questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "some other common types of reasoning"
},
"options": [
"relationships between causes and results",
"classification of reasoning",
"some other common types of reasoning",
"some special type of reasoning"
],
"quest... | Another common type of reasoning is the search for causes and results.We want to know whether cigarettes really do cause lung cancer, what causes malnutrition, the decay of cities, or the decay of teeth.We are equally interested in effects: what is the effect of sulphur or lead in the atmosphere, of oil spills and raw sewage in rivers and the sea, of staying up late on the night before an examination?
Causal reasoning may go from cause to effect or from effect to cause.Either way, we reason from what we know to what we want to find out.Sometimes we reason from an effect to a cause and then on to another effect.Thus, if we reason that because the lights have gone out, the refrigerator won't work, we first relate the effect (lights out) to the cause (power off) and then relate that cause to another effect (refrigerator not working).This kind of reasoning is called, for short, effect to effect.It is quite common to reason through an extensive chain of causal relations.When the lights go out we might reason in the following causal chain: lights out--power off--refrigerator not working--temperature will rise--milk will sour.In other words, we diagnose a succession of effects from the power failure, each becoming the cause of the next.
Causes are classified as necessary, sufficient, or contributory.A necessary cause is one which must be present for the effect to occur, as combustion is necessary to drive a gasoline engine.A sufficient cause is one which can produce an effect unaided, though there may be more than one sufficient cause; a dead battery is enough to keep a car from starting, but faulty spark plugs or an empty gas tank will have the same effect.A contributory cause is one which helps to produce an effect but cannot do so by itself, as running through a red light may help cause an accident, though other factors -- pedestrians or other cars at the crossroads -- must also be present.
In establishing or refuting a causal relation it is usually necessary to show the process by which the alleged cause produces the effect.Such an explanation is called a causal process. | high20855.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Robot technologies are widespread in Japanese daily life."
},
"options": [
"\"Thank You\" Will Never Be Needed in Japan",
"Monitoring Technologies Are Widespread in Japan",
"Robot Is Designed to Care for the Elderly.",
... | TOKYO, Japan (AP) - Japan is very serious about robotics . If the droids are going to fit in, they probably need to learn the Japanese custom of serving tea. Fortunately, researchers at the University of Tokyo are exploring just that. In a show this week, a humanoid with camera eyes made by Kawada Industries Inc. poured tea from a bottle into a cup. Then another robot on wheels delivered the cup of tea in an experimental room that has sensors _ in the floor and sofa as well as cameras on the ceiling, to simulate life with robot technology.
"A human being may be faster, but you'd have to say 'Thank you,'" said University of Tokyo professor Tomomasa Sato. "That's the best part about a robot. You don't have to feel bad about asking it to do things."
Sato believes Japan, a rapidly aging society where more than a fifth of the population is 65 or older, will lead the world in designing robots to care for the elderly, sick and bedridden .
Already, monitoring technologies, such as sensors that automatically turn on lights when people enter a room, are becoming widespread in Japan.
The walking, child-size Asimo from Honda Motor Co. greets people at showrooms. NEC Corp. has developed a smaller companion robot-on -wheels called Papero. A seal robot available since 2004 can entertain the elderly and others in need of fuzzy companionship.
Sato says his experimental room is raising awareness about privacy questions that may arise when electronic devices monitor a person's movements down to the smallest detail.
On the bright side, the tea - pouring humanoid has been programmed to do the dishes. | high3117.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Your Own Face on a Postage Stamp"
},
"options": [
"Never Miss a Chance to be Photographed",
"Your Own Face on a Postage Stamp",
"First Japanese Postage Stamps with a Photo",
"Letters are as Fun as E-mails"
],
"q... | Japanese people,who never miss a chance to be photographed,were lining up to get their pictures on a postage stamp.Vanity stamps with personal photographs went on sale for the first time in Japan as part of an international postage stamp exhibition.The customer's photo was taken with a digital camera and then printed on stamp sheets,a process that takes about five minutes.Sold in a sheet of 10 stamps for $8.80,little more than the cost of lunch in Tokyo,each stamp printed a different scene from a traditional painting along with the photo.
The stamps can be used normally to mail a letter,and postal officials hope they will help encourage interest in letter writing in the Internet age."Certainly e-mail is a useful method of communication,but letters are fun in a different way,"said Hatsumi Shimizu an official in the Post Ministry."We want to show young people that letters can be fun too."[
While similar stamp sheets appeared in Australia in 1999 and are now sold in some nations and territories,Japan's fondness for commemorative photos is likely to make them especially popular here.Indeed,officials had prepared 1 000 sheets but they were sold out in less than 30 minutes.Although the stamps are currently only available as a special service during the exhibition,postal officials said they may start selling them on a regular basis in the future. | high10996.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Jefferson valued the importance of learning from others"
},
"options": [
"Jefferson was dissatisfied with Lafayette",
"Jefferson had a close relationship with his people",
"Jefferson was a great American president",
"Je... | Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was a good and tireless writer, and he wrote The Declaration of Independence. There is much we can learn from him. Here are some of the things he said and wrote:
Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books, and personal investigation is important as well.
Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people's opinions without careful thought. "Neither believe nor reject anything," he wrote to his nephew.
Learn from everyone. Jefferson once visited the French nobleman, Lafayette, and said to him, "You must go into the people's home as I have done ,look into their cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied. "
Do what you believe is right. In a free country, there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is not unquestioning agreement but conflict that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and act on it with effect, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions. "
Trust the future and trust the young. Jefferson felt that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. "The earth belongs to the living generation. " He didn't fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain has been caused by evils which have never happened?" he remarked,"I expect the best, not the worst. " | high4678.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People should take things easy for their own good."
},
"options": [
"People should make better use of their sitting room.",
"People should spend less time watching TV.",
"People should pass down their good habits.",
"Pe... | Sitting is art that isn't getting passed along. People these days feel as though they have to be doing something. If they are not working, they are jogging, or playing tennis or golf, or taking courses to improve their minds or bodies -or they are parked in front of the TV. Sitting in front of the TV isn't sitting - it's watching.
People used to sit a lot. You would walk down the street or drive down the road, and there they would be, out on the doorsteps, sitting. You could go down to the store and sit on the bench out front in the summer or around the fire in the winter. There were sitting benches out in the town square. At the garage, there were straight-backed chairs. There among the oilcans and tries and spare parts, you could kick back and sit.
Houses used to have sitting rooms, where the grown ups would go after Sunday dinner. Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Aunt Ruby would sit and digest the fried chicken and talk about Aunt Ethel's illness, and how well the minister did today. Outside, the children would play, and the afternoon would pass by in a comfortable haze .
That sort of thing looks like doing nothing. A recharging battery doesn't look as if it's doing anything either. Sitting restores your soul if you want to enjoy a truly full life, don't just do something -sit there. | high11336.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "providing examples and statistics"
},
"options": [
"pointing out similarities and differences",
"following the natural time order",
"comparing opinions from different fields",
"providing examples and statistics"
],
... | Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum's storytelling to Dad's, researchers said.
They carried out a study that showed younger children aged 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.
More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite _ with their parents.
"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.
Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.
The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.
When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson.
"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong relations and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson. | high3671.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "you can join in the celebrations"
},
"options": [
"you can get kinds of apples for free",
"you can make friends with farmers",
"you can join in the celebrations",
"you can feel satisfied with fun"
],
"question":... | Cool temperatures, golden colors of autumn and dramatic events are just three reasons to visit Oregon's Washington County this fall. The season brings a large number of places to see and things to do. We've collected some of the best reasons why you should plan a trip here in the coming months.
It's a Harvest Season
Autumn marks the height of the agricultural season, which not only means a variety of autumn fruits and vegetables at the farmers' markets, but also means that the season is heating up with fun, family farm events. Three apple festivals this fall will celebrate the diversity and deliciousness of Oregon-grown apples.
The Colors Are Changing
On a cool, autumn day, the rural, agricultural and forested scenery of Oregon's Washington County comes alive with bright red, orange and yellow leaves --- a stark contrast to the deep, dark green of the trees that share these landscapes.
Bird Migration Season Is in High Season
September and October are busy months for bird watchers. Migratory and native birds call Washington County "home", whether it's for the winter or they're just visiting on their southern voyage.
Wine Harvest Season Brings Signature Tasting Events
Celebrate the splendor of Oregon wine at two of the region's biggest wine events, which happen annually in the fall. The North Willamette Harvest Trail and Grand Tasting is a full-day guided bus tour to three wineries featuring hands-on experiences, vineyard exploration, a wine country lunch, and wine tastings.
Experience Tree-to-Tree Adventures at Sunset
Enjoy the crisp temperatures and rich colors of the season at Tree to Tree Adventure Park, an aerial ropes course with six challenging courses and zip-line park, all rolled into one. These are the final months to enjoy this fun and exciting attraction until it closes for the season in November.
Plan your own Oregon's Washington County autumn getaway. Read this great digital visitor guide for ideas and inspiration. | high10028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "On TV news."
},
"options": [
"On a newspaper.",
"On the Internet.",
"On TV news.",
"In a police poster."
],
"question": "Where did the news about the shooting first come out?",
"question_type": "factiod_ques... | New York Times--A gunman killed eight people at a mall in Omaha this afternoon and then killed himself, setting off panic among holiday shoppers, the police said.
"The person who we believe to be the shooter has died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds," Sgt. Teresa Negron of the Omaha Police Department said at televised news. "We have been able to clear the mall," she said. "We don't believe we have any other shooters." The police said that at least five other people had been injured in the shootings.
She did not give the shooter's identity. "We are still conducting the investigation," Sergeant Negron said, adding that the city's mayor, who was out of town, was on his way back to Omaha.
She said the police received a 911 call from someone inside the Westroads Mall on the west side of Omaha, and shots could be heard in the background. The first police officers arrived at the mall six minutes after the first call, she said, but by then the shootings were over.
It is reported that the gunman left a suicide note that was found at his home by s. A law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the note indicated that the gunman wanted to "go out in style".
The shootings broke the usually banal routine of holiday shopping. The gunman was said by some witnesses to have fired about 20 shots into a crowd. Some customers and workers ran screaming from the mall, while others dived into dressing rooms to hide from the shooter.
Shoppers and store workers were trapped inside the mall, which has roughly 135 stores. Others streamed out of mall exits with their hands raised. The president was in Omaha this morning to deliver a speech, but he had left the city by the time the shootings took place. | high18474.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "heart disease"
},
"options": [
"heart disease",
"cancer",
"lose of memory",
"aspirin side effects"
],
"question": "The new report clearly benefits the women suffering",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | According to decades-long research, women who took low to moderate daily doses of aspirin had a reduced death rate, especially from heart disease.
The research, based on data from a major trial that has tracked almost 80,000 women since 1976, found that women who reported using aspirin on a regular basis had a 25 percent lower risk of death from any cause than women who didn't take the drug.
The risk of death from cardiovascular disease was 38 percent lower for aspirin users, and there was also a 12 percent reduction in cancer deaths that took effect after a decade of aspirin use, the researchers found in their report based on the Nurses' Health Study.
However, an accompanying editorial in the journal cautioned that the results were open to debate and far from definitive.
The dissenting editorial was based on results of an earlier trial by the Women's Health Study, which followed almost 40,000 women for 11 years and found no reduction in overall deaths. Therefore, the new findings "cannot overcome the accumulated evidence that aspirin is not particularly effective for the primary prevention of death from cardiovascular disease in women."
"This is a complicated issue," said Dr. Andrew T. Chan, leading author of the new report. "We understand that aspirin has potential health benefits, but who would aspirin therapy be appropriate for?" There are "areas of disagreement that need further study" before that question can be answered, Chan said. But there is information from the two large studies and other trials that can help guide women and their physicians, he said. And anyone who is thinking about daily aspirin "should really talk with doctors about the benefits and risks." | high17747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "make a careful plan"
},
"options": [
"listen to local news",
"take a bus",
"make a careful plan",
"ask friends for help"
],
"question": "When visiting an exhibition in town,country people have to _ .",
"q... | Urban citizens can enjoy a more colorful life than rural citizens.Townspeople are wellinformed because they have the easier access to news,while country people are uniformed because these districts are hard to get to.Urban traffic is so welldeveloped that the residents there often visit exhibitions and parks which are only a short bus ride away. For country people this is a major operation which involves considerable planning.Shopping,a necessary activity in everyday life is more convenient in the city than in the countryside. Townspeople can buy what they want at any time of a day.But rural residents go to town at most once a week.So after shopping they always stagger home loaded with heavy purchases. As for as meals and clothes concerned,townspeople are wellfed and welldressed as there is an adequate supply of goods.But rural residents are too busy to pay particular attention to them.It is for these reasons that more and more people are moving into the city and looking for a rest there.
On the contrary,some people are attracted by the rural area.Air pollution,noise and overcrowding which are the biggest problems confronting townspeople seem strange for rural residents.Medical studies have proved that rural residents can live longer than urban residents, because they are free from a polluted environment. In addition,the crime rate in the city is several times higher than in the countryside.As is known to all,the life in any city is much more expensive than in the countryside.So the safe, quiet and cheap life in the country appeals to(......)many city residents.
Either an urban or a rural area gives pleasure and trouble.But,I believe,the suburban area has the excellencies of both and is superior to both.As the automobile industry develops,more and more people will make their homes in suburban areas. | high6709.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "doesn't do well in his lessons"
},
"options": [
"is rude to others",
"is often late for school",
"is dishonest",
"doesn't do well in his lessons"
],
"question": "The writer's child _ .",
"question_type": ... | I know my son seems very naughty. He cannot concentrate on reading, he makes silly mistakes in his homework or often fails his exams.
Whenever such things happen, his teacher shouts,"Ask your parents to come here." And then I have to go with my tail between my legs to find out what's going on with my son and to listen to the teacher scold him.
I really feel sorry for my son's mistakes and usually feel personally responsible.
But I can't help feeling angry with him after a meeting with his teacher.
Gradually, I have realized that anger will do him no good, and that actually he needs my help.
On the other hand, I think that to educate our "little emperors ",there needs to be more understanding and cooperation between teachers and parents. | high22924.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "optimistic"
},
"options": [
"pessimistic",
"optimistic",
"angry",
"unsure"
],
"question": "The Deckers' attitude towards their suffering from the tornado is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | A mother has lost parts of both of her legs after she saved the lives of her two children by lying on top of them as a deadly tornado swept through their home. Stephanie Decker, 36, lost one leg above the knee and the other above the ankle, yet her son and daughter escaped without a single scratch after the tornado destroyed their Henryville, Indiana home.
Henryville was nearly entirely destroyed by a series of tornadoes that hit the South and Midwest, killing 39 and leaving thousands homeless. But while the Decker family lost their dream home to the severe weather, they are celebrating their safety. Mrs. Decker is now in a stable condition; her husband said, "What I told her was, 'you are alive and you get to see your kids grow up.' " Joe Decker told the reporters.
Mr. Decker said that he had sent a text message to his wife from his workplace to tell her a tornado was heading for their three-story home. She rushed their eight-year-old son Dominic and five-year-old daughter Reese into the basement, where she tried her best to protect them from the storm.
Mrs. Decker typed out what had happened by using an iPad in the hospital. She saw part of the house collapse on her and pulled her daughter out of the way. She doesn't remember anything after that.
The home, which was partly built by Mr. Decker and his wife's father, is now completely destroyed, with a bathtub 200 feet away in a filed, the Courier Journal reported. The house took about nine mouths to build and four seconds to fall, Mr. Decker added.
CEO Carl J. Tyler praised the Deckers who lost everything and said that the company has set up a trust fund to help pay their medical bills and the losses they suffered. He added, "They are some of the hardest working, giving people you could ever want to meet." | high13521.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the green sand has been used to keep the water clean"
},
"options": [
"the green sand has been used to keep the water clean",
"there is no need to keep water clean",
"a new factory has been set up",
"white sand is being... | A new factory that turns used wine bottles into green sand could revolutionize the recycling industry and help to filter the nation's drinking water.
For the last 100 years special high grade white sand quarried at Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire has been used to filter tap water to remove bacteria and impurities--but this may no longer be necessary.
The green sand has already been successfully tested by water companies and is being used in 50 swimming pools in Scotland to keep the water clean.
_ by one million pounds from the European Union and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(Defar), a company based in Scotland is building a factory to turn beverage bottles back into the sand from which they were made.
The idea is not only to avoid using up increasingly scarce sand in Scotland and avoid any further quarrying but also to solve a crisis in the recycles only 750 000 tones of it.
Howard Dryden, the scientist and managing director of the company has spent six years working on what he calls Active Filtration Meadia, or AFM, the recycled glass. He says he needs bottles that have already contained drinkable liquids to be sure that drinking water would not be polluted.
"The fact is that tests show that AFM does the job better than glass, it is easier to clean and reuse and has all sorts of properties that make it ideal for other applications, "he claimed. He also thinks the market will be able to take 250 000 tones of green sand a year. The plan is to build five or six factories in cites in UK where the bottles come from to cut down on transport.
The factory will be completed this month and is expected to go into full production on January 14 next year. Once it is providing a "regular" product, the government's drinking water inspectorate will be asked to perform tests and approve it for general use by water companies. | high8724.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "give true information about goods"
},
"options": [
"how a long list of the goods advertised",
"give true information about goods",
"tell customers what to buy",
"appear on TV and in newspapers at the same time"
],
... | Advertising can be a service to the customer. This is true when advertisements give reliable information about the goods advertised. Such information is needed if the customer is to make a sensible choice when he buys. It is useful in that it lets him know of the kinds of goods in the shops. Printed advertisements do this job best. Customers can collect them and compare them. They can be taken along to shops and their claims can be checked against the actual goods in the shops.
however, some advertisements are not very useful to the customer. Instead of helping him to satisfy his real needs, they set out to make him want things. They set out to create a need. These advertisements are cleverly done. The people who produce them understand our weaknesses. They set out to make us believe that what they advertise will make us cleverer, prettier and more handsome, if only we use it. Actually, it is our money they are after and we should be on guard.
Some advertisements mislead customers by using part of the truth to suggest something false, and it is skillfully made to give that idea to the careless reader, listener or viewer.
At its best advertising can be useful to the customer. At its worst it can mislead him. Many newspapers check on the goods for which the advertisements made claims. Most newspapers are very careful about the small advertisements, which try to sell goods directly to the readers by post. Many newspapers print information about this on their small advertisement pages. Advertising has become a very big business, and good firms in it do all they can to make sure it is conducted with some attention to truth. This is a help to the customer. But the best way is for customers to be on the lookout. | high7417.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Five"
},
"options": [
"Four",
"Three",
"Six",
"Five"
],
"question": "How many tips mentioned in the text to prevent excuses?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | We all make excuses.
But the successful ones are those who can kill the excuses like the miserable maggots they are.
I'm too tired. I don't have the time. I don't feel motivated. I'd rather do nothing. I don't have the money, equipment, space. I can't because ...
We've all made the excuses. Here's how to kill them.
See the positive. Excuses are usually made because we don't feel like doing something -- we're accentuating the negative. Instead, see the fun in something, the joy in it. And maintain a positive attitude, or you'll never beat the excuses.
Take responsibility. Excuses are ways to get out of owning up to something. If we don't have the time, money, equipment, etc., then it's not our fault, right? Wrong. Take responsibility, and own the solution.
Find a solution. Just about every problem has a solution. Don't have time? Start with just 5-10 minutes. Make the time. Wake earlier. Do it during lunch. Don't have the energy? Do it when you have higher levels of energy. You're smart. Figure out the solution.
See your goal. This is your motivation -- your reason for doing it. Sure, you could just lay on the couch, but if you think about why you really want to pursue a goal, you'll be motivated.
that goal and just get started.
Be accountable. Have a workout partner, a project partner, a team, someone to report to. If you have to meet a coach or partner, you're more likely to do something.
Watch this. Then go an do it. | high16471.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "do good to digestion"
},
"options": [
"cure the cancer with certainty",
"do good to digestion",
"replace other vegetables",
"help relieve insanity"
],
"question": "Eggplant is so healthy that it can _ .",
... | What's delicious, healthy to eat and comes in various colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as _ as an egg. It can be steamed, fried or baked. It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables.
Eggplant was first grown in India during the 5th century B.C. Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia. Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe. At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today. Instead, it was like a white egg. Due to this egg-like appearance, eggplant got its name. In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a "mad apple". This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one's health. People actually thought eggplant could cause insanity and cancer.
Fortunately, today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer. In fact, eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer. In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this supper vegetable. Since it is high in fiber, eggplant can also improve digestion.
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today. Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow-white. And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber. Dish diversities range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious!
Today, thousands of people are gathering in Loomis, Calif, for the 23rd annual Loomis Eggplant Festival. The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes. There is plenty more to do and see, though. Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all "egg-cite" festival-goers. Most people at the festival would agree -- eggplant is an "egg-cellent" vegetable! | high4136.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him."
},
"options": [
"Mr. Kim was afraid Mr. Tan might succeed ahead of him.",
"Mr. Tan's bacteria grew very fast in a warm container.",
"Mr. Tan worked much harder than Mr. ... | Few people ever took notice of Mr. Jimmy Tan whenever he entered a room. He was a shy, quiet and simple man who preferred to keep to himself in public. On the other hand, Mr. Thomas Kim, a fellow scientist, was a man everyone would notice on the streets. He wore bright outfits with huge flower prints, spoke with a booming voice, and his laughter could be heard from all corners of a room. In addition to the differences in their characters, Mr. Kim and Mr. Tan were also great _ at work in the Institute of Future Science.
On Christmas Eve, everyone left work early to celebrate the special occasion, except for Mr. Tan and Mr. Kim. They were in their laboratory analyzing the results of their latest experiments. Mr. Tan realized that something special was taking place in his experiment --the bacteria he had cultured were growing extremely quickly under high pressure and at a very low temperature. After noting down the findings in his notebook, he left the room to prepare for another round of tests. Shortly after, Mr. Kim entered.
"Hey Jimmy," Mr. Kim called out, "do you have an extra copy of the laboratory booking form?"
There was no reply, so Mr. Kim looked through Mr. Tan's things. He soon found Mr. Tan's notebook and was horrified to see that Mr. Tan had managed to make one of the most important discoveries in modern science. He then looked into the deep-freeze cupboard where a dish containing the bacteria was kept. He put _ into his pocket and returned to his own laboratory.
Mr. Tan came back an hour later to find his notebook and the dish missing. He knew that Mr. Kim had taken them and went to Mr. Kim's laboratory to find out. When he opened the door, he found Mr. Kim lying on the floor motionless. His face was pale and his skin had turned black. The deadly bacteria had been handled improperly. He shook his head and left. | high3659.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "covers rich resources of knowledge"
},
"options": [
"provides very accurate information",
"offers links to most leading media",
"covers rich resources of knowledge",
"comes available in any language"
],
"questio... | Below is a page adapted from About Wikipedia on how to take full advantage of Wikipedia.
Wikipediais a web-based, free-content encyclopedia in many languages.
SSExploring Wikipedia
Many visitors come to Wikipedia to acquire knowledge, while others come to share knowledge. At this very instant, dozens of articles are being improved, and new articles are also being created. Over 3,500 articles have been listed by the Wikipedia community as featured articles. Another 15,000 articles are listed as good articles. Wikipedia is available in more than 280 languages including English. Its related projects include a dictionary, quotations, books, manuals, and scientific reference sources, and a news service. All of these are kept, updated, and managed by separate communities, and often include information and articles that can be hard to find through other common sources.
SSBasic navigation in Wikipedia
Wikipedia articles are all linked, or cross-referenced. In every article, there are links to some related articles or Wikipedia pages with further in-depth information. Holding the mouse over a certain link will often show to where the link will lead. There are other links towards the ends of most articles, for other articles of interest, related websites and pages and so on. Some articles may also have links to dictionary definitions, audio-book readings, quotations, the same article in other languages etc.
SSUsing Wikipedia as a research tool
Wiki articles are never considered complete and may be continually edited and improved. Over time, this generally results in an upward trend of quality and a growing agreement over a representation of information. Users should be aware that not all articles are of encyclopedic quality from the start. Indeed, many articles start their lives as displaying a single viewpoint; and, after a long process of discussion, debate, and argument, _ gradually take on a neutral point of view reached through agreement. Others may, for a while, become caught up in a heavily unbalanced viewpoint which can take some time--months perhaps--to achieve better balanced coverage of their subject.
SSWikipedia vs. paper encyclopedias
Wikipedia has advantages over traditional paper encyclopedias. Wikipedia has a very low "publishing" cost for adding or expanding entries and a low environmental impact in some respects, since it never needs to be printed. In addition, Wikipedia has wikilinks instead of in-line explanations and its articles provide not only summaries but also plenty of details. Additionally, the editorial cycle is short. A paper encyclopedia stays the same until the next edition, while editors can update Wikipedia at any instant, around the clock, to help ensure that articles keep up with the most recent events. | high10000.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the engine starts"
},
"options": [
"the alarm goes off",
"the car is fueled",
"the key is placed",
"the engine starts"
],
"question": "The ignition probably refers to the part in a car where _ .",
"questi... | Virginia is set to begin enforcing the toughest drunken-driving punishment, one that will require thousands of first-time offenders--whether they were highly drunk or slightly over the limit - to install in their cars blood-alcohol testing devices that can lock the ignition. The devices work like this-A driver must blow into a blood alcohol device linked to the car's ignition. If the result is higher than the legal limit, the car will not start. The device also requires random "rolling retests" once the driver is on the road.
Virginia's current law requires only repeat drunken-driving offenders or those with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher to have an ignition interlock device in their car.
The new law, which takes effect in July, will roughly increase the number of people required to use ignition interlock devices four times, and offenders will have to pay about $ 480 for a typical six-month installation.
The measure has caused a debate between groups battling drunken driving and those representing offenders. Such groups as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program say that Virginia's 274 alcohol-related road deaths and more than 5,500 injuries in 2010 remained unacceptably high despite years of cracking down on drunken driving. Ignition interlock devices, they say, reduce repeat offenses. But some public defenders and lawyers argue that the devices are too severe a punishment for offenders at the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.08, and that the court system will be burdened by more cases going to trial and lower-income drivers will be affected by the fees.
Del. Sal R. laquinto, who sponsored the bill, had a simple reply for concerns about the costs of the interlock devices: "How much does a life cost?" "Blowing into a tube for six months, you will remember that, " Iaquinto said, " and you are not likely to offend again. " | high3881.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "be as faraway as possible"
},
"options": [
"be as careful as possible",
"be as long as an arm",
"be as near as possible",
"be as faraway as possible"
],
"question": "The phrase \"be at arm's length\" probably me... | Swim Birthday Parties
Ages 3 and up.
Pool parties are during recreation swim in the 25-yard pool. Each party consists of an hour of celebration in a private room. Parties are for 1--5 children. All non-swimmers or children requiring floatation must _ from the pool and accompanied by an adult or guardian.
Please contact Sarah Hagan 762--8384x210.
Fee: Members $ 175/Non-members $225
Youth Fitness Birthday Parties
Leave the party activities to us! Your party package includes:1/2 hour set-up,1 hour program time including equipment,props,etc.1 hour party time for cake,presents,etc.,1/2 hour clean-up time and 1 or 2 hours specialists. Parents supply decorations, food and paper goods. To schedule a Youth Fitness Birthday Party, call Mary Ann Genuario (x282).
Fee:$295 for up to 10 children,$10 each additional child--16 children maximum. Non-member price available upon request.
The Art Spot Birthday Parties
The Art Spot offers a variety of creative fine art parties for Ages 4--Adult! We supply the invitations, a balloon bouquet , paper goods, project materials and a party host; all you need to bring is the cake!
Parties are one and a half hours, the first hour the group create their art project, and last 1/2 hour is for cake and presents! Parties are usually held on Friday nights and weekends but weekday parties are available.
Cost: $21 per child.
Rain or shine there's no better place than the Art Spot for your child's next party!
Nursery School Birthday Parties
If planning a party is not your thing, let us do the work for you! We offer a variety of pre-planned parties to choose from. You may also do a combination of 2 parties for boy/ girl parties. All parties are on Saturday afternoons between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. and are one and a half hours in length. Parties include a craft or activity and paper goods. You may arrive 15 minutes prior to your scheduled time to set-up. To schedule a party please contact Kim Murphy(x214).
Fee(Up to 15 children):$200 Members/ $250 Non-member,$15 each additional child. | high5228.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To tell his students the right attitude to life."
},
"options": [
"To give his students many more choices.",
"To teach his students how to enjoy coffee.",
"To show the students his collection of cups.",
"To tell his stu... | A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups--porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some exquisite and expensive--telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided for us."
God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. "[Z
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. | high6721.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Try to start a conversation before asking for a light."
},
"options": [
"Whenever you feel like a cigarette, try to forget it by sleeping.",
"Try to start a conversation before asking for a light.",
"If you miss the feeling o... | When thinking about quitting (stop) smoking, list all the reasons why you want to quit. Every night before going to bed, repeat one of the reasons 10 times.
Decide positively that you want to quit. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be. Develop strong personal reasons as well as your health and responsibility to others. For example, think of all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting a light, etc. Set a date for quitting --- perhaps a special day like your birthday, a holiday. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation. Make the date holy seriously, and don't let anything change it. Begin to condition yourself physically; start a modest exercise; drink more water; get plenty of rest.
Immediately after quitting...
The first few days after you quit, spend as much free time as possible in places where smoking is prohibited, e.g. libraries, museums, theatres, department stores, etc.
Drink large quantities of water and fruit juice. Try to avoid wine, coffee, and other drinks which remind you of cigarette smoking.
Strike up a conversation with someone instead of a match for a cigarette.
If you miss the feeling of having a cigarette in your hand, play with something else --- a pencil, a pen, a ruler. If you miss having something in your mouth, try a fake cigarette. | high9412.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "1850"
},
"options": [
"1850",
"1950",
"1800",
"1900"
],
"question": "Camera was invented after _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text... | There have been many great inventions that changed the way we live.The first great invention was one that is still very important today--the wheel.This made it easier to carry heavy things and to travel long distances.For hundreds of years after that there were few inventions that had as much effect as the wheel.Then in the early 1800's the world started to change.There was little unknown land left in the world.People did not have to explore much anymore.They began to work instead to make life better.In the second half of the 19th century many great inventions were made.Among them were the camera, the electric light and the radio.These all became a big part of our life today.
The first part of the 20th century saw more great inventions.The helicopter in 1909.Movies with sound in 1926.The computer in 1928.And jet planes in 1930.This was also a time when a new material was first made.Nylon came out in 1935.It changed the kind of clothes people wear.The middle part of the 20th century brought new ways to help people get over disease. _ worked very well.They made people healthier and let them live longer lives.By the 1960's most people could expect to live to be at least 60.By this time most people had a very good life.
Of course new inventions continued to be made.But man now had a desire to explore again.The world was known to man but the stars were not.Man began looking for ways to go into space.Russia made the first step.Then the United States took a step.Since then other countries, including China and Japan, have made their steps into space.In 1969 man took his biggest step away from the earth.Americans first walked on the moon.This is certainly just a beginning though.
New inventions will someday allow us to do things we have never yet dreamed of. | high14266.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "biology"
},
"options": [
"physics",
"chemistry",
"biology",
"economics"
],
"question": "Ransom Myers was known for his scientific work in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Ransom Myers of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia warned, using solid science and careful analysis, of the dangers of overfishing. _ and he wasn't afraid to report bad news. As the Guelph Mercury reported, the 54-year-old biologist, originally from Mississippi, was known for his research and warnings about the extinction of marine life around the world.
He developed a passion for marine protection during his days in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, where he worked for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at a time when the industry was watching the collapse of the cod fishery. He became, says the Guelph Mercury, a lone, unpopular voice in the discussion about the cause of the collapse, insisting overfishing was the main factor. The world was spending its energy fighting over the few fish left instead of cutting catch limits before it was too late.
He warned governments, the fishing industry and consumers, that unless commercial fishing was reduced, many large marine species would become extinct, leading to economic disruptions, food shortages, and lasting damage to marine ecosystems. He said his conclusions were shocking because people had lost sight of the true effect of the declines and they did not look back far enough in history. In other words, he said, "We've forgotten how big fish used to be and how many of them once lived in the sea." | high13509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They're all held in the same day."
},
"options": [
"They're all held in the same day.",
"They're all held by the same organization.",
"They're all organized for children.",
"They're all about the dancing and music."
... | New Year's Eve is a time to celebrate and enter the new year with a smile on your face. This year, there're plenty of local activities for all ages and interests, so the smiles will come easily.
BLUE CONCERT
Blues band the Coyotes is playing at the Dance Barn,at 8 Barn View in Sudden Valley, The show will start at 9 p. m. and benefit the charity Bikers Fighting Cancer. Tickets cost $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 224-2308 for more information.
NEW YEAR'S LAUGHS
Ring in the New Year and laugh out the old one at the Upfront Theatre Comic improvisers will hit on all the highlights of the year with The Last Laugh of 2008. The 9 p. m. show will cost $15 and is open to all ages. The 11 P. m. show is open to 21 and older and costs $18, which includes a champagne toast. Call 733-8855 for more information.
MAZE
For a fun activity earlier in the evening,walk the labyrinth at the Leopold Crystal Bellroom. Wander through the maze, based on the French Chartres Cathedral, for free from 4 to 9 p. m. Call 752-0048 for more information.
COUNTRY DANCING
At the Bellingham Eagles Hall, live local music will help get the dance started at 8 p. m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and free for kids 12 and younger. For more information, call 676-1554. | high15178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The giving-away of privacy."
},
"options": [
"The giving-away of privacy.",
"Getting lots of junk emails.",
"Becoming a member of some organization unwillingly.",
"Not being able to unsubscribe."
],
"question": ... | In the next few years, battery technology is going to grow rapidly.
No more charging your smart phone every day...
No more "range anxiety" for electric cars, as new lithium batteries allow them to drive hundreds of miles on a single charge, just like a tank of gas.
And a tiny Chinese company is to be the leader of it all.
It already counts Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung as customers for its advanced batteries.
But the real money is going to come when it starts selling electric cars.
Right now, the stock is trading at an extreme discount, offering in-the-know investors a chance to get in and _ .
You need to know all the details about this opportunity today -- and not a day later.
To do that, and to gain access to all the information you'll need to invest confidently, simply sign up for the free e-Letter from Energy & Capital by entering your email address below...
Once you do, we'll rush you our latest report, China's $2.00 Lithium Linchpin.
After getting your report, you'll begin receiving the Energy & Capital e-Letter, delivered to your inbox daily.
Become a member of Energy & Capital today. It is free and there is absolutely no obligation , ever.
NO-JUNK: By no means will we EVER rent, sell or give away your email address for any reason. Unsubscribing from Energy & Capital is quick, easy, and painless... with just a few clicks. View our Privacy Policy. | high1728.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Lists of English version books."
},
"options": [
"Lists of English version books.",
"Research on English literature.",
"Unfinished novels by British writers.",
"Comments on English literature."
],
"question": "W... | I used to think of myself as a fairly open person, but my bookshelves told a different story. Apart from a few Indian novels and the Australian and South African book, my literature collection consisted of British and American titles. Worse still, I hardly ever read anything in translation. My reading was limited to stories by English-speaking authors.
So, at the start of 2012, I set myself the challenge of trying to read a book from every country in a year to find out what I was missing. As I was unlikely to find publications from nearly 200 nations on the shelves of my local bookshop, I decided to ask the planet's readers for help. I created a blog called A Year of Reading the World and put out an appeal for suggestions of titles that I could read in English.
The response was amazing. Before I knew it, people all over the planet were getting in touch with ideas and offers of help. Some posted me books from their home countries. Others did hours of research on my behalf. In addition, several writers sent me unpublished translations of their novels, giving me a rare opportunity to read works otherwise unavailable to the 62% of the British who only speak English. Even so, selecting books was no easy task. With translations making up only around 4.5 percent of literary works published in the UK and Ireland, getting English versions of stories was difficult.
But the effort was worth it. I found I was visiting the mental space of the storytellers. These stories not only opened my mind to the real life in other places, but opened my heart to the way people there might feel.
And that in turn changed my thinking. Through reading the stories shared with me by bookish strangers around the globe, I realised I was not alone, but part of a network that spread all over the planet. | high6047.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she is often dressed strangely and differently from others."
},
"options": [
"the electric rhythm helps her too much in the performances.",
"she is often dressed strangely and differently from others.",
"she has been influenc... | Though she is already one of the most famous pop stars of the 21st century, you've probably never heard of a 25-year-old singer, song writer named Stefani Germanotta --- but that's only because almost everyone knows her by her stage name, Lady Gaga.
Born in New York City in 1986, Lady Gaga enjoyed music, singing and dancing from an early age: she started playing the piano when only four years old and loved performing in musicals at high school. At 17, she went to a special school for the arts but later left because she wanted to become a professional singer as soon as possible.
She became a global star with her first album The Fame in 2008 and followed it in 2009 with The Fame Monster. Earlier this year she released a single, "Born this Way," which broke the record for quickest sales for a piece of music on iTunes, with one million downloads in only five days. Her third album, also called Born this Way, went on sale in May this year. www.ks5u.com
Because of how much money she earns, how much she is written and talked about in the media, and how many internet searches are made with her name, Forbes magazine recently put her at number one in its list of the "world's most powerful celebrities ."
Most music critics say that what makes Lady Gaga's music stand out are her strong voice and also the strong electronic rhythm of most of her songs, which makes them popular in nightclubs. They also say her music often sounds like the work of other artists, and she herself is quite open about the fact that groups such as Queen and female singers such as Madonna have been a big influence on her.
More original than her music, perhaps, is the way she looks. A big part of her image is her outlandish clothes, with her strangest piece of clothing probably having been a dress made partly out of meat, which she wore once in 2010.
Part of what has made Lady Gaga so famous so quickly is the way she has used social media. She has over 30 million Facebook friends, for example, and almost 10 million followers on Twitter. | high17009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The skeletons of old wooden shipwrecks will exist for quite a long time."
},
"options": [
"Most ships in ancient times sank easily and become shipwrecks.",
"Shipwrecks, for scientists, are worth researching to get valuable informat... | Throughout seafaring history, ships and sailors have been lost to storms, accidents and war. Until recently, most of these ships were weak wooden sailing vessel , their skeletons quickly eaten away by sea creatures. Now, large vessels made of steel float on the seas. Thousands of these huge ships have been lost in times of war and in times of peace.
The bones of great metal ships, unlike the wooden vessels of old, survive the destruction of the sea long enough to become home and harbor for underwater life of all kinds. Shipwrecks often provide the only hard surface and structure at the sandy bottom of the sea, something many sea creatures need.
The ship has been underwater for only five days. Its surface is still clean. Six weeks later, the wreck is covered with a slimy layer of algae , but it is still recognizable as a ship. Soon, animals that need to attach themselves to a hard surface, like the feather duster worms, make the wreck their home.
In warm waters, coral polyps settle on the wreck and begin the process of building a rock-like _ on the ship. Small fish are attracted on all of these creatures. Larger fish come to feed on these small fish that hide in the wreckage. Eventually, the largest animals are attracted to the rich life on the shipwreck.
Shipwrecks give us valuable information about how sea plants and animals develop. We know exactly how long this wreck has been under water and how long sea life has been growing on it. Yet even the strongest steel shipwreck will finally be destroyed by the flows of water. But long after this wreck has been broken apart, it will still act as a reef . Layer upon layer of sea life has formed a structure that is now more natural than artificial, and will remain an island of life under the sea. | high2221.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they enjoy touring in \"Golden Week\" because it consists of several holidays"
},
"options": [
"they don't enjoy taking vacations because it's too expensive",
"they enjoy touring in \"Golden Week\" because it consists of several ho... | How do you think of the following example? Many Japanese never take the vacations they should enjoy, but with the coming of "Golden Week", several holidays following one after another in late April and early May, they pour out of the country in the tens of thousands.
So when traveling, whether on business or for pleasure, the first thing to think about are hotels. The kind of hotel you choose is decided according to how much money you want to spend. There are small hotels with very few services, where the prices are low, or there are large hotels with all the very latest comforts, where you could spend all the money you have in the bank for a very comfortable night.
There are several different kinds of people who go to hotels. Some want to live, rather than just stay, in a hotel; hotels which are designed to meet their needs are called residential hotels. However, most people who stay in hotels are either business people or tourists on holiday.
In most hotels, there are two kinds of rooms: single rooms, for the use of one person, and double rooms, for the use of two people. In addition, in large hotels, there are also suites , which include two or more rooms connected together -- perhaps a bedroom and a living room. They are for people who are very rich or very important. | high4888.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Sunglasses deliver mystery to the observers as well as the wearers."
},
"options": [
"Sunglasses deliver mystery to the observers as well as the wearers.",
"Sunglasses were mainly used in risky sports after their commercialization.... | Vanessa Brown, a senior lecturer of art at Nottingham University, explores the cultural and psychological relation between sunglasses and our modern idea of "cool." Her research has uncovered about why most of us look better in shades.
Because they really make your misshapen face look better. Put on a pair of sunglasses, and an instant beauty as a result of balance! The dark lenses cover up any unbalanced oddities around your eyes, and research on facial attractiveness shows a clear link between balance and our sense of beauty.
Because of mystery. Many of the quick judgments we form about people come from looking in the eyes; shade yours, and you're instantly a more attractive presence. Eye contact helps us form judgments about someone's intelligence, confidence, and sincerity and sunglasses keep us literally in the dark about forming those perceptions. And it works both ways, because the wearer of the sunglasses feels more mysterious, too.
Because of their historical link with sharpness and attraction. We take their existence for granted today, but sunglasses are relatively modern, Brown said. Sales started to pick up in the 1920s, but they didn't become commonplace until about two decades after that. The way sunglasses were most used prior to their commercialization helps explain their inside coolness, Brown said, because in their early days sunglasses were primarily used during risky water and snow sports, which made them seem "daring and totally modern."
Soon after that, Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 1960s started wearing sunglasses to defend themselves from being recognized by the public or bothered by paparazzi , whose flashbulbs would often explode violently, Brown said. Anyhow, movie stars' adoption of them strengthened a sense of romance. Also--and this is more from my own personal research than Brown's--hang-overs. They're really great for hiding hang-overs. | high10766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "animals' lives in laboratories"
},
"options": [
"animals' lives in laboratories",
"cruel experiments on animals",
"the needs of animals in labs",
"facilities used to care for animals"
],
"question": "The passage... | Imagine living locked inside a closet. You can't choose when and what to eat or how you will spend your time. You can't even decide when the lights go on and off. Think about spending your whole life like this.
This is the life of lab animals.
Now consider the needs of these animals. Chimpanzees ,in their natural homes, are never separated from their families. They spend hours together every day. But in a lab, chimpanzees are put in cages alone. There are no families, only cold, hard cages, and loneliness that goes on for so many years that most of them lose their minds at last.
Worse yet are the experiments. Animals are given diseases they would never normally get. Experimenters force-feed(......) chemicals to them, conduct repeated surgeries ,and much more, Think of what it would be like to put up with these and then be thrown back into a cage, usually without any painkillers. Often animals see other animals being killed right in front of them.
Hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in product tests for shampoos, skin creams and new cancer drugs. Although more than 500 companies have stopped testing on animals, some of them still force chemicals into monkeys' stomachs and rabbits' eyes.
Although some facilities are better than others at caring for animals--not every lab worker kills a mouse by cutting off its head with scissors--there are no happy animals inside laboratories. Will the lab life end? When will it end? | high11478.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "winter will end in a short time"
},
"options": [
"spring will come in March",
"winter will end in a short time",
"the groundhog will go on sleeping",
"the groundhog will refuse to go out"
],
"question": "Accordi... | The groundhog has been considered a weather prophet for many years in north America. According to legend, all winter long the furry brown groundhog sleeps in his comfortable underground home, or hole. On February 2, he wakes up. The groundhog is very hungry and comes out to search for food. If the sun is shinning, the groundhog will see his own shadow. The sight of his shadow gives him such a fright that he quickly returns to his hole. This event means that spring will not come for six more weeks. If the sun is not shining, there will be no shadow. The groundhog will not be scared and he will stay outside his hole. Spring will come very soon.
The idea that animals could foretell the weather probably began in ancient Europe. At the time, most of the people were farmers and the weather was very important to them. If spring came early they could begin the planting season early and have an early harvest. They found some animals were good weather prophets. On February 2, when they celebrated Candlemas Day, a religious holiday around the time winter ends, all the people watched for an animal leaving its hole. In Germany, farmers watched for a badge. In England farmers looked for a hedgehog . They believed the animals could foretell the weather for the next six weeks.
When the early settlers came to North America there no badgers or hedgehogs near their homes. The farmers did not know when to plant their crops. In time they discovered an animal that left its hole at the end of winter. That animal was the groundhog, also called a woodchuck or a marmot. Every February 2 they watched for a groundhog. Finally, the day came to be called "Groundhog Day". Many groundhog-watching clubs were formed. The members sometimes dressed in nightshirts and top hats made of silk. They would go to the hills in the dark morning and wait near a groundhog hole. Sometimes the groundhog-watching clubs would have other types of celebrations | high10772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "do the same thing as in a marathon"
},
"options": [
"cover a long distance",
"keep hands in place for long",
"wave hands as long as possible",
"do the same thing as in a marathon"
],
"question": "The reason why ... | It is probably the strangest sport anyone has ever invented.And at first sight,it looks like the easiest.Competitors have to do two things.The first is to stand still.The second is to place their hands anywhere on the body of a car,and keep it there.
This is where things start getting difficult.Lots of people are doing the same thing.And the winner of the "handathon" contest is the person who can carry on doing it for the longest time.That person gets to own the car.
It still seems to be an easy thing to do.At the beginning it is.Anyone can stand still.But when the contest has been going for four or five days,standing still seems like the most difficult job in the world.And keeping the hand in place over this time becomes an act of serious attention.After a few days,the hand seems to belong to someone else--someone who wants to go home and get some sleep.
Competitors are allowed to take a five-minute break every hour to eat,drink or do whatever else is necessary.No one is allowed to lean on the car for support.Winners need to be able to show great powers of attention.They also need to be able to develop special skills.
Maybe the popularity of the handathon is due to the fact that it is not necessary to be a trained athlete to enter.Entrants in the Longview handathon certainly don't seem to do much preparation.Most say they will prepare by "getting lots of sleep".Others say they will "eat healthy food" or "pray for success".The whole event gives ordinary people the chance to do something interesting and win something in the end.
Handathons are competitions,but there is little rivalry between competitors.They help each other out and keep each other's spirits up.People who drop out early return with food,drink and encouragement. | high20869.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "His life in the Grammar School."
},
"options": [
"His date of birth.",
"His marriage.",
"His life in the Grammar School.",
"His date of death."
],
"question": "According to the writer, which of the following rem... | Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, made full use of the greatest resources of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal use of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand words! There is probably no better way for a foreigner to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare uses it. Such a study is well worth the effort, even though some aspects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare's day.
However, it is surprising that we should know comparatively little about the life of the greatest English writer. We know that Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, and that he died there in 1616. He almost certainly attended the Grammar School in the town, but of this we cannot be sure. We know he was married there in 1582 to Anne Hathaway and that he had three children. We know that he spent much of his life in London writing his great works. But this is almost all that we do know.
However, what is important about Shakespeare's life is not its other less important details but its products, the plays and the poems. For many years scholars have been trying to add a few facts about Shakespeare's life to the small number we already possess and for an equally long time critics have been talking about the plays. Sometimes, indeed,
Luckily this is not likely to happen.
have long delighted not just the English but lovers of literature everywhere, and will continue to do so after the scholars and critics and all their works have been forgotten. | high16303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "high school English teachers should be responsible for their students' poor command of English"
},
"options": [
"he was an excellent language teacher because he had been teaching English for sixteen years",
"the younger generation ... | What do college teachers think of high school English teachers'English teaching? And how should we see it? Let's read the following.
A teacher from a community college addressed a sympathetic audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, "High school English teachers are not doing their jobs." He described how weak his students were--all high school graduates who can use language only at a Grade 9 level.
My topic is not standards nor its decline . What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.
My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following is natural. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies . But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.
The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults, the language of the young always seems inadequate.
Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not seen as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar to today's young people, it naturally follows that today's English teachers cannot be doing their jobs. | high4644.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A sales executive."
},
"options": [
"A sales executive.",
"A martial arts trainer.",
"A workshop manager.",
"A farmhand."
],
"question": "Of the four positions,which offers the top yearly income?",
"question... | Sales Executive
Pindan Labor Solutions is expanding and we require a sales executive. Working hours from Monday to Friday,12 months a year. However,some weekend work may be required. You will be assisting our team of consultants with business development. You can get a monthly income of $5,200.Essential requirements include previous sales experience,strong communication skills,high level of computer competency ,WA driver's license.
For more information,please email stefan@tigerhospitality.com or phone 0452 236 541.
Martial Arts Trainer
GoKanRyu Karate has a number of positions available for people who have an interest in the martial arts. The position will involve training new students on working days. An expected first year income of $45,000.Excellent people skills and previous experience are essential. Own car and license required.
Please contact Tim Hort on 0285 371 464 or kyle@hospitalio.com for further information.
Workshop Manager
Located in Wongan Hills WA,Beckman Machinery wants a service/workshop manager to join our successful team. Your role will be to provide the best possible service to customers,Monday to Friday. You must have trade certificate,excellent communication and computer skills. Knowledge of agricultural products is essential. You can get at least $50,000 in your first year.
Please call Stuart 0427 777 105 or email stuart@boekemans.com.au if any further information is needed.
Farmhand
A general farmhand is required to work on a farm located 40kms from Condobolin.A driver's license is essential. Duties include:sheep,cattle work;cropping & irrigation .Weekends off,except during sowing and harvest periods.$39,000 a year.
If you are interested in farm work,please email diane.moisis@cwcc.nsw.edu.au or call 0167 327 047 for detailed information. | high19030.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "picnics"
},
"options": [
"teams",
"races",
"picnics",
"children"
],
"question": "The main purpose of the text is to introduce games for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Fun games and activities play all important role in making picnics enjoyable. Here are some examples.
Picnic Games for all Age Groups: Running and jumping races, playing balloons are some of the very popular picnic games for children. Grown ups in the picnic mood often enjoy taking part in children's games too. While organizing picnic games that suit all age groups, think of all those going to the picnic and think of their preferences. Picnic games for grown ups can include playing frisbee , ball games and other sports activities. Prepare playing cards and board games for those who may not be able to take part in active games.
Family picnic games: family picnics are for all the family members to get together and share some priceless moments with each other. When on a family picnics, spend quality time with your family members, chat with them and talk about what you have not spoken about due to your busy lives. Playing together helps you refresh yourself and your relationship with your _ .
Company Picnic Games: Company picnics are team-building events, organized with the purpose of nurturing team spirit in the company and developing in them a sense of belongings towards the organization. You can organize outdoor sports, team games and enjoyable activities for the team members. Make sure that the company picnic turns out to be a refreshing break from work for the team. | high14514.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "an apple tree"
},
"options": [
"an apple tree",
"the best picture",
"curtains",
"birds"
],
"question": "Mr. Black drew_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,... | Mr. Black and Mr. White were two very famous artists in the city. Their drawings were also very popular in the city. But they tried to see who could draw the best picture.
One day they asked an old man to be the judge. Mr. Black drew an apple tree. He put his picture in the field. Soon the birds came and tried to eat the apples. The old man saw it and said, "You have certainly won. Mr. White cannot draw so good a picture as yours. But we will go to see his picture."
They went to Mr. White's house. There were nothing but red beautiful curtains on the wall. The old man asked, "Where is your picture, Mr. White?" He said, "Lift the curtains, and you will find my picture." The old man tried to lift the curtains but found that they were drawn there. They were Mr. White's picture. The old man said, "Birds thought the apples were real. Men thought the curtains were real. So Mr. White won. His picture is the best one." | high9360.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the subjects every student takes may vary"
},
"options": [
"all high-school students take the same courses",
"every student must take practical ability training courses",
"every public school offers the same academic subjects... | Education is an expensive part of American life. Its size is matched by its variety. Differences in American schools compared with those found in the majority of other countries lie in the fact that education here has long been intended for everyone. Schools are expected to meet the needs of every child, regardless of ability, and also the needs of society itself. This means that public schools offer more than academic subjects. It surprises many people when they come here to find high schools offering such courses as typing, sewing, radio repair, computer programming or driver training, along with traditional academic subjects such as mathematics, history, and languages. Students choose their courses depending on their interests, future goals, and level of ability. The basic goal of American education is to develop every child to the utmost of his or her own possibilities, and to give each one a sense of community.
Schools have traditionally played an important role in creating national unity and "Americanizing" the millions of immigrants who have poured into this country from many different backgrounds and origins. Schools still play a large role in the community, especially in the small towns.
The teaching may seem unfamiliar to many, not only because it is informal, but also because there is not much emphasis on learning facts. Instead, Americans try to teach their children to think for themselves and to develop their own intellectual and creative abilities. Students spend much time learning how to use materials, libraries, statistics, and computers. Americans believe that if children are taught to _ and to research well, they will be able to find whatever facts they need throughout the rest of their lives. Knowing how to solve problems is considered more important than the accumulation of facts.
This is America's answer to the searching question that thoughtful parents all over the world are asking themselves in the fast-moving time, "How can one prepare today's child for a tomorrow that one can neither predict nor understand?" | high9406.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "UN's possible sanction against North Koreabecause of its nuke test"
},
"options": [
"China and South Korea's dispute overNorth Korea",
"South Korea's disagreement with the USA",
"Chinese leaders' meeting with Ban Ki-moon",
... | It was not immediately clear how the military officials first spotted the activity at the site. However, the prefix = st1 /United StatesandSouth Koreagenerally share intelligence information obtained through satellite imagery.
Meanwhile, more unidentified South Korean government sources said they are trying to confirm whether a new facility that has been built at the site could be part of preparations for a second nuclear test, the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported Saturday.
Defense officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
The news came a day after the South's Foreign Minister and incoming U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Chinese leaders to discuss sanctions against the North over its Oct. 9 underground nuclear test.
Ban met with Chinese President Hu Jintao, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Friday. South Korea's Foreign Ministry said they would discuss sanctions, but details of their talks were not immediately released.
Ban is visiting the five permanent U.N. Security Council members following his election as secretary-general this month. He pledged to make resolving the North Koreanuclear issue a key priority on his agenda as head of the international body.
The United Stateshas been trying to muster greater support for a U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for sanctions in response to the North's nuclear test.
Seoul and Beijinghave been reluctant to enforce sanctions over the Oct. 9 test for fear they might aggravate their unpredictable neighbor and destabilize the region.
As the North's main aid providers and trade partners, ChinaandSouth Korea's participation are considered crucial for the success of the United Nations resolution, which bans the sale of major arms to the North and calls for inspection of cargo entering and leaving the country. | high22918.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "has been recognized"
},
"options": [
"is still unknown",
"is paid little attention to",
"is accepted on the base of scientific proof",
"has been recognized"
],
"question": "The importance of greenspaces in the c... | Greenspace facilities are contributing to an important degree to the quality of the city environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-proved statement than on the base of a closely reasoned scientific proof. Recognizing the importance of greenspaces in the city environment is a first step on the right way, this does not mean, however, that enough details are known about the functions of greenspace in towns and about the way in which people are using these spaces. As to this subject I shall within the scope of this lecture, enter into one aspect only, namely the recreative function of greenspace facilities.
The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town and country planning, has in my opinion resulted in more attention for forms of recreation far from home, while there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighborhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obvious that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street door of the house. The city environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more required activities can also have recreative aspect.
The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot for enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street door of your house is closed after you. | high12603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "express his worry about Germany's future"
},
"options": [
"show how rude the teenagers are",
"complain the way some people act",
"express his worry about Germany's future",
"show how lazy young people nowadays are"
... | Dear Editor,
I am writing to ask what has happened to our youth. They are not as polite, hard-working or clever as my generation. I will give you two examples.
Last Friday, I got on the underground at 9.15a.m. It was very busy so there were no free seats. There were some teenagers sitting on the seats nearest me. I didn't know why they were not at school. They were talking loudly and laughing. It was difficult to read my newspaper with all the noise. A heavily pregnant woman and her daughter got on at the next stop, with lots of shopping bags. I expected the teenagers to let them sit down. They saw the woman but did nothing. I had to ask them to give her a seat. They reluctantly did so but give me a rude look. I got off at the next stop and was glad that the teenagers didn't follow me.
Last Saturday, I had dinner with my friend's family. I was expecting to meet his children, who I hadn't seen for ten years. During dinner, we started talking about world politics. It soon became clear that they didn't know much. They couldn't tell me the name of the King of Spain or the President of Italy. All they knew about was the Internet and which singers were the most beautiful. In my day, students knew the kings, queens and presidents of every country in Europe.
I worry about the future of Germany. How could these young people become responsible workers and parents? They sit around Macdonald's after instead of going to the library like I did at their age. Maybe they have too much money. Perhaps another reader can give us an idea about what to do with this"lost generation".
Franz Vogts
Hamburg | high8718.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Smart phones make kids learn more."
},
"options": [
"The popularity of smart phones among kids",
"The entertaining function of smart phones",
"Smart phones make kids learn more.",
"It's too early for kids to use smart p... | As any parent with an iPhone or an iPod Touch knows, mobile apps can be an engaging and entertaining experience for kids. Now, a new study of PBS Kids suggests that the experience can be an educational one as well.
The study, which was administered by PBS under a grant from the Department of Education, first tested the vocabulary level of a group of 90 Title 1 school children, aged 3 to 7. Then, the children were each given two weeks with an iPod Touch loaded with the Martha Speaks Dog Party app created by PBS Kids.
The study monitored how the children used the iPod, during what hours, and in what context. On average, the study found that kids played with the iPod Touch for a total of 5 hours across the two weeks, with half that time spent playing the Martha Speaks app. At the end of the two week trial, the children were given another vocabulary test, which revealed an increase in vocabulary acquisition by as much as 31 per cent.
The study findings are particularly useful as smart phones and mobile devices have become increasingly popular among families and parents are faced with a proliferation of mobile apps designed for kids. According to a recent Nielsen study, smart phone usage is 12% higher in households with children than other households.
"Mobile apps can be a great learning tool in the hands of children," said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP, Children's Media, PBS. "This research is important in helping to better understand and guide the development of new apps that improve the value of children's screen time with significant educational outcomes."
So what does it all mean?
At best, it provides more evidence that mobile devices and apps do indeed have educational value and could be an important part of the child-learning process for many years to come. | high16465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere"
},
"options": [
"most of the ice melted in the Northern hemisphere",
"most of the ice melted in the Southern hemisphere",
"The North Pole is colder than South Pole",
"T... | Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience. Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods.
A new study from Switzerland, sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age. It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern regions.
This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern. Scientists have long assumed that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere during the 30,000-year long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea the ice can easily just slip into the ocean instead of building up.
The researchers used a computer model to look at ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time. The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would have been a bigger impact on ocean currents and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too. The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that ice melted equally in the North and the South.
It is still a mystery as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt. | high4122.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is not too expensive."
},
"options": [
"It is not too expensive.",
"We can download software from it.",
"It can print whatever we want.",
"It'll replace shopping in the future."
],
"question": "What do we kno... | It is amazing how many of the things in science fiction and movies have become reality. For instance, in the movie Star Trek, the workers could go to a replicator and order food, drinks or anything they could program into the computer. Before long, the item would appear. This is possible today, in a way, with technology we have had for years.
Several manufacturers have created 3D printers. One company, MakerBot, has created a printer that the average person can afford. It is called The Replicator. You can download a lot of design software from the Internet for use with The Replicator. In the near future, rather than going to a store to buy what you need, you may be able to download what you want from the Internet and print it out at home.
The process was first used with music. At the very beginning, music was recorded onto plastic disks with etching . Music can now be copied without a physical product. _ Rather than having to buy a physical book or magazine, you can now download them from the Internet in digital form.
This technology is already used in engineering and architecture. Melissa Shoes, a Brazilian footwear company, is using this technology to create shoes. Rather than having to go through the current process of product design and development, the company is able to design and print shoes for display to see how well they will sell before having lots of them made. | high19756.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "all be different from one another"
},
"options": [
"be completely different from those of today",
"be very similar to our homes",
"all be different from one another",
"be movable as you want"
],
"question": "Hom... | The home of the future won't be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats just as we do today.But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams.No two homes will be the same.People will be able to buy "house kits" containing a basic house structure, with movable walls, doors and windows.They will put together the different parts to create the home they want.
Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still exist but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won't disappear because machines can't replace them. Teachers will still exist because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home. The medical technology revolution and space travel will create new jobs which we can only imagine today.
Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won't be for everyone because they won't be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then space hotels will orbit the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centres on the moon with leisure facilities for families.
Paper won't exist in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to save natural resources. E-newspapers and e-magazines will replace traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our reuseable paper.
The laws of physics tell us that the earth is going to disappear some time in the future.This isn't going to happen tomorrow but scientists predict that it will happen in five billion years when our sun explodes .We will have to explore the universe and find another home. At some point in the distant future, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another planet. There won't be any other choice. | high2553.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a local newspaper"
},
"options": [
"a department store",
"a shop that sells electronic equipment",
"a local newspaper",
"a hotel where the writer stayed"
],
"question": "Atlanta Journal is the name of _ .",
... | Dear Editor;
Why do newspapers carry so many advertisements for electronic equipment? Last Sunday I counted ads for seven kinds of televisions and thirteen kinds of radios in the Atlanta Journal. Besides that, there were pages and pages of ads for Citizens' Band radios and tape recorders.
Don't you realize what electronic equipment is doing to our daily life? Everywhere you go you may hear loud musician advertisements over radios; this continual noise is ruining our ears. Husbands don't talk to wives any more; they are always watching the news or a ball game. Children ruin their eyes (not to mention their minds) with endless hours of watching not only the programs for children but those for grown-ups as well. And worse, hidden microphones find out about our private lives, and computers keep records of personal information about us. Enough is enough! I think you should limit the amount of advertising of electronic equipment in the Atlanta journal. Otherwise it will make life unbearable for us all. | high10014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "American football"
},
"options": [
"English football",
"Egyptian football",
"Japanese football",
"American football"
],
"question": "The expression \"Go for it!\" comes from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | The expression "Go for it!" is a way of encouraging someone to try something.
"Go for it!" means you should not worry about failure or be too careful. You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly.
"Go for it!" gets name from football. Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada.
One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards. The team must make a critical decision.
The conservative choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball. The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed.
In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely.
There is no guarantee that the action you "Go for it!" will succeed. But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it. You put your fears behind. You choose courage over safety. You hold your breath and go for it. | high3895.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a smile bag"
},
"options": [
"a smile card",
"a smile stamp",
"a smile button",
"a smile bag"
],
"question": "All the followings are included in my \"You make a difference\" paper EXCEPT _",
"question_type... | Last night my husband and I were on the way to a show. We were both hungry and wanted to grab a quick bite on our way there, so we swung through a Jack-In-the-Box- Drive-thru Restaurant and placed our order.
When we got up to the window the lady smiled at me, which is sometimes rare and asked how I was doing while she was collecting our money for the food. I replied, "Fine, and how are you'?"She went to get our order ready and I asked my husband to pass my "Drive-thru Smile bag" to me. He handed it to me and watched in amazement as I gathered together a "You make a difference" paper, including a smile card, a smile stamp and a smile button.
She came back to the window almost before I finished putting it all together. Without looking too closely she passed the bag and said, "Thank you. Have a good day." I said, "Wait! This is for you." As I placed the little smile gifts in her hand a smile spread across her face. As she looked at the items it got a little bigger but when I thanked her for her smile there was no holding back. She gave the biggest smile and she was laughing. It was very heartwarming.
My husband was very impressed by it. It made him smile too. It just takes a little effort to connect in a human way to everyone we have dealings with, even with something as small as a Drive-thru transaction.
Remember, we all make a difference! | high19965.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "contact Skipper's Equestrian Center"
},
"options": [
"contact Cape Disappointment State Park",
"call 1-800-451-2542",
"contact Skipper's Equestrian Center",
"get in touch with an RV park"
],
"question": "If you ... | Long Beach lies in south-western Washington, and it is generally called Long Beach Peninsula. Communities there take you back to the old days of a simple and slow-paced lifestyle. There, visitors can relax and have fun through various activities.
Bird watching
There are many kinds of birds that can be found in Long Beach. It is the best if you observe from a distance. If you walk close to them, they may be spooked and fly away. Don't forget to take a camera and take pictures of the various birds there.
Horses
A popular activity in Long Beach is horseback riding. Two businesses in the city of Long Beach offer guided horseback tours along the beach: Black Country Wilderness Outfitters and Skipper's Equestrian Center. You may also bring your own horse. Among the adventures offered with horses is a wagon ride along the beach, a carriage ride through Long Beach, or a sunset ride on horseback on the beach.
Camping
RV camping and tent camping aren't allowed on the beach, but there are RV parks and private camp-grounds in the area, as well as Cape Disappointment State Park. Camp fires are allowed within 100 feet of the beach, but must be away from the beach dry grass.
Swimming and other activities
Swimming is allowed, but visitors should be careful. The waters are very cold and dangerous. Surfing is allowed only for experienced surfers. Beach driving is allowed at certain spots on the beach. The speed limit is 25 mph. Building sand castles, digging sand to find something, bicycle riding, and flying kites are also popular activities in the area.
You can find right hotels easily in the area. The Southwest Loop Trail Map can be got through the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau Office by calling 1-800-451-2542. Enjoy your trip to Long Beach, Washington. | high17790.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Engineering in a small liberal-arts university."
},
"options": [
"Engineering at a college with a large engineering department.",
"Engineering in a small liberal-arts university.",
"Literature in a liberal-arts university.",
... | Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality ,but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any reasonable student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, many famous professors and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did.
I chose to study engineering in a small liberal-arts university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my job. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by communicating with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a wise choice. They told me I was wise and grown-up beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.
I headed off to the college and sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical expert and excellent humanist all in one.
Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideas crashed into reality, as all noble ideas finally do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.
The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I supposed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult. | high6906.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Beer"
},
"options": [
"Beer",
"Bottled water",
"Coffee",
"Milk"
],
"question": "According to the passage, what drink sells best in the USA?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | Bottled water is a _ on the environment: The US public goes through about 50 billion water bottles a year, and most of those plastic containers are not recycled, according to Elizabeth Royte's bookBottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It.
Transporting the bottles and keeping them cold also burns fuels, which give off greenhouse gases. And groundwater pumping by bottled water companies draws heavily on underground aquifers and harms watersheds , according to the Sierra Club. And some studies suggest it takes up to three liters of water to produce one liter of bottled water.
Yet more than $100 billion is spent every year on bottled water globally. In many cities in developing countries where there is not a safe source of tap water, bottled water becomes a trusted choice.
In the US, tap water is controlled by the government and often examined for dangerous polluted substances. Each American drinks 79 liters of bottled water per year on average, according to the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University's Earth Institute in New York. The bottled water industry is so successful that it has outpaced milk, coffee, and juice in the number of gallons of drinks sold -- putting it behind only beer and soda.
Though the sale and consumption of bottled water is still on the rise, certain policymakers have taken steps to reduce it and encourage people to drink tap water. In September 2009, the Australian town of Bundanoon became the first town in the world to completely ban bottled water from its stores' shelves, building water fountains around the town instead.
Among US cities that have taken action are San Francisco and Seattle, which no longer buy water for city use, and Chicago, which added a five-cent tax on each bottle. Several restaurants in those cities have also given up bottled water for tap water. Other cities are also considering taking action. | high14299.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "gun murders"
},
"options": [
"gun murders",
"natural diseases",
"TV violence",
"physical punishment"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the American teenage boys' lives are most threatened by _ .",
... | Teenage boys, regardless of race, are more likely to die from gunshot wounds than from all natural causes combined.
By the time the average American child leaves primary school, he or she will witness 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence on television.
Youth are becoming involved in violence at an alarming rate. In fact, the young arrest rate for murder doubled, from 6 arrests per 100,000 youth aged from 10 to 17 to over 12 per 100,000.
For the many youth who have not been directly exposed to violence in their own communities, the entertainment media (television, movies, music and video games) provides many opportunities for children to see and hear violent exchanges. Research shows that there are about 5~6 violent acts per hour on prime time and 20~25 violent acts on Saturday morning children's programming. In its report, the American Psychological Association (APA) reported that viewing violence on television hurts children in many ways. In particular, the APA concludes that children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others, be more fearful of the world around them, be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways to- ward others, and gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems.
Another form of violence involving youth is physical punishment in the schools. This form of discipline still remains legally supported in 23 nations in America. The Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education reported that 555,000 students were physically punished in the schools during this school year. Although such punishment has been regarded as an effective method of discipline by those who apply it, the findings are obvious that physical punishment does not work and that children who are victims of physical punishment are subject to potential long-term physical and emotional damage. | high23435.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "prevent the AIDS virus from spreading"
},
"options": [
"cure AIDS",
"kill the AIDS virus",
"prevent the AIDS virus from spreading",
"produce new anti-AIDS cells"
],
"question": "The new technique can _ .",
... | American researchers have developed a technique that may become an important tool in fighting AIDS virus from attacking its target-cells in the body's defense system.When AIDS virus enters the blood,it searches for blood cells called T4 lymphocytes .The virus connects to the outside of T4 lymphocytes.Then it forces its way inside.There it directs the cells' genetic material to produce copies of the AIDS virus.This is how AIDS spreads.
Researchers think they may be able to stop AIDS from connecting to T4 ceils.When AIDS virus finds a T4 cell,it actually connects to a part of the cell called CD4 protein.
Researchers want to fool the virus by putting copies or clones of the CD4 protein into the blood.This way the AIDS virus will connect to cloned protein instead of the real ones.Scientists use genetic engineering methods to make the clones.Normally a CD4 protein remains on the T4 cell at all times;the AIDS virus must go to it.
In a new technique,however,the cloned CD4 protein is not connected to a cell.It floats freely,so a lot more can be put into the blood to keep the AIDS virus away from real CD4 protein on T4 cells.One report says the.AIDS virus connects to cloned protein just as effectively as it connects to real protein.That report was based on tests with blood cells grown in labs.The technique is just now beginning to be tested in animals.If successful,it may be tested in humans within a year. | high525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "have an advantage over other workers"
},
"options": [
"find it easy to carry on a conversation",
"have an advantage over other workers",
"must be white-collar workers",
"travel to many different countries"
],
"q... | With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite of the workforce.
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses.However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice.
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English.For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company.United Pan-European Communications (UPC), was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam.The job involved many electricians--more than the company could find in the Netherlands.There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language.So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings.
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t.They are also eligible for a wider range of high-level jobs.
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it.According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation.Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace.English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools.
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing. According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can.Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents. | high15839.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "About 11 million US kids can get enough amount of exercise in team practices."
},
"options": [
"Only 10% of the teens can't meet the suggestions about physical activity.",
"About 11 million US kids can get enough amount of exercise... | American government suggests that children and teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity every day. But less than half of children and just 10% of teens meet these suggestions. What's the deal?
It's reported that about 44million US kids participate in organized sports(such as baseball, softball, soccer).But a new study says just one-quarter of kids get the government-recommended amount of exercise when they show up for team practices. The study, published online last month in a medical journal, says younger kids and boys do better than teens and girls.
The study looked at 200 kids aged 7 to 14 who played on soccer, baseball and softball teams. The kids wore sensors to measure their activity during practices.
During each practice, kids averaged 30 minutes of downtime . "It is not clear how much physical activity is provided by youth sports practices," say the California-based authors of the study. "Much of the time may be inactive, such as receiving verbal instructions and waiting for turns."
What's a parent or coach--or kid--to do? The authors of the study suggest increasing the number of practices, _ the time of practices and changing it up during practices. For example, the coach could give each player a ball at the same time. Rather than focusing on one player's skills, it's best to get the whole team moving.
But, the study says, the bottom line is that team sports aren't enough exercise. For a child to meet the US physical activity suggestions, the kid will have to do more than just join a team. Exercise is also necessary during breaks, during physical education class, after school and even on the way to school. | high13290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "handed over one penny to her father"
},
"options": [
"got a penny from her father",
"received interest from her father",
"deposited a penny in her piggy bank",
"handed over one penny to her father"
],
"question"... | I've tried to explain compound interest to my eight - year - old daughter. When I have finished it, she summarizes back to me, "So, you are saying if I put $ 100 in the bank, when I turn sixteen the bank will give me $ 200?" She has already grasped more of the concept than I understood at her age, but she couldn't clearly understand that until she sees them in action.
One day I gave her a Ziploc bag with a handful of pennies and told her over the course of a week I wanted her to give me a penny a day. I would deposit the penny in " The Bank of Dad" and compound interest would begin to accumulate the day she deposited the penny. At the end of the week we would check her bank balance.
Each day my daughter handed over one penny at the breakfast table and I deposited it in her bank. I gave her a "receipt" for her deposit and explained that she needed to keep up with the receipts to see how much money she had added to her account. In an effort to make this a little more realistic, I deposited a penny from my own piggy bank every other day to give her an additional four pennies at the end of the week.
On Sunday evening we gathered receipts and confirmed she had deposited seven pennies in "The Bank of Dad. " Then I opened the old film container and counted out its contents--all eleven pennies. "Hey, there are four extra pennies in there!" I explained that her original seven pennies had grown to eleven pennies because every couple days the bank paid her a penny for letting them use her money--that's interest. She paused and asked, "Dad, what would happen if you deposited like a hundred million pennies in the bank? | high23353.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it was the first time they had seen snow"
},
"options": [
"they knew they would have no school for the next day",
"it was the first time they had seen snow",
"they knew that winter had come",
"they liked cold weather"
... | Our first winter in Canada was the happiest we have experienced. We were living in the countryside then and had just arrived from Hong Kong that autumn. One evening in mid December snow began to fall. When we looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing, we all cheered. It was the first snow we had ever seen and we were excited. We could hardly wait for the snow to stop so that we could go out to play. Next morning when we woke up, it was still snowing. We switched on the radio and learned that more than ten inches of snow had falled during the night and that since the roads were blocked there would be no school that day. We jumped up and down for joy and begged mother to let us go outside to play in the snow. She said we could go out after breakfast if we dressed ourselves warmly and promised to come back as soon as we felt cold.
When we went out, the snow had almost stopped. The roads , paths, gardens, and playing grounds were all hidden under a white blanket of soft snow. It was the most beautiful sight we had ever seen. Just then, we saw some neighbour's children coming out to play. We ran over to join them. Together we built a snowman and a snow house. After that, we took turns sliding down a hill on a large piece of cardboard. We were having so much fun when supper time came. Mother almost had to force us to go in and eat. | high8095.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "at the restaurant"
},
"options": [
"at the restaurant",
"in the car",
"in the office",
"in any places"
],
"question": "From May 1, 2011, it is forbidden to smoke _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | A ban on smoking in public places has come into effect on May 1,2011 in China--home to one third of the world's smokers.
The ban is aimed at controlling the number of deaths from smoking-related diseases, running at a million deaths a year.That figure is predicted to double by 2020.The new smoking ban is an attempt to prevent that prediction coming true.
The new rules forbid people from smoking in places like hotels, railway stations or theatres, but not including the office.Employers can warn their staff of the dangers of smoking but cannot forbid them from smoking at their desks.
But the new rules have been criticized because they do not describe in detail the punishments for businesses or individuals who _ them.Quite many smokers do not seem to take much notice of them.Often you find people smoking at next table while you are eating your meal or having a drink in a bar.In bus stops as well as in railway stations smoking can also be seen here and there.Business owners are also angry at the efforts to force them to ban smoking on their premises , because many customers refuse to go to restaurants or places of entertainment where smoking is forbidden.
It appears that many Chinese people are unaware of the dangers of smoking.Research suggests that only one in four knows the harm cigarettes can cause.Officials say they have to try to persuade people not to smoke to try to reduce the numbers dying from smoking-related diseases.At the same time, however, the local governments make a lot of money from the sales of cigarettes by the state-owned firm that makes and sells tobacco products throughout the country. | high20882.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It is just a mental reaction."
},
"options": [
"It occurs during exercise.",
"It has cognitive benefits.",
"It is just a mental reaction.",
"It is a physiological response."
],
"question": "Which of the followin... | Exercise seems to be good for the human brain,with many recent studies suggesting that regular exercise improves memory and thinking skills.But an interesting new study asks whether the apparent cognitive benefits from exercise are real or just a placebo effect -- that is,if we think we will be "smarter" after exercise,do our brains respond accordingly?The answer has significant implications for any of us hoping to use exercise to keep our minds sharp throughout our lives.
While many studies suggest that exercise may have cognitive benefits,recently some scientists have begun to question whether the apparently beneficial effects of exercise on thinking might be a placebo effect.So researchers at Florida State University in Tallahassee and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign decided to focus on expectations,on what people anticipate that exercise will do for thinking.If people's expectations jibe closely with the actual benefits,then at least some of those improvements are probably a result of the placebo effect and not of exercise.
For the new study,which was published last month in PLOS One,the researchers recruited 171 people through an online survey system,they asked half of these volunteers to estimate by how much a stretching and toning regimens performed three times a week might improve various measures of thinking.The other volunteers were asked the same questions,but about a regular walking program.
In actual experiments,stretching and toning program generally have little if any impact on people's cognitive skills.Walking,on the other hand,seems to substantially improve thinking ability.
But the survey respondents believed the opposite,estimating that the stretching and toning program would be more beneficial for the mind than walking.The estimates of benefits from walking were lower.
These data,while they do not involve any actual exercise,are good news for people who do exercise."The results from our study suggest that the benefits of aerobic exercise are not a placebo effect," said Cary Stothart,a graduate student in cognitive psychology at Florida State University,who led the study.
If expectations had been driving the improvements in cognition seen in studies after exercise,Mr.Stothart said,then people should have expected walking to be more beneficial for thinking than stretching.They didn't,implying that the changes in the brain and thinking after exercise are physiologically genuine.
The findings are strong enough to suggest that exercise really does change the brain and may,in the process,improve thinking,Mr.Stothart said.That conclusion should encourage scientists to look even more closely into how,at a molecular level,exercise remodels the human brain,he said.It also should encourage the rest of us to move,since the benefits are,it seems,not imaginary,even if they are in our head. | high10941.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "be successful in science careers"
},
"options": [
"be successful in science careers",
"enjoy solving future problems",
"perform community service",
"study wildlife and soils"
],
"question": "Students choose Math... | At the middle school level, there are many academic clubs in which students can participate.Students can choose clubs that focus on an area of interest.
Mathcounts Club
Mathcounts tries to increase excitement towards mathematic achievement. It hopes to provide students with the foundation for success in science, technology; engineering and mathematics careers. Schools select individuals and teams to participate in competitions. Local competitions are held in February with winners progressing to state competitions and then on to the national level. Mathcounts works to challenge student math skills, develop self-confidence and give rewards for their achievements.
Envirothon.
The Envrothon program focuses on natural resources knowledge and exposes students to diverse environmental issues, and ecosystems .The ecology field competition for five-member middle school teams offers competitions in wildlife, soils, forestry, current environmental issues and aquatics. Students Work and learn in middle school clubs and can compete at the local and state level.
Future Problem Solvers
Future Problem Salvers is an academic club that uses a six-step process to solve problemsthat may happen in the future. Students who are in the talented and gifted program, who like to "think out of the box," or who enjoy thinking about futuristic problems max like this club. Teams,comprised of four students read future scenes and write up solutions in: a booklet using the six-step process. Teams that score high enough can go to the .state competition and,then to the international competition.
Builders Club
Builders Club is open to any middle school student who wishes to perform community
service. Each Builders Club is co-sponsored by a Kiwanis club. and the middle school. The members learn by doing, and they learn organization; teamwork,and leadership. Builders Clubs can sponsor a "Teacher of the year" program, provide a recycling collection point, organize canned food and clothing drives to support local shelters, adopt a resident at a local senior citizens home; adopt a highway; tutor, etc.
Middle school academic clubs offer students a place to explore interests or talents: The clubs they join in middle school can help guide choices in high school and beyond. | high21544.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He prayed to Saint Jude."
},
"options": [
"He took a deep breath.",
"He prayed to Saint Jude.",
"He ate a teaspoon of sugar.",
"He drank a \"secret\" mixture."
],
"question": "How did Jack O'Leary stop his hiccu... | Bend over, take a deep breath and drink some water! This is just one of hundreds of tips you might get if you have the hiccups .Hiccups are so mysterious.We really don't know why they start and why they stop.
Everyone has a favorite cure for a case of the hiccups.Some people think that a good scare is necessary to get well.Others eat a teaspoon of sugar.Still others drink a glass of water with a knife in it.
An American man named Jack O'Leary said he had hiccupped 160 million times over a period of eight years.He tried 60,000 cures, but none of them worked.At last he prayed to Saint Jude, the saint of Hopeless cases, and his hiccupping stopped immediately.
It took a British plumber eight months to cure his hiccups.People from all over the world wrote him letters with suggestions for getting well.He tried them all, but the hiccups continued.Finally, he drank a "secret" mixture someone had sent him.By that evening his hiccups were gone.
Why did these cures work for these two men? No one really knows.But people who have studied many cases of hiccups have an idea--hiccups usually go away if you believe in the cure. | high10799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It is no fun to be busy for the kids"
},
"options": [
"Being too busy is bad for the kids",
"It is no fun to be busy for the kids",
"Homework should go before gam.",
"Being busy may cause the kids to feel bored"
],
... | This is the age of being busy. Many of us live in busy places and have busy lives. Even the roads are busy as we try to get from here to there. Adults are busy going to jobs and taking care of their families. Kids are busy, too, going to school and doing a lot of homework after school and on weekends.
Busy isn't bad, necessarily. If you are not busy enough you might be bored. But if you are too busy, you might break down. For example, if you have a soccer game that runs late on a school night and you haven't eaten dinner or done your homework, that's a not-so-fun kind of busy. We wanted to know what kids thought, so we did a kidsPoll about being busy with 882girls and boys aged 9 to 13.
Almost all of them said they felt stressed because they were too busy. About half said they felt this way once in a while or some of the time. But 17% said they felt this way most of the time and 24% said they felt this all the time! Oh dear, that's no fun.
Only 4% of kids said they wanted less free time and 18% said they already had just the right amount. But, no big surprise, 61% of kids wish they had a lot more free time. If they had more time, most would spend it hanging out or playing with friends.
Often, adults plan large parts of a kid 's day, especially during the school year. kids can't tell their parents they'll be skipping school today to get more free time! But they can tell their parents they'd like to play a game or read a book during their free time instead of watching TV. | high11493.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the freshmen of universities"
},
"options": [
"the senior students at college",
"the college students and teachers",
"the freshmen of universities",
"the parents of college students"
],
"question": "The passage ... | Whether you were the shy one at high school or the most popular person on campus, starting university is a clean paper for everyone. It's the best time to develop your skills with different people, such as teachers, classmates, and roommates. Your social skills and relationships with people in college will have an influence long after you graduate.
Here are some tips on developing your people skills at college.
Put yourself out there and meet new people
You're very likely to make some lifelong friendships at college. But before you get there you have to start by making friends.
Upperclassmen and the college itself will organize events to introduce you and your peers to each other and the new college environment. For the purpose of improving your social skills early on, attend every single one.
Join clubs that fit your interests. You can meet many people there and it's a safe bet that you will have something in common.
Being active on social networks, such as Renren and micro blogs, is also a good way to meet people, especially if you're not so good at face-to-face conversation.
Always open yourself to conversation
Your chances of making new friends depends on your ability to get a friendly atmosphere across.
Simple gestures, such as moving your things from a chair when someone is looking for a place in the canteen, can make you seem more open to conversation. You can also take out your earphones when someone asks to share a table with you in the common room while you're studying.
Try to get along with roommates
Getting along with roommates is a challenge you'd be wise to overcome. You live together, so you will often spend time together without even trying to. It's important to make sure that dorm life doesn't make you unhappy.
You should be cautious about facing your roommates over any problems, especially if you have only just met. Remember, be polite but firm.
The key is to set expectations and clear boundaries from the beginning. Let your roommates know your life habits, but also observe and respect theirs. Sleeping times and studying schedules, visiting friends and cleaning duties are just some of the topics you should discuss.
Avoid drama and gossip
As you already know from high school, your social life will be much more pleasant if you avoid causing and getting caught up in drama, no matter whether in class, dorm, or elsewhere.
When it comes to gossip, learn to keep your mouth shut and you'll avoid trouble. This is especially important if you live in a dorm, where staying away from someone you've offended is difficult. | high21550.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "trouble"
},
"options": [
"trouble",
"sympathy",
"congratulations",
"inspiring comments"
],
"question": "When their children reach their teens,parents usually expect _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"... | Ever since Stephanie's 13th birthday we have been receiving comments from other adults expressing their sympathies because our daughter is now a teenager.We've heard everything from,"Sure she's a good kid,but just wait,now that she's teenager..."to the ever inspiring,"Well,all kids are rotten when they are teenagers,just try to go through it the best way you can."What's more upsetting is that many of these insensitive adults feel the need to share their negative predictions well within the hearing of both our daughters.
I know that teenagers can be moody and difficult at times,but I'm 38 and I can also be difficult and moody.We worry about the future and want today's kids to know that we care for them and that there are opportunities that wait for them.However, at the very point they set out on that journey toward adulthood we stand there watching them disapprovingly ,just waiting for them to make mistakes."just like we knew they would."We tell them to respect themselves and to say no to drugs,yet we fail to set a positive example by treating them with kindness and consideration,demonstrating our respect for them.
I have,at times been guilty of this behavior but am now realizing that the more I see each person as a person,the more I am pleasantly surprised in some way or another. For example,a few weeks ago my husband and I were having dinner at our favorite restaurant and two teenage boys came in and sat down right beside us.I must admit that my first thought was,"perfect,there goes our quiet, peaceful dinner."I was so wrong! These young men were well behaved.quiet and left a nice tip for the waitress.Once I looked beyond the jeans so loose they were practically falling off and the multi-colored hair, I saw what fine people these kids were.
Many of the people who,perhaps unknowingly, treat teens with disrespect are unhappy about the fact that pop singers and sports stars are our children's heroes. I feel that unless we give them something better to go after, we really shouldn't complain. | high4863.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It's a way to relax and to socialize, a chance to stay away from their computers and have face-to-face communication with other people."
},
"options": [
"It's an activity that requires great concentration and intellectual skill",
"... | Mahjong, that favorite pastime of "old folks" in Shanghai, is finding a new audience among younger players, and many university students are becoming mad about this traditional Chinese game. Students at Fudan University have even formed a Mahjong club.
This resurgence of the game, however, is not without its critics. Some people still associate the game with gambling and for many years Mahjong was banned in China. One critic, surnamed Meng, was quoted as saying, "Mahjong is a bad custom that will distract students from studies." But Yu Guangyuan, former vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , says Mahjong is a "healthy, scientific, friendly mind game."
Mr. Yu's opinion seems to be shared by the majority of Chinese. They see the game as an activity that requires great concentration and intellectual skill. They also see the game as an important part of Chinese culture and a pastime that brings family and friends closer together. This Spring Festival many families will no doubt spend hours around the Mahjong table getting reacquainted with each other. For them, playing Mahjong is a way of spending quality family time. No one knows who invented Mahjong. Some say it was Confucius, others say the current form of the game was developed right here in Shanghai in the late19th century. It is certainly because of Shanghai that the game enjoys its worldwide popularity. It was brought to America in the 1920s and has since spread throughout Europe and other parts of Asia. There is now a World Championship of Mahjong which is held every year. This year's championship was held in Chongqing and attracted players from America, Europe and Russia, as well as students from Peking University, Tshinghua University and Nankai University. There was no prize money, but the players delighted in using their wits and their understanding of statistics and probability theory to defeat their clever opponents.
Of course, Mahjong doesn't have to always be that intense. For young people it can be a way to relax and to socialize, a chance to get away from their computers and talk to other people face to face. So, this Spring Festival, why not get out the "old folks" tiles: it's good to be mad about Mahjong! | high23347.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "give him some practice"
},
"options": [
"find a person who is reliable",
"find a part-time worker in need",
"give him some practice",
"show sympathy for him"
],
"question": "The author gave David an interview to... | The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.[:]
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet ( he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.[:,,Z,X,X,K]
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, "Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!"
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, "He doesn't talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!" | high8081.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because it stresses both material and spiritual development."
},
"options": [
"Because it changes its policy and begins to open up.",
"Because it uses \"GNH\" to measure its achievement.",
"Because it stresses both material a... | It is hard to imagine that such a small country,the size of Indiana with the population of Alaska,tucked in the Himalaya Mountains,accessible only by two airplanes,is the "Happiest Country'' in the world and has one of the fastest growing GDP'S in the world.This country is Bhutan,"Land of the Thunder Dragon",which is located in South Asia and is _ by India,China,and Nepal.
Bhutan is the last standing Buddhist Kingdom in the World and,until recently,has preserved much of their culture since the l7th century by avoiding globalization and staying isolated from the world.Internet,television,and western dress were banned from the country up until ten years ago.Over the past ten years globalization has begun to change in Bhutan,but things remain perfectly balanced.
Bhutan is the only country in the world that has a 'GNH',which refers to "Gross National Happiness.''The process of measuring GNH began when Bhutan opened up to globalization.It measures people's quality of life,and makes sure that "material and spiritual development happen together."Bhutan has done an amazing job of finding this balance.Bhutan has continually been ranked as the happiest country in all of Asia,and the eighth Happiest Country in the world according to Business Week.In 2007,Bhutan had the second fastest growing GDP in the world,at the same time as maintaining their environment and cultural identity.
In 2008,in Bhutan's first democratic election,28-year-old Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wang Chuck was elected president of Bhutan.He promises to "maintain a stance of protection against the worst aspects of globalization,maintaining the 'Gross National Happiness'."But Jigme himself is no stranger to globalization.He attended high school at Phillips Academy and university at Wheaton College and then graduated from Oxford. | high6912.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Get information from the Internet."
},
"options": [
"Get information from the Internet.",
"Read the Public Library Manifesto.",
"Clean the library with workers.",
"Work together with the teachers."
],
"question"... | Our school library offers learning services, books and other things that help all members of the school to become good thinkers and clever users of information. It is linked to the larger library in the city and the World Wide Web. All these services are given according to the requirements of the Public Library Manifesto .
School library services must be given to all members of the school. Students of any age, class and grade can enjoy them. Different services must be given to those who are unable to use the main library services.
Users of the library must follow the rules made by the library workers to keep it clean and tidy. The main rules are as follows:
1. Opening and closing times:
Monday --Friday: 9 a.m. --9 p.m. during term time.
Saturday: 9 a.m. --1p.m. throughout the year.
2. Admission and borrowing:
Only people holding a library card shall be allowed in.
Members can borrow 5 books at a time.
3. Behavior in the library:
Silence shall be kept as much as possible in the library. No other books can be taken into the library. Library workers can help members use the books and other things in the library.
When the library workers and teachers work together, students will get better reading, writing, and problem-solving skills. | high15193.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Three."
},
"options": [
"Four.",
"Three.",
"Two.",
"Five."
],
"question": "How many of the seven ads are placed by people who want to hire someone for a certain job?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | (1) Secretary. Part time. 20 hours a week. Busy doctor's office. Experience preferred. Good typing. Call 555-2438.
(2) BABY SITTER. 3 to 6 weekday afternoons. I will take you home. $5 an hour, call 555-5593.
(3) Guitar lessons. Your home or mine. Experienced musician. Master's degree in music. Call Louise 555-6131.
(4) TENTH STREET BLOCK PAKTY. Sunday. July 15. Noon to 8. Food, games, prizes, live band. Tenth Street between Main and North.
(5) APARTMENT FOR RENT. 3 sunny rooms on high floor, great view. Separate kitchen. Wall-to-wall carpeting. The living room can be used as dining room. Email: SDGT@163.com.net
(6) TAXI DRIVER WANTED. Full or part time. Experience necessary. A good knowledge of the city is required. Call 555-8860 between 9am and 5pm weekdays.
(7) A stereo system for sale. It has two speakers. The system has an AM/FM radio. It also has a tape deck and turntable. It is in good condition. The stereo was owned for only one year. The price is $ 200 including the speakers. The owner will also take the highest price offered if the asking price is not met. Call Bill after 6pm at 555-9834. | high23421.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the lessons that we could learn from the accident of theTitanic"
},
"options": [
"the reason why the Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean",
"how the unsinkable ship of Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean",
"the lessons that we c... | "We do look very different; we're older. Leo's 38, I'm 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he's fatter now -- I'm thinner.". So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release ofTitanicto coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship's demise. " It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship -- said to be unsinkable -- hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents.
Probably the greatest deficiency of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar . Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision.
Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly.
The last ship to send a warning was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners.
Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats.
1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board.
The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable- no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea. | high531.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "costs a Canadian reader $ 34.95 a year"
},
"options": [
"is a monthly publication",
"mainly deals with health problems",
"costs a Canadian reader $ 34.95 a year",
"has won Independent Press Awards 12 times"
],
"... | E - The Environmental Magazine
If you're concerned about your health, your family's health and the future of our planet, and want to know "What Can I Do?" to make a difference, you'll love reading E - The Environmental Magazine. A 12-time Independent Press Awards winner andnominee , E is full of everything environmental -- from recycling to rainforests, and from the global village to our own backyards.
1 year (6 issues) -- $24.95
2 years (12 issues) -- $34.95
Add $10.00 / year for Canadian postage
Add $40.00 / year for foreign postage
Edinburgh Young Carers Project
We work with young carers aged 5-18. We want to colour the lives of some of these young people by introducing them to someone who will try to understand them, listen, work towards agreed goals and have some FUN! Is that person you? Are you aged 18-25, could you help and encourage a young person to recognise what they want and work towards getting it?You can encourage and help someone and in return help yourself! You will learn new skills and build on your own experience.
Contact: Sue Mackay
email: sue.mackay@yahoocarers.org.uk
Belvedere Castle Exhibit
Date(s): February 16, 2008 - February 16, 2018
Time(s): 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Event scheduling: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Event details: The exhibit covers two floors of the Castle, and currently features an informational panel on the importance of trees and a display of common birds that can be found in surrounding areas. All Ages. Free; reservations required for groups of 25 people or more. Call 212-772-0210 for information. (click to show map)
Tennis Skills Camp
August 2-6, 2010 Registration deadline: July 15, 2010
This camp, held on the Alfred University Tennis Courts, is for boys and girls entering grades 7-12. Training at the beginner through advanced levels will be provided.
The camp is directed and coached by Dave Brady, tennis coach at Alfred-Almond Central School.
Camp sessions will be held Monday through Friday, from 4:00-6:30 p.m.
Cost: $150 per person | high20128.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He greatly appreciated others' help."
},
"options": [
"He refused to work and begged for food on the road.",
"He greatly appreciated others' help.",
"He couldn't stand cold, wet weather.",
"He liked to eat hamburgers an... | There is always a man who stands on different comers of the street in our city, holding a sign that reads "Will work for food for my family". Normally I don't have much money to help him. When my mother is with me and she sometimes makes me pull over and then she will hand him some money.
Tonight, I was on my way to the store to get some milk when I saw the man. My daughter and her friend were in the car. We all felt awful that this man was standing out in the cold, wet weather. Many people had made comments that he should be able to work. I often wondered why he would stand out there rather than be in the warmth of a building, working.
Well, he might not have an address, and he may need an address in order to apply for a job. Either way, I don't feel it is _ to judge. As I was sharing that feeling with my daughter and her friend, I decided that I needed to help this man. I wanted to show the girls the importance of helping others, not about worrying whether he was legitimately struggling or not.
So, when we pulled over to give him some money, I said, "God bless you," and he said it back to us. But the girls and I were still concerned that he would be cold, standing out in the bad weather. So we got him a hot chocolate and a hamburger. My daughter handed them to him and l told the man that the girl wanted to help him because she was worried about him being cold. He was very sweet and appreciative.
We all left with smiles, especially me, because, as we were pulling away, the girls were talking about ways they could raise money to help the man and others like him. It was the best trip I have ever made to get milk!!! | high21236.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "how to choose helpful English reading"
},
"options": [
"what are good English books",
"how to choose helpful English reading",
"some famous English writers",
"the importance of studying English"
],
"question": "... | To develop one's fine taste in English, one of the most effective ways is to read English books widely. Yet one may be at a loss to choose the proper books, especially as a beginner. I would like to share some of my experience.
My first English novel was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, but my experience was somewhat discouraging. When I read it, I had great difficulty in understand the novel , let alone enjoying it. It's not the words that troubled me, but rather the way Austen organized sentences, and her way of thinking, which seemed too distant to me at that time. So my first suggestion is, as a beginner, you should choose modern novels instead of classical ones. I do not mean you shouldreject (say no to) classical novels completely but start with something easier. Actually , my second reading ofPride and Prejudicegreatly pleased me.
However, reading novels is not the only way to improve your English . In fact, English essays can at once inform you, entertain you, and improve your taste in English. The best example is Bertrand Russell's works. Its language is not simple, yet you cannot help feeling the elegance and wisdom of his writing.
Last but not least, never follow others' suggestions and opinions blindly. Some days ago, I read Somerset Maugham's autobiography The Summing Up. In a chapter he regards Edward Gibbon and Samuel Johnson's style as pompous . Though I admire Maugham's works, I can't agree with his view. Probably one can say this about Johnson's works, but definitely not Gibbon's . In fact, Gibbon's clear style makes his works highly readable, and you can hardly believe they were written over 200 years ago. So we should be open to various ideas, but always think and decide for ourselves. | high22717.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It helps reduce the cost for airlines."
},
"options": [
"It is cheaper for air travelers.",
"It helps reduce the cost for airlines.",
"It can use computer to plan air traveling.",
"It helps prevent filers from losing th... | The United States: Fliers may want to have their tickets in hand before catching their planes, but the airline companies are doing everything they can to bring forward cost-saving ticketless flight--no paper needed, just a ticket number and a photo ID. Anyone who buys a Northwest E-ticket through the airline's computer service by June 16 will get an award. Next time you fly, you can buy another ticket for a friend for $99, good anywhere in the US or Canada, along with the lowest ticket prices. Some airlines offer extra frequent-flier miles for the ticketless crowd. And there are rising punishments for paper lovers. American, Northwest, United, and US Airways have raised the cost for lost-ticket replacement to $70 from either $60 or $50. The airlines insist that the increase in price is not meant to push travelers toward E-tickets but only covers the increasing cost of replacing and tracking a missing ticket. | high23409.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "very popular."
},
"options": [
"more interesting.",
"very popular.",
"more detailed.",
"more formal."
],
"question": "Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey are _ .",... | Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style . But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "rubbish talk". The contents on his show are as surprising as can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people's lives.
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top. But Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a "final word". He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show's main viewers are middleclass Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life's tough problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show's exploitation. | high519.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It mainly shows us a place to relax ourselves."
},
"options": [
"It mainly shows us some ways to spend weekends.",
"It Shows the ways of saving our time.",
"It mainly shows us a place to relax ourselves.",
"It shows us ... | Indoor and outdoor courts. Coaching from beginners to advanced, every day not
evenings.Children only-Sat. mornings.
SKIING
Dry slopes--3 levels instructors at weekends and Fridays. Daytime parcitice. 8 years upwards.
SWIMMING
2 pools I heated Olympic length. Tuition available.
Women: Tuesday and Thursday.
Men: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Children: Saturday
Family day: Sunday
GOLF
9 hole practice course. Professional Coaching. Lessons must be booked in advance in daytime. Evening practice. Minimum age -- 9 years.
GYMNASTICS
Maximum age--18 years. Children aged 5--10. Monday and Wednesdays. 4:00--6:00 p.m. 10--18 year-old. Friday evenings. Bar work on Sunday mornings.
AND MUCH MORE
Table Tennis, Snooker, Darts , Chess(everyday and evening), Cafe (all day),Bar(lunch time and evenings), Nursery(weekdays and weekends, not evenings). Centre open 10:00 a.m.--10:00 p.m. Daily. Interested? More details inside. Quote Card Number: 99. | high8917.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it provides practical guidance for parents"
},
"options": [
"it covers many inspiring thoughts about bringing up children",
"it outlines big theories from home and abroad",
"it provides practical guidance for parents",
... | Writer and teacher Yin Jianli's stories and thoughts about bringing up her daughter
Yuanyuan have been a constant source of inspiration for parents over the past 16 years.
Her book, A Good Mother Exceeds Good Teachers, published by Writers Publishing House, has been a bestseller on Dangdang and Amazon's online platforms
for the past three years. The book helped Yin make the Chinese Writers' Rich List, with 4. 48 million yuan($710,000).
Experts say Yin's book provides practical guidance, which makes it popular among parents.
"When the majority of books are either full of bragging about the authors' children or outlining big theories that have no foundation in practice, I write books that are practical and easy to follow," Yin writes.
"For example, there was an occasion when Yuanyuan forgot to do her elementary school homework. In such a situation many Chinese parents show their anger and scold their kids,"says Yin, who made an agreement with her husband they would not overly criticize or push their daughter. Instead, Yin encouraged the daughter to make up the homework, which meant staying up until midnight. As a result, she learned to arrange her time better and did not have a harmful reaction to doing homework. Yin's principle of "no parental interference ,and "giving children the opportunity to learn from their mistakes" is described in a number of real-life examples.
Readers say Yin's books improve their children's performance at school, and encourage them to develop good personalities and habits. They believe her books are not only about being good parents but also about growing as parents and individuals.
"When I'm reading books,I keep thinking about what a better personality I would have if my parents had adopted the methods Yin suggests when I was a kid,"one reader comments in a review on Yin's online blog. | high2584.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "are enjoyed by many Belgians"
},
"options": [
"represent Belgian history",
"are enjoyed by many Belgians",
"make a huge profit each year",
"are recognized by foreigners"
],
"question": "It is considered that pot... | Who would have thought that potato fries could unite an entire country? Well, that seems to be the case in Belgium where there is currently a movement to have Belgian potato fries officially recognized as cultural heritage.
The fries are served in a paper cone from a "fritkot", which is a shack or a food truck. Across Belgium, there are at least 5,000 fritkots which is 10 times more common than McDonald's restaurants in the United States.
The movement for the fries to be declared official cultural heritage was started by UNAFRI, also known as the national association of fritkot owners. They claim that their establishments represent Belgium very well. "A cone of potato chips is Belgium in miniature . What's amazing is that this way of thinking is the same, in spite of differences among communities and regions," added spokesman Bernard Lefevre.
Tourists can even be seen to line up with locals in Brussels to buy a cone of fries from wellknown fritkots such as Frit Flagey and Maison Antoine. "Before I came here, the only thing I knew about Belgium [Z-x-x-k.Com]was that they liked their fries," said Rachael Webb, a tourist from Ottowa, Canada.
In order to be recognized by UNESCO, it has to be formally supported by the Belgian government of culture.
As of right now, UNESCO has a list of 314 items of "cultural heritage" that they say is worthy enough to be preserved. Items on the list include Turkish coffee and the old native singing of the Central African Republic.
Potatoes reached Belgium in the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that they were cut up into fries and sold as a meal. | high19959.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It describes the scene on the seashore."
},
"options": [
"It tells us a story of the monkeys.",
"It describes the scene on the seashore.",
"It talks about the life of the fishermen.",
"It is about how the people celebra... | Along the seashore ,the tall coconut trees waved in he wind. The sand was white in the bright sun, and the ocean was dark blue. The houses in the town near the shore, were painted white. The boats had been pulled up on the shore. Usually they would all be in the water with hard-working fishermen. But today was a holiday, and everyone was preparing for the celebration that was going to take place that evening.
In the distance, men could be seen climbing the coconut trees. They were singing as they worked. There were monkeys in the trees, too. The monkeys were jumping up and down and screaming angrily.The climbers just laughed at the monkeys and continued to pick the fruits. | high3842.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "'W00t' Crowned Word of Year"
},
"options": [
"More Globalized Word",
"Words Used in the Media and on the Internet",
"'W00t' Crowned Word of Year",
"Online gamers' Triumph"
],
"question": "The best title for this... | Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc. said "w00t" reflects a new direction in the American language led by a generation raised on video games and mobile phone text-messaging. It's like saying "yay," the dictionary said. "It could be after a triumph or for no reason at all," Merriam-Webster said.
Visitors to Merriam-Webster's Web site were invited to vote for one of 20 words and phrases selected from the most frequently looked-up words on the site and submitted by readers.
Merriam-Webster President John Morse said "w00t" reflected the growing use of numeric keyboards to type words.
"People look for self-evident numeral-letter substitutions: 0 for O; 3 for E; 7 for T; and 4 for A," he said. "This is simply a different and more efficient way of representing the alphabetical character."
Online gamers often replace numbers and symbols with letters to form what Merriam-Webster calls an "esoteric computer hacker language" known as "l33t speak." This translates into "leet," which is short for "elite."
One Web site, www.thinkgeek.com, already sells T-shirts with the word "w00t" printed on the front.
Runner-up was "facebook" as a new verb meaning to add someone to a list of friends on the Web site Facebook.com or to search for people on the social networking site.
"Truthiness" was the word of last year picked by Webster.
A separate survey of words used in the media and on the Internet by California-based Global Language Monitor produced a different set of winners last week. "Hybrid" took top honors as word of the year with "climate change" the top phrase.
Runner-up was "surge," based on the "surge" of 30,000 extra U.S. troops deployed to Iraq since mid-June, followed by the word "Bluetooth," a technology used to connect electronic devices via radio waves.
"The English language is becoming more and more a globalized language every year," said Global Language Monitor president Paul Payack, noting that this year's list included words also selected from India, Singapore, China and Australia. | high20100.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Recycling the carbon dioxide into gasoline."
},
"options": [
"Removing the emission of carbon dioxide.",
"Reducing the carbon dioxide produced by car driving.",
"Recycling the carbon dioxide into gasoline.",
"Reserving ... | If two scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct, people will still be driving gasoline powered cars 50 years from now, giving out heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere--and yet that carbon dioxide will not contribute to global warming.
In a proposal by two scientists, vehicle emissions would no longer contribute to global warming. The scientists, F. Jeffrey Martin and William L. Kubic Jr., are proposing a concept, which they have named Green Freedom, for removing carbon dioxide from the air and turning it back into gasoline.
The idea is simple. Air would be blown over a liquid solution of potassium carbonate, which would absorb the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then be put to chemical reactions that would turn it into fuel : gasoline or jet fuel.
This process could change carbon dioxide from an unwanted, climate-changing pollutant into a vast resource for renewable fuels. The cycle--equal amounts of carbon dioxide produced and removed--would mean that cars, trucks and airplanes using the synthetic fuels would no longer be contributing to global warming.
Although they have not yet built a synthetic fuel factory, or even a small model, the scientists say it is all based on existing technology. "Everything in the concept has been built, is operating or has a close cousin that is operating." Dr. Martin said.
The Los Alamos proposal does not go against any laws of physics, and other scientists who have independently suggested similar ideas. Dr. Martin said he and Dr. Kubic had worked out their concept in more detail than former proposals.
There is, however, a major fact that explains why no one has built a carbon-dioxide-to-gasoline factory: it requires a great deal of energy.
According to their analysis, their concept, which would cost about $5 billion to build, could produce gasoline at an operating cost of $1.40 a gallon and would turn economically practical when the price at the pump hits $4.60 a gallon.
Other scientists said the Los Alamos proposal perhaps looked promising but could not evaluate it fully because the details has not been published. "It's definitely worth pursuing," said Martin I. Hoffert, a professor of physics at New York University. "It's not that new an idea. It has a couple of pieces to it that are interesting." | high19781.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "held.a positive attitude towards an active life"
},
"options": [
"was a wealthy person in the community",
"held.a positive attitude towards an active life",
"was fond of associating with celebrities",
"kept a secret of ... | Two of the hardest things to accomplish in this world are to acquire wealth by honest effort and, having gained it, to learn how to use it properly. Recently 1 walked into the locker room of a rather well-known golf club after finishing a round.It was in the late afternoon and most of the members had left for their homes. But a half-dozen or so men past middle age were still seated at tables talking aimlessly and drinking more than was good for them. These same men can be found there day after day.and,strangely enough,each one of these men had been a man of affairs and wealth,successful in business and respected in the community.If material prosperity were the chief necessity for happiness, then each one should have been happy. Yet,it seemed to me,something very important was missing,else there would not have been the constant effort to escape the realities of life through scotch and soda. They knew, each one of them,that their productivity had ceased .When a fruit tree ceases to bear its fruit,it is dying.And it is even so with man.
What 1s the answer to a long and happy existence in this world of ours? I think I found it long ago in a passage from the book of Genesis which caught my eye while I was looking through my Bible. The words were few,but they became memorably impressed on my mind:"In the sweat of the face shall you eat the bread."
To me,that has been a challenge from my earliest recollections (memories).In fact,the battle of life,of existence,is a challenge to everyone.The immortal words of St.Paul,too,have been and always will be a great inspiration to me.At the end of the road 1 want to be able to feel that I have fought a good fight,I have finished the course,I have kept the faith. | high17974.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Yao Ming retires from the basketball"
},
"options": [
"Yao Ming: a household name",
"Farewell conference",
"Yao Ming retires from the basketball",
"Yao Ming's personal decision"
],
"question": "Which of the foll... | The NBA's version of the Ming Dynasty is done. After helping basketball gain a foothold in the world's most populous market, Chinese star Yao Ming has retired.
Yao made it official Wednesday, telling a news conference that a series of foot and leg injuries forced him to end his playing career at the age of 30.
"I will formally end my career," said Yao, who became a household name in China before starting his NBA career with the Houston Rockets in 2002. Yao played eight seasons in the NBA.
"Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future," Yao said. "I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were a painful wait. I have been thinking about my future over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening."
Yao said he would return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more.
"My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it," Yao said.
He later appeared with his family on the stage to the applause and cheers of the crowd. He thanked a lot of people ---- his family, former coaches, even players like Shaquille O'Neal ---- "for making me a better player. I will be always with you. Thank you."
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey was among those attending the farewell conference Wednesday. Morey made the long trip from Houston. Morey said 20 hours on planes was tiring but he would be sorry if he wasn't here. "It's a big moment," Morey added. "Yao had a sense of humor, a great attitude and sense of responsibility. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA."
Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already a star in his home country. He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square and his country's flag during the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He also donated $ 2 million and set up a foundation to rebuild schools in the wake of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan. | high21578.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the power of a simple compliment"
},
"options": [
"friendship between the writer and a young man",
"the power of a simple compliment",
"a grocery store",
"a diligent assistant"
],
"question": "The passage is mai... | Yesterday I went to our local grocery store. I often go to their deli counter, and I understand that it can get a little confused for the workers. So normally none of them ever take the time to smile or seem overly friendly. But yesterday it was completely different. I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a very welcoming smile by the young man behind the counter. He never sighed heavily or slumped back and forth like he didn't want to be there. He was all by himself and quite a long line. But not once did he act concerned about it. He just did his job efficiently and acted very kind the entire time.
I was so impressed that I approached the manager. I explained to her that I often visit the deli counter and I have never been greeted with such kindness. She agreed with me that he was a wonderful person and she thanked me for sharing my feelings with her.
As I was walking away,I could hear her approaching the young man with,"I just got a wonderful compliment(praise) about you." I couldn't hear everything she was saying,but I knew that she did thank him. I couldn't help but smile!
Later I had to pass by the deli counter to get onions. There was no one there,except the diligent young man. He didn't say anything,he just smiled at me. I realized that I hadn't done a huge deed that day,but that small deed made a small difference to someone.I love seeing people smile. I just received my smile cards and I wish I had one with me that day. _ It's amazing how good I felt after that.
So,friends,the next time you are in a grocery store,retail store,restaurant,or anywhere that someone is working hard,letting them know in some way can mean so much. I hope you get a smile out of it like I did! | high4693.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "at about twenty-five"
},
"options": [
"at about twenty-five",
"In their early fifties",
"as soon as possible after they were fifteen",
"at any age from fifteen to forty-five"
],
"question": "According to the pas... | The greatest recent changes have ,been in the lives of women ,During the twentieth century there was an unusual shortening of the time of a woman's life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century would probably have been in her middle twenties ,and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old ,By the time the youngest was fifteen ,the mother would have been id her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years ,during which custom ,chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work, Today women marry younger and have fewer children Usually a woman 's youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty Even while she has the care of children ,her work is lightened by household appliances and convenience foods.
This important change in women's way of life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women' s economic position Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity and most of them took a full-time job However ,when they married ,they usually left work at once and never returned to it ,Today the school-leaving age is sixteen ,many girls stay at school after that age ,and though women tend to marry younger ,more married women stay at work at leas until shortly before their first child is born Very many more after wads ,return to full or part-time work Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage ,with both husband and wife accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfaction of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more e-qually in providing the money and running the home ,according to the abilities and inter-est of each them. | high20666.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are more traditional than"
},
"options": [
"perform better in school than",
"are more open-minded than",
"have closer friends than",
"are more traditional than"
],
"question": "According to the article, dog peop... | We all like watching online videos of dogs and cats doing funny things. But if you had to decide, which of the two animals would you say you might like better? Your answer may say something about your personality.
According to a 2010 study led by Sam Gosling, a scientist at the University of Texas, US, dog people are about 15 percent more outgoing and 13 percent more pleasant to be friends with than cat people.
This is not hard to understand, since cats and dogs behave differently themselves. "Cats will occasionally _ social activities, but usually after only a few minutes, they will abandon the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown ball, for hours at a time," said Modern Dog Magazine.
Although cat people are less social, Gosling's study showed that they are 11 percent more open-minded than dog people. They usually like art, adventures and unusual ideas. They also have more imagination and curiosity. But dog people are more likely to stick to old beliefs and traditional interests.
However, their love of a free lifestyle also means that cat people dislike making plans. They just follow whatever ideas pop into their heads without planning ahead. But dog people are different. They usually have strong self-control and like to carry out their plans.
Despite these big differences between dog people and cat people, there are some things that they have in common, "Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing, and are generally optimists," noted Mother Nature Network.
But can personality change? Can a cat person become a dog person, or the other way around? In a study done by Stanley Coren, a scientist based in Canada, he asked cat owners: "If you had enough living space and there were no objections form other people in your life, and someone gave you a puppy as a gift, would you keep it?"
About 68 percent of them said they would not accept a dog as a pet. But when dog owners were asked the same question about a kitten, almost 70 percent said they would allow a cat into their lives. | high6084.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "often gives a fair picture of the year's work"
},
"options": [
"is often encouraging",
"often tells whether he likes the object or not",
"often prove unreliable",
"often gives a fair picture of the year's work"
],
... | Dear Editor:
While a new school term is about to begin, perhaps we should reconsider the matter of examinations. In July, two writers(letters to the editor) praised the cancellation of exams because they believe "Tests don't tell the whole story".
As a teacher who has worked in four countries, I have had the experience that a student who earns good marks is generally a good student, and a student's final mark in a subject is usually a grade average of the year's work. Of course there are expectations, but they do not have the frequency that would give an unfair picture of a student's ability.
The simple fact is that proper class work; diligent exam studies and good marks are almost certain indicators of a student's future performance. The opposite is, almost certainly, incompetence.
There is no acceptable substitute for competition of quality. How can teachers and future officials determine what a student has learned and remembered? Should we simply take the student's mark for it? Any institution that "liberates" students from fair and formal exams is misguided, if not ignorant and surely the "graduates " of such institutions will lack trustworthiness , not to mention being rejected by foreign universities for graduate or other studies.
When all is said and done, I sense that a fear of failure and a fear of unpleasant comparison with others are at the bottom of most ban-exam talks. Excellence and quality fear nothing. On the contrary, they seek competition and desire the satisfaction of being the best. | high22071.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Air pollution, cancer risk"
},
"options": [
"Signals of air pollution",
"Safety limits of air pollution",
"Air pollution, cancer risk",
"Air pollution, smog risk"
],
"question": "What might be the best title of ... | Air pollution is a leading cause of cancer and classified among Group 1,or top, human carcinogens , said the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is the World Health Organization's (WHO) cancer agency, on Oct 17,2013.
The most widely used system for classifying carcinogens comes from the IARC, which places them into five groups. Group 1 carcinogens definitely cause cancer in humans. Group 2A is probably carcinogenic to humans, Group 2B is possibly carcinogenic, the carcinogenicity of Group 3 in humans is unclassifiable, and Group 4 is probably not carcinogenic to humans. Only a little more than 100 are classified as Group 1 cancer-causing substances, including ultraviolet radiation and tobacco smoke.
"Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants," the lARC's Dana Loomis said in a statement. "The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution."
In 2010, lung cancer resulting from air pollution killed 223,000 people worldwide, and there was also convincing evidence that it increases the risk of bladder cancer, according to the IARC.
Air pollution is already known to raise risks for a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory and heart diseases.
Air pollution is global, although the levels of it vary over space and time.
Loomis said people in Asia, eastern North America, some places in Central America and Mexico, as well as North Africa have relatively high exposure. Developing countries with large populations and booming manufacturing sectors, such as China, are particularly at risk.
Many cities in China, such as Beijing, frequently see smog. This week, Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang province, became the first Chinese city to officially suspend classes due to serious smog
Many developed countries face similar problems, although to a lesser degree than most developing nations. In Europe, levels of many pollutants have fallen. But between 91 and 96 percent of Europeans living in cities are exposed to levels of PM2.5--tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers--that are higher than the WHO safety limits, says a report published by the European Environment Agency on Oct 15.
Although both the composition and levels of air pollution can vary dramatically from one location to the other, the 1ARC said its conclusions apply to all regions of the world.
"Given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay," said Christopher Wild, director of the IARC. | high6090.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Its tourism."
},
"options": [
"Its location.",
"Its tourism.",
"Its business.",
"Its history."
],
"question": "Which of the following about Pingyao is NOT mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
... | Pingyao, located in the center of Shanxi Province, is a famous historic cultural city of China and a world cultural heritage site. It is 90 kilometers south of Taiyuan on the Fen River.
People lived in Pingyao during the New Stone Age. Its long period as a county government seat has left Pingyao with lots of historic buildings and sites, with a 2,700-year history. Ninety-nine of _ are under government protection, including Zhengguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple and Pingyao Ancient City.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, businessmen organized commercial groups that did business nationwide. Shanxi Province had some of the most important ones and Pingyao was their center. In 1823, a store, known as Rishengchang (Sunrise Prosperity), traded in bank checks rather than in silver or gold coins. It was the beginning of modern Chinese banking. Branch banks were soon set up in major cities in China and other parts of Asia, leading to great development in Pingyao. Its lacquer ware became well known as well.
In Pingyao Ancient City are many traditional houses and commercial buildings, 3,797 of which are protected and more than 400 of which are in good condition. Not only do the houses in Pingyao show Shanxi's history and culture, but this large number is valuable for studying its history, customs, ancient buildings and art. Most of these houses are still used as homes and shops of local people.
In 1997, Ancient Pingyao City was listed in World Heritage List as "World Culture Heritage Site" . | high1927.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "35"
},
"options": [
"33",
"35",
"37",
"40"
],
"question": "How old was Scott probably when he died?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text... | "Mom, I have cancer." These four words catapulted my son and me on a journey that lasted two years. On that day I felt a wave of paralyzing fear.
Scott was the oldest of my four children. He was 33 years old and a successful assistant principal at SamRayburn Hifht School in Pasadena, Texas. He and his wife Carolyn were busy raising four active children. Scott was 6'2'', weighed 200 pounds and had never been sick a day in his life.
A few month earlier a mole on his neck had changed color. "Dr.Warner called," Scott said that spring morning. "It's melanoma. " I tried to comfort him, naming all the people I knew who had survived skin cancer. Yet, I felt small tentacles of fear begin to wrap around my chest.
Our next stop was MDAnderson, the famous cancer hospital in Houston. Scott had surgery at the end of May and was scheduled for radiation treatments over the summer recess. "There is an 80 percent chance it won't reoccur," the doctors said. At the end of summer, all his tests came back negative and Scott was back at school in the fall. However, in December, Scott discovered a lump on his neck. It was examined and the result came back "malignant. " We now realized that Scott fell into the 20 percent category. I could feel the tentacles tightening around my chest. He entered the hospital for an aggressive treatment, a combination of interferon and interleukin.
After five months of treatment, he had radical surgery on his neck. The test results were encouraging, only three of the 33 lymph nodes removed were malignant. We were very hopeful.
For the next six months, Scott's follow-up visits went well. Then in October, X-ray revealed a spot on his lung. The spot was removed during surgery and the doctors tried to be optimistic. It was a daily battle to control the fear and panic each setback brought.
In January, he was diagnosed as having had a "disease explosion." The cancer had spread to his lungs, spine and liver and he was given three to six months to live. There were times during this period when I felt like I was having a heart attack. _
When you watch your child battle cancer, you experience a roller coaster of emotions. There are moments of hope and optimism but a bad test result or even an unusual pain can bring on dread and panic.
Scott was readmitted to the hospital for one last try with chemotherapy. He died, quite suddenly, just six weeks after his last diagnosis. I was completely destroyed. I had counted on those last few months.
The next morning I was busy notifying people and making funeral arrangements. I remember having this nagging feeling that something was physically wrong with me. It took a moment to realize that the crushing sensation in my chest was gone. The thing every parent fears the most had happened. My son was gone. Of course, the fear had been replaced by unbearable sorrow.
After you lose a child, it is so difficult to go on. The most minimal tasks, combing your hair or taking a shower, becoming monumental. For months I just sat and stared into space. That spring, the trees began to bloom; flowers began to pop up in my garden. Friendswood was coming back to life but I was dead inside.
During those last weeks, Scott and I often spoke about life and death. Fragments of those conversations kept playing over and over in my mind.
"Don't let this ruin your life, Mom."
"Make sure Dad re models his workshop."
"Please, take care of my family."
I remember wishing I could have just one more conversation with him. I knew what I would say, but what would Scott say? "I know how much you love me, Mom. So just sit on the couch and cry." No, I knew him better than that. Scott loved life and knew how precious it is. I could almost hear his voice saying, "Get up Mom, Get on with your life. It's too valuable to waste."
That was the day I began to move forward. I signed up for a cake decorating class. Soon I was making cakes for holidays and birthdays. My daughter-in-law told me about a writing class in Houston. I hadn't written in years, but since I was retired I decided it be time to start again. The local college advertised a Life Story Writing class that I joined. There I met women who had also lost their children. The Poet Laureate of Texas was scheduled to speak at our local Barnes and Noble. I attended and joined our local poetry society. I never dreamed that writing essays and poems about Scott could be so therapeutic. Several of those poems have ever been published. In addition, each group brought more and more people into my life..
I don't believe you ever recover from the loss of a child. Scott is in my heart and mind every day. However, I do believe you can survive.
Scott fought so bravery to live and he never gave up. He taught me that life is a gift that should be cherished, not wasted. It has taken years to become the person I am today. The journey has been a difficult, painful process but certainly worth the effort and I know that my son would be proud. | high4687.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "help him find out the problem and solution"
},
"options": [
"give him a good beating",
"lock him up in a dark room",
"ask him to stand in a corner for hours",
"help him find out the problem and solution"
],
"que... | A generation of parents raised according to the permissive principles of postwar childcare experts is rediscovering the importance of saying "No" to their children.They are beginning to reclaim the house as their own.Even spanking is back.
While today's parents do not want to return to the Victorian era --when children were seen, spanked, but not heard--there is a growing acknowledgement that the _ approach produced a generation of children running rings around puzzled parents struggling to restore order.
Janthea Brigden, a trainer with Parent Network, says: " The problem is that parents don't want all that controlling things.What they want is to be able to discipline their children through teaching and encouraging."
According to Steve Biddulph, the author of More Secrets of Happy Children, the permissive era was often just an excuse to ignore children.He believes discipline involves firm but friendly teaching and does not need to involve punishment.He teaches a method called "stand and think" , where a child is helped to figure out what is wrong and how to get it right.Mr.Biddulph understands parents using spanking, but lie is against it."The happiest children are those who know Mum and Dad are in charge.As children grow into their teens, more negotiation can take place, such as: Prove you can be home safely by 1l pm, and we might let you stay out till midnight."
" There is no good evidence that an occasional, properly administered spanking is harmful in any way." says John Rosemond, an American who has won a huge following by calling for "parent power".It is pure nonsense to believe that restricting children to their room as a punishment could make them have negative feelings about the room and cause sleep problems.
Mr.Rosemond tracks the overturning of traditional family values to the end of the Second World War.He blames the change of the American family into a child-centered, self-respect-oriented (...) unit on psychologists and social workers, who for 30 years have weakened traditional approaches.Previous generations of American parents raised children not by the book, but by self-evident truth, he says. _ He says that those phrases contain time-honored understanding and principles that helped children to develop what we refer to as the "three Rs" of parenting: respect, responsibility and resourcefulness. | high10969.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "three"
},
"options": [
"one",
"two",
"three",
"four"
],
"question": "The writer did job (s) during the summer of the first year of undergraduate schooling.",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Finally, I entered the institution. Because of my careful savings, I did not have to work during the school year. Then, summer came and it was time to work harder than ever. I continued working as a waitress at night, instructed tennis camps several mornings a week and worked as a secretary for a few hours in the afternoons. It was an exhausting summer and made me anxious to return to my ly easy life at college.
During my second and third years of undergraduate schooling, I decided to work about five hours per week in the campus admissions office answering phones. This provided a little spending money and kept me from emptying my savings. The overall situation looked hopeful as I approached my senior year as long as I could make as much money as I had the previous summer.
I wanted to go to Israel to study for 3 weeks, but I hesitated in making this decision because it would cost me $1,600 more to get the credits in Israel. About two weeks later my Mom called to tell me that I had $1,600 in the bank that I had forgotten about. One of my concerns about this trip was not only the cost, but the loss of time to make money: however, I made as much that summer in the ten weeks when I was at home as I had made during the fourteen weeks when I was at home the summer before. The way everything worked together to make this trip practical was one of the most exciting things that have ever happened to me.
This experience has shaped me in many important ways. The first things that I learned was the importance of a strong work ethic. Working long hours did a lot to mold my character and helped me learn the value of a dollar. It also made me learn how to find creative solutions to difficult dilemmas.
Whenever I am frustrated or afraid of the future, I can remember my $64,268 miracle. | high20672.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Computers Help Fire Fighters."
},
"options": [
"Large Computers in Kansas,Missouri.",
"Computers Help Fire Fighters.",
"Important Information for Fire Fighters.",
"The Speed of the Computers."
],
"question": "Wh... | Inprefix = st1 /Kansas City,Missouri, a computer helps fire fighters. The computer, which works very fast, has information about all the 350,000 street addresses in the city. Within two or three seconds after a call is received, the computer provides necessary information for the fire fighters. The information is then sent to them by radio from the computer centre in the City Hall. The exact place of the burning building and its size, type and any other details are clear to them.
TheKansas Citycomputer system also has a medical record of each of the city's 900 fire fighters. This kind of information is especially useful when a fire fighter is injured. With the information, doctors at hospital can treat the injured fire fighters more quickly and easily.
The fire fighters themselves greatly appreciate the computer's help. They know about possible danger ahead of them and can prepare for it. Many times the computer information helps to save lives and property . Sometimes the lives are those of fire fighters themselves.
Mike Horan, a fire fighter captain, says, "I feel as if the computer is watching over me to help me if I get hurt." | high19795.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To keep badly behaved students there."
},
"options": [
"To give extra lessons to special needs students.",
"To offer students a place to relieve bad feelings.",
"To keep badly behaved students there.",
"To experiment on... | Parents at one Connecticut elementary school say they are angry over the use of so-called "scream rooms" to discipline special needs students. The two rooms at Farm Hill Elementary School in Middletown, Conn., came under fire after several students complained about the sounds of children yelling coming from the rooms, while building keepers reported having to clean up blood and urine from their floors and walls.
Tricia Belin, whose two children attend the school, described the rooms as 6-by-4-foot space with concrete walls used to isolate special needs students who are disruptive in the classroom. "Closet is pretty much what it is," Belin said and her children are regularly subjected to "screaming"coming from inside the rooms.
Belin said she complained to the school's principal when she first learned about them last October, and was told they were considered and "alternative learning environment," but he did not say whether students were placed in them alone or with a teacher.
Shawn Archer, whose 10-year-old daughter also attends the school, said parents were never notified about the rooms and claims his child and others are fearful of them.
Board of Education Chairman Gene Nocera acknowledged in an interview that the reports about the rooms were "disturbing" and said school officials were investigating their use. "We understand the parents' concerns and we take their concerns very seriously," Nocera said. "We want to be sure our students are being treated safely." He stressed that under school policy, no child is to be left alone at any time. He said the school district is looking to give more resources to the school, including hiring full-time psychologists and providing more training to all the teachers. | high22703.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "frighten burglars and tell him that somebody had got into the house"
},
"options": [
"make sure that he got up early every day",
"warn him when there were lizards in his house",
"frighten burglars and tell him that somebody h... | Last week, I bought an alarm system for about $ 450. It consisted of a control unit with three small units. I put the control unit in the sitting-room and fastened the other units by the front door, back door and living-room windows. The instructions told us to choose three numbers, so we chose 491, the last three numbers of our telephone number.
Now I will explain how the alarm works:
1. There is a power siren in the control unit. It makes a very loud noise.
2. Each of the small units sends out beams or rays in different directions. If anything moves, it breaks a beam. This sends signal to the control unit. The siren makes a noise which you can hear 50 meters away.
3. When we go to bed, I press the three buttons numbered 4, 9 and 1. Then we have 30 seconds to get out of the room before the alarm starts to work. That night I slept soundly because I was sure that no burglar could get into our house. However, at about 2:10 a. m. , I woke up and heard the siren.
"There must be a burglar in the house?" Mary said, "What shall we do?"
"I'll go and see who's there," I said, "Stay here. Don't make a noise. "
I went down stairs quietly. When I reached the living-room, I switched on my torch and looked round the room. Then I turned the light on. I switched the siren off and searched the rooms downstairs. There was nothing wrong except that the back door was unlocked. I locked it, re-set the alarm and went back to bed.
About an hour later, the alarm started again. I jumped out of bed, fell over a chair in the dark and bumped into the bedroom door. Mary woke up and started hitting me with a torch. "Hey! Wait a minute!" I whispered, "It's only me. I'm going downstairs to see what's wrong."
I went down into the living-room and listened for a moment. The only sound I could hear was the siren. I tamed on the light and switched the siren off. As I did so, I glanced across at the curtains in front of the windows. I saw a house lizard (a kind of small animals) disappear behind the curtains.
"Oh!" I said to myself. "That's our burglar."
When the lizard moved, it started the siren. I guessed the alarm had been made in Europe, where there are no house lizards.
Well, I won't finish this story but if you want an alarm system free of charge, let me know. I'll send you ours. We bought a dog this morning. It knows the difference between a lizard and a burglar . | high8903.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "attract people to buy their products"
},
"options": [
"attract people to buy their products",
"provide the latest information",
"improve people's quality of life",
"deal with cultural diseases"
],
"question": "F... | Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that "addicted" was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the _ of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that "too much of a good thing is wonderful." But it's time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that "we can be swept away by our technologies." To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today's overused technology. | high6279.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It is a kind of bottled water."
},
"options": [
"It is a kind of iced water.",
"It is just plain tap water.",
"It is a kind of bottled water.",
"It is a kind of mineral water."
],
"question": "What do we know ab... | Reading new peaks of popularity in North America is Iceberg Water which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.
Arthur von Wiesenberger, who carries the title Water Master, is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland, Where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then, he kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. "My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water." He says.
But is plain tap water all that bad? Not at all. In fact, New York's municipal water for more than a century was called the champagne of tap water and until recently considered among the best in the world in terms of both taste and purity. Similarly, a magazine in England found that tap water from the Thames River tasted better than several leading brands of bottled water that were 400 times more expensive.
Nevertheless, soft-drink companies view bottled water as the next battle-ground for market share-this despite the fact that over 25 percent of bottled water comes from tap water: PepsiCo's Aquafina and Coca-Cola's Dasani are both purified tap water rather than spring water.
As diners thirst for leading brands, bottlers and restaurateurs salivate over the profits. A restaurant's typical mark-up on wine is 100 to 150 percent, whereas on bottled water it's often 300 to 500 percent. But since water is much cheaper than wine, and many of the fancier brands aren't available in stores, most dines don't notice or care.
As a result, some restaurants are turning up the pressure to sell bottled water. According to an article in The Street Journal, some of the more shameless tactics include placing attractive bottles on the table for a visual sell, listing brands on the menu without prices, and pouring bottled water without even asking the dinners if they want it.
Regardless of how it's sold, the popularity of bottled water taps into our desire for better health, our wish to appear cultivated, and even a longing for lost purity. | high23192.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans."
},
"options": [
"The lions have been killed and imported by American hunters.",
"That is due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists.",
... | The US plans to extend its endangered species protection to lions in Africa. US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will classify lions in southern and eastern Africa as threatened. The move will place tighter restrictions on the import of lion "trophies ", such as paws or heads.
While the US cannot regulate hunting in other countries the move is significant because around half of all lion hunting in Africa is conducted by Americans. According to FWS data, more than 5, 600 lions have been killed and imported by American hunters over the past decade.
Under the new FWS rules, bringing lion parts to the US will be banned in most circumstances if the animal is from a country where lions are endangered. Hunters will have to show the trophies were "legally obtained" from countries that have a scientifically sound management program that benefits the subspecies in the wild.
This regulation is expected to place a far greater burden of proof upon hunters who claim that the money from lion hunting has been used to help communities in Africa and the overall conservation of lions. The persistent downward trend in lion numbers, due to habitat loss and hunting by locals and foreign tourists, suggests there has been little conservation benefit from organized hunts.
An international study, published in September, found African lion numbers have decreased by half since 1993, with a further 50% decline expected over the next 20 years for populations in west, central and east Africa.
"The lion is one of the planet's most beloved species and an irreplaceable part of our shared global heritage," said Dan Ashe, director of the FWS. "If we want to ensure that healthy lion populations continue to wander around the African savannas and forests of India, it's up to all of us--not just the people of Africa and India--to take action." | high13051.txt |
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