasing numbers of American parents who want their children who want their children to learn Chinese. It is expected that American demand for au pairs will continue to rise in the next few years. | high6817.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To improve your spoken English."
},
"options": [
"To improve your reading.",
"To improve your spoken English.",
"To improve your listening.",
"To improve your vocabulary."
],
"question": "What is most probably t... | Although many Chinese students say that their knowledge of English grammar is good ,most would admit that their spoken English is poor .Whenever I speak to a Chinese student they always say, "My spoken English is poor." However ,their spoken English does not have to remain "poor" ! I would like to suggest that there may be some reasons for their problems with spoken English.
First, they fail to find suitable words to express themselves due to a limited vocabulary .
Obviously the better answer is to expand their vocabulary. However ,you can speak with a limited vocabulary, if your attitude is positive .Others will follow you as long as you use the words that you know.
Second ,they are afraid of making mistakes. Sometimes they make mistakes when they are speaking because they are shy and nervous .Yet students should remember that their goal should be FLUENCY NOT ACCURACY. Your aim in writing is to be accurate following the rules for grammar and using the right words and spelling them correctly .However ,in speaking your aim is fluency. You want to get your message across ,to talk to someone in English ,as quickly and as well as you can ,even though sometimes you may use a wrong word or tense ,but it doesn't matter because the person you are speaking to will understand you and make allowances(,)for any mistakes he hears.
The third reason is that not enough attention is paid to listening .You have one mouth but two ears! All that hearing was necessary for you to start speaking.
Fourth ,most Chinese students are reactive rather than proactive language learners .Instead of actively seeking out opportunities to improve their spoken English they passively wait for speaking opportunities to come to them and wonder why their English always remains poor .If you have this proactive outlook ,then you will see English opportunities wherever you go.
If you do not use your English beyond the classroom you will forget what English you know .Remember: USE IT OR LOSE IT! You can learn how to speak English better by speaking English more. | high15096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Mental pressure."
},
"options": [
"Tooth trouble.",
"Sulfur rich food.",
"Too much exercise.",
"Mental pressure."
],
"question": "Which of the following is mentioned as one of the causes of bad breath?",
"qu... | Mouth bacteria grow fast in airless conditions. Oxygen rich saliva keeps their numbers down. When we sleep, for example, the saliva stream slows, and sulfur producing bacteria gains the upper hand, producing classic "morning breath".
Alcohol drinking, too much talking, breathing through the mouth during exercise, anything that dries the mouth produces bad breath. So can stress, though it's not understood why. Some people's breath turns sour every time they go on a job interview.
Saliva flow gradually slows with age, which explains why the elderly have more bad breath trouble than younger people do. Babies, however, who make plenty of saliva and whose mouths contain ly few bacteria have characteristically sweet breath.
For most of us, the simple, dry mouth variety of bad breath is easily cured. Eating or drinking starts saliva and sweeps away many of the bacteria. Breakfast often stops morning breath.
Those with constant dry mouth find that it helps to keep gum, hard candy, or a bottle of water or juice around. Brushing the teeth wipes out dry mouth bad breath because it clears away many of the offending bacteria.
Surprisingly, one thing that rarely works is mouthwash. The liquid can mask bad breath smell with its own smell, but the effect lasts no more than an hour. Some mouthwashes claim to kill the bacteria responsible for bad breath. The trouble is, they don't necessarily reach all offending germs. Most bacteria are well protected from mouthwash under thick layers of mucus . If the mouthwash contains alcohol--as most do--it can worsen the problem by drying out the mouth. | high21333.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It lies in the Arctic."
},
"options": [
"It lies in the Arctic.",
"Even the bedding is made of ice.",
"Every guest is provided with sleeping bags.",
"You can visit its website for dress requirements."
],
"questi... | Let's pay a visit to some of the most amazing and unusual places in the world, from icy hotels to temples on the side of cliffs .
Hotel de Glace -- Canada
If you don't mind the cold, this igloo style hotel is certainly for you. Nearly everything, including the bedding, is made of ice! This hotel is so well insulated that whatever the temperature outside is, the temperature inside never changes more than a few degrees. It's around 23 degrees to be exact. Since it is made of ice the hotel does have some dress requirements that can be found on their website. Arctic sleeping bags are provided for every guest, including children. For more information, visit the website: http://www.icehotelcanada.com.
The Tigers Nest Monastery -- Bhutan
Built directly onto a cliff side, this ancient temple has claimed its spot since 1692. Rich in history, Tigers Nest is constructed around eight attractive caves on the mountainside. Most of the caves are easy to reach through the natural rock stairways. However, some are more difficult, and can only be reached by shaky rope bridges. Visit the website http://www.bhutantouroperators.net/taktsang-monastery.php for more information.
Dinosaur Provincial Park -- Canada
Known to be one the greatest fossil locations in the world, Dinosaur Provincial Park has nearly 500 specimens in all shapes and sizes. The park itself has a vast collection of fossils and a unique natural ecosystem. For more information, please visit http://tpr.alberta.ca/parks/dinosaur/index.aspx.
Leshan Giant Buddha -- Sichuan China
The world's largest Buddha sits on the edge of two great rivers. Construction is believed to have started around the year 713, and at the time of this construction it was the tallest carved statue in the world. All 233 feet of the stature was carved from the surrounding cliffs and preserved in amazing condition. Even the 2008 earthquake was not enough to shake it. Its website http://yeschinatour.com/china-guides/china-attractions leshan-giant-buddha-leshan will provide you with more information. | high17859.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Seeking happiness from our inner mind."
},
"options": [
"Working hard to avoid a sense of emptiness.",
"Finding a specific purpose for our own life.",
"Relying on our achievements to be happy.",
"Seeking happiness from ... | Seeking to find happiness through a job before you find happiness on a personal level is like trying to stand on stilts on quicksand. That's how Anahita Moghaddam feels about it, anyway. She believes it is our "primary responsibility" to cultivate love and happiness within ourselves, first and foremost. Moghaddam says that if you only look to your professional achievements to keep your sense of purpose and well-being going, a sense of emptiness or desperation can't almost be avoided.
You and your brain are more flexible than you think. The brain changes and grows depending on what it interacts with. Positive thoughts will give support to neuron pathways for the feeling of joy; negative thoughts will make neuron pathways for feelings of sadness stronger. "The number of possible combinations of neurons that fire and wire together is 10 to the millionth power in your nervous system. In comparison, the number of atoms in our entire universe is estimated to be around 10 to the 80th power. If we are 10 to the millionth power, that makes us almost infinite. So what are we? Who are we? And what can we do with this?" she says.
Unfortunately, human brains have several biological tendencies to negative thoughts and feelings. First, human brains can identify and avoid threats. Often, that means that other humans instinctively register as competition, instead of teammates or comrades. Second, we're biologically likely to remember a single negative incident more than multiple positive experiences.
Despite it, we can control the thoughts with mindfulness. As Rick Hanson explains, changes in our thoughts can change the grey matter in our brains, and vice versa. "Mental activity is like a spring shower, leaving little traces of neural structure behind," he says. "Over time, the little tracks in the hillside draw in more water down, deepening their course."
There are benefits to living mindfully other than happiness. People who try to live more mindfully can focus for longer periods of time. "The ability to focus more strategically makes you more clear. It makes you show up to your own life more fully," Moghaddam says. "Happiness and creativity are the purpose and they are also the byproduct of living mindfully, living with purpose. Otherwise it is a social idea, and a concept that we grasp at, but it really starts in your heart." | high19874.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Victims of age discrimination consider age as an important standard ."
},
"options": [
"The healthier women are , the sooner they will lose their job .",
"Society knows women should be respected , but it doesn't offer them any jobs... | Although women lead healthier, longer lives, the cruel opinion that they become "old" sooner than men is widespread in the workplace , research shows .
A survey of more than 2,600 managers and personnel professionals showed that age discrimination is not only common in the workplace , but is shot through with inconsistencies .
Six in ten managers reported being a victim of age discrimination--usually because they were turned down for a job for being too old or too young . Yet more than a fifth admitted that they used ages as an important standard .
Although the survey found widespread agreement that older workers were better than younger colleagues when it came to reliability , commitment , loyalty and customer service , these qualities were not necessarily considered to be worthy of advancement .
A large number of persons believed that workers between 30 and 39 had the best promotion chances , with only 2 percent giving example of 50 year-olds or above.
There was evidence that people were considered old at different ages in different jobs . A young man working in IT said he was considered too old by the age of 28.
In fact there was no evidence to suggest that older workers were less valuable to companies than younger workers , in fact the opposite was often true because older workers often brought experience .
The findings also suggested that the Government's ideas on age in the workforce may also be out of step with reality. | high17681.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they have to stay too close together"
},
"options": [
"they can't move themselves",
"they cannot talk with one another",
"they have to stay too close together",
"they are afraid of accidents"
],
"question": "Pro... | Many of us use them several times a day without really noticing.And yet the way we in lifts,or elevators as they are known in the US,reveals a hidden anxiety.
Passengers seem to know instinctively how to arrange themselves in an elevator,like the dots on a die.With each additional passenger, the bodies shift,going into the open spaces.
On your own,you can do whatever you want--it's your own little box.If there are two of you,you take different corners, creating the greatest distance. When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle .And when there is a square, with someone I every corner.A fifth person is probable going to have to stand in the middle.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
"You don't have enough space," says Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin."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, so it's a very unusual setting. It's unnatural."
But perhaps there is more to it than just social awkwardness.
"In the back of our minds we are a little anxious," says Nick White,an office in New York who was unfortunate enough to be trapped in a lift for41 hours. "We don't like to be locked into a place.We want to get out of the elevator as soon as possible, you know, it's a frightening place to be."
During his terrible experience, he began to think of another encloses space-a tomb.
Dr.Lee Gray agrees that a sense of disempowerment is the main cause of life anxiety.
"You're in a machine that's moving, over which you have no control. You cannot see the elevator engine, you don't know how it's working," he says. | high23243.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "buy high quality flowers"
},
"options": [
"learn skills of growing flowers",
"buy high quality flowers",
"make a tour of enjoying flowers",
"visit experts on gardening"
],
"question": "Most people come to Gallup... | For over 40 years, Gallup &Stribling has been _ and growing excellent quality orchids at a 48-acre farm on the central California Coast.
Now, through our Visitor Center, we're making our award winning orchids available to the public at incredibly low, farm-direct prices. When you come to our Visitor Center you'll see hundreds of beautiful flowering orchids that you can purchase and take home. An expert nurseryman is always on hand to answer questions, help with cultures, and offer growing advice.
At our Visitor Center you'll find
^Hundreds of varieties of designer quality, flowering or hybrid orchids at low farm-direct prices.
^Beautiful orchids grown at our farm, along with those from top planters around the world.
^A variety of orchid cultures, pots fertilizers, and growing aids.
^Expert advice and detailed growing information to help you grow beautiful orchids.
Gallup and Stribling's Visitor Center is open daily throughout the year.
Phone 805-684-9842 for more information.
From Santa Barbara: Take Highway 101 South to the Padaro Lane exit in Carpinteria. Turn left, then make a right on Via Real, and go approximately one-half mile to the Visitor Center entrance.
From Los Angeles: Take Highway 101 North to the Padaro Lane exit in Carpinteria. Turn right, then make a right on Via Real, and go approximately one-half mile to the Visitor Center entrance. | high13380.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "People's respect and love for oxen."
},
"options": [
"The special role of oxen in frowning.",
"People's respect and love for oxen.",
"The practical value of an ox's body.",
"The contribution of oxen to the economy."
... | The year 2009 is the Year of Ox. The ox is a representative of the fanning culture of China. In the farming economy , oxen are the major animals pulling plows .
Of course, the good of oxen is not limited to plowing. In fact, they are seen as "boats on land" for their ability to carry loads. Besides, the whole body of an ox is full of treasures. Their meat and milk are food full of nutrition, and their skin can be used to make clothes and shoes. With all these qualities, oxen are regarded as generous creatures.
In the past, oxen played an important role in the spiritual life of the Chinese. Even today, oxen still play a special part in some folk activities. For example, some people who1ire in southwest China will cook cattle bone soup and share it among family members when holding the ceremony for children who reach 13. They believe that the cattle bone soup represents the blood relationship among family members. In order to express their love for oxen, people in some other areas will run to shake off diseases on the 16th day of the first month by the lunar calendar , and during their run they will take their oxen along, which indicates they regard the creature as human.
Because of the contribution of oxen in their lives, the Chinese people are very grateful to the animal. In addition, the use of oxen in ceremonies and the thanks people owe to oxen help to develop various traditional customs, which becomes an important part of the folk culture of the Chinese nation. | high8185.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Uncomlbrtable."
},
"options": [
"Uncomlbrtable.",
"Shocked.",
"Excited.",
"Wonderful."
],
"question": "How did the author first feel about camping in Yosemite?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": ... | The first night in Yosemite had been awfid.I hadn't been able to sleep and I was stuck in a too small tent with my wife and two kids."Things haven't worked out."I said to myself.But,like so many other things I complain before my morning coffee,this one was extremely off-key. Things weren't bad;they were good.
A hundred yards away was Summit Lake.It was beautiful.We fired up the camp stove and boiled up a cup of coffee.Half an hour later,my 6-year-old daughter and I were in the parking lot of the Lassen Peak Trail,getting ready to hike.We wouldn't make it all the way--young legs get pretty tired on a steep mountain path--but it didn't matter.We would see great views spread out below us,the volcanic ash that layered on the earth turning the melting snow a mysterious pink as the sun struck it.Later,during the hike,I felt stupid about my morning complaints.Everything had been worthwhile.It gave me great satisfaction to see my daughter so excited about the view from the mountain.
Yes,camping is uncomfortable.But there's also something wonderful about being so close to nature.Just as importantly,there's something about getting young children out of their increasingly technology-filled comfort zones and forcing them to experience the non-cyber world around them.It's a good thing to reconnect every so often with the Great Outdoors. | high21454.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "has the world's highest number of road deaths"
},
"options": [
"has the world's highest number of road deaths",
"has the world's largest auto market",
"is the world's largest greenhouse gas producer",
"is the world's se... | On September 22, 2007, 108 Chinese cities took part in Car-Free Day, a global event held every year, for the first time.
China became the world's second-largest auto market and third-largest car-maker in 2006. It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States. In this sense, China's participation will greatly promote the Car-Free Day movement.
The number of cars on the road is going up rapidly in China. In Beijing, about 1,000 new cars are added to the streets on an average day.
Cars certainly offer people plenty of freedom to move around. But in many Chinese cities, appearance of too many cars has turned into a major problem. Getting stuck in traffic jams is an everyday experience for drivers.
Even worse is the environmental impact caused by cars. According to a national report, on a "smog day", 79 percent of the air pollution is caused by cars.
The growing number of traffic accidents is another problem. Over 100,000 people die from traffic accidents every year in China, which is by far the highest number of road deaths in the world.
108 cities' participation in Car-Free Day shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.
On this day, all cars were banned from running in selected areas of the participating cities. People were encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport. According to experts, the carbon monoxide in the atmosphere produced by cars was reduced by 3,000 tons on Car-Free Day.
With cleaner air and smoother traffic flow on the day, more cities will hopefully want to join the event next year. And more people might share the hope that Car-Free Day is not just on September 22, but a possibility 365 days of the year. | high10851.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "How to get her to speak your language."
},
"options": [
"How to manage your marriage.",
"How to make a good husband",
"How to make a good wife.",
"How to get her to speak your language."
],
"question": "What is ... | If you're like a lot of married guys, you don't need to be reminded about men being from Mars or women from Venus. Chances are that you're all too familiar with the feeling that you and your wife are from different worlds. When married people start noticing their fundamental differences, it can lead to a breakdown in communication. The way to have a successful marriage is through communication, common ground and understanding. Here are some pointers to guide you in the right direction.
Rather than ending up in an endless back and forth, forget about the issue for a minute. Instead, think about how you feel she's acting toward you and ask her if that's how she feels about you. If you think she's being unfair, ask her if she thinks you're being unfair. Switching the focus to that shared feeling can help your wife see things from your point of view.
It's important to accept the fact that there's a two-way street between you and your wife. If you think she doesn't make enough of an effort to see things from your point of view, you have to ask yourself if you're making an effort to see it her way.
Realize nobody can wave a magic wand to make you and your wife completely understand each other all the time. Many couples have an extremely close friendship and do almost everything together before they're married. Once you've tied the knot, you may begin to notice that you're not as alike as you once thought.
It seems obvious, but some guys get fooled into thinking their wife will be as excited about all of their interests and hobbies as they are. Don't be surprised when you find out that she's not just like "one of the guys." Sooner or later you'll realize that she might be going along with some of your interests just to make you happy.
Rather than feel offended if you find out she's not as into your favorite hobby as you thought, appreciate the effort she put into making you happy. Swallow your pride and try to take part in some of her hobbies, too, even if you might _ at first. While you're not going to be trying on makeup with her, you could try baking a recipe together.
If either of you is always giving everything and getting nothing in return, there's going to be bitterness. The best marriages are built on compromise. You knew you were going to have to give and take for your marriage to work; now it's time to make it happen. | high4967.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Columbus was born in a western country, so he was more famous than Zheng He in the world ."
},
"options": [
"No one knew Zheng He's maritime achievements in history until World War I .",
"The Westerners' Voyages of Discovery fell b... | Zheng He made seven heroic voyages to Asia and Africa between 1405 and 1433, which predated the Westerners' Voyages of Discovery by almost a century .
Despite Zheng He's remarkable maritime feats , with larger and matchless fleets until World War I , he is ly unknown worldwide compared with his Western counterparts like Columbus and Vasco da Gama . Why ?
Sadly , much of the official Chinese records of these voyages were destroyed after his death , by order of his powerful enemies at Court . They were opposed to his expeditions , both on economic and other grounds .
Further , the Ming History made only little mention of his exploits . Most surprisingly , not even his date of death and burial place were recorded . Therefore , his final resting place is still a matter of _ .So he became only a legend and folk hero in his life time .
However , hardly any Chinese works on him have been translated into foreign languages . Ironically , it was due to a handful of famous Western researchers like prefix = st1 /Needham, Zlevathes and , most recently , Menzies that the world is now more familiar with his greatness .
Zhen He's rightful place in Chinese history has been confirmed by none other than Deng Xiaoping in 1984 , when he addressed the nation's People's Congress in Beijing : "...The Ming dynasty , under Yongle Emperor , did wisely pursue an open-door policy resulting in Zheng He's famous maritime expeditions overseas . However , after Yongle's death, Chinadeserted this policy resulting in foreign intervention andChina's final humiliation during the 19th century . The open-door policy is therefore the way forward forChina."
Following a more realistic overall appraise by scholars East and West of Zheng He's achievements , his standing as one of the greatest maritime explorers of all time has at last been firmly recognized worldwide . | high17680.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Public buildings should go green."
},
"options": [
"Green living can help to save energy.",
"Public buildings should go green.",
"Green living still has a long way to go.",
"It is important to lead a green life."
],... | Green living has become more important than ever and as time goes by, it will only become a more important issue. While it used to be a matter of making an extra effort to save energy and reduce waste in our homes, this has extended to the professional side of things since. Public buildings, such as schools, hospitals and offices, are under an increasing amount of pressure to make the change and go green, even if it's just a step-by-step process that takes a few years to implement completely.
There are plenty of reasons for offices to go green and these reasons go beyond the concept that it should be done just for the sake of the environment. While the environment is incredibly important and vital to our survival and quality of life, sustainable office design can also have positive impacts upon employees and people using the building.
For example, a report carried out last September revealed that the way an office is designed can significantly impact on the health of the staff there. It was also found to have an effect on productivity and could be a contributory factor to the amount of sick leave and staff turnaround within the business. It's fascinating to think that people can be so sensitive to their environments but it also makes a lot of sense. Even the choice of colour in your office can negatively or positively affect the people working there.
Based on this study, it is clear that companies should be making more efforts to improve on the office design while making sure the environment is sustainable and green. There are various little changes that can be made to lead to something bigger, from making sure the lights are turned off at night to recycling the paper your company gets through on a weekly basis. Once these changes are in place, you can start looking at the bigger picture and begin implementing changes to design and construction, like having wood fibre insulation fitted.
Along with other sustainable features, insulation can be beneficial in various ways. Not only will an insulated office space be environmentally sound by helping you to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer, reducing the reliance on the thermostat and central heating and saving money, but it can also be an effective form of sound absorption. The study revealed that noise is a contributory factor to productivity problems, and if you work in a particularly busy area, then noise can become a real issue. The aim is to create an environment that is comfortable and calm enough for people to concentrate and work productively. Soundproof walls are an effective and environmentally friendly solution. | high19875.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They both failed to prove the existence of ESP scientifically."
},
"options": [
"They both failed to prove the existence of ESP scientifically.",
"They were both the products of casually-designed research.",
"Others followed ... | ESP, Extra Sensory Perception, is a catch-all expression for the so-called ability of certain people to receive transmitted thoughts from others, to transmit their own thoughts, to see what will happen in the future or to be able to move objects from one place to another without physically touching them. These special people are called psychics. Some believe that we all have this ability to some degree but that most of us choose not to develop it.
Many people are skeptical about ESP. Alongside the existence of documented evidence, there are plenty of claims that have turned out to be cheating. For most people, it is difficult to accept such claims without having had first hand experience. The lack of scientific evidence is another factor to take into account. On the other hand, most of us have, at some time, experienced a seemingly unexplainable occurrence; hearing the telephone ring and knowing who will be on the other end of the line or cases of coincidence that seem to be too extreme to be accidental.
Over the years there have been numerous ESP experiments conducted by serious scientists in serious institutions. Joseph Banks Rhine, a botanist at Duke University published a famous book in 1934 called "Extra-Sensory Perception" in which he claimed to have enormous evidence of ESP. However, other scientists have been unable to copy his results since, which has resulted in the book losing much of its original credibility and fame.
The Ganzfield Experiments are considered to have been the most carefully examined ESP experiments. So-called psychics had their eyes covered and ears blocked while a "sender" attempted to transmit messages. Later the psychics would compare the messages received to the original messages sent out. There was a great deal of excitement and interest at the time, but the research failed to produce convincing results.
One of the strongest criticisms against ESP is that in order for it to exist, the fundamental laws of physics would necessarily have to be broken.
Human beings are attracted to the whole range of supernatural phenomena. ESP will always continue to fascinate. This becomes clear when we see how much of the media is dedicated to the topic: magazines, journals, web sites, television and radio programs. Some of the most successful films in recent years have fuelled interest among the younger generations who are starting to ask the same questions and to look for explanations for the same phenomena as their parents and grandparents before them. Who knows? One day we might just find these answers because one thing is certain: "The truth is out there! " | high17858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the original and present meaning of tipping"
},
"options": [
"different kinds of tipping in different countries",
"the relationship between tipping and custom",
"the original and present meaning of tipping",
"most Ameri... | Everybody hates it, but everybody does it . A recent report said that 40% of Americans hate tipping .
In America alone , tipping is a $16 billion-a-year industry .Consumers acting politely ought not to pay more than they have to for a given service . Tips should not exist . So why do they ? The common opinion in the past was that tips both rewarded the efforts of good service and reduced uncomfortable feelings of inequality. And also, tipping makes for closer relations. It went without saying that the better the service, the bigger the tip .
But according to new research from Cornell University , tips no longer serves any useful function . The paper analyzes numbers they got from 2547 groups dining at 20 different restaurants . The connection between larger tips and better service was very weak . Only a tiny part of the size of the tip had anything to do with the quality of service .
Tipping is better explained by culture than by the money people spend . In America , the custom came into being a long time ago . It is regarded as part of the accepted cost of a service. In New York restaurants , failing to tip at least 15% could well mean dissatisfaction from the customers . Hairdressers can expect to get 15%--20% , and the man who delivers your fast food $ 2. In Europe , tipping is less common . In many restaurants the amount of tip is decided by a standard service charge . In many Asian countries , tipping has never really _ at all . Only a few have really taken to tipping.
According to Michael Lynn , the Cornell papers' author , countries in which people are more social or outgoing tend to tip more . Tipping may reduce anxiety about being served by strangers . And , says , Mr . Lynn, "in America , where people are expressive and eager to mix up with others , tipping is about social approval . If you tip badly , people think less of you . "Tipping well is a chance to show off ." | high21332.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Many of Shakespeare's works were influenced by earlier writings."
},
"options": [
"Many of Shakespeare's works were influenced by earlier writings.",
"Shakespeare was hardworking when he was a student.",
"The experience of li... | Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.
During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare's play "The Comedy of Errors"(<<>> )Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play "Macbeth"(<<>> ), Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.
Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city's tradesmen. Shakespeare's knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.
It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare's works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of "critic", "mountaineer" and "eyeball". Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including "pomp and circumstance "from "Othello"(<<>> ), "full circle " from "King Lear"(<<>> ), etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare's plays have been translated into every major language in the world.
Shakespeare became a well-known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off. | high15097.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a lot of money is paid to singers and writers."
},
"options": [
"it takes longer to make them",
"more people are needed to make them",
"a lot of money is paid to singers and writers.",
"better ways are used to make them... | How much do you want to pay for a CD by your favorite singer Jay Chou? Five Yuan for a pirated one, or more for a real one? Wang Ye, 14, said she would like the real one although the pirated one is cheaper." A real one is worth keeping for years." said the girl from No.1 middle school in Wu Han, Anhui. "Real CDs always sound better to me."
What can we do? People want to do more to help those like Wang to get real CDs.
This week the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry asked many countries to act against piracy .
In many places in China, the government is checking audio and video products. Pirated ones are broken into pieces.
Piracy is in your daily life. Don't believe it? A study by 21st Century Teens found that more than 75 percent of juniors had listened to pirated music. They say this is because pirated products are usually much cheaper than the real ones.
Why are real CDs so expensive? When a music company makes music, it needs to pay the song writers and singers. It costs a lot of money! This makes the price of the CDs go up. Piracy like stealing. People who make pirated copies of CDs take away the writers' and singers' work without paying them. They even don't ask them if they can.
So next time you'd better keep your eyes brightened when you see cheap CDs. Remember you're helping someone to do something wrong if you buy them.
How do you know what's real.
Already made up your mind to buy real ones? Well, you should get to know what real CDs look like. A real CD has the name and trademark of the music company on the cover. The company's address, telephone number and fax number are on it.
If you open the CD box you'll see the singer's name and the album title. Most important of all, a real CD has a number from the IFPI on it.
But people who make pirated CDs only need the real CD and disks to copy them. That's why some CDs are only five Yuan, but some many sell for 150 Yuan. | high435.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "relaxation"
},
"options": [
"richness",
"relaxation",
"death",
"morality"
],
"question": "The word \"mortality\" in the passage means .",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | A study of a million UK women, published today in The Lancet, has shown that happiness itself has no direct effect on mortality, and that the widespread but mistaken belief that unhappiness and stress directly cause ill health came from studies that had simply confused cause and effect. Life-threatening poor health can cause unhappiness, and for this reason unhappiness is associated with increased mortality. In addition, smokers tend to be unhappier than non-smokers. However, after taking account of previous ill health, smoking, and other lifestyle and socio-economic factors, the investigators found that unhappiness itself was no longer associated with increased mortality.
The lead author, Dr Bette Liu, now at the University of New South Wales, Australia said: "Illness makes you unhappy, but unhappiness itself doesn't make you ill. We found no direct effect of unhappiness or stress on mortality, even in a ten-year study of a million women."
As in other studies, unhappiness was associated with deprivation, smoking, lack of exercise, and not living with a partner. The strongest associations, however, were that the women who were already in poor health tended to say that they were unhappy, stressed, not in control, and not relaxed.
The main analyses included 700 000 women, average age 59 years, and over the next 10 years these women were followed by electronic record linkage for mortality, during which time 30 000 of the women died.
After allowing for any differences already present in health and lifestyle, the overall death rate among those who were unhappy was the same as the death rate among those who were generally happy. The study is so large that it rules out unhappiness being a direct cause of any material increase in overall mortality in women.
This was true for overall mortality, for cancer mortality, and for heart disease mortality, and it was true for stress as well as for unhappiness. | high12920.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because they all claimed to be the best."
},
"options": [
"Because they often fought for some reasons.",
"Because they were not liked by each other.",
"Because they all claimed to be the best.",
"Because they all wanted... | Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel.
Green said, "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."
Blue interrupted, "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life."
Yellow chuckled . "The sun is yellow, as well as the moon and the stars. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile."
Red could bear it no longer. "I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood-life's blood! I am the color of danger and bravery. I bring fire into the blood. I am the color of passion and love."
Purple stood at his full height. "I am the color of royalty and power. I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."
Finally Indigo spoke with determination, "Think of me and I am the color of silence. I represent thought and reflection. You need me for balance and contrast , for prayer and inner peace."
The colors went on boasting , each showing off his or her own advantages. Suddenlythere came a flash of bright lightening. Thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down. The colors were scared to death.
In the midst of the quarrelling, rain began to speak, "You foolish colors. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands.
From then on, when it rains, colors will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color.
Whenever a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another. | high14389.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He wanted to know what Dyer could do."
},
"options": [
"He assumed Dyer was living happily.",
"He took great pity on this disabled man.",
"He wanted to know what Dyer could do.",
"He thought that Dyer could do nothing."... | I was watching Sports center last night when one of those "human interest" stories came on and really caught my attention.
The story was about a 27-year-old professional Bass Fisherman named Clay Dyer. At first, they played it off as another guy trying to make the cut on the Bass master tour until they showed a picture of him. No legs, no arm, or rather, he has only 1/3 of his right arm. That's all that he has.
It was such an amazing story that I was wondering what this guy could do. Growing up, he learned to play baseball and basketball, but found that fishing was his true calling. And he does it all on his own. He holds the fishing pole under his chin and uses that and his stub arm to cast and reel in the fish. He uses his teeth to help him unhook fish. He ties his own hooks or lures on with his mouth, never really asking anyone else to help. Clay Dyer even knows how to swim. Since his body can't produce enough sweat on its own, he has to take a dip in the lake every few hours to keep cool. He dives in just like anyone else, then somehow treads water with his stub arm, then, with a little help, pulls himself back up into the boat and goes on fishing.
Clay Dyer has never looked for others' pity, nor has he allowed his physical disabilities to prevent him from becoming a professional fisherman. His motto for life is "If I can, you can." He refuses to use special equipment, saying, "I want to do it with one hand the way they do it with two." | high23525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "psycho-motor speed"
},
"options": [
"mental health",
"intellectual ability",
"the amount of knowledge",
"psycho-motor speed"
],
"question": "A long-term study of 136 pairs of twins showed that the only factor th... | Many of us believe that a person's mind becomes less active as he grows older.But this is not true,according to Dr.Lissy F.Jarvik,professor of psychiatry at the University of California,Los Angeles,and a board member of the New Center for Aging at the Veterans Hospital.She has studied the mental functioning of aging persons for several years.For example,one of her studies concerns 136 pairs of twins, who were first examined when they were already 60 years old.As Dr.Jarvik continued the study of the twins into their 70s and 80s,their minds did not generally decline as was expected.
However,there was some decline in their psycho-motor speed. This means that it took them longer to accomplish mental tasks than it used to.But when speed was not a factor,they lost very little intellectual ability over the years.In general,Dr.Jarvik's studies have shown that there is no decline in knowledge or reasoning ability.This is true not only into the 30s and 40s,but into the 60s and 70s as well.
As for learning new things,and ability to remember,studies by Dr.Jarvik and others show that the old are equal to the young.It is true that older people themselves often complain that their memory is not as good as it once was.However,much of what we call"loss of memory"is not that at a11.
In the cases where the older person's mind really seems to decline,it is not necessarilv a sign of a decay due to becoming old or"senility".Often it is simply a sign of a depressed emotional state.This depression usually can be got rid of by counseling with a psychologist,or medicine which fights depression.
In American society,when an older person loses something,we tend to call him or her"senile".But notice that when a younger person loses something,he does not blame it on senility or loss of memory.He finds some other excuse! | high15083.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "changemakers"
},
"options": [
"changemakers",
"Businessmen",
"Social Conditions",
"Rubbish Problem"
],
"question": "Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?",
"question_type": null
}... | You may not have heard of Ashoka, but for the past 27 years,this association, founded by Bill Drayton, has fought poverty and sickness, promoted education and encouraged small businesses. To support these worthy causes, Ashoka provides money for the world's most promising "changemakers" seeking to solve urgent problems and would like to create a world in which every citizen is a changemaker.
Drayton believes that anyone can become an agent for change. The important thing is to simply give yourself permission. If you see a problem that you care about, you can help solve it. The young in particular are willing to accept this concept because at heart every child wants to grow into a happy, healthy, contributing adult. In fact It is many young people's ambition to set up programmes or businesses that improve social conditions. An excellent example is an Ashoka project started in 1995 in Dhaka, which handled the rubbish problem facing the city ,helped local farmers and provided an income for poor people there .
When Masqsood and Iftekhar began to study the problem of all the uncollected rubbish that lay in Dhaka's streets,Attracting tats and disease , they discovered that 80% of it was natural waste . So they educated the poor people in the city to compost (......)this waste . They knew that they would have a market for the end product because local farmers were struggling with chemical ferntilisers which were expensive and had reduced the natural minerals in the soil over the years . At first , they were refused ,but once they were able to persuade _ that there was money to be made , the project took off. In 2009 sales were $14,000.
Drayton is optimistic that in ten years Ashoka will be making really serious ,practical progress in bringing about social change by changing the way we look at economic development. | high6802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he was tired of his boring work"
},
"options": [
"the weather was so unpleasant",
"he was tired of his boring work",
"the kids didn't ask him to join them",
"a Daddy has his right to do so"
],
"question": "The a... | I really hadn't meant to yell at them. But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen.
With a tiresome report to write, I felt bothered at my desk. Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault. A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly.
"Ok, you two here, but what an awful thing you are attempting!" I was shouting angrily. I made for them, while it became evident that _ "Get away from us!" he shouted back, there being an expression of support from his sister.
All of a sudden, I found the fault in myself. Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers and crawled towards them, "Crabby Daddy is here. Ha, Ha, Ha, he likes to yell at children, and then eat them!" My son continued to keep me away, but now he was laughing and crying at the same time. My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well. Still, I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way.
Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself. It only shows just how to get rid of something (ill-feelings, responsibility...) by blaming others. It's not my "best self".
We have to search for our "best self" when with our children. They don't need perfect parents, but they do need parents who are always trying to get better. Here, I am reminded of the words of a great thinker. "When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the book..." Then, in our lifetime, couldn't we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level, what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children? | high421.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "an ability to store experiences of future use"
},
"options": [
"the basis for decision making and problem solving",
"an ability to store experiences of future use",
"an intelligence typically possessed by human beings",
... | It is difficult to imagine what life will be like without memory. The meanings of thousands of everyday perceptions(, ), the bases for the decisions we make, and the roots of our habits and skills are to be found in our past experiences, which are brought into the present by memory.
Memory can be defined as the capacity to keep information available for later use. It includes not only "remembering" things like arithmetic or historical facts, but also involves any change in the way an animal typically behaves. Memory is involved when a rat gives up eating grain because he has sniffed something suspicious in the grain pile. Memory is also involved when a six-year-old child learns to swing a baseball bat.
Memory exists not only in humans and animals but also in some physical objects and machines. Computers, for example, contain devices from storing data for later use. It is interesting to compare the memory-storage capacity of a computer with that of a human being. The instant-access memory of a large computer may hold up to 100,000 "words"--ready for instant use. An average prefix = st1 /U. S. teenager probably recognizes the meaning of about 100,000 words of English. However, this is but a fraction(, ) of the total amount of information which the teenager has stored. Consider, for example, the number of faces and places that the teenager can recognize on sight.
The use of words is the advanced problem-solving intelligence of human beings. A large part of a person's memory is in terms of words and combinations of words. | high23531.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "damage the environment"
},
"options": [
"damage the environment",
"benefit human health",
"protect crops and forest",
"limit the spread of smog"
],
"question": "According to the passage, ground-level ozone can ... | The term "smog" was first used in London during the early 1900's to describe the combination of smoke and fog. What we typically call " smog" today is a mixture of pollutants but is primarily made up of ground-level ozone .
Ozone can be beneficial or harmful depending on where it stays. The ozone staying high above the Earth protects human health and the environment, but ground-level ozone is responsible for the choking, coughing, and painful eyes associated with smog. The ozone in smog also prevents plants growth and can cause widespread damage to crops and forest.
Major smog occurrences often are linked to heavy motor vehicle traffic, high temperatures, sunshine, and calm winds. Weather and geography affect the position and severity of smog. Because temperature regulates the length of time it takes for smog to form, smog can form faster and be more severe on a hot and sunny day. When warm air stays near the ground instead of rising and winds are calm, smog may stay trapped over your city for days. As traffic and other sources add more pollutants to the air, the smog gets worse. Smog is often more severe away from the pollution sources because the chemical reactions that cause smog occur in the atmosphere while the reacting chemicals are being moved by the wind.
Smog is a visible example of air pollution. You can look into the distance during the day to see how much smog there is in the air. In addition, most cities measure the concentrations of pollutants in the air and report the results to the public.
Environmental Protection Agency sets national standards for pollutants. Areas that fail to meet the standards for at least one air pollutant are called "nonattainment areas. " New measures are being taken by local governments across the country to reduce air pollution in nonattainment areas. These include: banning charcoal barbecues and wood burning in stoves or fireplaces when pollution levels are high; developing programs to encourage carpooling and voluntary "ozone actions" ; limiting traffic in overcrowded areas; expanding or improving public transportation systems; requiring employers to contribute to employee public transportation costs; assessing " smog fees" on cars according to the number of miles driven and vehicle emissions produced; and even buying and breaking up older " super-dirty" cars. | high17694.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Her team aimed to answer two questions."
},
"options": [
"Her team aimed to answer two questions.",
"The study is going to benefit babies a lot.",
"The study had been kept secret before finished.",
"People used to belie... | For grown-ups,an afternoon snooze is often easier said than done.But many of us have probably experienced just how simple it can be to catch some sleep in a gently rocking hammock .By examining brain waves in sleeping adults,researchers reported in the June 21issue of Current Biology,a Cell Press publication,that they now have evidence to explain why that is.
"It is a common belief that rocking causes sleep:we fall asleep in a rocking chair soon and,since ancient times,we cradle our babies to sleep,"said Sophie Schwartz of the University of Geneva."Yet,how this works had remained a mystery.The goal of our study was made up of two parts:to test whether rocking does indeed improve sleep,and to understand how this might work at the brain level."
Schwartz,Michel Muhlethaler,and their colleagues Laurence Bayer and Irina Constantinescu asked twelve adult volunteers to nap on a custom-made bed or"experimental hammock"that could either remain still or rock gently.All participants were good sleepers who didn't typically nap and did not suffer from excessive sleepiness during the day.Each participant took two 45-minute afternoon naps,one with the bed still and one with the bed in motion,while their brain activity was monitored.
"We observed a faster transition to sleep in each and every subject in the swinging condition,"Muhlethaler said."Surprisingly,we also observed a dramatic boosting of certain types of sleep-related brain waves."
More specifically,rocking increased the length of stage N2sleep,a form of non-rapid eye movement sleep that normally occupies about half of a good night's sleep.The rocking bed also had a lasting effect on brain activity,increasing slow brain waves and bursts of activity known as sleep spindles .
Schwartz and Muhlethaler say the next step is to find out whether rocking can improve longer periods of sleep and to find out whether it may be useful for the treatment of sleep disorders,such as insomnia . | high19861.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they are terrifying"
},
"options": [
"they contain unmoral themes",
"they are terrifying",
"they encourage stealing, kidnapping and killing",
"they are tired of answering questions"
],
"question": "Classical wor... | Traditional fairytales are being given up by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found.
Research uncovered that one in five parents has got rid of old literature such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favour of more modem books.
One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the _ details of Little Red Riding Hood.
And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplesliltshin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing.
Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.
The survey of 2,000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM , which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairytales.
The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn't consider reading fairytales to their kids.
And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn't send a good message to their children as it describes a young woman doing housework all day.
Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: "Bedtime stories are supposed to calm children down and send them off to sleep soundly.But as we see in GMMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic so it's understandable that parents worry about reading them to young 'children.As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five - year - old child could take them too literally.Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as: we see in GRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story."
The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid Stories which might give their children nightmares.
However half of parents said traditional tales are "more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modem kids' books, such as The Gruffato, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr Men books. | high21326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "director"
},
"options": [
"director",
"employee",
"teacher",
"student"
],
"question": "We can infer from the text that the writer was the _ of ISM.",
"question_type": "summarization_questions"
},
{
... | Because I will be away for a few days after Spring Break, I am writing this during the actual holiday, when I can use time to catch up on a number of purely administrative items.
First of all, you should have received the letter I sent out on April 2 advising of the transition arrangements to new leadership at ISM (International School of Moscow). In that letter I pointed out that Dr. Paul Malone will be arriving in Moscow on Monday, May 4th, and that I will work with him during that week to ensure smooth transition. My last day at ISM will be Friday, May 8th.
Several people have asked me why I required Dr. Malone to come early. There are many problems facing ISM at the moment which have major implications for the future, and it makes sense for the new director to come aboard before the end of the school year. This will give him the chance to play a major role in the planning process for 2014--2015 and beyond. The fact that Paul Malone is able to arrive in early May is good for the school. I have been working closely with him, and will do everything possible to see that he can move in easily when I leave. From here I will go to Hong Kong for a couple of weeks to spend time in my new situation, and then I will return to the United States for a few weeks' vacation.
In the most recent edition of the Compass(a kind of paper of ISM), I wrote briefly what I consider to be the major challenge for ISM in the future. I am sure that the new leadership of the school will be able to face those challenges in an active manner, which will ensure a strong future for the school. I shall certainly watch the progress of the school with interest. The results of the school for the past few years have been quite outstanding, and I fully expect that level of performance to continue. | high10845.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he suffers from face blindness"
},
"options": [
"his eyesight is failing",
"he prefers to walk hurriedly",
"he suffers from face blindness",
"he can't tell facial expressions"
],
"question": "James Cooke can't r... | James Cooke, of Islip,N.Y.,can't recognize other people. "I see eyes, nose, cheekbones, but no face," he said. "I've even passed by my son and daughter without recognizing them."
He is not the only one. Those with prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, can see perfectly well, but their brains are unable to piece together the information needed to understand that a collection of features represents an individual's face. The condition is a neurological mystery, but new research has shed light on this strange disease.
Some scientists had believed that faces and voices, the two main ways people recognize one another, were processed separately by the brain. Indeed, a condition parallel to prosopagnosia, called _ , similarly leaves a person unable to distinguish a familiar voice from an unfamiliar one. But by testing for these two conditions at the same time, researchers at the Max Planck Institute recently found evidence that face and voice recognition may be linked in a unique person-recognition system.
The scientists observed the brain activity of 19 healthy volunteers as they were led through tasks that tested their ability to recognize both faces and voices. The researchers found that regions of the brain, associated with facial recognition, are directly linked to regions responsible for voice recognition.
This research helps explain why a person with prosopagnosia may still have difficulty determining who a person is even after he has begun to speak. The challenge for scientists is to find out where this system breaks down. Are these connections in the brain missing entirely, or are people unable to recognize faces and voices simply unable to use these links in some way?
It is unclear how many people have these conditions. Many don't even realize they have problems with facial or voice recognition. While some develop these difficulties after a brain injury, others develop it in childhood. | high20986.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To find out whether someone can help strangers who are in need of help."
},
"options": [
"To find out whether strangers need help when they are in trouble.",
"To find out whether someone can help those who want to help others.",
... | Recently, China UnionPay did an experiment in a subway station in Beijing--Are you willing to offer a hand to a stranger who needs help?
The leading role of the experiment was an old man. With a small bag in one hand and a large case in the other, the old man appeared in a cold winter morning in the bustling subway station. He was so old that he couldn't carry the heavy case up the stairs. Standing in front of the steps, he looked helpless.
Something good happened finally. At 9 o'clock, a kind man showed up, he offered to carry the case for the old man and walked up the stairs with him, at 9:25, another man helped ...
Within six hours,the old man walked up the stairs for 25 times,among which he was helped for 23 times.
What's more,two ladies tried to help the old man--one in the front and the other in the back. They carried the case up the stairs for him. The most noteworthy thing was that another old man tried to help too.
When these kind people were asked why they helped the stranger,they all said " It's just the right thing to do," "I always help people as long as I can" ,or "it's not a big thing, and I just want to help".
We often see negative news about fake falling and blackmailing or scheming and cunning. But this experiment brought sheer warmth into our heart. | high11583.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "COMMUNITY"
},
"options": [
"NEWS",
"COMMUNITY",
"CULTURE and LIFESYLE",
"STUDY"
],
"question": "Which of the following sections would be the best choice to exchange thoughts with others?",
"question_type": n... | Beijing today, first published in May, 2001, is the capital's only English weekly newspaper and is published with the help of the Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government and run by Beijing Youth Daily. Its readers include English-speaking foreigners living in Beijing and local Chinese who have great interest in English or take English as a working language.
The paper's main content deals with metropolitan life, explaining the differences and similarities between Eastern and Western culture. Its culture and lifestyle part is regarded as a guide to metropolitan life in Beijing.
The paper has 24 pages in four main sections:
NEWS: Select stories that discuss cultural differences.
COMMUNITY: Reports on developments related to foreigners in the city and a platform by which they can communicate with a bigger audience.
CULTURE and LIFESTYLE: Highlights from international lifestyle and fashion trends in Beijing
STUDY: Cheerful and humorous pieces to help English-language students improve their skills
Beijing Today circulates 50,000 copies published every Friday. It is one of Beijing's most authoritative English media sources, and is sold at post newsstands and distributed in hotels, apartment complexes, etc.
Price: 2 yuan per issue | high4973.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was a role model of how to be a caring person"
},
"options": [
"made international travels to live a full life",
"was a role model of how to be a caring person",
"was busy organizing former students' reunions",
"gathere... | When I was in college, a man named Henry worked as a custodian in our student union building. White-haired, with a Pennsylvania Dutch accent, Henry could usually be seen in a baseball cap, a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.
He was the custodian, and he was the most respected and most well-known person in the building. Everyone loved Henry, and it was because of all the implicit ways he expressed his love for everyone around him. Henry didn't have to say, "I love you." He lived his love.
Henry was always excited when he met someone new, and he wanted to know everything about them. He felt it was important to do things for people he valued. And Henry seemed to value everyone he met. He brought in articles or cartoons for certain people, went out of his way to introduce people to each other, kept dozens of names and birthdays in his wallet so he could send cards, and helped students keep in touch with graduates who had written to him. He even assisted students who didn't have enough money to buy their books.
Henry taught me --- and many others he supported --- how to live life to the fullest. Not by skydiving or exploring some foreign countries, but by appreciating where you are in life and valuing those around you.
The funny thing is that despite all he did and taught us, Henry truly believed that he was the lucky one --- that he was the one who was gaining so much by getting to know us. But all of us who remember Henry know that we were the ones who were truly blessed.
We will never forget the man who taught us that best way to say "I love you" often has little to do with the words. | high23257.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "practise speaking in public"
},
"options": [
"be born an excellent one",
"practise speaking in public",
"attend all kinds of courses",
"make a search on the Internet"
],
"question": "If you want to become a good... | Great speakers are not born but made. You too can become a good orator by taking up the public speaking courses. Those who are incapable of speaking in front of the public can' t come up in their life. The art of public speaking must be practiced by everybody who wants to reach great heights in their career. A lot of public speaking courses are available on the Internet. Choosing the best course that is right for you may be difficult but not impossible.
The basic motive of public speaking courses should be to train you to become a public speaker and improve your skills of _ a public speech. The course should first educate you with the principles of public speaking and tell you how to overcome stress and anxiety. By overcoming fear, you will be able to deliver your presentation clearly to your audience.
A speaker can have a great influence on the audience with his body language and your public speaking course should tell you the gestures on stage that can attract the audience. Non-verbal communication also has a major role to play in delivering a speech effectively to a group. Though body language is important, the content and the natural use of words are what the audience are closely caring about. Public speaking courses should give tips in using the right words at the right time.
Even though you have prepared well, the real success of public speaking lies in the way your speech is delivered. Public speaking courses will train you to present the contents in a lively manner impressing the audience. Your presentation should be professional and stylish. You can add humor or interactive sessions to your presentation to gain the audience attraction. | high13394.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "communicate with each other"
},
"options": [
"have the hearty food",
"enjoy the historic sites",
"make themselves known",
"communicate with each other"
],
"question": "British people have the habit of gathering ... | For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub.Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news.
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved.Many of them have become historic sites.The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called " Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" , which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England.
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society.On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire.There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drinks available at an affordable price.
That's how things used to be.Things are beginning to change.It is said that the credit crunch is causing 39 British pubs in a week to go out of business.People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer.Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs.
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11 p.m..Previously, with 11 p.m.as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly.The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as "binge drinking" , and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities.
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market.British pubs now offer something for everyone.A lot of pubs used to be "Working Men's Clubs" , meaning that women could not usually enter.Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems.Perhaps things are changing for the better after all. | high347.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Princess Ann"
},
"options": [
"Princess Ann",
"David Beckham",
"Nick Clegg",
"Paul Deighton"
],
"question": "Who carried the Olmpic flame off the plane?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"a... | The Olympic flame arrived at Culdrose in Cornwall from Athens on a golden plane called "The Firefly" on Friday in four custom-made lanterns.It was carried off the plane by Princess Anne, IOC Member and the president of the British Olympic Association, and then used to light a cauldron to mark the start of the Olympic Torch Relay by football hero David Beckham."Eight thousand inspirational torchbearers are all set to bring the magic of the Games to everyone's doorstep," said Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, who was at Culdrose to welcome the London 2012 delegation ."With every step, the excitement will build.Ten weeks from now, the world will watch as the flame arrives at the Olympic Stadium, bringing with it the hopes of a nation."
A gold-liveried air rescue Sea King helicopter flew the torch to Land's End early on Saturday, where at 7.08am it was passed to the triple Olympic gold medalist sailor Ben Ainslie, the first of 8,000 torch-bearers, in front of 3,500 people."It's amazing," he said."For me, growing up in this part of the world, in Cornwall, for the Olympic Torch to set off from here around the nation, is a fantastic moment for the UK, for London 2012.Very exciting." Ainslie carried the torch 300m before 'kissing' it on to Anastasi Swallow, a junior surf champion who has represented her country four times."This is really when the Games begin," said Paul Deighton, the London 2012 Organising Committee's chief executive."Through these 70 days we'll see some magic in our communities." | high22149.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "about two hundred and forty-five words per minute"
},
"options": [
"about three hundred words per minute",
"about two hundred and forty-five words per minute",
"about sixty words per minute",
"about five hundred words p... | A higher reading rate, with no loss of comprehension, will help you in other subjects as well as in English, and the general principles apply to any language. Naturally, you will not read every book at the same speed .You would expect to read a newspaper, for example, much more rapidly than a physics or economics textbook -but you can raise your average reading speed over the whole range of materials you wish to cover so that the percentage gained will be the same whatever kind of reading you are concerned with.
The reading passages which follow are all of an average level of difficulty for your stage of instruction. They are all about five hundred words long .They are about topics of general interest which do not require a great deal of specialized knowledge. Thus fall between the kind of reading you might find in your textbooks and the much less demanding kind you will find in a newspaper or light novel .If you read this kind of English, with understanding at four hundred words per minute, you might skim through a newspaper at perhaps 650--700 ,while with a difficult textbook you might drop to two hundred or two hundred and fifty. ks5u
Perhaps you would like to know what reading speeds are common among native English-speaking university students and how those speeds can be improved .Tests in Minnesota, U.S.A., for example ,have shown that students without special training can read English of average difficulty ,for example, Tolstoy's War and Peace in translation ,at speeds of between 240--250 words per minute with about seventy percent comprehension .Students in Minnesota claim that after twelve half-hour lessons ,once a week, the reading speed can be increased ,with no loss of comprehension ,to around five hundred words per minute. | high21468.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "both B and C"
},
"options": [
"French people never wear fashionable clothes",
"French designers are creative",
"French people accept fashionable clothes and other styles",
"both B and C"
],
"question": "France c... | Before coming to France,I always thought that French people wear formal clothes. But, when I arrived in Paris, I came to know why France could remain the lead in world fashion and Paris could attract so many designers from all over the world to come.
On the boulevard of Champs-elysees, there are many fashion shops of famous brands, such as Chanel, Dior, Pierre Cardin. In daily life, however, most of Parisians never wear clothes like those on the super models. On the opposite, I found people in Paris often dress in very simple designs and usually in dark.
Such situation doesn't affect French designers to create more and more new styles. But I would say people in Paris dress more formally than those in the rest of France. In other French cities, what people wear are usually casual dresses, such as T-shirts and jeans.
French people act as the fashion leaders, but they accept other clothes styles as well. Montpellier, the city I live in, is in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. Here are many immigrants from Algeria, Morocco and other African countries. The Arabian and African cultures are influential in this city. Therefore, you can find a lot of young people dress in the North African style. | high20776.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Under the ground"
},
"options": [
"In the street",
"Under the ground",
"From the dustbins",
"In burger shops"
],
"question": "Where did the rats use to search for food? k*s5*u",
"question_type": "factiod_que... | Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave what they cannot finish of the fast food in the street, an environment group warned .Keep Britain Tidy said the rats were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were running across the streets, invited by burgers, pizzas and crisps left behind by man. "The rat population is on the rise and soon it'll be as common to see a rat on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat," said group Director, Sue Nelson. The practice of spreading fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the dustbin--with young men the worst group--was behind the rise. According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005, Britain's rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million, two million more than the human population. On average a rat can give birth every 24-28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a family of 2,000 a year. Around 200 people a year get Weil's Disease -an infection which can lead to liver or kidney failure and eventually death and which is carried in rats' waste. To attract people's attention to the problem, Keep Britain Tidy produced a cinema ad with a title "How close do you want them to get?" The ad gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats--reminding people of the terrible scene from James Herbert's classic horror tale The Rats, in which rats begin to hunt for humans. | high15915.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "lighten his punishment"
},
"options": [
"prove him innocent",
"him turn over a new leaf",
"lighten his punishment",
"him escape from prison"
],
"question": "56. We are told that George expected Jim to help _ ... | George had stolen some money, but the police had caught him and he had been put in prison. Now his trial was about to begin, and he felt sure that he would be found guilty and sent to prison for a long time.
Then he discovered that an old friend of his was one of the members of the jury at his trial. Of course, he did not tell anybody, but he managed to see his friend secretly one day. He said to him, "Jim, I know that the jury will find me guilty of having stolen the money. I cannot hope to be found not guilty of taking it ---- that would be too much to expect. But I should be grateful to you for the rest of my life if you could persuade the other members of the jury to add a strong recommendation for mercy to their statement that they consider me guilty."
"Well, George,"answered Jim. "I shall certainly try to do what I can for you as an old friend, but of course I cannot promise anything. The other eleven people on the jury look terribly strong-minded to me."
George said that he would quite understand if Jim was not able to do anything for him, and thanked him warmly for agreeing to help.
The trial went on, and at last the time came for the jury to decide whether George was guilty or not. It took them five hours, but in the end they found George guilty, with a strong recommendation for mercy.
Of course, George was very pleased, but he did not have a chance to see Jim for some time after the trial. At last, however, Jim visited him in prison, and George thanked him warmly and asked him how he had managed to persuade the other members of the jury to recommend mercy.
"Well, George," Jim answered, "as I thought, those eleven men were very difficult to persuade, but I managed it in the end by tiring them out. Do you know, those fools had all wanted to find you not guilty!" | high1823.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "15015704625"
},
"options": [
"15015704625",
"13800013900",
"13145751201",
"15112015812"
],
"question": "If foreigner wants to learn some Chinese and make friends; he / she can call _ .",
"question_type": ... | Chinese girl looking for language exchanger
Posted Feb 10, 2012 16:25 by Sophia
Tag: Seeking Language partners Guangzhou Sex: Female Race/Ethnicity: Chinese
I am a Chinese girl in my 20's, can speak and write in English, but I'd like to make some improvement. People always look for making it better, right?
Meanwhile, I also like to meet more friends if we really have some topics to share.
And if you are in Guangzhou or visit here, I am more than willing to show you around in my spare time.
Reply to happycora@hotmail.com or call 15015704625
Tianhe nice apartment for share
Posted Feb 24, 2012 16:47 by Vivian
Tag: Seeking roommates Guangzhou Tianhe District Up to 2000 RMB
I have a room available for rent in a shared apartment in Central Tianhe district.
The room has a big window with a nice view. The apartment itself is on the 22th floor of a new secure building on Tianhe Bei Lu, about 10 minutes walk from metro stations on lines 1 and 3, as well as buses and other transportation methods very close.
If you are interested, please feel free to phone me (Vivian) on 13145751201 (message preferred), or email me on vivian _ liu2003@hotmail.com.
Business Interpreter/Guide
Posted Feb 26, 2012 08:46 by Sony
Tag: Business Services Guangzhou Baiyun District
Dear Foreign Friends, I am a professional interpreter, now looking for a Freelance interpreter job urgently. Please read my CV at below:
Name: Sony Song Gender: Male Age: 22 years old
Education: Studied English in Da Shan Foreign Language College
Birth: 9th Oct 1987, Luohe city, Henan province, China.
Ability: Speak fluent English, know Guangzhou city very well, can also guide you to Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Shunde, Macao, Hongkong, etc.
Contact Detail: E-mail/MSN: sonysong4@hotmail.com; cell phone: 15112015812
Looking for flat
Posted Mar 11, 2012 14:03 by Lucy
Tag: Apartments wanted Guangzhou
Hello,
This is Lucy coming from Peru and looking for a short term flat, from 15th April until 30th April 2012. If somebody can give some information, send me pictures, price and address.
Email: lucitamaron@hotmail.com; cell phone: 13800013900
Thanks a lot in advance! | high409.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a drink enjoyed by the rich in old times"
},
"options": [
"served with a drink in old times",
"popular with people around the world",
"a drink enjoyed by the rich in old times",
"bought easily in stores in old times"
... | Most people today think of chocolate as something sweet to eat or drink and can be easily found in stores around the world. It might surprise you that chocolate was once highly treasured.
The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a sweetened chocolate drink. Later, the popularity of the drink spread throughout Europe. Chocolate remained a drink that only wealthy people could afford to drink until the eighteenth century. During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, new technologies helped make chocolate less costly to produce.
Farmers grow cacao trees in many countries in Africa, Central and South America, but these trees are difficult to grow. They require an exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection. After about five years, cacao trees start producing large fruits called pods, which grow near the trunk of the tree. The seeds inside these pods are harvested to make chocolate. Growing cacao is very hard work for farmers. Today, chocolate industry officials, activists, and scientists are working with farmers. They are trying to make sure that cacao can be grown in a way that is easy for the farmers and safe for the environment.
The market value of the yearly cacao crop around the world is more than five billion dollars. Chocolate is especially popular in Europe and the United States. Each year, Americans eat an average of more than 5 kilograms of chocolate per person. Specialty shops that sell costly chocolate are also very popular. Many offer chocolate lovers the chance to taste chocolate grown in different areas of the world. | high8807.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because they technology develops very fast."
},
"options": [
"Because they don't have enough food.",
"Because they were killed in the war.",
"Because they technology develops very fast.",
"Because they Mahouts don't wan... | We all know that when leaves fall to the ground they die and become food for worms. When worms pass the leaves, their waste can help to make the soil rich, from which the plants use to get their nutrition. The plants grow and provide food for animals. When the animals eat the plants, their waste goes back into the soil. It's a perfect cycle.
But at the Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang, Northern Thailand, they are using elephant waste for something more--to make 100% natural, beautiful color1ful paper products! 100 years ago over 100,000 elephants in prefix = st1 /Thailandworked on farms, building sites and even in the army. However, only 6,000 remain there today because of advances in technology that have made elephants' old word less necessary. Elephants are doing new jobs now, including entertaining tourists by painting and playing football, and now by helping in the paper making industry. And their keepers, called Mahouts, can earn a living for their families and help their elephants by using elephant waste, also called "dung" to make beautiful, natural, paper products without any bad smell.
Every day an adult elephant eats about 200kg of plants like bamboo, grass and watermelon seeds. His body system breaks the plants into 50kg of fibers, which can produce 115 sheets of fibrous paper.
The first step to make this special natural paper is to collect the fiber rich "dung" from the elephant. The next step is to wash it and boil it for five hours to kill bacteria. (The water the use in this process is reused to water plans at the Centre, which, in turn, feed the elephants). After it's boiled, they cut fibers up. During the cutting process, they add in the desired color1 of the paper. For the fourth step, they take the mixture and make balls of 300g. Each ball is then speeds lightly over bamboo frames to dry into one large sheet of paper. After a few hours in the sun, the sheets are dry enough to remove. The result is a wonderful, 100% natural, recycled paper. People around the world are getting interested in buying this special elephant paper for their holiday cards, writing paper and much more, because it's beautiful, natural and helps so many. | high23519.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "had feelings of different kind"
},
"options": [
"had feelings of different kind",
"enjoyed a friendly and wonderful game",
"clapped and cheered only for the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team",
"were eager to know what wou... | No one could have failed to be moved had he watched the live televised volleyball game between the Chinese and Cuban women's teams. As we sat before the television set, with our eyes fixed on the screen, we experienced every kind of feeling. When the two teams played neck and neck, we were on pins and needles, anxious as to what would come next, and when our team fell behind our hearts were in our mouths. Watching the game between those two teams is not only a matter of great joy. For more than that it provides food for thought. Just see how the Chinese women won the game --by their co --operation , by their excellent skill, their effort and strong will. A Chinese saying goes, "When two competent opponents meet, the strong --minded one will win. "This is the spirit of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team. If every Chinese showed some of the spirit, never losing heart in times of difficulty and remaining clear --minded in times of advantage , then our nation would stand in the vanguard of the world family of nations, just as the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team has done, is doing and will do. | high20010.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the dentist"
},
"options": [
"the University of Maryland",
"the Museum of Dentistry",
"the Hearing Aid Museum",
"the dentist"
],
"question": "It is common for people to think it uneasy to pay a visit to _ .",... | Several interesting American museums tell about health subjects. One is the Doctor Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry. It is at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. That is where the first college in the world to train dentists began. The museum tells about the history of the medical treatment of teeth. Visitors can see some frightening _ that once were used to remove infected teeth. They also can see sets of teeth made of animal bone. They were made for a famous American -- the first President, George Washington.
Most people do not consider a visit to the dentist their idea of a good time. However, the director of the museum says he wanted to make the museum a fun place to visit. He says he also wants to teach visitors about the importance of taking care of their teeth.
Another museum collects _ that help people hear. The Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum is at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The museum has more than three-thousand hearing aids from around the world. They include old and strange devices. Some hearing aids were made to look like other objects. That is because in the past many people did not want anyone to know they were wearing a hearing aid. | high3952.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They have difficulty understanding dogs'barks and whimpers."
},
"options": [
"They have difficulty understanding dogs'barks and whimpers.",
"They have no idea about dogs'behavior in relation to their posture.",
"They don't kn... | For centuries,mankind and dogs have suffered from a communication failure.We can tell dogs what we want them to do and sometimes they comply,but we've always struggled when it comes to understanding the true meaning of their barks and whimpers.There is exciting news now-a dog translator has been invented to help you communicate with your furry friend.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have fashioned some kind of miracle dog translator body harness .What's special about it is that it doesn't just rely on the dog's vocalizations to interpret what Fido is banging on about.
Oh no-this miracle harness reads and interprets the ordinary dogs'body language as well,giving us a full two-way dog communication experience.
Researcher David Roberts says:"Dogs communicate primarily through body language,and one of our challenges was to develop sensors that tell us about their behavior by observing their posture remotely."
Sensors on the harness monitor the dog's heart rate and body temperature and software builds up a vocabulary,letting the human know what the dog is feeling.
What would dogs say if they could talk to us?The human can even communicate back through the harness thanks to vibration motors,supposedly by tapping into the dog's senses so that it can understand what you're trying to say to it.
The dog harness is designed for dogs involved in search and rescue and other front-line work,but it's got us dreaming of a beautiful future,one where humans and dogs can co-exist as equals,with the dog able to fully express itself at all times. | high19849.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce a special day for girls to us."
},
"options": [
"tell how the special day for girls came into be.",
"show us the girls can do as well as boys.",
"introduce a special day for girls to us.",
"broaden girls' view... | April 27 is Take Our Daughters to Work Day in Britain. Started at first in the United States and brought to Britain in 1994, Take Our Daughters to Work Day has become a special day for girls between 11 and 15. On that day thousands of girls take a day off school and go together with one of their parents to their work places. The purpose of this day is to broaden girls' horizons and raise their self-confidence.
For many years people have thought that boys can do better than girls in society. But actually, "girls can be whatever they want to be just like boys, whether it is a pilot, a nurse or a chief executive ."says the chairman of the Our Sons and Daughters Charitable Trust, an organization which supported the activity of the Day. "Now the girls have a close look at what their parents are doing and this may help them to be more self-confident when they are faced with a choice of work."
Schools and many companies support the activity too. Palmers Green High School for girls in north of London, has made the day a necessary part of careers education.
Zarina Bart, 15, from Palmers Green, went with her mother Gwen to her Lawyer's office this year's Take Our Daughters to Work Day. "I learned how to fill in a legal aid form and I read details of a case. Then I went to see the actual trial." she said.
Zarina found it interesting to see her mother at work. "It's really strange seeing Mum at work--running around, getting serious and telling people what to do." She has always liked this idea of going into law and thinks it likely that she will follow in her mother's footsteps. Having a chance to see how her mother works has given her more self-confidence.
Experts believe that girls with higher self-confidence aim higher and are more likely to be successful in life. Parents have important effect on the confidence of teenage girls. If parents believe in their daughters and show examples both at work as well as at home for them, this will give a lot of help to girls. Take Our Daughters to Work Day is surely a step in the right direction. | high2494.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To improve the shape of the tree ."
},
"options": [
"To make the tree grow taller .",
"To improve the shape of the tree .",
"to get rid of the small ranches .",
"To make the small branches thicker ."
],
"questio... | Trees should only be pruned when there is a good and clear reason for doing so and , he number of such reasons is small . Pruning involves the cutting away of overgrown and unwanted branches , and the inexperienced gardener can be encouraged by the thought that more damage results from doing it unnecessarily than from leaving the tree to grow in its own way .
First , pruning may be done to make sure that trees have desired shape or size . The object may be to get a tree of the right height , and at the same time to help the growth of small side branches , which will thicken its appearance or give it a special shape . Secondly , pruning may be done to make the tree healthier . You may cut out diseased or dead wood , or branches that are rubbing against each other and thus cause wounds . The health of a tree may be encouraged by removing branches that are blocking up the center and so preventing the free movement of air .
One result of pruning is that an open wound is left on the tree and this provides an easy entry for disease , but it is a wound that will heal . Often there is a race between the healing and the disease as to whether the tree will live or die , so that there is a period when the tree is at risk . It should be the aim of every gardener to reduce that risk of death as far as possible . It is important to make the area , which has been pruned , smooth and clean , for healing will be slowed down by roughness . You should allow the cut surface to dry for a few hours and then paint it with one of the materials available from garden shops produced especially for this purpose . Pruning is usually done in winter , for then you can see the shape of the tree clearly without interference from the leaves and also it is very unlikely that the cuts you make will bleed . If this does happen , it is , of course , impossible to paint them properly . | high17864.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To hire language teachers to work in Japan."
},
"options": [
"To introduce a language school in Japan.",
"To hire language teachers to work in Japan.",
"To describe working conditions in Japan.",
"To make clear the requ... | Tired of Working in Your Country!
With over 500 instructors and 20 years of experience, we are the leader in the field of teaching foreign languages. We now have positions open in Osaka starting November / December 2016 for instructors of English, German, Spanish and French.
*Teach many different kinds of classes using the latest technology in small classes of up to 3 students.
*Accommodation , and other necessary documents will be ready before you leave.
*Applicants will teach their first language only.
* Excellent teacher training programs.
If you are young with a university degree and are willing to experience different cultures, apply now. Experience in teaching is an advantage but not specially required. Knowledge of the Japanese language is not necessary but good English skills and practical computer knowledge are basic requirements.
Apply with C. V. and send letters to:
NOVA France, Mr. Sampy(IHT 3/2)
34, Bd. Haussmann, 75009 Paris, France
Fax: 33148014804
Or visit our website: www. teachjp. com
The manager expects to meet and talk with successful applicants in Paris in October. | high19691.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he had to guard the treasure cave."
},
"options": [
"Because he possessed a variety of treasure.",
"Because he had to guard the treasure cave.",
"Because he wanted to find the treasure cave.",
"Because he devote... | Once upon a time, a man was walking on a mountain when he found an incredible cave with all kinds of treasure inside it. So he gave up his job, his home, and his friends, and spent all his time guarding the cave.
He was so dedicated to it that he hardly ate or drank, and before long he fell ill. One day, when he could hardly move at all, he decided to share the treasure.
He crawled into the cave to get a handful of jewels, but discovered, to his horror, that it was empty except for a small emerald . The man took it, and gave it to the first person he came by, a woman.
Then an old man came by. "What bad luck!" the man said. "Just a moment ago I gave a woman the last of the treasure I was guarding."
"Are you sure there is nothing left?" the old man asked.
The man took him into the cave, where they found a chest with jewels and some bags of gold. The man was shocked, and the old man explained to him, "At last! At last someone has broken the spell of this cave. This is the Cave of Treasure, and you're the first to have passed its great test. Many have dedicated their lives to this cave, only to end up realizing there was nothing here..."
"And why does this happen?" the man asked.
"This magic cave has only as many riches as your own heart. When someone discovers it, the cave is filled with treasure, but later, when they have devoted themselves to guarding the treasure, their hearts empty, as does the cave. The only way to fill it is by filling your heart with all that is good, as you did by giving the woman that last jewel."
From that day on, the man understood that it was better to share than to keep. Thanks to the cave and the old man, he became noble and generous. | high3946.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "two counties and four cities"
},
"options": [
"two counties and three cities",
"three counties and two cities",
"two counties and four cities",
"two counties and five cities"
],
"question": "We can infer that th... | Heavy rain has triggered floods and mudslides in southern prefix = st1 /China, leaving at least 200 people dead or missing, a resident and state media said.
Torrential rain hit a mountainous region of Hunanprovince in the early hours on Wednesday and 22 people died in floods. Two officials were killed during rescue work. Thirty-five people, including five students, were missing.
However, a local resident with knowledge of the casualties and damage said at least 200 people died or were missing after torrential rains hit Xinshao and Lianyuan counties, Shaoyang city and three other cities in Hunan province since June 1, 2005.
"Villagers, cadres and rescuers were washed away by floods," the resident, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.
"More than 10,000 people were left homeless after their homes were either washed away, flooded or toppled," he said.
Mountain torrents in Xinshao were the worst in the county's history. At least 47 villages were devastated by the torrents and 54,600 villagers affected. About 3560 homes were destroyed, and electricity and telecommunications services were cut off in some villages.
Crops, bridges and roads were destroyed.
A local official reached by telephone estimated damage to property at over 2 billion yuan ($344.92 million).
People's Liberation Army soldiers were called on to help with rescue work, residents said. | high20004.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They are very popular in Germany."
},
"options": [
"The first one was created in England.",
"They are very popular in Germany.",
"There are 400 all over the world.",
"Their number is huge in the U.S."
],
"questi... | Kindergarten outside? Yes, indeed. It's part of a growing worldwide trend toward outdoor education. The schools are called forest kindergartens.
The numbers are small so far in the U.S., but the idea is well established in Europe, with schools in Scotland, England, and Switzerland. By far the most such schools are in Germany, which has more than 400 forest kindergartens.
Some schools feature several hours of outdoor schooling. This is certainly the case with the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. Children there will be venturing out on the nearby Hemlock Trail to learn more about the natural world. Some lessons are focused on nature; others are academic topics delivered in a natural setting. In all cases, students are active-not sitting at desks or on mats on the floor but walking, running, jumping, solving problems like how to get the mud off the bottoms of their shoes before their parents find out.
Seriously, the focus is on activity at these schools. Studies have shown that children's immune systems actually get stronger after all of the outdoor activity, and that graduates of forest kindergartens show a higher ability to learn when they progress through their academic careers.
Other schools are all outdoors, all the time. This is the case with the Cedar Song Nature School, on Vashon Island, Washington. Students at this school spend their whole three-hour day outdoors, in a private five-acre forest, doing all kinds of physical activities.
At these forest kindergartens, students learn science by observing and doing it, learn math by applying it to the natural world around them, learn letters and words by putting them together using sights and sounds. These students learn how to get along with one another, individually and in a group. They also develop healthy levels of self-confidence.
Nowadays many children become obese because of sedentary activities like watching television and playing video games. These outdoor schools give children chances to learn just as much, if not more, from opening their eyes to the real world around them. | high2480.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Poor but noble."
},
"options": [
"Cold and mean.",
"Poor but noble.",
"Talented and successful.",
"Devoted but selfish."
],
"question": "Which words can best describe Old Behrman?",
"question_type": "factiod... | Two young artists named Sue and Joanna shared a studio apartment in the Greenwich Village area of New York, trying to realize their dreams. In November pneumonia killed many people. Unluckily, Joanna fell ill, too. One morning, a doctor examined Joanna and then spoke with Sue in another room. "She has decided that she has no chance. All we can do is give her a strong will to live."
Holding back her tears, Sue went to Joanna's room. Joanna lay with her face toward the window, eyes wide open. She was counting something backward. "Twelve," she said, and a little later "eleven" until "five," almost together. Sue looked out of the window. What was there to count? There was a wall covered with an old ivy vine growing half way up it. The cold breath of autumn has stricken the leaves from the vine until it was almost bare.
"Five what, dear?" asked Sue.
"Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too."
"Oh, Don't be silly." Said Sue, "You will get better."
"There goes another one. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark."
"Try to sleep." said Sue. "I must call Mr. Behrman up to be my model for my drawing of an old miner. Don't try to move until I come back."
Old Behrman was a poor painter who lived in the building. For years he had always been planning to paint a work of art, but had never yet begun it. He earned a little money by serving as a model to artists who could not pay for a professional model.
Sue found Behrman in his room. In one area was a blank canvas that had been waiting twenty-five years for the first line of paint. Sue told him about Joanna and how she feared that her friend would float away like a leaf.
"What!" Old Behrman was angered at such an idea. "How silly! Just take me to her room."
Joanna was sleeping when they went in. A cold rain was falling, mixed with snow.
The next morning, Sue awoke after an hour's sleep. She found Joanna staring at the covered window. "Pull up the shade; I want to see." Sue obeyed.
"It's the last leaf," said Joanna. "It will fall today, and I will go with it."
When night came, the rain began to fall again with a strong wind.
The next morning, Joanna demanded that the window shade be raised. The ivy leaf was still there. Joanna lay for a long time, looking at it. And then she called Sue, "I have been a bad girl. I'm so wrong. Now I want to get well and paint again."
The doctor came to see Joanna in the afternoon. He told Sue "Joanna is improving. Now I must see Behrman. Pneumonia, too, very ill. Little hope for him."
Later that day, Sue came to Joanna, and put one arm around her.
"Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia in the hospital today. He was sick only two days. When someone went into his room, Behrman was lying there with his shoes on. His shoes and clothes were all wet. Nobody knew why."
"Oh, poor Behrman!" Cried Joanna.
"See the last leaf on the wall," said Sue, " It looks like a real leaf, doesn't it? "
"A real leaf ? "
"Ah, darling, it is Behrman's masterpiece -- he painted it there the night when the last leaf fell." | high17870.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "DST resulting in disorder in people's sleep schedule"
},
"options": [
"DST not keeping up with economic development",
"DST resulting in disorder in people's sleep schedule",
"DST stopping people from working productively.",
... | James Proud, a British businessman who settled in San Francisco launched a Twitter campaign called "Stop DST". Daylight Saving Time (DST) refers to the time during the summer when clocks are one hour ahead of standard time.
"Daylight saving was created to save energy, and it doesn't really do that." Proud said, "but what's even worse are its negative health effects. It's both outdated and harmful." daylight saving has been linked to a surprising number of health issues such as heart attacks, but Proud has a particular interest in the topic because of its disruptive effects on sleep.
Last year, German researchers suggested that our body cocks never really adjust t daylight saving, which causes a host of health problems. Till Roenneberg of Ludwig-Maximillians University said that because of DST, "the majority of the population has severely decreased productivity, decreased quality of life, increasing chance of getting illness, and is just plain tired."
The week after daylight saving also witnesses a sudden increase in fatal traffic accidents, according to the University of Colorado. It is believed that this is caused both by disrupted sleep schedules and the shift of daylight hours from the morning to the evening.
"Daylight saving is an economic tradition. And all economic choices involve achieving a balance. " said behavioral economist David Gerard. "Even if we decide to abolish daylight saving, there would be a large number of unhappy people."
Some such people are shift works, students and parents of schoolchildren, all of whom get to enjoy an extra hour of daylight after work or class with DST. Plus, restaurants love the extra evening sales DST allows.
Daylight saving has also been linked to lower crime rates, due to the "deterrent effect" of longer daylight. Basically, more light increase a criminal's chances of being seen by witnesses or police, which discourages criminal activity.
Gerard also point out that an extra hour of daylight has vastly more influence in the American South, where the sun sets earlier, even in the summer, than in the north. That's why residents of southern states may values DST more. | high19685.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "keeps the top spot"
},
"options": [
"serves free meals",
"costs tourists the most",
"keeps the top spot",
"offers free swimming opportunities."
],
"question": "According to the passage, Shangri-la's Fijian Resor... | Fiji is a beautiful country which consists of many islands. It's located in the South Pacific and it's famous for its beautiful scenery. Here are some family resorts for you.
Shangri-La's Fijian Resort &Spa, Yanuca Island (4.5stars)
Hitting the top spot once again is the worthy Shangri-La's Fijian Resort and Spa, Situated on its own private island, the resort is an easy 45 minutes by road from the airport. Idyllic island landscapes of tropical gardens and white sand beaches, with swimming right off shore, wait for the visitors. Kids stay and eat free, making the Shangri-la an affordable tropical stay.
www. shangri-la.com
The Naviti Resort, Coral Coast(4 stars)
Located on the famous Coral Coast, this resort is popular with Australian families looking for value and quality. Kids rule at the Rugg Rats Club while there are also specialized teenager activities that will keep them busy both on resort grounds and beyond. Meanwhile, the whole family will enjoy outstanding facilities including 9-hole golf course, swim-up bar, fully equipped gym and giant chess board.
www.warwicknaviti.com
Mana Island Resort&Spa, Mana Island (4 stars)
Learning about Fijian culture is a big part of the Vonu kids' Club at Mana Island, with activities including palm weaving, local games and shell collecting which are all part of the fun. Add to these two pools, a large playground, plenty of water sports.
www.manafiji.com
Sheraton Denarau Villas (5 stars)
Sheraton Denarau Villas are specially designed to suit families, with dining areas, kitchen and laundry facilities plus the convenience of full hotel facilities. These are family-friendly activities on offer including fish feeding, Iawn bowls, boating and a special children's program.
www. sheraton.com/denarauvillasoffers | high22613.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he was seriously ill"
},
"options": [
"he was seldom ill",
"he was seriously ill",
"he was badly wounded",
"doctor could do nothing for him"
],
"question": "People in the village thought Marek would die since _... | Marek was a farmer who lived in a village far away. One day he became very ill, and everyone thought he would die. They sent for a doctor, who arrived two days later and examined the sick man. The doctor asked for a pen and some paper to write down the name of the medicine. But there was no pen or paper in the village, because no one could read or write.
The doctor picked up a piece of burnt wood from the fire. Using the wood, he wrote the name of the medicine on the door of the house. "Get this medicine for him," he said,"and he will soon get better."
Marek's family and friends did not know what to do. They could not read the strange writing. Then the village baker had an idea. He took off the door of the house, put it on his cart and drove to the nearest town. He bought the medicine, and Marek was soon well again. He would not let anyone wash the magic words away from the door. | high8813.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "didn't believe a miracle had happened"
},
"options": [
"didn't believe a miracle had happened",
"was too shocked to do anything",
"was cheered and tried to save the baby at once",
"was moved by what the mother did to ... | A mom in Australia was told by a doctor that her newborn son was "dead",but she helped bring him back to life by holding the baby against her body. She used a method known as "kangaroo care ".The child,named Jamie,was born after only 27 weeks with his twin sister,Emily,at a hospital in Sydney.Her birth went well,but his was a different story.The doctor struggled for 20 minutes to save him before declaring him dead.
"His little arms and legs were just falling down away from his body," Kate Ogg said."I took my coat off and put him on my chest with his head over my arm." She and her husband,David,spoke to the child as she continued to hold him for nearly two hours.During that time,the twopound baby showed signs of life.She said,"I told my mom,who was there,that he was still alive.Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger."
The doctor at first ignored the baby's movements,but when he put the stethoscope to its chest,his mouth fell wide open and he said,"It's my fault.It's a miracle ."
"The care helps the baby keep body warmth," Dr Pinchi Srinivasan said."It also regulates heart and breathing rates and is believed to help weight gain and improve sleeping habits.Fathers can also use 'kangaroo care'.The key to the method is skintoskin contact."
The practice began in less developed nations.It has become a recognized practice in helping premature _ babies.The technique is good for babies,and is used in many baby care units. | high24262.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Different ways of gathering food in the past."
},
"options": [
"Different ways of keeping food in the past.",
"Different ways of eating in the past.",
"Different ways of buying food in the past.",
"Different ways of gat... | The reason why women love to spend hours in shops while men prefer to be in and out of the high street in minutes can trace back to their hunter-gathering past, find scientists.
While women spent their days gathering food, often with children, men were hunters who made plans about how to catch and kill their prey . These two ways of getting food in the past show how we shop in modern times, the study believes.
Women would spend hours trying to find the right things, because they had in the past spent ages trying to find the best quality and health-giving food. Men, on the other hand, decided in advance what animal they wanted to kill and then went looking for it. Once it was found and killed, they returned home.
Daniel Kruger, professor of the University of Michigan, said the study could be the answer to why there are a lot of _ when couples go shopping together. He said it could also help couples to avoid fights in the shops if they understood the reasons why each sex had different ways of deciding on the perfect present.
"In modern times, women are much more likely than men to know when a specific type of item will go on sale. Women also spend much more time choosing the perfect color and texture."
Professor Kruger said his study was important because if men and women understood each other's shopping habits they could avoid arguments while shopping. | high12908.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "their problems in social life"
},
"options": [
"their social relationships",
"their self-esteem",
"their problems in social life",
"their willingness to fill out a questionnaire"
],
"question": "The selection of... | Blogging may have psychological benefits for teens suffering from social anxiety, improving their self-esteem and helping them relate better to their friends, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. "Research has shown that writing a personal diary and other forms of expressive writing are a great way to release emotional distress and just feel better," said the study's lead author, Meyran Boniel-Nissim, PhD, of the University of Haifa, Israel. "Teens are online anyway, so blogging enables free expression and easy communication with others."
Blogging has a stronger positive effect on troubled students' well-being than merely expressing their social anxieties and concerns in a private diary, according to the article published online in the APA journal Psychological Services(r). Opening the blog up to comments from the online community intensified those effects.
The researchers randomly surveyed high school students in Israel, who had agreed to fill out a questionnaire about their feelings on the quality of their social relationships. A total of 161 students -- 124 girls and 37 boys, with an average age of 15 -- were selected because their scores on the survey showed they all had some level of social anxiety or distress. All the teens reported difficulty making friends or relating to the friends they had. The researchers assessed the teens' self-esteem, everyday social activities and behaviors before, immediately after two months and after the 10-week experiment.
Four groups of students were assigned to blog. Two of those groups were told to focus their posts on their social problems, with one group opening the posts to comments; the other two groups could write about whatever they wanted and, again, one group opened the blog up to comments. The number and content of comments were not evaluated for this experiment. The students could respond to comments but that was not required. Two more groups acted as _ -- either writing a private diary about their social problems or doing nothing. Participants in the writing and blogging groups were told to post messages at least twice a week for 10 weeks.
Four experts, who held master's or doctoral degrees in counseling and psychology, assessed the bloggers' social and emotional condition via their blog posts. Students were assessed as having a poor social and emotional state if they wrote extensively about personal problems or bad relationships or showed evidence of low self-esteem, for example.
Self-esteem, social anxiety, emotional distress and the number of positive social behaviors improved significantly for the bloggers when compared to the teens who did nothing and those who wrote private diaries. Bloggers who were instructed to write specifically about their difficulties and whose blogs were open to comments improved the most. All of these results were consistent at the two month follow-up.
The authors conceded that the skewed sex ratio was a limitation to the study. However, the researchers analyzed the results separately by gender and found that boys and girls reacted similarly to the interventions and there were no major differences. They said future research should attempt to control the subjects for sex. | high22175.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "many commuters"
},
"options": [
"special lanes on highways",
"many commuters",
"four rush hours",
"many cars on the street"
],
"question": "Big cities have traffic problems during rush hours because there are ... | Rush hour traffic is a problem in many big cities around the world. Commuters rush to and from their jobs in cars, buses, subways, trains, and even on bicycles. Large cities in the United States have two rush hours--one in the morning and one in the evening. But in cities in other parts of the world, there are four rush hours. In Athens and Rome, for example, many workers go home for lunch and a nap. After this midday break, they rush back to their jobs and work for a few more hours.
In Tokyo, there's a big rush hour underground. Most of the people in Tokyo take the subways. The trains are very crowded. Subway employees called packers wear white gloves and help pack the commuters into the trains when the doors close. They make sure that all purses, briefcases, clothes, and hands are inside the trains.
In Seoul, many commuters prefer to take taxis to get to work.. To hail a cab,many people stand at crossroads and raise two fingers. This means they'll pay the cab driver double the usual fare. Some people even raise three fingers! They'll pay three times the normal rate.
Streets in Rome are very crowded with automobiles and mopeds during rush hours. The city can't make its streets wider, and it can't build new highways, because it doesn't want to disturb the many historic sites in the city, such as the Forum and the Coliseum. It took the city fifteen years to construct a new subway system. Construction had to stop every time workers found old artifacts and discovered places of interest to archaeologists .
In many big cities, there are special lanes on highways for carpools. These are groups of three or more people who drive to and from work together. They share the costs of gas and parking and take turns driving into the city.
Getting to work and getting home can be difficult in many places around the world. Rush hour traffic seems to be a universal problem. | high1837.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "How islands are formed by mud volcanoes."
},
"options": [
"The disastrous effects of coastal earthquakes.",
"The difference between mud volcanoes and regular volcanoes.",
"How islands are formed by mud volcanoes.",
"The... | "I stepped out and was _ ," local journalist Bahram Baloch told the BBC. "I could see this gray, dome-shaped body in the distance, like a giant whale swimming near the surface. Hundreds of people had gathered to watch it in disbelief."
This island has become a global curiosity. How was it formed in just a few minutes?
As you might already know, many islands in the sea are formed by volcanoes. There are numerous volcanoes under the sea. As the hot lava erupts and cools down, it piles up and forms the shape of a mountain. When the mountain "grows" to higher than the sea level, the part that's above the water is what we call an "island".
This is how the island was formed after the Pakistan earthquake, except that instead of a regular volcano, it was a "mud volcano" that brought about this island. Lava is not the only thing that's locked under the Earth's crust -- there is also gas. When an earthquake happens and breaks part of the crust, the gas is released at an extremely high speed, pushing mud up to the surface, according to National Geographic.
But only earthquakes that are extremely powerful can cause mud volcanoes to push up enough mud to produce islands -- and this 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan was strong enough. The island is about 20 meters high, up to about 90 meters wide and 30 meters long, nearly the size of a soccer field.
In fact, mud volcano islands aren't new. This is the fourth island of this kind in the region since 1945. But those islands usually didn't last long.
"It will probably be gone within a couple of months," said Bill Barnhart, a researcher with the US Geological Survey. After all, "it's just a big pile of mud that was on the seafloor that got pushed up". | high4797.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because the ballet steps are all named in French."
},
"options": [
"Because Frenchmen introduced ballet to Italy.",
"Because Frenchmen created many ballet steps.",
"Because the ballet steps are all named in French.",
"B... | Ballet as a charming dance form has fascinated audiences for many years. It is a form of dance that combines beauty and grace to tell a story in a dance form. Generally performed in theatres, ballet has always been a favored dream of many little girls. While ballet dancers need to work very hard for many years to perform in a professional ballet company, this does not discourage the girls.
Many people think that ballet originated in France, due to the ballet steps that all have French names. However, ballet can be traced back to Italy during the Renaissance period of the 1400s. While this was really just a pioneer to the classical ballet, the dances performed in Italy during this time led to the further development of ballet in France. The first ballet company arose in France and was called The Queen's Ballet Company.
In the 1800s the romantic style of ballet appeared, thanks in part to the ballet La Sylphide. La Sylphide made much use of the toe dancing technique and brought about many changes to ballet.
All romantic ballets focused on women and this encouraged women to take on increasingly to become ballerinas. While ballet prospered in other nations, it started declining in France. The decline could be because ballet was seen as being very worldly with mythical steps.
The shift from mythical steps to more reasonable style that could be co-related to human movements came about in the twentieth century. This was because of the many different styles of dance that were becoming increasingly popular. The change that started in the twentieth century continues to transform ballet even today where it mixes different styles of dance.
Some ballets today have even gone so far as to combine another style of dance into the ballet. In 1944 a ballet was introduced called Fancy Free that use Jazz dance with the ballet steps to create a revolutionary ballet, and it was well received.
With time, ballet has developed and changed in many forms. A ballet by professionals continues to charm audiences despite the fact that most of us cannot even dream of performing most of the steps and moves of a ballet dancer. | high10879.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "prove a show of love really makes a difference"
},
"options": [
"suggest love never dies",
"share an interesting experience",
"encourage us to help people in need",
"prove a show of love really makes a difference"
]... | I decided to have dinner in the hotel, for I arrived late one night on a business trip. As I was finishing my meal, an elderly couple came in to dine. They were holding hands and had lovely smiles on their faces. They sat three tables from me. I was amazed at the love they showed for each other. It seemed to strike home all the more, because it was shortly after ending a 20-year marriage and I still had pain in my heart.
My waiter was also their waiter. As I paid my bill, I inquired as to what their bill was. He informed me, and I gave him $40 to pay their bill. He asked if I knew them and I told him "No, I just wanted to repay them for the love that they were showing to each other," and then I departed.
The next day I entered the restaurant to dine before my departure. After I had been seated, the waiter who served me the night before told me that the strangest thing happened after I left the restaurant.
When the elderly couple went to pay for their meal, they were informed that it had been paid. When they inquired who had done this, the hostess told them they had no idea who I was, just retelling what I said.
The couple were amazed. They looked around, asked for the bill of two young couples who were seated together, paid their bill and departed, saying "Love begets Love" to the amazement of the hostess and waiter.
I smiled and said "That's nice," and proceeded to order my meal.
About 45 minutes later, I finished my meal and was about to head out, but my waiter was nowhere to be found. I waited and waited and finally walked over to the hostess stand and explained that I needed to pay for my meal and hurry to the airport. She smiled and explained that I would not have to pay for my meal, because both the waiter and she felt compelled to pay my bill due to the joy that was brought to the faces of the elderly couple and the amazement of the young couples.
When I told her that they didn't have to do that, she said with a smile "Love begets Love." | high5489.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He can remain calm in a difficult situation."
},
"options": [
"He should be cheerful, dependable, and easy going.",
"He has to work from Monday to Friday.",
"He can remain calm in a difficult situation.",
"He can welcom... | Part-time Front Desk Position
Kirchoff, Inc. , a book development company, is looking for a part-time front desk office worker. This position is perfect for a person who is cheerful, dependable,and pleasant to work with. Also, you should be able to welcome guests, redirect phone calls, and take messages. More importantly, you can stay cool under pressure. You are expected to work 5:00 -- 6:00 pm weekdays. You need to fill in some forms if you are interested.
Forms can be collected at
Kirchoff, Inc.
866 United Nations Plaza, # 525
New York,NY 10017
Important Points to Remember When Swimming
* Wait at least an hour after meals.
* Follow the advice of lifeguards.
* Don't dive into unknown waters. Always swim in line with the shore.
* Find out at the seaside when and where it is safe to swim.
* Don't use floating toys on the water. Wind can easily sweep them out to sea.
* Get out of the water if you feel tired or cold. Cold can kill even strong swimmers.
Help Telephone: 2125435902
Atlantic City Beach Office
Arrive on time.
Introduce yourself in a polite manner.
Read company materials while you wait.
Have a firm handshake.
Listen.
Use body language to show interest.
Smile and nod to the interviewer.
Ask about the next thing you should do.
Thank the interviewer.
Write a thank-you letter to anyone you have spoken to.
For more information, please visit jobweb.com
368 Cooper Square,New York. NY 10008 | high20762.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A cowboy artist"
},
"options": [
"A handsome cowboy",
"A cowboy artist",
"An artist in the west",
"A famous artist"
],
"question": "What is the best title of the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | Western artist R.V. (Ron) Jahns creates his unique western wildlife paintings by tapping into his vast experience of true life. He had rich western experiences out in the mountains in the great Northwest.
Ron paints from the heart and his experience as a cowboy in the west. He has a particular passion for the mountains from Eastern Oregon to Alaska and draws from his many years of mountain adventures as inspiration for his western paintings. Born and raised on a farm, this cowboy artist is well knowledgeable with the subjects of his Western art. Ron struggles for historical accuracy in his western cowboy paintings when an artist gives a false description of the facts about cowboys in the west!
Living in Alaska for 17 years added a new factor to Ron's western art. As a hunter and fisherman he observed the wildlife in its natural setting and has conveyed this spirit to his canvas. Ron's western art can be viewed throughout the United States, in Europe and through occasional private showings. You can find western wildlife paintings by Ron at various art shows throughout the year. For a list of art shows the Cowboy Artist will be attending, visit his Art Show page. Although a self-taught western artist, Ron himself has taught painting in colleges and through private lessons. Ron is quite a storyteller and the last of an old kind of cowboy poets and western storytellers. If you've met Ron at the Flea Markets in Sumpter, Oregon then you no doubt have already had a taste of his knack for telling tall tales and sharing his original cowboy poems of true life on the ranch. | high17125.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "All the staff are invited."
},
"options": [
"The prize is worth $70,000.",
"All the staff are invited.",
"The company permits a longer holiday.",
"The prize includes tickets to a football game."
],
"question": "... | The Garden Burgers located in Truman was recognized by the Garden Burgers head office in Kansas City, Missouri.The Truman location of Garden Burgers recorded the highest sales last year.It brought in over $ 1 ,500,000 for the entire year.But what is more important is that Truman only has a population of 40,000.The store directly behind the Truman store in terms of sales is located in a city of over 300,000.
Fred Laster and Jasper Watts bought into the Garden Burgers franchise only 3 years and a few months ago.They have used the combination of a good restaurant location and a series of promotional events to make Garden Burgers one of the most visited restaurants in Truman.However, they are quick to add that these are not the main reasons the store has done so well."We found a franchise with a solid image and great franchise - wide marketing, " Watts said in a phone interview.
Laster and Watts expect this year to be just as productive as last year.After 4 months, they are on pace to exceed last year' s sales by more than $70,000.Each year the head office awards the owners of the store achieving the highest sales with a weekend stay at the best hotel in Kansas City and tickets to a Kansas City Chiefs football game.However, due to the extremely good sales performance of the store in Truman, the head office decided to change the tradition.Laster and Watts said their staff, which consists of only 5 university students, would be joining them in Kansas city as well.
Tom Justins, the president of Garden Burgers has also sent his congratulations and he hopes that all their stores can look at the example the store has set. | high20789.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "whether we need to worry about English being a world language"
},
"options": [
"why English has become a global language",
"how many people in the world speak English",
"how people in the world learn English as a foreign lang... | There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language and about the same number who have learnt it in addition to their mother tongue. There are said to be one million people learning English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures? Or should we worry about dangers of "non-culturalism", a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food and listen to the same music?
Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? Not necessarily, I have never agreed that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars. Ask the people ofprefix = st1 /India, where many of them speak at least some English, andPakistan, the same situation withIndia...
If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonald's burgers? Surely not. If English becomes more dominant , will it kill other languages? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but often one or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps more French or German as well.
When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic e-mail from a listener inIreland. "The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it's like a rose," he said. "But who would ever want their garden just full of roses?"
Well, I love _ and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don't necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that'll be fine by me. | high18216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "God"
},
"options": [
"rivers",
"God",
"trees",
"the 7 - foot grizzly"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the \"accident of evolution\" refers to the following Except _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that the "accident of evolution" had created.
"What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!" he said to himself. As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7 - foot grizzly charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing. He ran even faster, so scared that tears were coming to his eyes. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.
At that instant the atheist cried out "Oh my God!"
Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent. Even the river stopped moving.
As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky," You deny my existence for all of these years; teach others I don't exist; and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this difficulty? Am I to count you as a believer?"
The atheist looked directly into the light. "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as Christian now, but perhaps could you make the bear a Christian?""Very well," said the voice.
The light went out. The river ran again. And the sounds of the forest resumed.
And then the bear dropped his right paw... brought both paws together... bowed his head and spoke, "Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful." | high5462.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Elevators"
},
"options": [
"Windows",
"Elevators",
"Fire exits",
"Stairways"
],
"question": "Which of the following should not be used when trying to escape from a fire?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | Fire fighting is a serous matter, knowing what to do during a fire can save people's lives. It is important to know the ways you can use and show them to everyone else in the family, such as stairways and emergency exits, but not elevators.
From the lower floors of building, escape through windows is possible. Learn the best way to get out from a window with the least chance of serious injury.
The second floor window is usually not very high from the ground. An average person, hanging by the fingertips will have a drop of about 6 feet to the ground. It is about twice the height of an average man. Of course, it is safer to jump a short way down than to stay in a burning building.
Windows are also useful when you are waiting for help. Be sure to keep the door closed before opening the window. Otherwise, smoke and fire may be drawn into the room. Keep your head low at the window to be sure you get fresh air rather than smoke that may have leaked into the room.
On the second or third floor, the best windows for escape are those which open onto a roof. From the roof a person can drop to the ground more safely. Dropping onto cement might end in injury. Bushes and trees can help you to have a soft landing. | high10892.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a source of human communication"
},
"options": [
"a language that is not spoken",
"a clue to get the meaning",
"a reflection of people's behaviors",
"a source of human communication"
],
"question": "According to... | Most people call it "body language" -- the clues to the meaning that we get from gesture, facial expressions, posture -- everything that isn't spoken.Experts call it "nonverbal communication," but it means the same thing: a second source of human communication that is often more reliable to understanding what is really going on than the words themselves.
Understanding body language is important to success, whether in the business world or in our personal lives.However, most of our ideas about body language are wrong, according to modern communication research.
There is a belief that people with shifty eyes are probably lying.As Paul Ekman says, "When we asked people how they could tell if someone was lying, too much blinking and shifty eyes were the winners.But sometimes people act like that because they are shy.Liars pretend to be calm in order not to be caught.
Ekman goes on to argue against such a wrong belief.Although this kind of body language is probably an expression of nervousness, it is not always because the person is lying.Shyness can, for example, make people shift their eyes.To understand what someone's behavior means, you have to watch them carefully.
There is also a belief that when meeting someone, the more eye contact , the better.As a result people would like to make initial contact in formal situations, like a job interview, by staring fixedly at the other human.Yet Ekman points out that most of us are comfortable with eye contact lasting a few seconds, but any eye contact that is longer than that can make us nervous. In short, you must carefully consider the speaker and the speaking environment.Experts suggest that unless you know about someone's basic communication style, you will have little hope in understanding their true feelings through body language.In other words, body language carries important but not always true messages. | high20951.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "lung cancer"
},
"options": [
"stroke",
"heart disease",
"high blood pressure",
"lung cancer"
],
"question": "Eating too much salt may lead to the following EXCEPT _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Over the years, Americans have become used to salt.Most people have no idea how much salt they consume-on average, about 9 to 12 gram per person per day, according to the American Heart Association.That's twice the amount recommended by the government.
A new study last week showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart.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.
Researchers also found that the benefits would be greatest for African Americans and women.As a group, African Americans tend to have higher blood pressure than the general population, and "many studies suggest that they may be more sensitive to salt," says Dr.Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco.Her analysis found that a reduction of 3 gram of salt per day would reduce heart attacks 8% on average; among African Americans, that rate would drop 10%.A similar result was found in women, whose stroke risk dropped 8% with a 3-g reduction in salt intake; in men, the risk fell 5%.
They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt.
However, other scientists say such a campaign is an experiment with the health of millions of people.
Michael Alderman, a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, 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.
"Salt has other biological effects. Calling for reductions in the national diet could have good effects, as well as harmful results. There is not enough evidence either way,"said Michael Alderman. | high3013.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they may become rebelling and damaging"
},
"options": [
"they may become rebelling and damaging",
"they may get hurt and run away from home",
"they may become less active and dislike playing with the owners",
"they are ... | lt's a dog's life for the nation's mutts - who are becoming anxious and aggressive through lack of play, experts fear.
A study of 4,000 dog owners has found a clear link between limited playtime and behaviour problems, such as being nervous when left alone, disobedience and snapping at other animals. And while researchers can't be sure that playing less is directly to blame, they say that games provide vital intellectual stimulation and exercise. The Bristol University study showed that only one in five owners play with their dogs six times a day. Half play two or three times a day and 10 per cent have just one play session.
Mark Evans, former chief vet for the RSPCA, said that dogs are one of the few animals to play into adulthood. He told the Sunday Times: 'There is a clear association in the results. Owners report more potential behaviour problems in dogs that play less.'
Emily Blackwell -- who conducted the research uncovered tonight on Channel 4's Dogs: Their Secret Lives - said dogs often enjoy playing so much that they slow down or change strategy to make the fun last longer. The lecturer in canine welfare hopes that 10,000 people will eventually fill out the survey. This will enable her to firmly establish whether lack of play is affecting dogs' moods - or if their emotional problems put their owners off spending time with them. For instance,they may slow down when playing 'chase', allowing their owner to catch up with them and the game to continue. Favourite games include wrestling, chase and tugging at toys, and perhaps unsurprisingly,'fetch' topped the list. Tennis balls were the favourite toys, followed by soft, squeaky toys, rubber balls and rope toys.
The research comes just days after an animal charity warned that millions of dogs are becoming fat. aggressive and destructive because their owners are clueless about basic animal care.The PDSA said that treats including beer, chips and leftover takeaways are making dogs fat and unwell - and wamed that almost a million are never taken for a walk. | high11554.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Every coins has two sides"
},
"options": [
"All that glitters is not gold",
"It never rains but pours",
"Every coins has two sides",
"It's no good crying over spilt milk"
],
"question": "What can we conclude fro... | Owning a smartphone may not be as smart as you think. It may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and snap photos wherever you are...but it also turns you into a workaholic, it seems.
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the all-singing, all-dancing mobilephone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles.
The study by technology retailer Pixmania reveals the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further two hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls. More than 90 percent of office workers have email-enabled phones, with a third _ them more than 20 times a day. Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers confess they are on call almost 24 hours a day, with nine out of ten saying they make work emails and calls outside their normal working hours. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first emails in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11 pm and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said, "The ability to access literally millions of apps, keep in contact via social networks and take photos and video as well as text and call has made smartphones invaluable for many people. However, there are drawbacks. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become , the more is expected of us in a work capacity ." | high7275.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was greatly inspired by the beauty of nature."
},
"options": [
"She learned drawing skills from her tutors.",
"She was very sociable and outgoing.",
"She was greatly inspired by the beauty of nature.",
"She was enco... | Beatrix Potter was a great English writer and artist, best known for her children's books featuring animal characters such as in the children's classic -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Beatrix was born into a rich London-based family where she was tutored by very strict private teachers and so spent her youth isolated from other youngsters.
During her youth she had a lot of pets and spent vacations in Scotland and also the Lake District. It was at the Lake District that she developed a love of wildlife. She studied the area's natural wonders carefully and painted them continuously. But her old-fashioned, Manchester-born parents discouraged her intellectual improvement, thinking it inappropriate for a young lady. However, her study and watercolour paintings of wild mushrooms made her widely respected within the field of biology.
In her 30's, Beatrix Potter wrote the remarkably successful kid's book, The Tale of Pew Rabbit. Close to that time she became secretly engaged to her publisher Norman Warne. This caused a great disagreement with her parents, who did not approve of Beatrix getting married to somebody of lower social status. Sadly, Warne died before the marriage ceremony.
Ultimately Beatrix Potter began writing and also illustrating kid's books full-time. Using profits from her books, Beatrix grew to become economically independent of her parents and was eventually in a position to buy Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. She extended the property with additional purchases of neighbouring land over time. In her 40's, Bestrix married William Heelis, a local lawyer. She ended up becoming a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to publish as well as illustrate books for children. In all she authored 23 publications.
Beatrix died on December 22, 1943, and left the majority of her property to the National Trust. Her books carry on selling well globally, in many different languages. Her stories have been retold in numerous formats including a ballet, movies, and cartoons.
Such is her reputation, and that of the characters from her publications, that many Beatrix Potter statues have been created. These tiny Beatrix Potter statues which include pretty much all the actual characters in her publications have become highly valued by art collects and fans of her literature throughout the world. | high15732.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "keep water liquid in cold weather"
},
"options": [
"keep the alcohol from boiling away",
"can prevent ice from melting",
"keep water liquid in cold weather",
"can raise the freezing point of water"
],
"question"... | An antifreeze is a liquid that is added to water to keep it from freezing. When water freezes and turns to ice, it expands. The force of water expanding is so great that it will break the hardest metal. Water is used in car engines to keep them cool while they run, and if this water is allowed to freeze in winter it can break the iron block of the engine. That is why antifreezes are necessary.
Water freezes at the 0degC: the usual kind of antifreeze will not freeze until the temperature is 40degC below zero. A mixture of 5 parts of water and 4 parts of antifreeze will prevent freezing at 18degC below zero; 4 parts of water and 5 parts of antifreeze reduce this to 22degC below zero.
Alcohol is a good antifreeze, but when the car is running it becomes hot and the alcohol boils away, so it must be replaced very often. Most people use antifreezes that do not boil away when the engine is running. There are several chemicals that do this. One of the most popular is called ethylene glycol , which is sold under various trade names such as Preston and Zerex. | high23280.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Ebola outbreak now is the biggest one in history."
},
"options": [
"The Ebola outbreak now is the biggest one in history.",
"Ebola breaks out quickly but it is under control now.",
"Ebola is deadly and common so it kills ... | The deadliest Ebola outbreak in recorded history is happening right now. The outbreak is unprecedented both in the number of people who have gotten sick and in the geographic scope. And so far it's been a long battle that doesn't appear to be slowing down.
Ebola is both rare and very deadly. Since the first outbreak in 1976, Ebola viruses have infected thousands of people and killed roughly killed 60 percent of them. Symptoms can come on quickly and kill fast.
The current outbreak started in Guinea sometime in late 2013 or early 2014. It has since spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia, including some capital cities. And one infected patient traveled on a plane to Nigeria, where he spread the disease to several others and then died. Cases have also popped up in various other countries throughout the world, including in Dallas and New York City in the United States.
The Ebola virus has now hit many countries, including Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and the United States. The virus, which starts off with flu-like symptoms and sometimes ends with bleeding, has infected about 6,500 people and killed more than 3,000 since this winter, according to the World Health Organization on September 30, 2014.
There are some social and political factors contributing to the current disaster. Because this is the first major Ebola outbreak in West Africa, many of the region's health workers didn't have experience or training in how to protect themselves or care for patients with this disease.
Journalist David Quammen put it well in a recent New York Times article, "Ebola is more dangerous to humans than perhaps any known virus on Earth, except rabies and HIV. And it does its damage much faster than either."
Hopefully, researchers are working to find drugs, including a recent $50 million push at the National Institutes of Health. And scientists are working on vaccines , including looking into ones that might be able to help wild chimpanzees, which are also susceptible to the disease. The first human Ebola vaccine trial is scheduled to start in the spring of 2015. | high9258.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Many employees have no access to paid sick leave."
},
"options": [
"Many employees have no access to paid sick leave.",
"Private employers make their workers work extra hours.",
"Some employees are not satisfied with their bo... | For the last 10 years, job listing site CareerBuilder has put out a list called "The Most Unbelievable Excuses for Calling in Sick." For example, an employee said he couldn't come in because his false teeth flew out the window while he was driving down the highway. The excuses were gathered through a survey that ran among 3,000 workers and 2,000 hiring managers.
The list is entertaining but there is a more serious issue hidden in this story. Federal law does not require private employers to give any paid sick leave, making the US the only one of the world's wealthiest nations that doesn'tguarantee workers this right. Since 2006, cities and states have been adopting their own paid sick leave laws. California, Washington. DC and 13 cities including New York now require many employers to provide some sort of paid sick leave. But according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, 39% of private employees still have no access to paid days off. In the CareerBuilder survey, 38% of respondents said they go to work when they're sick because they can't afford to miss a day's pay. The survey also shows that workers are taking a risk when they come up with _ excuses. Nearly one in five employers says they have fired an employee for calling in sick with a fake excuse. If you're spending the day at the beach while pretending to be ill, don't post about it on Facebook. Nearly one in four employers (24%) has caught an employee lying about being sick by checking social media.
The motto of this story: If you really are sick, don't come to work and spread your bacteria around the office. But if you just want to stay home, go with "I'm running a fever." rather than one of these ridiculous excuses. | high13343.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "You have done a crime or done something foolish, but you want to keep others from\ndiscovering it."
},
"options": [
"You have stolen something precious and hide them in the closet.",
"You are a doctor and have to keep a skeleton fo... | Lucky is the man who has no "skeleton in his closet." When a man has done something in his life that he is ashamed of, that he wants to hide, he is said to have a "skeleton in his closet." Some people may have more than one skeleton.
As we have noted many times, it is hard to find out how these expressions begin. Sometimes, we get some hard facts. But more often we have to depend on guesswork. And that is true of this phrase, which came from England.
Before 1832, English law did not permit a doctor to cut open a dead human body for scientific examination, unless it was the corpse of an executed criminal.
But when it became legal, more and more doctors demanded skeletons for a more scientific study of medicine. It was helping in the advance of modern medicine. The demand had become so strong that men began to rob tombs and sell skeletons to doctors at high prices.
We are told that a doctor would usually buy just one skeleton for scientific study. It became very important in his work. But he had to keep it hidden because most people objected to keeping such a thing. As a rule, the doctor keep his skeleton in some dark corner where it could not be seen, or hide it in a closet.
After a time, people began to suspect every doctor of hiding a skeleton in the closet. From this suspicion, the phrase"a skeleton in the closet"took on a broader, more general meaning: to describe anything that a man wanted to keep others from discovering. It could be proof of a criminal act, or something much less serious. Well, that is one theory.
One writer, however, believes that the phrase might have come from something that really happened. It is his guess that a hidden closet in some old English country home may have turned up a real skeleton, clear proof of some old family shame or crime. Well, one man's guess is as good as another. But this sounds like a story by the great French novelist, Balzac.
Balzac tells us of a man who suspected his wife of having a lover. The husband comes home by surprise. But she hears him and quickly hides her lover in the closet of her bedroom. He enters her room and asks her if she is hiding her lover. He says he will not open the door to the closet if she promises him there is no one there; He will believe her. She answers firmly that she is not hiding anyone in the closet.
The husband then begins to build a solid brick wall against the closet. His wife watches, knowing that her lover will never come out alive. But she will not change her story and admit her guilt. | high1604.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It is offering Minion toys to attract fans."
},
"options": [
"It has made its food look like Minions.",
"It has made Minion video games to show to customers.",
"It is giving some Minion clothes to customers as gifts.",
... | When it comes to film, people usually favor good over evil, focus on the main characters and ignore the supporting characters. But when it comes to the Minions , these conventions go right out of the window.
Originally comedic background characters in the Despicable Me series, these yellow pill-shaped screwballs have totally stolen the show.
This summer the characters appeared in their own self-titled movie in theaters abroad, having the second biggest opening weekend of all time for an animated film, according to USA Today. Recently, McDonald's has been including Minion toys with kids' meals in some regions, causing loyal fans to go to the restaurant to collect them all. Related video games, clothing, toys and other merchandise are sweeping the world.
The movie's huge popularity even surprised its writers. "We never knew the Minions were going to be so popular. It just became a force of nature," the film's co-writer, Cinco Paul, told the Los Angeles Times.
So, what makes the banana-loving Minions a big hit? For many, the most attractive is obviously their cuteness. Their simple, graphic nature can easily transcend cultures and age groups. "Even children can draw them", Los Angeles Times reporter, Rebecca Keegan, wrote.
But there's more than just cuteness. US entertainment website, HitFix, explains that their way of communicating makes the creatures infectious as well. They largely speak in nonsense words. But it seems everyone can understand them through their exaggerated movements and expressions.
They desire nothing more than to serve their most despicable master, Felonious Gru. And this evil characteristic strikes a chord with humans.
"Perhaps we love Minions because they remind us of ourselves," Huffington Post associate Web editor, Sara Boboltz, wrote. | high13425.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Steve Jobs' health condition is not stable"
},
"options": [
"Apple's stock price changes a lot",
"Steve Jobs' health condition is not stable",
"The iPad 2 has some technical drawbacks",
"Apple faces strong competition f... | Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, made his first public appearance since going on medical leave six weeks ago, taking the stage at a San Francisco media event to introduce the iPad 2, the second generation of the company's tablet computer.
Thin but energetic, Mr. Jobs showed off a thinner iPad. " We've been working on this product for a while and I just didn't want to miss this day," he said.
His absence has concerned investors, especially since the group has given no details of his condition. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 and had a liver transplant during almost six moths of medical leave in 2009. People close to him said last month his health had been changing.
Apple's stock rose more than 2 percent in the minutes after Mr. Jobs began speaking, then gave up some of its gain as he detailed the iPad 2.
The iPad 2 will go on sale in black and white versions in the US on March 11 and in 26 other countries, including the UK and Germany, on March 25. The table is Apple's biggest product launch since the iPhone three years ago, and is comparable to the iPhone as the most expected in Apple's history.
Most of the improvements in the latest version had been expected, including front and rear-facing video, which allows video conferencing between iPads, Mac computers and the most recent iPhones and iPods, a larger speaker, a faster processor and other upgrades. The iPad 2 is one-third thinner than the original tablet and slightly lighter, with a 9.7-inch touchscreen. It can run movies, books, games and a complete range of applications. In the US it will work with AT&T and Verizon, the top two mobile carriers. The pricing will be the same to the 2010 iPad at its introduction, ranging from $499 to $829 in six models. But Apple dropped prices on the older iPad on Wednesday by $100 across the board.
Apple has made the most of its year-long head start in tablets, selling 15,000,000 units of the older iPad last year and taking about 85 percent of the market. Forrester predicted that the iPad 2 would clain 80 percent of the US market this year, or 20,000,000 out of 24,000,000 total shipped. This prediction was based on both the technical improvements to the iPad 2, and the distribution difficulties and higher prices for Apple's rivals.
Motorola, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, Samsung and others have brought out competing tablets, many based on Google's Android software.
Mr. Jobs said the rest of the field was still catching up with the first iPad and their markets for applications designed for tablets had, at best, 100 small programs. This compares with 65,000 on Apple's applications store. | high1162.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "oil is expensive today"
},
"options": [
"planes and motorcars have taken the place of trains",
"oil is expensive today",
"trains are slow",
"always lose money"
],
"question": "Some people think the railways are ... | For years and years people have been saying that the rail ways are dead. "We can do without railways", people say as if motorcars and planes have made the railways unnecessary. We all keep hearing that trains are slow, that they lose money, and that they're dying. But this is far from the truth. In these days of expensive oil, the railways have become highly competitive with motorcars and planes. If you want to carry people or goods from place to place, they are cheaper than planes. And they have much in common with planes. A plane goes in a straight line and so does a railway. What is more, it takes you from the heart of a city into the heart of another. It doesn't leave you as a plane does, miles and miles from the city center. It doesn't hold you up as a car does, in endless traffic jams. And a single train can carry goods which no plane or motorcar could ever do.
Far from being dead, the railways are very much alive. Modern railway lines give you a smooth, untroubled journey. Where else can you eat well, sleep in comfort, feel safe and enjoy the scene while you are traveling at speed at the same time? And we are only at the beginning,for we have just entered the age of _ . Trains are traveling at 150 miles an hour and more. Soon we will be wondering why we spent so much on motorways we can't use because we have not enough money to buy the oil and planes we can't fly in for the same reason. | high22820.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Wan Hu, a Chinese stargazer(n. ,,) , was dead after the huge bang and a lot of smoke."
},
"options": [
"According to a survey, two thirds of the nation are hoping to see the launch live on TV,",
"The internet users have drawn some ... | The run-up to the launch of China's first lunar orbiter at the end of this month has caught the country's imagination, with more than two thirds of the nation hoping to see the launch live on TV, according to a survey.
According to the survey by China Youth Daily and www.qq.com, almost the entire nation hopes to catch images of the event at some point, with 99 percent of the 10358 respondents saying they expected to witness the satellite launch and 68.9 percent said they were certain to watch the live broadcast of the launch. On www.qq.com and www.sina.com, two popular web portals in the country, internet users have contributed some 2,000 poems and 5000 drawings on the theme of Chang'e I.
"The satellite launch means much more than just saying 'hello' to the moon. Maybe in the future we could also send some people to accompany sister 'Chang'e'," said a college student in the survey.
Remarkably, many people expect to visit the moon one day, with 93.4 percent of respondents saying they expected to do so.
Chang'e I is named after Chang'e, a famous character from Chinese mythology. She ascended from earth to live on the moon as a celestial being after drinking an elixir.
There is also another connection between the moon and China. In the 1970s, a crater on the moon was named after a Chinese stargazer, Wan Hu, who is said to be the first astronaut in human history.
Legend says about 600 years ago, around the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Wan Hu, a local government official, tried to fly into space with the help of a chair, two big kites and 47 self-made gunpowder-filled rockets. According to the legend after the rockets were lit there was a huge bang and lots of smoke. When the smoke cleared Wan was nowhere to be found.
China's first astronaut flew into space in 2003 with the launch of the Chinese-made spaceship Shenzhou V. China became the third country, after the Soviet Union and the United States, to carry out manned space missions. | high7513.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "hit parts of the world in summer and autumn"
},
"options": [
"form off the coast of Africa and America",
"hit parts of the world in summer and autumn",
"cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea",
"strike the US but... | Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive .
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists' warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.
Predictions are improving. "We've gotten better over the years, especially the last few years," says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. "For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right," Klotzback says.
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it _ and rises into the air. As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane.
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a " tropical storm", and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher.
The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October. | high11232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Parents should pay attention to the small things about their kids."
},
"options": [
"Parents should pay attention to the small things about their kids.",
"Parents should treat children as people, not machines.",
"Parents shou... | When raising children, the small things make big differences in development . Because children are people, not machines, different children need different things, and buying band name clothing and having the perfect haircut or the biggest collection of expensive toys are not the kind of attention that they need. These kinds of things will make children feel rejected and teach them that material things and appearance are more important than love.
Children need the attention from their parents. The areas of their lives and the abilities that get the most attention will develop the most. If the majority of parental attention is given to the way they stand or to finishing tasks, these areas will become more developed. When parents focus on finding faults, children will eventually take in all of that criticism. These methods often lead to unmotivated children with low self-esteem .
Children need attention to be given to the details of their lives. They need encouragement from their parents. Statements like,"It makes me happy when you play nicely with your brother" will make a child feel good . Identify the specific talent, how it is used, and your reaction to it. Train the young minds to search for their talents with the same kind of attention to the details that may have previously been devoted to fault-finding. It also helps to identify personal qualities to praise rather than external ones based on appearance.
Focusing on the details when children do good things is important. They need to know exactly what they did was good and how it made you feel .Parents often spend too much time looking for faults. When parents focus on good things, it results in motivated children with high self-esteem. _ ) are also. | high17643.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "all mentioned above"
},
"options": [
"they can't pronounce standardizedly",
"they spend little time listening English",
"they are not familiar with the words they've learnt",
"all mentioned above"
],
"question":... | Many people especially beginners,often complain that listening to spoken English is too hard for them.
But if you don't understand what people are saying,how can you converse with them?It may be difficult,but learning by listening is necessary. It can be done.
It is a common fact that different people have different pronunciations of the same word. Stanronunciation is the basis for English study,especially of listening.
If your pronunciation is not standard,it is hard for other people to understand you as it is for you to understand them.
You may know the words when they are written down. That's important.You should plan to read every time you practise speaking and listening.
Select a set of good books with cassettes. Do the exercises, from the simple to the difficult, step by step.As for listening, you have many choices: Watch English-language films, listen to English-language radio and television programs.
Try to listen every day,even if only for a few minutes. At first,you may understand few words or perhaps only familiar names such as Clinton. Don't give up. Just listen.
On TV,you can guess some of the words from watching what is happening on the screen.Gradually, you will find yourself recognizing some words.Try to pronounce them. Do you sound like the person on TV?
Are you speaking standard English? Remember to read and practise speaking. It will help you to listen better. You may find many words that you missed or didn't understand when you were listening. Every day, spend an hour reading English.
Talk to English-speaking foreigners whenever possible. Talking face to face is the liveliest textbook.In general, foreigners will speak more slowly with you, use simple words, and use gestures to help you understand them. | high18570.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "three youths starting an online farmers' market"
},
"options": [
"how an online farmers' market works",
"the American local food movement",
"three youths starting an online farmers' market",
"the reasons why people are ... | The American local food movement has been all about buying seasonal food from nearby farmers. Now, thanks to the Web, it is expanding to include far-away farmers too. A new start-up, Foodzie, is an online farmers market where small food producers and growers can sell their products.
Foodzie was started by Mr LaFave and two of his friends, who met during college at Virginia Tech, where they would pay frequent visits to farmers markets. Last year, while living in North Carolina, one of them, Emily Olson, now 24, came up with one idea. She was working as a brand manager for a _ grocery chain and realized that people who enjoyed fine food but didn't work in the business had no way to discover handmade foods outside their local farmers markets. Small farmers had no way of finding or selling to faraway customers, either.
Mr LaFAve and the third co-founder, Nik Bauman, both 25, worked in corporate sales and software development. "With business, food and computer science backgrounds, we figured we had everything we needed." Mr LaFAve said.
The three quit their jobs, and opened this site to the public in December and the site has had 43,000 visitors in the past month. So far, 29 sellers have opened shops and 41 are in the process of opening them. The founders recently hired a fourth employee to help Ms Olson recruit new food producers at farmers markets and food shows. Mr LaFAve is convinced that the recession will not reduce people's interest in buying locally grown and handmade food. "There is misunderstanding that all these foods are more expensive than mass-produced alternatives," he said. "People are pouring their heart and soul into these products, and they are of the highest quality." | high5304.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading"
},
"options": [
"the number of top students increased with the use of computers",
"a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading",
"a minority of primar... | If you look for a book as a present for a child,you will be spoiled for choice even in a year there is no new Harry Potter. J.K Rowling's wizard is not alone.The past decade has been a harvest for good children's books, which has set off a large quantity of films and an increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children.According to statistics in 1997, 23% said they didn't like reading at all.In 2003, 35% didn't.And around 6% of the children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games.Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile.Either way, Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class.In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six year olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher.An evaluation this year reported that children on the school made 20 months' progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months' progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school, they read well, but read text often for fun than those elsewhere.Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can report lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success.According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage. | high3761.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because Merkel wants to be a strong woman too."
},
"options": [
"Because Catherine the Great is beautiful.",
"Because Merkel wants to be a strong woman too.",
"Because Merkel likes the drawing skill of it.",
"Because it... | In the office of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, there is a picture of Catherine the Great, the legendary Russian Empress. When asked why she has the picture, Merkel says, "She was a strong woman". Many say the same of Merkel.
The most powerful woman in the world, according to US Forbes magazine, was in China last week. She came to discuss trade and environmental issues with China's top leaders. Germany's first woman leader is known as a brave and practical statesman . Even since her time at school, she had the habit of getting everything in order. Every day before doing her homework she would clean the desk and think about what to do next. "I prefer a long time for full preparations to make my decision. But once I decide, I will stand up for what I believe," Merkel said.
Perhaps it was good habits that helped her do well in her studies. At 32, she got a doctorate in physics and then she worked as a researcher.
However, the life of a scholar couldn't put off her love of politics. While working in labs, Merkel took time off to read political books and at last joined a political party. "Her calmness helped her stand out in the party. She could always find a way out while others felt hopeless," said one of her old friends.
In her first big political job as Minister for the Environment in 1994, her scientific background proved very useful. In 2005 she became Germany's youngest chancellor since the second World War.
Now half way through her four-year term, the 53-year-old woman has made a name for herself both in Germany and abroad. At the EU summit in 2005 when France quarreled with Britain over the EU budget , some people believed the EU was close to breaking down. But Merkel didn't give up. She shuttled between the heads of the two powers and had them reached an agreement.
"Strength comes from composure and courage. Many people say I am a strong woman. But I would rather say I have perseverance," said Merkel. | high11226.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the Forest Service."
},
"options": [
"the Forest Service.",
"the Resource Bureau.",
"the Tourist Board.",
"the Sports Bureau."
],
"question": "The snow rangers are employees of _",
"question_type": "cloze_... | The two things - snow and mountains - which are needed for a ski area are the two things that cause avalanches, large mass of snow and ice crushing down the side of a mountain--often called "White Death."
It was the threat of the avalanche and its record as a killer of man in the western mountains that created the snow ranger. He first started on avalanche control work in the winter of 1937 -38 at Alta, Utah, in Wasatch National Forest.
This mountain valley was becoming well known to skiers. It was dangerous. In fact, more than 120 persons had lost their lives in 1936 and another 200 died in 1937 as a result of avalanches before it became a major ski area. Thus, development of Alta and other major ski resorts in the west was dependent upon controlling the avalanche. The Forest Service set out to do it, and did, with its corps of snow rangers. It takes many things to make a snow ranger. The snow ranger must be in excellent physical condition. He must be a good skier and a skilled mountain climber He should have at least a high school education, and the more college courses in geology, physics, and related fields he has, the better.
He studies snow, terrain, wind, and weather. He learns the conditions that produce avalanches. He learns to forecast avalanches and to bring them roaring on down the mountainsides to reduce their killing strength. . The snow ranger learns to do this by using artillery, by blasting with TNT, and by the difficult and skillful art of skiing avalanches down.
The snow ranger, dressed in a green parka which has a bright yellow shoulder patch, means safety for people on ski slopes. He pulls the trigger on a 75 mm. Recoilless rifle, skis waist deep in powder testing snow stability, or talks with the ski area's operator as he goes about his work to protect the public from the hazards of deep snow on steep mountain slopes. | high17657.txt |
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