questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "awkward"
},
"options": [
"moved",
"awkward",
"proud",
"nervous"
],
"question": "When the author first saw Dad's lunch box notes, she felt _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | When I was 11, I threw a glance into Dad's lunch box and made the unexpected discovery that my mother still showed her love towards my father. The evidence, a napkin resting on top of the sandwiches packed in wax paper, was certain "Love you!" she had written on the napkin. " Meat loaf for supper!"
Mom penned all kinds of messages to Dad on those paper napkins, and he saved a whole pile of them. What embarrassed me as a kid has become a precious memory of my parents.
It also started my own brand of lunch box notes. When my kids were young, I'd glue little drawings on their lunches. Lots of sketches of our dog, Max, along with smiling flowers. When they were teenagers, I'd copy words of wisdom from great people, Einstein, for example, or Bruce Springsteen. Then, my kids grew up making their own handwritten notes. And my husband writes me love notes on recycled paper, because he's all about being green.
Friends who know about my lunch box notes eagerly share stories of their own family traditions. So many focus on food. Maura's mom always drew hearts on the shells of hard-boiled eggs. Melinda wrote messages on her kids' bananas.
We're into the third generation of lunch box notes in our home. Whenever my 3-year-old grandson, Clayton, spends the night, he knows his lunch is going to have a napkin note from Grandma in the morning. Last week, I drew a picture of me, waving widely and shouting his name. He took one look at it and screamed, " Where's Grandpa?" I added a man in a clean shirt. " You forgot his tie," he said. I quickly drew a line of stripes down the front of the shirt. Clayton smiled. "Grandpa," he whispered, running his fingers across the napkin. "It's you!" | high8493.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "start a private hotel"
},
"options": [
"pay off the debt",
"start a private hotel",
"cut down expenses",
"buy living necessities"
],
"question": "Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to _ .",
"question... | More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life
Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less--and liking it
Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel.Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.
"Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No," says Ms.Giddens, "This is a phenomenon that's fairly widespread. A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do.If their base is being damaged, what's the payoff?"
Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.
Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make."You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is," Ms.Robin says, "You tend not to use things up.You cook at home rather than eat out..."
Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks."It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids," she says, "Simplicity is not just about saving money; it's about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music."
Mrs.Luhrs now edits a magazine,Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.
"It's not about poverty," Mrs.Luhrs explains, "It's about conscious living and creating the life you want.The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn." | high12588.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She's healthy and her mind is sharp."
},
"options": [
"She lives with her daughter.",
"She's healthy and her mind is sharp.",
"She likes to live with her children and has a happy life.",
"She has lived 30 years past the... | Head held high, hands firmly gripping her walker, Mary Arnott, 99, walks slowly with dignity through the women's changing room at the Etobicoke Olympium pool, past the teenage girls who have been blow-drying their hair for half an hour, into the mist of the showers, then out the door and first one into the heated pool. She jumps over to the shallow end, stopping to talk to friends--everyone knows Arnott here; she swims twice a week and treats it as a job--about their children, the viciousness of bridge and their health.
In fact, Arnott is an exception to the exception. Not only has she lived 20 years past the average lifespan for Canadians, she's healthy, her mind is sharp and she lives independently.
Born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1909, Arnott was raised on Staten Island. She survived scarlet fever , helped bring up four siblings after her mother died in 1923 and worked as a secretary in New York City for 12 years, earning$35 a week and a$150 bonus at Christmas.
Now she's happy living in a one-room apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom in her daughter's house. She wears a hearing aid, does the cryptic crossword with a magnifying glass, and can't really explain why she has live so well so long.
Until recently, she has still liked to drink red wine--she used to drink two glasses before supper each day. It's more likely genes, she admits. Her interest in other people and life in general may have had something to do with it. Asked if a star photographer can take her picture at the pool, Arnott seems cheerful.
"I look good in a swimsuit," she says, nodding her head firmly. "I look better in a swimsuit than I do in pants. " | high9955.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "amuse himself"
},
"options": [
"find the truth",
"show his wisdom",
"amuse himself",
"teach him a lesson"
],
"question": "The student wanted to play the poor man a trick to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | One day, a college student was taking a walk with a professor. As they went along, they saw
lying in the path a pair of old shoes. They supposed the shoes belonged to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's word.
The student turned to the professor, saying, " Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and hide ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his confusion when he cannot find them".
"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by tricking on the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him."
The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. After he slipped his foot into one of his shoes, he felt something hard. He bent down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen on his face.
He fixed his eyes on the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin. His feelings overcame him. He fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and cried a sincere thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, Whom the timely help, from some unknown hand, would save from dying.
The student stood there, deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears."Now,"said the professor,"are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?"
The youth replied,"You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. | high11081.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "living, working below the ocean"
},
"options": [
"pressure, lack of oxygen, and weightlessness in the sea",
"living, working below the ocean",
"underwater submarine",
"walking on the ocean floor"
],
"question": ... | Can you imagine traveling to work in a one-man submarine?
Scientists believe that someday one-man submarines will be as numerous as automobiles today. One says," One day soon, men will walk on the ocean floor as they do on the street. " Perhaps during your life time, people will travel, work and live under the sea.
Ships carrying oil and articles of trade will move beneath the ocean. Passenger ships will be built to travel underwater, where storms cannot delay them or make people seasick. Special underwater ships will be designed for mining, fishing, and exploring unknown areas. For military use, there may be submarines that can fly and then dive underwater to approach the battle area without being seen.
First, however, the human problems associated with living in the ocean will need to be studied in detail. Many of these problems are the same as the problems of living in outer space: pressure, lack of oxygen, and weightlessness. Already scientists have begun to study these problems.
In 1963 and 1964 scientists and Navy divers lived and worked underwater for several days in two projects which were called Sealab I and Sealab II. The Sealab II experiment kept the scientists and divers 215 feet below the surface for thirty days, studying marine biology, temperature, pressure, currents, and ocean bottom geology.
Many puzzling questions remain unanswered, however. Man's warm blood makes it difficult for him to live long in the sea without some kind of warmth. Can our blood be changed to fit new water surroundings? What will happen to our muscles if we live in the water very long? Will they become soft away from our usual land existence? Will bones become weak and our blood pressure change? Scientists are searching for answers.
By studying plants and animals deep in the ocean, scientists may find a cure for some of our most serious human diseases. We may learn to use plants to increase our world food supply. Engineers may learn to use the power of the sea by building huge walls to catch the force of the tides. | high18728.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "their academic performance"
},
"options": [
"their personal interest",
"their academic performance",
"their teachers' opinion",
"their reasons for application"
],
"question": "When choosing students, colleges an... | Educators across the U.S. are calling for major changes to the admission process in higher education.
The National Center for Educational Statistics (or NCES) reported that U.S. colleges and universities received more than 9 million applications between 2013 and 2014 and admitted more than 5 million students. But the problem is not in the number of students, a new report says. The report is called "Turning the Tide -- Making Caring Common."
The report argues that the process schools use to choose students causes major problems. David Hawkins is the Executive Director for Educational Content and Policy. He says that most colleges and universities require many things from students when they apply.
Schools usually require an essay describing a student's interests or why they want to study at that school. The schools also ask for letters from teachers describing why a student is a good candidate. But, Hawkins says, schools are most concerned with a student's high school grades and standardized test results.
The Education Conservancy is an organization that fights to make higher education equal and available. Lloyd Thacker is the Executive Director of the Education Conservancy, saying that the college admission process has changed a lot.
"Over the past 30 years, college admissions have become more complex." He says that ranking systems for colleges and universities are a big part of the problem.
U.S. News and World Report is a media company that creates a list of what it calls "America's Best Colleges." The company bases the list on information collected from colleges and universities across the country. This information includes results of standardized tests like the SAT from all of a school's students. Higher average test results help put schools higher on the list.
Thacker claims, "Too many students are learning to do whatever it takes in order to get ahead, even if that means sacrificing their own individuality, their health, their happiness and behavior..."
"The impact on students and on parents is that college is all about where you go. The rank has nothing to do with the quality of education that goes on at the college."
The Harvard report states that the best way to change the admission process is by changing college applications. | high19436.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they are not satisfied with their present life"
},
"options": [
"they have little fun in their daily lives",
"they are not satisfied with their present life",
"they want to entertain their friends and acquaintances",
"t... | Women consistently lie on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to make their lives appear more exciting, a survey has found. The survey was asked to carried out by Pencourage, a new anonymous "diary-style" social media website.
Researchers found that at least one in four women exaggerated or twisted what they are doing on social media once a month. The survey of 2000 women found they mostly pretended to be out on the town, when in fact they are home alone, and beautify about an exotic holiday or their job.
The most common reasons for women to write _ included worrying their lives would seem " boring", jealousy at seeing other people's more exciting posts and wanting to impress their friends and acquaintances.
Psychologists suggested that as people attempt to stay connected on social media, they can in fact be left more isolated. They also said that the more we try to make our lives seem perfect, the less perfect we feel. According to the OnePoll survey, one third of women surveyed admitted to dishonesty on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter at some stage. Almost one in four admitted to lying or exaggerating about key aspects of their life online between one and three times a month while almost one in 10 said they lied more than once a week. Nearly 30 percent of women lied about "doing something when I am home alone", almost a quarter overstated their alcohol consumption while one in five were not truthful about their holiday activities or their jobs. Almost one in five women even lied about their "relationship status".
"We work very hard presenting ourselves to the world online, pretending and attempting to be happy all the time which is exhausting and ultimately unfulfilling," said Dr Michael Sinclair, a leading British consultant psychologist. "Leaving out the less desirable imperfections of our lives from the conversations with our 'friends online leads to less opportunity to feel empathized with, resulting in a greater sense of disconnection from others. " | high4242.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the author is not young any longer at present"
},
"options": [
"the author is not young any longer at present",
"the season the author describes is the meet of late autumn and early winter",
"the author is a person who used t... | It is that time of the year when the warm, late Summer days meet the cold, early Autumn nights. The skies on days like these are bright and clear. The air is cool, fresh, and full of the smell of wild flowers. The leaves on the trees are dark green but with splashes of red appearing here and there. It is a really beautiful time of the year. Every where and in everything you can see change.
Birds are starting to migrate. Children are getting ready for another school year. People are looking back on the fun days of Summer and forward to the busy days of Fall.
It is days like these that remind me that while seasons, weather, and nature's colors may change it is all beautiful and it is all joyful. And I am changing too.
My thick wavy hair is now pretty thin on top. Its dark brown color is now getting some gray sprinkled in it. The smile lines around my eyes and mouth are deeper now and stay with me even when I stop smiling. My glasses continue to get thicker with each new pair and the music I love is now referred to as "oldies". Still, I feel so happy and joyful in my life. I am grateful for my younger years because they taught me so much.
What I have learned and experienced has gotten me to where I am today. I am grateful for my present because _ I feel happiness in every moment that God has given me, and I take great delight in all the changes life brings. Life is a never ending journey of change and growth. Life's changes never stop but neither does life's joy. | high876.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Edwin Moses and Greg Louganis."
},
"options": [
"Edwin Moses and Greg Louganis.",
"Dominique Dawes and Edwin Moses.",
"Dick Fosbury and Kerri Strug.",
"Greg Louganis and Dick Fosbury."
],
"question": "Who won tw... | Where Are They Now: Life after Olympic Gold
These celebrated Olympic champions from decades past wrote sports history, but what are they up to now? Here's the latest on some of the greatest.
Edwin Moses
_ : Gold Medals in 400 Meters Hurdles (1976 Montreal Games, 1984 Los Angeles Games)
_ : Moses earned a degree in physics and later held a full-time job as an engineer.After retirement, he earned his master's degree in business.In 2000, Moses took on the role of executive chairman of Laureus.
Kerri Strug
_ : Gold Medal in Gymnastics (1996 Atlanta), when she competed through the pain of the ankle damage to land the gold-winning vault.
_ : Strug lives in Tucson, Arizona.She does public relations for USA Gymnastics, speaking regularly at events and attending the Games on behalf of sponsors.
Dick Fosbury
_ : Gold Medal in High Jump (1968 Mexico City Games)
_ : Fosbury is an executive committee member of the World Olympians Association.But he hasn't left the tracks just yet - he coaches teenager athletes at Dick Fosbury Track Camps.
Greg Louganis
_ : Gold Medals in Diving (1984 Los Angeles Games, 1988 Seoul Games)
_ : Louganis developed AIDS and retired in 1989.It wasn't until the mid-90s that he announced he was HTV-positive.Since then, Louganis has been an outspoken advocate for HTV awareness.
Dominique Dawes
_ : Gold Medal in Gymnastics (1996 Atlanta Games)
_ : President Barack Obama appointed her and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees as co-chairs of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
Dawes is also the co-host for Yahoo! News Weekend Edition. | high8478.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how to manage water intake during a marathon"
},
"options": [
"the signs and treatment for dehydration",
"the long distance runners who need help",
"how to manage water intake during a marathon",
"a 28-year-old woman wh... | If you're training for a marathon, a proper plan for water intake is important. Of course, there's the risk of dehydration . But athletes now know they can also get into trouble by drinking too much. Too much water intake can lower levels of sodium in the blood. The death of a 28-year-old woman following the Boston Marathon caught the attention of many runners and led to new research.
Experts advise long distance runners to replace the liquids they sweat out. Their goal is to try to keep someone from not getting dehydrated by more than 2 percent of their body weight.
One technique for deciding how much water you need is to get the exact numbers. Runners have to weigh themselves before and after a run to determine how much water they've lost. If their weight drops by more than 2 percent, they have not drunk enough water.
Hyponatremia occurs when runners drink so much water that blood salt levels drop off. A study published last year tested 488 runners who completed the Boston Marathon and found 13 percent of them had dangerously low blood salt levels. The first sign that runners may notice is slightly swelling in the hands. They can't get their rings off, and then they might feel sick. They may not remember where they are. In fact, most runners get enough salt to get back to normal levels by eating just one meal after a run. Contrary to the old advice that runners should drink as much as they can to prevent dehydration, the new research has shown that the body is a remarkable machine that actually tells you via thirst when you need water. | high23966.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "impossible"
},
"options": [
"great",
"impossible",
"challenging",
"reasonable"
],
"question": "Jean's third-grade teacher thought her dream to be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"ans... | In 1959, when Jean Harper was in the third grade, her teacher gave the class an assignment to write a report on what they wanted to be when they grew up. She poured her heart into her report and expressed her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Her paper came back with an "F" on it. The teacher told her it was a "fairy tale". Jean was heartbroken and ashamed. As the years went by, Jean was beaten down by the discouragement and negativity she encountered whenever she talked about her dream. "Girls can't become airline pilots; never have, never will. You're crazy. That's impossible. "Finally Jean gave up.
In her senior year of high school, her English teacher was a Mrs. Dorothy Slaton, a demanding teacher with high standards. One day Mrs. Slaton asked this question: "If you had unlimited finances, unlimited access to the finest schools, unlimited talents and abilities, what would you do?" Jean felt a rush of the old enthusiasm, and with excitement she wrote down the very old dream.
The next thing that Mrs. Slaton said changed the course of Jean's life. The teacher leaned forward over her desk and said, "I have a little secret for you. You do have unlimited abilities and talents. When you leave school, if you don't go for your dreams, no one will do it for you. You can have what you want if you want it enough."
The hurt and fear of years of discouragement disappeared all of a sudden. Jean felt thrilled and told her about her dream of becoming a pilot. Mrs. Slaton slapped the desk top. "Then do it!" she said.
So Jean did. It didn't happen overnight. In her l0 years of hard work, even facing varieties of laugh, frustration and opposition, she never gave up her dream. Instead, she went on doing everything her third-grade teacher said was fairy-tale.
Eventually, Jean Harper became a Boeing 737 captain for the United Airline Company. | high12563.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "learning should develop creativity"
},
"options": [
"learning should develop creativity",
"homework should be done at home",
"learning remains to be a difficult task",
"homework serves as a ticket to success"
],
... | The old saying that practice makes perfect seems to make no sense when it comes to schoolwork. Many educators today are looking for evidence to support the case for homework, but are coming up empty-handed.
Mary Jane Cera is the academic administrator for the Kino School, and she maintains a no-homework policy across all grades. The purpose of the policy is to make sure learning remains a joy, not a thing that discourages social time and creative activity.
At the Kino school, Cera says children often choose to take their favorite parts of school home. "A lot of what we see kids doing is practicing music with their friends, and taking experiments home to show their parents," she says. Surveys of Kino graduates suggest that the early control they are given over their education continues to serve them well into college.
"One of the reasons that we continue to assign much homework is our obsession with tests, although we can agree on the importance of kids doing better on tests through proper homework to some degree,"says author Alfie Kohn. In his book The Homework Myth, Kohn points out that no study has ever found a relation between homework and academic achievement and that if kids have no choice in the matter of homework, they're not really exercising judgment, and are instead losing their sense of self-control.
However, many supporters of homework argue that life is filled with things we don't like to do, and that homework teaches self-discipline, time management and other non-academic life skills.
Wherever the homework debate goes next, it's worth taking a moment to examine if we're doing the right thing about our children's education. The good news is -- it's never too late to start. | high7993.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Roland Kruger"
},
"options": [
"Andy Palmer",
"Alfonso Albaisa",
"Johan de Nysschen",
"Roland Kruger"
],
"question": "Who will take charge of the launch of the Q80 Inspiration?",
"question_type": "factiod_qu... | Infiniti, Nissan's luxury brand, continues to show off ideas for the future.
The Q80 Inspiration here in Paris is an excellent piece of work, perhaps a concept elegant enough to make us forget that Infiniti's former Hong Kong-based president, Johan de Nysschen, moved to take over General Motors' Cadillac car brand in July and Infiniti chairman Andy Palmer is the new CEO at Aston Martin, the British luxury car brand.
The Q80, if it becomes reality, will be brought to market by Infiniti's new boss, former BMW (another famous car brand )executive Roland Kruger. He should focus on this, at least until he is head-hunted to another company.
The Q80 Inspiration is a low and sexy four-door fastback, and it is also a showcase for technology - from autonomous driving to eco-friendly power trains. Here in Paris, the Infiniti people say the hybrid drive in this concept suggest exactly where the brand is going in the future.
The company says the Q80 speaks to how Infiniti plans to pull people into more expensive cars - cars that compete with the Porsche Panamera, for instance.
Alfonso Albaisa, Infiniti Executive Design Director, said the car "delivers feminine elegance and muscular menace in equal measure and strikes big in terms of styling, craftsmanship, choice of materials and attention to detail."
Most importantly, for luxury cars buyers who are increasingly puzzled by all the technology, the designers focused on making things simple.
"There is a tendency with modern design that every time you add interior features and technology you add complexity," said Albaisa, pointing to the concept's easy-to -understand -and -operate infotainment interface.
As for power, the Q80 Inspiration gets 550 horsepower from a twin turbocharged 3.0-litre V-6 combined with a hybrid electric power train. Fuel economy could be as good as 5.5 litres/100 km. | high9766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "liked his teacher very much"
},
"options": [
"liked his teacher very much",
"got little help from his teacher",
"got along well with his classmates",
"was hit by his teacher with erasers"
],
"question": "When th... | One of the hardest things to do when you are a small child is to start school, and have a new teacher every year. I remember when I was in fourth grade, there were tons of rumors about my teacher. They said that he would hit kids with erasers. _ , and to this day I still remember him as one of those people who really helped me in life.
One of the things that you can do to help your kids get ready for a new teacher is to go to meet him or her before the year starts. This allows students to know who the teacher is, and break the ice.
It is common for students to be fearful of the teacher for the first few days. Maybe they look scary . However, as a parent, you need to teach your kids that teachers are people too, and that they want nothing but the best for you in life.
If your child is still having trouble adjusting to a teacher, you could ask your child to be taught by a different teacher.
Adjusting to teachers can be an uncertain thing for a young child. Whether your child knows nothing about this person, or maybe he has heard a rumor about him, it can be a scary thing. As a parent, all you can do is to make sure that your children know the teacher is there to help, not be scary. | high14112.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "I give him the cold shoulder"
},
"options": [
"I give him the cold shoulder",
"I think he is a cold-blooded man",
"I think he is a cold fish",
"I'm likely to get cold feet"
],
"question": "When you refuse to spe... | For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions.People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer.For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer.He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body.The expression "get cold feet" has nothing to do with cold or your feet.The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do.For example, you agree to be president of an organization.But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organizations will be your responsibility.You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression "give someone the cold shoulder" probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face.You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you.Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish.It is a person.But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth.A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone.Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted.Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy.Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
"Out in the cold" means not getting something that everybody else got.A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise----he was left out in the cold.And it is not a pleasant place to be. | high36.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers"
},
"options": [
"will last five days in all in July every other year",
"is intended for college students who are good at painting",
"is held by the Bologna ... | The aims of the Illustrators Exhibition,staged as part of the Bologna Children's Book Fair,organized by BolognaFiere and held from 19 to 22.March 2012,are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
*Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December l994,whose artwork is intended for use in children's books,are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
*Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Non-fiction Category.Illustrators may only enter one category.
*Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
*The confirmation form must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than 26 September 2011.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post,express delivery service or by hand.From abroad,please use the following forms:Form "A" for registered mail or post by air;Form "B" if using an international forwarding agent or airline.
To avoid deiays, material should not be sent by normal post.Material should be sent "carriage paid",including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork.All published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number,publisher's name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations (i.e. the size of the sheet) must not exceed the following dimensions:
Fiction:32*42cm(or 42*32cm)
Non-fiction:50*70cm(70*50cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered,nor will they be returned by BolognaFiere.The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board,maximum thickness 2mm(for scanner separation purposes).
SELECTIONPROCESS
All artwork received by the stated deadtine and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international group(whose decision is final),inclnding five members(from publishing houses and art schools) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.
ANNUAL
Each illustrator selected by the Committee will be granted two pages in the Annual,for the reproduction of all or some of the illustrations as well as a space for the bibliography . BotognaFiere has the fight to choose the works to be published in the Annual and to make complete or partial reproductions.
EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
After the Bologna event,the illustrator Exhibition will travel to Japan under the supervision of JBBY.The illustrator exhibition may afterwards be transferred to other venues in other countries,The Exhibitions of illustrations held abroad follow the same rules and regulations as the illustrator Exhibition,and the provision of the regulations are extended to tile organizers of the exhibitions held abroad.
RETURN OF ARTWORK
All the works will be returned to their owners by BolognaFiere by the end of July 2012. | high6455.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "When he passed by a store and heard a song that enchanted him."
},
"options": [
"He was encouraged by his friends.",
"When he passed by a store and heard a song that enchanted him.",
"He decided to rebuild his reputation.",
... | In his lowest days when few people bought his records, Taiwan singer Steve Chou lived alone in Canada and did little. One day, he passed by a local CD store and accidentally heard a song that greatly enchanted him. His passion for music was suddenly rekindled .
"My heart tells me that music is the thing I truly want to do, not for fame or money," Chou told Teens. "So I asked myself, 'why not start all over again?'"
That's how we luckily regained this music genius, who has since then composed lots of _ for the pop music charts . His emotional voice is enthralling . "Sometimes we need to get close to nature to look deeply into our souls and see what we genuinely want to follow," he said.
Following the success of Turkey in Blue, he has recently released his latest work Lovers Genesis. In this album he explores human relationships in the Internet age. This time, he takes the role of a calm observer rather than a struggling insider. " _ ," is Chou's advice to teenagers. Chou often gets his music ideas from trips. He has traveled to many places around the world and believes that learning a country's language is the fastest way of experiencing the culture behind it. | high6333.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes."
},
"options": [
"how fast a firm moves depends on how big it is.",
"how competitive a firm is depends on what it produces.",
"Firms guided by strategic spe... | In business, there is a speed difference: It's the difference between how important a firms leaders say speed is to their competitive strategy and how fast the company actually moves. The difference is important regardless of industry and company size .Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed.
In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that choose to go, go, go to try to _ ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track, What's more, the firms that "slowed down to speed up "improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period.
How did they disobey _ , taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what "slower" and "faster" mean. Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operation speed (moving quickly )and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value ).Simply increasing the speed of production, for example ,may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference .But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services.
In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion. They encouraged new ways of thinking. And they allowed time to look back and learn. By contrast , performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn't develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes.
Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership. Teams that regularly take time to get things right , rather than plough ahead full bore , are more successful in meeting their business goals . That kind of strategy must come from the top. | high12205.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "are too young to achieve anything"
},
"options": [
"are too young to achieve anything",
"can do anything though you are young",
"are old enough to become an inventor",
"have to learn knowledge from other people"
],
... | Do you have imagination? Do you like to solve problems? Can you? If so, you could be the next great inventor. "But I'm just a kid",you might be! Don't worry about a little thing like age. For example, one famous inventor-- Benjamin Franklin--got his start when he was only 12. At that young age, he created paddles for his hands to help him swim faster. Finally his creation led to what we know is called flippers!
So you don't have to be adult to be an inventor. One thing you do need, though, is something that kids have plenty of: curiosity and imagination. Kids are known for looking at things in new and unique ways.
So what should you do if you have what is a great idea for an invention? Talk to a friend or family member about it. Get input from others about your idea. Then ask them to help you create a working model--called a prototype of your idea.
Once you have a prototype, you can test it. Sometimes your idea turns out to be not as great as you thought. At other times, though, you realize it is a good idea and your prototype can help you figure out how to make it even better.
If your idea is really a good one, an adult can help you contact companies that might be interested in it. You will also want an adult's help to get a patent for your idea, so that it is protected and can't be stolen by someone else. If you need some inspiration, consider these kids and their inventions:
Jeanie Low invented the Kiddie Stool when she was just 11. It's a folding stool that fits under the kitchen sink. Kids can unfold it and use it to reach the sink all by themselves.
At the age of 15, Louis Braille invented the system named after him that allows the blind to read.
Chelsea Lanmon received a patent when she was just 8 for the "pocket diaper ",a new type of diaper that includes a pocket for holding baby wipes and powder. | high19350.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "you can control the form filling with enough time"
},
"options": [
"everything connected with application forms is easier",
"you can control the form filling with enough time",
"you can plan and have control of the needed tim... | Collecting information about pre-employment and filling out an application form are closely connected, However, filling out an application form is much easier because you have total control and have enough time to think and plan.
That you are given a form to fill out does not necessarily mean that you have to answer all the questions in it. If the form contains unclear questions or terms and conditions, you can make some changes before signing it, or refuse to answer some of the questions. What you must realize is that those terms and conditions have been written by highly paid lawyers. _ , or it would not be there; and you can be sure that there is not anything there that is written with your interests in mind.
I know what I speak of because, as a lawyer for Litton Industries. I wrote the terms and conditions that were printed on the back of order forms, I wrote the most tiring terms and conditions anyone has ever seen. Still, 90 percent of the buyers would just sign on them without questioning anything. If anyone questioned them, we would reach an agreement on something that was acceptable to both sides.
So when you see a preprinted application that contains questions or terms and conditions, read it all and read it slowly. If you don't like something, you can simply change the parts you don't like, Remember that everything can be settled by discussion. To what degree it can be settled depends on your position, of course, and that is something only you can determine. | high4524.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "make money by selling tents"
},
"options": [
"find a strong material to make pants",
"work for his brothers",
"make money by selling tents",
"open a store to make pants"
],
"question": "56. When Levi Strauss wen... | Levi Strauss was born in Bavaria in Europe in 1829. He
to the United States of America when he was seventeen years old. His brothers sold cloth, and he worked for them even though he could not speak English very well. At this time many people were moving to California because gold was discovered there. Strauss went to look for gold, too.
Strauss took a lot of cloth with him to San Francisco. He thought that he could make tents out of the cloth and sell them to people working in the gold fields. But when he got there, he saw that people had a greater need for clothes than tents. Clothes did not last very long in the gold fields. At first Strauss made pants out of
. They were very strong ---- much stronger than other pants. Soon everyone was wearing them , so he decided only to make pants. He opened a small store and made a lot of money from selling pants.
After a while, Strauss found a material even stronger than canvas. It came from a town in France called Nimes. The French called the material serge de Nimes, which means "cloth from Nimes". The Americans called it denim. Strauss also bought some cloth from Genoa, a town in Italy. To Americans this name sounds like "jeans", so they called his pants jeans. The cloth that Strauss used was always blue, so people also called his pants blue jeans and blue denims. Other people called them Levi's. Levi Strauss jeans are some of the best-selling jeans in the world today. They last a long time and are very comfortable. | high16063.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She had a larger reunion with her family members in Mississippi."
},
"options": [
"She suffered memory loss and forgot everything about herself.",
"She lives with a caretaker and her relatives in Alabama at present.",
"She's ... | After nearly 50 years of separation,an elderly woman has been reunited with the family that she feared was lost to her forever.
Celestine Thompson left Mississippi when she was 14 years old and eventually settled in New York,where she spent more than 30 years of her life,according to WLOX 13News. After surviving a fire in 1992,Thompson was in a coma for two years and has since experienced memory loss. The 90-year-old found it difficult to recall details about her family.
But later she remembered the name of her nephew Clarence Woodway. Then another woman who knows Thompson in Mississippi was able to track Woodway down and help reunite Thompson with her large family.
"In our minds,my brother and I were talking that she wasn't here anymore,because we hadn't heard from her for a very long time,"Donald Davis,another one of Thompson's nephews,told the media."You know,we were overjoyed when we found out that we had gotten in contact with her."
A few of Thompson's relatives visited her in New York,and then arranged a larger reunion which was held this past Saturday in Gulfport,Mississippi,the Associated Press reported.
Thompson now lives in Greensboro,Alabama,with a caretaker,and,although she is yet to meet them all,she has regained quite a sizeable family of 23 nieces and nephews,64 grand nieces and nephews,66 great-grand nieces and nephews and 34 great-great-grand nieces and nephews,according to the Associated Press. | high10412.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It will do little harm to the environment."
},
"options": [
"All its walls will be painted blue.",
"It will have a waste paper recycling system.",
"It will be made of recycled rubbish.",
"It will do little harm to the e... | Tired of living in the same location but don't want to leave the house you love? That wouldn't be a problem if architect Felipe Campolina had his way.
The Brazilian architect has designed a concept for a home tower consisting of portable, stackable apartment units, which he says opens up new possibilities for ways of living in the city.
His design would allow owners to take their home with them when they travel -- whether for a weekend away or for longer periods, he said.
The mobile home tower project is at the concept stage, and it could be years before it is built, if ever at all.
But if it is realized, it would offer an eco-friendly solution to living in urban areas, Campolina said.
"We have enough technology to build with fewer materials and minimize the impact on nature," he said.
His vision would call for units with a green roof and walls and a system for recycling water.
The tower, whose first floor would be built nine meters above ground, would also make it possible to save space in thickly populated areas.
"It is designed to facilitate its application in dense urban centers, where space is very limited," he said.
Still just a concept, Campolina -- who designed the building for architecture journaleVolo's Skyscraper Competition -- said with enough public interest, it just might become a reality one day. | high2155.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Disappearance."
},
"options": [
"Decrease.",
"Losing functions",
"Disappearance.",
"Existence"
],
"question": "What will probably happen to coral species with the increasing threats?",
"question_type": "fact... | Conservationists have unveiled plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades.
Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct.The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity , overfishing and pollution.
The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation.This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel.
"Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project."In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said."Their projects will last initially for two years.We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training." She added.
Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem , known as the rainforests of the oceans.Despite taking up under 0.2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life.If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity , but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs.
Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach.Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their colour.Bleached corals often die if the stress continues.Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish. | high4530.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "sympathetic"
},
"options": [
"sympathetic",
"indifferent",
"enraged",
"not mentioned"
],
"question": "Most people are_toward the death of Wang Bei according to the survey.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions... | The tragic death of celebrity Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular.
A survey on the reaction to Wang's death, conducted by Tencent, which runs China's most popular instant-messaging service, received more than 600,000 responses, as of press time Monday.Forty-one percent of respondents expressed sorrow over her death, saying, "It's a pity she died at such a young age." Some 31 percent said she should have been more cautious and less vain, while 10 percent were enraged at the hospital that conducted the surgery.The remaining 18 percent were indifferent.
A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks.Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society's unrealistic ideal of beauty: double eyelids, an aquiline nose and the pointed chin typical of Western celebrities.Others said her death underscores the limits to which people will go to achieve fame and fortune.Young people, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love.
"They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage," says Ding Xiaobang, a plastic surgeon with the Peking Union Medical College Hospital."We're living in a highly competitive society.People regard appearance as a weapon and a means of empowerment...Most of them tell me, 'I don't care how much I spend, just make me look beautiful'." In the past decade, Ding says he Has seen a growing number of patients, like Wang Bei, who are young and naturally good-looking.The surgeon attributes this trend to people becoming richer, the standards of beauty changing, competition and frustration.
"Some are frustrated with life and use surgery as a way to try and recover," lie says.
The surge in demand for plastic surgery has resulted in a rise in the number of unauthorized business establishments and surgeons conducting such procedures.
Meanwhile, experts say, young and beautiful people who still seek plastic surgery need to address their self-awareness issues and be more accepting.
"They've built their identity around the admiration of others and fail to establish a system to assess themselves," says Zhu Wenbo, a psychologist with Blue Bay Psychological Consulting Center in Chengdu."People's opinions always change, so this is not a reliable way to evaluate oneself." | high11718.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because she didn't know how to stop Will from hurting others."
},
"options": [
"Because Will could hurt nobody there.",
"Because she was afraid that other children would hurt Will.",
"Because Will's grandparents told her they... | When my daughter realized that she had really hurt another child with a mean word, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't always make things better. So I told her the story of Will, a 9-year-old boy whose father left his mom two years earlier.
Will was angry, and he often hurt others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I see why Dad left you!" Unable to deal with Will, the mother sent him to spend the summer with his grandparents. His grandmother's strategy to help Will learn self-control was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail into a four-by-four board every time he said a mean thing. For a small boy, this was a hard task, but he couldn't return until the nail was all the way in.
After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. In the end, he even apologized for all the bad things he'd said. One day his grandmother made him bring in the board filled with nails and told him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in, but after a huge struggle, he did it. His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology and, of course, I forgive you because I love you, but I want you to know that an apology is like pulling out one of those nails. Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. I know your dad put a hole in you, but please don't put holes in other people; you're better than that."
The truth is that no matter how much we apologize to people, we can't take back what we said. The best thing for us to do is to try not to hurt people in the first place. | high10406.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "preferred blog writing to newspaper reading"
},
"options": [
"were financially dependent",
"got well-prepared for the employment",
"got married early and started their family",
"preferred blog writing to newspaper readi... | There used to be four common life phases : childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.Now, there are at least six: childhood, adolescence, odyssey, adulthood, active retirement and old age.Of the new ones, the least understood is odyssey, the decade of wandering that frequently occurs between adolescence and adulthood.
They see that people in this age bracket are delaying marriage.They're delaying having children.They're delaying permanent employment.People who were born before 1964 tend to define adulthood by certain achievements moving away from home, becoming financially independent, getting married and starting a family.
In 1960, roughly 70 percent of 30-year-olds had achieved these things.By 2000, fewer than 40 percent of 30-year-olds had done the same.
Yet with a little imagination it's possible even for baby boomers to understand what it's like to be in the middle of the odyssey years.It's possible to see that this period is a sensible response to modern conditions.
Two of the American best social scientists have been trying to understand this new life period.Through their work, you can see uncertainty that now characterizes this stage.Young people grow up in tightly structured childhoods, Robert Wuthnow of Princeton observes, but then graduate into a world of uncertainty.Old success recipes don't apply, new systems have not been established and everything seems to give way to a less permanent version of itself.Dating gives way to Facebook and hooking up.Newspaper reading gives way to blogging.For example, in 1970, 49 percent of adults in their 20s read a daily paper, now it's at 21 percent.
The job market is changeable.Graduating seniors don't find corporations offering them jobs that will guide them all the way to retirement.Instead they find a vast menu of information economy options, few of which they have heard of or prepared for. | high21803.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Outdoor winter activities"
},
"options": [
"Outdoor winter activities",
"Popular winter sports around the world",
"Fun winter activities for children",
"Best ways to enjoy winter scenery."
],
"question": "What d... | Hiking
If you like to hike during the warm months, you'll probably like to hike in the winter. The landscape changes completely from summer to fall to winter, and the snow can make for some really beautiful photos. Be sure to bring your camera with you to capture all the awesome scenery. Because it's cold out, you also have the added benefit of not sweating too much through your clothes, and it's a great excuse to grab some hot chocolate when you finish your hike.
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is great exercise and a great way to see the winter scenery at the same time. If you've never done cross-country skiing before, be sure to check with an expert before trying it yourself. Knowing what to expect can keep you safe and prevent an injury.
Snowball fighting
Everyone remembers going outside, building a snow fort ,and having snowball fights when they were kids. The fun doesn't have to stop when you're an adult! Go outside with your friends, build a fort and start throwing snowballs at each other. If you have kids, get them in on the action. Throwing snowballs is a great way to use some extra energy and can be really fun for the whole family.
Bird-watching
Lots of birds migrate during the winter months, and these quiet, cold hours can be a great time to see them like never before. Eagles, for example, migrate through central Illinois in February, and watching them fly through Starved Rock State Park is a breathtaking sight. Check your local parks to find out what birds you can see in your area and get out there to see them. | high2141.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Americans are eating out more and more."
},
"options": [
"Americans are having a too busy life.",
"Americans are getting fatter and fatter.",
"Americans are eating out more and more.",
"Americans are in greater danger o... | Many Americans spend more time in cars these days than in the kitchen. But as lives grow busier--and waistlines grow larger--a number of health experts are calling for Americans to reduce their risk of cancer and other diseases by cooking at home more and eating out less.
"When dining out, people are likely to _ all the wrong thing," says Rachel Brandeis of the American Dietetic Association. "People take in 50% more fat and sodium when they eat out than when they cook at home. And they often miss out on fruits, vegetables and other vitamin-rich 'powerhouse foods' that may reduce the risk of cancer."
Nutritionists know it's not easy to break old habits. Many people say they hardly have time to exercise, let alone fix dinner.
Brandeis says her secret is organization. She cooks six nights a week, even though she and her husband both work. She spends 20 minutes thinking about a week's worth of menus and writing a list. She shops just once a week. Brandeis says she chooses easy cooking methods, too. Since she is not quite good at cooking.
The American Institute for Cancer Research has produced a guide filled with tips like "Homemade for Health". Melanie Polk, the institute's director of nutrition education, says cooking at home has many advantages. It teaches children about nutrition as well as the importance of sharing housework.
The 39-year-old homemaker Kirstin Kristinus of Washington, D.C. says cooking at home brings her family together. She also tries to reduce her family's cancer risk by preparing every meal with many different kinds of food.
"The only way to know that you are getting all the good things is to expose yourself to a wide variety of food," says Steven Shiff, a doctor in New Jersey. "If you eat out at a restaurant, it's a lot easier to choose unhealthful things."
However, "families don't have to give up restaurants," Shiff says. "It is possible to eat healthfully if you eat outside the home. But it takes probably the same sort of planning that you would have to do to prepare meals at home." | high14660.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it protects crops, produces honey and preserves the elephant at the same time"
},
"options": [
"it successfully keeps elephants out of African farmers' fields",
"the fences were adopted by farming communities in three Kenyan distri... | An African-born British scientist received an environment research prize for showing how bees can be used to reduce conflict between people and elephants. Lucy King's work proved that beehive "fences" can keep elephants out of African farmers' fields. The animals are scared of bees, which can bite them inside their long noses, and flee when they hear buzzing .
Dr King's work offers an intelligent solution to an age-old challenge, while providing further confirmation of the importance of bees to people and a really clever way of preserving the world's largest land animal for current and future generations. Working in Kenya, Dr King and her team showed that more than 90% of elephants will flee when they hear the sounds of buzzing bees. Afterwards, they also found that elephants produce a special sound to warn their fellows of the danger. They used the findings to construct barriers where beehives are woven into a fence, keeping the elephants away from places where people live and grow food.
A two-year project involving 34 farms showed that elephants trying to go through the fences would shake them, disturbing the bees. Later, the fences were adopted by farming communities in three Kenyan districts , who also made increased amounts of money from selling honey.
As Africa's population grows, competition for space between people and elephants is becoming more serious, and there are _ on both sides. The same is true in parts of Asia. Sri Lanka alone sees the deaths of an estimated 60 people and 200 elephants each year from conflict.
Lucy King now wants to see whether the Kenyan technique will work in other parts of Africa and perhaps, eventually, in Asia. | high9014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The end for Beckham?"
},
"options": [
"Beckham had a dream?",
"Beckham--- a great football player!",
"The end for Beckham?",
"World Cup in South Africa!"
],
"question": ".What is the best title of the passage?",... | David Beckham had a dream: to be the first English player to appear in four World Cups.But now it appears that dream is over after a serious injury to his Achilles tendon which means he could be out of action for around six months.With this year's World Cup in South Africa only three months away, sadly Beckham looks set to miss out.The injury happened while Beckham was playing for AC Milan against AC Chievo in the Italian league.After attempting to kick the ball he fell to the ground and hobbled off the pitch before being stretchered away.
It is not yet known whether he has completely severed his Achilles tendon or only torn it.The player has now flown to Finland for assessment and treatment by a knee specialist.
England manager Fabio Capello fears the worst for Beckham's World Cup chances.
"We have to wait for the results of the scan but it looks like he is out of the World Cup," he said in a statement."I spoke with him after the game on Sunday night to offer my support.
"David is a great professional and has worked very hard to be ready for the World Cup, so missing it will be a big blow."
Beckham's former manager at American club LA Galaxy, Alexei Lalas, echoed Capello's words of support:
"It is a horrible situation for Beckham.I know how much it meant to him to be in the World Cup and how important he was to the England team.
David Beckham is now 34 and some are asking whether this serious injury could mean his whole career is over.
Whatever happens, as one of football's best-known and popular players, Beckham will have no shortage of encouragement from fans around the world.
Some will remember Beckham's miraculous recovery from an Achilles injury in 2006, when he was back on the pitch after only eight weeks.
If he could repeat the same feat in time for the World Cup it really would be the stuff of fairytales.
So, perhaps all is not lost.Optimists will _ from Alexei Lalas' words:
"You never want to write off David Beckham as he has shown us his ability to bounce back ." | high12211.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "organic foods cost more but are not necessarily better than conventionally grown foods"
},
"options": [
"most doctors believe organic foods prevent disease or provide other benefits to health",
"organic foods are actually less nutr... | Organic food, once considered something that only health fanatics desired, is now a regular feature at most supermarkets. And that has created a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, you have a conventionally grown apple. On the other, you have one that's organic. Both apples are firm, shiny and red. Both provide vitamins and fiber, and both are free of fat, sodium and cholesterol.
Conventionally grown food generally costs less, but is organic food a better choice? The advantages claimed for such foods over conventionally grown and sold food products are now being debated on a large scale. Supporters of organic foods -- a term whose meaning varies greatly --are frequently telling the world that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.
The growing interest of consumers in the safety and nutritional quality of daily foods is a welcome development. However, much of this interest has been aroused by sweeping claims that the conventional food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting nutritional needs.
Almost daily, the public is surrounded by claims for "no-aging" diets, new vitamins and other wonder foods. There are numerous unsubstantiated reports that natural vitamins are superior to man-made ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than those treated with insect spray and the like.
Although most of these claims are not supported by scientific evidence, large amounts of written material about the benefits of organic foods makes it difficult for people to separate fact from fiction. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting of organically grown foods prevents or cures disease or provides other benefits to health have become widely advertised and form the basis for people's opinion.
One thing that most organically grown food products seem to have in common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers, particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the conventional food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead. | high7039.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in China childhood obesity rate in rural areas is lower than that in major cities"
},
"options": [
"weight-loss camps was very popular in China six years ago",
"about 290 million Chinese are overweight in China in all",
"in C... | Some weight-loss camps, which are rare in China just a few years ago, have sprouted in Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, and other cities. Today about 15 percent of adults, or 200 million Chinese, are reportedly overweight. Of these, 90 million--about 7 percent--are obese .
Experts say the obesity epidemic is spreading to children, though more slowly than in adults. The trend, they say, will have a huge impact on the health of China's citizens and economy. "We're seeing a very large proportion of children and adolescents who are quite heavy and aren't moving much," said Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor. Popkin carries out an ongoing health-and-nutrition survey of 16,000 households in China. He says more kids today are overeating and putting on weight "quite quickly". In just ten years China's childhood obesity rate has doubled, with the greatest gains coming in urban areas. "In big cities it's a big problem."
Some experts blame the extra fat on a range of factors, many of them tied to China's rapidly changing economy and culture. The diets of Chinese adults and children are far higher in calorie-laden meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, fats, and sugars than ever before. In addition, kids--especially city dwellers--are more sedentary today and spend more time indoors in front of homework, television, computer games, and the Internet.
Shuwen Ng, a health economist, says that kids in China now have pocket money, and they spend a portion of it on junk food. Ng adds that advertising and peer groups influence kids' food choices. Certain foods, such as new candies or fast food, have attractive features.
China's childhood obesity rate still lags that of the United States, where some 15 percent of kids are said to be obese. But the long-term effects are equally serious. | high15218.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the belief in the product"
},
"options": [
"the pleasing color of the package",
"the special taste of the product",
"the strange shape of the package",
"the belief in the product"
],
"question": "According to th... | There are thousands of things to be sold that are of all colors and shapes in a supermarket, making you believe that they are good enough for you to have a try. How packaging is the quiet but persuading salesman?
There on the shelves,each bottle, can and box has been carefully designed to speak to the inner self of the consumer , so that he is buying not only a product but also his belief in life. Scientists have studied on this and found that the look of the package has a great influence on the "quality" of the product and on how well it sells, because "Consumers generally cannot tell between a product and its package. Many products are packages and many packages are products," as Louis Cheskin, the first social scientist studying consumers' feeling for packaging, noticed.
Colors are one of the best tools in packaging. Studies of eye movement have shown that colors draw human attention quickly. Take V8 for example. For many years,the bright red color of tomatoes and carrots on the thin bottle makes you feel that it's very good for your body. _
Shapes are another attraction.Circles often mean happiness, because they are pleasing to both the eye and the heart. That's why the round yellow M sings of McDonald's are inviting to both young and old.
This new consumer response to the colors and shapes of packages reminds producers and sellers that people buy to meet the needs of both body and heart. | high862.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The understanding of \"privacy\" is different in China and America."
},
"options": [
"The understanding of \"privacy\" is different in China and America.",
"There is privacy between husband and wife in America.",
"Everyone ha... | "Privacy" is translated as "yin si" in Chinese. Traditionally,in the Chinese mind,"yin si" is associated with(...)what is closed or unfair. If someone is said to have "yin si",meddlers will be attracted to pry into his or her things. So people always say that they don't have "yin si".
On the contrary, Americans often declare intention to protect their privacy. Their understanding of privacy is that others have no right to pry into things which belong to themselves alone and have nothing to do with others. One who is too curious and who spreads rumors is said to violate the right to privacy.
In the evening, Sonia and I went to a bar for dinner. In China, when people mention bars, something bad usually comes to mind. But here,the bar was a quiet and tastefully laidout place. People spoke quite softly, afraid of interrupting their neighbors, and sat face to face as they drank, sometimes three or five persons sitting together.
This sort of atmosphere was totally different from my preconception , so I wanted to take a picture. Sonia stopped me, "Don't you see these people are pouring out their hearts? Maybe they are colleagues, friends, secret lovers. They came here looking for a peaceful place free from interruption by others. They wouldn't want to leave any trace of their having come here. So taking their pictures would be a serious violation of their right to privacy."
Is there privacy between husband and wife? One of Sonia's friends married a talented Chinese man,but recently she became so angry that she wanted a divorce .The reason was that her husband had opened one of her letters and looked through her purse. The husband didn't realize that this is not tolerated in the U.S.. He thought that being a couple was like being one person; why couldn't he see the letter or the contents of the purse? Truly, everyone, even those living as a couple, needs room--not only in threedimensional space, but in the heart. | high23972.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the target of the attack was obviously on Britons and Americans"
},
"options": [
"thirty-nine hostages were rescued from the Taj Mahal Hotel",
"fourteen gunmen were killed in Nariman House",
"the target of the attack was obvi... | MUMBAI - Indian commandos battled into the early hours of Friday to end a multiple hostage crisis in Mumbai after suspected Islamic militants killed 125 people across the city.
Officials said they had almost totally cleared the luxury Taj Mahal hotel where gunmen had been held up for more than 24 hours.
Indian security forces personnel released hostages from Nariman House in Mumbai.Thirty-nine people were rescued from the five-star Oberoi hotel, where "mopping up " operations were still underway, police said.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the militants had come from "outside the country."
The Press Trust of India said one Pakistani militant had been arrested, although Pakistan's government fiercely denied any involvement.
Indian media reports said between six and nine foreign nationals were among the dead in Mumbai -- including a Japanese businessman, an Australian, a Briton , a German and an Italian.
At least five gunmen had been shot dead and one captured, police said.Fourteen security personnel were also killed, including the head of Mumbai's anti-terror squad.
To draw maximum international attention, the militants used small groups to attack a total of about a dozen targets in India's financial hub , including the main railway station, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists.
An unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed responsibility, with one gunman telling an Indian TV channel by phone that the outfit was of Indian origin and motivated by the treatment of Indian Muslims.
Up to 327 people were reported wounded.
The main Bombay Stock Exchange was closed until further notice, as were shops, schools and businesses.
Prime Minister Singh said the aim had clearly been to spread panic by choosing high profile targets and "indiscriminately killing foreigners."
Witnesses said the gunmen had been very particular in their choice of hotel hostages."They said they wanted anyone with British and American passports," said one British guest at the Taj Mahal hotel. | high12577.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To warn people of the danger of tired driving"
},
"options": [
"To warn people of the danger of tired driving",
"To tell people to be careful when walking on the street",
"To inform people of the importance of a good rest",
... | Almost one in five drivers had dozed off behind the wheel, a shocking news report had showed. Of those who were dozing off, 29% have done so with their cars speeding at 70 miles per hour. The report also found a quarter of men have fallen asleep while driving, making it almost twice as many as women.
The Safety on Wheel Report, by Post Office Insurance, also looked at how often tiredness or a lack of concentration caused accidents. Three in ten drivers have experienced an accident, from passing a walker crossing to hitting another vehicle, because of a lack of concentration. Meanwhile, almost half (49%) of UK drivers have driven when they do not concentrate.
Paul Havenhand, head of insurance at Post Office, said, " When tiredness strikes, drivers should avoid the roads." There is no measurement for tired driving, unlike driving under the influence of alcohol, yet it could result in an equally dangerous accident.
Drivers are advised to take a 15-minute break from driving every two hours. However, a third (36%) are so eager to reach their destination that they will ignore feelings of tiredness. What's more, almost one in five (18%) will drive for longer than four hours without a break, while 6% carry on for up to 6 hours. Just over a quarter (27%) choose a quick stop to buy a cup of coffee, which is a very popular way for drivers to get rid of tiredness, and only 17% stop to have a rest until they feel energetic again. Mr. Havenhand added, "Drivers should plan ahead and rest before starting a long journey; besides, they can take regular breaks to _ while on road; in some cases, if they do feel too tired to concentrate on the roads, they could consider an alternative means of transport." | high13669.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He has a handsome income"
},
"options": [
"He often goes out with friends",
"He lives with his mother",
"He has a handsome income",
"He graduated with six O-levels"
],
"question": "In what way is David different... | Computer programmer David Jones earns $35.000 a year designing new computer games. yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card Instead he has been told to wait another two years until he is 18. The 16-year-old works for a small firm in Liverpool where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job David's firm releases two new games for the fast growing computer market each month
But David's biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot he cannot drive a car take out a mortgage ,or get credit cards David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago ,a year after leaving school with six O-levels and working for a time in a computer shop. "I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs" he said David spends some of his money on records and clothes and gives his mother 50 pounds a week But most of his spare time is spent working.
"Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school " he said "But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway" David added :"I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility You never know when the market might disappear." | high7987.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "only when you go to sleep"
},
"options": [
"only in a normal night",
"only when you go to sleep",
"only when you refuse to show yourself to the world",
"only when you change sleeping position"
],
"question": "Ac... | Everyone has got two personalities - the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don't show your secret personality when you're awake because you can control your behavior, but when you're asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you're a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don't like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You're quite shy and you aren't very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive person. You worry a lot and you're always easily upset. You're very stubborn, but you aren't very ambitious. You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep on curled up, you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so it is easy for you to get angry. You're shy and you don't normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You're easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weakness. You're usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don't often get upset. You always say what you think even if it makes people angry. | high9772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "On Norman Drive."
},
"options": [
"On Norman Drive.",
"On Palmer Street.",
"On Kingston Highway.",
"On Route 29."
],
"question": "Where is Bentwood Truck Museum?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | Grand Opening
Bentwood Truck Museum
Saturday, November 8, at 10:00 A. M.
After eighteen months of hard work by more than 100 volunteers, the Bentwood Truck Museum is ready to open. The old factory had been scheduled to be destroyed. When Roger Haygood heard about the plan to tear down the building, he bought it so that he could store his collection of old trucks there. Then he had the idea of turning the building into a truck museum.
During the past year and a half, the old building has been transformed into a treasure chest of memories. Instead of a dark and dull house, the building has become a cheery, bright home for all kinds of trucks from the past. The museum now houses 68 trucks, and we hope to have even more soon. There is a 1959 school bus, a 1942 bakery truck, and a 1937 fire engine. Our oldest vehicle is a 1919 milk truck. Our newest vehicle is a 1966 tow truck.
You can take a ride on a fire truck, a mail truck, or an ice-cream truck. Rides are $ 2.00, but you can get a ticket for a free ride at any grocery store in Bentwood.
Help us celebrate our grand opening by bringing your family and friends! There is something to interest everyone who attends. The Bentwood Truck Museum is a special piece of our history.
To get to Bentwood Truck Museum, take Route 29 (Kingston Highway) to Palmer Street. Go south on Palmer Street for one block and take a left onto Norman Drive. You will see the museum building and the amusement park on your left. Parking is available across the street, on your right. | high6441.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a natural course that is to a certain degree useful to us"
},
"options": [
"the way in which gases are used for keeping plants warm",
"a natural course that is to a certain degree useful to us",
"the way \"greenhouse gases\" ... | A green house is a building made of glass which is used for keeping warm when the outside temperature is low. In a similar way there are several gases in the atmosphere (mixture of gases that surround the earth) which trap the heat produced by the sun and prevent it from escaping. These gases are known as "greenhouse gases". And the way in which they trap heat in the atmosphere is called the "greenhouse effect". This is not simply air pollution. Most of the main greenhouse gases exist naturally in small amounts in our atmosphere, and without them the earth would be 30 degrees colder and human life would not exist. In other words, the greenhouse effect is a natural course which is to some degree helpful to us.
The problem is that in the last century and a half, we have been putting too many of these gases into the earth's atmosphere by burning large quantities of coal and oil and by cutting down forest. The rapid increase in greenhouse gases is making the world warmer. The world's temperature has already gone up by half a degree this century, and the sea level has risen by 10 centimetres. If the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles, there will probably be a rise in the earth's temperature of between I and 4degC;. This may seem a small increase, but it would be enough to cause major changes in geography and agriculture. Large areas of the world would be flooded, and some areas would become dry and unable to produce crops. It is important, too, to consider that there may be a delay of about 30 years in the greenhouse effect. This means that we are probably experiencing only now the effect of the gases put into the atmosphere before the 1960s. Since then, our use of these gases has greatly increased. | high22.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it may cause some diseases"
},
"options": [
"they don't know how to treat themselves.",
"they may meet more needle sticks",
"it may cause some diseases",
"it may make patients sad."
],
"question": "It is dangero... | For medical students, real experience begins not in a classroom but at a teaching hospital. These doctors in training are guided. But sometimes accidents happen and the students get injured.
For example, they might stick themselves with a needle while treating patients. Such needle sticks are common. But a recent study found that medical students often fail to report them. Failing to report an injury like this can be dangerous if a patient, or a medical worker, has an infectious disease.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, did the study, which involved a survey answered by almost 700 surgeons in training in the United States.
Almost 60% said they had suffered needle stick injuries when they were in medical school. Many said they were stuck more than once. Yet nearly half of those whose most recent incident happened in school did not report it to a health office. If they had, they would have been tested to see if they needed treatment to prevent an infection like HIV or hepatitis.
Most known cases of HIV or hepatitis are reported, but other possible infections often are not. Martin Makary, the lead author of the study, says medical students who are stuck put themselves and others in danger from infectious diseases.
Doctor Makary said, "A needle that goes through the skin needs to be as sharp as possible." Doctors in training may have to do hundreds of stitches in some cases to close the skin after an operation.
Doctor Makary said, "I support using _ tip needles which are considered safer. This needle is still sharp enough to go through body tissue, but it does have a blunt tip, so that if it accidentally goes into my finger, it's much less likely to hurt me."
How common are needle sticks among health care workers? An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 of these and similar injuries are reported each year in the United States. But Doctor Makary says the real number may be much higher.
The study advises doctors to protect their hands by wearing two sets of gloves. It also urges hospitals to establish a special telephone number for medical workers and students to call if they are injured. The idea is for hospitals to send a clear message that there is no reason not to report this kind of accident. | high5148.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "on the very top of the a tree"
},
"options": [
"on the very top of the a tree",
"hidden in the middle of a tree",
"on the tree for the longest time",
"exposed to sunlight less often"
],
"question": "From the sto... | Once there was a man who lied to eat mangoes. One day he decided to get the sweetest mango from the very top of the tree. Mangoes which are exposed to the sun the most are the sweetest.
So he climbed up to the top, where the branches were thin. He managed to pick up a few sweet reddish fruits, but, in an attempt to climb down, he slipped and started falling towards the ground. Fortunately, he caught the branch as he was falling and remained helplessly hanging on the tree. Then he started to call nearby villagers for help. They immediately came with a ladder and sticks, but could do little to help him.
Then after some time one calm and thoughtful person arrived - a well-known sage who lived in a simple hut nearby. People were very curious to see what he would do, as he was famous in solving many people's problems in the area and sometimes very complicated ones.
He was silent for a minute and then picked up a stone and threw it at the hanging man.
Everybody was surprised. The hanging mango lover started to shout: What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Do you want me to break my neck?" The sage was silent. Then he took another stone and threw it at the man. The man was very angry: "If I could just come down, I would show you!"
That's what everybody wanted - that he came down. But how? Now everybody was tense, as to what would happen next! Some wanted to chastise the sage, but they didn't. The sage picked another stone and threw it again at the man, even more forcefully. Now the man on the tree was enraged and developed a great determination to come down and take revenge.
He then used all his skill and strength and somehow reached the branches which were safe to start going down. And he made it! Everybody was amazed.
However, the rescued man found the sage gone. He stood there, realizing that the man really sed him because he induced him to try his best and save himself.
"I should be thankful and not angry." | high2627.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "introduce the Japanese custom of bowing"
},
"options": [
"introduce the history of bowing in Japan",
"describe the purposes of bowing in Japan",
"describe different ways of bowing in Japan",
"introduce the Japanese cust... | Bowing is a very important custom in Japan. Unlike people in many other countries, they greet each other by bowing instead of shaking hands. It is impolite not to return a bow to whoever bows to you.
Bowing has many functions in one. It expresses the feeling of respect, thanks, regret, and so on. You can bow when you say, "thank you", "sorry", "hello", "goodbye", "congratulations", "excuse me", "good morning", and more.
Bowing seems simple, but there are different ways of bowing. Bowing techniques vary from a small nod of the head to a long, 90-degree bow. It depends on the social position or age of the person you bow to. If your opposite is of higher social position or older than yourself, you are supposed to bow deeper and longer than him or her. It is polite to bow from your waist. Men usually keep their hands at their sides, and women usually put their hands together on their legs with their fingers touching. If it is not a very formal situation, you can bow by nodding. The most common bow is a bow of about 15 degrees.
You might feel strange doing it, but try to bow in Japan. You will be considered very polite! | high3539.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "women do play an important part in men's lives and work"
},
"options": [
"men are always successful but not women",
"women are not willing to stand in front of men",
"women do play an important part in men's lives and work",
... | People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman."
Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them.
Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.
The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.
A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!"
This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. | high4256.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "didn't want to worry his mother"
},
"options": [
"didn't want to worry his mother",
"didn't like his mother to notice him.",
"looked worried and his mother had noticed it",
"was thinking of how to get the pair of shoes.... | The date was like any other day in his life. After school Michael walked past the shop on the street corner. He stopped to look at the front row of shoes. And he felt sorry for himself. He really wanted to have them for his birthday.
He sadly walked away and thought of what to tell his mother. He knew she would give anything he liked if she could. But he also knew very well she had little money. He decided not to go home immediately, as he looked worried and his mother would notice it. So he went to the park where he sat on the grass. Then he saw a boy in a wheelchair. He noticed that the boy moved the wheel with his hands. Michael looked at him carefully and was surprised to see the boy had no feet. He looked down his own feet. "It is much better to be without shoes than without feet." He thought. There was no reason for him to feel so sorry and sad. He went away and smiled, thinking he was more lucky in life. | high19422.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Passengers transferring to a city in Ireland."
},
"options": [
"People travelling straight to London.",
"Holders of European Community passports.",
"Passengers transferring to a city in Ireland.",
"Passengers only with ... | Passport Control
If you are arriving at London Heathrow Airport and are not transferring to another flight outside Britain or Northern Ireland,you must pass through Passport Control and Customs immediately after leaving your plane. If you are not British or a citizen of the European Community,you must fill out a special form before your passport is examined.This form is called a landing card and should be given to you during the flight to London.
After landing,follow the AKRIVALS signs.Make sure you are in the right channel when you reach Passport Control.There is one channel for holders of European Community passports,and a second channel marked "Other Passports".
Baggage Reclaim Area
After passing through Passport Control,follow the signs to the Baggage Reclaim Area.If you have luggage which was carried in the aircraft:along with other goods,it will be delivered to you in the Baggage Reclaim Area.Look for the sign with your flight number.If you have only hand luggage,go directly through the Baggage Reclaim Area to Customs.
Customs
All passengers must pass through Customs after Passport Control.There is a choice of two channels.Green and Red.If you have nothing to declare,go through the Green Channel.If you are not sure about your Duty Free allowances ,or if you have something to declare, go through the Red Channel.Information about Duty Free allowances can be found on special notice-boards in the Baggage Reclaim Area.You should study this information carefully whether you are going through the Red Channel or not.Please note that if you go through the Green Channel,you may be stopped and asked to open your luggage for inspection . | high16711.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "traditional teaching methods help students score higher"
},
"options": [
"modern teaching methods provide students with entertainment",
"students taught by modern techniques are happy and successful",
"traditional teaching me... | Generations of children who sat through endless lessons of "chalk and talk" in front of a bossy teacher can take some relief. But the "chalk and talk" method helped them achieve better exam results. Modern classroom techniques may make school days a good deal happier, but contentment is not the road to success in examinations, according to university researchers.
Their three-year study, monitoring the progress of 2000 teenagers, tried to measure the influence of the "boredom factor" in 17 selected schools in the north of England. The researchers also found that the old-fashioned approach of teachers ordering pupils about is still alive and producing results. Their conclusions were welcomed yesterday by educationists who were worried by the shift to less formal lessons.
The pupils in the latest study were asked to award teachers marks to measure how frequently they followed or ignored today's fashion for "child-centred" education. A five-point scale was given to spot the teachers who always told them what they should know and what to write down. "It was significant and not anything you would get by chance or accident. Certainly, when you compare the pupil's interest and attitude to school, there is a quite definite and highly significant difference," one of the researchers said. But the rankings were turned upside down when the team of four researchers looked at how the children did in examination. The sort of methods now frowned upon actually improve the final grades.
The researchers said,"There is nothing wrong with old-fashioned, didactic teaching in the fight place, even if it isn't the flavor at the moment." However, he insisted the best teachers had always mixed the two techniques to match the needs of pupils, although certain examinations forced some to concentrate more on dictation and learning by rote . | high7777.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "birds that had learned to swim"
},
"options": [
"fish with the ability to fly",
"birds that had learned to swim",
"birds that could fly into the sea",
"fish with black and white feathers"
],
"question": "We now ... | Imagine being a crew member, hundreds of years ago, sailing in southern waters. Your captain is searching for food while exploring unfamiliar waters. Your job is to watch the sea off the ship's side for ice. The wind is cold on your face. Alongside the ship, a fish darts past. Another slows to a stop and raises its head above the water to look at you. How could a fish do that?
Did the sailors see fish with feathers or swimming birds? Today, we know that the sailors saw birds that developed the ability to swim. Their wings became flippers, and they could "fly" through the water with amazing speed.
There are many types of penguins. Only two kinds raise their young on the continent of Antarctic. Adelie penguins grow up to 29 inches tall and have a white ring around each eye. Emperor penguins have yellow orange color near their necks. Standing about 35 inches tall, they are the tallest penguins living today.
Emperor penguins have nests on top of their feet. Father Emperor penguins keep the egg on top of their feet for more than two months, until the egg is ready to hatch. The mother penguin goes out for food during that time. Imagine holding an egg on your feet for two months until someone returns with food!
Male and female penguins are both good parents. Once the chicks hatch, both parents travel long distances to find food for them in the sea. It may be days before the parents return and the chicks eat again. When they return with food, the fun really begins. Chicks chase their parents, begging for food. Penguin chicks eat huge amounts at one time.
Eventually, the adult penguins stop feeding the chicks. This is nature's way of forcing children to grow up. When the penguin chicks are hungry enough, they find their way to the sea. Without any swimming lessons, they make their way into the icy waters and swim as only penguins do. | high13899.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a hurricane"
},
"options": [
"an earthquake",
"a hurricane",
"a flood",
"a fire"
],
"question": "The weather event that took place that day in the story was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | The winds had finally died down,and the rains stopped.Paige and her parents were inside their house,sitting in the living room,which was dark except for a single candlelight.
"Let's find out what's going on outside,"Paige's mom suggested as she turned on the small radio.
"...has moved out of the area,"an announcer's voice boomed. "Winds reaching nearly 100 miles an hour passed through our town this morning. But,the worst is over,and it is safe to go outside.In fact,the sun is now peeking out from behind the..."
Suddenly,the radio went dead.The house was quiet again.
"Well,"Paige's dad said, "at least we heard some good news,even if it was cut short.Let's look out of the window and survey the damage."
Paige ran to the window and looked outside.She saw tree branches lie on the lawn.The mailbox was broken,and some of the address letters and numbers on the mailbox were missing.
"The wind must have ripped them off," Paige's father noted.As he read the remaining letters he began to laugh.
The mailbox dispalyed " _ _ RAIN."
"It says "rain","Paige said. "That's appropriate for a day like today!" | high15230.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Technology."
},
"options": [
"Health.",
"Technology.",
"Entertainment.",
"Business."
],
"question": "Which section of BBC news is most likely to.include this passage?",
"question_type": null
}
] | Helge and Kari Farsund, who live in Oslo, Norway, have been a couple for 50 years. Mr Farsund worrked as an engineer, while his wife was an intensive-care nurse at one point serving with the Red Cross in Rwanda, helping victims of the violent war in that country.Three years ago, a personal tragedy struck, when Mrs Farsund was found to have developed Alzheimer's . 'As the condition became worse, Mr Farsund began looking for a system that could help both of them live as normal a life as possible. He came across the healthcare technology company Abilia, which has come up with just such a network.
At the center \of the system is an iPad-like device. The screen has Skype, which allows carers to regularly check in with patients. It also has a planner for patients or carers to record up-coming events and provides spoken reminders about daily tasks, such as when they need to take medicine.
Some l,000 people now have the system installed in their homes, and 25 of them, including the Farsunds, are testing the latest version, which combines the screen with wirelessly connected sensors. The motion sensors know if you are in the room or open a door, and send out alarms, for instance, if the stove is left on for more than 15 minutes or a per.son opens a door in the middle of the night. The second is a particular issue in Oslo, where sub-zero winters mean some Alzheimer's patients are freezing to death.
"With.this kind of system, it allows people to take care of themselves, which is the most important thing," says vice president Oystein Johnsen. For him, any move to improve city life needs to begin with people. "Smart cities are coming and they need to start with individuals in their own home," he says. "It also saves the govemment money. In Norway it costPS100,000 per year to have someone in a home, while this system costs 15,000. That is a lot of money to save." | high8444.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "supportive but concerned"
},
"options": [
"proud and happy",
"supportive but concerned",
"fearful and nervous",
"excited but puzzled"
],
"question": "When hearing the news that her daughter would go on a school ... | When Armida Armato's daughter, Alexia, came home from school one day last year keen to go on a school trip to Ecuador, she wasn't too sure how to feel. She was happy that her daughter could experience something she never did as a teen but was fearful of letting her travel to such a remote part of the world.
Alexia was 16 at the time, a student at Westwood High School. The school sponsored a humanitarian trip for 26 students and two teachers to spend 18 days living in a mountain village to build a one-room school. Even though Armato trusted her daughter, the other students and the teachers, she was worried about the side effects from the travel vaccines, possible accidents, and medical care.
Now that Alexia was home, Armato said she saw her daughter's new maturity, greater confidence and independence. "This is the best thing I ever did," Alexia said. "The experience was so eye-opening and life-changing. You're with people who are not as lucky as you are. They live in very poor conditions but they're so happy and outgoing. You say, 'My God. I'm taking everything for granted back home.'"
She said they built a one-room school from scratch with no mechanical cement mixers. They used their hands, shovels and basic tools. She and another student lived with a local family in a small village about eight hours outside the capital, Quito. Despite the initial strangeness and knowing only basic Spanish, she said they grew very close and felt like a family.
Every year, groups of students at Montreal High School like Alexia pack their bags and fly off with classmates and teachers to developing countries where they volunteer for a variety of projects.
"Armato's worries are very common among parents," says Bill Nevin, a teacher at St. George's High School. He organizes a humanitarian rip to India to the Sheela Bal Bhavan orphanage and says the three biggest fears families have are health, security and contact. | high9982.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "speak out open-heartedly"
},
"options": [
"speak out open-heartedly",
"tell him some stories about themselves",
"make up some stories about themselves",
"say something good to him"
],
"question": "The author ask... | As a teacher, I always think it right to teach my students to write about their true feelings and real experiences. But once I was puzzled about this.
After explaining a text one day, I asked my students to write a passage about their families. All the students wrote quite well but the best of them all was the one written by a small girl. I was deeply touched by it. The girl's father had died years before and her mother had to work hard to support the family. Many times she had seen her mother working deep into the night but never seen tears on her face. Like her mother this girl also works hard at her lessons and she is really good at any of them. I even didn't know anything about her unlucky family. She always appears happy every day so she is really liked by us all, both the students and teachers.
In order to make her an example to the class, I read this passage to the class. When I finished reading it I found my throat _ and my students' eyes full of tears. Some of them even wept in a low voice. After the class nearly all my other students wanted to hand in their pocket money for the daily use to help this girl. To tell you the truth, I was really proud of my students.
But to my disappointment, this student of mine left the class even without telling me the next day. I don't know the reason why, can you tell me? | high1306.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "One can enjoy the authentic flavor of every experience when he is alone."
},
"options": [
"Being alone is actually an adventure of exploring one's outer space.",
"People are lonely because they lack communication between each other... | The other day an acquaintance of mine, an outgoing and charming man, told me he had found himself unexpectedly alone in New York for an hour or two between appointments. He went to the Whitney and spent the "empty" time looking at things in solitary happiness. For him it proved to be a shock nearly as great as falling in love to discover that he could enjoy himself so much alone.
What had he been afraid of, I asked myself? That, suddenly alone, he would discover that he bored himself, or that there was, quite simply, no self there to meet? But having taken a decisive step, he is now on the edge of adventure; he is about to be launched into his own inner space to the astronaut.
His every perception will come to him with a new freshness and, for a time, seem surprisingly original. For anyone who can see things for himself with a naked eye becomes, for a moment or two, something of a genius.
With another human being present, vision becomes double vision, unavoidably. We are busy wondering, what does my companion see or think of this, and what do I think of it? The original impact gets lost.
"Music I heard with you was more than music." Exactly. And therefore music itself can only be heard alone. Solitude is the salt of personhood. It brings out the authentic flavor of every experience.
"Alone one is never lonely: the spirit adventures, walking in a quiet garden, in a cool house, staying single there."
Loneliness is very strongly felt with other people, for with others, even with a lover sometimes, we suffer from our differences of taste, temperament and mood. Human intercourse often demands that we soften the edge of perception, or withdraw at the very instant of personal truth for fear of hurting, or of being inappropriately present, which is to say naked, in a social situation. Alone we can afford to be wholly whatever we are, and to feel whatever we feel ly. That is a great luxury!
For me the most interesting thing about a solitary life, and mine has been that for the last twenty years, is that it becomes increasingly rewarding. When I can wake up and watch the sun rise over the ocean, as I do most days, and know that I have an entire day ahead, uninterrupted, in which to write a few pages, take a walk with my dog, lie down in the afternoon for a long think (why does one think better in a horizontal position?), read and listen to music, I am flooded with happiness.
I'm lonely only when I am overtired, when I have worked too long without a break, when from the time being I feel empty and need filling up. And I am lonely sometimes when I come back home after a lecture trip, when I have seen a lot of people and talked a lot, and am full to the brim with experience that needs to be sorted out.
Then for a little while the house feels huge and empty, and I wonder where my self is hiding. It has to be recaptured slowly by watering the plants and perhaps, by looking again at each one as though it were a person.
It takes a while, as I watch the surf blowing up in fountains at the end of the field, but the moment comes when the world falls away, and the self emerges again from the deep unconscious, bringing back all I have recently experienced to be explored and slowly understood, when I can converse again with my hidden powers, and so grow, and so be renewed, till death do us part. | high23782.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "her life would be in great danger as she could fall ill easily"
},
"options": [
"other children would have a higher chance to catch her disease",
"she would catch a common cold which would kill her quickly",
"her life would b... | Bea, a five-year-old girl, was born with a severe illness which means she has to be kept away from other children of her age, because her body is so weak that she would be unable to fight off a common cold.
Bea was diagnosed with this disease when she was five months old. Since then, the hospital has become her second home, medicines for food, and all kinds of treatments her friends. Bea received a very special treatment when she was four years old, which would allow her to be like a normal child if successful. After that, she spent two weeks in ICU before living for four months on a separate ward . Bea was allowed home in February but still needed a special tube in her nose to send in medicines every two days.
Her parents clean the house from top to bottom every two days and hoover each morning to make sure Bea is free from any possible bacteria. Anna, Bea's mother, said, "she is weak but so strong. We've never seen any child stronger than her. It seems as if nothing in the world could beat her. We really hope to send her to school next year." She used to drive on the local playground, but Bea was only allowed to watch sitting in the car. "It was heartbreaking to see Bea staring at the running and laughing children there. She never stopped fighting the disease. I know she's dying for such a normal life."
Hearing of Bea's story, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has paid for a play park to be built in her back garden. "Bea is very brave and she has encouraged many children like her," said the chairman of the foundation. | high17427.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She cares a lot about the environment."
},
"options": [
"She likes hugging trees.",
"She knows a lot about trees.",
"She grew up in the country.",
"She cares a lot about the environment."
],
"question": "Why do ... | Not too long ago, our teacher, being a "tree-hugger" (as the kids call her), had us write an essay on an environmental issue . I was eager to start, but something made me stop.
"What is an environmental issue ?" one kid asked . "What if we don't care about the environment ?" another complained. " It's not like it affects me ."
These comments _ me .I have always cared about the environment and assumed that others did too. From the surprised look on my teacher's face, I could tell she felt the same way.
In no time, I finished my essay . In my essay I wrote about logging , which is an important industry, but if we continue to cut down trees without replacing them, it will damage the environment.www.zxxk.com
There are so many things that we can do to save our world. Recycling, of course, is always a good thing, but not everyone has a recycling plant nearby ( I don't ) . There are other ways to help the environment . Plant a tree. Don't waste water.
I can't stand it when a person's excuse for not caring is "Nothing's going to happen in my lifetime, so why should I care ?" Sure, the chances of something terrible happening are slim, but I want people to realize that if we don't deal with it, someone will have to eventually. Do you want that to be your children ?
When my teacher told me to read my essay to my class, I was a little embarrassment because I didn't want everyone to call me "tree- hugger". I realize now that if being a tree-hugger means you cares about the environment, I'm a tree-hugger 100 percent. I just wish more people were too. | high5160.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The city's old and modern districts."
},
"options": [
"The city's old and modern districts.",
"The modern city and the tiny country.",
"The city's past and present conditions.",
"The fashionable city and its poor citize... | Doha, the capital of Qatar,is a city of contrasts . In a few decades it has beentransformed from a small port to an international city. Today, its skyline is shaped by rising skyscrapers, but Old Doha---though fast disappearing---can still be found.
Time seems to stand still in the old quarter of the city. On the dusty streets, Indian and Pakistani men sit cross-legged outside tea shops and restaurants. At one end of the road, men queue by the doorways of crowded supermarkets to buy necessities: boxes of teabags, milk, sugar, bread and soap. The shops are dark and poorly stocked. However, only five miles away, on the other side of the city, Doha shows a completely different image. It shines brilliantly with skyscrapers, five-star hotels and noble apartment buildings. The area looks like any other modem district in the world.
Qatar, a tiny gulf nation, is a country of vast local and international ambitions. At home, it has owned several international universities. Abroad, it tries to speak louder on gulf affairs. These ambitions are urged by the country's unbelievably rich reserves of fossil fuels.In December 2012, Daba was the site of Copl8 UN Climate Change Conference and in 2022,Qatar will host the World Cup.
Mohammed Salim, 55, runs a hair salon in the old part of the city where he works as a hair
dresser.When he came to Doha 22 years ago from Pakistan,he recalls,Doha was a quiet town with few modern buildings."At that time,Doha seemed rather small.There were no big roads or malls at all." He has noticed a drop in customers to his salon in recent years."People now tend to go to more fashionable hair salons in shopping malls.Some day this old area will be gone, and my business will probably be gone, too.I'll be sad. I love here, but things are changing.We can't ignore it." | high10348.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "developing rapidly around the world"
},
"options": [
"earning more money than traditional fisheries",
"developing rapidly around the world",
"growing at a rate of 6.6 percent each day",
"producing 46% of the world's sup... | A new United Nations report shows that fish farming may soon be the world's most important provider of fish. The Food and Agriculture Organization says fish farming is growing at a rate of 6.6 percent a year.
Fish farming now produces forty-six percent of the world's supply of fish. That represents a forty-three percent increase from 2006. The report also said fish farming earned more money in 2008 than traditional fisheries.
In fish farming, fish are raised in tanks or small bodies of water called ponds. They are also raised in cages or nets in oceans, lakes and rivers. The report says increased fish farming has helped people around the world eat record amounts of fish. The FAO says each person ate an average of almost seventeen kilograms of fish last year.
However, the FAO says the current yearly wild-fish harvest of ninety million tons shows no improvement. Decreasing numbers of fish and stronger catch limits have reduced the possibilities for catching wild fish. The FAO report says about thirty-two percent of world supplies are overfished. It says these supplies of fish need to be rebuilt at once.
Some scientists have criticized fish farming. They say the nets and cages permit fish diseases and pests to spread. Some fish farming critics doubt whether fish farming can keep growing at the current rate. But Wally Stevens of the trade group Global Aquaculture Alliance says the industry must continue developing to feed growing populations. Mr. Stevens says a one hundred percent increase in fish farming over ten years is necessary to keep providing for people at the current level. He notes that fish farming creates jobs and wealth, especially for people in coastal areas of China. | high3511.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "have more advantages of development in growth and health"
},
"options": [
"become a more subtle laughter when he or she grows up",
"be more likely to take a whole life to perfect smiling and laughing",
"have more advantages o... | We start finding things laughable -- or not laughable -- early in life. An infant first smiles at approximately eight days of age. In his book Beyond Laughter, psychiatrist Martin Grotjahn says that the earlier infants begin to smile and laugh, the more advanced their development is. Studies revealed that children who did not develop these responses "developed a schizophrenic psychosis in later life, or simply gave up and died".
Between the ages of six months and one year, babies learn to laugh for essentially the same reasons why they will laugh throughout their lives, says Dr. Jacob Levine. He says that people laugh to express mastery over an anxiety. Adult laughter is more subtle , but we also laugh at what we used to fear. The feeling of achievement, or lack of it, remains a leading factor. Giving a first dinner party is an anxious event for newly-weds. Will the food be good? Will the guests get along? All goes well; the party is over. Now they laugh freely. Their pleasure is from recalling the evening's activities. They couldn't enjoy the second pleasure without the first.
Laughter is a social response caused by signals. Scientists have not determined a brain center for laughter, and they are puzzled by patients with certain types of brain damage who go into laughing with no apparent reason. The rest of us require company and a reason to laugh. Another reason why laughter is pleasurable is because of the physical feeling involved.
According to Dr. Levine, we can measure our adjustment to the world by our capacity to laugh. When we are secure about our abilities, we can make fun of our weakness. If we can laugh through our anxieties, we will not be overpowered by them.
The ability to laugh starts early, but it takes a lifetime to perfect. Says Dr. Levine, "When social relationships are mastered, when individuals have mastered... a peaceful relationship with themselves, then they have ... the sense of humor." And then they can throw back their heads and laugh. | high16739.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "fish reproduce babies quickly"
},
"options": [
"fish are not costly to feed",
"fish are nice to look at",
"fish reproduce babies quickly",
"fish need little space"
],
"question": "Keeping fish is a good hobby fo... | Keeping fish as pets is a popular hobby. Fish take up little room, are inexpensive to feed, and provide an interesting and color1ful display in any room.
A tank, or an aquarium , must be chosen carefully. Many new aquarium owners buy too many fish for their tanks. Fish cannot be crowded. Two fish can live comfortably in each gallon of water, only ten fish can live in a five-gallon tank. Can you see why a goldfish would not live long in a tiny , round bowl?
If too many fish are kept together, they will not have enough oxygen or room to swim about freely. They will have more diseases. Also, some kinds of fish cannot be kept together. They will fight and may even kill one another. As your interest in fish grows, the number of fish you have may grow, too. Then you may want to _ in another tank.
If you start with a ten-gallon aquarium, what kind of fish would be best? The two major groups of tropical fish are those that lay eggs and those that give birth to live young. If you want to raise young fish, guppies would be the best choice because they can produce many babies in a short time.
You can buy fish and aquariums in most pet stores. Ask the owner to help you choose the right fish. You can also find many books about tropical fish in the library. | high21195.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "hard work"
},
"options": [
"good memory",
"hard work",
"unique brain",
"learning methods"
],
"question": "The Hungarian woman became a hyper-polyglot mainly because of her _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | It is not unusual for people to speak two or three languages; they're known as bilinguals or trilinguals. Speakers of more than three languages are known as polyglots. And when we refer to people who speak many languages, perhaps a dozen or more, we use the term hyper-polyglot.
The most famous hyper-polyglot was Giuseppe Mezzofanti, a 19thcentury Italian cardinal, who was said to speak 72 languages. This claim sounds absurd. _ But Mezzofanti was tested by critics, and they were all impressed.
Did Mezzofanti have an extraordinary brain? Or are hyper-polyglots just ordinary people with ordinary brains who manage to do something extraordinary through hard work?
U.S. linguist Stephen Drashen believes that outstanding language learners just work harder at it and then they acquire unusually strong language ability. As an example, he mentions a Hungarian woman who worked as an interpreter during the 20thcentury. When she was 86, she could speak 16 languages and was still working on learning new languages. She said she learned them mostly on her own, reading fiction or working through dictionaries or textbooks.
Some researchers argue to the contrary. They believe that there is such a thing as a talent for learning languages. In the 1930s, a German scientist examined parts of the preserved brain of a hyper-polyglot named Emil Krebs, who could speak 60 languages fluently. The scientist found that the area of Krebs's brain called Broca's area, which is associated with language, looked different from the Broca's area in the brains of men who speak only one language. However, we still don't know if Krebs was born with a brain ready to learn dozens of languages or if his brain adapted to the demands he put on it.
Although it is still not clear whether the ability to learn many languages is in born, there's no doubt that just about all of us can acquire skills in a second, third, or even fourth language by putting our mind to it. | high3277.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Club Saturday Swim"
},
"options": [
"Friends and Buddies",
"Club Saturday Swim",
"Sibshops (Ages 10-13)",
"Banana Splits"
],
"question": "If you have free time only on Saturday, you can go to _ .",
"quest... | Friends and Buddies
This program is planned for teenagers who have special needs with the goal of meeting within a community with other peers . The purpose of the program is that it will lead to a better understanding of friendships. Gym, Swim, Surprise Guest, and Pizza are included. Ages 12-18, numbers of members are limited. Contact: Gloria Bass. This program is held 2 Fridays per month. Fees: $65/$85
Club Saturday Swim
This program is available to anyone aged 5-14 who is challenged by mental, physical, or emotional trouble. The program will be held each Saturday afternoon, 12:00-12:30 pm or 12:30-1:00 pm. Fees: $136/$260
Sibshops (Ages 10-13)
Sibshops is a program for siblings of children with challenges. It includes group activities and talk treatment ways with the focus on improving sibling relationships and whole family happiness. Location: Hope Church, Wilton CT. Wednesday: 4:00-5:00 pm. Fees: $50/$65
Banana Splits
Banana Splits is an educational support group for children in family trouble. Children aged 9-13 will have the opportunity to meet other children whose parents have separated or divorced, learn to recognize feelings, think of healthy coping skills and have a place to share their struggles through verbal , physical, and artistic experiences. Location: Hope Church, Wilton CT. Tuesday:4:30-5:30 pm. Fees: $50/$65 | high11730.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a tornado"
},
"options": [
"a cumulus cloud",
"a tornado",
"a hurricane",
"a storm cloud"
],
"question": "The weight of _ is NOT mentioned in the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Ever wonder how much a cloud weighs? What about a hurricane? A meteorologist has done some estimates and the results might surprise you.
Let's start with a very simple white puffy cloud -- a cumulus cloud . How much does the water in a cumulus cloud weigh? Peggy LeMone, senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, did the numbers. "The water in the little cloud weighs about 550 tons," she calculates. "Or if you want to convert it to something that might be a little more meaningful ... think of elephants."
The thought of a hundred elephants-worth of water suspended in the sky begs another question -- what keeps it up there?
"First of all, the water isn't in elephant sized particles , it's in tiny tiny tiny particles," explains LeMone. And those particles float on the warmer air that's rising below. But still, the concept of so much water floating in the sky was surprising even to a meteorologist like LeMone. "I had no idea how much a cloud would weigh, actually, when I started the calculations," she says.
So how many elephant units of water are inside a big storm cloud--10 times bigger all the way around than the "puffy" cumulus cloud? Again, LeMone did the numbers: About 200,000 elephants.
Now, ratchet up the calculations for a hurricane about the size of Missouri and the figures get really massive. "What we're doing is weighing the water in one cubic meter theoretically pulled from a cloud and then multiplying by the number of meters in a whole hurricane," she explains.
The result? Forty million elephants. That means the water in one hurricane weighs more than all the elephants on the planet. Perhaps even more than all the elephants that have ever lived on the planet. | high2169.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "get a positive result"
},
"options": [
"get a positive result",
"have a busy life",
"get gifts from others",
"be a complete loser"
],
"question": "If you have daily positive intentions, you will _ .",
"que... | It does not have to be January 1stto give yourself a chance to make the most out of your day. Every day is a new day and a fresh start to learn, grow, develop your strengths, free yourself from past regrets or hurts, and move forward older and wiser. Every day gives you a chance to reinvent yourself. It is never too late to change things that are not working in your life.
Each day is a new beginning and a piece of blank paper. How would you like to create your day? What would you like to paint on it? If you wake up in a negative mind, you are more likely to paint a dark picture throughout the day, and your picture will not show hope, happiness and joy.
If you take each day to think actively, and have a positive intention for how you would like to create your day, how would your life be different? What can daily positive intentions do for you? Every day you will give yourself the gift of an "attitude of gratitude ".
Each day is a chance to look at things in a different way. You can experience each day in the beauty of the world-and the beauty of you who are in it! You find yourself changing from "I can't" to "I can". With a focus on positive intentions, you feel you are full of power and more like a "winner" than a "loser".
You pay more attention to the present, and will be more likely to live fully in the present each moment of each day. After all, the past is a great place to visit, but you don't want to live there! So how about starting each day taking a moment to think of a positive intention for the day? | high5606.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Nicotine."
},
"options": [
"Nicotine.",
"Appetite-regulating neurons.",
"The receptors that bring about addiction.",
"The food that has been consumed."
],
"question": "Which of the following changes people's app... | Most people looking for ways to quit smoking worry about weight gain, and with good reason. Smokers who quit tend to pack on an average of 5 pounds after they stop smoking cigarettes. A new study, published by the journal Science, explains why this happens.
The new research explains that nicotine appears to combine with appetite-regulating neurons in the brain, besides the receptors that bring about addiction. These neurons help regulate how much food gets consumed, but under the influence of nicotine, they lose their self-control. This is why when smokers quit, they tend to eat more and gain weight.
The researchers believe that their discovery will lead to the development of drugs that aim at nicotine receptors on brain cells that control appetite. In the future, weight gain may no longer be a reason for smokers to delay the decision to kick the habit, but that's no reason to wait. Nicotine-replacement treatment, while not for everyone, can help. Here are a few more ways to quit smoking and stay slim.
Drink water. To improve metabolic rates, make half of those glasses ice water. Juice can be too high in calories, something you'll want to keep an eye on your journey toward being a slimmer non-smoker. Plan your snacks. Healthy snacks help keep your metabolism working, so you continue to burn calories while stopping wild hunger pain, or fake hunger.
Keep moving. Exercise kills two birds with one stone. It helps you burn calories and prevents you from eating when you're not truly hungry. It's also a feel-good stress reliever . Focus on your fitness and how being healthy makes you feel. Make exercise a goal and think of quitting as your reward for being physically fit. | high18072.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It may be good for students' study."
},
"options": [
"It may be good for students' study.",
"Students wanted a morning lie-in.",
"Students were often late for school.",
"Teachers wanted to have a good sleep in the morni... | A private sixth grade is set to start its lessons at 1.30 pm every day because the school's teacher thinks his students will study better after a morning lie-in .
Instead of rising early for a 9 am start, students at the PS15,000-a-year Hampton Court House, in East Molesey, Surrey, will get to enjoy a lie-in and work from 1.30 pm until 7pm. Head teacher Guy Holloway says the move for all sixth grade students, set to begin from September, has been made according to research by scientists. He predicts that not only will his students aged 16 and upwards get great night's sleep, but their productivity will also be improved.
The co-educational school will have the latest start time in the UK, and will be the only one to begin lessons in the afternoon.
Experts say young people are programmed to get up later, and that rather than laziness it is simply a shift in their body clocks.
'There are 168 hours in a week and how productive they are depends on how they choose to use those hours,' said Mr Holloway. 'At Hampton Court House we don't think we have the answer for everybody; it's about what works in our school. We want to get them into a condition where they can get great sleep and study well.' He said students would also benefit from reduced journey times as they travel to and from school after rush hour .
Year 10 student Gabriel Purcell-Davis will be one of the first of 30 A-level students to start at the later time. 'I want to wake up in my bed, not in my maths lesson,' said the 15-year-old. Lessons for all other students at the school will still begin at 9 am as usual. | high14648.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the last information gained before bed is more likely to remain"
},
"options": [
"it is less noisy in the forty minutes than in the daytime",
"we are always more peaceful when we awake in the morning",
"our brain is more acti... | Recently I had a conversation in Beijing with an adult Chinese friend who was complaining how difficult it was to study English. No surprises there. It is a difficult language to master, just like Chinese. I made a few suggestions based on my experience. One involved a very valuable fact which I learned from my high school Latin and Greek teacher, Dr. Smith.He is a gifted linguist ,and has an amazing ability to remember things, like poetry, essays, speeches, etc.His advice to us students is that for memorization purposes, there is forty minutes each day in which our memory is more acceptable than it is during the other 23 hours and 20 minutes.
This 40-minute "super memory" period is divided into two parts: the 20 minutes before we sleep, and the 20 minutes after we first awake. The theory supporting this is pretty simple. First, the last information we input into our brain before bed has a better chance of taking root than information gained during the noisy daytime; and second, our mind is free of disturbance when we first awake in the morningso more receptive to inputs, like a blank slate .
I took the advice to heart and it served me well in my school years. In my university days, our Chinese teacher would assign us 200 new vocabulary words each day, on which we would be quizzed the following day. Without the "magic" 40-minute technique, there's no way I would have passed those daily quizzes.
As far as language study goes, it's not only useful for memorizing vocabulary. It's also a very useful window of time to listen to the language we're studying even with background noise, and even if it's at a level we find difficult to understand. It might be audio language study, aids, or just radio, TV or whatever.
Beyond our years of formal education, memory skills are hugely important in any career. How many times have we heard a speaker read their speech from a prepared text, or read the word-by-word content of a PowerPoint presentation as they present each slide ? These are annoying, boring, and less effective ways of communicating. They are almost guaranteed to lose the audience's close attention and interest, let alone persuade or inspire anyone to do anything. And yet lots of people still make this mistake.
If we use the 40-minute technique, we may not succeed in memorizing our presentation content on a 100% word-by-word basis, but we'll be familiar enough so that we can spend much more time making eye contact with our audience. We will get them in the process, while looking at our text instead of staring at it. This will also free up our hands and arms to convey some extra messages through gesture.
As you see, the technique really works, but like many things, it takes practice to perfect it. Therefore, we'd better find ways to use the language outside of the classroom, as regularly and frequently as possible. One basic rule of language learning is, "Use it, or lose it*"
Seize the forty-minute learning window and we'll bring in a rich harvest of language learning. | high13127.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They admire each other."
},
"options": [
"They help each other.",
"They admire each other.",
"They attack each other.",
"They don't like each other."
],
"question": "What's the relationship between London and Pa... | EUROPE is home to a variety of cultural treasures. Lonely Planet has offered pairs of cities for culture-hungry but time-poor travelers.
London and Paris
It takes you about two hours to travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, a high-speed railway service. The two capital cities have been competing in fashion, art and nightlife for decades--but each secretly looks up to the other.
No one can doubt the grand and impressive beauty of Paris' Louvre Museum, but if you want to save money, you cannot skip the British Museum free to visit. Compared with London, Paris has more outdoor attractions, such as the beautiful green walkway La Promenade Plantee.
In Paris, you'll see diners linger over red wine. While in London, you can try some afternoon tea, eat fish and chips or salted cake.
Vienna and Bratislava
Austrian capital Vienna and Slovakia city Bratislava are an hour apart by train. But since they are linked by the Danube River, the best way to travel is by ship. A tour of the two cities is the perfect way to experience everything from 17thcentury's Habsburg dynasty splendor to sci-fi restaurants.
Vienna is famous for Mozart and imperial palaces. You can appreciate the perfect blending of architecture and nature in the grand Scholoss Schonbrunn Palace, and reward yourself with a cup of Vienna coffee, which has made its way to the world's cultural heritage list.
Bratislava is best known for its fine dining--the remarkable UFO restaurant. You can enjoy a meat-laden dinner here in an amazing setting. | high12239.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The importance of face-to-face communication."
},
"options": [
"The benefits brought by pub cultures",
"The popularity of local bars in Britain.",
"The relation between friendships and bars",
"The importance of face-to-... | Bars are very important in providing a place where people can meet and make friends. People who enjoy a drink in a local bar are happier and have more friends. They are more likely to be engaged in conversations in small community pubs, and social skills improve after a drink.
Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University said, "Friendship and communities are probably the two most important factors influencing our health and well-being. Making and maintaining friendships is something that has to be done in the real world. The digital world is simply no substitute(n.). Given the increasing tendency for our social life to be on the Internet rather than in real life, having relaxed, accessible places where people can meet old friends and make new ones becomes even more necessary."
Tim Page, chief executive of CAMRA, said, "Bars offer a social environment to enjoy a drink with friends in a responsible community setting. The role of community bars in ensuring well-being cannot be overstated. For that reason, we all need to do what we can to ensure that everyone has a 'local' near to where they live or work."
Bars have long been part of British society and have played a key role in British social life since the 16thcentury. Bars came to represent the heart and soul of a community, providing both a place of entertainment and an engine for community bonding. In a world before the arrival of the motor car, the bar provided a venue in which people could get friendships and a sense of community.
But the closing decades of the 20th century witnessed major changes in both the style of bars (for example, themed bars) and their numbers. As of 2015, the number of bars declines sharply, with bars continuing to close at an average rate of 29 a week. | high14890.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "$100"
},
"options": [
"$50",
"$100",
"$150",
"$200"
],
"question": ".If a group of twenty children want to join the program, they should pay _ altogether.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | The Amazing Kids! PenPals Program is a literacy-based , traditional letter-writing pen pal program, available to all children aged 5-17 worldwide.
At $10 per child, our program is a low-cost and fun way to help your children practice their literacy skills while they are making new friends. Groups of 15 or more receive a 50% discount.
Children love our program because:
*It helps them develop new (and possibly life-long)friendships.
*It allows them to practice the traditional form of letter writing and correspondence.
*They love getting letters in the mail from their pen pals!
Parents love our program because:
*It offers one of the few remaining choices for finding an established, safe and trusted traditional pen pal program to their children.
*It helps strengthen communication and literacy skills taught in their children's classroom.
*It helps open their children's eyes to a larger world, and other cultures and traditions outside their own.
*Many parents remember having a pen pal when they were children and want to give their children the same positive, fun learning experience.
*Parents love helping their children find new friends of their own age and gender.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there a fee?
We are a small, all-volunteer non-profit organization, and the fees help cover our cost of running the program.
How did the Amazing Kids! PenPals Program begin?
The program began as a way of reaching out to the children affected by the devastating hurricanes of 2005. Our hope was that by matching young hurricane survivors with a new pen pal, we could help them in their recovery from the trauma they experienced.
The program is now available to all children worldwide. We continue to welcome teachers, youth groups or agencies who like to work with hurricane survivors.
How does it work?
Amazing Kids! will match students of the same gender and age with other students who may share similar interests and hobbies, based on the information provided on the registration form.
I've completed all forms and made my payment. What happens next?
Someone from Amazing Kids! will contact you once a match has been found. You will be asked to call the other parent, teacher or group leader of the pen pal Amazing Kids! has selected. If both adults agree that the pen pal match is a good one, then the students may begin writing to each other. If the match is determined not to be a good one, Amazing Kids! will try and find an alternative match. | high7011.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a book packed with pictures-a combination of words and drawings"
},
"options": [
"a novel on which a popular movie has been based",
"a novel only using pictures explaining series of events",
"a book which tells children how t... | ,by Brian Selznick,is a novel like no other.There are pages of exciting events and then suddenly,wait! A picture with tiny details,then a big picture that takes up the whole page-and the next page,and the next page,and the next!The pictures are actually telling the story.It's like a book and a movie all in one.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Selznick about his unique novel.I wanted to know just how he came up with the concept of writing a novel that reads like a picture book.
"Because the book was so much about movies and the history of cinema,I also wanted to figure out how to make a book that was also like a movie," Selznick said.
Writing and illustrating the book was a long and hard process,Selznick said.One of the challenges was figuring out what the story was really about and what happens to the main character,Hugo.Selznick also had to figure out how to make the narrative and the pictures work together to tell the story.
Working with pictures was natural for Selznick.He has actually spent most of his career as an illustrator and really considers himself more of an artist than a writer.
But sometimes figuring out what was going to happen in the story was not easy,he told me.He had no idea what the story was going to be about when he started writing.He didn't know if it was going to be sad,adventurous,or exciting.For now,Selznick doesn't plan on writing a sequel to the book,but he warns,"You can never say never." | high15556.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "become more imaginative"
},
"options": [
"understand pictures",
"improve reading skills",
"face their fear bravely",
"become more imaginative"
],
"question": "Teachers and professors like the book because it hel... | Maurice Sendak's children's book, Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963, has become very successful throughout the years and was made into a movie earlier this year.
The book's main character is a boy named Max who gets into trouble with his mother and is sent to bed without any supper. Before long, Max's room magically becomes a forest, and he sails away to a land where monsters(,) live. Max isn't scared, though, and becomes king of the wild things, but after a while, he begins feeling homesick. Max sails back home and his supper is still hot when he arrives in his bedroom.
Many teachers and professors like this story and use it to help children develop creativity and imagination. Melina Davis, an education professor, said she likes how the book contains a couple of pages that have only pictures on them. "This allows children to shape the story themselves," she said.
The book contains a few of larger words that some parents worry may confuse children, but experts say those words help improve children's reading skills and challenge them.
Davis said the book is well written which helps kids get involved in the story. "The book talks about what all children go through, like 'I was naughty but my mommy still loves me'," Davis said.
The book also encourages children to face their fears. "I think it's really good to show that Max makes friends with the monsters," Davis said. "Kids can find out monsters aren't always the thing under the bed that's going to scare them. I think this is good because it shows that the children can go to scary places but still have a positive experience."
Since the book has been successful throughout the years, a movie was recently made and many people are excited to see it. Davis said she thinks the movie will be wonderful but it might be a little scary for younger children. "You don't want bad dreams over a book that's extremely wonderful," Davis said. | high9028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "had no feeling of belonging"
},
"options": [
"didn't want his parents to stay together",
"was very independent",
"had no feeling of belonging",
"didn't like his parents"
],
"question": "The dollhouse game showed... | When I was 4, my parents decided they could no longer live together. That same year, my mom moved to Los Angeles (L.A.) and a therapist was hired to decide where I would live. Playing with a dollhouse in her office, I showed her the mother's room on one side and the father's room on the other. When she asked me about the little boy's room, I told her the little boy didn't know where to sleep.
The therapist finally decided I would stay with my dad during the school years and visit my mom on long holidays and for summers. I began flying between two cities and leading two different lives. I remember my last school day in Grade Six. My friends made plans to go to the beach together, but I couldn't join them because I had to fly to L.A. It wasn't that I didn't want to see my mom and stepdad; I just didn't want to leave my friends. It wasn't easy to put up a wall, and pretend I didn't hate saying goodbye to them. In the morning, my dad drove me to school with my packed bags, and after school, my friends went together, and I went to the airport.
What has come of this in the end is that I'm always missing somebody. When I'm in northern California, I miss my mom and stepdad, while in L.A. I miss going out with my friends, my dad, and my little brother and sister. But after so many flights, I've learned that it's also fun traveling between two cities and experiencing different lives. Other children may not have the opportunity to experience so much. | high13133.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "73%"
},
"options": [
"73%",
"27%",
"25%",
"15%"
],
"question": "The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be good for productivity , workplace morale , and the well-being of animals .
A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . "On the pets' side , they are not left on their own and won't feel lonely and unhappy," she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism .
Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . "My customers love them. They are their favorites ," she said . "They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun ."
Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years "working" at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . "BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ," he said .
Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable . | high1474.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "425."
},
"options": [
"50.",
"75.",
"250.",
"425."
],
"question": "According to the text, among 500 disengaged employees, how many would probably have the intention of leaving their company?",
"question_type... | SAN FRANCISCO--Only 21 percent of workers worldwide are "engaged"--that's the word used to describe workers who are ready to expend some extra effort at work--while 38 percent are disengaged, according to a new survey.
"Engagement is not satisfaction or happiness, but the degree to which workers connect to the company emotionally, and the degree to which workers are aware of what they need to do to add value and are willing to take that action," said Julie Gebauer, a managing director of Towers Perrin, a consulting firm, which surveyed almost 90,000 workers in 19 countries.
"Happy employees don't necessarily create better financial results, but there is a definite link between engagement and a company's financial performance," Gebauer said.
The survey found 21 percent of workers worldwide are engaged, and another 41 percent are "enrolled", which means they're on the road to engagement.
More than 80 percent of the engaged employees say they contribute to the quality of company products, services and customer satisfaction, while only 40 percent of disengaged workers agree.
Engagement helps retention too. About 50 percent of engaged employees say they have no plans to leave their company versus 15 percent of the disengaged.
"The fact that almost 80 percent of workers are disengaged is likely costing companies money." Gebauer said.
"The conception of engagement is really a financial issue," said Gebauer. 'Organizations that have employees that are highly engaged deliver better financial results than those that don't."
In a separate study, Towers Perrin assessed data on 40 global companies over a three-year period, measuring employee engagement at a certain point and then looking at the companies' financial results over the following three years.
Companies with highly motivated workers enjoyed a 3.7 percent increase in profits, while companies with a lower level of worker commitment saw a decrease in profits slightly.
What makes for an engaged employee? It's not necessarily pay. While the level of pay is important, it's not among the top 10 drivers of engagement. Rather than only using the pay, companies should survey their work force, much as they might study their customers, to assess what employees are seeking. | high14884.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "fear"
},
"options": [
"joy",
"surprise",
"fear",
"anger"
],
"question": "The rumor about the batsquatch makes people of Washington full of _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | The Batsquatch is described as a great winged bat. It's reported that it lives in the shadows of Mt. Saint Helens. It has purple skin, red eyes and the character is quite similar to the bat's. Since reports tell it likes eating small animals like chickens, goats and pigs, some believe that it is actually a flying primate . But researchers say that it is more closely related to the fruit bat of northern America.
Fear still fills the hearts of men, women and children of Washington. In May of 1980 during the eruption of Mount Saint Helens, the Batsquatch showed itself in the shadows of clouds from the eruption. In 1994, a local mountaineer was able to take pictures of the Batspuatch making the rumor seem real. During this event some farm animals seemed to disappear though luckily no humans were reported missing at the time. The local mountaineer told about his meeting with the Batsquatch. When he suddenly heard a loud deep voice from the shadows, the mountaineer was knocked down. He tried to look for the creature that had made the sound. He saw a great creature with purple wings in the sky. It looked like it was about 30 feet tall.
The mountaineer kept this story a secret in fear of being laughed at by others but when new stories came in about the Batsquatch he shared his story.
The reality of the Batsquatch can no longer be ignored. It is only a creature that is trying to live. Respect! This is how we should take news such as this. Respect for a living creature instead of fear. | high7005.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because the family was very large."
},
"options": [
"Because the family was very large.",
"Because the family was very happy.",
"Because the family was very noisy.",
"Because the family was very poor."
],
"quest... | Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. One family between us and the ticket counter made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. Their clothes were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands.
The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly said, "Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus."
The ticket lady told him the price. The wife's head dropped, and the man's lip began to quiver . The father asked, "How much did you say?"
The ticket lady told him the price again.
The man didn't have enough money.
Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground (We were not wealthy either). My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket."
The man knew what was going on. He wasn't begging for money but certainly thanked the help in a difficult, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad's eyes, took my dad's hand in both of his, and with a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, "Thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family."
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn't go to the circus that night, but we didn't go without. | high8336.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Robert Edward Lee"
},
"options": [
"Robert Edward Lee",
"Robert Lee Frost",
"Ernest Hemingway",
"Ezra Pound"
],
"question": "The followings are writers EXCEPT _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Robert Frost was one of America's best known and most honored serious writers. But his fame came late in his life.
He was born in San Francisco, California in 1874. He lived in California during his early childhood. He was named after the chief Southern general in America's Civil War. The general's name was Robert Edward Lee. The poet was named Robert Lee Frost, because his father wanted to honor the general.
Someone once asked another American writer, Ernest Hemingway, how to become a writer. The best thing, he said, was to have an unhappy childhood. If this is true, Robert Frost's childhood was unhappy enough to make him a very good writer. Robert Frost's father was a reporter who wanted to be a politician. He often drank too much wine and became angry. Robert was the victim of his anger.
Robert Frost finished high school in 1891. After high school, Robert's grandfather offered to pay his costs at Dartmouth College. But Robert left the school after a few months. He did not like it. He spent the next few years working at different jobs. At one time, he worked in a factory. Later, he repaired shoes. He was a teacher. He was a reporter. Always, he wrote poetry.
Robert Frost attended Harvard University for two years. After that, he returned to the many jobs he held before. For a while, Frost tried to take care of a farm in the state of New Hampshire. He was not a successful farmer. And he continued to write poetry. He said that until 1930, he earned only about ten dollars a year from writing.
In 1912, he decided to try to make a new start. He took his family to Britain. The cost of living was low. In Britain, Frost found a publisher for his first book of poems. The book was called A Boy's Will. When it appeared in 1913. Frost received high praise from British readers. Praise was something he had not received in his own country.
Ezra Pound, another American poet living in Britain, read the poems and liked them very much. He wrote a magazine article about Frost. He also helped get Frost's second book of poems published in America. That book was called North of Boston. | high15542.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Henley-on-Todd Regatta"
},
"options": [
"Henley-on-Todd Regatta",
"Black Pudding Throwing Championship",
"Sauna Bathing Championships",
"The Naked Festival"
],
"question": "If you want to play with boats withou... | Celebrations and traditions hold a special place in a country. It is a time when the families come together and celebrate a holiday,for a particular purpose. Besides (he national festivals and celebrations,many places enjoy some whacky celebrations.
Henley-on-Todd Regatta
If you want something quieter, trip over to Alice Springs in the dry heart of Australia. There you will find the Todd Regatta in a riverbed that normally has no water. "the boats are bottomless and without paddle .The teams run up the riverbed with their feet sticking out of the bottom of their boats.
World Black Pudding Throwing Championship
In Greater Manchester UK they throw black puddings. The contest dates back to the 1850s, Competitors from across the world come here for the contest. The aim is to knock Yorkshire puddings off a 20-foot shelf by throwing black puddings at them.
Sauna Bathing Championships
If you prefer it hot, Finland is (he place for you to compete in the Sauna Bathing Championships. Every 30 seconds the heat is turned up, but the contestants must remain seated in an up- right position on the wooden seat. The last person left in the sauna is the winner.
The La Tomatlna Festival
Every August truckloads of tomatoes an pulled in Bunol each year and damped in the city centre. The people throw tomatoes at each other for the whole day, but the only rule is that the tomato must be flattened in the hand first, before being thrown. Even elderly grandmothers have been known to take part.
The Naked Festival
Japan hosts the Naked Festival. All male contestants are dressed in oversize diapers and parade through the winter street. Bystanders throw cold water over the contestanta,who drink large amounts of sake in an effort to slop from freezing. | high19378.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he was fond of getting close to nature"
},
"options": [
"he was free from worry",
"he liked living in the countryside",
"he was fond of getting close to nature",
"he often spent holidays with his family"
],
"que... | Love, success, happiness, family and freedom----how important are these values to you? Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life.
Question: Could you introduce yourself first?
Answer: My name is Misbah, 27 years old. I was born in a war-torn area. Right now I am a web designer.
Q: What are your great memories?
A: My parents used to take me to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields. For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long Those are my great memories.
Q: Does your childhood mean a lot to you?
A: As life was hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family. I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age .However, it taught me to deal with problems _ . I learnt to be independent.
Q: What changes would you like to make in your life?
A: If I could change something in my life, I'd change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area. I would have loved to live with my family in freedom. Who cares whether we have much money, or whether we have a beautiful house? It doesn't matter as I can live with my family and we are safe.
Q: How do you get along with your parents?
A: My parents supported me until I came of age. I want to give back what I have got. That's my way. But I am working in another city. My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it. It filter out your emotion and leaves your voice only. My deepest feeling should be passed through sight ,hearing and touch. | high3263.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "e had chances to meet many doctors through his father"
},
"options": [
"hisfather wanted him to be so",
"his father was a surgeon himself",
"e had read many books about medicine",
"e had chances to meet many doctors thr... | As a boy,Tim was much influenced by books about the sea, but in fact by the age of fifteen he had decided to become a doctor rather than a sailor. His father was a dentist and as a result Tim had the opportunity of meeting many doctors either at home or elsewhere. When he was fourteen he was already hanging around the clinic of a local doctor where he was supposed to be helping to wrap up medicine bottles,but was actually trying to listen to the conversations taking place between the doctor and his patients in the next room.
During the war Tim served in the Navy as a surgeon ."That was the happiest time of my life. I was dealing with very real suffering and on the whole making a success of it ."In California he taught the country people simple facts about medicine. He saw himself as a life-saver. He had proved his skills to himself and his ability to take decisions. Thus,while he was able to tell them what to do, he could feel he was serving them. After the war, he got married and chose to be a doctor in the countryside,working under an old doctor who was popular in the area,but who hated the sight of blood and believed that the secret of medicine was faith. This gave the younger man many opportunities to go on working as a life -saver. | high11724.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Proud."
},
"options": [
"Tired.",
"Confident.",
"Proud.",
"Satisfied."
],
"question": "How did Spencer feel after collecting some baseball equipment?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answ... | "I think it's a great thing when I know it's going to help someone else."said l3-year-old Spencer Goldstein,after collecting hundreds of pieces of baseball equipment for kids who can not afford to buy their own.
Spencer collected the bats,balls,gloves,helmets and masks for his mitzvah project,which is a community service project that many Jewish kids do around their bar or bat mitzvahs .A bar mitzvah is a ceremony for a boy while a bat mitzvah is intended for a girl.The ceremony means that you are old enough to take on a grown-up's responsibilities.
Spencer got the idea for his mitzvah project alter seeing the Ugandan national team at last year's Little League World Series.Some of the Ugandan players didn't even have their own gloves.And Spencer's donations are going to a group called "Pitch for Baseball"--a group that gives baseball equipment to kids in low-income communities around the world.
Mollie Schwartz and Mia Schwartz also came up with a sports-related mitzvah project.The money they raised went to the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled.They raised at least $9,000-enough to pay for at least three wheelchairs made for playing basketball.
In Massachusetts,Abigail Miller decided to collect musical instruments for her mitzvah project.The instruments Abigail collected were then donated to groups that distribute them to kids who can't afford to buy them."I want to make sure everybody can get the chance to enjoy music like I do,"Abigail said.Abigail collected more than three-dozen instruments-wind instruments,string instruments,keyboards,even a drum set.
Whether it's playing sports,playing music or something else,kids such as Spencer,Mollie,Mia and Abigail are using their mitzvah projects to change the woad for the better."They learned about generosity,''said Mollie's mother,Loft Schwartz,"and the power to make things happen". | high18066.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Washing your hair quite often."
},
"options": [
"Attending beauty schools as early as possible.",
"Wearing high-heels at times.",
"Washing your hair quite often.",
"Fighting against cancer bravely."
],
"question... | As the old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But Venezuela, whose beauty queens have won Miss Universe and Miss World over six times, doesn't leave it to chance. In Venezuela, girls as young as four can be found attending beauty schools, where they can learn a range of skills from how to walk to the correct way to hold a wine glass.
"Hair must always be completely clean, make-up should look natural, and you should always, always wear high-heels," advises Andrea Reyes, a teacher in a school of Caracas with 160 students.
Beauty contests are treated in Venezuela much as sporting competitions are elsewhere. Many Venezuelan parents believe that if their daughters can succeed and get the beauty crown, their future as famous and public persons is sure to come. As a result, the girls are trained to compete at a young age.
Among former beauty queens are Irene Saez, who went on to compete for the country's president, and Eva Ekvall, whose battle with cancer helped to make more people know about the illness in Venezuela.
However, voices against the trend can be heard all over the country. At one time, a feminist group tried to stop the Miss Venezuela broadcast. President Hugo Chavez has spoken out against the culture of plastic surgery in Venezuela, calling it a "frightening thing".
The BBC reporter Sarah Grainger says that acceptance of the contests is partly a result of the country's "machista" view of the different roles that men and women should play, "Men are supposed to be strong and brave and women to be gentle and beautiful".
Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, knows the price to be paid when you're no longer seen as attractive. After winning the beauty contest, she said all she wanted to do was "eat, eat and eat". Her weight gain later and warning by the organizers of the contest to replace her as queen with the _ was among the hottest topics in the country, especially in Latin America. | high5612.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Seven"
},
"options": [
"Three",
"Four",
"Seven",
"Ten"
],
"question": "At least how many kinds of moral virtues does the writer list in this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Do Americans have morals ? That's a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, edited the Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that. Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennett ' s book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they?
One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree tells this value clearly. Little George cut down his father's favorite cherry tree while trying out his new axe. When his father asked him about it, George said honestly, "I can not tell a lie. I did it with my axe." Instead of punishment, George received his father's praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honesty-being open and direct-can offend people. But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best policy."
Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop's fable( )about the rabbit and the turtle that had a race? The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. But the turtle finally won because he didn't give up.
Sympathy may be the queen of American virtues. The story of "The Good Samaritan" from the Bible describes a man who showed sympathy. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man found a poor traveler lying on the road. The traveler had been beaten and robbed. The kind Samaritan, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need.
In no way can these brief descriptions cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Responsibility, loyalty, courage, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennett's bestseller-over 800 pages-highlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only covered the surface. But no matter how long or short the list is, moral values are invaluable, they are the foundation of American culture-and any culture. | high17433.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in 1991"
},
"options": [
"at the age of five",
"at the age of four",
"in 1991",
"in 1989"
],
"question": "Lang Lang studied at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing .",
"question_type": "factiod_questi... | Lang Lang,one of the best-known Chinese pianists in the world,was born in 1982 in Shenyang.He began to take piano lessons at the age of three.At the age of five he won the Shenyang Piano Competition and played his first public recital.Four years later,he got the chance to study at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing.
What made him sad was that his piano teacher in Beijing didn't like him."You have no talent.You will never be a pianist,"said the teacher.Lang Lang was badly hurt.He decided that he didn't want to be a pianist any more.For the next two weeks he didn't touch the piano.Wisely,his father didn't push,but waited.
Luckily,the day came when his teacher asked him to play some holiday songs.He didn't want to,but as he placed his fingers on the piano keys,he realised that he could show others that he had talent after all.From that point on,everything turned around.Lang Lang's father even quit his job and followed Lang Lang everywhere he went,not only as a father,but also as a manager,tutor and friend.
He started winning competitions.In the 1994 International Young Pianists Competition,Lang Lang impressed the audience with his splendid piano skills.In 1997 Lang Lang went to Philadelphia,US,where he spent two years practising.During his study there he made rapid progress and became a top professional pianist.After his successful performance at Chicago's Ravinia Festival,gigs in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall he started pouring in.Lang Lang finally worked to reach the place where fortune spotted him and let him shine. | high18700.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It inspired leading designers to start going green."
},
"options": [
"It inspired leading designers to start going green.",
"It showed that designers using organic fabrics would go far.",
"It served as an example of how fashi... | The January fashion show, called Future Fashion, exemplified how far green design has come. Organized by the New York-based nonprofit Earth Pledge, the show inspired many top designers to work with sustainable fabrics for the first time. Several have since made pledges to include organic fabrics in their lines.
The designers who undertake green fashion still face many challenges. Scott Hahn, a cofounder with Gregory of Rogan and Loomstate, which uses all-organic cotton, says high-quality sustainable materials can still be tough to find. "Most designers with existing labels are finding there aren't comparable materials that can just replace what you're doing and what your customers are used to," he says. For example, organic cotton and non-organic cotton are virtually indistinguishable once woven into a dress. But some popular synthetics, like stretch nylon, still have few eco-friendly equivalents .
Those who do make the switch are finding they have more support. Last year the influential trade show Designers & Agents stopped charging its participation fee for young green entrepreneurs who attend its two springtime shows in Los Angeles and New York and gave special recognition to designers whose collections are at least 25% sustainable. It now counts more than 50 green designers, up from fewer than a dozen two years ago. This week Wal-Mart is set to announce a major initiative aimed at helping cotton farmers go organic: it will buy transitional cotton at higher prices, thus helping to expand the supply of a key sustainable material. "Main-stream is about to occur," says Hahn.
Some analysts are less sure. Among consumers, only 18% are even aware that eco-fashion exists, up from 6% four years ago. Natalie Hormilla, a fashion writer, is an example of the unconverted consumer. When asked if she owned any sustainable clothes, she replied, "Not that I'm aware of." Like most consumers, she finds little time to shop, and when she does, she's on the hunt for "cute stuff that isn't too expensive." By her own admission, green just isn't yet on her mind. But thanks to the combined efforts of designers, retailers and suppliers--one day it will be. | high5174.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A newspaper."
},
"options": [
"The Internet.",
"A newspaper.",
"A Textbook.",
"A brochure."
],
"question": "Where did this article most likely come from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"... | WASHINGTON---Think you're savvy about food safety? That you wash your hands well, scrub away germs, cook your meat properly?
Guess again.
Scientists put cameras in the kitchens of 100 families in Logan, Utah. What was caught on tape in this middle-class, well-educated college town suggests why food poisoning hits so many Americans.
People skipped soap when hand-washing. Used the same towel to wipe up raw meat juice as to dry their hands. Made a salad without washing the lettuce. Undercooked the meat loaf. One even tasted the marinade in which bacteria-ridden raw fish had soaked.
Not to mention the mom who handled raw chicken and then fixed her infant a bottle without washing her hands.
Or another mom who merely rinsed her baby's juice bottle after it fell into raw eggs---no soap against the salmonella that can lurk in eggs.
"Shocking," was Utah State University nutritionist Janet Anderson's reaction.
Specialists call this typical of the average U.S. household: Everybody commits at least some safety sins when they are hurried, distracted by fussy children or ringing phones, simply not thinking about germs. Even Anderson made changes in her kitchen after watching the tapes.
The Food and Drug Administration funded Anderson's $50,000 study to detect how cooks slip up. The goal is to improve consumers' knowledge of how to protect themselves from the food poisoning that strikes 76 million Americans each year.
"One of the great barriers in getting people to change is they think they're doing such a good job already," said FDA consumer research chief Alan Levy.
Surveys show most Americans blame restaurants for food-borne illnesses. Asked if they follow basic bacteria-fighting tips---listed on the Internet at www.fightbac.org---most insist they're careful in their kitchens.
Levy says most food poisonings probably occur at home. The videotapes suggest why. People have no idea that they're messing up, Anderson said. "You just go in the kitchen, and it's something you don't think about."
She described preliminary study results at a food meeting last week. Having promised the families anonymity, she didn't show the tapes.
For $50 and free groceries, families agreed to be filmed. Their kitchens looked clean and presumably(perhaps) they were on their best behavior, but they didn't know it was a safety study. Hoping to see real-life hygiene, scientists called the experiment "market research" on how people cooked a special recipe.
Scientists bought ingredients for a salad plus either Mexican meat loaf, marinaded halibut or herb-breaded chicken breasts with mustard sauce---recipes designed to catch safety slip-ups.
Cameras started rolling as the cooks put away the groceries.
There was mistake No. 1: Only a quarter stored raw meat and seafood on the refrigerator's bottom shelf so other foods don't get contaminated by dripping juices.
Mistake No. 2: Before starting to cook, only 45 percent washed their hands. Of those, 16 percent didn't use soap. You're supposed to wash hands often while cooking, especially after handling raw meat. But on average, each cook skipped seven times that Anderson said they should have washed. Only a third consistently used soap---many just rinsed and wiped their hands on a dish towel. That dish towel became Anderson's nightmare. Using paper towels to clean up raw meat juice is safest. But dozens wiped the countertop with that cloth dish towel---further spreading germs the next time they dried their hands.
Thirty percent didn't wash the lettuce; others placed salad ingredients on meat-contaminated counters.
Scientists checked the finished meal with thermometers, and Anderson found "alarming" results: 35 percent who made the meat loaf undercooked it, 42 percent undercooked the chicken and 17 percent undercooked the fish.
Must you use a thermometer? Anderson says just because the meat isn't pink doesn't always mean it got hot enough to kill bacteria.
Anderson's study found gaps in food-safety campaigns. FDA's "Fight Bac" antibacterial program doesn't stress washing vegetables. Levy calls those dirty dish towels troubling; expect more advice stressing paper towels.
Anderson's main message: "If people would simply wash their hands and clean food surfaces after handling raw meat, so many of the errors would be taken care of." | high3505.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "common ... extraordinary"
},
"options": [
"poetic ... musical",
"satisfactory ... informative",
"romantic ... dramatic",
"common ... extraordinary"
],
"question": "Marguerite's opinion of A Tale of Two Cities be... | Mrs. Bertha Flowers was the aristocrat of Black Stamps. She had the grace of control to appear warm in the coldest weather, and on the Arkansas summer days it seemed she had a private breeze which swirled around, cooling her.
One summer afternoon, she stopped at the store to buy supplies. Another Negro woman of her health and age would have been expected to carry the paper sacks home in one hand, but Momma said, "Sister Flowers, I'll send Bailey up to your house with these things."
"Thank you, Mrs. Henderson. I'd prefer Marguerite, though." My name sounded so beautiful when she said it. "I've been meaning to talk to her, anyway." They gave each other age group looks.
There was a little path beside the rocky road, and Mrs. Flowers walked in front swinging her arms and picking her way over the stones.
Without turning her head, she spoke to me, "I hear you're working very good school work, Marguerite, but that it's all written. The teachers report that they have trouble getting you to talk in class." We passed the triangular farm on our left and the path widened to allow us to walk together.
"Now no one is going to make you talk--possibly no one can. But bear in mind, language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals." That was a totally new idea to me, and I would need time to think about it.
"Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good, but not good enough. _ "
She said she was going to give me some books and that I not only must read them, I must read them aloud. She suggested that I try to make a sentence sound in as many different ways as possible.
"I'll accept no excuse if you return a book to me that has been badly handled." My imagination boggled at the punishment I would deserve if in fact I did abuse a book of Mrs. Flowers'.
The odors in the house surprised me. The sweet scent of vanilla had met us as she opened the door.
"Have a seat, Marguerite. You see, I had planned to invite you for cookies and lemonade so we could have this little chat." She carried a plate covered with a tea towel.
As I ate she began the first of what we later called "My lesson in living." She said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and even more intelligent than college professors. She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.
When I finished the cookies she brought a thick, small book from the bookcase. I had read A Tale of Two Cities and found it up to my standards as a romantic novel. She opened the first page and I heard poetry for the first time in my life.
"It was the best of times and worst of times..."
Her voice slid in and curved down through and over the words. She was nearly singing. I wanted to look at the pages. Were they the same that I had read? Or were there notes, music, lined on the pages? Her sounds began cascading gently. I knew that she was nearing the end of her reading.
"How do you like that?"
It occurred to me that she expected a response. The sweet vanilla flavor was still on my tongue and her reading was a magic to my ears. I had to speak.
I said, "Yes, ma'am." It was the least I could do, but it was the most also.
"There's one more thing. Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit, I want to recite."
I have often tried hard to search for the enchantment I so easily found in those gifts. To be allowed, no, invited, into the private lives of strangers, to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange the Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist. When I said aloud, "It is a far, far better thing than anything I have ever done..." tears of love filled my eyes at my selflessness.
I was liked, and what a difference it made, I was respected not as Mr Henderson's grandchild or Bailey's sister but for just being Marguerite Johnson. | high11042.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "All of the above."
},
"options": [
"Because it destroys the immune system of the human body.",
"Because the AIDS patients cannot resist the disease and will die.",
"Because the doctors now find no medicine to cure AIDS.",
... | It is now commonly known that AIDS is a deadly disease. It does great damage to human beings' immune system, weakening resistance to disease and leading to death due to utter weakness. To this day, there are no existing drugs that can kill AIDS virus. It is a deadly battle between science and AIDS.
This is only one side of the story. Although it can not be cured, AIDS is preventable. For those who have not caught the disease, the knowledge of preventive measures seems to be the most powerful weapon at hand.
Since the discovery of the first AIDS patient in 1985, the number of HIV carriers is on an alarming rise in China and statistics show that young people are the more likely victims of AIDS. Nationwide there are 214 million people between the ages of 13 and 22, most of whom are students. If no measures are taken to protect these young people, it is almost certain that the threat of AIDS will be very real to them. There has been a great deal of misinformation concerning the transmission of AIDS.
One of the most misleading myths is that AIDS can be transmitted by casual physical contact such as kissing, shaking hands or sharing food container. Surveys and investigations conducted in some universities and colleges show that half of those people questioned are not clear about how AIDS is transmitted, not to mention how it is prevented.
This is the driving force behind the State Education Department's decision to spread AIDS awareness information among college students and later to high school students and primary school students. | high21181.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "should go and buy tickets all by yourself"
},
"options": [
"call 60605--2496(312)922--9410 to register a ticket",
"should go and buy tickets all by yourself",
"can ask others to buy a ticket for you",
"make an order wit... | The Field Museum
Hours
Regular hours are 9:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m. , daily. Last admission at 4:00 p.m.
Open every day except Christmas.
Admission
We have several ticket choices for you to choose from. Advance tickets may be purchased at the will- call booth in person at the museum before 4:00 p.m.
Getting Here
The Field Museum is located on Chicago's Museum Campus; at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, just south of Roosevelt Rd.
How to get here : by car or public transit or free trolley.
Parking
Visitor parking in all lots on the Museum Campus is $ 15.00 per day .This includes the Adler lot, the north garage, the Waldron garage and the east museum lot.
Hours for the north garage and Adler lot are 5:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m. Mon--Fri and 6:00a.m. --5:00p.m. weekends; east museum lot9:00 a.m.--3:00p.m. Designated handicapped parking is available in every lot.
When all other lots are full , parking will be made available in the remote south lot for$ 8.00 per day.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day , the parking lot will only accept cash payments , which will need to be paid upon entering the garage.
Please note : These hours and rates are for daytime only and do not apply when special events are scheduled at the museums or Soldier Field.
Getting Here During Chicago Bears Home Games
During bears home games and other major special events at Soldier Field , access to the Museum Campus can be challenging. No museum visitor parking is available on the Museum Campus during bears home games. However, public transit remains a great way to get to the Campus every day of the year. For more information, call the Regional Transportation Authority at (312) 836 -- 7000 or visit www. rtachicago.com.
Additional parking is available at the Monroe Street garage , located at 350 East Monroe Street. | high7763.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "not to miss the important thing"
},
"options": [
"to respect Santa Claus",
"to spend Christmas with Santa Claus",
"not to miss the important thing",
"not to ask for too many gifts for Christmas"
],
"question": "... | Rodd and Todd were lucky children chosen to see Santa Claus himself up at the North Pole. Some elves come in and said, "Santa Claus is very busy. You'll only be able to see him for a short while, so make the most of it."
Santa Claus appeared, carrying all the toys the two boys had ever wanted. While Todd ran to hug Santa Claus, Rodd went over to the bicycle he had always dreamed of having. Santa was only there for a few seconds, and disappeared before Rodd had even looked at him. He cried and complained, but within a few hours the two boys had been returned to their homes.
From that day on, every time Rodd saw a toy he felt the excitement of receiving a present, but he would instantly look around to see what else of importance he was missing. And in this way, Rodd helped those who had nothing, giving love to those who almost never received it, and putting smiles on the faces of the unhappy. All by himself, he managed to change the atmosphere of his town, and no one could know him without being grateful to him.
One Christmas, while he was sleeping, he felt someone pulling his leg. Rodd opened his eyes and saw the long white beard and the soft red suit. "Forgive me. I didn't know how to choose what was most important," said Rodd. But Santa Claus answered with a smile. "I chose to spend some time with the best boy in the world, just before I leave you the great gift you've earned for yourself. Thank you!" And the next morning, there were no presents under the Christmas tree. That Christmas, the gift had been so big that it couldn't fit down the chimney; the only place it could fit was in Rodd's heart. | high8450.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "advocate an environmentally-friendly lifestyle"
},
"options": [
"make windmills its cultural symbol",
"advocate an environmentally-friendly lifestyle",
"take advantage of its limited wind power",
"greet tourists coming ... | While other countries debate whether to fix wind turbines offshore or in distant areas, Denmark is building them right in its capital. Three windmills were recently introduced in a Copenhagen neighbourhood, and the city plans to add another 97.
"We've made a very ambitious commitment to make Copenhagen CO2-neutral by 2025," Frank Jensen, the mayor, says. "But going green isn't only a good thing. It's a must." The city's carbon-neutral plan, passed two years ago, will make Copenhagen the world's first zero-carbon capital.
With wind power making up 33% of Denmark's energy supply, the country already features plenty of wind turbines. Indeed, among the first sights greeting airborne visitors during the landing at Copenhagen's Kastrup airport is a chain of sea-based wind towers. By 2020, the windswept country plans to get 50% of its energy from wind power.
Now turbines are moving into the city and these ones will cost less than half the price of those sea-based. Having the energy production closer makes it cheaper, and land-based turbines are the cheapest possible source of energy available today. Fixing them also makes the locals more aware of their energy consumption.
Though considerably less attractive than it was in ancient times, the windmill is enjoying popularity in the 21st century. "Windmills are a symbol of the new and clean Copenhagen," says resident Susanne Sayers. Meanwhile, fellow Copenhagen citizen Maria Andersen worries about the noise, explaining that she wouldn't want a wind turbine in her neighbourhood. While Copenhagen citizens approve of the windmills, they're less willing to live close to one. The answer, the city has decided, is to sell turbine shares.
Each share represents 1,000 kW hours/year, with the profit tax-free. With a typical Copenhagen household consuming 3,500 kW hours/year, a family buying four shares effectively owns its own renewable energy supply. To date, 500 residents have bought 2,500 shares. Involving the local population was a smart move. "There are a lot of things you can do close to people if it's not too big and if there's a model where locals feel involved and get to share in the profit. Knowing that you, or your neighbours, own a technology creates a very different atmosphere than if a multinational owned it," says Vad Mathiesen.
Going green? Yes. Accepted by the population? Yes. Going with centuries-old city architecture? Hardly.
Certainly, the three turbines don't exactly _ the 18th-century city centre, as they are in a neighbourhood 3 km away. According to the mayor's office, none of the remaining 97 turbines will rise in architecturally sensitive areas. But Sascha Haselmayer, CEO of city creation group Citymart, warns, "With Denmark being a world-leading producer of windmills, there is a risk that the answer to every energy question is windmills."
"We've destroyed mountains and lakes in order to support our lifestyle," notes Irena Bauman, an architect and professor at Sheffield University. "Wind turbines are a sign that we're learning to live with nature. I hope we'll have them all over the world," she says. "They may be unpleasant to some, but better-looking ones will come. It's just that we don't have time to wait for them!" | high9996.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "About 3,500"
},
"options": [
"About 2,500",
"About 3,500",
"About 4,500",
"About 5,500"
],
"question": "How many hours did it take for the spacecraft from the earth to touch the comet Tempel 1?",
"question_t... | For thousands of years comets have been a mystery to man. They travel across the sky very fast and have a bright "tail" of burning gas. The comet Tempel 1 has an orbit far outside the orbit of the furthest planet in our solar system, Pluto. It has been there for 4.6 billion years, 133 million kilometers from Earth. Last week a little American spacecraft crashed into Tempel 1. The spacecraft had a camera and it took a photograph of the comet every minute before it finally crashed into its surface.
The space mission to Tempel 1 cost $335 million and was called Deep Impact. The spacecraft was travelling at 37,000 kilometers per hour when it hit the comet and the crash completely destroyed the spacecraft. But before it hit the comet, the spacecraft took some amazing photographs. The last one was a close-up picture which the spacecraft took just 3 seconds before it crashed into the comet.
"Right now we have lost one spacecraft," said a delighted NASA engineer. Deep Impact was like a American Independence Day fireworks display. It took many years to plan and ended in an enormous explosion.
The spacecraft which crashed into the comet was made of copper and was the size of a washing machine. It was dropped from a mothership into the path of the comet and the mothership then photographed the cloud of ice, dust and organic chemicals that rose from the surface of the comet after the crash.
The crash completely destroyed the spacecraft but nothing really happened to the comet: experts believe that the crash slowed the comet down by no more than 1/10,000 of a millimeter a second.The aim of the mission was to study for the first time the _ of a comet.[:..]
The mothership was 480 km from the explosion and observed the crash and the explosion with instruments for 800 seconds. Seven satellites, including the Hubble space telescope, watched the moment of drama, and over the next day and night about 50 telescopes on Earth were watching the distant comet. | high13655.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "About 6"
},
"options": [
"About 28",
"About 26",
"About 13",
"About 6"
],
"question": "How many hours of housework did men do every week in the 1970s?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"ans... | Having a husband means an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, getting married saves an hour of housework a week. "It's a _ ," said lead researcher Frank Stafford at University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. "Men usually work more outside the home, while women take on more of the housework."
He points out that differences among households exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. "And the situation gets worse for women when they have children." Stafford said.
Overall, times are changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are taking on more housework, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005.
Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most - about 21 hours a week.
Men showed a somewhat different pattern, with older men picking up the broom more often than younger men. Single men worked the hardest around the house, more than that of all other age groups of married men.
Having children increases housework even further. With more than three, for example, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands' 10 hours. | high686.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "provide supplies-needed lists and instructions"
},
"options": [
"include recycling-based crafts",
"divide arts and crafts projects by theme.",
"provide supplies-needed lists and instructions",
"have an index of projects... | Arts and crafts projects for children aren't always easy to get. If you're looking for some new arts and crafts ideas to keep your kids entertained at home, you can find many Internet sources. Here's a quick look at some online sources of how-to, try-this, and have-fun arts and crafts for kids.
Website 1: Amazing Moms
http://www.amazingmoms.com
This site divides arts and crafts projects by age group, occasion, and even has an index of projects for quick reference. Special occasions listed include Halloween, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas. The projects come with a list of needed materials and brief instructions. There're also pictures so you can know what your finished projects should look like.
Website 2: Squigly's Arts &Crafts
http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com
This is another big page of children's arts and crafts ideas, The sections on this page include Seasonal Crafts, Jewelry, and Just for Fun. And Just for Fun. Each project comes with clear directions and a list of what you'll need to complete the craft.
Website 3: All Free Crafts
http://www.allfreecrafts.com
This busy site has links for seasonal arts & crafts like your basic Halloween, Christmas and Mother's Day, plus links for how-to pages on foam crafts and recycling-based crafts. The pages include instructions and material lists. There are additional links for more crafts like candle-making and sewing.
Website 4: Family Fun
http://familyfun.go .com
This site arranges arts and crafts ideas by children's age and by category (easy to do, seasonal, etc.). Age groups include toddlers, 4-5,6-8 and 9-12-year-olds. Project ideas include material lists and directions. There's also a star-rating system based on scores by users and other readers. Users can leave comments, too.
Website5: The Activity Cupboard
http://www.mothers-home.com
This is a large resource page of all types of links for children's arts and crafts. The links are indexed by theme, by season, and also include informational sites reviewing crafts projects and offering arts and crafts how-to tips. | high23796.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they had solved the problems secretly"
},
"options": [
"they hadn't solved the problems thoroughly",
"they had solved the problems secretly",
"they were friends of the worried individual",
"they expected to be paid back... | In a book called Magnificent Obsession, by Lloyd C. Douglas, a description is given of people helping others but doing it secretly. When difficult problems worried an individual , friends nearby would meet to discuss possible solution without the individual knowing their actions. When a solution was agreed upon, one or two of the friends would carry out the plan and solve the problem secretly, to the great delight of the worried individual. The helpers would stand by privately , content with their success. No reward was given to the problem solvers, not even a sincere "thank you", because they were never known.
This concept is popular today but in a different way. The phrase _ is now used when one person helps another. However, the person helped may not be able to repay the person or group that helped them. So rather than return the favor to their helpers, they are supposed to help someone else in the future, which means they pay it forward. It is a sense of responsibility which makes us want to give back in equal measure to the one who has helped us. But, in this case, the responsibility turns to helping someone in the future.
Suppose your elderly grandmother pays part of your schooling. She may tell you there is no need to repay her because it is a gift from someone who loves you very much. Nothing would please her more than to have you use her money to get a good education.
You may never be able to repay her for such a gift. However, she not only gave you some money, but she provided you with an example that you should also help other people who need it.
People with serious needs are everywhere. Many are children who need better clothes, more books and even better schools. Some are elderly people who can't afford their medicine or a doctor's care. Consider how you can "pay it forward" rather than pay money back to your grandmother. | high9809.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "if you want to cut off the relationship with somebody, you can give him cutlery"
},
"options": [
"you must shake hands when you meet a person for the first time",
"you have to give your present in private",
"if you want to cu... | You have to shake hands when you're coming or going in Germany, but in Britain you usually only shake hands when you meet someone for the first time.
You have to give your present in public in the Middle East to show it's not a bribe , but it's good manners to give your present in private in Asia.
You mustn't give cutlery in Latin America because it suggests that you want to cut off the relationship. You mustn't give a clock in China because the Chinese word for clock is similar to the word for funeral .
"Come any time" means "I want you to visit me" in India. If you don't suggest a time and arrange a visit immediately, an Indian will think you are refusing the invitation.
Offices are usually closed on Friday in Moslem countries.
It's bad manners to discuss business at social occasion in India.
In an English pub, you have to take your turn to buy a "round" drink for everyone in your group. | high13912.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "sugar"
},
"options": [
"sugar",
"fiber",
"vitamin",
"iron"
],
"question": "The students using vending machines take in less of all the following EXCEPT .",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Vending machines are found in 16% of U.S.elementary schools, 52% of middle schools and 88% of high schools.About 22% of students in grades 1 through 12 buy food in vending machines each day--and those purchases added an average of 253 calories to their diets, according to a new study in the September issue of the Journal of School Health.
Just to be clear, those were not 253 calories' worth of tofu, yogurt or carrot.The most popular vending machine items included soft drinks, candy, chips, crackers, cookies, cakes and ice cream.On the plus side , kids also bought low-fat milk, fruit juice and even fruit, the study found.
But the eventual effect on kids' diets was not good.Those who bought from vending machines ate an average of 156 grams of sugar per day, compared with 146 grams for those who abstained .They also consumed less fiber, iron and vitamin B.
_ Vending machine customers ate 4% less sodium than other students--an average of 3,287 milligrams per day compared with 3,436 mg for those who didn't buy from vending machines.That's probably because the extra snacks made kids too full to eat as much at mealtimes, when dishes are especially Salty.In any event, kids should eat no more than 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium each day, according to the Mayo Clinic.Even for adults, the government recommends a daily limit of 2,300 mg.
Overall, vending machines in school appear to be a threat to children's health.The researchers calculated that all that snacking adds up to about14 extra pounds per child per school year.For some students this might be a serious contributor to weight issues.The study was based on data collected from 2,309 children nationwide for the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, which was
conducted by the U.S.Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service. | high719.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he supports environmental protection"
},
"options": [
"he loves adventure",
"cycling is a lot of fun",
"he wanted to find himself a wife",
"he supports environmental protection"
],
"question": "Ted Shreds went c... | Ted Shreds doesn't like cars.He wants people to stop driving because cars make the air dirty.Ted had an idea.He said,"I'm going to cycle around North America.I want to show everyone that cycling is a fun way to get around.If more people ride bikes,the air will be cleaner."
He left his hometown with $160 in his pocket.When he got to San Diego,he met another cyclist.The cyclist invited Ted to speak at a big meeting about the environment.He said,"We'll pay your airfare to Texas and we'll pay you to talk about your cycling trip."Two hours late,Ted was on a plane to the environmental conference and to a _ !
While he was at the conference,he met Deanna,it was love at first sight!They talked for six hours straight.
The next day,Ted called Deanna and asked her to finish the trip with him.Deanna said yes,sold everything in her apartment,gave her notice at work,and was on the road with Ted 20 days later!
"It was difficult at first,"said Deanna."Ted got up every morning at 6:00 a.m.,but I wanted to sleep until noon."After a few days,they started having fun.As they cycled from Florida to Montreal and then back to Vancouver,every day was an adventure.People paid for their food in restaurants and gave them extra money.Some people gave them $50 or $100.They slept in people's backyards and drank beer with motorcycle gangs.
On their way back to Vancouver,they stopped in Edmonton to visit Ted's relatives.During the stopover,they got married.People tied a "Just Married" sign and tin cans to the backs of their bikes.They got married.They now want to write a book about their trip."We want people to know that you can be an environmentalist and still have fun,"Shreds said. | high7824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Henry has just been back with some fish."
},
"options": [
"Sylvia got some fish for Henry.",
"Henry didn't catch any fish.",
"Sylvia has cooked some fish.",
"Henry has just been back with some fish."
],
"questio... | As is known to all, in daily conversation modern people like to use simple words and simple sentences, especially some sentences with some parts left out. Here is an interesting example from the conversation between Henry, a fisherman, and his wife Sylvia. Do you know what they are talking about?
Sylvia: Going?
Henry: Been.
Sylvia: Any?
Henry: Some.
Sylvia: Big?
Henry: Small. | high24166.txt |
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