questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To introduce the effects of texting on grammar."
},
"options": [
"To report the popularity of texting among teens.",
"To introduce the effects of texting on grammar.",
"To inform us that texting is likely to become a second l... | You've probably grown accustomed to texting in the glow of a mobile phone screen. Well, there's some good and bad news coming for those of you who spend hours speedily tapping messages to one another.
The good news is that the hours you spend face-to-phone are paying off. You may have become fluent in a second language.
The bad news, however, is that this language is texting. Worse still, there isn't yet a texting section in your school exams, so you'll need to work harder to recover the grammar skills you might be killing with every LOL and BRB (Be right back).
A new study confirms what many parents suspect. The more kids send and receive texts, the poorer their grammar skills become.
With "the culture of mobile communication--quick back and forth , there are compromises on traditional, cultural writing", said S. Shyam Sundar, professor of Pennsylvania State University, which conducted the study.
"Techspeak", as Sundar and his research partner Drew P. Cingel call it, has become so prevalent among young users that it's changing their foundation of basic grammar.
"Routine use of textual adaptations by current and future generations of 13-to-17-year-olds may serve to create the impression that this is normal and accepted use of the language, "they said in their published findings.
It seems teenagers are unable to "code switch-shift" between standard grammar and the abbreviations used in text messages, Sundar said. These abbreviations have become the real words for them now.
However, linguists aren't particularly disturbed by the trend, Sundar added. "The linguists will tell you the language is very dynamic. "
Still, students have exams to worry about. Here's a sample of the questions, so you can test yourself to see how texting has affected your grammar:
*During the flood, we (dranked, drank, drunk, drunked) bottled water.
*Fortunately, Jim's name was (accepted, excepted) from the list of those who would have to clean bathrooms because he was supposed to go downtown to (accept, except) a reward for the German Club.
*The dress is so large that it is (lose, loose) on me when I wear it! | high17785.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People who try to improve their health."
},
"options": [
"People who learn to treat patients.",
"People who publish books on health.",
"People who cook food for certain patients.",
"People who try to improve their healt... | Food Cures
Our Price: $31.96 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
SKU: 79133
In Stock
Usually ships in 1 business day
Description:
Did you know that fish oil is emerging as a real treatment for depression? That coffee and cinnamon can actually lower blood sugar in people with diabetes? Here you'll find detailed food prescriptions, based on the latest research, for more than 57 common health problems, including colds, hay fever, memory loss and so on. Plus dozens of practical suggestions for getting more of the foods that can help prevent disease, and simple recipes for immune-boosting smoothies, healing teas, and more.
Product Details:
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Reader's Digest Association
Publication Date: 2007-09
ISBN: 0762107308
Average Customer Rating: based on 3 reviews
Average Customer Review:
Exactly As Described Feb 15, 2010
Product arrived quickly. The description said there was a tear on the cover of the book. I was pleased that it was just a small tear and otherwise the book was in very good condition. This seller was honest and did not try to overplay the condition in order to make a sale.
Some good information Feb 06, 2010
This book does have some good information, but it does not talk at all about eating organic food, grass fed beef, free-range eggs, etc. The poisonous pesticides and artificial hormones in our society have a huge effect on our health and some illnesses probably wouldn't even exist if it weren't for them.
Fantastic Aug 05, 2009
This book is perfect for any questions you have about using food to help your body. We all know chicken soup helps colds, but did you know? This book will tell you exactly what's special about each food and what part of the body or disease it helps. _ any health problems you have with this common sense food guide. | high20129.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "could receive education assistance"
},
"options": [
"often have to take long night shifts",
"should have a graduate degree at least",
"could transfer to other top children's hospitals in the nation",
"could receive educ... | At The Children's Hospital, we're making it all better for our patients and their families all the time. We invite you to see how we' ve grown and discuss opportunities to enhance your nursing career. We offer competitive salaries and benefits, flexible shifts, including 4,6,and 8-hour shifts, education assistance, low patient ratios and a supportive work environment. New graduates are encouraged to attend.
*Our main campus is Denver's only Level I peds trauma center with a LevelIIINICU as well as one of the top children's hospitals in the nation.
*Our brand new 50,000 square-foot North Campus on Highway 7,just west of l-25 will open this October.
*Our new surgery center in Lone Tree is now open.
*We will soon be opening the 9th floor of our main facility to serve even more patients. For directions and to view current positions, please visit our website at www.thechildrenshospital.org
The Children's Hospital is an equal opportunity employer.
*The Children's Hospital has been ranked nationally by US News&World Report every year since its 1993 inception.
Nursing Recruitment Event at The Children's Hospital l-225&Colfax Ave
Princeton&Yale Conference Rooms
Thursday, Sept 4th, 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Please RSVP by calling (720)777-2641
Department Tours: 4:30; 5:30; 6:30 | high19970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a writer"
},
"options": [
"a writer",
"a reporter",
"a doctor",
"a teacher"
],
"question": "What does the author do?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_te... | This is the letter that Mr. White wrote before his death about his three books for children:
Dear Reader:
I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all -- there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early -- as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction is trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either -- you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true -- books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send autographs(,) -- I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet(,) . But real life is only one kind of life -- there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too -- truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. White | high530.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "terrifying"
},
"options": [
"clever",
"hardworking",
"terrifying",
"shy"
],
"question": "Most people regard owls as _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0... | Owls are mysterious creatures. We often think of them as scary. They sometimes live in abandoned houses. They fly without a sound through backyards at night. In stories, they appear with ghosts. When we hear an owl's familiar "whooo...whooo...",it can make us feel very frightened. Owls fly silently, without even a whisper of wings moving through the air. It's as though they appear out of nowhere--like ghosts on wings. Owls fly and hunt on the darkest of nights. An owl's night habits make it unique. Do these creatures of the night possess strange powers?
Owls possess unusual powers of sight and hearing, but they are not supernatural powers. They are natural adaptations that let them live most efficiently at night. There is no reason to fear owls. Their habits make them helpful to humans. By hunting mice and other rodents ,owls help to keep a natural balance between plant and animal life. Without owls, there would be a large number of rodents in farmers' fields and storage barns.
More than 100 species of owls occupy a variety of habitats around the world. A few oceanic islands and the Antarctic have no owls. The world's owls come in large, medium, small, smaller, and smallest. For example, the Eurasian eagle owl--one of the largest--has a body that is two to three feet long, with a wingspan of up to five and onehalf feet. The North American elf owl (the world's smallest owl) is five to six inches long and has a wingspan that measures slightly more than one foot.
Most male and female owls of the same species look alike, although females are usually larger. In some species, the female's colors are like those of the trees or grass where she makes her nest.
Baby owls, called chicks, stay with their parents until they are about three months old. They soon find their own hunting areas, where they may stay for the rest of their lives. Some owls can live 20 years or more. | high12825.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was a musician of much influence"
},
"options": [
"looked like a musician",
"was a musician of much influence",
"showed an interest in music",
"travelled to play modern music"
],
"question": "Armstrong was calle... | Louis Armstrong had two famous nicknames. Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag. Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music.
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said,"Jazz and I grew up together."
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet at a boy's home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steam-boats that travelled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity and warmth that caused many listeners to say,"Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over."He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most-admired people in the world. His death, on July 6 , 1971, was headline news around the world. | high23420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He wanted to get respect from the elephant and the whale."
},
"options": [
"He wanted to show he was the best.",
"He knew that he could do well in this game.",
"He wanted to get respect from the elephant and the whale.",
... | One day a rabbit ran into an elephant. "Hello," said the rabbit. "Fine day, isn't it?" The elephant stopped to look down at the tiny creature and shouted. "Leave me alone. I don't have the time to waste on someone so small." The rabbit was shocked by the elephant's words. Then he decided to ask the whale what she thought about the elephant's rudeness. But the whale laughed at this tiny animal. The rabbit said, "You think that I am weak, but in fact, I am strong! I can beat you at Tug-of-War ."The whale looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Very well, little one. Go and get a rope," she said.The rabbit ran off to find a strong and thick rope. Then he went to the elephant, "Elephant, I will beat you at a game of Tug-of-War." The elephant laughed loudly, but agreed to challenge the tiny animal. He tied the rope around his huge waist. The rabbit took the other end and ran away. He called back to the elephant, "When I say 'pull', you start pulling. "The rabbit took the other end of the rope to the whale, "Tie this to your tail and when I say 'pull',you swim." The whale tied the rope to her tail after laughing at the rabbit's foolishness. Then the rabbit called out "PULL!" The elephant and the whale began pulling. After a while, they were too tired to continue. The elephant and the whale never knew how such a tiny creature could beat them. But from that day on, they said "hello" to the little rabbit with great respect whenever they met. | high15192.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because they could exchange ideas there."
},
"options": [
"Because it was a fashion to drink coffee.",
"Because coffeehouses provided a better flavor.",
"Because they could stay awake and active there.",
"Because they c... | Coffee is a powerful beverage.On a personal level,it helps keep US awake and active.On a much broader level,it has helped shape our history and continues to shape our culture.
Coffee didn't take off until the l400s when people figured out they could roast its seeds.By the l500s,the drink had spread to coffeehouses across the Arab world.Within another l50 years,it took Europe by storm.
"It actually had a major impact on the rise of business," historian Mark Pendergrast says.Coffeehouses became a spot not just to enjoy a cup but to exchange ideas.The insurer Lloyd's of London was founded hundreds of years ago in one of London's 2,000 coffeehouses.Literature,newspapers and even the works of great composers like Bach and Beethoven were also spawned in coffeehouses.
It is often said that after the Boston Tea Party of l773,when American colonists attacked British tea ships and threw boxes of tea into the harbor,Americans universally switched over to drinking coffee.In a letter John Adams wrote to his wife,Abigail,the Founding Father claims his love of tea but says he will have to learn to embrace coffee instead,because drinking tea had become a symbol of not loving the country.
For all the upsides coffee has brought the modern world,it also led to its fair share of downsides,too.Europeans carried coffee with them as they colonized various parts of the world,and this frequently meant they enslaved people in order to grow it.In Brazil -- where slavery was legal until l888 -- coffee plantations would use slash-and-burn agriculture,tearing down rain forests and planting coffee trees.Once the soil had been exhausted,growers would move on to another place.
And yet,coffee,as Pendergrast says,"had a very good impact in many ways on our civilization,even though it was,for a long time,grown by slaves." | high6913.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Green tea makes you less disabled."
},
"options": [
"Green tea makes you less active.",
"Green tea makes you less disabled.",
"Green tea makes you more friendly.",
"Green tea makes you more educated."
],
"questi... | Elderly adults who regularly drink green tea may stay more active and independent than their peers over time,according to a Japanese study that covered thousands of people.
Green tea contains antioxidant chemicals that may help _ the cell damage that can lead to disease.Researchers have been studying green tea's effect on everything from cholesterol to the risk of certain cancers,with mixed results so far.
For the new Japanese study,researchers decided to examine the question of whether green tea drinkers have a lower risk of frailty and disability as they grow older.
Tomata and his colleagues followed nearly 14,000 adults aged 65 or older for three years.
They found those who drank the most green tea were the least likely to develop "functional disability",or problems with daily activities or basic needs,such as dressing or bathing.
Specifically,almost 13 percent of adults who drank less than a cup of green tea per day became functionally disabled,compared with just over 7 percent of people who drank at least five cups fl day.
The study did not prove that green tea alone kept people active as they grew older.
Green-tea lovers generally had healthier diets,including more fish,vegetables and fruit,as well as more education.lower smoking rates,fewer heart attacks and strokes,and greater mental sharpness.
They also tended to be more socially active and have more friends and family to rely on.
Although it's not clear how green tea might offer a buffer against disability,Tomata's team did note that one recent study found green tea extracts seem to increase leg muscle strength in older women.
While green tea and its extracts are considered safe in small amounts,they do contain caffeine and small amounts of vitamin K,which means it could block drugs that prevent blood thickened. | high524.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "warm help in a cold rainy evening"
},
"options": [
"dirty tricks by poor teenage boys",
"a car accident in a gas station",
"warm help in a cold rainy evening",
"loving gifts from a rich stranger"
],
"question": ... | One rainy evening I went to fill up at the gas station. A pre-teen boy approached my car and asked me for money to help him and his mother stay in their hotel for an additional week. He stated that if they did not come up with $25 they would be _ that same evening. Having worked in social services before and having doubt about this, I asked why his mother hadn't applied for social services for assistance. The boy said that they needed to remain in their hotel for one more week until his grandmother, who lived out of town, could take them in. I gave the boy what I had -- $5. He thanked me and continued to wander the parking lot asking for help. I got my gas and drove away.
Some weeks ago, a boy asked me for money and I told him I didn't have any though I did. Yet, I thought about it for a while and went looking for the boy to give him a dollar. But it seemed that he had disappeared into thin air. "This time," I thought, "I'll do it differently." I went to my bank and got an additional $20, then I returned to the gas station. The boy was still there. I observed him shyly approaching strangers who walked past him without notice. I pulled up and waved at the boy to come over. I handed him the $20 bill. He reached through my car window and gave me a huge hug. His hug told me all I needed to know -- that finally this kid could get out of the rain, the cold and the darkening skies and go inside where it was warm. | high12831.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because they lived far away from each other."
},
"options": [
"Because they seldom had a vacation.",
"Because they had a bad attitude to them.",
"Because they were all busy with their work.",
"Because they lived far awa... | My parents moved to Mississippi when my brother and I were small children, and we were separated from our Oklahoma grandparents by some 600 miles. This long distance allowed us to only visit our grandparents once a year, either at Christmas or during summer vacation.
Most of my classmates lived near their grandparents, and I would often hear stories of big families regularly spending time with one another, fishing at "grandpa's" house or going over to "grandma's" for her famous fried chicken. We were disappointed that we did not get to spend more time with our grandparents, but our love for them remained deep and strong.
We always expected a road trip to Oklahoma. We would count the days, and when the day came, the entire family would pile into our car at four o'clock in the morning. Crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana, the scenery changed. Crossing the Red River in Oklahoma, we were in a foreign world.
Every trip to see my grandparents can't be without bringing delight. We jumped out of the car in their driveway to be met with bear hugs. My grandparents wanted to know everything about their grandchildren, and we would sit for hours and tell story after story. Grandma had a meal planned, and you could guess she prepared her grandsons' favorite foods. Of course the best part of the visit was that we were able to do whatever we wanted without punishment from our grandparents. Grandma and Grandpa always had presents for us, short trips planned and lovely surprises, such as the time we got to a local restaurant and ate the world's largest hamburger. | high14298.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A service that helps telephone users."
},
"options": [
"An amazing girl.",
"A special kind of telephone.",
"A communication system.",
"A service that helps telephone users."
],
"question": "What does \"Informati... | When I was quite young, I discovered that somewhere inside the telephone lived an amazingperson - "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know.
One day while my mother was out, I hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there was no one home to give me any sympathy. I walked around the house, finally arriving at the telephone! Quickly, I called "Information Please" and told her what happened. She told me to open the icebox and hold a little piece of ice to my finger.
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. When my pet bird died, I told "Information Please" the sad story. She tried to comfort me, she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. Another day I was on the telephone, "How do you spell 'grateful'? ". All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was 9, we moved to Boston.
A few years later, on my way to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes. Without thinking, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information, please."
Surprisingly, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned on this but I heard myself saying, "Could you please tell me how to spell 'grateful'?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now." I laughed. "So it's really still you," I said, "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time." I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again. "Please do," she said, "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered me. I was told that Sally passed away five weeks before.
Before I could hang up she told me that Sally left a message for me--"Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean." I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others. Whose life have you touched today? | high15186.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Helping us perform better."
},
"options": [
"Ensuring great quality of product.",
"Giving a team, and even a company an edge.",
"Making communication effective.",
"Helping us perform better."
],
"question": "Wha... | When it comes to making a good career in the business world, being honest and getting along well with colleagues gives a person a solid competitive advantage, claims a new research.
Dr.Jon Bohlmann has found that project managers can expect better performance by far from the members of their team if treating them with honesty, kindness, and respect. According to another study , the Gross-functional product development teams, can achieve a great quality and better cost benefits from socializing and interacting with individuals who work for their suppliers.
The first, Dr. Bohlmann's study analyzed cross-functional product development teams, which combine together engineers, researchers and business personnel. The point to involve people with various backgrounds was to show that there was a focus on finance, marketing, and also on a design and functionality, right from the start of the product-development process. In addition to all this, this diversity also helped to make communication more effective in order to ensure that all members of the team were socializing and cooperating, and not just working at cross-purposes.
As a result, it indicated that "interactional fairness awareness" indeed had an effect on a "cross-functional communication." In other words, all the team members who thought that they had been treated well and respected, showed a great increase in their commitment to the success of the project they had been working on in cooperation with other team members, and, in particular, when they realized their project manager or supervisor to be a kind, nice and honest guy.
According to Dr. Bohlmann, the increase in such commitment is very essential and important because it could improve performance that would result in the achievement of team goals. And if Bohlmann's study comes to the conclusion that nice and honest guys are the first to finish, the second research by Dr. Rob Handfleld shows us that cooperating and socializing well with others can give a team, and even a company an edge, when it comes to product development. | high6907.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To keep students active through exercise"
},
"options": [
"To teach students the importance of physical education.",
"To help students get through the tough winter months",
"To introduce students to fun physical activities",
... | Students at New Market Elementary School had a fitter lifestyle last week. About 50 students participated in a 30-minute workout after school on Friday in the school's gym. This was a Fit Fridays program introduced at the school by Families Plus, a non-profit group that provides programs to enrich the lives of families and children in Frederick County.
The free program aims to encourage students from kindergarten through fifth grade to be physically active by having them participate in various age-appropriate activities designed to promote a love of exercise, according to Kim Ragan, head of the program.
The program, which started at the school on Nov.9, 2012, has since become a hit, Ragan said.
Emily Liston, 37, said the program allows students to focus on fitness as a priority in their lives. "There're so many things to stop them from being active," she said. "So, anything to keep them moving is good, especially in the winter months".
Jennifer Mitchell, 40, whose daughter Alexandra, 7, participated in the Fit Fridays program, said that learning the importance of being active isn't the only thing students are learning from the new program. "It's a great opportunity for them to get some exercise and also to learn to get along and socialize, to learn teamwork," she said. "In school they have to do activities like this but they want to do it."
Riley Glynn, 9, a fourth grader at the school, said his favorite part of the program is getting to spend more time with his friends. "It's fun to play with people," Riley said. "It's like physical education after school but it really helps you."
"You learn how to make yourself stronger," said Megan Hummel, 7, a first grader.
Ragan said she plans to expand the program to include other schools in the county, but she has been having trouble finding fitness instructors to participate. "As soon as I can get instructors to teach we'll expand," she said. | high17949.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "rose from a low social background"
},
"options": [
"rose from a low social background",
"had an unhappy marriage",
"was working in a company",
"won the championship in American Talent show"
],
"question": "We le... | When 47-year-old volunteer Susan Boyle stepped on to the stage of Britain's Got Talent and announced she was unemployed and had never been married, few in the audience would have wondered why. This Ms. Boyle, looking unfashionable, from a village in Scotland, shocked the three judges and the audience with the song "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Miserables on a show of "Britain's Got Talent", one of the hottest reality shows in Britain.
She couldn't hide the awkwardness when walking to the center of the stage in a housedress, and everyone--including the judges--seemed laughing at her when she said she wanted to be as successful as Elaine Paige. As soon as she began singing, however, everyone present fell silent, then rose within seconds to applaud her incredible voice as the celebrity judges sat open-mouthed, and remained standing to the end.
After her performance, one of the judges Piers Morgan said, "Without doubt that was the biggest surprise I've had in three years of this show. When you stood there everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was amazing." Actress Amanda Holden followed, "I am so thrilled because I know that everybody was against you. I honestly think that we were all being cynical and I think that's the biggest wake-up call ever."
Susan obviously won over the hearts of millions around the world with sensation spreading across the Atlantic. Hollywood actors Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore--who between them have nearly 1.5 million followers--speak highly of her. Kutcher posted a link to the video clip . The Scottish talent made her live American debut via satellite connection on CBS's The Early Show, doing an interview and singing live from her room. And she already accepted an invitation from talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
Now Boyle has become one of the world's hottest celebrities. The video clip of her performance has been viewed more than 50 million times on YouTube, becoming a hit on the Internet. Not long ago she came to China and was warmly welcomed. | high21223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He does more exciting activities with the children."
},
"options": [
"He is as cool as the author in the children's eyes.",
"He loves adventure even if it is dangerous for the children.",
"He doesn't spend as much time as the... | If parents had job descriptions, mine would read: organize bills, playmates, laundry(washing clothes), meals, snacks, outings and shopping.
The only thing on my husband's description would be the word "fun" written in big red letters along the top. Although he is a selfless provider, our children think of him more as a combination of a jungle gym and a clown .
Our parenting styles complement each other. His style is a nonstop adventure where no one has to worry about washing their hands or eating vegetables. I'm too busy worrying to be fun. Even if I try, I know I will be outdone by my husband.
I bought my children bubble gum flavored toothpaste to teach them how to brush their teeth. They thought it was perfect until my husband taught them how to spit out water between their two front teeth like a fountain.
I took the children on a walk in the woods and caught a ladybug (small insect). I was "cool" until their father caught a giant beetle in the backyard.
I can make sure my children are safe. But I can't wire the TV so they can watch their favorite DVD.
I can carry my children in my arms when they are tired and kiss them goodnight. But I can't flip them upside down so they can walk on the ceiling or put them on my shoulders so they can see the moths flying around the ceiling light.
I can take them to doctor's appointments, scout meetings, or to the aquarium . But I'll never go into the wilderness, stick a worm onto a hook, catch a fish, and cook it over an open flame.
I'll sit in the first row of every sports game and cheer until my throat is painful. But I'll never teach my son how to hit a home run or slide into first base.
As a mother I can do a lot of things for my children. But no matter how hard I try, I can never be their father. | high17791.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A person who wishes to get rid of headache."
},
"options": [
"A person who suffers a damaging burn.",
"A person who wants to reshape nose.",
"A person who needs to smooth out wrinkles.",
"A person who wishes to get rid ... | Cosmetic ( ) surgery is usually performed to correct a physical abnormality or to enhance an otherwise normal physical feature and thus improve appearance. Cosmetic surgery is an extremely broad field that may offer reconstructive surgery for a patient after a damaging burn or other physical injuries yet can also be used to smooth out wrinkles or reshape a nose. Cosmetic surgery was first used regularly after World War I, when treatment and reconstruction of war injuries gave hope to young soldiers.
As recently as fifty years ago, as the rich and famous began opting for elective cosmetic surgery, the subject was whispered about and considered taboo. Celebrities would disappear for months and then appear after secret cosmetic surgery looking younger, prettier, and thinner. Over time, cosmetic surgery has become accepted and even encouraged in some circles. Today there are even television reality shows about it. Some of the more popular forms of cosmetic surgery are liposuction( ), in which excessive fat is sucked out of the body with a tube and vacuum device; laser facial resurfacing, which smooths lines on the face around the eyes and mouth and eliminates facial blemishes ; and hair replacement surgery, which fills in balding areas using a patient's own hair. There are many more forms of cosmetic surgery, including variations of
these.Anyone interested in cosmetic surgery should consider the risks and remember that it is, ultimately, surgery. Not all procedures come out exactly the way doctors and patients foresee, and recovery is just like any other surgery, complete with pain and the possibility of infection . While cosmetic surgery is an option, patients should choose doctors wisely,obtain several references, and keep realistic expectations. | high19964.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the author holds a positive attitude to the healing power of humor"
},
"options": [
"all researchers have agreed on the healing power of humor",
"people seldom accuse their friends of not understanding jokes",
"the author hol... | Patients and doctors alike have long believed in the healing power of humor.It is claimed that humor not only affects patients' moods, but can actually help them recover faster.
Several studies seem to support this.Patients in better spirits are known to have higher immune cell counts.Some have even claimed to have healed themselves of serious illnesses by reading comics and watching comedies.
Despite all this, many researchers are not convinced.They point out the fact that many sufferings have been known to disappear naturally, with or without a daily dose of laughter.They also say that while optimism in general does seem to be related to better health, it is hard to tell which comes first.
Humor in times of stress, however, clearly makes us feel better.On one level, it takes our minds off our troubles and relaxes us.On another, it releases powerful endorphins, a chemical produced by your body that reduces pain.
There are cases where the appreciation of a good joke is indeed directly related to a person's health.It can show, for example, whether a person has suffered damage to one particular area of the brain: the right frontal lobe .
Scientists confirmed this by having people read jokes and asking them to choose the funniest endings from a list.Subjects with normal brains usually chose endings that were based on a relatively complex synthesis of ideas.Subjects with specifically located brain damage, however, responded only to slapstick endings, which did not depend on a particular context.When pressed, the brain-damaged subjects saw the logic in the correct endings.They simply did not find them funny.
Of course, humor is largely an individual matter.Next time your friend does not get one of your jokes, there is no need to accuse him of being a lamebrain.However, you might suggest that he lighten up--for the health of it. | high10798.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "interesting"
},
"options": [
"interesting",
"splendid",
"disappointing",
"frightening"
],
"question": "Once children visit the Whispering Gallery they'll find it _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | When you are visiting New York City with kids,there are numerous things to do which will entertain their spirits and feed their minds.
*The Whispering Gallery
Make your way to the Whispering Gallery. The Whispering Room's architecture allows for a phenomenon that usually sparks a lot of giggles. Once inside the gallery,place one person facing the corner at one end of the room and then place another person facing the corner at the opposite end. Ask one of the participants to whisper a phrase or a quick sentence or two and the person at the opposite end will be able to hear every word that was said.
E.42nd St.
New York,NY 10017
2127715322
grandcentralterminal.com
*American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History was founded in 1869.In addition to its impressive exhibits,permanent attractions bring the cool feeling to kids. They can enter the Fossil Halls and take in the impressive dinosaur skeletons. And the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life educates kids on the fragility of the ocean.
Central Park West at 79th St.
New York,NY,10024
212--769--5606
amnh.org
*The Scholastic Store
Most parents want their children to read,and moreover,to enjoy reading. The Scholastic Store helps to make that wish a reality by publishing engaging,well written stories that appeal to children. With classics such as Clifford the Big Red Dog,The Magic School Bus,and Harry Potter,the Scholastic Store will delight your children.
557 Broadway
New York,10012
212--343--6100
scholastic.com
*Ellen's Stardust Diner
The restaurant is a place where each person in your family can find something to eat .At Ellen's Stardust Diner,a diverse menu will whet everyone's appetite. Arugula salads,grilled cheese,burgers and meatloaf are all on this varied menu. The hall of beauty queens,a drive-in theatre and wait staff that sing to you can add to the unique dining experience.
*1650 Broadway,corner of 51st St.
*New York,NY 10019
*2129565151
ellensstardustdiner.com | high4876.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "expected the team to do well in their studies"
},
"options": [
"concentrated on skill training",
"trained the team to the edge of death",
"expected the team to do well in their studies",
"asked the team to do more readi... | Sports are the base of my life, next to my mother who raised me when my dad left us.I have been into sports since I was six years old.I have known many coaches and heard hundreds of their tips, but they usually focused on drills to develop my skills and reach the next level of play.
When I was in Senior Two, I met the new school basketball coach, Brian Pawloski.I thought I was certain to be selected for the school team since I had been in it the year before.I showed up to the tryouts and put out about 90% effort since I thought I'd make it with no problem.That was a big mistake.
Brian Pawloski is the hardest working coach I have ever met.He didn't expect 100% effort, he expected 200% effort.One example: he once made us do 40 suicide drills for the 40 lay ups we missed in a game.Some think this is crazy, but it isn't.After this conditioning practice, as we were getting a cup of cold water to drink, I said, "coach, that was the best practice I ever had." I was completely sincere.This man was and is the person who influenced me most at my high school.He expects us to be excellent not just on the court but in the classroom.If I am not working on basketball, I am reading a book that he thinks will help us better understand life's challenges, including Wooden, Coach, and The Screwtape Letters.
In the first two years I slacked off, not putting forth my full potential.Now, unlike the coaches of my youth, this man was interested in how he did off the court.He always made sure I kept up with my studies and was able to be trusted.I can honestly say that no other coach has given me so much advice on how to succeed in basketball, but more importantly, in life.My school is lucky to have such a great person to teach, coach and influence their students.I will always remember my high school basketball days as one of the hardest times I have ever worked in my life not only in basketball but in my growth as an individual. | high10940.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "More young professionals are returning home to live."
},
"options": [
"The economic crisis has shown its effect on the young generation.",
"More young professionals are returning home to live.",
"British parents are suffering... | The rise of the so-called "boomerang generation" is revealed in official figures showing that almost one in five graduates in their late 20s now live with their parents.
By contrast, only one in eight university graduates had failed to fly the nest by the same age 20 years ago. It also found that grown-up sons are twice as likely as their sisters to still be living with their parents in their late 20s. With nearly a quarter of men approaching 30 still living at home, the findings are bound to lead to claims of a "generation of mummy's boys".
Young professionals in their late 20s or early 30s have been nicknamed the "boomerang generation" because of the trend toward returning to the family home having initially left to study. Recent research has suggested that young people in Britain are twice as likely to choose to live with their parents in their late 20s than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.
Growing housing prices, rising student debts and the effects of recession on the job market have forced a wave of young people to move back into the family home at an age when they would normally be moving out. But commentators warned that the phenomenon may have more to do with young people facing " _ " prospects than simply a desire to save money.
While the proportion of those of university or college age moving out from the family home has continued to rise in the last 20 years, among those in their mid and late 20s the trend has been reversed. Overall 1.7 million people aged from 22 to 29 now share a roof with their parents, including more than 760,000 in their late 20s. In 1988, 22.7 per cent of men aged 25 to 29 were still living with their parents but last year the proportion was 24.5 per cent. | high20883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the spar which is floating in deep-sea water"
},
"options": [
"the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor",
"the spar which is floating in deep-sea water",
"the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind",
"the s... | According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gigawatts of electricity every year.Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills to touch bottom.An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.
The project, called Hywind, is the world's first large-scale deepwater wind turbine .Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton, 2.3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology.The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar, a technology Hywind's creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently.The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cables ; these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves.Hywind's stability in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power.If all goes according to the plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it's difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean.To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar's center of gravity must be moved much closer to the ocean's surface.To do that, the company plans to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox sits at sea level rather than behind the blades.
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large.Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted.Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection.If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet's surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available. | high11486.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the reviewer's indication of what the book is about and what it means to a reader"
},
"options": [
"accurate and analytical reading",
"the reviewer's understanding about the background of the book",
"the reviewer's indication... | A book review tells not only what a book is about, but also how successful it is at what it is trying to do. Professors often assign book reviews as practice in careful analytical reading.
As a reviewer, you bring together the two parts of accurate, analytical reading and strong, personal response when you indicate what the book is about and what it might mean to a reader. In other words, reviewers answer not only the WHAT but the SO WHAT question about a book. Thus, in writing a review, you combine the skills of describing what is on the page,analyzing how the book tried to achieve its purpose, and expressing your own reactions.
Most book reviews start with a heading that includes all the basic information about the book, like:
Title.
Author.
Place of publication, publisher, date of publication.
Number of pages.
The review usually begins with an introduction that lets your readers know what the review will say. The first paragraph usually includes the author and title again, so your readers don't have to look up to find this information. You should also include a very brief description of the contents of the book, the purpose or audience for the book, and your reaction and evaluation.
Then you move into a section of background information that helps place the book in context and discusses how to judge the book. Next, you should give a summary of the main points, quoting and explaining key phrases from the author. Finally, you get to the heart of your review -- your evaluation of the book. In this section, you might discuss some of the following issues:
*How well the book has achieved its goal.
*What possibilities are suggested by the book.
*What the book has left out.
*How the book compares with others on the subject.
*What personal experiences you've had related to the subject.
It is important to use labels to carefully distinguish your views from the author's, so that you don't confuse your readers.
Then, like other essays, you can end with a direct comment on the book, and tie together issues raised in the review in a conclusion.
There is, of course, no set form, but a general rule is that the first one-half to two-thirds of the review should summarize the author's main ideas and at least one-third should evaluate the book. | high8094.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she had just received her bachelor's degree"
},
"options": [
"she became a good wife and got two jobs",
"she had just received her bachelor's degree",
"she had been a teacher at AshlandUniversity",
"she was proud to be ... | It was one of the happiest times of my life. I was 29 and had just received my bachelor's degree, graduating with honors despite working two jobs and being a wife and mother. My parents and five - year - old son were in the audience when I walked onto the stage at prefix = st1 /AshlandUniversityto get my diploma. I was so excited and proud to be starting a teaching career and contributing more to my family's well - being.
But when I got home that evening, there was a note from my husband written on the back of an envelope. It basically said he'd come to get his clothes and wouldn't be back. We'd been having trouble, but the finality of that note still came as a shock. He had emptied our bank account. We were horribly in debt. I had quit my previous jobs in expectation of interviewing for a teaching position. I was embarrassed, scared, and angry and felt I had failed.
But I had my son, and I was about to bring a new life into the world, so despite my deep sadness, I had to go on. The next morning, I woke up, put my feet on the floor, took a deep breath, fixed breakfast, and basically did everything I always did. I used my routine to keep me moving. One small step after one small step was the way I bounced back.
And in the seven years since, I've continued moving forward. I got a job as a kindergarten teacher, earned a master' s degree in education. I certainly would never have chosen to put them through this, but I'm glad it happened to me when looking back. It helped me find my voice and myself a lot sooner. It helped me grow independent, confident, and strong--things I' m hopefully developing gradually now in my child. | high23352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Eating while sitting in front of TV or computer"
},
"options": [
"Eating while sitting in front of TV or computer",
"Eating throat tablets as if they were sweets.",
"Choosing certain kinds of food over others.",
"Buying... | It's time you started eating sensibly. Experts at the first Chinese Students Nutrition and Health Festival in Kunming last week listed eight bad eating habits.
*Watching television while having meals or snacks.
Doing this means you don't pay attention to your food, forget how full you are, and so overeat. It can also cause digestion diseases. One way to avoid this is only to eat in certain areas of your home.
* Replacing meals with snacks.
Many students think that eating small snacks can help them diet. But it often results in overeating and health problems related to a lack of vegetables, carbohydrates ,proteins and vitamins. Snacking only works if it is well planned and includes healthy foods such as nuts, vegetables, fruit and yogurt.
*Having drinks rather than water.
Fizzy drinks and fruit juice are usually high in calories and sugar, which can
cause weight problems. Water is important in making your brain cells and every organ in your body work properly. For your body to burn fat, it needs at least eight glasses of pure water a day. Liquids like soda and coffee actually take water away from your body.
*Refusing to drink milk.
Milk is the best natural food--it provides you with protein, which makes your bones strong and teeth healthy.
* Choosing meat and certain vegetables over others.
Different foods provide different kinds of nutrition. If you don't have a balanced diet, this can result in malnutrition and a weaker body.
*Eating in front of the computer and staying there after meals.
Take a walk after eating and it helps your stomach digest the meal.
*Buying from roadside snack bars.
If you shop at these places, be careful--many are not clean enough.
* Eating throat tablets as if they were sweets.
If you eat throat tablets when you have no throat disease, they may affect the bacteria in your mouth and cause real throat problems. | high9361.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People are getting more open to divorce just because of the increasing level of education."
},
"options": [
"\"Match\" opinion about marriage is still widely believed in China.",
"Most Chinese netizens show great sympathy for Wang.... | A Chinese actor's divorce from his wife has social media buzzing, with posts about the subject gaining over five billion views. WangBaoqiang announced online on Sunday that he was divorcing his wife, Ma Rong. He alleged that his marriage broke down after his wife had an affair with his agent, and that she had also transferred the couple's joint assets. The topic has sparked a debate about relationships and divorce, and it seems Wang's predicament has struck a chord with many -- which could explain the number of views, which are high even by Chinese standards.
What exactly are they saying?
Chinese netizens seem to have rallied around Wang, with topics like #WangDon'tCry# #WangWeSupportYou#, quickly trending after news of the divorce spread. Statistics by Weibo showed that 87% of netizens' posts condemned Ma for her affair, saying it had shattered her family. Some have even published her home address online. "Wang is a hardworking man from a rural area. She cheated an honest man. I hate these kinds of people,"said one commenter on weibo.
But why are they so interested?
No other celebrity divorce or marriage has ever caused such a big stir on Chinese social media. On the surface, this might seem like just another Chinese celebrity split. But what is it about this one that's got all of China ruffled up? Some people feel that this divorce seems to fit a certain trope -- of a beautiful but ordinary girl marrying a rich but less good-looking man. It is not uncommon to hear the belief that a couple has to "match" at every level -- be it in status, or physical appearance -- for a relationship to work out. "The concept of being evenly matched is still one that is widely believed in China," Dr Mu Zheng, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore told the BBC's Yvette Tan.
It's also making people talk about divorce.
A lot of social media discussion has also centred around divorce, and in particular how people can protect themselves. Wang has alleged that his wife transferred and hid some of the couple's assets. They're a wealthy couple -- their assets, according to Chinese media, include nine flats, a BMW car and various luxury goods. As a result, people are debating the importance of protecting individual assets, even after marriage. Attitudes towards divorce are fast changing in China, and divorce rates are on the rise. State newspaperGlobal Timessays a total of 3.84 million couples in China divorced in 2015, an increase of 5.6% from 2014."People are getting much more open to the idea of divorce now, especially as Chinese people become more educated and open-minded towards both marriage and divorce," says Dr Mu. | high14515.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "know if man can sleep for years"
},
"options": [
"ensure astronauts to get a complete sleep",
"find the secret of some creatures",
"make preparations for the journey to Jupiter's moon Callisto",
"know if man can sleep f... | Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.
European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.
_ Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004.
A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex.
"It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia.
Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism to lower so they would need less energy.
Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system.
There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.
According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter's moon Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045. | high6052.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It is a web browser."
},
"options": [
"It is the name of a Wi-Fi hotspot.",
"It is an application on iPad.",
"It is a web browser.",
"It is a hardware fixed on iPad."
],
"question": "what is safari?",
"quest... | The best way to experience the Web,email,photos,video and other features.
All of the builtin programs on iPad were designed from the ground up to take advantage of the large multitouch screen and advanced capabilities of iPad. And they work in any orientation. So you can do things with these programs that you can't do on any other device.
Safari
iPad is the best way to experience the Web. View whole pages in portrait or landscape on the large multitouch screen. And let your fingers do the surfing. All iPad models come with builtin WiFi,and safari can make iPad connected to the Web via highspeed WiFi. And when you're away from a WiFi network,you should choose iPad with WiFi+3G,which will make you surf the Internet anywhere,and sign up for access to 3G data service.
Email
There's nothing like the mail program on iPad. With a splitscreen view,and expensive onscreen keyboard, it lets you see and touch your email in ways you never could before.
Photos
A vivid LEDbacklit IPS display makes viewing photos on iPad extraordinary. Open albums with a tap. Flip through your pictures one by one. Or play a slideshow and share your photos.
Multitasking
You can do just about anything on your iPad. With multitasking,you can do even more. Be more productive as your work,have more fun as you play,or do a little of both.
Find My iPad
You keep all sorts of valuable data on your iPad. If you happen to misplace it,find My iPad helps you locate it on a map,remotely set a postcode lock,display a message,and more.
A magical and revolutionary product at an unbelievable price. Starting at $499,get your own iPad at the nearest Apple retail store,at as reseller(with 0.05% product tax),at the Apple online store or in a shopping centre. | high19031.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "GWANGJU is a South Korean city that has a history of more than 2,000 years."
},
"options": [
"The 5th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture was held on Sunday.",
"The 5th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conf... | GWANGJU, South Korea, Sept. 28,2013 (Xinhua) -- Cultural ministers from China, Japan and South Korea participating in the 5th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture held here Saturday agreed to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation to promote the cultural prosperity of East Asia.
Cai Wu, China's Minister of Culture, Hakubun Shimomura, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and Yoo Jinryong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea attended the meeting in the South Korean city with more than 2,000 years of history.
At the meeting, Cai said that the east and west differ in history, culture and values, but the East Asia as a whole, especially China, Japan and South Korea, should take good advantage of their cultural and historical similarities, trying to create "shared East Asia value"and _ around the world.
The ministers drew the Gwangju Joint Document at the meeting to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation in the fields of culture industry, exhibitions, cultural heritage preservation and the youth exchanges to promote the program of "East Asia City of Culture."
China, Japan and South Korea also agreed that the host country of the annual ministerial meeting will organize a joint cultural festival, including art performances, exhibitions, academic seminars and other relevant events starting from 2014.
The annual trilateral Ministerial Conference on Culture was firstly launched in 2007. The Gwangju meeting is the fifth round of this series, and the last round of this meeting was held in Shanghai, China in May 2012. | high4645.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "something about Education.com"
},
"options": [
"something about Education.com",
"how to cheat in the exam",
"new studying method for children",
"cheating is a good thing in the school"
],
"question": "The passag... | Children don't come with an instruction manual ,but now their grades in school do! Finally,parents can stop worrying about what their child's next school year will bring and get a glimpse of what's coming.
Education.com,an easy-to-use,one-stop online destination with over 4,000 articles,that helps parents and educators take an ever more active role in their children's education,unveiled Grade Specific Cheat Sheets for grades pre-school through grade 5.From academic expectations,developmental milestones,and typical social issues,to fun learning activities that literally bring it all home,parents can now find it all in one place.
"As the school year approaches,parents struggle to find time to adequately prepare themselves and their children for what's ahead," said Ron Fortune,CEO of Education.com."Every grade is different.Whether it's helping parents understand what their third grader should be reading or how they should be talking to their teen about peer pressure,our goal is to provide parents with a grade and developmental stage-specific user manual that helps parents find authoritative information as quickly as possible."
The start of a new grade means many new questions.Now,a parent with a child about to embark on a new school year can go to Education.com's new Grade Specific Cheat Sheets and find age-specific information and content including what their child should be learning in math,reading,writing,and science,as well as physical and language milestones.Parents can find over forty articles per grade,on everything from peer relationships to self-esteem,how gender affects development,to ideas for using goldfish crackers for math practice or making a homemade fossil.
Education.com's new Grade Specific Cheat Sheets provide parents with articles and content from trusted sources such as teachers,child psychologists,parents,and guidance counselors. | high20868.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Her father gave his attention to his phone instead of her."
},
"options": [
"Her father spent a lot of money on his phone.",
"Her father did not do any housework or read to her.",
"Her father made a lot of noise by talking on... | A couple of weeks ago, my 12-year-old daughter, Ella threatened to take my phone and break it. "At night you'll always have your phone out and break you'll just type," Ella says. "I'm ready to go to bed, and try to get you to read stories for me and you're just standing there reading your texts and texting other people," she adds. I came to realize that I was ignoring her as a father.
Ella isn't the only kid who feels this way about her parent's relationship with devices. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a psychologist at Harvard, wrote The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. For her book, Steiner-Adair interviewed more than 1,000 kids from the ages of 4 to 18. She talked to hundreds of teachers and parents.
One of the many things that knocked my socks off, " she says, "was the consistency with which children -- whether they were 4 or 8 or 18 or 24-- talked about feeling exhausted and frustrated or mad trying to get their parents' attention, competing with computer screens or iPhone screens or any kind of technology."
A couple of years ago, my daughter got a laptop for school. And because she was becoming more independent, we got her a phone. We set up rules for when she could use the device and when she'd need to put it away. We created a charging station, outside her bedroom, where she had to plug in these devices every night. Basically -- except for homework-- she has to put it all away when she comes home.
Steiner-Adair says most adults don't set up similar limits in their own lives. "We've lost the boundaries that protect work and family life,'' she says. "So it is very hard to manage yourself and be present in the moments your children need you.''
After my daughter's little intervention ,I made myself a promise to create my own charging station. To plug my phone in-- somewhere faraway -- when I am done working for the day. I've been trying to leave it there untouched for most of the weekend | high10773.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are caring and thoughtful."
},
"options": [
"They are impatient and annoyed.",
"They are worried and upset.",
"They are caring and thoughtful.",
"They are excited and curious."
],
"question": "Which of the ... | Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day's work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to _ the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS, giving astronauts the chance to do some "web surfing" in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth. Both the shuttle and the ISS circle the planet several times each day, and every moment offers a new view of the Earth's vast land mass and oceans. | high2234.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Wuhan issued smog warnings for three days because of smog."
},
"options": [
"Wuhan decided to remove most construction sites.",
"Wuhan issued smog warnings for three days because of smog.",
"The city is reportedly unfit for p... | Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province, has issued smog warnings for three days since Monday because of serious air pollution.
The lingering smog forced construction sites to stop work and primary and middle schools to suspend outdoor activities. From Monday through Wednesday, the city's air quality index reading remained high, with the highest reading at 323, with PM2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns, as the main pollutant, according to the city's meteorological bureau. Any reading over 300 is considered "seriously polluted".
The city experienced at least eight heavily polluted days in the first two weeks of December, with the air quality index reading reaching a high of 440, China News Service reported.
Among those affected was a square dancing team in Jiang'an district, which had to stop daily practices after several members fell ill. Square dancing is a common open-air fitness practice across China, with most of the participants middle-aged or elderly women.
Media reported the leader of one dancing team had to go to a hospital after she had an asthma attack on Dec 11.
Identified only as Fang, 65, the dance team leader said she decided to suspend the practices after she learned her illness was caused by smog, and after several other members also fell ill, the report said.
The city plans to invest 28 billion yuan ($4.61 billion) in air pollution control by 2017. The plan says the city will boost the development of clean energy vehicles for public transportation and remove all of the current 140,000 heavy-polluting vehicles from Wuhan's roads by the end of 2016. | high18449.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Greeks."
},
"options": [
"The Romans.",
"The Greeks.",
"The Englishmen.",
"The Americans."
],
"question": "Which people might probably first grasp the skill to make pies?",
"question_type": "factiod_ques... | Most people think the first pies were made by early Romans. They may have learned about pie making from the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in"reeds ", which were used for the purpose of holding the filling ( ), and were not eaten.
The Romans spread the word about pies around Europe and the word"pie"became a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe was also published by the Romans.
Pies first appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The early pies were mostly meat pies. There was actually more crust than filling. Often these pies were made from fowl ( ) and the fowl's legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies were probably first made in the 1500s. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I made the first cherry pie.
Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early settlers cooked their pies in long narrow pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts were often not eaten, but simply used to hold the filling during baking(@&*).
Over the years, pie has become what it is today --- "the most traditional American dessert". Pie has become so much a part of American culture that we now often use the phrase "as American as apple pie". | high3894.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To change former soldiers into teachers."
},
"options": [
"To train more excellent soldiers.",
"To change former soldiers into teachers.",
"To train teachers to teach better",
"To increase the employment rate"
],
... | Did you have a very strict teacher at school? I did. I'll never forget 'Mr. Strict'. If you didn't get your geography right, you would wish to run to the end of the earth to be far away from him. That tall man with a very loud voice knew how to frighten you and put the fear of God into you. Nobody dared to be late for his class. No one dared to chat in his class no matter how boring the subject was. And not even the naughtiest pupil would dream of cheating in his tests.
I thought about my old teacher when I read about a new government program in England to train former soldiers with no degrees to become a teacher. They can act either as secondary school subject teachers or as primary teachers. From next January those selected for the program will earn a salary and train on-the-job four days a week and one day at university. In two years they will be considered 'newly qualified teachers'.
Education Minister David Laws said: "We know that our highly-skilled soldiers can inspire young people." He believes that values in the army such as leadership, discipline , energy and teamwork would benefit children.
But not everybody is happy with the government plans. Brian Lightman, from an organisation called the Association of School and College Leaders, thinks the training offered to the former soldiers who want to be teachers is not enough.
Christine Blower, of the National Union of Teachers, believes that teachers need to understand how children develop. According to her, teachers need a high level of education themselves and thorough teacher training before they can educate the young.
I'm not sure how much 'Mr. Strict' knew about child development. What I know is how happy he was when we did well. I'll never forget the broad smile on his face when I got a very high mark. My teacher was a soldier, but to me his smile was a medal for bravery in our war against ignorance ! | high10015.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a popular science magazine"
},
"options": [
"a short-story collection",
"a popular science magazine",
"a research paper",
"a personal diary"
],
"question": "The passage is most probably taken from _ .",
"... | Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by the shark .
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms. Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark's ability to sense pressure. If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behavior of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: "I've always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks."
"I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there's so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research."
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research. | high2552.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Around 190 years."
},
"options": [
"Around 220years.",
"Around 190 years.",
"Around 140 years",
"Around 100 years."
],
"question": "How long has the Australian Museum been built?",
"question_type": "factiod_... | The winter Vacation is just around the corner.With such along holiday to spend,have you decided where to get yourself relaxed from the great pressure of school study? Our company specializes in civil tours.we take pride in offering you the best services and in providing you with a vacation that will be fondly remembered.The following places can be your unforgettable destinations in our country.
A.The Australian Museum
The Australian Museum has an international reputation in the fields of natural history and indigenous studies research and exhibitions.The museum was established in 1827 and is Australia's first museum of natural science and cultural artifacts.
B.Sydney Olympic Park
Home of the Best Games Ever and 2003 Rugby World,Sydney Olympic Park is a gold medal attraction and continues to serve as a major sport and social venue.
Apart from its ultra-modern sport venues,Sydney Olympic Park is set in extensive parklands. Bicentennial Park,one of Sydney's most popular recreational areas,is cris-crossed with walking and bicycle tracks
C.Art Gallery of New South Wales
Located within a short walking distance from Sydney's CBD,the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of Australia's foremost art museums housing some of the finest works of art in the country.
The Gallery has a rich and diverse collection including key works of the Heidelberg School and favorite modern Australian artists including Brett Whiteley and Margaret Preston,as well as permanent Australian,European,Asian,contemporary and photographic galleries.
D.Koalas Park Sanctuary.
Koalas are on show every day.Shows are at 10:20 AM,11:20 A.M,2:00 RM,3:00 P.M.where you can cuddle,feed,pat and have your photo taken with the Koalas. See free roaming Koalas as well,10 acres of rainforest.Walk in and pat our kangaroos. | high19757.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Keep Up with the Latest Weblish"
},
"options": [
"Keep Up with the Latest Weblish",
"Keep Up with the Latest Development",
"Newly Invented English Words",
"Technology and English"
],
"question": "The best title ... | The English language is changing fast,thanks to the rapid progress of technology. We all have a rapid choice: we can either bury our heads in the sand and spend the rest of our lives wishing Shakespeare were alive and well. Or we can embrace the new English,enter into the spirit of the Internet age called Weblish.
"You can't avoid it,for the simple reason that whenever a new variety of language comes along,it inevitably impacts on the language as a whole." says Dr. David Crystal, honorary professor of linguistics at the University of Wales in Bangor, whose book Language and the Internet has just been published.
The trouble with keeping up with the new English is not so much that there are so many new words but that the old words no longer mean what we thought they did. In the past, if someone said they did not have Windows, you would have to suppose they lived in a cave.These days,it is probably because they use a Mac(which is a computer, not a rain coat). Spam is as disliked as it ever was ,but it once meant an unappetizing canned meat.It now stands for unwanted "junk" email. Spellings are changing, too. Not only is text-messaging playing "hvc wth vrbs" (havoc with verbs), but the conventions of email communication place little emphasis on "perfect speaking".
Weblish loves to see nouns happily become verbs("please bookmark this site"),and verbs become nouns ("Send me the download"). Verbs and prepositions are regularly thrown together to become new nouns or adjectives(e.g. dial-up, logon, print-on-demand, pull-down, upload), while others are created from simply pairing nouns: cyberspace, Etl, hyperlink, netspeak. | high4123.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It died of lung disease."
},
"options": [
"It died of lung disease.",
"It was the first cloned animal in the world.",
"It lived for thirteen years.",
"It was born in 2000."
],
"question": "What do we know about ... | An extinct mountain goat that was once common in the Pyrenees became the first animal to be brought back from extinction. Researchers used frozen DNA to produce a clone, but the newborn kid died within minutes of birth due to breathing difficulties.
The Pyrenean ibex is a type of mountain goat,which is believed to have died out completely in 2000. Before the death of the last known individual(a13-year-old female known as Celia), biologists took cells from her skin and ears. An earlier cloning attempt to use the skin cells failed. But the latest attempt involved the creation of 439 cloned embryos. Of these cloned embryos, 57 were put into the female domestic goats, but only one goat gave birth and the newborn cloned kid died after seven minutes as a result of lung disease.
Researchers say that other cloned animals, including sheep, have been born with similar lung disease, but they say that overall the experiment was a major step forward in the effort to bring the ibex back to its mountain home. The leading researcher Jose Folch says, "the cloned kid was genetically like the ibex;in species such as the ibex,cloning is the only possibility to avoid its complete disappearance."
The failure to produce a living clone from DNA that was frozen only a decade ago shows the difficulty researchers would face in trying to bring back species that have been extinct for decades or centuries. Researchers have had the idea of bringing back the Tasmanian tiger, which went extinct in 1936. There are, however, other species that have been seriously suggested for cloning,such as the giant panda, the African bongo antelope, the Sumatran tiger and the pygmy hippo. Supporters believe cloning provides hope of keeping these endangered animals alive before they die out. | high12602.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "can't be foretold"
},
"options": [
"is kept secret",
"will be announced soon",
"is foretold by scientists",
"can't be foretold"
],
"question": "Where the Skylab will fall _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_ques... | The failed Skylab will come screaming home to the earth in disappointment sometime next month, but we don't know where it will fall. That precise information is beyond even the calculations of scientist and their computers.
The best they can tell us is that the space station, weighting 77 tons and as high as a 12-story building, will break into hundreds of pieces that will be scattered across a track 100 miles wide and 4,000miles long.
We are again exposed to one of those unexpected adventures, or misadventures, of science that attract our attention from the boring routines of daily existence and encourages us to think a lot about man's future.
What worries Richard Smith, the Skylab's director, is the "big pieces" that will come through the atmosphere. Two lumps, weighing 2 tons each, and ten, weighing at least 1,000 pounds each, will come in at a speed of hundred of miles an hour, and if they crash on land they will dig holes up to 100 feet deep.
What worries us, with our lack of scientific knowledge and our quick imagination, is both the big and little pieces, although project officials say there is a very small chance that anyone will be injured by them.
That's good to know, but it doesn't remove the doubt of the millions who still remember the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. That accident took place in 1979 in spite of what scientists had assured(...) us as to the safety of the nuclear reactor . | high22919.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "one of the brightest minds in the new field of aeronautics"
},
"options": [
"a father of space technology",
"king of rocketry",
"one of the brightest minds in the new field of aeronautics",
"one of the best-known scient... | On October 31st, 2009, Chinese famous scientist Qian Xuesen, died in Beijing when he was 98 years old. He is famous as "the country's father of space technology and king of rocketry".
Qian was born in 1911 in Hangzhou. He left for the United States after winning a scholarship to graduate school in 1936. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later at the California Institute of Technology.
Qian began his career in the US and was regarded as one of the brightest minds in the new field of aeronautics before returning to China in 1955.
After he returned, Qian set up the first missile and rocket research institute of China. The institute later helped start Chinese space program. He led the development of China's first nuclear-armed ballistic missile and worked on its first satellite.
He retired in the year before Chinese manned space program was launched in 1992. But his research formed the basis for the Long March CZ -2F rocket that carried astronaut Yang Liwei into orbit in 2003.
In August, 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visited Qian and _ him for devoting his life to Chinese defense technologies. Qian told him, "I'm trying to live to be 100 years old". | high14273.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Good learning results and relationships."
},
"options": [
"Good learning results and relationships.",
"Being affected by violence.",
"Spending less time on TV programming.",
"Encouraging them to turn on the TV."
],
... | It can be hard to encourage families of preschoolers to turn off the TV,but there are plenty of highquality shows that promote learning and positive relationships rather than violence,researchers noted.
"Although clearly kids watch too much,what's more worrying is that they watch poor quality shows," said Dr Christakis,the lead researcher on the new study from the University of Washington in Seattle.His former survey of parents of threeto fiveyearold children showed the kids often watched violent cartoons and movies that are "totally inappropriate".
For their study,he and his colleagues randomly divide 565 preschoolers into two groups.In one group,parents recorded notes about kids' normal TV viewing,without receiving any guidelines to reduce or change those habits.In the other group,researchers made visits and calls and sent monthly newsletters encouraging parents to replace violent TV with educational programming.After six and 12 months,parents reported their kid's angry,aggressive or anxious behaviors on a questionnaire.At both time points,children in the TV intervention program had slightly fewer problems than those in the comparison group.Boys in lowincome families seemed to benefit most from the change in programming,the researchers found.
"The point is,this is something that is as effective as other things we do to try to guide behavior in children,and it's fairly simple," Christakis said.
Another study published in Pediatrics found the more TV kids and teens watched,the more likely they were to have a crime or other problems in society.Children may imitate violence they see--or more time in front of the TV could simply mean less communication with peers and families,and worse performance in school.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends kids watch no more than one to two hours of highquality programming each day.Researchers agreed parents should be mindful of what exactly their young kids are watching on TV as well."It's not just about turning the TV off,it's about changing the channel," Christakis said. | high6734.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "About 350."
},
"options": [
"About 350.",
"About 390.",
"About 900.",
"About 1,000."
],
"question": "How many of the patients surveyed have been advised by their doctors to lose weight?",
"question_type": "f... | It is obvious that doctors recognize obesity as a health problem. So why is it so hard for them to talk to their patients about it?
The results of two surveys, one of primary care physicians and the other of patients, found that while most doctors want to help patients lose weight and think it is their responsibility to do so, they often don't know what to say.
"So while doctors may tell patients they are overweight, the conversation often ends there," said Christine C. Ferguson, director of the _ . "Patients are not told about the possibility of diabetes ," she said. "And doctors don't feel they have good information to give. They felt that they didn't have adequate tools to address this problem.
The lack of dialogue hurts patients, too. The patient survey, of over 1,000 adults, found that most overweight patients don't even know that they're too heavy. Only 39 percent of overweight people surveyed had ever been told by a health care provider that they were overweight.
Of those who were told they were obese, 90 percent were also told by their doctors to lose weight, the survey found. In fact most have tried to lose weight and may have been successful in the past--and many are still trying, the survey found. And many understand that losing even a small amount of weight can have a positive impact on their health and reduce their risk of obesityrelated diseases like hypertension and diabetes.
Dr. William Bestermann Jr., medical director of Holston Medical Group, in Kingsport, Tenn. , which ranks the 10th in obesity among metropolitan areas in the United States, said the dialogue had to be an ongoing one and could not be dropped after just one mention of the problem. "If you're to be successful with helping your patients lose weight, you have to talk to them at actually every visit about their progress, and find something to encourage them and coach them," he said.
He acknowledged that many doctors tend to be not optimistic.
"Part of this is that there's this common belief, and doctors are burdened by it, too, that overweight people are weak-willed and just don't have any willpower and are selfindulgent and all that business," he said. "If you think that way, you're not going to spend time having a productive conversation." | high15179.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "encourage people to think they will get fit in different activities"
},
"options": [
"encourage people to think they will get fit in different activities",
"tell people how to finish the work duties better",
"tell people how ... | We've all heard about the power of positive thinking, but a recent study found that people who think they're getting fit actually get more positive benefits from activity, according to a Reuters Health article.
The study examined hotel housekeepers over a period of four weeks. Some of the housekeepers were told that their work duties gave them enough activity to meet the Surgeon General's health guidelines . Another group of housekeepers were told nothing. After four weeks, the housekeepers who believed their work activity counted as exercise lost weight and body fat, and their blood pressure went down.
The results of this study suggest that it's important to understand and believe in the positive benefits of your activity. So here are a few things to think about the next time you exercise:
Just thirty minutes of quick walking each day can greatly reduce your risk of a heart attack. Even your housework -- like yard work and house cleaning -- can help you burn calories and increase your fitness levels.
Weight bearing activity just a few times a week can build bone density and reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis .
Three 10-minute workouts throughout the day are just as good to your health as one long workout.
Moderate amounts of exercise have been linked to lower rates of heart disease, stroke and even cancer.
Strength training can help make daily activities like carrying bags or laundry feel easier.
Regular exercise will reduce stress, keep you in a good mood and improve the quality of your sleep. | high13508.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "acted faster even than young people"
},
"options": [
"was a famous former boxer",
"was the oldest in the boxing gym",
"acted faster even than young people",
"didn't want to compete any longer"
],
"question": "Th... | I regularly train at a local boxing gym and I'm lucky enough to meet an amazing man, Adrian Charter. Adrian comes to the gym to train, just like me. The difference is, I'm 31 years old, and Adrian is 72!
I watched Adrian as he was training, early on a Sunday morning, and he was hitting the punching bag harder and quicker than most men in their twenties would. Adrian was a former boxer whose last professional fight was in 1972. Even though he has stopped competing as a boxer, his discipline still makes him stick to a training rule.
It simply amazed me as to how a 72-year-old man could train so hard. Believe me, boxing is one of the most difficult sports on the earth, needing much patience,skill, and effort.
What surprised me even more was that a few days earlier he did some running. He ran 9 kilometers. He does this on a regular basis. For me, I can run 5 kilometers at most.
When I questioned him about how he kept such discipline, he calmly replied, "It is all in my mind."
I thought about it for a moment. If discipline can push a 72-year-old man to train so hard and enjoy it, could I imagine how discipline could serve every single human being on the earth? Right at this point, as you read this story, please pause and ask yourself, "What is my level of discipline?"
Adrian's example told me that the power of discipline will get us to the finishing line! _ | high14267.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "embarrassed"
},
"options": [
"nervous",
"cheerful",
"satisfied",
"embarrassed"
],
"question": "When recommending your book with a pen name hard to pronounce, your readers may feel _ .",
"question_type": "... | There are various advantages of using a pen name. In case the author writes on various topics or in different genres , using a pen name would be very useful. For example, let's say an author is an expert in writing on serious topics, like business or finance, and also likes writing fiction stories, like romance. In such an author's case, a pen name could save him from losing his readers as well as reputation.
Will you be okay with any pen name? No, you should make sure that it is easy to spell and pronounce. If you come up with a name that is difficult to pronounce, maybe your readers will not want to recommend your book to someone. They may not ask for your book at a library. Why? Because it could be pronounced wrongly and may sound foolish in front of others. This is the reason why your pen name should be easy to pronounce.
Not only should your pen name be easy to spell and pronounce, but it should also be professional. The idea is to get a name that should be memorable, not mock-able.
If you are trying to pen your pen name in a way that is too similar to an existing author's pen name, you are doing yourself no good.
One small trick that could at least guarantee 'a look at your book' in the library is by using the correct initials. If you find that a particular best-selling author in your genre of writing has his name starting with 'B', maybe you could think of starting your pen name with 'A'. People are going to search the library shelves from left to right to locate that famous author, and in the process, may come across your book.
Your pen name has to be distinguished because it is going to last all your life. | high9413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It was a laborious process."
},
"options": [
"It was expensive to be applied on a large scale.",
"It was a laborious process.",
"The system was not stable.",
"It lacked a central mechanism."
],
"question": "Whic... | Barcodes aren't given much thought by the majority of consumers, but these codes were fairly recently applied in a working fashion in 1970.
A small food store owner decided one day that keeping records of the inventory of his stock and the associated prices were an extremely laborious process, and so, in 1948, he contacted The Drexel Institute of Technology in a bid to work towards a solution. Bernard Sliver rose to the challenge and set out to study the problem and began working on a solution involving an automatic way of keeping track of items that had been sold. Sliver and a group of students from the institute realized their answer in the form of ultraviolet light , ink and a scanner.
The system worked initially, but possessed some negatives. It was incredibly costly to carry out on a large scale and the system was also unstable. If the invention was to become commonplace in grocery stores, these two problems had to be solved.
The patent for the bar code system was filed by Sliver and one of his students, Woodland. The patent was not granted immediately; in fact, it took three years for the patent agency to grant their invention patent for the barcode, occurring on 7thOctober, 1952.
Despite the patent being issued, the system was still not welcomed by the majority of store owners. It was not until 1966 that the system began moving its way into more and more grocery stores. This system was soon criticized, as there was no central mechanism for controlling uniformly coded items. In 1970, Logicom developed the Universal Grocery Products Identification code( UGOIC), soon shortened to Universal Identification Number (UPC). It was Marsh's superstore, in Troy, which was the very first store to install this complex barcode reading system, and its popularity has soared ever since, and is obviously now commonplace in all types of stores worldwide. | high3880.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "work hard and never give up"
},
"options": [
"work without pay",
"own a flower shop",
"work hard and never give up",
"work as teenagers"
],
"question": "The author is wants to show us that people who want to suc... | Roger Conner is a modern-day Horatio Alger hero. Roger started out as an unpaid worker in a small flower shop. He has become the owner of a florist company whose sales are well over $100 000 a year.
One day when Roger was only twelve, he stopped at a local flower shop. He asked the owner if he could work for him, without pay, in order to learn the business. Roger started working every day after school and on weekends. After two years on the job, he finally asked for a small salary. The owners told him he "wasn't good enough to be paid." So he quit, and found a paying job at another local flower shop. He worked hard there, but after six months they _ because business was slow.
Not discouraged, Roger decided to do it alone and started his own flower store in a basement in his town. He started his business with only sixty-five dollars. He bought old refrigerators at garage sales and knocked the shelves out. This turned them into coolers for his fresh-cut flowers. His business grew rapidly as he built up a reputation for top quality and fine service.
In 1977, Roger bought out the flower store where he had worked without pay for over two years. The people who said he "wasn't good enough to be paid" were astonished to find that they were being taken over by a teenager. He had plans to renovate the whole store.
One of the reasons the owners sold out to Roger was that the store wasn't doing well. But after Roger took over ownership and redid the store, business started booming. In fact, business was so good that after one year, he celebrated by buying out the other store where he had worked. Roger then combined both stores and moved to a location in the center of his town.
The new store has 2 000 square feet and seven employees. And he did it all before he reached the age of twenty. | high2546.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "will increase in the value in the future"
},
"options": [
"will increase in the value in the future",
"make one earn a lot",
"help create good jobs",
"are wise for businessmen to invest"
],
"question": "Savings ... | College is a lifetime investment -- the gift of a college education can open the door to a world of opportunity for your child or grandchild. Savings , even not so many at a time, can make a big difference.
With the cost of a college education continuing to rise, the key is to start saving early and regularly. By saving a set amount at set times, your money can grow as your child does. According to the College Board, the average cost for four-year public colleges has increased by nearly 51% over the last 10 years and these costs will almost certainly continue to rise. Saving for college can help with the increasing cost of a college education and help you be well prepared when your child is ready for college.
Saving for your child's college education is an investment in their future. The savings you make today will pay off in increased earnings in the future. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, college graduates earn an average of $1 million more than high school graduates during their careers. The value of your investment in a college education will continue to grow for a lifetime.
Set your college saving goals realistically. You may not be able to save enough for all four years' fees, but you could save enough to give your child the right start.
More and more families depend on student loans to pay for college. By saving for college, families will have less burden of paying off loans and help their children leave school without worrying about paying off loans. | high4137.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "We can understand each other."
},
"options": [
"We can travel more easily.",
"We can learn our culture.",
"We can understand each other.",
"We can develop transport."
],
"question": "What are the advantages of a... | The advantages of an international language in the modern world are obvious. Thanks to modern methods of transport, we can travel everywhere more easily and more quickly than ever before, but the language problem still remains. Without a common language, there may be misunderstandings between people of different countries. There are two possible solutions to this problem: either we choose one of the main living languages of the world, or we make up an artificial one. But neither solution is simple because no living language will be acceptable to everyone and because an artificial language, such as Esperanto, has no culture and would be thought boring by many learners.
It is often said that English is quickly becoming a world language. It is certainly the most widely used language in the world, and second only to Chinese in its number or native speakers, but there are certain worries of choosing English as an international language.
First of all, for political reasons and national pride, English is not acceptable to everyone as a world language. Many dislike its influence. English words enter their language and this often threats their own language. In France, a new word "frangla is" has been invented to describe the results. Although English is being taught in more and more schools abroad, the process is not always popular. Not every nation is prepared to accept the leading position of English in their education system | high19743.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Parents."
},
"options": [
"Teachers.",
"Parents.",
"Students.",
"Experts."
],
"question": "Who would be the intended readers of the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | The parents of a troubled teen may feel unsure as to whom to turn to in order to find help for their child. They may feel as if they have exhausted all of their options, and sometimes they are on the verge of giving up. But there is hope. Schools for troubled teens offer discipline and in some cases, drug treatment programs that can provide important life skills, and more importantly, a fresh start.
The following is a list of the most effective types of schools for troubled teens. Not every facility is a match for every child, but by knowing the differences between them, parents can make a better educated decision about where to send their teenager.
Boarding Schools
When a child is unable to deal with the relative freedom of a standard school day, boarding schools might be a good choice. At boarding schools, the child lives in a dorm setting, where almost every minute of the day is scheduled by school administrators.
Treatment Centers
When a teenager has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, a residential center that specializes in young people is an outstanding way to help them break the cycle of addiction. Treatment centers feature individual and group counseling to help identify the root causes of the drug problem and help develop the life skills needed to stay clean when the program is over.
Wilderness Programs
Designed to help improve the discipline and self-reliance of the child, wilderness programs send kids back to nature. By placing them in a foreign and sometimes uncomfortable setting, wilderness programs hope to improve children's behavior. Programs generally include hikes, exercise programs and team building exercises.
Boot Camps
Boot camps are the most extreme style of school for troubled teens. These facilities are modeled after actual military boot camps, where the individual must get into shape, work as part of a team, and follow a long, hard set of rules and regulations. However, boot camps might not be the best choice for a teen with a drug addiction. | high4651.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "1929"
},
"options": [
"1950",
"1925",
"1929",
"1940"
],
"question": "Bunny Yeager was probably born in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"ans... | Bunny Yeager, a model and photographer, died at 85, her agent, Ed Christin said.
Yeager's greatest achievement is her cultural impact on making bikinis popular. "Anyone in Miami in the 1950s who wanted a bikini would come to her, and she'd make one," he said.
Yeager became famous for making women feel comfortable enough to take off clothes. Her photos of Bettie Page in a bathing suit standing next to a real cheetah are still well-known today.
"They all wanted to model for me because they knew that I wouldn't take advantage of them," Yeager told The Associated Press during a 2013 interview.
In the 1940s, Yeager became one of the most photographed models in Miami during her early career. She later turned the camera on herself, in bathing suits she made for her 5-foot-9 frame by hand. Her self-portraits were turned into a book, How I Photograph Myself, in 1946.
She began taking photos of Page in 1954 as she began her job behind the camera.
She published about a dozen books. And her works have been displayed in art galleries across the world.
Yeager said she had a few requests when several magazines began to struggle or went out of business over the last decade, but her career returned to the public in 2010 when the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh held an exhibition of her works, followed by another exhibition in Miami in 2013.
In her studio, Yeager kept some photos no one had ever seen in galleries. They will be included in a new book Yeager was finishing, scheduled for publication in September, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Yeager's first photo shoots with Page, Christin said.
"I'm still feeling like a little child and excited about everything new that comes along in my life," Yeager said in 2013. "I don't know where it will lead to yet, but it sounds good to me." | high19025.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "control room temperature"
},
"options": [
"make rooms quieter",
"control room temperature",
"turn off the air conditioner",
"reduce room air pollution"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the thermostat is... | The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.
Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid . Just as t tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replaces filters monthly or as needed.
For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government's symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Raton. (SEER)
Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave; turn off the ceiling fan.
Let a programmable thermostat! "remember for you" to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.
Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.
Gut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.
Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.
Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs , which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs .
Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 mils per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than PS65 per year.
Carpool. The average U.S. commuter could save about PS260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg---assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas. | high16316.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "40%"
},
"options": [
"19%",
"40%",
"60%",
"80%"
],
"question": "What is the percentage of Spanish men who don't do any housework?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | Spanish men will have to learn to change diapers and do dishwashing under the terms of a new law designed to strike a blow.
The law, due to be passed this month, is likely to cause a revolution in family affairs in a country where 40% of men reportedly don't do housework at all. It will oblige men to "share domestic responsibilities and the care and attention" of children and elderly family members, according to the draft approved by the Spanish parliament's justice commission.
"This will be a good way of reminding people what their duties are. It is something feminists have been wanting for a long time," said Margarita Uria, of the Basque Nationalist Party, who was behind what is an amendment to a new divorce law.
Failure to meet the obligations will be taken into consideration by judges when determining the terms of divorces. Men who refuse to do their part may be given less frequent contact with their children.
Spanish women spend five times longer on housework than husbands. Even when both have jobs outside the home, Spanish women still do three times as much work in the house.
"It is not just about housework, though," said Ms. Uria.
A study five years ago by Spain's Center for Sociological Investigation concluded that fathers spent an average of 13 minutes each day looking after their children.
Only 19 % of Spanish men thought it was right for mothers of school-age children to have a full-time job. More than a third thought mothers should not work outside the home at all.
The Change to the Spanish legal code will see domestic obligations added to a list of marital duties that currently includes fidelity, living together and helping one another.
That should guarantee that, when the law--which will also make divorce proceedings faster and easier--is voted on in parliament in the next few weeks, the obligation to share domestic chores will be added to the statute books. | high11479.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "every year"
},
"options": [
"every year",
"for years",
"all the year round",
"every other year"
],
"question": "Americans take a holiday trip _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | Americans like to travel on their yearly holiday. Today, more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years, these bedandbreakfast places have become popular in the United States. Many of these America's bedandbreakfast inns are old historic buildings. Some bedandbreakfast inns have only a few rooms. Others are much larger. Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms, others do.
Staying at a bedandbreakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel. Usually the cost is much less. Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone's home. The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit. Many vacationists say they enjoy the chance to meet local families. | high10767.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Making the traffic flow smoothly."
},
"options": [
"Benefiting iPhone users.",
"Preventing traffic accidents.",
"Making the traffic flow smoothly.",
"Making full use of the parking spots."
],
"question": "What i... | SAN FRANCISCO--A phone app in San Francisco gives information about open parking spots.City officials in San Francisco introduced the app to try to reduce traffic jams in the city, but some say it raises safety concerns.
In this city, drivers searching for parking spots lead to 30 percent of all downtown jams, city officials think.Now San Francisco has found a solution -- a phone app for spot-seekers that shows information about areas with available spaces.The system, introduced last month, relies on wireless sensors fixed in streets and city garages that can tell within seconds if a spot has opened up.
But the system could come with serious consequences.Some people say that drivers searching for parking could end up focusing on their phones, not the road."It could be really distracting ," said Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.
City officials admitted the hidden problem.They are urging drivers to pull over before they use the city's iPhone app, or to do so before they leave home. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said safety could actually improve if drivers quickly found a spot instead of circling and getting frustrated.
San Francisco has put sensors into 7,000 parking spots and 12,250 spots in city garages.If spaces in an area open up, the sensors communicate wirelessly with computers that in turn make the information available to app users within a minute, said Mr. Ford, of the transportation agency.On the app, a map shows which blocks have lots of places(blue)and which are full(red).
More than 12,000 people have downloaded San Francisco's app, which is available now only for the iPhone. | high14501.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how music affects our moods"
},
"options": [
"what meanings music has",
"how we control our moods",
"how music affects our moods",
"what kind of music we listen to"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about ... | Have you ever thought about why malls, restaurants, and even theaters have music? Well, to understand this, you simply just look back at how you felt when you heard music in these places. Music is known to improve the mood of people. Often music helps us pay attention to what we are doing. Music helps patients feel good and helps them recover faster and better.
Depression is a state of mind that most of us experience at some point of time. There are some periods in our life when everything seems difficult. It seems that everything is getting worse and we have no control over our life. Studies have shown that music can be an important mood lifter in such situations. Music also plays a great role in making us feel less nervous or worried. Anxiety can often cause loss of sleep and other illnesses.
Music is often known as an international language. We may not know the language another person is speaking, but most of us respond to music in the same way. Music can often be the best way to connect with someone.
Music is one of the best ways to improve your moods, but this can depend largely on the kind of music you listen to. While happy music can certainly make you feel better, sad music can further lower your spirits. Listening to classical music can often make you feel a lot more powerful, while soft music can be the perfect way to relax at the end of a long way. If you want to use music to change the way how you are feeling, you need to understand the role of it, learn to recognize the kind of music that lifts your mood and helps you feel better. Once you realize the kind of music you can use, you can use it to change the way you feel. The right kind of music can be the perfect way to help us feel happier. | high9375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "overcome tough problems"
},
"options": [
"get over language barriers",
"enrich after-school life",
"overcome tough problems",
"become more creative"
],
"question": "Project X is intended for helping the young Af... | As a group of young African immigrants struggle to adapt to life in the United States, an after-school drama program at White Oak Middle School aims to make their lives easier by first making them a little harder.
Project X is a program that uses drama, dance, poetry and other creative outlets to help students discuss the tough and sometimes painful problems they face as pre-teen immigrants with language barriers. A final unveiling of their creation will be performed for friends and family at the end of the year at Imagination Stage.
Wanjiru Kamau, coordinator of White Oak's African Club said it's important to give troubles to group members to help them find their place at the school. "It comforts those who are uncomfortable, and it discomforts those who are comfortable," Kamau said of Project X.
Kamau teamed up with Imagination Stage after she noticed that many African students seemed uncomfortable talking about problems, such as being laughed at by their fellow students about how they look and talk. When most of the kids join the club, they speak little or no English, Kamau said. Each week, the club typically draws five to ten students who are originally from Africa for discussion sessions and the Project X programme.
"We are going to express ourselves through our words and our actions, and that's powerful," said teaching artist Meg Green as she introduced fill-in-the-blank poems the students wrote about their identities.
One student, Frank Ketchouang, 13, wrote, "I am from the world; I am love," which drew oohs and aahs from the group. Ketchouang has been in the United States for less than a year, said Program Coordinator Chad Dike. When Ketchouang started attending Project X, he had been in the United States for two months and spoke no English. Now he's one of the group's most outgoing members and helps translate instructions from English to Creole for the group's newest member, who is from Haiti.
Many people will give up when there's a language barrier, "but these students prove them wrong". Kamau said. "You do have something to give. You are important. When TV, media, etc. are bringing them down, this program is bringing them up." | high6046.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "children whose parents care about them"
},
"options": [
"children whose parents care about them",
"children whose parents give them more freedom",
"children whose parents direct them over watching TV",
"children whose p... | The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana . Psychologists say that sending/receiving messages or looking through the many menu options your mobile phone has, lowers a person's IQ by almost 10 points. British researchers have named this situation "infomania". Instead of fixed on what they are doing, people's minds are constantly focused on reacting to the technology surrounding them. This means they don't pay full attention to the work they are paid to do. The report also added that the brain can not do so many things at once. If you try to do too many things, mistakes begin to occur. And while modern technology can have huge benefits, too much use can be damaging not only to a person's mind, but to their social life.
The more televisions 4-year-old children watch, the more likely they are to become bullies later on in school, a newest U.S. study said. At the same time, children whose parents read to them, take them on outings and just generally pay attention to them are less likely to become bullies, said the report from the University of Washington. Researchers also found gaps in learning and understanding such things as social skills early in life makes it more difficult for children to relate with other children. Watching violence on television leads to aggressive behavior.
You could soon be able to add your favorite perfume to your e-mails. UK net provider Telewest Broadband is testing a system to let people send e-mails over the Internet with sweet smell. It has developed a kind of hi-tech air freshener that plugs into a PC and sprays a smell linked to the message. Telewest says it could be used by supermarkets to attract people with the smell of fresh bread or by holiday companies seeking to stir up images of sun-kissed beachers. | high12170.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A teacher."
},
"options": [
"A social worker.",
"A fireman.",
"A gardener.",
"A teacher."
],
"question": "Who earns most according to the text?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | As nanny , cook, cleaner, shopper, driver, and gardener, she has one of the most demanding jobs in Britain today. And paying someone else to do the chores which take the average housewife 71 hours a week would cost EUR349.
At over EUR18,000 a year that's more than the earnings of 70 percent of the population, including train drivers, firemen, prison officers, and social worker. Looking after a baby less than a year old takes a housewife into a even higher pay league. According to a stud, she earns EUR457 a week - at nearly EUR24,000 a year, the same as teachers, engineers, and chemists.
Researchers put a price on each chore, then tried to find out how long the average person takes doing them. They found housewives spend an average 70.7 hours a week on housework - with looking after the children (17.9hours) and cooking and cleaning (12.9 hours each) the most time-consuming .
A wife with a part-time job still works and average of 59 hours a week at home. Those in full-time employment put in longer hours at home than in the workplace. The good news is that these hours sharply as children get older. While the average mother with child under one puts in 90 hours weekly, the figure drops to 80 hours from one to four and to 66 hours from five to ten.
Mother-of-four Karen Williams from London said, "Paying the housewives may not be practical, but the government should recognize the value of housework, perhaps through the tax. Running a house takes a lot of time and most husbands don't understand this. For example, my husband only puts a shelf up now and again. He never cleans the kitchen - that's the real test." | high7358.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "how to be polite when doing business in the Arab world"
},
"options": [
"why you need extra time when you visit Arab countries",
"how to be polite when doing business in the Arab world",
"why Arab officials are so busy",
... | Arabs consider it extremely bad manners to start talking business immediately. Even the busiest government official always takes extra time to be polite and offer refreshments . No matter how busy you are, you should make time for this.
The conference visit is a way of doing business throughout the Arab world. Frequently, you will have to discuss your business in the presence of strangers, who may or may not have anything to do with your business. Do not be surprised if your meeting is interrupted several times by people who come into the room unannounced, whisper, or speak softly to the person with whom you are talking, and leave. Act as though you do not hear, and never show displeasure at being interrupted.
Making decisions quickly is not an Arab custom. There is a vagueness in doing business in the Middle East which will puzzle a newcomer. Give yourself lots of time and ask lots of questions.
When an Arab says "yes", he may mean "maybe". When he says "maybe", he probably means "no". You will seldom get a direct "no" from an Arab because it is considered not polite. Instead of "no", he will say "inshallah", which means "if God is willing". On the other hand, "yes" does not necessarily mean "yes". A smile and a slow nod might be like an agreement but in fact your host is being polite. An Arab considers it rude to disagree with a guest. | high10997.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "describe further how wasteful skyscrapers could be"
},
"options": [
"show how skyscrapers manage to lessen their pressure",
"explain why skyscrapers can control its air conditions",
"describe further how wasteful skyscrapers ... | In the late 1970's,many people in North America turned their attention to environmental problems ,and new steel -- and -- glass skyscrapers were widely criticized. Some ecologists pointed out that a number of tall buildings in a city often overburden public transportation.
Skyscrapers are also _ of electric power and water. In just one recent year, the addition of 17 million square feet of skyscraper office space in New York City itself has already raised the top daily demand for electricity by 120, 000 kw -- enough to supply the entire city of Albany in New York area for a single day.
Glass--walled skyscrapers can also be especially wasteful. The heat loss ,or gain, through a wall of half inch plate glass is more than ten times that through a typical ordinary wall filled with bricks or board. In order to decrease the pressure on heating and air -- conditioning equipment, builders of skyscrapers have begun to use double--layered glass ,and reflective glasses coated with silver or gold mirror films that could reduce glare as well as heat gain. However, mirror -- walled skyscrapers may raise the temperature of the surrounding air and affect neighboring buildings as well.
Skyscrapers put a severe pressure on a city's sanitation facilities, too. If fully occupied, the towers just within the central area of New York would alone produce 2. 25 million gallons of waste water each year^--as much as the city size of Stanford, Connecticut, which has a population of more than 109,000. | high4679.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a book telling story of the writer's life"
},
"options": [
".a letter describing the writer's family life",
"an article about the value of painting",
"a book telling story of the writer's life",
"a book explaining how t... | Mother managed to buy me some more paint brushes, along with one or two drawing books and a pencil. This, of course, broadened my range of expression and allowed me to have a greater choice of subjects. After the first few weeks of uncertainty and awkwardness, I settled down contentedly with my new pastime. I painted every day upstairs in the back bedroom, completely by myself.
I was changing. I didn't know it then, but I had found a way to be happy again and to forget some of the things that had made me unhappy. Above all I learned to forget myself. I didn't miss going out with my brothers, for I had something to keep my mind active, something to make each day a thing to look forward to.
I would sit on the floor for hours, holding the brush between my toes, my right leg curled up under my left, my arms held tightly at my sides, hands clenched. All my paint and brushes were around me, and I would get Mother or Father to pin the drawing paper to the floor with tacks to keep it keep it steady. It looked like a very awkward position, with my head almost between my knees and my back crooked, but I painted all my best pictures this way, with the wooden floor as my only easel .
Slowly I began to recover from my earlier depression. I had a feeling of pure joy while I painted, a feeling I had never experienced before and which seemed almost to lift me above myself. | high20854.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "had other things to experience"
},
"options": [
"was too old",
"was injured seriously",
"had other things to experience",
"followed others' examples"
],
"question": "Lloyd Carr stopped working as a coach because... | He wasn't sick. He wasn't old. And he wasn't losing. He had a very good final season and won his last game in 2008. And then he walked away.
Lloyd Carr was 62. That's a few years earlier than retirement age in America and many years earlier than some college football coaches say goodbye. How was Carr, who coached University of Michigan, able to leave so easily?
" It can be _ ," Carr admits. "The Saturday afternoons and the crowds. And when you win, there's nothing like it."
But the job needs hard work. The pressure to win. The endless training. The hours are so long that sleeping at the office is a normal thing. I reported Carr's career at Michigan from 1995 to 2007. I saw him run onto the field before 100,000 cheering fans, saw him enjoy a share of a national championship with a 12-0 season.
And when I visited him recently in retirement, the difference was noticeable. He seems much calmer, relaxed, more at peace. He says, "As much fun as it is, there's a period when you have other things to deal with."
Carr knew he wanted to travel, see the world, read more, do other work. He is now connected with a children's hospital, does some speaking, plays golf, and enjoys relaxing with his wife, Laurie, and their many grandchildren.
Several of today's big-name coaches are all about Carr's retirement age. Nick Saban turns 59 this month. Jim Tressel is 57. Frank Beamer is already 63. None of them seems to be slowing down.
So when, I ask Carr, is the right moment to leave such a great job?
He thinks. Finally, he says, "When you love it and can still walk away from it. That's the right moment." | high2208.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Education."
},
"options": [
"Entertainment.",
"Education.",
"History.",
"Environment."
],
"question": "In what section of a newspaper are you most likely to read the above ads?",
"question_type": "factiod_qu... | The Write Camp
Sunday through Friday, June 17 through July 20.For girls 11~13.Campers learn about journalism,storytelling,character development,plot and dialogue.Held Jun 17~22 and July 15~20.Willow Springs Camp,Girl Scout camp President National Forest,Prescott.$250 per session.www.girlscoutsaz.org.1-(928)-778--5127.
Women in History Workshop
10 a.m.~4 p.m.Monday through Friday, July 16~20.For girls 6~15.Kids learn about influential women in history and today through special guests,arts and crafts .Once Upon a
Time, 5575 E. Rive Road, Suite 151m Tucson.$235. _ .omeceuponatime.bz.
1-(520)-670-9010.
Lilliput
9 a.m.~12 p.m.Monday through Friday, June 4 through Aug.3.For ages 5~12.Arts and crafts gym features recycling,science,theater and art and sculpture camps.Also 1~4 p.m.
Registration begins March 1.Lilliput,4850 N.Litchfield Road,Suite 106,Litchfield Park.$120 half day for members;$225 full day for members;$150 half day for non-members $275 full day for non--members.www.lilliputcrdations.com. (623)935--4778.
prefix = st1 /Earth CampHigh School
Sunday through Saturday, July 5-14.For Grades 9~11 to explore global changes in climate,water and landscapes and how these changes affect sustainability issues.Residential camp.Times and locations vary.Arizona--Sonora Desert Museum,2021N.Kinney Road,Tucson.41,400; academic scholarships available.www.azchallenger.org1-(520)-883-3083.
Young Adult Writing Project
9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.Monday through Thursday, June 4~21.For Grades 8~12.Students work in writing groups,meet guest speakers/poets,take field trips,explore the university campus and publish a collection of poetry and stories at the end of the project.Arizona StateUniversity at the
Tempe campus,University Drive and Mill Avenue,Tempe.$200.www.asu.edu/gpawp/yawp. (480)-965-7611. | high17020.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Joan Lussier"
},
"options": [
"Martha Reeves",
"Joan Lussier",
"Bobby Darin",
"Jackson 5's"
],
"question": "Deke Richard wrote songs for the following singers EXCEPT",
"question_type": null
},
{
"ans... | Motown songwriter-producer Deke Richards,who was behind songs including The Jackson 5's first three US number one hits,has died aged 68.
Richards,who had oesophageal cancer,died in a Washington state hospice ,Universal Music said.The musician,whose real name was Dennis Lussier,Was leader of the Motown songwriting,arranging and producing team--The Corporation.Their hits include The Jackson 5'S I Want You Back and ABC.
Richards also co-wrote Love Child for Diana Ross and The Supremes,as well as Ross's solo track I'm Still Waiting.He produced and wrote for Martha Reeves and the Vamlellas and Bobby Darin.
The Corporation,which consisted of Motown label head Berry Gordy,Alphonzo Mizell,Freddie Perren and Richards,was set up in 1969 to create hit records for the label's new act,The Jackson 5.
They also wrote,produced and arranged the band's singles and Maybe Tomorrow and Mama's Pearl.
According to Michael Jackson biographer,J.Randy Taraborrelli,Mama's Pearl was originally called Guess Who'S Making Whoopie(With Your Girlfriend).
But Richards had the lyrics changed to preserve the young frontman's innocent image.
The Hollywood Reporter said Richards' "love of music" kept him involved with a variety of projects,including last year'S production of The Jackson 5's Come and Get It:The Rare Pearls.featuring rare and unreleased tracks.
Richards' final work was the mixing of eight unreleased tracks by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas for the band's 50th anniversary box set,which is to be released on 5 April. | high5567.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "makes birds feel comfortable"
},
"options": [
"is unique to birds",
"is a rare phenomenon",
"makes birds feel comfortable",
"provides a main food source for birds"
],
"question": "The practice of anting _ .",... | Every so often, birds, just like humans, do what it takes to feel really, really good. The bird version is to sit on an anthill so that hundreds of ants climb all over their bodies, or even better, some birds pick up mouthfuls of pressed ants and rub themselves all over. Afterwards, the birds either eat the ants or set them free.
Scientists call this "anting." It's a common bird practice, and is especially done by the smarter birds. Ravens do it. Magpies do it. However, birds aren't the only animals that use anting --- squirrels, cats, and hedgehogs have all been observed doing the same sort of thing!
Why birds "ant" is something of a mystery, but one thought is acceptable. Ants have defensive secretions , chemical weapons they use to fight off other insects and bacteria. So pressed ants help the birds drive the insects away. Similarly, if you cover your body with them, you can move through the forest without worrying about being bitten by insects. Plus, ants are cheap. They are around.
However, we have a better explanation. Birds "ant" a lot in spring and summer. For many birds, that's the season for birds to change feathers. So maybe ant secretions are like bath oil; they comfort the skin during feather replacement. A British scientist once declared "the purpose of anting the stimulation and comfort of the body," and that the general effect "is similar to that gained by man from the use of outside stimulants, and perhaps also smoking."
And like cigarettes, anting can become a habit. Another study compares anting to "the human habits of smoking and drug taking," and says, "it is enjoyed for the feeling of excitement it results in. So once experienced, it is difficult to stop." That's why you often see mother birds shouting at their babies who come near their first anthill. "Stay away from there, child... Don't touch those ants!" they cry. I don't speak Raven. Or Magpie. But I have been a parent. So some things I know. | high18313.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A 45-year-old housewife."
},
"options": [
"A 15-year-old student.",
"A 25-year-old soldier.",
"A 35-year-old teacher.",
"A 45-year-old housewife."
],
"question": "Who is the most likely to benefit from behavior ... | People who drink moderately , exercise, quit smoking and eat five servings of fruit and vegetables each day live on average 14 years longer than people who adopt none of these behaviors, researchers said on Tuesday.
Much evidence has shown these things contribute to healthier and longer lives, but the new study actually quantified their combined effect, the British team said.
"These results may provide further support for the idea that even small differences in lifestyle may make a big difference to health in the population," the researchers wrote in the journal PLoS Medicine. Between 1993 and 1997 the researchers questioned 20,000 healthy British men and women about their lifestyles. They also tested every participant's blood to measure vitamin C intake, which shows how much fruit and vegetables people ate. Then they assigned the participants aged 45-79 a score of between 0 and 4, giving one point for each of the healthy behaviours.
After allowing for age and other factors that could affect the possibility of dying, the researchers determined people with a score of 0 were four times as likely to have died. Also a person with a health score of 0 had the same risk of dying as someone with a health score of 4 who was 14 years older.
The lifestyle change with the biggest benefit was giving up smoking, which led to an 80 percent improvement in health, followed by eating fruits and vegetables. Moderate drinking and keeping active brought the same benefits.
With this information, public-health officials should now be better encouraging behavior changes likely to improve the health of middle-aged and older people. | high23385.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "happy and interested"
},
"options": [
"happy and interested",
"competitive and interested",
"curious and friendly",
"happy and co-operative"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the U.S. elementary educatio... | In the United Sates elementary education begins at the age of six. At this stage nearly all the teachers are women, mostly married. The atmosphere is usually very friendly, and the teachers have now accepted the idea that the important thing is to make the children happy and interested. The old authoritarian methods of education were discredited rather a long time ago--so much that many people now think that they have gone too far in the direction of trying to make children happy and interested rather than giving them actual instruction.
The social education of young children tries to make them accept the idea that human beings in a society need to work together for their common goods. So the emphasis is on co-operation rather than competition throughout most of this process. This may seem curious, in view of the fact that American society is highly competitive; however, the need for making people sociable in this sense has come to be regarded as one of the functions of education. Most Americans do grow up with competitive ideas, and obviously quite a few as criminals, but it is not fair to say that the educational system fails. It probably does succeed in making most people sociable and ready to help one another both in material ways and through kindness and friendliness. | high13246.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "advertise some books to the readers"
},
"options": [
"introduce some new books on sale",
"advertise some books to the readers",
"explain the benefits of reading books",
"persuade the readers to read more interesting boo... | Calculus Book for sale!
Thomas' Calculus-- Weir, Hass, & Giordano 11thedition
Brand new, never been used but I will let it go for used price. Bookstore sold at $150. Call me and let me hear your offer.
Tel: 773-885-6604
READING IS GOOD FOR YOU, PEOPLE!
Why don't more people read today? I have so many great books for sale. If you are interested in any of these GOOD BOOK DEALS, email me or call me at 650-759-7174 to pick them up.
*All the Days Of My Life(So Far), by Alison Sweeney $5
*All Our Yesterdays, by Robert B.Parker $1
*The Meaning of Everything, by Simon Winchester $5
*Exploring Language, by Gary Goshgarian $5
*The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery $1
*Jack at Sea, by Philippe Dupasquier $1
"The Children's Classics" Book Set --$200
This is a book set that I'd love to keep, but just don't have any extra room on my already crowded bookshelf. It is an old, traditional set. The set is in excellent condition. There are nine titles in the set (see list below). I honestly have no idea what this set is worth, but I've been told I should sell the set for well over $200, so make me an offer and we'll see what we can do. Please contact me by email if you are interested: lucia1134@yahoo.com
Book Titles
*Black Beauty(276 pgs) *Tom Sawyer(272 pgs)
*Treasure Island(270 pgs) *Heidi(278 pgs)
*Alice in Wonderland(276 pgs) *Andersen's Fairy Tales(278 pgs)
*Arabian Nights (276 pgs) *Robin Hood(278 pgs)
*King Arthur(274 pgs) | high295.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "polite and friendly"
},
"options": [
"old and sick",
"polite and friendly",
"sad and nervous",
"calm and confident"
],
"question": "We can infer from the text that the homeless man was _ .",
"question_typ... | Last night, on my way home I stopped because of being attracted by some hamburgers at a fast food restaurant. On my way in, a homeless man approached me and asked, "Do you have any bottles lying around?" I knew he would recycle them for a few cents, but I didn't have any, so I said no. And again he asked, "Can you spare some change ?" I smiled, and said no again. He was very respectful; he smiled back and said, "OK, thank you." Even though he didn't have anything, he was still in good spirits. From the way he spoke I could tell he was smart.
Then I bought one hamburger and enjoyed my meal, but in the back of my mind I wondered whether the homeless man was hungry. After I finished my meal I decided to order another one for him. At this point I didn't know if he was still around, but I tried anyway.
At the counter I ordered a hamburger and also a hot chocolate, because it was cold outside, and I thought it would help warm him up. They delivered me the hot chocolate first and as I waited for my hamburger, I noticed the homeless man was standing right beside me. I looked at him and smiled, "This hot chocolate is for you." He replied like a gentleman, "Thank you so much. That's very kind of you."
I always believe no matter how _ I am, there are always those who are worse off than I. When you help someone, it's not always about money, it's about love. The love you give today, someone might forget tomorrow. It doesn't matter. Love anyway, because the greatest thing you can give is love. | high12158.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The first printed newspaper was seen about six hundred years ago."
},
"options": [
"Handwritten newsletters came out publicly in Renaissance Europe.",
"The first printed newspaper was seen about six hundred years ago.",
"The ... | The history of newspapers is an often-dramatic chapter of the human experience going back some six centuries.In Renaissance Europe handwritten newsletters circulated privately among merchants,passing along information about everything from wars and economic conditions to social customs and "human interest" features.The first printed newspaper appeared in Germany in the late 1400s in the form of news pamphlets or broadsides.
In the English-speaking world,the earliest predecessors of the newspaper were corantos,small news pamphlets produced only when some event worthy of notice occurred.The first successively published title was The Weekly News of 1622.The first true newspaper in English was the London Gazette of 1666.
In America the first newspaper appeared in Boston in 1690,entitled Public Occurrences.Published without official permission,it was immediately suppressed .Its publisher was arrested,and all copies were destroyed.The first successful newspaper was the Boston News-Letter,begun by postmaster John Campbell in 1704.By the eve of the Revolutionary War,some two dozen papers were issued at all the colonies.At the war's end in 1783 there were forty-three newspapers in print. The Bill of Rights in 1791 at last guaranteed freedom of the press,and America's newspapers began to take on a central role in national affairs.By 1814 there were 346 newspapers.
In the 1830s,advances in printing and papermaking technology led to an explosion of newspaper growth--the emergence of the "Penny Press";it was now possible to produce a newspaper that could be sold for just a cent a copy.The cheap newspaper helped people to get more interesting reading materials easily.In 1850,there were 2526 different papers.By the 1910s,all the basic features of the modern newspaper had emerged. | high7370.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "attracting a lot of travelers"
},
"options": [
"given by people who like to travel",
"attracting a lot of travelers",
"with a magic story behind it",
"liked by both the Japanese and Americans"
],
"question": "Ha... | For many years, Hawaii has been a magic name to people who like to travel. People on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, in Japan and in America, dream of seeing these beautiful islands in the middle of the ocean. Their dreams always include at least one scene of a sunset over the ocean. In the tropical lands, the sun drops, like a ball of golden fire, into the sea, and it droops so quickly that you can almost see it move. The sun leaves behind a glow that lights the skies and shines in the quiet water.
People often have a quiet, peaceful time ---perfect for a leisurely walk along the water. This scene is not too different from the dramatic beauty that greeted the first strangers to these islands centuries ago. They were Polynesian people who came from Tahiti in canoes not much bigger than small boats.
They found the beautiful white sand beaches and the waving palm trees, but there were no giant hotels like the ones we see nowadays. The first people came to Hawaii nearly two thousand years ago, but skyscraper hotels were only built in the last 25 years. Now jet planes make it possible to fly to for a weekend from Tokyo. Wherever the people come from, they really want to see the original beauty of Hawaii. They want to see the lovely beaches and the mountain called Diamond Head which is almost hidden by the tall hotels. | high15637.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A teacher."
},
"options": [
"A teacher.",
"A school nurse.",
"A researcher.",
"A gift shop owner."
],
"question": "What can the author most probably be?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | More and more pupils are giving teachers presents, but the practice only creates insecurity in parents and staff.
I've certainly noticed some pupils being feverishly overgenerous of late. Last year, I received not one bottle of wine but four for helping a disaffected pupil through his GCSEs. By and large, my colleagues report the gifts differing along gender lines. Gentlemen get ties, mugs, booze and, if they're really lucky, tickets to football matches. The ladies are often presented with flowers, jewels, chocolates and so on.
When my son was at private school, I noticed there was a real competitiveness between the students about giving presents to teachers, with expensive baskets from fancy stores and huge bouquets being handed out on the last days of term. Since my wife and I only let my son give thank-you cards, it was clear we were not "classy". Now he is at an inner-city primary, we've noticed that this kind of _ seems to have more or less disappeared. For one thing, there isn't that kind of money floating around - but there isn't that kind of competitive culture either.
Personally, I think gifts to teachers should be banned beyond the thank-you card: they cause many more problems than they solve, creating insecurity in both parents and staff. Perhaps the recession and the lack of money in people's pockets might be a good excuse for the government to issue some guidelines to schools that gifts shouldn't be accepted by teachers.
The gifts that I really value are the cards which say a genuine thank you. I still keep them in a file at home. | high8043.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a party to celebrate graduation"
},
"options": [
"a party to celebrate graduation",
"a dancing competition",
"a fashion show",
"an election ceremony"
],
"question": "The word \"prom\" is probably closest in mean... | Having put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, you have ended 12 years of hard study. Forget your studies for a while. It's time to enjoy yourselves!
There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.
High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It's to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before.
At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres ( ). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.
Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.
High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, in a pleasure cruise boat.
But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.
The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election. | high15151.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "International students may be allowed to work outside the school when having financial trouble."
},
"options": [
"All the international students can work for large companies.",
"International students are able to work whenever they... | International students are allowed to work for the university they study at or for a business at the school. But the business must directly provide a service for students. You could work at the bookstore, for example, but not for a company that is building something at the school. Also, a foreign student cannot take the place of an American in a job.
International students can work 20 hours a week while having classes; more during school breaks. You can work until you finish your studies.
International students normally cannot take a job that has nothing to do with their school. But the government may give permission if students are suddenly faced with difficulties. Examples include large medical bills, the shortage of financial aid or an unexpected change in the financial support.
Students must also meet other conditions . They must have studied at their American school for at least one year. Students must ask for permission again after a year if they want to continue an off-campus job.
International students who will be studying at graduate school can apply for some jobs before they come to the United States. A good example is a university job like a teaching or research assistant.
Some schools pay their assistants. Others provide free education in return. Many do both. Graduate assistants might teach, give tests, grade work, help with research and clean the offices. Many universities now provide language training for foreign teaching assistants to help them improve their English. Some schools ask foreign students to pass an English speaking test before they are allowed to teach.
International student offices at schools have to provide information on students each term for the Department of Homeland Security. Students who _ visa rules -- for example, by working off-campus without permission -- could be sent home. | high13520.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "both A and B"
},
"options": [
"there were not any modern machines",
"there was no modern medicine",
"both A and B",
"there were not many people"
],
"question": "Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than i... | Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn't have modern machines. There was no modern medicine, either.
Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It's bad to all living things in the world.
Cars, planes and factories all pollute our air every day. Sometimes the polluted air is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called smog.
Many countries are making rules to flight pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away, and they mustn't blow dirty smoke into the air.
We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and do not throw them on the ground, there will be less pollution.
Rules are not enough. Every person must help to fight pollution. | high1067.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "His health problem."
},
"options": [
"His health problem.",
"His love for teaching.",
"The influence of his wife.",
"The news from the Web."
],
"question": "What let Tim think seriously about the meaning of life... | Tim Richter and his wife, Linda, had taught for over 30 years near Buffalo, New York--he in computers, she in special education."Teaching means everything to us," Tim would say. In April 1998, he learned he would need a heart operation. It was the kind of news that leads to some serious thinking about life's purpose.
Not long after the surgery, Tim saw a brochure describing Imagination Library, a program started by Dolly Parton's foundation that mailed a book every month to children from birth to age five in the singer's home town of Sevier, Tennessee. "I thought, maybe Linda and I could do something like this when we retire,"Tim recalls. He placed the brochure on his desk,"as a reminder."
Five years later, now retired and with that brochure still on the desk, Tim clicked on imagination library .com. The program had been opened up to partners who could take advantage of book and postage discounts.
The quality of the books was of great concern to the Richters. Rather than sign up online, they went to Dollywood for a looksee. "We didn't want to give the children rubbish," says Linda. The books reviewed each year by teachers, literacy specialists and Dollywood board members included classics such as Ezra Jack Keats's The Snowy Day and newer books like Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama series.
Satisfied, the couple set up the Richter Family Foundation and got to work. Since 2004, they have shipped more than 12,200 books to preschoolers in their area. Megan Williams, a mother of four, is more than appreciative: "This program introduces us to books I've never heard of ."
The Richters spend about $400 a month sending books to 200 children. "Some people sit there and wait to die," says Tim. "Others get as busy as they can in the time they have left." | high6708.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "What the Colors of Your Clothes Say about You"
},
"options": [
"How to Prepare for Your Job Interview",
"A Research on Colours",
"Colorful Clothes Never Fail",
"What the Colors of Your Clothes Say about You"
],
... | Research has shown that 85 percent of communication is nonverbal, so choosing what to wear to an interview is clearly an important part of your overall presentation. It won't make up for weak answers, but it can communicate some positive things about your personality and what you might be like to work with.
* Blue: You can't go wrong with darker shades of blue, especially navy. Choosing from this powerful color1 will project an image of someone who is in control. From the interviewer's point of view, the color1 blue suggests calm, stability, trust, truth, confidence and security. These are all great messages to send without saying a word.
* Gray: After blue, gray is the second most popular color to wear for an interview. Like darker blue, it's not a distracting color1 to the interviewer, which means they'll be focused more on what you're saying and how you're saying it. Gray means sophistication , so use it to your advantage.
* Black: This is a commanding color1 and represents authority. Black also suggests excitement, so use it carefully when putting together your interview outfit. You may want to use it as an accent --like in a scarf or tie, for instance--rather than as the primary color.
* Red: This is an extremely powerful color1. It's so strong that you should only use it as an accent color1. Reds are associated with energy, passion, desire, power and aggression. People think of intensity and passion when they see the color1 red, so use it carefully or it could send the wrong message to the interviewer.
* White: White shirts and blouses are always appropriate. It sends the message of simplicity, cleanliness, precision and goodness. | high17746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He's a Woman, She's a Man"
},
"options": [
"American Dreams in China",
"Comrades: Almost a Love Story",
"New Dream",
"He's a Woman, She's a Man"
],
"question": "Which of the following films made Peter Chan a mos... | Ever since he got into the Hong Kong film industry in 1994 with He's a Woman, She's a Man, Hong Kong director, Peter Chan has been one of the industry's most powerful voices. Later in 1996, another milestone Comrades: Almost a Love Story came into being. Chan's latest film, American Dreams in China is a carefully-calculated film with an eye toward opening the mainland cinema market.
American Dreams in China is a film purely for Chinese audiences, but how it plays there remains to be seen. It sends the right messages, but whether that's enough to make it a hit is everyone's guess. Mainland audiences aren't quite that easy to "speak" to.
The film began during the period of economic reforms in China in the 1980s. The bookish farm boy Cheng Dongqing (Huang Xiaoming), the ambitious and confident boy Meng Xiaojun (Deng Chao) and the poetic Wang Yang(Tong Dawei), were three friends at university in Beijing and preparing for American visa interviews. Wang was the first to be _ the visa but he gave it up for his western girlfriend, and Cheng was repeatedly denied. Only Meng actually got a study visa. As he was leaving, he told his friends that he wouldn't come back.
Several years later, Cheng and Wang built a successful school, New Dream, from the ashes of Cheng's misfortune(his girlfriend got a visa too, and Cheng lost his university teaching job) and Wang's ability to connect with students often through Hollywood movies. In America, Meng suffered a lot. Disappointed, he went home and joined his friends at New Dream. Later, the three friends' relationship became worsened, but finally was improved under the weight of their common goals. | high5201.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "ranges over at least four states"
},
"options": [
"is an area without much culture",
"is mainly made up of grasslands",
"ranges over at least four states",
"has a history of 130,000 years"
],
"question": "Accord... | No matter what your age or style, MNA (Museum of Northern Arizona) Education Programs have a program to fit your desires. Stay close to home and enjoy the following:
MNA Ventures
The MNA Ventures program offers opportunities to discover and explore the Colorado Plateau -- 130,000 square miles of mountains and canyons centered in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
Discovery Programs
The Discovery Programs offer educational experiences that emphasize the artistic traditions, natural sciences, Native American culture, and history of the Colorado Plateau. A variety of program choices provide fun learning opportunities for students of all ages and interests. Programs range in length from half-day classes to week-long classes, and offer experiences for three-year-olds to adults. Discovery classes take place mainly in the Museum grounds but may include field trips to go with the experience.
Custom Tours
The Museum of Northern Arizona's Custom Tours offer opportunities to discover and explore the wonders of the Colorado Plateau. Experience the rich natural wonders and cultures of this area through experts' eyes by traveling with scientists, writers, artists, and professional guides.
Group Exhibit Tours
There are self-guided programs for the archaeology of the Colorado Plateau, Native American culture, and the geology and biology of the Colorado Plateau. | high18475.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Two."
},
"options": [
"One.",
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four."
],
"question": "How many guidelines does Dr Lorenzo mainly suggest on doing exercises when people catch a cold?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"a... | Is it okay to keep exercising when you have a cold? What about the flu? With winter viruses going around, it's important to know how to alter your training if you do catch a germ or two.
"The guidelines are pretty easy," says Dr Lorenzo Masci from the Alphington Sports Medicine Clinic. "Anything above the neck --- so if you've got a cold for example, a runny nose or a sore throat --- then you should probably cut down your exercise by half and do 50 percent of what you normally do."
"If you've got anything below the neck, like muscle pain, joint pain or fever, you shouldn't really exercise at all until those general symptoms settle down," Lorenzo says. He points out that a cough would also fall into this more serious category. "For example, if anyone comes in with a fever and a runny nose, I'd tell them to stop exercising until the fever and the muscle ache settles. Then they can start their training again at 50 percent once all those symptoms settle, even if they've got a bit of a runny nose or a sore throat."
"The reason we tell people to stop exercising is because if you exercise when you're unwell it can make the illness worse and prolong it." There is a second reason Lorenzo advises his patients to stop exercising when they have "below the neck" symptoms. In the event you have an illness which affects your heart, exercise can sometimes actually lead to death.
Lorenzo advises to take zinc and vitamin C as a way of preventing colds. But he admits that this is controversial --- some studies have shown that these supplements can improve immune function while other studies have cast doubt on the issue. The good news is that if you exercise regularly, you're likely to improve your immune function. "If you exercise too much, it can predispose you to coughs and sniffles," he points out. This is often the case for excellent athletes who train every day, such as triathletes . "But what we do know is that if you exercise at a moderate level, your immune system improves such that you're probably at a lower risk of developing coughs and colds." | high10029.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because of social and economic changes"
},
"options": [
"Because of social and economic changes",
"Because of lifetime employment",
"Because of normal social life",
"Because of work pressure"
],
"question": "Why... | Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives.
Several agencies have sprung up offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals.The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 agencies now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events.
Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai, which means "I want to cheer you up", charge around PS100 for each "guest". Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom cost extra.
The appearance of the small fake friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan.With lifetime employment a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting work colleagues to their wedding.Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends.
When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner's wedding guests.
Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding.
Hiroshi Mizutani, the company's founder, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs. | high3670.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "unhappy"
},
"options": [
"lucky",
"unkind",
"clever",
"unhappy"
],
"question": "From the letter we know that Alice was very _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | Dear Alice,
You really have two different questions here, so we'll discuss them one at a time. Your problems at school may be a result of a number of things . You don't say much about how these classmates get along with each other. It's possible that all the students are feeling a little cautious in the first term.
It's also possible that the others are unkind. If this is so, you have to find out why you are the class "outsider".
In your letter you say you often offer to help others with their work. Is it possible that your classmates don't understand your offers? Could it seem that you were trying to " buy" friends with these offers?
Is it possible that you took no notice of your classmates when you had your good friends near you ? They may have felt hurt at that time. It may take a time for them to believe in you if so. Try to ask one classmate directly what the problem is. If you hear a negative answer, at least you'll know what to do.
Yours truly,
Shelia | high11337.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Milk helps build students' strong bones."
},
"options": [
"They have been told many times.",
"They have taken the PCRM's advice.",
"Fat-free or low-fat milk is less expensive.",
"Milk helps build students' strong bones.... | "Drink your milk. It is good for you!" You've probably heard that many times, and it is true. Milk contains calcium, which is a necessary nutrient for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. The US government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free milk at each meal.
Last Thursday, however, a group of doctors asked the government to remove the lunch program. The Physical Committee for Responsible Medicine says, "Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein," all of which have negative effects on health. The PCRM says there were better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu. Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient. "One of the only reasons people talk about dairy, or promote it at all, is because it is going to help build strong bones." says Dr. Neal Bamard, president of the PCRM. But milk may not be the best way to get calcium your body needs.
Of course, calcium is important for health bones and teeth, but there are other things that affect your bone strength, such as genes, how much vitamin D you take in and getting an hour's worth of exercise every day.
Some nutritionists disagree with the idea that milk isn't important. Keri Gans, a dietitian, says, "I think it is irresponsible to take this beverage that children enjoy, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from lunch time."
The US government is studying the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a one way to take off. Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University, put it best: "Milk demonstrably has nutrients. Other foods have the same nutrients. It's just a food. Like other foods, too much might be a problem. " | high17752.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the repair work being done to the temple Angkor Wat"
},
"options": [
"the poor look of the temple Angkor Wat in 1980",
"the history of the temple Angkor Wat",
"the repair work being done to the temple Angkor Wat",
"the ... | My first visit to Angkor Wat was in 1980. The country had been at war for many years and _ and falling to pieces. Plants were growing out of the roofs, and trees were growing in the courtyards.
Today, the temple is the scene of a busy repair program. A team of 15 Indian experts are organizing a workforce of 400 Cambodians, most of them women, who are cleaning, repairing and rebuilding parts of this temple.
As I walked through the courtyards, I noticed the Cambodian women devote hours to cleaning carefully a tiny area of stone. Boards are laid down to protect the precious painted stones while the repair work is going on. There are very few machines and little heavy equipment. Workers carry building materials in buckets at the end of long poles. Piles of stones lie in a corner of the courtyard, waiting to be replaced.
The work of cleaning the stones is watched over by three Indian chemists. It is a very slow task. First they clean the stones with brushes using buckets of a weak chemical. Then gaps between the stones are filled in. Finally another material is painted onto the stones which will protect them from water forever.
Work starts every day at 7 a. m. and goes on until late afternoon six days a week, with a break at midday.
Evening is the best time to visit the temple, after the tour groups have left. As the sun sinks lower, shadows spread across the courtyard. After sunset, the sky turns pink. The grey stone towers take on a golden color before turning pink. Nowhere else in the world can there be such a quiet, beautiful place. | high5215.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "2.9"
},
"options": [
"2.5",
"7.7",
"2.9",
"80.6"
],
"question": "In 2006,Hispanics'life expectancy is _ years longer than the average of the total population.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | A research by the National Center for Health Statistics is seen as an important confirmation of the"Hispanic mortality paradox ."
On average,Hispanics _ whites by 2.5 years and blacks by 7.7 years. Their life expectancy at birth in 2006 was 80.6 years,compared with 78.1 for whites,72.9 for blacks and 77.7 years for the total population.
The report shows that the Hispanic population has higher life expectancy at birth and at almost every age despite a socioeconomic status lower than that of whites."Mortality is very correlated with income,education and health care access,"says Elizabeth Arias,author of the report."You would expect the Hispanic population would have higher mortality,"in line with the black population.
The Hispanic paradox has been documented for more than two decades,but this is the first time the government has had enough data to issue national numbers. Researchers are struggling to explain why Hispanics live longer.
"We don't know,"says David Hayes-Bautista,director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine."We thought it was a problem in the data,but we can pretty much say this is real."
Potential factors:
*Culture and lifestyle. Support from extended family and lower rates of smoking and drinking.Latino groups in particular have very strong family and social ties.
*Migration. The"healthy migrant effect"argues that healthy people are more likely to emigrate. And when immigrants become ill,they might return home and die there.
Solving the puzzle may help the nation deal with health care issues because Hispanics use health services less--they make fewer doctors visits and spend less time in hospitals,Hayes-Bautista says."It's clearly something in the Latino culture,"he says. | high11323.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to make sure of the proper use of the information superhighway"
},
"options": [
"to prevent misuse of new safeguards in Internet cafes",
"to make cafe owners earn less profit from their business",
"to stop the use of the info... | Three months after the government stopped issuing or renewing permits for Internet cafes because of security concerns, some cafe owners are having financial concerns of their own.
The permits were stopped suddenly three months ago by the government until new safeguards could be put in place to prevent misuse of the information superhighway, but for cafe owners it's a business breakdown with no fix in sight.
"I handed in a request to open up an Internet cafe and received the conditions," said the businessman Obeidallah. "I rented a place in the Sharafiah district at SR45,000 and prepared the place with equipment that cost me more than SR100,000. When I went to the local government after finishing everything, I was surprised to find that they'd stopped issuing permits for Internet cafes."
Having an Internet cafe without Internet is much like having a coffee shop without coffee. "I'm avoiding closing the place, but it's been more than three months with the situation ongoing as it is." Obeidallah said. "Who will bear the losses caused by the permit issue?"
The decision took many cafe owners by surprise. "I asked to open an Internet cafe, and I was handed a list of all the things that were needed to follow through, such as a sign for the place, filling out forms," said Hassan Al-Harbi.
"I did all that was asked and rented a place. And after the Haj vacation I went to the local government and they surprised me, saying that there are new rules that forbid the issuing of any more Internet cafe permits and that one can't even renew his permit. I've lost more than SR80,000," Al-harbi added.
As for the government, officials say a method to deal with it is on the way. But security concerns come before profit . | high7402.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was often embarrassed because she was overweight for her height."
},
"options": [
"had never looked anybody in their eyes.",
"had difficulties in walking because she was too fat.",
"was disliked by her husband because she wen... | Did you ever notice that when you're fat, men don't look you in the eye? They look across your shoulder. There's no eye contact.
My name is Leslie. I am a real person. Up until two years ago, I was never looked in the eye by anyone.
I was too tired to be a lover to my husband. I was falling asleep by 8 o'clock most evenings. When I did go out for an evening. my husband was ashamed of me. And he said so to my face. When I walked, my thighs scrape together. I couldn't even cross my legs. I was fat. Not just "overweight". Fat! I was 5'55"tall and weighed 205 pounds.
About 18 months ago, my husband Darrell left a "Dear Leslie"letter on my bed and asked for divorce.
I went to a psychologist for advice. I knew that my weight was the source of my troubles. But I'd tried 14 different diets, at which I failed one by one.
He listened carefully and recommended an entirely different program. This was not a "diet."It was a unique new weight-loss program researched by a team of specialists who help to treat the severely fat. I entered the program. Within the first four days, I lost only three pounds. So I was disappointed. But during the three weeks that followed, my weight began to drop from 205 pounds to 124 pounds. To me it was a miracle.
The reason why the program worked was simple. I was always eating. I could eat six times every day. I could snack in the afternoon. Snack before dinner. I could even have snack at night while watching TV.
How can you eat so much and still lose weight?
The secret is in the combination of foods, approved by the research team, which you eat in each 24 hour period. You will enjoy a variety of meats, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes, sauces. Even some light wine or beer if you wish. But be sure to have them in the right proportion , thus a complete 24-hour fat-reduction cycle is formed.
Without hunger, without nervousness, it lets you lose pounds so easily. Once you lose the weight, youll keep it off. Forever, I am sure of that. | high8731.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To do what was required by the school."
},
"options": [
"To help poor kids in developing countries,",
"To satisfy her own curiosity.",
"To do what was required by the school.",
"To operate on those unfortunate kids."
... | Katie always felt there had to be something more to life than just partying, buying clothes and driving a cool car. She finally discovered what she was missing out on when she traveled halfway around the world to help poor kids.
When she was 14, she discovered a club at school called Operation Smile, an organization that supports free operation for facially deformed kids in developing countries. At that time, she joined Operation Smile just to satisfy her school's community service requirement.
After working with Operation Smile for a while, she learned different countries have different deformities . The more she learned about what affects kids around the world, the more she wanted to go abroad with Operation Smile.
At 15, she was chosen to go abroad. She was so happy - even though she didn't realize what she was getting herself into. Before her trip, she attended a weekend "mission training". That's when she was told she'd be going to the Philippines. Although she was excited, one night during training, she broke down in tears. She didn't know if she was prepared to see all these unfortunate kids. She was put to work three days after her arrival in the Philippines. Her first day was at the hospital, where she met those kids waiting for operation, and they were running around and happy, it seemed normal. Her job was to play with the kids before their operation to help them feel more at ease. She also went to nearby schools to hand out toothbrushes and teach students how to brush their teeth.
When their operation was over, the kids were always overjoyed, but their parents were blown away. Sometimes they couldn't even recognize their kids because their appearances had improved so much. They'd cry and hug the doctors and nurses and give them presents--they were so grateful. | high15145.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they offer a multicultural landscape"
},
"options": [
"they offer a multicultural landscape",
"they belong to the world's best ones",
"the cost of living there is reasonable",
"the students can get their degrees easily"... | Studying abroad will shape you in various ways. You will learn things you never would have if you had stayed home. When you are young and unattached, you should travel. Besides, you just might save a large sum of money. College is expensive in the United States. It's cheap or free in other countries even for foreigners, so why not get out of here and come back smarter?
More and more American students are currently studying at German colleges. That number has increased 20% over the last three years. Living costs are about $7,000 a year, which is even lower than in other European countries. Germany encourages international students. They create a multicultural landscape that benefits German students as well. According to a new report, Germany is home to six of the world's 100 best universities. These schools offer around 900 degrees completely in English and many German students speak the language.
You could be part of Finland's excellent education system. The Finns charge no tuition and offer a number of courses purely in English. They would be happy for you to add flavor to their school scene. Cost of living there is high. Be prepared for frosty winters that far north, but you will get that sweet midnight sun in the summer.
Many other European nations offer cheap or free college for foreign students, but if South America is more your thing, try Brazil. Most of the education will take place in Portuguese, so if that is in your plan you can study near beautiful beaches and jungles. The University of Sao Paulo and State University of Campinas are both highly ranked internationally. Your money will go a long way there, too.
Many of the lessons you will learn will be outside the classroom. Living on the economy in a foreign country will keep you on your toes. You will learn new customs, how to bargain, stay safe, budget and become more flexible with people. There is no better way to learn a language than by immersing yourself in it. At first, it will be the toughest thing you have ever done. Eventually, it will become second nature. | high13534.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Batteries built by viruses."
},
"options": [
"Diseases caused by viruses.",
"An engineer called Angela Belcher.",
"Batteries built by viruses.",
"Rechargeable batteries."
],
"question": "What is the passage main... | What do the common cold, the flu, and AIDS have in common? They are all diseases caused by viruses, tiny microorganisms that can pass from person to person. It is no wonder that when most people think about viruses, finding ways to _ them is what is on people's minds.
Not everyone runs from the tiny disease carriers, though. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, scientists have discovered that some viruses can be helpful in an unusual way. They are putting viruses to work, teaching them of the world's smallest rechargeable batteries.
Viruses and batteries may seem like an unusual pair, but they are not so strange for engineer Angela Belcher, who first came up with idea. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, she and her team bring together different areas of science in new ways. In the case of the virus-built batteries, the scientists combine what they know about biology, technology and production techniques.
Belcher's team includes Paula Hammond, who helps put together the tiny batteries, and Yet-Ming Chiang, an expert on how to store energy in the form of a battery. Many batteries are already pretty small. However, every year, new electronic devices like personal music players or cellphones get smaller than the year before. As these devices become smaller, ordinary batteries won't be small enough to fit inside.
The ideal battery will store a lot more energy in a smaller package than ordinary batteries. Right now, Belcher's model battery, a metallic disk completely built by viruses, looks like a regular watch battery. But inside, its parts are very small--- so tiny that you can only see them with a powerful microscope.
How small are these battery parts? To get some idea of the size, pluck one hair from your head. Place your hair on a piece of white paper and try to see how wide your hair is--- pretty thin, right? Although the width of each person's hair is a bit different, you could probably fit about 10 of these virus--- built battery parts, side by side, across one hair. These microbatteries may change the way we look at viruses. | high22931.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is an open-air museum."
},
"options": [
"It is an open-air museum.",
"It has a history of 143 years.",
"It has been rebuilt recently.",
"It is far away from New York City."
],
"question": "What can we learn a... | New York Hall of Science (NYHS)
Founded in 1964, it is New York City's only hands-on science and technology center. Being an interactive science museum, it has the largest collection of hands-on science exhibits in New York City, exploring biology, chemistry and physics.
The museum focuses on education for children aged 5 and up, with the aim of conveying the excitement and understanding of science and technology to children.
Queens County Farm Museum (QCFM)
The museum, dating back to 1697, is the only working historical farm in New York City. It is an actual farm and you can wander around the farm to see the fields and animals. It's a good chance for your kids to meet sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and cows! The museum sells feed for young hands who are willing to get licked by sheep and goats. The animals are friendly to visitors.
The museum also offers many exciting hands-on programs, such as Apple Pressing Workshop, Honey Bee Alive and a lot more.
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)
It is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. With a history of 143 years, the museum is well-known for its collections and exhibitions representing people and animals throughout the ages. One of the museum's great attractions is a series of fossil halls that include the must-see dinosaur wing. It also provides hands-on events for school groups of all ages on a variety of topics.
Museum of the Moving Image (MMI)
The museum originally opened in 1988 and reopened in January 2011 after a $ 67 million expansion.
As the best media museum in New York City, it promotes public understanding and appreciation of the art, history, technique and technology of film, television and digital media. With a balance of hands-on activities and information, it can entertain and educate people of different ages. | high23391.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Tales of two opposite lives"
},
"options": [
"A lucky dog in social circles",
"Comments on the photos",
"A photo separates two worlds .",
"Tales of two opposite lives"
],
"question": "What would be the best titl... | Two girls living next door to each other-a seemingly plain scene that has two very different life .stories behind it.
Chi Zhen, an 18-year-old student in Seville, Spain, used his camera to tell the story of two lives, which went widespread online. Comments on the photos indicate that they have inspired many, to believe that the future is in their own hands.
Chi has seen many youths living life without a goal, wasting their time and blaming bad luck for it.
Feeling regret for them, he took a series of photos of his friends Veronica and Anna Maria, both freshmen at the University of Seville in Spain. They live completely different life styles and are getting opposite results.
Chi hopes the photos will inspire those who have let go of their own fate .
In the photos, Anna Maria, a Spanish girl, can be seen watching a TV programme . She spends most of her time in front of her laptop. She rarely goes out, because she thinks she's not attractive and doesn't know what to say in social situations. "'I'm not as lucky as Veronica," she often says.
But she doesn't know that while she's wasting time watching TV, -Veronica, the "lucky" girl next door,has taught herself four foreign languages and traveled to many places. She goes to the library frequently and her extensive knowledge and experience allow her to take part in any conversation and become the center of attention.
Chi thinks that Anna Maria resembles many of his Chinese .friends who study abroad. They are trapped to their little circles, never trying to change their fate./'They say 'maybe I'll do it in my next life', but they are in their 20s, their best time. How can they give up hope and accept this as their life?" Chi says.
The influence of the photos has gone far beyond what Chi expected. One user commented on his photos on Renren.com, saying, "A wall separates two worlds, and the life we have depends on what we do." Another is determined to make a change right away. "I'm turning off my laptop and not watching TV anymore," he wrote. | high13252.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "had worked on a hard job for too long."
},
"options": [
"couldn't consume her waking hour.",
"had not seen a film for a long time.",
"had not finished her work on time.",
"had worked on a hard job for too long."
],
... | For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me. My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed. I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up. I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but _ . It was only when I turned to meditation for a solution that the answer came to me: turn to nature!
The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain. Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again. To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child. I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress.
Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre.
If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play. | high281.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "You can save lots of money"
},
"options": [
"You can eat all kinds of vegetables",
"You are lucky to eat what you like",
"You can save lots of money",
"You can satisfy your desire"
],
"question": "What is an adv... | Every time you go shopping, the vegetables and fruit look so tempting that you wish you could buy all of them. Some people are lucky and can grow the fruit and vegetables in the gardens that they have. While getting fresh vegetables, they can also achieve great cost cutting.
Mushrooms are expensive and can also go bad very quickly. Mushrooms can also be grown easily in a dark environment. In fact it's better than growing other vegetables since you really don't need an outdoor space. A special type of soil that is good for growing mushrooms is easily available.
Actually mushrooms aren't even vegetables; they are fungi and for this reason, you don't even require sunlight to grow them. Well how does one go about growing mushrooms? You could always Google "growing mushrooms" and you will find a number of mushroom growing kits available online that area effective and not very expensive either.
Mushrooms can be added to any dish that you cook. Simply use them in pizzas, salads and anything that you pretty much fancy. Grow mushrooms in your own house and use them whenever you want. Fresh mushrooms are tastier than the ones that are stored in your refrigerator.
If you have had a really good crop of mushrooms, then you can even store them. Ideally you should use the white variety of the mushrooms. Simply pick them, slice them and put them on a cookie sheet in a freezer. When they area frozen, just put them in a zip lock and you can use them when you want to. They give a really great taste to the dish that you are making. Thaw them before you use them.
You should try growing mushrooms, since it's cost-effective. Furthermore, you can eat the fresh mushrooms any time that you want. | high1715.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The sufferings brought by war still have side effects on the children in Sierra Leone."
},
"options": [
"Plan UK is working on educational projects all over the world.",
"The sufferings brought by war still have side effects on the... | For PS12 you can equip an entire classroom in Burkina Faso, for PS31 you can equip a school football team in Sierra Leone and for PS68 you can support the whole education of a Haitian schoolgirl.
The educational presents are the latest way on the trend of charitable giving for Christmas. Plan UK, an international children's charity, has made its gift list focusing on helping the world's poorest countries to improve their education conditions.
"Every year we rack our brains for the perfect present and too often end up with yet another pair of socks or a useless ornament," said Marie Staunton, Plan UK's chief executive.
"This year we are offering people in the UK the chance to give twice. Buying an alternative gift for a loved one could likely save the life of some of the world's poorest children."
Plan UK is working on projects in specific countries, such as Burkina Faso, which is one of the poorest countries in the world and has a primary school enrolment rate of just 36%. A present of PS12 will help equip a classroom in Burkina Faso with chairs, desks, books and pencils.
The educational presents are the latest addition to a list of other charitable presents, including vaccinations and clean water systems.
Football strips for schoolchildren in Sierra Leone are designed to help the children have fun while continuing with the psychological healing process following the country's civil war. The PS31 gift will supply the team strip, a football and a whistle to a school in Sierra Leone.
Oxfam offers similar gifts. Its Back to School kits for five pupils is a bestseller in a catalogue which includes the PS24 Christmas goat, the PS30 lavatory and PS12 for school dinners for up to 200 children. | high7364.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Every day is A Gift"
},
"options": [
"Every day is An Important Occasion",
"My Poor Sister",
"Value Friendship Every Day",
"Every day is A Gift"
],
"question": "The best title for the passage would be _ .",
... | My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and picked out a wonderful skirt. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion." Well, I guess this is the occasion.
He took the skirt from me and put it on the bed. His hands touched the soft material for a moment, then he shut the drawer and turned to me, "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."
I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my attitude to life. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to enjoy, not suffer. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and treasure them.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are being lost from my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now. I' m not sure what my sister would have done if she had known she wouldn't have tomorrow.
I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend her fences for past things. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.
If I knew that my hours were limited, those little things left undone would make me angry. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with some day. Angry and sorry because I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute; every breath truly, is... a gift from God. | high8057.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "8580-5080"
},
"options": [
"139-100-25516",
"1368-1911",
"8580-5080",
"8457-2772"
],
"question": "One who is interested in life of ancient Chinese is more likely to contact _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | Great Wall Xmas BBQ
Beijing Hikers are organizing a three-hour hike on a rarely visited part of the Great Wall and will celebrate Christmas afterwards with a Christmas barbecue dinner in a small hotel at the foot of the Great Wall . Meet at 8:30 am. Dec. 25 in front of Starbucks at Lido Holiday Inn , Jiangtai Lu. Please write to info@beijinghikers.com or 139-100-25516.
Pingyao tour
High Club will guide a weekend trip to Pingyao , an ancient walled town near Taiyuan , capital city of Shanxi Province . The town is one of the best-preserved featuring courtyard buildings of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) . Among them is the Qiao family courtyard house, the shooting location of Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern (<<>> ). Leave on Friday (December 23) night by train and back to Beijing on Sunday morning . For sign-up and more information , contact Lucy at lucy@highclub.cn or 8580-5080,130-11171326.
New Year Harbin trip
The Chinese Culture Club is running a new year trip to Harbin , to catch a fresh view of its yearly ice and snow lantern festival .
As the temperature is expected to fall between minus 20 to 30degC, visitors are warned to prepare well with jackets , masks , fur gloves and boots. The trip sets out by train at night on December 31 and gets back on the morning January 2. The cost is 2,300 yuan (US$ 284) . Reservation is required at 8457-2772. | high15623.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Leonardo da Vinci"
},
"options": [
"A businessman",
"Leonardo da Vinci",
"The businessman's second wife",
"The businessman's wife"
],
"question": "Who painted the Mona Lisa?",
"question_type": "factiod_quest... | The Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503. He was working on a special painting for a church at the time, but the church painting was not going well. An Italian businessman asked da Vinci to paint a picture of his second wife. This is the woman who can be seen in the Mona Lisa.
All in all, the Mona Lisa is a very good example of da Vinci`s works. Da Vinci used darkness and light in a clever way in the painting.
Da Vinci loved science and math. Right away a person can see that there is a lot of geometry in the Mona Lisa. The face of the Mona Lisa is made of many circles and round shapes like balls. Even her smile can be seen as a small part of a large circle.
The woman in the painting is sitting on a balcony ,and mountains can be seen behind her. Da Vinci loved to study rocks and mountains, so these can be seen over and over in his other paintings.
The woman is sitting with her knees to the side. Her head is turned to look out of the painting. Her hands are held together in front of her. This way of sitting is now used by many artists when they are painting a picture of a man or a woman today. | high21586.txt |
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