questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Those who are overweight."
},
"options": [
"Those who are heavy smokers.",
"Those who are overweight.",
"Those who are too thin.",
"Those who are suffering from heart attacks."
],
"question": "Among middle-aged ... | Preventing obesity and smoking can save lives, but it doesn't save money, reported researchers. "It was a small surprise, for it is against the common belief," said Pieter Van Baal, who led the study. "But it makes sense. If you live longer, then you cost the health system more."
The researchers found that from age 20 to 56, obese people racked up the most expensive health costs. But on average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and obese people lived about 80 years. Smokers and obese people tended to have more heart disease than healthy people. Therefore in the long run, the thin and healthy group cost about $417, 000, from age 20 on. Smokers cost about $326, 000 and obese people $371, 000.
"The result throws a bucket of cold water onto the idea, based on guesswork, that obesity is going to cost trillions of dollars," said Patrick Basham, a professor of health politics. "If we're going to worry about the future of obesity, we should stop worrying about its financial impact," he said.
"The benefits of obesity prevention may not be seen immediately in terms of cost saving in tomorrow's budget, but there are long-term gains," said Van Baal. "These are often immeasurable when it comes to people living longer and healthier lives." In the meanwhile, he said that governments should recognize that successful smoking and obesity prevention programs mean that people will have a longer chance of dying of something more expensive later in life.
"Lung cancer is a cheap disease to treat because people don't survive very long. But if they are old enough to get Alzheimer's one day, they may survive longer and cost more. We are not advising that governments stop trying to prevent obesity," Van Baal said. "But they should do it for the right reasons." | high12101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "bad habits are really difficult to give up"
},
"options": [
"we should stop something bad for us",
"most smokers would like to stop smoking",
"bad habits are really difficult to give up",
"eating right and exercise more... | If you know something is bad for you, why can't you just stop? About 70% of smokers say they would like to stop. Drug and alcohol abusers struggle to give up the bad habits that hurt their bodies and destroy families and friendships. And many of us have unhealthy weight that we could lose if only we would eat right and exercise more. So why don't we do it?
Some scientists have been searching for answers. They've studied what happens in our brains as habits form. They've found answers to why bad habits, once formed, are so difficult to kick. And they're developing ways to help us make the changes we'd like to make.
Habits are a normal part of life, and are often helpful. " We wake up every morning, shower, comb our hair or brush our teeth without being aware of it," Volkow says. We can drive along familiar routes without really thinking about the directions. "When behaviors become automatic , it gives us an advantage, because the brain does not have to perform the action on purpose." Volkow says. This frees up our brains to focus on different things.
One way to kick bad habits is to focus on your unhealthy habits. Then try your best to stop them. For example, habits can be linked in our minds to certain places and activities. You could develop a plan, say, to avoid walking down the hall where there's a candy machine. Try to avoid going places where you've usually smoked. Stay away from friends and situations linked to problem drinking or drug use.
Another helpful way is to replace unhealthy habits with new, healthy ones. "It doesn't work for everyone," Volkow says. "But certain groups of patients who have a history of taking a drug can do something else like running and it helps them stay away from drugs." | high14200.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "being provided for harvest mice as homes"
},
"options": [
"seriously polluting harvest mice's homes",
"being used to kill harmful animals in the fields",
"being provided for harvest mice as homes",
"being collected to r... | Old tennis balls are being used in an unusual way to help us learn more about one of the rarest mammals in the country.
Harvest mice are only about 2 inches ( 5 cm) long. This spring and summer, wildlife experts are encouraging people to report sightings of harvest mice so that records can be built up about numbers and locations.
Meadows and grassland are animals' traditional homes but as farming methods change over time, the habitats are being lost and numbers are thought to be _ .
Old tennis balls, complete with penny-sized holes, make a strong and popular choice of home for the mice and around 200 are available for surveyors to distribute and monitor, after being donated by a local tennis club.
The project, supported by the Leicestershire County Council, is thought to be the biggest of its kind ever run in Leicestershire.
County Council wildlife expert, Helen O'Brien; said, " Little is known about the creature's present situation locally so we need people to look in tall grass and fields and send in their information. The information will help us track numbers and tell us where we need to focus our attention to safeguard their future. "
Anyone interested in getting involved , can pick up tips and learn more about harvest mice on a training day. This is taking place between 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm on Monday, 14th June at the County Council's Environmental Resource Centre in Birstall. People living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland can get involved with the survey or book a place on the training day by calling Gareth Price at 0116-267-1950. | high9474.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an all-out war between good and evil forces"
},
"options": [
"a journey of Harry, Ron, and Hermione",
"high risks of the final adventure by Harry and his nemesis",
"an all-out war between good and evil forces",
"a fear ... | Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Theatrical Release Date: July 1, 2011
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Michael Bay
Genre : Action--Adventure--Sequel-- Sci-Fi-- 3D
The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Deceptions. The Autobots and Deceptions become involved in a dangerous space race. The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft on the Moon and must race against the Deceptions to find its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers' final battle. Shockwave, a longtime "Transformers" character, rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Deceptions battle it out on Earth.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2011
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: David Yates
Genre: Action--Adventure--Sequel--Fantasy--3D
In part II, the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world evolves into an all-out war. This final adventure continues Harry, Ron, and Hermione's attempt to find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Harry Potter is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring an end to his nemesis.
Winnie the Pooh
Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2011
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Don Hall, Stephen J. Anderson
Genre: Sequel--Family Animation
Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American traditionally animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Based upon the characters of the children's books Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne and Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus, the film features two previously unadapted stories from the original books.
In the movie, Owl sends the whole gang to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary bad character, and it turns out to be a very busy day for Winnie the Pooh who simply set out to find some honey. | high6747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Supportive"
},
"options": [
"Supportive",
"Worried",
"Concerned",
"Uninterested"
],
"question": "What is David Chadwell's attitude toward separating elementary-age boys and girls while learning?",
"question_... | At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders .
David Chadwell, South Carolina's expert of single gender education says, "Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently.We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know."
Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains.The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction."Boys understand the world as objects moving through space," he says.
The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black.It's no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class.
The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange.To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn't need to move as much as in boy's class.Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention.
Boys and girls also hear differently."When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling," Chadwell says."They think you're mad and can shut down." Girls are more sensitive to sounds.He advises girls' teachers to watch the tone of their voices.Boys' teachers should sound more forceful, even excited.
A boy's nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit.Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused.Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.Girls also respond to stress differently.When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts , leaving them feeling nervous or anxious.
These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds."Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning." | high7459.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Climbers were asked to clean up after themselves."
},
"options": [
"Mount Everest is suffering white pollution.",
"A new rule was made to punish climbers.",
"Climbers were asked to clean up after themselves.",
"Mountain... | Climbing Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, just became more challenging. The government of Nepal is telling climbers they cannot leave rubbish on the trails . Each climber will have to come down the mountain with at least 18 pounds of garbage. That's the average amount of rubbish a climber leaves behind on Everest.
Officials say climbers are responsible for their own rubbish. "We are not asking climbers to pick up rubbish left by someone else," said Maddhu Sudan Burlakoti, who works for the Nepal Tourism Ministry. "We just want them to bring back what they took up."
More than 4,000 people have reached the 29,035-foot mountain top in the past 60 years. Leaving rubbish along the way helps climbers keep their bags light so they have energy to reach the top. "The rubbish problem in Mount Everest is not new," Burlakoti says. "When the people started to climb the mountain, they started to leave their garbage there." They have left behind cans, tents, food wrappers, and equipment. Last year, climbers carried down a total of four tons of rubbish.
The new rule came into effect in April of 2014. To make sure it is followed, climbers will have to deposit money before the climb. Once they climb back down the mountain, officials will check climbers at a return camp to make sure they have the required 18 pounds of rubbish. If they do, their money will be returned to them. If they do not, climbers will not receive their deposit and they will not be given a permit the next time they want to climb Everest.
The goal is to make sure no more litter will be left on Everest, which has earned the nickname the World's Highest Dustbin. "As we offer Mount Everest to all the people of the world they should take responsibility to clean it," Burlakoti says, "After seeing the results from this, we will extend this rule to other mountains also." | high12671.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "both in the off-season and the busy season"
},
"options": [
"both in the off-season and the busy season",
"only in the off-season",
"only in the busy season",
"only between April and October"
],
"question": "If ... | Rafting the GRAND CANYON Welcomes You!
If you are looking for an exciting, fun and challenging white water tour, Rafting the GRAND CANYON is here to help you plan the right tour for you. Whether you want to travel for two days or ten, hike in or not, go on an oar boat or motorboat, through Class 3 or 6 water, we will help you find the trip that meets your needs.
For those who will be vacationing in the off-season, a rafting trip on the Native American Red River is available or a one-day trip is available on the Colorado River from Diamond Creek to Pierce Ferry.
Most of the trips depart from Lees Ferry, Arizona. We offer partial trips which allow you to get on or off at Phantom Ranch located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon National Park South Rim. You can have a hike, and with proper planning the mule ride up or down is also an option. Most trips occur between April and October.
Since all rafting on the Colorado requires a permit, planning and reserving your trip requires reservations well in advance. Please let us know when you would like to go and we will contact all the river concessionaires to help you find the best trip for you.
To talk to us or to make a reservation, call us toll free:
1-800-222-6966
or 702-655-6060
If you have any questions regarding a trip, please _ to fill out our form. This will speed up the process of getting you accurate information regarding that trip.
If you would like to send us an email about something other than an upcoming trip you can contact us at info@raftingthegrandcanyon.com.
We look forward to helping you plan your trip!
(Please NO Travel Agents.) | high11378.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the film, Casino Royale"
},
"options": [
"its founder, David Belle",
"the film, Casino Royale",
"its risks and tricks",
"the varieties of participants"
],
"question": "Park-our has become popular throughout the ... | It started off as part of French military training and has since evolved as a sport, founded by Sebastian Foucan and David Belle, to encompass a wide variety of techniques, philosophies and exercises. Park-our now enjoys the devotion of many die-hard fans across the world and has been the source for much inspiration.
But what is park-our? It is the art of using only your body to navigate from Point A to B in the least time possible, which involves besides leaping, climbing and sprinting, various unusual and complex movements to overcome barriers. Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over _ on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that's pork-our, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Park-our is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Park-our can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds, but its participants see much more in park-our than that.
To overcome all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy behind park-our. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, jump over all the barriers as if in park-our and never fall back from them in your life to reach the destination successfully. A park-our lover said, "I love park-our, because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything."
Another philosophy we've learned from park-our is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself so that you earn energy and confidence. | high4150.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because their wisdom deserves to be passed on."
},
"options": [
"Because their wisdom deserves to be passed on.",
"Because they are physically impressive.",
"Because their accomplishments inspired him.",
"Because they h... | One of the greatest gifts one generation can give to other generations is the wisdom it has gained from experience. This idea has inspired the award-winning photographer Andrew Zuckerman. He interviewed and took photos of fifty over-sixty-five-year-olds all over the world. His project explores various aspects of their lives. The photos and interviews are now available on our website.
Click on the introductions to read the complete interviews.
Let us now have a culture of peace.
----Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Spain
Federico Mayor Zaragoza obtained a doctorate in pharmacy from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1958. After many years spent in politics, he became Director-General of UNESCO in 1987. In 1999, he created the Foundation for a culture of Peace, of which he is now the president. In addition to many scientific publications, he has published four collections of poems and several books of essays.
Writing is a discovery.
----Nadine Gordimer, South Africa
Due to a weak heart, Nadine Gordimer attended school and university briefly. She read widely and began writing at an early age. She published her first short story at the age of fifteen, and has completed a large number of works, which have been translated into forty languages. In 1991, Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Jazz is about the only form of art today.
----Dave Brubeck, USA
Dave Brubeck studied music at the University of the Pacific and graduated in 1942. After World War Two he was encouraged to play jazz. In 1951, he recorded his first album . Brubeck's 1959 album has become a jazz standard. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
For more figures CLICK HERE. | high19724.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "warn people that the building is dangerous"
},
"options": [
"tell different materials used in the building",
"warn people that the building is dangerous",
"make the building more beautiful",
"tell people the building is... | The color red often means danger --- and by paying attention, accidents can be prevented. At railroad crossings, flashing red fights warn cars to stay back. A red light at a traffic crossing tells cars to stop, so they don't run into other cars.
In the future, the color red also may help prevent danger at construction sites. Thanks to new work by engineers, bridge supports --- or other kinds of materials --- could one day contain a color-changing material. It will turn red before a structure collapses or falls apart.
The secret behind the color-changing material is a particular type of molecule . Molecules come in all shapes and sizes, and make up everything you can see, touch or feel. How a molecule behaves depends on what kinds of atoms it contains, and how they're held together.
To get a rough picture of one way atoms are held together in a molecule, imagine you and your friends standing in a large circle, holding hands. Each person represents one atom, your clasped hands represent the bond, and the entire circle represents a molecule.
The molecule being used to turn the material red is called mechanophore . When one chemical bond in the mechanophore molecule breaks, the rest of the molecule turns red.
There is a way to get rid of~ the red color: light. When a bright light is shone on the mechanophore, the broken bond is fixed and the red color disappears. This "self-healing" may be a problem for engineers who want to use the color-changer in big construction projects that will be outside, in the sunlight. And if bright light keeps the red color from appearing, then the mechanophore's warning system will be useless.
Scientists still have a lot of work to do before the color-changing molecules can be used outside the lab. If mechanophore can be used in the real world, they are suggested to be employed in a new kind of paint. | high16417.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was the only person who helped the old man."
},
"options": [
"She works as a young airline employee.",
"She was waiting for a plane with her grandfather.",
"She was the only person who helped the old man.",
"She kno... | The crowd at the airport flowed forward. The passengers had been waiting for a couple of hours for an airline employee to open the door leading to the plane outside. No one was in a good mood. An old man got trapped in the middle of the rush. He fell down without being able to break his fall. His head hit the concrete floor. Blood poured from his forehead. He appeared to be unconscious. Everyone rushed past him, except Dana. She called for help.
A minute later, a young airline employee showed up. Hardly looking at the old man, she told Dana to get aboard her plane. She said the old man would be okay, and walked away.
Dana screamed for help. An airport supervisor appeared. He told Dana to get on the plane. Dana said that she was not moving until an ambulance arrived. The supervisor said her plane would leave without her. Dana said that she didn't care.
An ambulance and two attendants finally arrived. The attendants said that the man would be okay, but he would need stitches . They put him into the ambulance and drove off.
On her way out to the plane, which was still refueling, Dana saw the employee who had ignored the old man at first. The employee said, "You're lucky. The plane didn't leave without you."
"The plane?" Dana asked. "Who cares about the plane? How could you be so cold? That was an old man; he could have been your grandfather! How would you like it if everyone just stepped over your grandfather and went on their way?" | high17709.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "You are free from worry or fear when your mind stays quiet."
},
"options": [
"A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade when you feel thirsty.",
"You eat chocolate and sweets when you feel as if everything is against you.",
... | It is a hot summer day,and you feel thirsty. A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade.How do you feel when you see the glass? Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure? I believe you will say it is a feeling of pleasure.There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings,and sometimes one causes the other,but they are not the same.Pleasure is more dependent on the five senses while happiness is independent of them.
When you are happy,little unpleasant events usually do not disturb you.When you are unhappy,you feel as if everything is against you.You may compensate for it by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you pleasure;yet you stay unhappy.A person may smoke cigarettes because it gives him pleasure,yet,this does not make him happier,especially if he knows the fact that it is not good for his health
The physical world is always in a changing state.At each moment a new thing is being created,changed,transformed and then destroyed.This is the normal state of things and no one can change it.If we stay still in a certain state,we are sure to experience unhappiness sooner or later.On the other hand,if we adjust to the environment,nothing can influence our moods.Then outer events have nothing to do with our inner joy of mind.
The room of the mind was filled with worry or fear.If you are free of thinking about them, the room has been emptied,and then you will see what is happening and experience it When your mind stays quiet,you will see that happiness comes from the inside. | high10066.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "reading the Bhagavat Geeta was meaningless"
},
"options": [
"he enjoyed reading the Bhagavat Geeta",
"learning the Bhagavat Geeta was easy",
"he was not good at remembering anything",
"reading the Bhagavat Geeta was mea... | An old farmer lived on a farm with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early to read his Bhagavat Geeta. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Bhagavat Geeta just like you but I don't understand it, What good does reading the Bhagavat Geeta do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the same took place. He told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water with a basket.
The old man said, " You're just not trying hard enough," So the boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket into a clean one inside and outside.
"You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Krishna in our lives." | high2521.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "people waste a lot of resource"
},
"options": [
"people waste a lot of resource",
"marine environment covers 3/4 of the surface of Mars",
"marine environment is beautiful for its sufficient resources",
"the Earth is sim... | The marine environment is fascinating to study and work in due to its beauty, richness, and complexity. It covers three quarters of the surface of the Earth, yet we know more detail about the surface of Mars.
In the past, it was seen as both an inexhaustible resource and a bottomless sink for our wastes. Yet the increasing pressures of overpopulation, pollution and the threat to our natural environment mean that there is an increasing need for scientists who can understand how it all works, how it affects us, and how we are affecting it from global warming through to the smallest plankton.
From local issues to global concerns, we now know that the marine environment is inextricably linked to our lives, and to our future survival. It is an area where much remains to be discovered, and where only a multidisciplinary approach can cover the breadth of issues to be confronted. This is the approach taken on our Marine Environmental Science degree course.
This course takes a multi-disciplinary approach to explore and understand the marine environment. After an initial grounding in basic science, optional choices are available in specialist topics such as marine ecosystems and pollution, coastal navigation and oceanography, among others.
Our new harbor side marine laboratory is used for some of the specialist lectures, laboratory and project work, while a week's residential field course in the Isle of Man provides training to prepare for the research project conducted in your final year. There is an optional trip to Belize in the final year to study tropical marine environments. | high10700.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Funny."
},
"options": [
"Complex.",
"Funny.",
"Boring.",
"Puzzling."
],
"question": "What did the author's classmates think about his report?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates with big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had worked on, hoping to hide myself. "What could be causing everyone to act this way?"
Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real task I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched for the name of this fellow, it became obvious that there were two people with the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice: flip a coin. Heads--the commander, and tails--the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, "My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution." The whole world became quiet! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?
Obviously, my grade was terrible. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. At last, I worked very hard for the rest of the school year.
Ten months later, that chance came as I found myself sitting in the headmaster's office with my grandfather, now having a completely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my chance to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet! | high5528.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are always finding sources of feeling good"
},
"options": [
"don't need to have fun",
"don't have to be occupied with work",
"can have 20 times more fun than others",
"are always finding sources of feeling good"
],
... | Writer Jean Stafford scoffed, "Happy people don't need to have fun," but studies show that the absence of feeling bad isn't enough to make you feel good;you must try hard to find sources of feeling good. Research shows that regularly having fun is a key factor in having a happy life;people who have fun are 20 times more likely to feel happy.
Recently, I noticed a pattern among activities that people find fun: _ . There's something about having a playful purpose,of trying to achieve something that makes an activity more fun.
For example a friend told that she loved visiting flea markets and antique stores to look for old globes-not fancy ones,but cheap ones. She has a rule that she'll never pay more than$20. She's the kind of person who loves wandering around in those kinds of shops in any case,but having a mission makes it more fun, less aimless.
For that matter,having a collection of any sort is a very popular way to have a mission. You get satisfaction whenever you find another piece of blue sea glass on the beach or another out-of-print book by Charlotte Yonge in an old bookstore.
Taking photos is a common way to incorporate a mission into traveling. Not only does this help keep memories vivid, it also makes you more attuned to your environment while traveling. For example,during my most recent visit to New Haven,I had a lot more fun wandering around once I set myself the mission of taking tourist photos of my own romance.
Why is this true? The First Splendid Truth holds that to be happier,you have to think about feeling good and feeling right,in an atmosphere of growth. The more I've thought about happiness,the more surprised I've been at the importance of the "atmosphere of growth." I think this is a huge engine of happiness, and when you have a mission, you create an atmosphere of growth whenever you pursue that mission.
Have you found a way to have a mission? What is it and does it boost your happiness? | high4636.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "for science reading"
},
"options": [
"a short story",
"for science reading",
"a piece of news",
"a report"
],
"question": "This passage is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | From a plane we can see the fields, cities, mountains or seas below. If we go into space, we see more and more of the earth. People and man-made satellites have been sent out into space to look at the earth carefully and people have learnt more about the earth in the last few years.
The sea looks very beautiful when the sun is shining on it. But it can be very terrible when there is a strong wind.
The sea is very big. It nearly covers three quarters of the earth. The sea is also very deep in some places. There is one place and at that place the sea is about 11 kilometers deep. The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometers high. If that mountain was put into the sea at that place, there would be still 2 kilometers of water above it!
In most parts of the sea, there are many kinds of fishes and plants. Some live near the top of the sea. Others live deep down. There are also a lot of small living things, and lots of fishes live by eating them.
The sea can be very cold. When people go down, the sea becomes colder and colder. Only some men can go down into the deep sea. But, in 1970, five women scientists lived in the deep sea for fourteen days. | high3159.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Hope Watermelon Festival"
},
"options": [
"Oyster Festival",
"Hope Watermelon Festival",
"Brat Days",
"Tomato Festival"
],
"question": "Which of the following festivals has the longest history?",
"question_t... | Tomato Festival
Started in 2005, the Tomato Festival has grown into a local tradition in Malta. In recent years, the festival has added amusement park-style rides and a yearly Creature Feature, which screens old horrible movies.There are also dance competitions, parades and pancake breakfast.Third weekend in August.
Address: 833 Tinkham Rd, Fountain Park, Wilbra-ham, Massachusetts 01095
Phone: (413)599-0010
Brat Days
Don't mistake this festival for a day filled with poorly behaved children. Begun in 1953, the gathering is the biggest festival in the city each year and features more than 50 stands selling the sausage, as well as a contest to see who can quickly eat the most bratwurst in ten minutes.Early August.
Address: 17th and New Jersey sts, Kiwanis Park, She boygan, Wisconsin 53081
Phone: (920)457-9491
Hope Watermelon Festival
The festival dates back to the 1920s, when many trains went through this small town and local watermelon growers would sell their watermelon to _ travelers.These days, the festival sees a Watermelon Queen crowned and sometimes a world-record watermelon grown.There are also more than 300 stands selling arts and crafts from a six-state area, as well as a car show and the Watermelon Olympics.Early August.
Address: 108 W 3rd St, Hope, Arkansas 71801
Phone: (870) 777-3640
Oyster Festival
Featuring appearances from tall ships and oyster boats, this festival has regularly drawn 60,000 visitors a year since it began in 1978.More than 3,000 volunteers make the festival possible each year.Norwalk is less than a two-hour drive from many of New England's larger cities, making it easy to attend the festival during a trip to New York or Hartford.Weekend after Labor Day.
Address: Sea view Ave, Veteran's Park, East Nor-walk, Connecticut 06855
Phone: (800) 866-7925 | high12117.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sir Winston Churchill's."
},
"options": [
"Lord Randolph Churchill's.",
"Sir Winston Churchill's.",
"Sir Alexander Fleming's",
"Penicillin's."
],
"question": "Whose life did the Scottish farmer save?",
"ques... | His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog . He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, " the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel .
"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked. "Yes," the farmer replied proudly.
"I'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can be proud of."
And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming's son graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia .
What saved him? Penicillin.
The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.
His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill. | high15678.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "sleeping"
},
"options": [
"at home",
"sleeping",
"sitting in bed",
"both A and B"
],
"question": "When the fire arose in the middle of the night, the author was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | "Fire! Fire!" What terrible words to hear when one wakes up in a strange house in the middle of the night! It was a large, old, wooden house and my room was on the top floor. I jumped out of bed, opened the door and stepped outside the house. There was full of thick smoke.
I began to run, but as I was still only half-awake, instead of going towards the stairs I went in the opposite direction. The smoke grew thicker and I could see fire all around. The floor became hot under my bare feet. I found an open door and ran into a room to get to the window. But before I could reach it, one of my feet caught in something soft and I fell down. The thing I had fallen over felt like a bundle of clothes, and I picked it up to protect my face from the smoke and heat. Just then the floor gave way under me and I crashed to the floor below with pieces of burning wood all around me.
I saw a doorway in fire, then I put the bundle over my face and ran. My feet burned me terrible, but I got through. As I reached the cold air outside, my bundle of clothes gave a thin cry, I nearly dropped it in my surprise. Then I was in a crowd gathered in the street. A woman in a night-dress and a borrowed man's coat screamed as she saw me and came running madly.
She was the Mayor's wife, and I had saved her baby. | high1996.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "grain prices decrease and production costs grow"
},
"options": [
"grain prices decrease and production costs grow",
"\"new socialist countryside\" is a new concept",
"prices of production materials rose 9.1 percent",
"m... | Decreasing grain prices along with growing costs of production means Chinese farmers are unlikely to see a significant rise in income next year. [:ZXXK]
China's economic planning chief Ma Kai expressed the concern as the government undertakes an ambitious program to improve rural people's lives.
Grain prices have been dropping since April; and prices of wheat, corn and rice fell 5 per cent from August to October compared with the same period last year, Ma, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, told an annual meeting on development and reform held over the weekend.
Meanwhile, prices of production materials rose 9.1 per cent year on year during the first 10 months.
The situation makes it difficult to achieve a "new socialist countryside," which was last week highlighted as a new concept and "common action" of the whole Party and nation.
Vice-Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie also said China's entry to the World Trade Organization also creates _ for income rises for the country's 780 million farmers.
Farmers' income is expected to increase by 5 per cent this year, hitting the target set by the central government at the beginning of this year.
Last year, per capita net income of Chinese farmers reached 2,936 yuan (US$362), up 6.8 per cent year on year, and the highest increase since 1997.
Ma also said China would continue to seek fast, steady economic growth in 2012 but more efforts will be made to deal with the challenges brought about by overheating in some industrial sectors .
(from China Daily, December 5, 2011) | high14566.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A visitor center."
},
"options": [
"A museum.",
"A visitor center.",
"An active volcano",
"A reconstructed temple."
],
"question": "What do the first two attractions have in common?",
"question_type": "facti... | You might think Hawaii is only for honeymoons, but there are various family-based activities and attractions.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
What makes this park unique is the opportunity to see an active volcano, Kilauca. Within the park, there is a visitor center, the Jagger Museum, the Volcano House containing a gift shop, a restaurant and a hotel, and the Volcano Art Center Gallery. The park is open every day. The entrance fee is $10 per car.
Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historic Park
Visitors can take a self-guided tour that includes ancient sites. There is also a reconstructed temple as well as examples of traditional Hawaiian canoes. The park is open from 6 am to 8 pm during the week and until 11 pm on weekends and holidays. The visitor center is open from 9 am to 5 pm. The entrance fee for the park is $5.
Dolphin Twilight Camp at the Hilton Waikoloa Village
The camp, for children aged from 5 to 12, consists of four hours of fun including dolphin playtime, a pirate treasure hunt, a picnic dinner and a twilight camp T-shirt. The admission price is $120 for the first child and $105 for each additional one.
The Parker Ranch
Here visitors can learn about the history and culture of one of the largest cattle ranches in the United States. To see the ranch itself, take the 45-minute carriage tour. Tickets to the carriage tour are $15 for adults and $12 for children under 12. The museum fee is $6.50 for adults and $4.50 for children.
Sea Turtles at Punalu'u Beach Park
Punalu'u Beach Park is famous for its beautiful black sand beach. Green Sea Turtles, an endangered species, inhabit this beach and Hawksbill Turtles, another endangered species, sometimes nest here as well. Swim, relax and enjoy island life, without any charge. | high13209.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she didn't want to let her father down"
},
"options": [
"she thought her father would believe her story",
"she didn't want to let her father down",
"her father wouldn't get her grade report",
"her father got angry whene... | When I looked at the grade on my math paper my jaw almost dropped to the ground: a big "65" in bright red ink. I had never received such a terrible grade before.
I was so ashamed that when I got home that afternoon I lied to my dad. I told him I got 85 and that the report wouldn't come until the end of the month. Dad smiled. His daughter would never lie about her grade, so he didn't doubt the unusual delay of my report.
A month later, Dad casually asked me again about the report at the dinner table. He looked right into my eyes and asked for an answer. Having no choice, I told him that I had in fact got just 65 in my math final. I had lied because I didn't want to let him down.
For a moment, he just looked at me. I would have preferred a telling off than that silence. Finally, Dad said, in a hurt voice, "You have already let me down, with your lie. I am not disappointed at your math score. That is no big deal - no one can be perfect all the time. But I am very disappointed in you. If you can't be honest with your dad, who can you be honest with? It's much easier to achieve a better grade than rebuild someone else's trust in you."
Dad's words touched my heart. I couldn't forgive myself for having hurt his feelings. I took out the report that I had been hiding for weeks, handed to him and apologized, sincerely. I realized that my honesty is not only important to me personally, but to those around me that truly care about my well-being.
In one of Shakespeare's plays a character says: "No legacy is so rich as honesty." After the crisis between Dad and me, I began to understand those words. | high12103.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "At the Derby Arms on Sunday."
},
"options": [
"At the Derby Arms on Sunday.",
"At the Bull's Head on Sunday.",
"At the Bull on Saturday.",
"At the Black Horse on Saturday."
],
"question": "Where and when can you... | Today, Friday, December 14
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8 am. to 8 pm. Tel: 682-158.
Saturday, December 15
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789-749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull's Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion . Tel: 789-536
Sunday, December 16
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 am to 8 pm.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion. | high1982.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Males are much larger than females."
},
"options": [
"They weigh at least 113 kilograms.",
"They swim faster than any other sea animal.",
"Males are much larger than females.",
"They usually move very slowly after leavi... | California sea lions are the fastest of all the sea lions, reaching speeds of up to 40 kilometers an hour when swimming. Males are much larger than females, measuring 2 to 2.5 meters and weighing 200 to 453 kilograms. Females only measure 1.5 to 2 meters and weigh 50 to 113 kilograms. They can also move fairly well while on land.
California sea lions can be found living along the Pacific coast of North America. They prefer to live in waters near rocky and sandy shores. On land, they often gather in large groups as many as 1,000 of them. While at sea, they travel in much smaller groups of around 10 or more. They communicate with one another through a series of sounds.
Their diet consists of a wide variety of fish and other sea animals. They are able to hold their breath for up to 10 minutes by slowing down their heart rate, allowing them to hunt for their prey for a longer period of time. They have been known to continuously hunt for up to 30 hours at a time, with their eyesight and hearing playing an important part in finding their food. Being so large, they do not have that many natural predators that they need to be on the lookout for.
Eleven months after getting pregnant, the female will give birth to one baby on land. If the baby can survive long enough, they can live to be 20 to 25 years old.
California sea lions are not listed as an endangered species. This is largely because of laws such as the US Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Hopefully such acts will continue to show results. | high8018.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it is covered with grass, flowers or other plants"
},
"options": [
"It is painted green for a specific purpose",
"It uses solar energy to produce electricity",
"it is designed for kids to enjoy themselves",
"it is cover... | A green roof is a roof of a building that is covered with vegetation over a waterproof membrane . It is a proper method of growing plants on the roof and does not refer to the mere green color of the roof. People benefit a lot from these green roofing systems, and they are gaining popularity day by day.
Human beings have occupied major areas of land and transformed them into huge buildings, which has severely affected the environment and the natural habitat of bird and insects. Green roofing compensates for that. It creates a natural habitat for creatures like bees, grasshoppers and other insects.
Modern roofs need a lot of energy to control the temperatures in winter and summer. However, green roofs reduce the amount of energy required for controlling temperatures, thus making them energy-efficient. As green roofing is highly energy-efficient, it can act as a encouragement for people who are interested in green roofing systems and their benefits. It will increase the market value of the building and fetch the owner a great share of profit.
As the vegetation requires a water supply, there is a inbuilt water preservation layer in the green roof system. This layer helps to keep the rainwater. It makes full use of the rainwater and prevents wastage. During heavy rains, the water runs off the flat roof. The green roof prevents this overflow by slowing down the volume of running water.
Green roofs can compensate for the lost greenery in urban areas and increase the artistic value of an area. Your building will look beautiful, coated with green vegetation. Green roofs can serve as local community garden and create a natural atmosphere, giving physical and psychological benefits like reducing stress levels in people and keeping them physically fit. Besides, people can start their own small-scale cultivation and experience the pleasure
of gardening. | high9306.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He got a baby brother."
},
"options": [
"He got a baby brother.",
"He got a Christmas gift.",
"He became four years old.",
"He received a doll."
],
"question": "What happened to the author on September 11th, 195... | One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap .
On September 11th, 1958, mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my arms, saying, "I promised you a gift, and here it is." What an honor! I became four years old a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told stories. I told it again and again how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard mum and dad whispering such words as "hopeless", "pitiful"and "dying", and all these words sounded _
Christmas was coming. "Don't expect any presents this year," Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living rooms. "If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough." As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I had never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, "What? He's all right?"He hung up and shouted upstairs. "The hospital said we can bring Richard home!"
"Thank God!" I heard mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty:they were filled with love! | high14572.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Poor air quality contributing to lung cancer."
},
"options": [
"Medical researches on environment.",
"The disadvantages in big cities.",
"The only reason for the lung cancer.",
"Poor air quality contributing to lung can... | Air pollution is one of the hottest topics at present because poor air quality is an important factor in both the incidence and cause of respiratory diseases.
Zhong Nanshan, a deputy to the NPC and a member of the CAE, said recently when the concentration of PM2.5 rises by 10 micrograms per cubic meter, hospitalization may rise by as much as 3.1 percent. Meanwhile, when the concentration of PM2.5 rises from 25 mgs per cubic meter to 200, the average daily death rate may rise to 11 percent.
Zhi Xiuyi, a leading expert in lung cancer treatment and also vice-president of the CATS, said medical authorities used to focus on tobacco control as a primary means of preventing lung cancer. "But in fact, air pollution is no less harmful than smoking and our research team released a report earlier this year showing that the cancer rate in Beijing is closely related to industrialization," he said.
The report, conducted by the Beijing Institute of Cancer Research, shows that the number of cancer patients in China has increased markedly during the past ten years. Chaoyang District, the city's main area of industrialization, has the highest incidence of cancer, almost double that of Yanqing, an area on the outskirts of the city. About four out of 1000 Chaoyang residents have some form of the disease, with lung cancer at the top of the list.
"The risk of having cancer largely depends on the length of exposure and the concentration of noxious gases ," said Zhi. In response to the doubt whether seven years' exposure to poor air quality will almost result in cancer, Zhi said the time scale was taken from research overseas that suggested the rate of incidence generally peaked in the seventh year of exposure to a heavily polluted environment. | high6035.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "encouraging students to perform well at school"
},
"options": [
"increasing the income of the school",
"encouraging students to perform well at school",
"inviting more students to attend the school nearby",
"encouraging... | Hundreds of secondary schools are using a _ reward scheme which "bribes" pupils with iPods and DVD players to turn up in classes and do homework.
Almost one million schoolchildren have been issued with supermarket-style reward cards which allow them to collect good-behavior "points" and cash them in for prizes.
Schools taking part in the "Vivo Miles" scheme are spending several thousand pounds a year in an attempt to cut truancy and promote achievements. The prizes are ultimately funded by the taxpayer, through school budgets. Nearly 500 secondary schools, one in six, have decided to take part in the scheme, which is intended to replace old-style rewards such as stickers and golden stars.
But the extent of rewards being offered in schools brought a warning that a generation of children is growing up expecting to be rewarded at every stage. Many youngsters are collecting points for ordinary achievements such as remembering to bring their PE kit and wearing the correct uniform.
Under the scheme, teachers award Vivo points--worth 1 penny each--according to the school's policy. Schools typically spendPS4 toPS6 on prizes per pupil each year, although some commit considerably more. Most pupils accumulate between 400 and 600 Vivos a year. Vivo Miles insists it is "pretty rare" for a pupil to accumulate enough points to buy an iPod, which requires 3,100 Vivos.
But Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said the scheme amounted to "bribery". "It misleads children into thinking anything which requires effort has to have a special reward," he said. "This 'all must have prizes' view is damaging to children in the long-term." The scheme amounted to an "admission of failure" by schools. He said. "It shows a school has failed to convince children education is important." | high2253.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "students' parents"
},
"options": [
"high school teachers",
"high school students",
"students' parents",
"sports lovers"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly written for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_ques... | Most high schools have at least four sports they offer to their students. In many districts, there must be an equal amount of sports for boys and girls. Some schools even have sporting clubs. High school sports have been an important part of the high school curriculum for many years. However, not all parents fully realize the importance. Some children are not even allowed to participate in school sports, because of the cost, the time commitment , or the possibility of injury.
The truth is that high school sports are more than just fun. They are great tools to help students learn about life. They can teach students teamwork, cooperation, and leadership, etc. Students can take these things into their everyday lives as well. When they build their confidence on the sporting field, students are also building confidence against the world. They will be able to work well with others in all other areas of their life.
High school sports are also the perfect way to keep teens away from drugs and other dangerous behaviors. Coaches are great role models that can often encourage players to be well behaved. Some schools even have limits on GPAs (grade point average) for their athletes. If a student athlete's grades fall below a certain point, they cannot play. Students who love sports will do anything to play, including studying more. They will also be less likely to try drugs or break the law in any other manner. So, allow your children to participate in school sports. Get involved and make friends with the parents of the other students. The whole family can have a great time and learn about sports together. | high18348.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People used it to protect themselves."
},
"options": [
"It is a special American building.",
"It is made from stone and paper.",
"Only king used to live in it.",
"People used it to protect themselves."
],
"quest... | Do you know what a castle is? A castle is a building special to Europe. Castles were built in the Middle Ages by king and other powerful people who live in. Castles were used by people to protect themselves from their enemies. They are big buildings made form stone and wood.
Today there are still castles all over Europe. Some are in ruins. But some built later are still in good repair and used even today. One example is Windsor Castle, which is a home to the British queen. It is in the country or Berkshire, not far from London.
Castles have walls around them. In the old days, soldiers would stand on the walls to guard the people in the castle. If enemies came they would shoot arrows and throw stones at them. Castles also had moats. A moat is a river around the wall that makes it difficult for enemies to get in. It could be either dry or filled with water.
Other people from younger countries love European castles. In the US there are rich people who have brought broken parts of castles to their country and rebuilt them. And some people build "replica" castles---modern copies of Castle.
You probably know the Disneyland Castle in California, US. But did you know it is based on a famous castle in Germany built by King Ludwig IIof Bavaria? | high19056.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Children should be taught to read at an early age."
},
"options": [
"Children should be taught to read at an early age.",
"Children can read better than most adult students.",
"Children have more synapses than most adults.",
... | Teaching a child to read at a young age gives him a valuable start in life. Reading is the basic part of education and a child's reading ability will influence his school success greatly. Learning difficulties, many of which begin from poor reading skills, can damage a school child's confidence and affect his future achievement. Young children are programmed to learn and they can learn better with encouragement. Ten to twenty minutes of reading a day still leaves plenty of time for play.
Many parents are concerned that learning to read is too challenging a task for a pre-school child, but they should also remember that most children learn to speak by the time they are 3. Learning a language is probably the single most challenging task any individual can undertake, yet children do it without formal instruction, achieving the fluency much better than adult language students.
There is a window of opportunity in terms of IQ development, which is most open during a child's early years. A scientific study, carried out by Dr. Peter Huttenlocher at the University of Chicago, showed that the number of connectors, called synapses , between the nerve endings in a newborn baby's brain is similar to the number in the average adult brain. These synapses increase rapidly during early childhood. By 12-24 months a child's brain has about 50% more synapses than the average adult brain. After that the synapses which are not in use begin to atrophy . For most people, from age 16, the number remains steady. It begins to drop again as we move into our golden years. Doing intellectual activities at a young age, such as learning to read, can stimulate and preserve these connectors in the brain resulting in a long-term beneficial effect on IQ development.
Another notable study is probably the Milwaukee project. This study took a group of babies, all of whose mothers had low IQs, and gave them special training for seven hours a day, five days a week, until they started first grade. By the age of 6 these children had an average IQ 30 points higher than their contemporaries. The overwhelming conclusion is that the early intellectual stimulation can have a positive, long-term effect on a child's brain development.
From birth you should talk to and explain things to your baby. Reading to him can be a wonderful way of spending quality time with your child. The enjoyment of books and being familiar with the idea of print will pave the way for(......)learning to read later.
If your child is a fast learner you can help him realize his potential by introducing him to the joy of the printed word at an early age. This will lay the foundations for both a high achieving school career and a lifelong love of reading. If your child shows early signs of reading difficulties, your efforts may help him get rid of such problems before he goes to school.
It can be difficult to teach your own child because emotional issues arise easily. Online programs for learning to read English are excellent options. They allow children to repeat new materials as many times as they need to, without wearing out the parents' patience. | high4622.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A great number of people visit it every year."
},
"options": [
"Businesses in Chinatown are going well.",
"Local people like going shopping there.",
"A great number of people visit it every year.",
"No period has seen a... | San Francisco's Chinatown is the biggest and oldest in the country. It's the third most visited tourist destination in the city. It's also the city's most densely populated neighbor- hood. So why are. businesses in Chinatown struggling?
In this week's paper, I outline some of the reasons for why Chinatown's crowded streets and busy shops might be declining. Underneath the surface, Chinatown is falling. And the city, local organizations and businesses are trying to figure out what they can do to turn things around.
While numbers of people visit Chinatown, they don't stay long and they don't spend a lot of money. And beyond annual festivals,1ike Chinese New Years, this month's Moon Festival and last month's Sunday Streets - which drew about 15,000 t0 20.000 people - the neighborhood has a hard time attracting locals.
Can you remember the last. time you went to Chinatown ?If you can't, You're not alone. Locals told me that Chinatown doesn't have much to offer them - that the stores are all the same. There are some good eating joints, people said, but they don't know how to find them. Some people even told me that they sometimes go to extreme measures to avoid the neighborhood altogether. But when asked if the-v would like to see Chinatown gone, the answer was always a strong no.
Locals are hopeful that things will get better and traffic will increase when the Central Subway is complete. But chat's not for another five years. at least. And if' new shops or restaurants don't make their way into Chinatown. the same problem of attracting locals will exist.
Not that Chinatown's going to die. The dragon still has some fire in its belly. And many people are rooting for positive change. The question is, how does Chinatown change without losing the very importance of what makes it unique? | high16365.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Lake Sevan"
},
"options": [
"Lake Cildir",
"Lake Parvani",
"Lake Sevan",
"Lake Van"
],
"question": "If you want to visit some historic sites during your travel by a lake,you can go to _ .",
"question_type... | While beach vacations may be a great way to take your mind off work,lakes surrounded by mountains make for an even grander experience.If you are looking for some peace on your vacation,we have some recommendations for you in the Caucasus .
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of Armenia,in the Gegharkunik province.It is the largest lake in Armenia,located 6,200ft above sea level.Along the lake shore,there are various accommodations such as resorts and hotels with plenty of activities to partake in such as windsurfing,swimming and sunbathing.While there,do not forget to visit one of the famous cultural monuments,the Sevanavank Monastery,and it offers a great view of the lake as well.
Lake Paravani
Lake Paravani,located at 6,801ft above sea level,is in the south of Georgia,near the Javakheti plateau.At this level,altitude sickness can occur and it is a good idea to be prepared to adapt to it properly,or bring medication for altitude sickness.Being a volcanic lake makes for a more interesting experience.The lake is best known for fishing.Do not come home during the winter months when the lake freezes.
Lake Cildir
Lake Cildir is located in the Ardahan province,East Turkey,near the borders of Georgia and Armenia.It is the second largest freshwater lake of Eastern Turkey,and many tourists are not aware of this beautiful attraction.Lake Cildir is surrounded by mountains of the Caucasus.The lake freezes during late November.If the winter is not extremely cold,you can try some lake activities like ice skating and ice fishing.
Lake Van
Lake Van is the must visit of all lakes in this list.The largest lake in Turkey,Lake Van is located on the eastern shore of Turkey and is also the most accessible lake here.It's situated at 5,380ft above sea level,and unique to lakes around the world,the water is high in salt content. | high19730.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The Maldives is considering ways to fight against the global warming."
},
"options": [
"The Maldives plans to build floating homes for the rising sea level.",
"The Maldives's president signed a deal with a Dutch company.",
"T... | The Maldives faces the threat of extinction from rising sea levels, but the government said on Thursday it was looking to the future with plans to build homes and a golf course that float.
An increase in sea levels of just 18 to 59 centimeters would make the Maldives -- a nation of tiny coral islands in the Indian Ocean -- virtually uninhabitable by 2100, the UN's climate change panel has warned.
President Mohamed Nasheed has vowed a fight for survival, and last month he signed a deal with a Dutch company to study proposals for a floating structure that could support a convention centre, homes and an 18-hole golf course. "It is still early stages and we are awaiting a report on the possibility," a government official said.
The company, Dutch Docklands, is currently building floating developments in the Netherlands and Dubai. There was no immediate comment from the firm but its website said it undertook projects that make "land from water by providing large-scale floating constructions to create similar conditions as on land".
The Maldives began work on an artificial island known as the Hulhumale near the crowded capital island of Male in 1997 and more than 30,000 people have been settled there to ease _ . The city, which has a population of 100,000, is already protected from rising sea levels by a 30-million-dollar sea wall, and the government is considering increasingly imaginative ways to combat climate change.
Nasheed, who staged the world's first underwater cabinet meeting in October to highlight his people's dilemma , has even spoken of buying land elsewhere in the world to enable Maldivians to relocate if their homes are flooded. He has also pledged the Hulhumale to turn his nation into a model for the rest of the world by becoming "carbon neutral" by 2020. His plan involves ending fossil fuel use and powering all vehicles and buildings from "green" sources. | high4144.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "There will probably be no satellites to help the scientists."
},
"options": [
"It's too difficult to measure what's happening.",
"Types of models for prediction are difficult to set up.",
"There will probably be no satellites... | With a large part of the world's population living close to the oceans, rising sea levels bring the potential for destructive results. But scientists are still unable to make predictions exact enough for people to plan to handle the loss of land and the threat to coastal communities expected over this century.
"We know sea level is going to rise, but how much, and how fast, and where, we really still don't know," said Josh Willis, a climate scientist.
_ It doesn't rise all the same as more water pours in. As global warming raises sea levels, some places are expected to see higher-than-average increases, and a few places, may even see decreases.
It's reported that over the course of this century, sea levels will rise between 8 inches and 6.6 feet around the planet. Scientists know this increase will be driven by the expansion of water as it warms--warmer water takes up more space--and the melting of ice. But the effects of warming water and melting ice on sea-level rise are expected to vary from area to area. And the melting of ice of the Antarctic and Greenland presents the largest uncertainty for the future, but air, land and water also play roles in changes to sea level. For example, sea level near the ice getting melt actually decreases, because the ground under the melting ice rises as the heavy ice disappears.
Climate change is expected to change ocean currents and the winds that help drive ocean currents. These changes will affect the distribution of heat within the oceans, and, as a result, affect changes in sea level.
Nowadays, scientists use two types of models to make predictions about the future of sea levels, but the two don't agree. If scientists can't accurately predict sea-level increase for the coming years, the least we can do is measure what happening today with the help of the satellite, Jason-2, but it's reaching the end of its operational life. | high10072.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She was afraid that Jack might die in the war"
},
"options": [
"She wasn't sure if Jack still loved her.",
"Jack became handicapped and couldn't walk",
"Jack asked her to forget about him",
"She was afraid that Jack mig... | We were talking about engagement when my boyfriend, Jack, had to go to war. I was so afraid of losing him; the only way I could stay sane was to dance. I became very good and critics praised me, but I could feel was the ache in my heart, no knowing whether the love of my life would ever return. And then one day a letter from him came:"I have lost my leg. I am no longer a whole man and now give you back your freedom. It is best you forget me."
I made my decision there and then I left the city. When I returned I had bought myself a cane and learned to limp convincingly. I told everyone I had been in a car crash and that my leg would never completely heal again. My dancing days were over. No one suspected the story. And I made sure the first person to hear of my accident was a reporter. Then I travelled to the hospital. They had pushed him outside in his wheelchair. I leaned on my cane and limped to him.
I told him he was not the only one who had lost a leg, even if mine were still attached to me. I showed him newspaper clippings of my accident. " There is a whole life waiting for us out there! And I am not going to carry you--you are going to walk yourself."
I limped a few steps towards him and showed him what I'd taken out of my pocket." Now show me you are still a man," I said. He bent to take his cane and struggled out of that wheelchair. I could see he had not done it before, because he almost fell on his face. But I was not going to help. Finally he managed it on his own and walked to me and never sat in a wheelchair again in his life.
What I showed to him was engagement rings. And I would limp with him for the rest of life. | high2535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "I disobeyed his rules in class"
},
"options": [
"I disobeyed his rules in class",
"I didn't go to his class",
"I didn't answer his questions",
"I was naughty in my homework"
],
"question": "Mr. Oven criticized m... | When I was in junior high school, I was really a bad boy. My history teacher--Mr. Oven criticized me a lot because I was naughty in his class. By the end of the first semester, I'd had enough of his words and had decided that I would get my revenge on him.
The opportunity arose one morning when Mr. Oven was called to the office for a certain reason. While Mr. Oven left, my company Billy and I grabbed Mr. Oven's lunch bag from under his desk. I opened his sandwich and placed a bug in between the two slices of bread. We put it back and closed it. To keep it in memory, Billy took photos of the whole process. We laughed for weeks over this.
_ Billy's mother found the pictures in his room, and demanded that he should tell her where these pictures were from. Billy told his mother the whole story, and Mr. Oven was informed. Not only was I punished from school for two weeks, but also I was kicked off the football and basketball team. Before I could return to school, I had to turn in a 1000-word essay on what I did and why I did that. I really felt embarrassed every time I saw Mr. Oven in the hallway for the rest of the school year. I felt a little regret that Mr. Oven left our school the next year. | high9460.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "math"
},
"options": [
"English",
"science",
"history",
"math"
],
"question": "According to the text, Tom was weak in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | My cell phone rang while I was working on my computer. I looked at the phone and saw it was my 17-year-old son, Tom. I quickly picked it up."Mom,I got a 71 on the test.I did it."With those few words,I could feel my heart start to _ .
Living in New York State. Students cannot graduate from high school unless they pass at least five exams: one in English, one in science, two in history and one in math. For most students, who work hard, attend class, and do their homework like my son, it isn't that hard. But for Tom, who is dyslexic , it is such a real challenge that some teachers have feared he would never be able to even attempt, never mind achieve.
We were honest with him about his trouble, letting him know that there was nothing to be ashamed of. Some people learn differently. If he was willing to work,we would help him find a way to do as much as he could in his academic career. All that was standing in his way was this math test. He had taken it three times and did better each time, but he continued to fail. He was starting to get a bit tired of me saying this was a marathon not a sprint . My heart broke each time we would get the failing results.
"Mom,thanks. I love you. Thanks for believing I could do this."
For one of the few times in my life, I really had nothing left to say. For that one brief moment I knew, really, really, knew that everything we did to help our son achieve what he wanted was worth it. | high14214.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He didn't care much about his lessons."
},
"options": [
"He was the youngest boy.",
"He was too short for his age.",
"He liked to fight with other boys.",
"He didn't care much about his lessons."
],
"question": ... | Steven Spielberg was not a scholar, and his classmates teased him. Rather than read, the kid really preferred running around with an 8mm camera, shooting homemade movies, which he showed to friends for a small fee.
In his first year of high school, he dropped out. But when his parents persuaded him to return, he was mistakenly placed in a learningdisabled class, which lasted one month. Only when the family moved to another town did he land up in a more suitable high school, where he eventually graduated.
After being denied entrance into a traditional filmmaking school, Steven Spielherg enrolled in English at California State University at Long Beach. Then in 1965, he recalls, in one of those serendipitous moments, his life took a complete turn. Visiting Universal Studios, he met Chuck Silvers, an executive in the editorial department. Silvers liked the kid who made 8mm films and invited him back sometime to visit.
He appeared the next day. Spielberg, dressed in a dark suit, carrying his father's briefcase with nothing inside but a sandwich and candy bars walked confidently up to the guard at the gate of Universal and gave him a casual wave. The guard waved back. He was in.
"For the entire summer," Spielberg remembers, "I dressed in my suit and hung out with the directors and writers, including Silvers, who knew the kid wasn't a studio employee, but winked at him. I even found an office that wasn't being used, and became a squatter . I bought some plastic tiles and put my name in the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C."
It paid off for everyone. Ten years later, the 28yearold Spielberg directed Jaws, which took in $470 million, then the biggest grossing movie of all time. Dozens of films and awards have followed because Steven Spielberg knew what his teachers didn't--talent is in the eyes of the filmmaker. | high6753.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "You don't eat the way people usually do."
},
"options": [
"What you have had is the cause of these problems.",
"You are not having the right food.",
"You don't eat the way people usually do.",
"You eat with the wrong cu... | A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear. "What's the matter with me?" he asks the doctor. The doctor replies, "You're not eating properly."
This is a popular joke among British schoolchildren. It reflects Britain's famous _ and satirical way of seeing the funny side of life. This unique sense of humor is often cited as one of Britain's defining national characteristics.
"The famous British sense of humor has long been our most cherished national characteristic," says the British journalist Leo Mckinstry. "We have valued it above historic military victories and great works of literature, above our rich scenic landscape and our talent for invention."
The British sense of humor differs from other countries because it is generally more negative. When it comes to making the British laugh, there is nothing more effective than a socially inappropriate joke.
Popular British comedy shows such as Fawlty Towers, Blackadder and The office are full of sarcasm , teasing and self-deprecation . It reflects the culture where mocking, moaning and ridicule is part of everyday life.
While most Britons don't take these jokes too seriously, foreigners are often puzzled by them. A recent survey found that most foreigners who visited Britain found that the British are "arrogant, unfriendly and have almost no sense of humor".
Do foreigners not understand British humor or are the British just not as funny as they think they are? Mckinstry certainly thinks the British are funny. "Accusing the British of having no sense of humor is like telling Rolls-Royce that its cars are down-market." he says. | high12665.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "How to adapt to a new environment"
},
"options": [
"How to adapt to a new environment",
"how to live in Australia happily",
"how to study in a new environment",
"how to avoid being nervous"
],
"question": "Thi... | When you leave home to go and live somewhere else, you naturally take your own personality and cultural ways with you. When you arrive in a new country with a different culture you can experience different kinds of feelings and reactions. For example, you may feel confused and nervous, and like to depend on others.
If you do experience these things, then you are probably experiencing culture shock. For example, coming to Australia from another country certainly gives you a chance to face many new things: the buildings look different, and the food is not what you are used to. You may not be able to speak with other people confidently.
Learning to function effectively in a new culture is not easy. Meanings in cross-cultural situations are often unclear. This can be stressful because you are not sure what others expect of you or what you can expect of them. In these situations it is natural to feel anxious and frustrated . If you recognize that these feelings are a normal part of the experience of living away from "home", you may be able to deal with them more efficiently. Your sense of humor and openness will also help. As you gain greater understanding of the new culture, you can expect the stress to disappear.
Dealing with culture shock needs a special effort, but it is the most important to remember that you are not alone in your feelings of distress. Most people in their first weeks and months in a new country experience similar reactions. | high3603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "people's honesty levels across a range of communications media"
},
"options": [
"the consequences of lying in various communications media",
"the success of communications technologies in conveying ideas",
"people are less li... | Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth.The first study to compare honesty across a range of communication media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails.The fact that emails are automatically recorded--and can come back to puzzle you---appears to be the key to the finding.
Jeff Hancock of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, asked 30 students to keep a communications diary for a week.In it they noted the number of conversations or email exchanges they had lasting more than 10 minutes, and confessed to how many lies they told.Hancock then worked out the number of lies per conversation for each medium.He found that lies made up 14 per cent of emails, 21 percent of instant messages, 27 per cent of face-to-face interactions and an astonishing 37 percent of phone calls.
His results to be presented at the conference on human-computer interaction in Vienna, Austria, in April, have surprised psychologists.Some expected emailers to be the biggest liars, reasoning that because deception makes people uncomfortable, the indirect contact of emailing would make it easier to lie.Others expected people to lie more in face-to-face exchanges because we are most practiced at that form of communication.
But Hancock says it is also crucial whether a conversation is being recorded and could be reread, and whether it occurs in real time.People appear to be afraid to lie when they know the communication could later be used to hold them to account, he says.This is why fewer lies appear in email than on the phone.
People are also more likely to lie in real time---in an instant message or phone call, say---than if they have time to think of a response, says Hancock.He found many lies are spontaneous responses to an unexpected demand, such as: "Do you like my dress?"
Hancock hopes his research will help companies work out the best ways for their employees to communicate.For instance, the phone might be the best medium for sales where employees are encouraged to stretch the truth.But, given his result, work assessment where honesty is a priority, might be best done using email. | high11344.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Kindness of Strangers"
},
"options": [
"The Kindness of Strangers",
"An Unpleasant Companion",
"Two Special Experiences",
"Hitting the Wall"
],
"question": "Which of the following is the best title for the p... | When was the last time someone did something unexpectedly nice for you? Not someone you
knew, but a total stranger? It's happened to me a few times, but two instances really stand out.
A few years ago, I was dining out with a person who kept going on and on about himself,
completely oblivious to the fact that I was sitting there in misery.It wasn't his company that disappointed me.I was recovering from a broken heart, and just sitting down to dinner reminded me of my last relationship.I could have collapsed in tears right there at the table.
When we picked up the check, the waitress said, "Your meal was already paid for." My friend
and I didn't have a clue how it happened.Then I remembered a man coming in out of the corner of my eye.He was dressed in mostly white, sat down at the bar, had a glass of wine, stayed for maybe ten minutes, and then left.The waitress said, "Yes, the gentleman who was in here a while ago paid for you."
Just last year, I was running a half-marathon.With just 0.1 miles to go, I was out of gas.
Runners call it "hitting the wall"; I thought I couldn't move another muscle.Out of nowhere, a teenager jogs up next to me and says, "What's your name, sweetie? Jennifer? Okay, Jennifer, let's go! Come on! It's just around the corner! You can do it!" And he ran with me until I picked up my pace.I found him at the finish line to thank him for the encouragement only to learn he wasn't even supposed to be in the race that day.He was running in place of someone else.
I still shake my head when I think of these momentary angels that came to me at my point of
need.Do you have any experiences like this? | high21287.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "people living in Chester City with an illness or disability"
},
"options": [
"those who are fond of reading",
"people living in Chester City with an illness or disability",
"only those who have walking disabilities",
"t... | Chester City Library offers a range of Library Special Needs Services to people who don't have access to our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Chester City, we'll provide a wide range of library services and resources including:
* Large printed and ordinary printed books
* Talking books on tape and CD
* DVDs and music CDs
* Magazines
* Reference and information requests
Home delivery service
Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you. Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choose the things from the library. You can also choose the resources you need personally.
Talking books and captioned videos
The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don't have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge.
Languages besides English
We can provide books in a range of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW, Australia.
How to join?
Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible for any of the services we provide - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am - 5pm on 4297 2522 for more information. | high19718.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It inspires regular readers to think out of the box."
},
"options": [
"It would help increase the sale of Shakespeare plays.",
"It helps readers learn more difficult grammar.",
"It inspires regular readers to think out of the... | The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are boosters to the brain and better therapy than some guide books, researchers say this week.
Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the Bard and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind, catches the reader's attention and triggers moments of self-reflection. Using scanners , they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S Eliot and others.
They then "translated" the original texts into more "straightforward", modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words.
Scans showed that the more "challenging" essays and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the much plainer versions.
Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it was "activated" as the readers encountered unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentence structure.
This "activation" of the mind lasts longer, shifting the brain to a higher speed, encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry, in particular, increases activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, helping the reader to reflect on their own experiences, which they compare with what they have read. This, according to the researchers, meant that the classic works were more useful than guide books.
Philip Davis, an English professor believes "The research shows the power of literature to shift thinking patterns, to create new thoughts, shapes and connections in the young and adults alike." | high17735.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a wrong formula"
},
"options": [
"a wrong antenna design",
"wrong usage",
"weak signal strength",
"a wrong formula"
],
"question": "The iPhone 4 drops more bars than normal when tightly held because of _ .",
... | Dear iPhone 4 Users,
The iPhone 4 has been the most successful product in Apple's history. It is the best smartphone ever, and most users have told that they love it. So we were surprised when reading reports of reception problems, and we immediately began researching them.
To start with, holding tightly almost any mobile phone in certain ways will reduce its reception by 1 or more bars of signal strength. This is true of iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, as well as many other phones. But some users have reported that iPhone 4 can drop 4 or 5 bars when tightly held in a way. This is a far bigger drop than normal, and as a result some have said the iPhone 4 has a faulty antenna design.
Upon research, we find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula usually mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. The big drop in bars is because the high bars were never real in the beginning.
We will give a free software update to correct the formula. This software update will also be available for iPhone 3GS. If you are not fully satisfied, you can return your undamaged iPhone to any Apple Retail Store or the online Apple Store within 30 days of buying and get all your money back.
Thank you for your patience and support.
Apple | high20199.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "20. 000. 000. 000"
},
"options": [
"260, 000, 000. 000",
"120, 000. 000, 000",
"140. 000, 000, 000",
"20. 000. 000. 000"
],
"question": "This year during the first three days of the May Golden Week, it cost Chi... | "Here is the Eight O' Clock News. "
"Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year. This year it has increased t0 140 billion yuan."
"The children of Beijing No. 2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20th anniversary. They had been sister schools since 1986. They spent about two weeks together in Beijing. They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace. They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park. "
"Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by Japanese company could be the answer. The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags. The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006. "
"About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 "Rock Paper Scissors( ) " World Match in Canada. This event was founded in 1842. It is said playing this game is fun. and also a good way to solve problems among people. "
"And now it' s time for Morning Music. " | high18406.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"7",
"6",
"4",
"5"
],
"question": "How many countries do the Himalayas belong to?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_tex... | The Himalayas are mountains that are located in South Asia. They are a part of Nepal, India, Pakistan, China and Bhutan. The mountains are the highest in the world, reaching almost 9,000 meters sea level. The Himalayas separate the Indian subcontinent from the inner part of Asia. The word Himalaya means " home of snow".
14 mountains are over 8,000 meters high, among them the K2, Nanga Parbat and Mount Everest, at 8,848 meters, the world's highest mountain. The Himalayas extend over 1,500 miles( 2,400km ) from the Indus valley in the west to the Brahmaputra Valley in the east.
Many of the mountain peaks are sacred to the people who live in the surrounding areas . Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims go there and pray to God.
The Himalayas belong to the youngest mountain ranges in the world. They were formed when the Indian subcontinent, which was originally a part of the southern landmass, drifted to the north and crashed into Asia. This movement started about 70 million years ago and has been going on up to the present day. The Himalayas are still becoming taller, moving at about 7 cm per year. Earthquakes and volcanoes are evidences that the area is still very active.
Glaciers and permanent snow fields cover the higher regions of the Himalayas. They are the source of streams that flow into the two big rivers of the region. The Indus flows to the west and through Pakistan into the Arabia Sea. The Ganges and Brahmaputra flow to the east and get together in Bangladesh. They form the largest delta in the world. | high13553.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "bad influences long after a cigarette is smoked"
},
"options": [
"bad influences long after a cigarette is smoked",
"third-hand smoke and secondhand smoke",
"the bad effects of smoking on common people",
"the terrible s... | Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) have invented a new term that describes dangers associated with cigarette smoke: third-hand smoke. Study results published in January, 2009 discuss how third-hand smoke is especially dangerous for children.
Have you ever walked into a room that had the smell of cigarette smoke, regardless of the fact that a fan was moving the air and no one was smoking at the time? This is what researchers are calling third-hand smoke -- and it represents the poisonous deposits that are left behind long after a cigarette is put out.
Cigarette smoke contains gases and small particles that are deposited on every surface it comes in contact with, for example, the smoker's hair and clothing, or the environment the cigarette was smoked in. It's dangerous for young children who may crawl on polluted surfaces. Third-hand smoke is a serious health risk for our kids, especially those who live in the homes of smokers.
Jonathan Winickoff, lead author of the study, explains, "When you come into contact with your baby, even if you're not smoking at the time, he or she comes in contact with those poisons. And if you breast-feed, the poisons will transfer to your baby in your breast milk." Winickoff adds however, that nursing a baby if you're a smoker is still a better choice than bottle-feeding.
Researchers involved in the study also surveyed more than 1,500 families in an effort to learn about adult attitudes regarding the danger third-hand smoke represents to their children and how that might affect smoking in the home.
Approximately 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers believe that secondhand smoke is dangerous for children.
On the issue of whether third-hand smoke threatens the health of children, 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers felt that third-hand smoke harms kids. When asked about rules regarding smoking in the home, approximately 88 percent of nonsmokers said they don't allow smoking, while only 27 percent of smokers forbid smoking in the home.
However, both non-smokers and smokers who felt that third-hand smoking was harmful to children's health were more inclined to restrict smoking in their homes. | high1014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To escape from the cold winter"
},
"options": [
"To visit their family and friends",
"To escape from the cold winter",
"To escape from their busy work",
"To attend a friend's funeral"
],
"question": "Why did the... | A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.
In the same time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband's funeral . He was a minister of many years who had been "called home to glory" following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I've arrived!
I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here. | high580.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Women do not run or swim in races with men."
},
"options": [
"Famous Prime Ministers are women.",
"Women do not run or swim in races with men.",
"Boys and girls study separately everywhere.",
"Men can expect to live lon... | In sports the sexes are separate. Women and men do not run or swim in the same races. Women are less strong than men. _ . Women are called the weaker sex, or ,if men want to please them, "the fair sex". But boys and girls are taught together at schools and universities .There are women who are famous Prime Ministers, scientists and writers. And women live longer than men. A European woman can expect to live until the age of 74, a man only until he is 68. Are women's bodies really weaker?
The fastest men can run a mile under 4 minutes. The best women need 4.5 minutes .Women's times are always slower than men's ,but some facts are a surprise. Some of the fastest women swimmers today are teenager girls. One of them swam 400 meters in 4 minutes 21.2 seconds when she was only 16. The first "Tarzan" in films was an Olympic swimmer ,Johnny Weissmuller. His fastest 400 meters was 4 minutes 59.1 seconds, which is 37.9 seconds slower than a girl 50 years later ! This does not mean that women are catching men up .Conditions are very different now ,and sport is much more serious .It is so serious that some women athletes are given hormone injections. At the Olympics a doctor has to check whether the women athletes are really women or not. It seems sad that sport has such problems. Life can be very complicated when there are two separate sexes! | high22956.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "inheritance, competition and environment."
},
"options": [
"Inheritance.",
"environment .",
"Competition.",
"inheritance, competition and environment."
],
"question": "According to the author, what factors contr... | Personality is, to large extent, inherent --A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor lives of their children.
One place where children _ A characteristics is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the "win at all costs" moral standard and measure their success by sporting achievements. The current passion for making children compete against their classmates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows. Being too keen to win can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after saying,"Rejoice, we conquer!".
By far the worst form of competition in school is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on those things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are somewhat questionable, but competition in the certain knowledge of failure is positively harmful.
Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into Bs. The world needs types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child's personality to his possible future employment. It is top management. | high12895.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "mental factors"
},
"options": [
"the big money that was awarded",
"mental factors",
"rich and colorful lives",
"respect from others and better treatment"
],
"question": "The longevity of Oscar winners mainly has... | Want to live longer? Win an Oscar.
A new study says that actors who received the award earn more than larger paychecks.
So when 94-year-old Katharine Hepburn once remarked that she was respected internationally "like an old building", she had no idea that her four Oscars directly influenced her longevity .
The study says winning actors will live 3.9 years longer than their losing counterparts . Actors who have won more than once, like Hepburn, live up to six years longer than those who were nominated but never won.
"We found that they died from the same things we all die from--cancer, heart disease, but they fought them a bit longer and diseases came a bit later," says Dr. Donald Redelmeier, the leading author of the study. Redelmeier says the sense of success and satisfaction makes one's soul become more full of life.
"We are not saying that you will live longer if you win an Oscar," explains Redelmeier, "or that people should go out and take acting courses. Our main conclusion is simply that social factors are important." The study's implied conclusion, he says, is that doctors should ask about their patients' personal feelings because mental well-being is related to physical health.
Redelmeier says he got the idea for the study when he watched a glowing Gwyneth Paltrow win an Oscar in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love. Redelmeier says, "She looked more full of life than anyone I had seen."
"We found, too, those that had multi-nominations and no win had the same life expectancy as those with just a single nomination and no win," Redelmeier adds. | high9448.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the previous Friday when Michelangelo virus was due to strike"
},
"options": [
"Friday-the-13th when the eponymous virus was due to strike",
"Friday-the-15th when the Maltese Amoeba would be activated",
"the previous Friday w... | After a fortnight of extraordinary type, the much-feared computer virus that was supposed to strike the globe's hard drives last Friday simply fizzled. So many warnings were sounded that most computer owners either fed anti-virus programs into their systems or refused to turn the power on during the dreaded M-day. They dodged one disease, but more strains are on the way. The eponymous Friday-the-13th virus is due to strike this week, and the Maltese Amoeba may detonate on March 15.
Who creates these things? A disproportionate number seems to originate in Bulgaria or Russia, where writing the smallest, most elegant virus programs has become a matter of quirky pride. Viruses are transmitted either by shared disks (as was Michelangelo) or over telephone lines. The virus program hides in a computer until, activated by a date, time, or some other trigger, it springs to life. The most common virus, Stoned, makes your screen announce: "Your computer is now stoned. Legalize marijuana. " (Regardless of your politics, you don't want this one around; it can damage your files inadvertently.) Solution: either keep your computer isolated--no trading disks, no on-line communication--or else install one of a dozen or so commercially available anti-virus programs that detect and delete the little time bombs. If they can come up with a virus that is hidden, will they next try to extort a business?--as in, pay me $1 million or my virus will destroy your system.
In the meantime, money is being made by firms selling anti-virus programs. Egghead software stores logged a 3,000 percent jump in anti-virus sales. Was the threat overblown by the companies that make millions selling anti-virus software? Thanks to the media blitz, no one will ever know what might have happened--an unallied number of computer owners discovered and deleted Michelangelo before it was supposed to strike--on the artist's birthday. | high7465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "His neighbor's wife was looking through his rubbish."
},
"options": [
"His neighbor's wife was looking through his rubbish.",
"His neighbors were mowing their lawn one morning.",
"His neighbors got too close to his own home."... | I hate nosy neighbors and it's very unlucky that I had one for myself. They moved in a couple of months back and although I never felt that they were a strange family, I've always hated the way they get "too close" to me, my house, my garden, and even my garbage cans.
One day, my neighbors were mowing their lawn . My garbage cans were near their lawn. For some strange reason, I found the wife looking through my garbage cans. I felt angry but since they were from a different culture, I thought that maybe it was "normal" from their ideas.
That afternoon, the couple knocked on my front door. When I opened, they gave me a plastic bag. Inside were my old daily bills, credit cards and bank statements, and an old birthday card that my old uncle sent. They said that they were returning them to me because these documents contained very private information that may be used by others.
I've heard it before. I asked them how those documents can be used by others and they started telling me their very own experience, which forced them to leave their home and move next door to us. The wife told me that she never destroyed the bills. They also had a "nosy neighbor" who looked through their garbage cans which they actually thought was pretty strange. Little did they know that this "nosy neighbor" was collecting their personal information from their rubbish. Then all their money was taken out from the bank by their neighbor.
It was a very painful experience for all of them and they wanted to leave them all behind so they left. I was very thankful. They were not nosy neighbors. They simply didn't want us to experience the same thing that they did. | high8756.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he was not handsome and humpbacked"
},
"options": [
"he had a bad intention",
"he was not handsome and humpbacked",
"he had no courage to express himself",
"he was a hopeless man"
],
"question": "At first Moses ... | Moses Mendelssohn, the grandfather of the well-known German composer , was far from being handsome. Along with a rather short stature , he had a hunchback .
One day he visited a merchant in Hamburg who had a lovely daughter named Frumtje. Moses fell hopelessly in love with her. But Moses was refused by his ugly appearance
When it was time for him to leave, Moses picked up his courage and climbed the stairs to
her room to take one last chance to speak with her. She was a heavenly beauty, but caused him deep sadness by her refusal to look at him. After several attempts at conversation, Moses shyly asked, "Do you believe marriages are made in heaven?"
"Yes, "She answered, still looking at the floor. "And do you?"
"Yes I do, "He replied. "You see, in heaven at the birth of each boy, the God announces which
girl he will marry. When I was born, my future bride was pointed out to me. Then the God added, 'But your wife will be humpbacked. '""Right then and there I called out, 'Oh God, a humpbacked woman would be a tragedy . Please, God, give me the hump and let her be beautiful. '"
Then Frumtje looked up into his eyes and was stirred by some deep memory. She reached out and gave Mendelssohn her hand and later became his devoted wife. | high7303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A Customer Pays His Bill"
},
"options": [
"A Customer Pays His Bill",
"An Old Jeweler's Shop",
"The Manager and the Letter",
"A Letter withPS10"
],
"question": "The best headline for this article would be _ .... | Last week the manager of an old jeweler's shop received a letter marked "personal", so of course his secretary gave it to him unopened. As he was very busy, the letter lay on his desk till tea-time. Then he opened it and aPS10 note fell out onto his desk. With the note was a short letter. This is what it said:
Dear sir,
In 1935 I got engaged. But unfortunately at that time there was a lot of unemployment and I lost my job. I was six months without a job and then I got work again. But of course I was very short of money. I came to your shop to buy a wedding ring. The assistant brought some rings for me to look at, but she was called away for a moment, and I put one of the rings in my pocket. When she came back, I said I did not know the size of my girl-friend's finger. So I left the shop without buying a ring.
My wife died a short while ago and the fact that I never paid for her ring has been on my conscience all these years. At the time the ring cost PS2 so I reckon that is about PS10 at today's price. And I am sending you that amount.
Yours truly,
A customer
"Well, well, well," said the manager, "life is full of surprises!" | high8030.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To share the story of Finland's success in education."
},
"options": [
"To introduce a Finnish official.",
"To compare the education systems of Finland and the US.",
"To share the story of Finland's success in education.",
... | Forty years ago, Finland was a small country with mediocre public schools. Today, Finland is still small but no one calls Finland's public schools mediocre any more.
In 2000, the Finns surprised the world when their 15-year-olds scored at the top of a closely watched international exam called the PISA. Finland has stayed near the top ever since, while the U.S. scores around the middle.
Pasi Sahlberg, an official with Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture, is in Seattle this week to share the story of Finland's success, and what states like Washington can learn from it.
Sahlberg's message, although he is too polite to put it so bluntly : Stop testing so much, trust teachers more; give less homework; shorten the school day.
On Tuesday, in a room filled with teachers, principals, professors, school-board members and policy makers, Sahlberg joked about the Finns' reputation for being a quiet, humble people. "When Finland hit the top of the PISA," he said, "the biggest disbelievers were Finns."
More seriously, Finland never set out to create the world's top school system. Instead, he said, the country decided in the 1970s that it wanted to ensure that a student's success didn't depend on family background.
"Finland relied on cooperation among teachers and schools, rather than on competition. Rather than judging teachers and schools based on test scores," he said, "Finland puts trust in its teachers and principals. Teachers develop the curriculum in Finland, and design their own tests. There are no national tests, except one at the end of high school."
That's just the start. Along with a shorter school day, Finnish students don't even start school until they are 7 years old. Many primary schools have a policy against giving homework.
"But Finland,"he said,"succeeded in part by adopting ideas from the U.S. and other countries. And those countries, "he said, "can learn from Finland, too." | high13235.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "doing as other people do by themselves."
},
"options": [
"listening to the advice of grown-ups.",
"asking adults many questions.",
"making mistakes and having them corrected.",
"doing as other people do by themselves."
... | Let children learn to judge their own work. A child who learns to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much., he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the differences between the language he uses and the language those around him. Little by little, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people's. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught-to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle-compare their performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes.
But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them himself. We do it all for his act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says , what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.
If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine(daily) work? Our job should be to help the children when they tell us that they can't find the way to get to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know. | high1772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because you have no choice but to speak English."
},
"options": [
"Because you are forced to speak your language",
"Because students come from English countries.",
"Because nobody in your class speaks your language.",
"... | A language holiday is a combination of "holiday" and study abroad to learn or improve a foreign language. English language holidays are taken in English-speaking countries like England, the USA or Australia. While there, you study in a language school with students from many different countries. You live with local people, often staying with a host family. A language holiday can be of any length - from one week to one year - but most are two or three weeks.
What are the Benefits of a Language Holiday?
Language holidays have become a very popular method of learning English because they have many advantages:
Total Exposure Because you are in an English-speaking country, you are constantly exposed to English from the time you wake up and have breakfast with your host family until late evening and your last drink in a local pub. You have little or no opportunity to escape the English language. This is how you learn your own language - constant exposure.
Mixed Classes When you study in your own country, all the other students in your class speak your language, so you are not forced to use English. On a language holiday, students come from countries all over the world. It is possible that nobody in your class will speak your language, so you will just have to speak English!
Freedom From Pressure On a language holiday you are away from home and can forget the everyday pressures of school or business. Your mind is more relaxed and you can learn more easily.
Cultural Understanding Learning a language is not only about learning words. Different nations have different cultures. People think and behave differently. Their language is closely associated with their culture. By visiting and living in a foreign country, you learn to understand the culture and the people - and so better understand the language.
You'll find schools offering language holidays at EnglishClub.com ESL World. | high17053.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because they didn't take the shake seriously."
},
"options": [
"Because they thought the earthquake was slight.",
"Because they thought the earthquake was just aftershocks.",
"Because they didn't take the shake seriously.",
... | Earthquake is not an unfamiliar word to us as it is frequently covered on the news report. However, I never have the idea that it will take place in my city. But the truth is that it happened.
When the building began to shake, I thought it was dizziness caused by long-time nonstop work and colleagues also kept silent till one of them shouted, "The chair is shaking." Then we came to understand it was not personal feelings, and we started to find the reason--the weak foundation of the building, or earthquake (in a joking tone), but we still kept doing what was in hand.
It was kind of _ when I looked back, because of our slow reaction and stupid response. It was said that the staff in another building next to us all ran out of the building with their handbags; some of them even drove away. On hearing that, I thought it was a bitexaggeration . Did they really have to do so? It was only 20-second mild shaking. But now, when I totally get to know what happened, I change my mind. It is not over-reacting, but natural self-protection response. Luckily it's only the aftershocks; otherwise I guess I would be frightened to death. The aftershocks make me think what I'm going to do in case of earthquake, which I would never give a second thought before. I don't know what's on their mind for people who are on the spot of the earthquake, be frightened, at a loss, or simply running away, or trying to get contact with friends or... It is hard to imagine the picture and even harder to imagine what's next.
For the first time, I have the feeling of insecurity. Humans are so fragile when they face the sudden disasters. | high20827.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank."
},
"options": [
"People can borrow the whole money for a new house from a bank.",
"People care for mortgages, interest rates and the prices &house.",
"The seller... | People in the UK often talk about their homes: their mortgages , the interest rates, and rising prices. Here's a guide to some of the words and phrases you might come across.
It's a good idea in the UK to arrange a mortgage with a bank before you start looking. This is when the bank tells you how much money they will lend you so you have a good idea of how much you can afford.
The next step is to go to an estate agent and see what sort of properties they have available in your budget range and in your area. If you see something you like, the estate agent will arrange for you to view the property, so that you can see the house or flat for yourself.
If you see something that takes your eye, you put in an offer. The vendor can accept or decline this offer, and if the vendor accepts it, you can move forward with the sale. However, as you don't pay any money at this point, the offer isn't legally binding , and in theory, you can pull out of the offer at any time that you like.
Your next step will probably be to get a structural survey done. A qualified surveyor will inspect the house and write a report that illustrates any structural problems, like damp or drainage problems.
If you still want to go ahead with the sale, you need to appoint a lawyer to do the legal paperwork.. If you already own a house, you might also be busy trying to sell it. Many house owners prefer to sell to first-time buyers (those people who don't already own a home), as they are not in a chain (waiting for other people to buy the house before they can buy their next house).
Finally, once the contracts are signed and exchanged, you complete on your house. You get the keys and you can move in whenever you want. Then you might want to throw a house-warming party. Congratulations! | high3165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "decreases when people get older"
},
"options": [
"decreases when people get older",
"creates loving feeling on the skin",
"leads to the great loss of muscles",
"can be used in humans without any risk"
],
"questi... | Ever wonder why sometimes a hug is all you need ? You can't explain it , but there's just something comforting about being in your wife's arms after a rough day or giving mom a hug after a long time apart .
A new study says the warm feeling in a hug is more than just skin deep . Researchers from the University of California , Berkeley believe that this loving feeling could have anti-aging benefits .
Oxytocin , sometimes referred to as the " love hormone " or the " trust hormone , " is responsible for those indescribable feelings we get when we're bonding with a lover or a loved one .
Levels of the hormone drop as we age , and evidence suggests that could be a contributing factor to the _ of our bodies as we age . Muscle loss in particular is one of the major side effects of aging , with our bodies losing up to 5 percent of our muscle mass each decade past our 30s .
In the study , published in the journal Nature Communications , researchers injected oxytocin into older mice with muscle damage . The older mice had lower levels of the homeone than younger mice initially . But after nine days , the older mice who were given the hormone healed better than those who did not . In fact , their ability to repair muscle damage was up to 80 percent that of the younger mice .
The results were not only fast-acting , but provide hope for future uses of the hormone in a variety of anti-aging capacities . " This is good because it demonstrates that extra oxytocin improves aged tissue stem cells without making muscle stem cells divide uncontrollably , " study co-author Wendy Cousins said in a statement .
Previous uses of anti-aging molecules have also been associated with higher cancer risk , but researchers are hopeful that oxytocin can be useful in humans without this risk . In the future , researchers of Berkeley say oxytocin could be used to fight other age-related health issues by improving bone health and even being used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy .
Now go out and give someone a hug . | high11422.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Picking up litter along the roads."
},
"options": [
"Giving names to the highways.",
"Drawing pictures of highways.",
"Picking up litter along the roads.",
"Putting up signs near the roads."
],
"question": "What... | Hello. I'm Jan from Mrs. Lake's class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway.
Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.
The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.
We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean,please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake' room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll try to pick an area to adopt and clean.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean! | high10728.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "There are different experts who specialize in different types of toys."
},
"options": [
"They work in that hospital mainly because they love toys.",
"Most of them focus on repairing modern dolls for little kids.",
"They... | In this day and age when we have a tendency to toss toys that are even slightly worn, it is tough to believe that there is a "hospital" where dolls can be repaired and brought back to their original glory. What is even more amazing is that such a place has existed for a century and is still going strong. Welcome to Sydney's "original Doll Hospital" that celebrated its l00th birthday, on February 22nd, 2013.
In 1913, a general store owner in Sydney began importing dolls. However, the rubber bands that held them together would often break. Luckily for him, his brother Harold Chapman Sr., was a good handyman and set aside a little "hospital" area in the store to repair the delicate toys. But when customers found out about this, they began bringing in their raggedy dolls, stuffed animals and even leather goods and umbrellas--starting what would become a family business for many generations.
In l930, Chapman's son also, named Harold, relocated the doll hospital and expanded the business even further, by agreeing to repair anything that could be fixed, no matter how big or small. While business was _ , the real boom came in 1938 during World War Two. Faced with extreme restrictions, new dolls and toys became a rarity, and young girls and boys had no option, but to get their existing ones lovingly restored.
While it does not have as many employees today, the hospital that is run by his son Geoff Chapman now sits in a spiffy location with a beautiful store-front that features everything a little girl could possibly wish for, from new to lovingly restored, to even extremely rare and valuable dolls. Also in keeping with modern times and dolls, the doctors are now specialists--some focus on bringing back to life modern dolls, while others stick to antiques. And then there are also the soft toy experts and accessory repair experts.
Though it may not appear to be, the doctors say their jobs are very interesting given that no two dolls are the same or need the same repairs and that just like medical doctors they have no idea what obstacle they will have to face when they come to work each day. The one advantage? There are no emergency night calls to worry about! | high5500.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "is nothing new to people about the findings"
},
"options": [
"included 46 baby and mother monkeys",
"is nothing new to people about the findings",
"showed that many chimpanzees lack of love when they were young",
"showe... | For some reason we were reminded that we primates need love. Kim Bard of the University of Portsmouth in England and her colleagues carried out a study on 46 baby chimpanzees orphans , which had lost their mothers. The study showed that primate babies that have tight relationships with mother figures do much better on cognitive ( ) tests than babies who only grew up with peers , but this is not breaking news. In fact, it ' s old news.
In the 1950s, Harry Harlow did a series of experiments with baby monkeys that showed. that lack of love and comfort makes for a crazy monkey.
Harlow constructed a cage that included a wire monkey "mother" with a plastic face. Then he equipped the "mother" with a milk bottle .The cage also had another wire "mother" who was covered with soft cloth. The baby monkeys spent all their time with the cloth "mother" arid only went to the wire "mother" to feed.
Harlow's monkey experiment was important because, at the time, child care experts, and everybody's grandmother had a "no touch, no comfort" policy toward children. They advised parents not to respond to crying babies. They thought that babies should sleep alone to become independent, and for God's sake put that kid down.
But Harlow's work changed that policy. Mothers were soon permitted to have their babies next to them in the hospital.
The current chimp research based on Harlow's work shows that mother's love doesn't just make for a psychologically healthy child, it also makes for a smart child.
The highly raised chimps do better than those that are not loved, and the well-raised chimps do even better than human kids on IQ tests.
We are primates, social animals which need love. We need to be held and talked to and made to feel that at least one person wants to be with us all the time. | high18374.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The prices of Baklava will change according to the time and season."
},
"options": [
"The dispute is between a Xinjiang Uygur vendor and a policeman.",
"Nut cake is a popular pastry across East Asia and the Middle East.",
"Th... | All it took was a slice of Xinjiang cake to spark heated debates online over China's policy on ethnic minorities .
Since Monday, qiegao (cut cake) has been a trending topic on Sina Weibo, China's main Twitter-like microblogging service.
The cake was a reference to Xinjiang's famed nut cake, sometimes known by its old Turkic name baklava, a popular pastry across Central Asia and the Middle East. In Xinjiang, they are sold by Uygur vendors on tricycles who are known to charge dubious prices depending on the time and season.
The ethnic flare-up started after the Yueyang police from Hunan province posted a message on their official Weibo account. It reported a dispute in Pingjiang county over an overpriced piece of nut cake between a Xinjiang Uygur vendor and a villager named "Ling".
Villager Ling got into a fight with a Uygur due to a misunderstanding. The verbal dispute eventually escalated into a fight and then a mass fight. As a result, two people were injured and Xinjiang nut cakes worth about 160,000 yuan (US$25,000) were destroyed. The total damage was worth 200,000 yuan which included a broken motorcycle and injuries to people. Local police have detained Ling. The 16 Uygur sellers were dully compensated and sent back to Xinjiang.
"Yueyang police incident" quickly became one of the most popular topics on Weibo. Yueyang police removed the post shortly after. As of Tuesday night, the topic was still amassing more than 66,000 hits.
The incident is just one of many similar cases of ethnic tensions across China, notably in Xinjiang province, where deeply entrenched social and racial frictions between the dominant ethnic Han Chinese and minority Uygur Muslims occasionally spark violence. Many Uygurs living in major Chinese cities are viewed by locals as thieves, crooks and even terrorists. | high3171.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She felt worried."
},
"options": [
"She felt worried.",
"She felt angry.",
"She felt nothing strange.",
"She felt sorry."
],
"question": "How did the author feel when her son didn't want to go to school?",
"... | With just a few minutes left before school was to start, my six-year-old, Dustin, was crying. "I don't want to go," he said. Ever since he'd entered first grade, he had hated school. What's going on? If he hates school this much now, how bad will it be later on? Every kid sometimes complains about school. But five to ten percent of kids dislike it so much they don't want to attend. "If a child seems worried or anxious about school, pretends illness to stay home, or refuses to talk about things of the school day, you should be concerned," says a school psychologist, Michael Martin.
Fortunately, you can usually solve the problem--sometimes very easily. In our case, my husband and I visited Dustin's class and noticed that the teacher, just out of college, called only on kids who sat right under her nose. Dustin, who often sat near the back, was ignored . We simply told him to move up front. He did, and he was happy again. | high20833.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they rely on their personal experiences"
},
"options": [
"they are unfamiliar with their patients",
"they believe in science and evidence",
"they depend on their colleagues' help",
"they rely on their personal experienc... | For years, there has been a bias against science among clinical psychologists . In a two-year analysis to be published in November inPerspectives on Psychological Science, psychologists led by Timothy B. Baker of the University of Wisconsin charge that many clinical psychologists fail to "provide the treatments for which there is the strongest evidence of effectiveness" and "give more weight to their personal experiences than to science." As a result, patients have no guarantee that their "treatment will be informed by ... science." Walter Mischel of Columbia University is even crueler in his judgment. "The disconnect between what clinical psychologists do and what science has discovered is an extreme embarrassment," he told me, and "there is a widening gap between clinical practice and science."
The "widening" reflects the great progress that psychological research has made in identifying the most effective treatments. Thanks to strict clinical trials, we now know that teaching patients to think about their thoughts in new, healthier ways and to act on those new ways of thinking are effective against depression, panic disorder and other problems, with multiple trials showing that these treatments -- the tools of psychology -- bring more lasting benefits than drugs.
You wouldn't know this if you sought help from a typical clinical psychologist. Although many treatments are effective, relatively few psychologists learn or practice them.
Why in the world not? For one thing, says Baker, clinical psychologists are "very doubtful about the role of science" and "lack solid science training". Also, one third of patients get better no matter what treatment (if any) they have, "and psychologists remember these successes, believing, wrongly, that they are the result of the treatment."
When faced with evidence that treatments they offer are not supported by science, clinical psychologists argue that they know better than some study what works. A 2008 study of 591 psychologists in private practice found that they rely more on their own and colleagues' experience than on science when deciding how to treat a patient. If they keep on this path as insurance companies demand evidence-based medicine, warns Mischel, psychology will "discredit itself." | high11436.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a new way to make use of rubbish"
},
"options": [
"how to make methane",
"a new way to make use of rubbish",
"the valuable things in rubbish",
"the amount of rubbish beig reused"
],
"question": "The passage main... | Everyday rubbish could provide a valuable source of energy thanks to a clever new invention. Smelly methane gas expelled from landfill sites containing tones of rotting household waste could be used to produce a valuable energy resource. In Europe alone land fill tips produce 94 billion cubic meters of methane per year but currently only one percent of what could be a valuable source of energy is used, the rest is burnt off to prevent an explosive build up of gas.
Methane gas forms when organic matter breaks down and is drawn off from large rubbish tips by pipes sunk into the middle of the waste. Until now this process wasn't possible on small sites because the pipe allowed oxygen to seep in and that stop the breakdown process.
Viktor Popov of the Wessex Institute of Technology has now developed a system to modify existing landfill sites by making them airtight while the methane is extracted from sunken wells. The site is covered by a special three-layered skin whose two outer layers are made of clay with a pressurized layer of carbon dioxide gas in the middle. As the methane is sucked out through a central well it is replaced by carbon dioxide from the middle layer rather than oxygen, allowing the breakdown process to continue.
Unfortunately there are no plans to use the power of methane even though Popov claims his invention could provide a valuable source of energy over the next 20 years. | high7317.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "objects are under control"
},
"options": [
"hunters shoot at animals",
"they aim at a criminal",
"objects are under control",
"objects are only small tin cans in the backyard"
],
"question": "In the writer's opi... | In my opinion, there is only one legitimate handgun sport and that is aim practice. It is practiced at objects which are properly monitored and usually quite safe. Only certain handguns are true "sporting weapons", seen as such by the sport's lovers.
On the other hand, shooting at tin cans and other small objects in one's backyard is not and should not be considered a serious sport. When uncontrolled, it can be a very dangerous practice.
Some opponents of handgun control have stated that we are out to stop all hunting and that controlling the handgun would severely affect hunting. That is simply untrue. Handgun control would in no way limit the freedom of the true hunter. Few if any hunters consider the handgun an effective hunting weapon.
There are a few hunters who do hunt with handguns, but most states place restrictions on the type of guns that can be used in hunting, the reason is that killing of game should be done in as humane a way as possible. Some small handguns are more likely to wound the animal rather than kill it at once. Only long guns, rifles and shotguns are effective arms of hunting.
People must understand that handguns and hunters are separate matters. Because most of the hunters use a rifle or shotgun, there is no reason why their search for game and sport should be affected by handgun control. Mixing the anti-hunting matter with the handgun matter confuses the killing of animals with killing of people. | high15650.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "not all the games have a long history."
},
"options": [
"people began to play sports about one hundred years ago",
"about 100 years ago people ran or jumped when they played",
"basketball has a longer history than volleyball"... | Sports
All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help to keep people healthy, happy and help them to live longer.
Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer. Games and sports often grow out of people's work and everyday activities. The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life; they use them in their sports, too.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them. Football, for example, has spread around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers.
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese boxing, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Both of them are just about a hundred years old. People are inventing new sports or games all the time.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game they often become good friends. Sports help to train a person's character. One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with _ . | high8024.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "have selfconfidence"
},
"options": [
"care about their success",
"have selfconfidence",
"overestimate others' experience",
"understand others' success"
],
"question": "It seems that those who make comparisons do... | Comparative thinking and behavior is quite typical among teenagers, but it is the responsibility of the parent to set limits and hold firmly to them. Frequently, a parent will tell me in frustration about how their child has complained about not having the very best in fashion design like their friends, or the latest electronic gadgetry that all the other kids own.
Parents need to teach their children selfconfidence. Those who are selfconfident resist the urge to compare themselves to other people, and do not overestimate others' experience while diminishing their own. But some people may have a mantra signified by the slogan, if only. "If only I had the money of my brother; if only I was smart like my classmates; if only I was as goodlooking as my friends."
Comparing oneself with others is a trap. People who compare themselves with other individuals tend to feel that they are not good enough. They tend to perseverate about their shortcomings. Even if they try their best,it is not good enough because they can always find someone who performs at a higher level. When people compare, they generally focus on their negative traits. They ignore all that is going right in their life. They also tend to minimize their success and dismiss positive gestures and compliments.
Those who are confident listen to their own inner voice. They are not influenced by other people's view of events. They are not overly impressed by others' success, money, health,and material possessions. They do not believe that others have a greater sense of emotional wellbeing than they do.
Recently, The Harvard Mental Health Letter published an article which indicated that people with chronic pain had as significant a sense of wellbeing as those without chronic pain. However, those with chronic pain tended to overestimate the emotional wellbeing of physically healthy people. The study confirmed that it is how we view events that is important, not the nature of our circumstances which may include making comparisons. | high13221.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Leisure, elegance, and taste"
},
"options": [
"Leisure, elegance, and efficiency",
"Elegance, efficiency, and taste",
"Leisure, elegance, and taste",
"Elegance, efficiency, and leisure"
],
"question": "Which of ... | Concern with money, and then more money, in order to buy the conveniences and luxuries of modern life, has brought great changes to the lives of most Frenchmen. More people are working harder than ever before in France. In the cities the traditional leisurely midday meal is disappearing. Offices, shops, and factories are discovering the great efficiency of a short lunch hour in company lunch rooms. In almost all lines of work emphasis now falls on ever increasing output. Thus the "typical" Frenchman produces more, earns more, and buys more consumer goods than his counterpart of only a generation ago. He gains in creature comfort and ease of life. What he loses to some extent is his sense of personal uniqueness, or individuality.
Some say that France has been Americanized. This is because the United States is a world symbol of the technological society and its consumer products. The so called Americanization of France has its critics. They fear that "assembly line life" will lead to the disappearance of the pleasures of the more graceful and leisurely (but less productive) old French style. What will happen, they ask, to taste, elegance, and the cultivation of the good things in life to joy in the smell of a freshly picked apple, a stroll by the river, or just happy hours of conversation in a local cafe?
Since the late 1950s life in France has indeed taken on qualities of rush, tension, and the pursuit of material gain. Some of the strongest critics of the new way of life are the young, especially university students. They are concerned with the future, and they fear that France is threatened by the triumph of this competitive, goods-oriented culture. Occasionally, they have reacted against the trend with considerable violence.
In spite of the critics, however, countless Frenchmen are committed to keeping France in the forefront of the modern economic world. They find that the present life brings more rewards, conveniences, and pleasures than that of the past. They believe that a modern, industrial France is preferable to the old. | high1766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A true apology needs sincere actions."
},
"options": [
"A true apology needs sincere actions.",
"HP should recall all the faulty computers.",
"Good quality makes a good company.",
"A company should apologize and pay for... | Making an apology is not the same as making amends. Sometimes we apologize just because it's the easiest thing to do. What's actually important is to identify where we go wrong, take full responsibility for our mistakes and , if possible, try to make up for them.
A recent case involving Hewlett-Packed, the US computer giant, shows the importance of presenting a sincere apology. The Chinese consumers who had bought notebook computers of certain models, which have been put on Chinese market since 2007, suffered a massive flash screen failures and overheating problems. Through investigation, Chinese AQSIQ identified these HP computers had quality problems and HP admitted this. HP made a proposal that they would extend the warranty period of such computers, but this could not satisfied the consumers. What they needed was a thorough description of the truth. HP has "sincerely" apologized. But the consumers remain angry, and say that only a product recall -- as HP has done in the past -- will prove that the apology is sincere.
Another apology that fell flat on its face was that of Thierry Henry, the famous French footballer. His deliberate handball in November 2009 created the goal which knocked Ireland out of the 2010 World Cup. The incident caused great anger in the football world, and eventually Henry issued an apology. Two days later, he wrote, "I'm not the referee...but if I hurt someone I'm sorry." Better late than never, perhaps, but even then he passed the blame onto the referee!
Such high-profile cases, which attract a lot of publicity often under the spotlight, but similar incidents occur in our everyday lives. Stress caused by schoolwork and tiredness can sometimes result in outbursts of anger against friends and family. Have you ever lost your temper for minor reasons? After calming down, most people are quick to realize their mistake and apologize. But it's just as important to identify what caused the error in the first place and take action to ensure it doesn't happen again.
No one should hold a negative attitude to making a sincere apology. Empty words are easy to say, but they are as useless as they sound. A real show of remorse(;)demands hard work and
to put error right. | high15888.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "lead to the topic of the article-\"ant tribe\""
},
"options": [
"analyze graduates' difficulties in finding jobs",
"lead to the topic of the article-\"ant tribe\"",
"tell readers a story about those big cities",
"show a... | Several hundred strangers received "love letters" from a young man on the street. The letter was written and given out by Yang Yang,a student majoring in human resources at Chongqing University of Science and Technology, who hoped to show his disappointment with job hunting.
Yang's story has caught media attention perhaps because it is similar to those of millions of recent graduates seeking jobs and struggling for survival in the country's wealthiest cities. They have diplomas, rather than professional skills, and come to big cities in hopes of better lives, only to find low-paying jobs and poor living conditions.
They are China's "ant tribe ",a term coined by sociologist Lian Si from Peking University in his 2009 book, Ant Tribe."They're so similar to ants. They share small and narrow living areas. They're intelligent and hardworking, yet nameless and underpaid."The term also speaks to their helplessness in a world governed by the law of the jungle-only the strongest survive.
A survey in Lian's another book published this year, Ant Tribe II, found nearly 30 percent of "ants" are graduates of famous universities-almost three times last year's percentage. Most had degrees in popular majors. In addition, 7.2 percent of "ants" have at least a master's degree compared to 1.6 percent in 2009.
An "ant's" average monthly salary is 1,904 yuan, with about 64 percent of them earning less than 2,000 yuan a month.
Another survey in the 2010 Annual Report on the Development of Chinese Talent found more than 1 million "ants" live in big cities.
"Most ants are from rural families or small towns, and their experiences in universities didn't arm them well enough to fight with competitors in big cities' employment markets."Professor Zhang Ming at Renmin University of China said.
The "ant tribe's" embarrassing living situations have become a serious social problem, and the government should develop smaller cities to attract more graduates from big cities, Zhang believed.
However, "ants" expect more study and training opportunities in big cities, which keeps them positive despite their situations. | high13547.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "life and work"
},
"options": [
"retiring and inventing",
"life and work",
"living and entertainment",
"health and career"
],
"question": "From Mexico Website, we can get information mainly about_.",
"questio... | Category : prefix = st1 /Tours/ Guides Ad Number:508
Date Posted: 27/05/2006 Price:$1297 for 7 days
Expires On: 03/12/2007
Description
Subscribe to FREE Focus e - newsletter online.
Focus on Mexicowebsite provides FREE comprehensive information about living, retiring, working or investing inLake Chapala,Mexico. Covering all topics; health care, cost of living, driving to Mexico, non - residency for Canadians, taxes, banking and investing, communications, real estate(renting or buying), immigration, Mexican legal system, safety, religion, the Lake, transportation, things to do, charities, clubs and organizations and more....
In addition, we offer 7- Day and 10- Day Focus on Mexico Programs where you can experience(test drive)Lake Chapala to see if it is for you.
Hear from Experts at live conferences, all the meals are covered at excellent restaurants, all the trips included, even some cocktail parties. Meet the locals and get the straight goods. There is no better way to get all the information and the experience and no better way to find out in Mexicois right for you. "Mexicois the next destination of the Baby Boomer generation. And ' Focus onMexico' is the best way to get there. Whether it's real estate(buying or renting), immigration advice, health care, legal matters - or just about anything else, the friendly Focus on Mexico group can provide these services with expert advice and at a ridiculously low cost. Canadians and Americans couldn't hope for better." From Paul Jackson, Associate Editor, CalgarySun.
Seller Information
Contact: Marie Telephone: 376 - 766 - 3987
Dwyer - Bullock
APDO 1179
Chapala, Jalisco E- mail: marie @ focusonmexico. com
45900
Mexico
Web Site:http://focusonmexico.com | high22942.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Others often make fun of them."
},
"options": [
"They suffer from hurricanes.",
"The Weather Bureau look for them.",
"Others often make fun of them.",
"They can't find boyfriend."
],
"question": "What happens to... | When newspapers and radio describe the damage caused by a hurricane named Hazel, girls named Hazel are probably teased by their friends. To keep out of trouble, the Weather Bureau says,"Any _ between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental."
Some women became angry because hurricanes are given their names, but many other women are proud to see their names make headlines. They don't even care that they are the names of destructive storms. Because more women seem to like it than dislike it, the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girl's names for hurricanes.
In some ways a hurricane is like a person. After it is born, it grows and develops, then becomes old and dies. Each hurricane has a character of its own. Each follows its own path through the world, and people remember it long after it gone. So it is natural to give hurricanes' names, and to talk about them almost if they were alive. | high1000.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "keep his attention away from the cold"
},
"options": [
"keep him warm in the cold water",
"light his way around the lake",
"stop him from being afraid in the darkness",
"keep his attention away from the cold"
],
... | Walking along a lake in the cold winter, Birbal and the king made a bet that a man would do anything for money.
The king said, "I don't think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money."
Birbal replied, " I'm sure I can find such a person."
The king asked Birbal to find such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins.
Birbal searched far and wide and finally found a poor man. When he entered the lake, the king had guards around him to make sure that he really did as promised.
The poor man made it. He told the king that there had been a street lamp nearby and that he had kept his attention on the lamp and managed to avoid the cold. The king then said that there would be no reward as he relied on the warmth of the street lamp.
The poor man went to Birbal for help.
The next day, Birbal did not go to court . The king went to Birbal's house and see what he was up to.
He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning branches and a bowl filled with rice hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his followers couldn't help but laugh.
The king then said to Birbal, "How can the rice be cooked if it is so far away from the fire?"
Birbal answered, "The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than two thousand meters away."
Finally, the king gave the poor man his reward. | high12881.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Work."
},
"options": [
"Family.",
"Work.",
"Friends.",
"Jokes."
],
"question": "What is the same topic in both men's and women's talk?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | When men get together, they seldom talk about their feelings or inner thoughts. However, they talk about a lot, like their newest computer, how to repair their car, or even business.
Talk might move to the best place to find fish or women, jump to computer games, then continue to the sport of the season. They also like to tell jokes each other and spend a fair amount of time playing one-up and boasting . Men seldom call each other to chat.
When man meets woman, he usually wants to make a good impression. Many single man try hard to carry on amusing, fun, and pleasant conversations. They use conversation to discover her interests and feelings in order to learn how to be attractive to her.
Some men, either out of nervousness or ignorance, spend most of the time talking about themselves, often appearing to _ their achievements or talk endlessly about their problems or work. Even the quietest man talks to his woman when love is new.
When women get together, they talk about feelings and relationships, their work, and their family. They enjoy talking but also want the give and take of talk, then listen. Women often call each other to chat. Conversation is an important part of most women's lives.
As relationship progress, however, many turns on the television and forgets how to talk. This raises anger and cry from his woman partner who says,"You never talk to me any more."Some man start talking. Many, however, mainly discuss their own achievements and problems.
When the woman starts talking about her favorite subjects: feelings, family, relationships, friends and her work, many men lose interest or bring the conversation back to themselves, pretty soon, the man is back to starting at the television each night, wondering where his relationship has gone. The woman is talking to her friends, mom, sister or neighbor, often about that very relationship and how she is hurting. | high14228.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To improve competitiveness in the international market."
},
"options": [
"To increase Chinese citizens' confidence in economy.",
"To respond to the urgent demand for financial reforms.",
"To improve competitiveness in the int... | In the past two decades, the Chinese economy has undergone many reforms in an effort to compete more effectively on the international market.These reforms included allowing foreign hanks to offer credit cards to Chinese citizens, Now, researchers at the University of Missouri (MU)have found about 30 percent of Chinese urban households now own at least one credit card and the growth rate of credit card adoption has been an average of 40 percent per year between 2004 and 2009.
Rui Yao, an assistant professor of personal financial planning at MU, says that this large growth in such a small amount of time has positive and negative implications for the Chinese economy.
"With more and more people taking advantage of credit in China, it certainly increases potential consumer buying power," Yao said."However, we found that more than 90 percent of non-credit card users were unaware of safety issues existing in credit card use and more than 60 percent had little knowledge of the consequences of credit card debt.Thus lack of knowledge could create problems as credit card ownership is expected to grow at a rate of I percent a year."
Yao found that would 72 percent of Chinese credit card holders were never late on their payments, only 55 percent were able to pay the full balance.She also found that 70 percent of Clones credit card holders said that credit cards contributed to overspending.
Yao believes the Chinese could benefit from facial education designed to help them plan for their financial future and encouraging the Chinese to take advantage of debt in a responsible fashion is important for the Chinese economy."Appropriate use of debt can help households improve their quality of life as well as spur economic growth through an increase in market purchases." Yao said. | high23484.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "wasting wrapping paper"
},
"options": [
"wasting gold",
"wasting wrapping paper",
"putting the box under the Christmas tree",
"bringing the gift to her father"
],
"question": "The 3-year-old girl was punished by... | The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."
The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this. | high7471.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It was stuck in the ice."
},
"options": [
"It was deserted by other geese.",
"It was stuck in the ice.",
"It was wounded and couldn't fly.",
"It was lost in the water."
],
"question": "What happened to the Canad... | Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips.
The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and ducks. In the autumn, they come home for the winter. Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area. When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to the ice.
One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River. Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, "There is a goose out
there."
We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very iii, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice.
Then from the dark sky, she saw a line of swans. They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice. My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth. As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life it still had might be pecked out by those great swan beaks.
Instead, those beaks began to work on the ice. The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again. It went on for a long time. At last, the goose's head lifted. Its body pulled. Then the goose was free and standing on the ice. And the swans stood in the air watching. Then, as if it had cried, "I cannot fly," four of the swans came down around it. Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice and held in the feathers. Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they could go, and moved slowly into the sky.
This is a true story. I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question:" If so for birds, why not for man?" | high15136.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "has a gene from a different type of salmon"
},
"options": [
"tastes better than normal salmon",
"is a product that mixes several types of fish",
"has a gene from a different type of salmon",
"remains to be approved in s... | When you buy cooking oil in the supermarket, you may notice that some brands are labeled as "GM (genetically modified)-free". So, what is genetic modification? Are GM foods safe?
These questions have been put back into the spotlight recently. On Nov 19, the Food and Drug Administrati0n (FDA) in the US announced that it had approved the AquAdvantage salmon to go on the market, making it the first genetically modified animal to be approved as food anywhere in the world.
GM foods are plants or animals that have been given a gene from another plant or animal to make them stronger in some way. The AquAdvantage salmon contains a gene from another type of salmon that makes it grow faster.
Although the FDA has said "food from the fish is safe to eat", some believe that scientists can't completely understand the potential health risks of GM foods, simply because they're so new. Others worry that the fish could escape into the wild and cause ecological problems.
GM crops have experienced the same controversy, even though GM technology cuts down on the use of pesticides on crops and increases yields.
While GM animals are new, GM crops have already appeared on our plates: A total of 28 countries in the world including the US, Brazil and India planted 181.5 million hectares (1.815 million km2) of GM crops in 2014, according to the International Service for tile Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. In China, we grow GM cotton and papaya and import GM soybeans, corn, rape, cotton and beets from abroad.
Due to safety worries, many countries have regulations for producing and selling GM food.
In European Union countries, each GM food must be approved before it can be used. This process can take up to 17 months. The origin of all GM foods must also be traceable, and all food with a GM content of more than 0.9 percent must also be labeled, according to EU website europa.eu.
The US is less strict about GM foods. According to FDA regulations, companies introducing new GM foods to the market should report them at least 120 days before release. The labeling is voluntary, except that a product cannot be labeled as "GM-free" if genetically modified materials are used.
In China, GM foods can only be produced after strict tests by the Ministry of Agriculture say that they are safe. All food that is made from GM crops or contains GM ingredients must be clearly labeled on the wrapper. | high12659.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Whether the poor or the rich maybe have a bad diet."
},
"options": [
"Whether the poor or the rich maybe have a bad diet.",
"Even the poor can enjoy enough fruit and fish consumption.",
"Only the poor have a bad diet.",
... | For years experts have argued that poor households are consuming less nourishing food than the rest of the population.
But a survey of some of the lowest earners in Britain shows the nutritional value of what they eat is little different to everyone else.
In fact, the same deficiencies in diet were shared by all the population and the findings suggest that poor eating choices are far more widespread than previously suspected - affecting many wealthier families.
These included low fruit and vegetable consumption, not eating enough oily fish and eating too much saturated fat and sugar.
"This is a large and significant study and it shows we are all eating just as bad a diet as each other," said Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University.
The poorest families were eating only slightly more sugar and slightly less fruit and vegetables, according to the study of 3,728 respondents in the bottom of the population.
Alison Tedstone, head of nutritional science at the Food Standard Agency, said: " Overall, people on low incomes have less than ideal diets, but their diets are only slightly worse than those of the rest of the population."
The study also showed that low earners are choosing to eat unhealthily. Their food choices were not linked to their income, their access to shops or their cooking skills.
The findings appear to contradict assumptions that the poor cannot afford healthier foods or are too far away from shops that sell them.
The Low Income Nutrition and Diet Survey showed that like the rest of the population, the poor's daily fruit and vegetable intake on average is below the recommended five portions. Fewer than 10 per cent of respondents hit this target, while around 20 per cent ate less than a portion per day.
More than three quarters (76 per cent) of men and 81 per cent of women did less than one 30-minute session of moderate or vigorous exercise per week.
Some 45 per cent of men and 40 per cent of women were smokers.
This compares with 28 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women in the general population. | high11350.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "is strongly for the use of the technology in cars"
},
"options": [
"is in charge of the invention of the technology",
"is strongly for the use of the technology in cars",
"thinks it's easy and practical to invent the technolo... | Although new laws have been passed in some American states to cut down on Distracted driving , many accidents and deaths were still related with it, especially using cell phones while driving.Recently the Obama administration is considering disabling cell phones in cars aiming to cut down cell-phone-related road deaths.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the nation's anti-distracted-driving supporter, said in an interview on November 18 that federal officials are looking at technology to disable cell phones inside cars.
"I think it will be done," LaHood said."I think the technology is there and I think you're going to see the technology become adaptable in automobiles to disable these cell phones- We need to do a lot more if we were going to save lives."
Also on Thursday, the transportation government started a new "Faces of Distracted Driving" video campaign that features people who have been killed or lost their loved ones because of inattentive drivers.The video features heartbreaking stories of children killed, in crashes because of phoning or text messaging, and new videos are expected to be added every few weeks.
A driver is four times more likely to crash while using a mobile phone.More than 5,500 people were killed last year by distracted drivers, and another 500,000 were injured.LaHood has said it is never safe to talk on a cell phone while driving, hands-free or not, because it can really cause distraction.
Incidentally, a lot of people seem to agree with this viewpoint--a new research shows nearly two-thirds of Americans support a national ban on the use of cell phones while driving, even if the driver is using a hands-free device .But the research didn't ask how people feel about government-issued _ or other disabling devices. | high21293.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "humor"
},
"options": [
"teaching",
"literature",
"humor",
"knowledge"
],
"question": "The passage mainly discusses _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1... | My favorite English teacher could draw humor out of the driest material. It wasn't forced on us either. He took Samuel Johnson's dictionary, Addison's essays, and many other literary wonders from the eighteenth century and made them _ , even at eight o'clock in the morning. The thing that amazed me most was that the first time I read these works on my own some of them seemed dead, but the second time, after his explanation, I couldn't believe that I hadn't seen the humor. The stories and poems and plays were suddenly filled with allusions and irony and hilarious moments. I learned more from him than from any other teacher.
My least favorite English teacher also made people laugh. Some students found him to be funny. Many others did not. He assigned journals over a six week period, to be written every day. At the end of the six weeks I had a notebook full of bits and pieces about my ideas, short stories, reactions to what we had read, and so on. Our teacher announced that we would be grading each other's journals. Mine was passed to Joe, that class clown, who always behaved in a funny or silly way. He saw it fit to make joke of and said, " This writing isn't fit to line the bottom of a birdcage. " Our teacher laughed at that funny remark. It hurt me so much that the anger from it has driven my writing and teaching ever since.
So what makes the difference? Humor is one of the most powerful tools teachers or writers have. It can build up students and classes and make them excited about literature and writing, or it can tear them apart. It is true that humor is either productive or counter-productive and self-defeating. | high4178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To introduce digital education's role and value."
},
"options": [
"To introduce digital education's role and value.",
"To prove even a small country has a great dream.",
"To call on all the countries to carry out digital educ... | The South Korean Ministry of education is investing $ 2.4 billion into making the country's school system completely digital. The plan is to get rid of textbooks and replace them with digital learning materials stored in a central database, which students would get into with PCs. Though some digital education programs have been tried in the U.S. and other countries, few can match the South Korean plan. While it will certainly be interesting to spread out, a completely paperless school system will surely stand for other countries to follow. Perhaps the digital learning revolution will have its start in Seoul.
The digital developments have improved our personal lives. It was a matter of time before they would finally have an effect on other fields. It's an exciting time in education--whether you're a CEO setting plans for growth, an IT expert making new technology decisions or an educator giving lively courses. All of us are connected by the movement of a more digital campus. Today's generation has integrated web-based technology into their daily lives. Expectations are forming: lively content-anytime, anywhere and on any equipment. And those expectations aren't just for fun--they're spreading into the educational space as well. Expanding our digital footprint isn't just an excitement-it's a necessity. And CEOs and IT experts aren't the only ones feeling the pressure to improve--educators are as well.
More and more studies report a change from teaching to learning--moving away from giving lectures of facts to encouraging skills of self-study, analysis and learning paths ; from courses built using a single textbook to numbers of available publisher materials ; and from dull content to lively digital advantages that connect the learners, providing real-time response. Students aren't the only ones benefiting from this change. Educators can now easily build lively online courses while increasing student outcomes. | high18412.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "reading books with great effort"
},
"options": [
"working hard for the future",
"studying a subject carefully",
"reading books in a hurry",
"reading books with great effort"
],
"question": "Form this passage ,we... | In the United States , most children begin attending school when they are five years old . Public education is free and most children go to schools near their homes . Schools in these early years is fun . The children learn to read and write . But they also play games and go on trips . There is no reason at such an early age for him to hit the books.
The situation changes as children become older. The subjects become more difficult .Students must learn about world history , algebra , and the life sciences. Tests become more common . Pressure is growing to hit the books, study hard , and advance. However , most serious students only really begin hitting the books for long hours when they reach high school.
High school students who hope to continue their education at a college or university must take a special national test called the S-A-T .The test has two parts .The first part tests the student's ability with numbers and mathematical skills .The second part tests the student's ability in the English language.
The S-A-T test is very important .A high school student who gets a high score on the two parts of the test has a good chance to enter a top American college .For this reason, many students hit the books for months to prepare for the S-A-T. | high20166.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "caused no harm to his family"
},
"options": [
"damaged his car",
"happened in 1948",
"was caused by a deer",
"caused no harm to his family"
],
"question": "The car accident Hetrick was involved in _ .",
"... | The air bag is a piece of safety equipment in cars. It was first designed by John W. Hetrick in 1952. Like many inventions, he came up with the idea as a result of an event that had occurred in his life. He says:
"In the spring of 1952, my wife, my seven-year-old daughter, Joan, and I were out for a Sunday drive in our 1948 Chrysler Windsor. About three miles outside Newport we were watching for deer jumping across the road. Suddenly, there was a large rock in our path. I hit the brakes and we went into a ditch .
"As I applied the brakes, both my wife and I threw our hands up to keep our daughter from hitting the car. There was soft mud in the ditch, so the car wasn't damaged, and no one was hurt."
"During the ride home I couldn't stop thinking about the accident. I asked myself,'Why couldn't some object come out to stop you from striking the inside of the car?'As soon as I got home that night I drew some sketches . Each evening for the following two weeks, I'd add or reduce something from the sketches."
Hetrick applied an event he had observed while in the Navy to the design of the air bag. He was repairing a torpedo which had a cloth covering. When the compressed air that was in the torpedo was let out, the covering was suddenly filled with air and was shot to the ceiling.
With this knowledge, he developed his design until he was able to obtain a patent on the invention on August 5, 1952. The idea was similar to the air bag designs of today. Compressed air is stored in a container and when a traffic accident occurs and the car slows down at a rapid enough rate, the air will be released into the air bag. The idea was _ , but Hetrick's air bag never would have functioned properly. It was really a breakthrough, but it would require years and years of designing and testing by some top car designers before it could be used. | high3824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The Daughters of the Confederacy chose its name"
},
"options": [
"It is located in Long Island",
"Most of its students are white now.",
"Its name was changed in 1959 and 2007.",
"The Daughters of the Confederacy chose i... | A petition on change.org with some 75000 signatures is asking a Florida school district to change the name of a high school that is named after Nathan Bedford Forrest, a founding member of the original Ku Klux Klan. The KKK was a secret American political organization of white men who opposed people of other races or religions.
According to Marsha Oliver chief of communications for the Duval County School District, it doesn't matter how many people sign the petition because the process for changing a school's name is community-based and the final decision is up to the school board .
The school board was asked by the School Advisory Council in April 2007 to change the name but the board voted 5-2 against it. Its membership has changed since then.
The school was named after Forrest when it opened with white students only in 1959, a name suggestion that came from an organization called Daughters of the Confederacy. Now, more than half of the school's students are African-American.
The change.org petition was drawn up by a man named Omotaya Richamond, who wrote the following to explain his action:
I moved to Jacksonville from Long Island 12 years ago. Since then, I have put down roots here. I have helped raise a beautiful daughter here. This place is my home now.
Jacksonville is home to Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, named in honor of a founding member of the original Ku Klux Klan. I don't want my daughter, or any student, going to a school with such a name.
Five years ago, the school board voted 5-2 to keep the name. But a lot has changed in five years. All five members who voted for Nathan Bedford Forrest High School have been replaced. There is a new school superintendent who publicly stated that he would support a push from our community to change the name. Now is the time to correct a historical wrong. African-American Jacksnville students shouldn't have to attend a high school named for someone who killed and terrorize their ancestors one more school year.
Please support changing the name today. | high17912.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "alert people about the possible danger of objects falling from space"
},
"options": [
"show that asteroids fall from space frequently",
"alert people about the possible danger of objects falling from space",
"inform readers a... | Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid that crashed on Earth led to the disappearance of the largest animals that have ever walked our planet - the dinosaurs. At least, this is what some scientists believe. But that accident happened so long ago. People have come to believe that we are free of threats from asteroids and everything else from space.
However, what happened on Feb 15 , 2013 was a reminder that we're just as _ as the dinosaurs once were. Two objects from space - a meteor and an asteroid called 2012 DA14 - visited Earth's atmosphere on the same day. The former fell in Russia, injuring 1,200 people, while the latter passed by Earth at a record-setting close distance.
Scientists had been expecting the asteroid since last year, but the meteor was a surprise. NASA's telescope system only detects asteroids at least 50 meters in diameter , which is just about the size of 2012 DA14. But the meteor was much smaller, which made it harder to spot.
But what if we do spot an asteroid that is headed right for Earth? There are several possible ways in which dangerous asteroids could be made to change its orbit. Which method is best depends on several factors and most importantly - how much time we have to stop it.
If there is enough time before the hit, we can send off a heavy spacecraft to travel alongside the asteroid. The gravity from the spacecraft would gradually change the rock's orbit. Besides that, scientists could one day use sun-powered lasers to either make asteroids disappear or change their course. If there's not enough time, we'll have to go after the asteroid with a spacecraft and change its orbit with a crash. Finally, if things are truly desperate, there will be only one choice left - to use a nuclear bomb. That could turn the asteroid into a meteor shower, which would be even more dangerous. | high4193.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to find out if there are any ocean currents or signs of life"
},
"options": [
"to experience the journey down into the deep ocean",
"to find out if there are any ocean currents or signs of life",
"to find out the exact temper... | The journey two naval officers made some time ago to the very deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be explored.The two men went down 7 miles to the bottoms of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball called a "bathyscaphe" to find out if there are any ocean currents or signs of life.Above the ball there was a special tank full of petrol which was slowly emptied into the water to make the bathyscaphe heavy enough to complete its journey.
It was necessary to set out early, so that the bathyscaphe would come to the surface in daylight, and so be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it.The divers began preparations at dawn and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water.
The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers of water.In time, the temperature dropped to freezing point and the men shivered inside the ball.They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone describing how they felt.Then , at a depth of 3,000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world.All went well until some four hours later at 30,000 feet, the men were startled by a loud, cracking noise; even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death.Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that badly broken.Soon afterwards, the bathyscaphe touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of small, dead sea-creatures.Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the enormous pressure.But they didn't dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from the lights made the water boil.Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the officers were heard on the mother ship 7 miles away.After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none the worse for their experience. | high21278.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "language expert"
},
"options": [
"language expert",
"computer expert",
"college student",
"club chairman"
],
"question": "David is probably a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | My topic today is the internet. It was prompted by the first letter, which I am unable
to answer fully for the reasons given!
Dear David,
I am a middle school student. Now I am preparing for a writing competition. Could you
please check the mistakes in my article about using the Internet and give me some advice?
Thank you.
No name
David writes: I am very sorry to say that I think it would be very unfair for me to help you
win a competition-- unfair to the other competitors!
But I will say that your article is very interesting and I wish you good luck. Your article
makes some good points that deserve talking about in this column!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear David,
I'm now learning English by myself. Can you introduce some useful websites where I can
make friends with foreigners? Please help me.
moonlight
David writes: Well, dear moonlight, I bet you made a good choice by using the Net in your
self-studies. Two very good websites I would suggest to you are:
www.britishcouncil.org.cnandwww.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish.
By the way, for those readers interested in the teaching of English, there is an Internet
discussion group called ELTCSChi-L (English Language Teaching Contacts Scheme
prefix = st1 /China List).
And also, a healthy warning to all my readers: If over-used, the Internet can be a
WOMBAT-A Waste of Money, Brains and Time! | high22771.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she had a problem with her health."
},
"options": [
"she had had a heart attack.",
"she had a problem with her health.",
"she was unhappy about her weight.",
"she could not sleep well."
],
"question": "The reaso... | Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was
difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath.
"I suppose I had better go to the doctor," she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
"I'm not at all surprised, "he said. "It's clear what your problem is."
He examined her and then gave her some advice.
"If you don't do what I say, Mrs. Parker," he said, "you will have a heart attack. It could
kill you."
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor's. She knew that she had to take his advice but
that it would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher's shop .
"I'd like ten pounds of steak , please," she said.
"Certainly, madam," the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large
piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale
.
"That's just under ten pounds," he said.
"That's big enough," Mrs. Parker said.
The butcher worked out the price.
"At $4. 99 a pound that will$49. 50, please. Would you like me to cut it up into
smaller pieces for you?"
"Oh, I don't want to buy the meat," Mrs. Parker said.
"If you don't want to buy it," the butcher replied angrily, "why did you ask me to get it for
you?"
"My doctor told me that I am overweight and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what
ten pounds of flesh looked like." | high8971.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "based on questionnaires"
},
"options": [
"based on questionnaires",
"based on conversations",
"through instant messages",
"through social media"
],
"question": "Dr. Roberts's finding that there was no connection... | Facebook friends cannot replace the real thing, say psychologists .
People are happier and laugh 50% more when they talk face to face with friends or via webcam (web camera) than when they use social networking sites, a study has found.
Dr. Roberts, a famous lecture at the University of Chester, said such websites don't appear to help make true friendships. Based on two questionnaires , he found there was no link between Facebook use and people with larger groups of friends.
Dr. Roberts, whose work will be presented at the British Psychological Society conference in Harrogate, said, "The bottom lime conclusion is that our relationships are not dependent on the quantity of communication. They depend on quality, and even Skype is better at increasing the quality of our communication than time on Facebook." Even talking on the phone or texting does not make people feel as good as sharing a smile, the research says. The studies suggest quality, not quantity, of communication is the most important for keeping friends for life.
People find the most satisfying relationships come from a small number of close friends, with an outer "ring" of 10 significant others. With these people, it doesn't matter what type of social media you use for communication. But people who want to "contact the world at large" using Facebook can be disappointed because _ , claim researchers.
In a third study, Dr. Roberts asked people to communicate with friends face to face or via Skype and keep a 14-day diary. This was compared with communicating via phone, text messages or social networking sites. People communicating face to face on Skype were 50% more likely to laugh, and they rated themselves as significantly happier. | high6784.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "At the College Reception Desk after about 3:30 p.m.."
},
"options": [
"At the Adult Education Office at 9:30 p.m..",
"At the Adult Education Office after about 3:30 p.m..",
"At the College Reception Desk after about 3:30 p.m.... | Students must apply for a place before attending any class.Applications,either by post or in person,are dealt with strictly in the order _ are received at the Adult Education Office.
You can apply:
BY POST-use the card provided with the exact fee.You will be accepted for the course unless it is full.in which case we will inform you.An acknowledgement will not be made nor a receipt sent unless you provide a stamped addressed envelope.Receipts will normally be given out at the first class.
IN PERSON-call at the Adult Education Office(first floor,Block C)between approximately 9:00 a.m.and 3:30 p.m.(2:30 p.m.on Friday),or at the College Reception Desk(at the main entrance)at the other times(in the evenings until about 7:30 P.m.-not Fridays).Students should note that popular classes may be full before the course is to start,so that early application is strongly advised to avoid unhappiness.
For the AUTUMN TERM,applications will be accepted by post(preferably)or in person from 1st August.
For the SPRING TERM,applications will be accepted from 1st December.
For the SUMMER TERM,applications will be accepted from 1st April. | high23309.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The Right to Live or Die"
},
"options": [
"The Right to Live",
"The Right to Die",
"The Doctor's Duty",
"The Right to Live or Die"
],
"question": "The best title for this passage is _ .",
"question_type":... | In the past few years development in medical technology has made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and machines are being developed every day to extend life. However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor of these life extending measures, and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want to. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become terrible. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is better than death and that the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. And so the argument goes on and on without a final answer. | high219.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The context."
},
"options": [
"Their cooperation.",
"Their conflict.",
"The context.",
"Their instinct."
],
"question": "What is the key factor of antbirds' duet?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | It takes two to duet , and one question for scientists is how these coordinated performances arise -- in birds. Are they the result of cooperation, a way in which one pair signals to others that they've got it together? Or are they the result of conflict, evolving to avoid one partner's song interfering with the other's?
A study of duetting in Peruvian warbling antbirds suggests that it might be a little of both, and that context is everything. Joseph A. Tobias and Nathalie Seddon of the University of Oxford show in Current Biology that sexual conflict can cause the female of a pair that normally cooperates to "jam" the male's song by singing over it.
The researchers exposed antbird pairs to recorded songs of other antbirds and monitored the songs the pairs produced. In one experiment, they played the songs of an intruding pair. In this case, the resident pair "both are likely to lose their territory, so both should cooperate," Dr. Tobias said. And they do. They produce a coordinated duet that in effect tells the intruders to keep away.
But when the researchers played the song of a single female, the pair behaved differently. "You'd expect the resident female to be highly motivated to defend her position in the partnership," Dr. Tobias said. And that's what occurs. The male sings its heart out, flirting with the single female, and the female of the pair does its best to interfere with the song by singing over it, apparently to make her mate less attractive to the other female.
"It's clear that the male doesn't like what she's doing," Dr. Tobias said. The behavior "breaks up what is otherwise a very cooperative situation into a more complicated signal," he added.
It's the first evidence of this kind of signal jamming among pairs, Dr. Tobias said.
And in that it leads the male to alter its song to avoid the female's interfering notes, it shows that this kind of conflict could, over a long period, drive the evolution of coordinated song. | high15863.txt |
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