questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "what a devoted parent privately did for the child"
},
"options": [
"how a boy had new ears through an operation",
"what a devoted parent privately did for the child",
"how a disabled boy turned into a useful person",
"w... | "Can I see my baby?" asked the happy new mother. The bundle was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she held her breath-the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby's hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother's arms,. he cried out bitterly, "A boy, a big boy ... called me-a f - freak. " She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president but for that. He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy's father had a talk with the family doctor. Could nothing be done? "I believe we could transplant on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated , " the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would' make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, " You ' re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it' s a secret." said the father.
The operation was brilliantly successful. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. "But I must know! " he urged his father. "Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him. "
"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know .... not yet. " The years kept the secret, but the day did come ... one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother' s casket . Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish - brown hair to let out the secret. | high23962.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "happiness spreads faster and more widely than unhappiness"
},
"options": [
"happiness spreads as fast and widely as unhappiness",
"unhappiness spreads faster and more widely than happiness",
"happiness spreads faster and more... | Happiness is contagious , as researchers reported on Thursday.
People with the most social connections -- spouses, friends, neighbors and relatives -- were also the happiest, the data showed. "Each additional happy person makes you happier," Christakis said.
"Imagine that I am connected to you and you are connected to others and others are connected to still others. It is this fabric of humanity, like an American patch quilt."
Each person sits on a different colored patch. "Imagine that these patches are happy and unhappy patches. Your happiness depends on what is going on in the patch around you," Christakis said.
"It is not just happy people connecting with happy people, which they do. Above and beyond, there is this contagious process going on."
And happiness is more contagious than unhappiness, they discovered.
"If a social contact is happy, it increases the likelihood that you are happy by 15 percent, " Fowler said. "A friend of a friend, or the friend of a spouse or a sibling , if they are happy, increases your chances by 10 percent," he added.
A happy third degree friend -- the friend of a friend of a friend -- increases a person's chances of being happy by 6 percent.
"But every extra unhappy friend increases the likelihood that you'll be unhappy by 7 percent," Fowler said.
The finding is interesting and it is useful, too, Fowler said.
"Among other benefits, happiness has been shown to have an important effect on reduced mortality , pain reduction, and improved cardiac function. So better understanding of how happiness spreads can help us learn how to develop a healthier society," he said.
The study also fits in with other data suggested in 1984 that having $ 5,000 extra increased a person's chances of becoming happier by about 2 percent.
"A happy friend is worth about $ 20,000," Christakis said. | high3529.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "give some advice on how to associate between boys and girls"
},
"options": [
"tell students to keep away from early love",
"give some advice on how to associate between boys and girls",
"say contacts does good not only to boy... | There are no days when men and women couldn't associate with each other. When we are asked if boys and girls can associate with each other, most of us will say, "Yes, of course. Why not? "
If we want to deal with the association between boys and girls properly, here are some tips for you to follow.
1)Keep a normal and healthy state of mind . Our schools and classes are made up of boys and girls. It is very natural for the boys and girls to contact each other and build up the friendship with the students of the other sex. Generally speaking, we should broaden the circle of the association. We should make as many friends as possible. We should have more friends of the other sex instead of one or two. We should contact the students in public, not in secret.
2)Contact students of the other sex warmly, generously and sincerely. Don't be too nervous or too shy in contact with a person of the other sex, because no one likes a person who is too shy to say a word.
3)Don't fall into the ditch of early love. The boys and the girls at adolescence are rich in feelings and full of imagination . They are easy to regard the friendship as a sign of love and fall in love with each other at an early age. In my opinion, early love is a green apple that can't be eaten. An apple won't taste sweet until it is fully ripe . Do keep out of early love. | high16701.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "How You Spend Your 20s Will Define You."
},
"options": [
"How You Spend Your 20s Will Define You.",
"The 20-something Brain Remains To Be Developed.",
"Young People Need Employment And Experiences.",
"Becoming Mature Sh... | While many young people may resist getting a "real job" or becoming independent, these are the things that make you happy and give you purpose. Some people underestimate the satisfaction of working, thinking they'll be miserable. The 20-somethings that do work are happier than those who don' t or are underemployed.
If you invest in your career early,you'll have longer to build it up. 70% of wage growth happens in the first 10 years, so you need to get the best job you can get and negotiate your salary. No one can be sure that people who will wait until their 30s to get going are expecting to experience later to catch up with those of their ages.
Many 20-somethings don't know what they want to do, so they hang around the house or in. low-level jobs waiting for the spirit to move them. Not making a choice is a choice. These 20-somethings think they are keeping their options open, but they are actually closing doors. Resumes start to look thin, their peers begin surpassing them and they may get stuck in underemployment.
It will take about 10,000 hours(or about five years)to really master their jobs. If you're wondering why colleagues seem so smart and confident, it's partly because they've been doing it longer. Young people should learn as much as they can in their first jobs and remember it will take some time to really get good.
The 20-something brain is still developing, which is in charge of critical emotion with reason. This, _ less on-the-job experience, means 20-somethings are more sensitive to surprise and criticism. They are more likely to take feedback personally. Step back and get some perspective. You're not going to be fired because your boss is angry. Hear the criticism and learn from it.
The brain doesn't fully mature until your mid-20s, particularly the parts that plan for the future and manage emotions. That doesn't mean you should sit around and wait for it to develop. In. fact, what you learn and experience in your 20s becomes hardwired into your brain and this is the best chance you have to change your brain and change how you think and react. What people do in their 20s determines who they'll be as adults. | high4246.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The father of the writer."
},
"options": [
"The brother of the writer.",
"The son of the writer.",
"The father of the writer.",
"A bus driver."
],
"question": "Who is \"he\" throughout the text?",
"question_... | I remembered that when I was a little child, I used to look for Sunday of the week. Yes, I was so looking forward to an adventure.
Now, I still have a strong _ for buses. I used to wonder where those gigantic buses finally stopped. On sunshine Sundays, that's my adventure times. He took me to the bus stop. Time passed, while I was growing impatient, he was smiling, as he always does.
It was really not that easy to get on a bus as often as we do today. I was so worried that the bus driver would have missed us. I waved my hands so high with all my strength. I looked hopefully at him. He didn't move at all. He was still standing. It seemed that the late and infrequent coming of the bus wasn't any trouble to him at all.
He took my hand. We managed to find seats on the upper deck. I was so excited. Only sitting beside the windows made me happy. Looking at the rewinding buildings, streets and people through windows from a higher ground was so much fun. Then, he was sitting peacefully by me and whispered to me where the bus finally would stop. I was curious about what would be the next stop of our destination as much as what really means something to him.
That is me. I know now. I am all he cares. He wants me to be happy, as he always does. That's the strong bond between father and son. Childhood, naive and precious, you showed me the world and the way I look at the world. I am so grateful for your presence in my life. Thanks, you are so wonderful! | high5158.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He intended to make arrangements for his life in the future."
},
"options": [
"He was in search of a miracle in his life.",
"It was a holy place for a religious person to head for.",
"He intended to make arrangements for his ... | Sometimes just when we need the power of miracles to change our beliefs, they materialize in the places we'd least expect. They can come to us as a drastic alteration in our physical reality or as a simple synchronicity in our lives. Sometimes they're big and can't be missed Other times they're so subtle that if we aren't aware, we may miss them altogether. They can come from the lips of a stranger we suddenly and mysteriously encounter at just the right instant. If we listen carefully, we'll always hear the right words,at the right time, to dazzle us into a realization of something that we may have failed to notice only moments before.
On a cold January afternoon in 1989,I was hiking up the trail that leads to the top of Egypt's Mt. Horeb. I'd spent the day at St. Catherine's Monastery and wanted to get to the peak by sunset to see the valley below. As I was winding up the narrow path,I'd occasionally see other hikers who were coming down from a day on the mountain. While they would generally pass with simply a nod or a greeting in another language,there was one man that day who did neither.
I saw him coming from the last switchback on the trail that led to the backside of the mountain. As he got closer,I could see that he was dressed differently from the other hikers I'd seen. Rather than the high-tech fabrics and styles that had been the norm,this man was wearing traditional Egyptian clothing. He wore a tattered, rust-colored galabia and obviously old and thick-soled sandals that were covered in dust. What made his appearance so odd,though,was that the man didn't even appear to be Egyptian! He was a small-framed Asian man, had very little hair,and was wearing round,wire-rimmed glasses.
As we neared one another,I was the first to speak."Hello,"I said,stopping on the trail for a moment to catch my breath. Not a sound came from the man as he walked closer. I thought that maybe he hadn't heard me or the wind had carried my voice away from him in another direction. Suddenly he stopped directly in front of me on the high side of the trail, looked up from the ground, and spoke a single sentence to me in English,"Sometimes you don't know what you have lost until you've lost it."As I took in what I had just heard,he simply stepped around me and continued his descent down the trail.
That moment in my life was a small miracle. The reason is less about what the man said and more about the timing and the context. The year was 1989,and the Cold War was drawing to a close. What the man on the trail couldn't have known is that it was during my Egyptian pilgrimage, and specifically during my hike to the top of Moses's mountain,that I'd set the time aside to make decisions that would affect my career in the defense industry,my friends,my family,and,ultimately,my life.
I had to ask myself what the chances were of an Asian man dressed in an Egyptian galabia coming down from the top of this historic mountain just when I was walking up,stopping before me,and offering his wisdom,seemingly from out of nowhere. My answer to _ was easy: the odds were slim to none! In an encounter that lasted less than two minutes on a mountain halfway around the world from my home, a total stranger had brought clarity, and the hint of a warning, regarding the huge changes that I would make within a matter of days. In my way of thinking,that's a miracle.
I suspect that we all experience small miracles in our lives every day. Sometimes we have the wisdom and the courage to recognize them for what they are. In the moments when we don't,that's okay as well. It seems that our miracles have a way of coming back to us again and again. And each time they do,they become a little less _ ,until we can't possibly miss the message that they bring to our lives!
The key is that they're everywhere and occur every day for different reasons, in response to the different needs that we may have in the moment. Our job may be less about questioning the extraordinary things that happen in our daily lives and more about accepting the gifts they bring. | high10370.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "doing a survey"
},
"options": [
"playing cards",
"free talking",
"doing a survey",
"discussion"
],
"question": "The researchers started the project by _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | In the last few years, some researchers have decided to study why kids lie ,So they made up a special team of 12 students, all under the age of 21.
Each student was given 36 cards, and each card listed a topic that teens sometimes lie about to their parents, The researchers worked through the cards with the teens, learning what things the kid was lying to his parents about, and why.
By the end of the interviews, the kids saw for the first time how much they were lying and how many of family's rules they had broken. It was reported that 98% of the teens had lied to their parents.
Out of the 36 topics, the average teen was lying to his parents about 12 of them. The teens lied about what movie they went to, and whom they went with .They lied about how they spent their afternoons while their parents were at work, and something like that.
Most parents hear their child lie and think he's too young to understand what lies are or that lying is wrong. They believe their child will stop when he gets older. Many books also advise parents to just let lies go -- they'll grow out of it. But the truth is that kids grow into it. In studies where children are observed in their natural environment, a 4-year-old child will lie once every two hours, while a 6-year-old child will lie about once every hour and a half. | high1316.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "\"The thing draws much attention.\""
},
"options": [
"\"The thing makes people hot.\"",
"\"The thing draws much attention.\"",
"\"The thing was against the law.\"",
"\"The thing changes the weather.\""
],
"quest... | The thing was a hot one! A farmer had shot two wolves on purpose. He had seen the wolves on his farm and decided to get them before they caused trouble. He knew wolves were a kind of protected animals. However, he also knew most of his neighbors would shoot wolves, too. Shortly after the farmer skinned the wolves, problems began. It seemed that someone didn't like the idea of killing wolves after all. The officials had arrived. Out-of-town reporters got hold of the story. And now the farmer was on trial for his killing of the wolves. | high682.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "showed her talent for music early"
},
"options": [
"dreamed of being a horse rider",
"was expected to help on the farm",
"showed her talent for music early",
"learned singing from her grandmother"
],
"question":... | Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989, in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Swift's family ran a farm. "I had her sitting on a small horse when she was nine months old," said Swift's mother. "If my dream had gone well, she'd be in a horse show right now." The only obvious forerunner of Swift's musical talent was her grandmother, an opera singer.
That talent showed itself early: when the family went to see a Disney musical film, Swift would come out of the theater singing all the songs correctly. At the age of 11, she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Philadelphia 76ers game. The experiences during her pre-teen years encouraged the creativity to go with Swift's talent. As a child, she attended the academically competitive Wyndcroft School in Pottstown, but then switched to public schools in Wyomissing. Although it was her hometown, she didn't know any of her classmates, and she was terrified. Swift began to understand the storytelling feature of country songs, and put her feelings into songs of her own.
One of her future hits, "The Outside", was written when she was only 12. "I wrote that about the scariest feeling I've ever felt: going to school, looking at those faces, and not knowing who you're gonna talk to that day," she said. "In the music, I could never feel the kind of rejection that I felt in middle school." Swift's parents quickly realized that they had someone special on their hands. They sold their farm when she was 13 and moved the family to Hendersonville, Tennessee.[:Z+xx+k.Com]
Swift had the ability, above all, to put feelings into words with accuracy far beyond her years. In "Our Song" she wrote, "Our song is the slamming screen door, going out late, tapping on your window." In the summer of 2006, "Tim McGraw" came out, and almost from the beginning the 16-year-old Taylor Swift was a star. | high13651.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a great but not perfect man"
},
"options": [
"a person who did not look the same as in many pictures",
"a person who lived a color1ful and meaningful life",
"a great but not perfect man",
"an old-time magician"
],
... | Tales From Animal Hospital
David Grant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery . Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whether it be cat, dog or snake I !
$ 14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster
ISBN 0751304417
Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
From the author of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science, comes this color1ful description of the life of the world's first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White's learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began.
PS8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat's Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world's greatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem . First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole
Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat's Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike.
PS12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210 | high23792.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "volunteers"
},
"options": [
"job seekers",
"trainers",
"teachers",
"volunteers"
],
"question": ".The second ad is intended for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | E-- The environmental Magazine
If you are concerned about your health , your family's health and the future of our planet , and want to know " What can I do ? " to make a difference , you'll love reading E --The Environmental Magazine . A 12-time Independent Press Awards winner and nominee ,E is full of everything environmental --from recycling to rainforests and from the global village to our own backyards .
1 year (6 issues ) -- $24.95
2 years (12 issues ) -- $ 34.95
Add $ 10.00 /year for Canadian postage
Add $ 40.00 / year for foreign postage
Edinburgh Young Caregivers Project
We work with young caregivers . We want to colour the lives of some of these young people by introducing them to someone who will try to understand them , listen , work towards agreed goals and have some FUN ! Is that person you ? Are you aged 18-25 ? Could you help and encourage a young person to recognize what they want and work towards getting it ? You can encourage and help someone and in return help yourself ! You will learn new skills and build on your own experience .
Contact : Sue Mackay
Email : sue.mackay @ yahoocarers .org.uk
Belvedere Castle Exhibit
Date (s ): February 16 ,2008--February 16 , 2018
Time(s) : 10:00a.m--5:00p.m
Event scheduling : Sunday , Tuesday , Wednesday , Thursday , Friday , Saturday
Event details : The exhibit covers two floors of the Castle , and currently features an informational panel on the importance of trees and display of common birds that can be found in surrounding areas . All Ages . Free . Reservations required for groups of 25 people or more . Call 212-772-0210 for information . ( click to show map )
Tennis Skills Camp
August 2-6 , 2010 registration deadline : July 15, 2010
This camp , held on the Alfred University Tennis Courts,is for boys and girls entering grades 7-12. Training at the beginners through advanced levels will be provided .
This camp is directed and coached by Dave Brady , tennis coach at Alfred-Almond Central School .
Camp sessions will be held Monday through Friday , from 4:00-6:30 p.m
Cost : $ 150 per person | high15220.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "People steal vegetables on SNS for living."
},
"options": [
"Millions of people in China are spending lots of time on SNS.",
"People steal vegetables on SNS for living.",
"Lots of people play games on SNS to escape from reali... | Don't be afraid! We are not encouraging people to steal. It's one of the most popular topics currently talked about by people in cities, together with, "How many vegetables did you steal today?"or, "It's harvest time for your peaches," and, "I bought you a new car today."
Listening to a conversation like this, you do not have to feel strange. These people don't really have their own farms or so much money that they can casually buy someone else a car.
They are just playing games on Social Networking Sites(SNS) like kaixing001.com. Can you imagine millions of people in China spending lots of time on SNS playing games and talking to friends? This is especially true of white-collar workers in cities, Take kaixing001.com for example --the number of current members has already hit 38 million.
However, the large number of people using SNS highlights another problem. That is, lots of people choose to escape from reality, NSN just offers them a virtual environment where they can escape from reality.
Different games provide netizens with different experiences: dreaming, chatting and playing. It offers people the opportunity to escape from reality. But the virtual world is not the real one; no one can live in _ forever, and reality is not as surfing on the Internet.
Since this kind of social networking sites have become so popular, people have started to think about moving it into the real world. And so far as we know, a farmland of this kind exists in Shanghai where it has reached its first base.
After playing the "Happy Farm"game on kaixing001.com, would you like to put yourself among the real world while smelling the fragrances of the countryside? Recently a farmland service called "Happy Farm in Reality" was opened in the suburbs of Shanghai where white-collar workers can experience the real farmers' for themselves. | high8454.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Harriet Tubman's fight for freedom for the slaves"
},
"options": [
"life of the slaves in the Old South",
"life of Harriet Tubman",
"Harriet Tubman's fight for freedom for the slaves",
"the Civil War"
],
"questi... | Harriet Tubman lived a life filled with adventure.Tubman worked with the Underground Railroad. She helped many slaves reach freedom in the North. She was a scout in the Civil War. She also worked as a nurse during the war.
Life in the Old South was very hard for slaves. Most slaves lived in small houses.They had large families, and even the children had to work in the fields.Most slaves dreamed of getting to the north.They wanted to be free.
One day Harriet saw a slave trying to run away. Then she saw the keeper running after him with a whip.Harriet stood in the keeper's way.The keeper took a weight and threw it at the slave.He hit Harriet above her eyes.It almost killed her. The scar on Harriet's head was an emblem of her will to fight for what she believed in.
The Fugitive Slave Law made Harriet's job harder.The law said that slaves could be caught even in the North. Harriet began leading slaves all the way into Canada.There they were safe.The law couldn't hurt them there.
When Harriet came for her mother and father,they were very old.Harriet was afraid they might not be able to make the trip.She got a horse.She and a friend made a wagon.She helped her mother and father ride to freedom. | high7767.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "On the flight to St. Louis."
},
"options": [
"On the flight to Minnesota.",
"On the flight to Phoenix.",
"On the flight to St. Louis.",
"At the St. Louis Airport."
],
"question": "Where did the writer notice the... | I was catching a later flight to St. Louis, then on to Minnesota. A couple of seats in front and the aisle over sat a very pretty lady. She smiled back at me, I smiled at her noticing her pretty dress.
The rest of the flight was uneventful, but as I was getting off the plane I noticed her again standing by the prompters seeing what flight she was to take and what gate. I stood beside her looking for my gate, and flight number. I commented to her that I had seen her on the flight and she had on a pretty dress. She said "Thank you", I asked what flight she was taking? She said to "Phoenix". I looked and she had a two-hour _ , I also had a two and a half hours layover and asked her if she would like to go to the cafeteria for something to eat or drink. She said "Sure". We introduced ourselves on the way, and she told me that her name was "Phyllis". I laughed and said "my name is Phyllis also".
As we sat in the booth she began telling me that she had been told she was dying of cancer and had less than 6 months to live. She was on her way to visit her children and grandchildren before she began taking treatment. She then told me that she had never flown before and she had prayed a specific prayer. She was afraid she would get lost at the airport and not be able to find her way to the gate, and didn't know what she was going to do for the two hours she was there. She prayed, that someone would meet her at the gate and stay with her until she left the airport. She then asked me "Are you an Angel God has sent"? No, I assured her I was no angel, but did God use me to answer her prayer? Yes. | high13889.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it was designed to avoid the bad weather"
},
"options": [
"there was something wrong in the machine",
"the Chang'e-3 lander struck it by accident",
"it was designed to avoid the bad weather",
"it had completed the scien... | China's Jade Rabbit moon rover has " woken up" since it entered the lunar night two weeks ago. The moon rover, known as Yutu in Mandarin Chinese, and the Chang'e-3 lander were restarted by the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC), China's Xinhua news agency said.
It had been set to sleep for two weeks to ride out extreme climatic conditions and will finally undertake its scientific mission. The Jade Rabbit was " put to sleep" on 26 December at the onset of the first lunar night of the mission. One night on the moon lasts for around two weeks on Earth and during this time, temperatures fall to -180degC ---conditions too cold for the equipment to function in. There is also no sunlight to power the Jade Rabbit's solar panels.
Zhou Jianliang, chief engineer with the BACC, explained: " During the lunar night, the lander and the rover were in a power-off condition and the communication with Earth was cut off.
" When the night ends, they will be started up with the power provided by sunlight and resume operation and communication according to preset programmes. He added that the Jade Rabbit surviving the lunar night showed Chinese technology had proved successful.
The Jade Rabbit and the lander compose Chang'e-3 landed on the moon on 14 December. With the landing, China became one of only three nations to soft-land on the moon, and the first to do so in more than three decades.
Scientists said the mission was designed to test new technologies and build the country's expertise of space exploration. The Jade Rabbit will gather scientific data and capture images from the Moon. China was planning further missions planned to collect lunar soil samples and it is thought officials are looking to conduct manned lunar landings if they prove successful. | high9992.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car."
},
"options": [
"Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m.",
"Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night.",
"A teenag... | A recent study, which was published in last week's Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how dangerous it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers has three times the possibility of a serious accident, compared with a teenager driving alone.
The authors also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased greatly after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with "really stupid behavior" than with just a lack of driving experience. "The basic issue is that adults who are responsible for giving out licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled driving is." he says.
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate the problem is to have states set up so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a process with several stages. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself able to drive in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night of passenger restrictions before graduating to full driving rights.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies. | high3501.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because the results are contrary to their expectation."
},
"options": [
"Because the results are contrary to their expectation.",
"Because so many children are playing with cats and dogs.",
"Because parents are so much worrie... | Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens , prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children?
A study finds that, contrary to many parents' fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child's risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study's lead author, Dr. Dennic Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, says that even he was "very surprised" by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first year of life to those who were not.
By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.
Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps" exercise" their immune systems early in life so that they're better able to resist allergic diseases later.
There's something very important in that first year of life when the immune system is developing that we can retrain _ away from an allergic response, said Dr. William Davis.
And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child's allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there's no need to get rid of them. | high5170.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "their family was so poor that it couldn't afford the academy"
},
"options": [
"they had no choice but to make a list",
"their family was so poor that it couldn't afford the academy",
"one of the brothers deserved to go down t... | Once upon a time, there was a family with eighteen children in a small village not far from Nuremberg. Eighteen! In spite of the hopeless condition, two of the children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art. After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother who attended the academy. Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy.
They tossed a coin on a Sunday morning after church. Albrecht Durer won and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was excellent. By the time he graduated, he had earned considerable fees for his works.
When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming, where Albrecht drank a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled him to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "Now you can go to Nuremberg to look for your dream, and I will take care of you."
Tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side, Albert sobbed, "No... no... no...no. It is too late for me. Look...look at what four years in the mines has done to my hands! I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less draw delicate lines with a pen or a brush... For me, it is too late."
To show thanks to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands", but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed it "The Praying Hands".
The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder, if you still need one, that no one - no one - no one ever makes it alone! | high17437.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The First Stamp."
},
"options": [
"The First Stamp.",
"How Stamp Was First Made",
"Why the First Stamp Was Made",
"When Was Stamp First Made"
],
"question": "The best title for this passage should be _",
"q... | Have you ever posted letters to your friends or parents? If so, you must have put stamps on the letters before you sent them. But, how did people receive letters before stamps were invented, and who came up with the idea of using stamps?
In the past, stamps and envelopes were not used. When people wanted to send a letter, they would close the paper with a seal . The person who got the letter had to pay for it. Because costs at that time were very high, most people refused to accept letters. In fact, the sender would often place secret marks on the outside of the letter. The person who was sent the letter would read the secret message. Then, they would refuse to accept the letter and did not have to pay for it.
In Britain, Sir Rowland Hill introduced the "Post Office Reforms" in 1837. He decided that letters could go to any place in the country for a penny even if the letter had to go far away. The cost was to be paid by the sender of the letter. Payment was recorded by placing a small piece of coloured paper on the letter, the stamp! On May 6,1840, the first stamp called the "Penny Black" was born. Because the stamp was printed in black, the stamp became known as the "Penny Black". This is now the world's most famous stamp. This new system spread fast. | high10358.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "advise us to treats our failures fairly"
},
"options": [
"advise us to treats our failures fairly",
"persuade us to make an aim for our lives",
"encourage us to learn from the two brothers",
"prove that failure helps ... | If you have ever been discouraged because of failure , please read on. Usually, achieving what you set out to do is not the important thing. Let me explain.
Two brothers decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As they were working, a couple of older boys stopped by to watch.
"What are you doing?" asked one of the visitors.
"We plan to dig a hole all the way through the earth!" one of the brothers answered excitedly.
The older boys began to laugh, telling the younger ones that digging a hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a long silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders , worms and a lot of insects. He removed the lid and showed the wonderful contents to the visitors who were laughing at them. Then he said quietly and confidently, "Even if we don't dig all the way through the earth, look what we found along the way!"
Their goal was far too difficult, but it made them dig. And that is what a goal is for--to make us move in the direction we have chosen. In other words, it sets us to digging!
But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end successfully. Not every hope will come to pass. Not every love will last. But when you fall short of your aim, perhaps you can say, "Yes, but look at what I found along the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life because I tried to do something!" And I believe it is the joy in the journey, in the end, that truly matters. | high2179.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She turns any kind of food into a portrait"
},
"options": [
"She Uses wine as her medium.",
"She is famous for her food website.",
"She turns any kind of food into a portrait",
"She uses spices to recreate classic paint... | Vivi Mac, an amazing artist from France, can use nearly any kind of food to create detailed celebrity portraits .Although she has yet to _ her short-lived work of arts in a proper art gallery, Vivi Mac has already made a name for herself online.
We've seen some amazing food artists in the past, but none are quite like this one .Karen Eland is a master coffee painter, Elisabetta Rogai uses wine as her medium ,Kelly McCollam uses food colouring to recreat classic paintings, but the self-taught Vivi Mac can take anything from chewing gum to milk and turn it into a fantastic portrait When working with liquids, Mac uses a simple plastic straw and her hands to guide the unusual .mediums around a plastic plate which acts as a painting. Just how she manages to capture the finest facial features is still a mistery to me, and I've seen videos of her doing it many times,
Vivi Mac has never attended art school. She only used online resources like blogs and facebook to learn the basics of drawing and painting. She started out working with pens and paper, but soon realized drawing wasn't just creative enough for her. She got into speed painting and body painting, posting videos of her works on You Tube, but it wasn't until she began experimenting with different kinds of foods that her art got serious coverage. Photos and videos of her eatable celebrity portraits, like Bruce Lee in milk Ice Cube in crushed ice or Amy Winehouse in wine, became popular on the French inter-webs and changed Vivi Mac into an online celebrity. | high5616.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "have movable structure"
},
"options": [
"have movable structure",
"contain three discs",
"be built 500m beneath the surface",
"come into use soon"
],
"question": "The new hotel will_.",
"question_type": "clo... | Here's a hotel worth writing home about:a company in Poland plans to build tourist accommodation under the sea.The structure can be dragged to a suitable location and placed on supports on the sea bed.
The 'Water Discus' will be made up of an underwater disc containing 22 bedrooms with sea views, connected by lift and stairs to a disc above the surface containing other hotel facilities.
Project manager Robert Bursiewicz says:"Nowadays it's possible to build submarilles which go deeper than 500m below the sea surface,so building an underwater hotel is not a problem."
In fact,they don't plan to have the hotel very deep.Water acts like a filter for sunlight, and below l5m most colours,apart from blue,are washed out.And we all want to see colourful marine life,don't we?
But this isn't the first hotel to offer underwater views from the bedrooms.The two-bedroom Jules' Undersea Lodge,off the coast of Florida,has been taking in guests 10m beneath the surface since 1986.
The company that operates the hotel also runs a diving course for beginners to help get guests down and into the hotel.It is accessible only through an opening at the bottom.
And you'll find all the usual facilities in the room,according to Teresa McKirma,Jules's chief financial officer.It has a television,air conditioning and wi--fi.But for the staft, simple things like cleaning and making beds can be challenging,since the lodge is in sea water.
''It actually takes quite a lot of work to get anything down there,"she says."We have to put everything in waterproof boxes and attach weights to them to counter their buoymacy ."
The hotel has suitably sized waterproof boxes so that pizzas can be delivered by divers to guests wllo order them for their evening meal.And after a meal,if you can't sleep because of the excitement of the experience,you don't have to count sheep.You'll fall asleep quicker if you count fish. | high18062.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "we want to be healthy and strong"
},
"options": [
"we want to eat more",
"we want to enjoy our meals",
"we want to be healthy and strong",
"we want to save time"
],
"question": "Why do we have to develop good ea... | What we eat, when we eat or how we eat is usually considered to be an everyday eating habit. Good eating habits are very important for our health. Most of us would rather eat sweets and ice-cream than meat and rice. Sweets and ice-cream are not bad for the stomach if we eat them at the end of a meal. But we should also know that if we eat them before a meal, they will spoil our appetite . It is a good habit for us to eat our meal at the same time each day. When we feel hungry, it is a sign that our body needs a good supply. When we feel angry or excited, we may not want to eat. A long time ago, in England some judges used to decide whether a man was telling the truth by giving him some dry bread. If he could not swallow the bread, it was a sign that he wasn't telling the truth. He was telling lies. Although this seems very strange and rather foolish, it is indeed an excellent way of finding out the truth. A man who is worrying about something has difficulty in swallowing anything dry. Because he is worrying, he loses his appetite and does not want to eat. | high17351.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "texters"
},
"options": [
"talkers",
"the \"speakeasy\"",
"the \"spacemaker\"",
"texters"
],
"question": "According to the two British researchers, the social and psychological effects are mostly likely to be see... | In the case of mobile phones, change is everything. Recent research indicates that the mobile phone is changing not only our culture, but our very bodies as well.
First, let's talk about culture. The difference between the mobile phone and its parent, the fixed-line phone, is that a mobile number corresponds to a person, while a landline goes to a place. If you call my mobile, you get me. If you call my fixed-line phone, you get whoever answers it.
This has several implications . The most common one, however, and perhaps the thing that has changed our culture forever, is the "meeting" influence. People no longer need to make firm plans about when and where to meet. Twenty years ago, a Friday night would need to be arranged in advance. You needed enough time to allow everyone to get from their place of work to the first meeting place. Now,however, a night out can be arranged on the run. It is no longer "see you there at 8",but "text me around 8 and we'll see where we all are."
Texting changes people as well. In their paper, "Insights into the Social and Psychological Effects of SMS Text Messaging", two British researchers distinguished between two types of mobile phone users: the "talkers" and the "texters"-those who prefer voice to text messages and those who prefer text to voice.
They found that the mobile phone's individuality and privacy gave texters the ability to express a whole new outer personality. Texters were likely to report that their family would be surprised if they were to read their texts. This suggests that texting allowed texters to present a self-image that differed from the one familiar to those who knew them well.
Another scientist wrote of the changes that mobiles have brought to body language. There are two kinds that people use while speaking on the phone. There is the "speakeasy": the head is held high, in a self-confident way, chatting away. And there is the "spacemaker": these people focus on themselves and keep out other people.
Who can blame them? Phone meetings get cancelled or reformed and camera- phones intrude on people's privacy. So, it is understandable if your mobile makes you nervous. But perhaps you needn't worry so much. After all, it is good to talk. | high4508.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "c, a, d, b"
},
"options": [
"a, c, b, d",
"c, a, b, d",
"c, a, d, b",
"d, a, b, c"
],
"question": "The second half of the story has been in wrong order.(Parts a-d) Choose the rearranged order which you think is ... | A HOLIDAY jet pilot said that he would land and call the police after a woman refused to stop smoking.
He warned Maureen Harkavy, "Put that cigarette out, or I'll land the plane and have you arrested."
Maureen, 47, was so shocked she wrote to the airline's chairman.But his reply was even ruder.
"You seem to think you have a God-given right to pollute your neighbors' atmosphere," wrote John Ferriday of Paramount Airways.
(a)Said Maureen, "I only found out about it when I was checking in.I'm a nervous flyer so I lit a cigarette during the flight.A stewardess asked me to put it out, but I said I wanted to carry on as there was no rule against smoking on the plane." She was just finishing her cigarette when the pilot arrived.
(b) "I've never seen such an unpleasant letter." She said, "I don't think I'll ever fly again." But there was a funny side.Maureen explained, "We were offered duty-free cigarette from the stewardess on the plane!"
(c) Mr.Ferriday went on: "Believe me, you haven't.Especially when you travel on my planes."
Maureen and her husband Michael were moved to Paramount flight just before they left Portugal.But they were not told of the company's no smoking policy.
(d) "He was loud and rude," said Maureen."He said if I lit another cigarette he would land the plane at Bordeaux and hand me to the French police."
Later, from her home in Mosely, Birmingham, Maureen wrote to the company and received the rude reply. | high11720.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Online shoppers don't bargain as much as expected."
},
"options": [
"The result of the study gives customers more confidence.",
"Scholars aren't surprised at the findings of the study.",
"Online shoppers don't bargain as much... | Online shoppers would rather receive an offer for a product or service than make their own offer3according to a study led by a Michigan State University scholar that has implications for the fast-growing e-commerce industry. The findings may come as a surprise given that shopping online is an anonymous process that seemingly can give consumers more confidence to drive a hard bargain,said Don Conlon ,Professor of Management in MSU's Broad College of Business.
But the study found that participants who made their own offers were less successful in sealing the deal and ,when they were successful?worried they overpaid Many shoppers found the process of researching an offer to be a hassle. " Americans are very busy,and it's less time-consuming to be the one receiving the offer rather than the one proposing the offer " Conlon said.uPeople tend to be happier when they're in the receiver role. "
Online spending in the United States is expected to jump 45 percent in the next four years, from $ 226 billion this year to $ 327 billion in 2017,according to Forrester Research Inc. Nevertheless, researches into this prosperous market remain largely focused on the strategies of companies, rather than those oPS shoppers. Conlon's study is ,obviously, a rare exception.
Conlon got the idea for the study after considering the difference between two popular sites for hotels and airline flights, priceline.com, which takes bids, and hotwire.com ,which provides offers. Using these two models ,Conlon and his fellow researchers conducted a series of experiments with more than 850 people who were charged with booking a fictional hotel room and acquiring a fictional antique car. Not only did participants prefer to receive bids, Conlon said ,but they also secured more deals in that receiver role. Further ,when they had to make the bids ,they were left more mentally _ and regretful.
From an industry perspective,putting customers in the receiver role may help fill more hotel rooms and airplane seats. "If you're a business with a lot of products3" Conlon said,"you may want to be the one making the offers. " However, when selling single items, such as an antique car, accepting bids may be a better option since that typically drives up the price, he said. | high3267.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To introduce the history of April Fools' Day."
},
"options": [
"To teach us how to avoid being tricked.",
"To point out the best way to trick others.",
"To introduce the history of April Fools' Day.",
"To stress the imp... | Consider yourself warned. Sunday is April Fools' Day, a day when you are encouraged to play tricks on loved ones and even the people you meet at the bus stop. It's a strange tradition, but how did it get started?
Nobody is completely sure about the origin of this, the silliest of holidays. However, the urban legend experts at Snopes. com say that most experts owe it to Pope Gregory XIII, who, in the 1500s, gave the world the Gregorian calendar.
In 1562, the Gregorian calendar moved the first day of the year from April l to January l. Word did eventually get around, but some people were a bit slow to hear the news. These folks continued celebrating the new year on April l , unaware that they were now three months behind the times. These "April fools" were tricked by those who knew it. The tradition eventually made its way to the US.
And it's still going strong. Over the past week, Web searches on " April Fools' Day jokes" and " April Fools' Day tricks" have more than doubled, and related lookups for "easy April Fools' Day tricks" and "April Fools' Day jokes for work" have also increased greatly. Bottom line: Keep your guard up, especially if somebody offers you a word search puzzle. Lookups for "impossible April Fools' Day word searches" are up by 200%.
But really, there is no way to be certain you'll escape trickery because even companies are out to trick you on April l. In 1957, the BBC reported Swiss farmers were harvesting spaghetti from trees. And in 1996, Taco Bell took out ads in major newspapers announcing that the company had purchased the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell. | high14880.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "describe his working life"
},
"options": [
"encourage readers to work at home",
"explain why he decides to be an artist",
"describe his working life",
"show how he begins a picture"
],
"question": "In the passag... | People think being an artist must be a wonderful way to earn one's living. And of course, there are lots of great things about working for oneself, at home alone, even in a cold studio like mine. What I really like is that nobody tells me what time to start in the morning. I like to paint as soon as I wake up, which is always early, but isn't the same time every day. And nobody tells me what to wear or whether I can take the afternoon off and go to a football match.
But then, I have no one to chat with when I'm bored, no one to discuss last night's match with during the office lunch hour. Sure, I can spend the afternoon doing something I enjoy like cycling or gardening if I choose. But the work will still be there when I do finally get back home.
Unfortunately, working at home means that people can always find me, whether I'm bored or not, and once I've answered the doorbell, it's too late -- my thoughts have been interrupted. No one would dream of calling in if I worked in an office, but I find myself listening to friends' troubles. As they talk, my ideas disappear and I feel increasingly stressed thinking of my work waiting to be done.
However, when I hear the traffic news on the radio, and imagine my friends sitting miserably in their cars in a jam, feeling bored, or waiting unhappily for an overcrowded train in the rain, I realize that I really haven't got much to complain about. I find a CD which will start me thinking, turn it up really loudly and begin another picture. | high12229.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "China's normal practice in the U.N. is to abstain rather than veto."
},
"options": [
"China often uses its veto power on international issues.",
"China never uses its veto power on international issues.",
"China's normal prac... | (CNN)-China will sometimes say "no" and the world should get used to it.
That message came through when China joined Russia in blocking action on Syria.
"Do not mistakenly think that because China takes a careful and responsible position on the Syria issue, China will not use its veto power or will always abstain ," said Cui Tiankai, China's vice foreign minister, "When China must use its veto power to say no, it will surely use it."
On Saturday, Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called the vetoes "disgusting and shameful."
He Wenping, director of African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the veto shows China's confidence in foreign affairs. "A country expressing its true opinion - that's progress. China opposes the use of threat or force to achieve regime change in other countries. This agrees with China's long-standing diplomacy principle. It is also not acceptable for China to rush a U.N. vote without sufficient discussion."
So why did China use its veto this time?
China's critics say China's veto of the U.N. draft proposal was in part due to Beijing's fear that allowing a regime change in Syria could encourage the spread of the Arab revolution and eventually threaten China.
He Wenping disagrees, "China has a completely different political system and economic development path. If someone in the international community thinks that the Arab Spring will happen in China, then I think they misjudge the situation in China, exaggerate some problems in the Chinese society and underestimate the ability of the Chinese government to control the situation in China." | high15546.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it is a source of reliable information"
},
"options": [
"it has the support of a famous TV actress",
"it is a source of reliable information",
"it provides a huge amount of cancer information",
"it attracts a great numb... | Cancer Research UK has launched an online chat forum for cancer patients to _ stories or share experiences on how to cope with such a disastrous disease.
But Cancer Chat is a forum with a difference:it has an information safety net.
This means that a Cancer Research UK team will keep a watching brief to ensure that patients are not subjected to rogue "cancer cures'' or scientifically unreasonable information.
Anyone can have access to the messages posted on Cancer Chat but if people wish to post a message they will need to register.
And Rebekah Gibbs,a cancer patient and star e f TV'S Casualty has voiced her support for the new project."I think Cancer Chat is a brilliant idea,''she said."I have written a public diary about what I went through with breast cancer and I have had such a heart-warming response from other people going through the same thing.
"The idea of a Cancer Chat forum means you can share information about treatment and side effects and you can really open up about your feelings online in a way that can be difficult when talking to close friends and family.And with Cancer Research UK.monitoring the forum people can be guaranteed the quality of information being exchanged."
Cancer Chat will also encourage its users to check out any cancer questions on its CancerHelp UK website which is specially designed to give patients and their families 6,000 pages of up-to-date information that is easy to understand and explains a wide range of treatments for different types of cancer and give details of clinical trials.There is also a UK database of cancer clinical trials.
The award-winning website attracts around one million visitors a month and Cancer Research UK hopes that some of these visitors will also want to post comments on the Cancer Chat forum.
For those who do not have access to computers and have questions about cancer, the charity's team of cancer information nurses are available during office hours to talk over patients' concerns on the phone. | high8332.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The eggs grow on the father's back."
},
"options": [
"It is unable to fly.",
"The eggs grow on the father's back.",
"The male must keep still to hatch the eggs.",
"The female looks after her eggs together with the male.... | It's true that many dads in the wild aren't interested in parenting, but there are some that work pretty hard to give their little ones a good start. Maybe one of these dads will make you remember your own dad!
The male giant water bug doesn't seem to mind a heavy load on his back for his kids. The female puts about 100 to 150 eggs on the back of the male, and then she leaves. Once the female is gone, the male has to look after the eggs. It usually takes one to two weeks for the eggs to hatch. The father giant water bug jumps around to make sure the growing eggs get enough air and water. All this time he can't fly because of the weight of the eggs growing rapidly on his back.
Now let's turn to the male stickleback fish. When the mother leaves after laying her eggs, the father tends his young. If the young fish go too far away, their father helps with their safe return by carrying them back in his mouth. The male stickleback looks after all his young -- as many as 100 -- until they can live on their own.
A similar example can be found in emperor penguins living in cold areas. The male emperor penguin goes without food while looking after his egg until it hatches. For about 62 to 67 days, the egg stays on top of the father's feet, in very cold temperatures that drop down to -39deg C. As a result, the father may lose nearly 50 percent of his body weight while waiting for his baby penguin to be born! | high14658.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "About 370 years."
},
"options": [
"About 100 years.",
"Less than two centuries.",
"About 370 years.",
"Over five centuries."
],
"question": "How long is the history of the people's celebrating modern Brazilian C... | The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held 46 days before Easter, especially famous for the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Carnival celebrations are believed to have roots in the festival of Saturnalia, which, adapted to Christianity, became a farewell to bad things in a season of religious discipline to regret and prepare for Christ's death and coming back to life.
Modern Brazilian Carnival dates back to Rio de Janeiro in 1641. It originally copied the European form of the festival, later taking in elements of Native American and African cultures.
In the late 19th century, the strings were introduced in Rio de Janeiro. These were pageant groups that paraded through city avenues performing on instruments and dancing. Today they are known as blocks, consisting of a group of people who dress in costumes or special T-shirts with themes or logos. Blocks are generally connected with particular neighborhoods; they include both a music group and a lot of revelers.
Block parades have become an expressive feature of Rio's Carnival. Today, they number more than 100 and the groups increase each year. Blocks can be formed by small or large groups of revelers with a clear title. Before the show, they gather in a square, then parade in sections of the city, often near the beach.
Carnival time in Rio is very interesting, but is also the most expensive time to visit Rio. Hotel rooms and other lodgings can be up to four times more expensive than the regular rates. There are big crowds at some locations and life is far from ordinary in many parts of town. | high1470.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Greater efforts need to be taken to reduce the number of lab animals."
},
"options": [
"The success of animal experiments should be ensured.",
"A ban on the use of animals in the lab should be enforced.",
"Greater efforts nee... | In an ideal world,people would not test medicines on animals. Such experiments are stressful and sometimes painful for animals,and expensive and timeconsuming for people. Yet animal experimentation is still needed to help bridge vast gaps in medical knowledge. That is why there are some 50 to 100 million animals used in research around the world each year.
Europe,on the whole,has the world's most restrictive laws on animal experiments. Even so,its scientists use some 12 million animals a year,most of them mice and rats,for medical research. Official statistics show that just 1.1 million animals are used in research in America each year. But that is misleading. The American authorities do not think mice and rats are worth counting and,as these are the most common laboratory animals,the true figure is much higher. Japan and China have even less comprehensive data than America.
Now Europe is reforming the rules governing animal experiments by restricting the number of animals used in labs. Alternatives to animal testing,such as using human tissue or computer models,are now strongly recommended. In addition,sharing all research results freely should help to reduce the number of animals for scientific use. At present,scientists often share only the results of successful experiments. If their findings do not fit the hypothesis being tested,the work never sees the light of day. This practice means wasting time,money,and animals' lives in endlessly repeating the failed experiments.
Animal experimentation has taught humanity a great deal and saved countless lives. It needs to continue,even if that means animals sometimes suffer. Europe's new measures should eventually both reduce the number of animals used in experiments and improve the way in which scientific research is conducted. | high13137.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "let students create apps to solve problems"
},
"options": [
"call on students to put their ideas into practice",
"inspire students to focus on social problems",
"let students create apps to solve problems",
"encourage s... | The Verizon Innovative App Challenge gives kids a chance to create apps that can solve problems in their community.
Do you want to make a difference in your community? The Verizon Innovative App Challenge can get you started. The first step is to think of a problem in your community. The next step is to create an app that can solve the problem.
Groups of five to seven students in middle school or high school, led by a teacher, can enter the contest. First, teams compete on a local level. Teams that make it to the next round receive $5,000 for their schools. Finalists present their app ideas to judges in a live webinar .
Next, the judges pick national winners. The top eight teams receive an additional $15,000 for their schools, and each team member receives a Samsung tablet. Plus, the winning teams get the chance to bring their app to life.
A group of six girls from Los Fresnos, Texas, won the second annual Verizon Innovative App Challenge. They came up with the Hello Navi app concept, short for "hello navigation". The app was designed to help visuallyimpaired students navigate their school by using an internal compass and voiceover technology. Read more about the team in September 19, 2016 issue of TIME For Kids: Edition 3-4.
Do you have an app idea that could help solve a local issue? The deadline to register is November 24, 2016. Find more information and register your team at www. verizonfoundation. org/appchallenge.
Here are some tips from the Verizon Foundation to get you started:
*Get your team together for a brainstorming meeting. Write out all the ideas that come to mind.
* Don't ignore challenges. Think of the problems that exist in your community.
*Ask family, friends, and people in your community to share their thoughts about problems that they want to see solved. | high14894.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He stayed up all night on Christmas Eve and saw Santa come down the chimney."
},
"options": [
"He stayed up all night on Christmas Eve and saw Santa come down the chimney.",
"He found that Santa was all-knowing and could make the d... | Christmas is perhaps the most important holiday in American culture. On Christmas Eve, children sit out with parents in the living room hanging stockings, setting up a Christmas tree, eating candy canes, and setting up milk and cookies for Santa Claus. Perhaps the most beloved figure in American history, Santa Claus has become an important icon for Christmas.
I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many facts that "proved" his existence as false. Always inquisitive by nature and very keen on the scientific method of experimentation, I was determined to use tests and observations to determine whether Santa Claus was real.
The first year of tests happened when I was 5. I decided that if I stayed up all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really did come down the chimney. However, that was a _ attempt, I fell asleep that year. The next year, I was able to test if location was an issue with Santa's deliveries. That year, my family spent Christmas with the family of one of my mother's friends. At the time, I decided that if Santa was all-knowing he would know I wasn't home. Sure enough, there was a pretty pink package waiting for me the next morning. At age 7, I came up with my ultimate test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn't send out my Christmas letter to Santa. On Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart and led me around the toy section. I refused to say a word, but did let my eye linger on a ballet set. I figured that "Santa" wouldn't know what to get me because he shouldn't be able to read my mind. However, mother would know everything that caught my eye in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree. As I didn't use it much, mother ended up returning it a few days later. She claimed Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my mission to discover the existence of Santa.
Now, I can look back on all of these with fond nostalgia . The magic and mystery of it all made Christmas a fun time. Santa was a big part of my childhood. | high8326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "People will feel alarmed at cosmetic surgery."
},
"options": [
"People will feel alarmed at cosmetic surgery.",
"Young people will have no interest in beauty.",
"Doctors will be afraid to perform operations.",
"No one w... | More Chinese are seeking out the surgeon's knife to improve their looks.Yet the tragic death of the former Super Girl Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular. Wang Bei,24,is said to have gone under the knife in Wuhan,to jump-start her stage-show career. It seems that the ambitious singer has finally achieved the fame and influence after her death.
For years Miss Lu expected a plastic surgery to make her jaw fashionable narrow and her face smaller. She finally decided against it after hearing of the death of Wang Bei. "Wang Bei's death rang the warning bell for me,"Miss Lu said in her blog." It was frightening and I gave up the plan. "
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 impractical standard of beauty:double eyelids,and the pointed chin typical of Western actresses. Others said her death indicated the limits to which people would go to achieve fame and fortune.
Last year 15 billion
was spent on cosmetic surgery and the figure is expected to rise 20% annually. The International Society of Plastic Surgery ranks China first in Asia in terms of the number of cosmetic surgeries in 2009. Worldwide, China is third, after Brazil, while the United States is first.
Nowadays,people are living longer and better. But the effect of aging off their appearance affects their mood and confidence. Many older women want to look young and beautiful. Young people, on the other hand, 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 a famous plastic surgeon. "We're living in a highly competitive society. People regard appearance as a weapon in life battle. Those who are young and naturally good-looking tell me,'I don't care how much I spend. Just make me look more beautiful.' "
Advice from a surgeon and psychologist:
1.Choose regular, qualified hospitals with a good reputation.
2.Try to find an expert surgeon who will not suggest several operations over time.
3.Don't expect too much from changing your appearance. Safety should be the first.
4.Have a realistic understanding of the risks of the surgery (death,injury and failure)and make a balanced decision. | high15552.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "call on people to use less energy as much as possible"
},
"options": [
"ask people to generate more energy for daily use",
"call on people to use less energy as much as possible",
"remind people to remember the days without l... | If you haven't already, you too should switch to the latest eco-friendly, energy-efficient, energy-saving LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting. As the world becomes more focused on green issues, everyone should do their part in practicing energy efficiency, recycling, cutting down their CO2emissions and much, much more. One of the most successful campaigns that started in Australia is the now world-famous"Earth Hour". 2.2 million of Sydney's residents turned off their lights for an hour in a mass attempt to save energy. The following year, the same idea was adopted by a whole host of different cities.
This is a great example of a campaign to promote eco-friendly options and energy efficiency. But while it clearly raises awareness, it is not a long-term solution to energy saving across the developed world. A long-term solution can be found in the form of switching to LED lighting rather than the traditional halogen lights found in a typical home.
Put simply, LED lighting is the future of lighting. LED lamps use up only a fraction of the energy compared to that of regular lamps. They also produce a quality flicker-free light, and will last longer than a regular light with 50,000 hours being realistic. Not only are they longer lasting and more energy-efficient with no sacrifice in light quality, but they may quickly become a possible substitute for regular lamps that have been previously installed by homes and businesses.
An ordinary 50 watt low-voltage halogen light on for 4 hours a day would cost $ 25 per year to run. With a life span of around 3,000 hours it will typically stop working at the two-year mark. Compared with the regular one, an LED light of 50 watts operating for the same period will cost roughly $ 6 per year to run and last 50,000 hours. That means it won't have to be replaced for 24 years! It really is a _ to switch to energy-saving LED lighting. Plus, you will be doing your bit for the environment by becoming more eco-friendly. | high7015.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "after the court proved that he was taught well"
},
"options": [
"before he started his lessons",
"after he finished his lessons",
"after the court decided against him",
"after the court proved that he was taught well"
... | Protagoras was among the great teachers of ancient Athens. He taught many subjects, including the laws of argument and the right use of language. It is said that he was the first teacher to accept money for his services.
A student, Evalthus, heard of this famous teacher and asked him to give him lessons. However, Evalthus didn't want to pay for his lessons at once, and after some discussion it was finally agreed between them that Evalthus should pay only if he won his first case in the court. For if he won, it would prove that he had been taught well.
The lessons began and Evalthus proved himself to be a good student. But he refused to pay Protagoras anything at the end of his studies.
Protagoras therefore took Evalthus to the court and told the judges that he wanted his money. He explained that he must be paid whether he won or lost the case. "Whatever you decide," he declared to the judges, " I must be paid. For if you decide in my fovor , then I win the case, and so I must be paid . But If you decide against me, then Evalthus has won his first case in the court; according to our agreement, he must pay his lessons. Therefore I shall get my money whatever happens."
The Athenian judges found no fault in it, so they asked Evalthus to reply.
"No, it's quite clear," said Evalthus, " that I need not pay. If the judged decide in my favor, then I have won the case, and I need not to pay. But if Protagoras wins, then I have lost my first case. Therefore, according to our agreement, I do not have to pay. So I need not pay in any event."
As both arguments appeared to be faultless, the judges were unable to come to a decision. They therefore ordered the two men to appear before them again one hundred years later. | high9038.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Offering a passageway to explore the universe."
},
"options": [
"Displaying the models of the So lar System.",
"Selling ancient astronomical instruments. .",
"Offering a passageway to explore the universe.",
"Giving lO-... | The Adler Planetarium Chicago is home to more than 35,000 square feet of exhibits. From huge models of the Solar System, to ancient astronomical instruments, to interactive adventures, Adler's exhibit galleries provides a passageway for you to explore the universe. The Adler also offers mini science exploration activities that are quick l0-minute lessons. Visitors can learn some interesting astronomical facts at}se small activity carts.
The Adler Planetarium Chicago is the only museum in the world with two full-size planetarium theaters. Since 1930, the wonder of the stars has been visible in the historic Sky Theater. Powered by brand new Digistar 3TM technology, the StarRider Theater is a completely digital, virtual outer space environment. The famous Zeiss Planetarium projector is able to accurately reproduce the movement of every aspect of the night sky.
Do's and Don'ts:
Do Take the Bus/Train: Leave the car at home for this museum trip. The Adler is located within close proximity to public transit.
Don't Miss the Doane Observatory: When weather permits, the Doane is open at the Adler for observing with its 20-inch diameter telescope:
Don't Miss Museum Special Events: The Adler offers a summer camp for kids from mid. June to August.
Ticket Price:
Adult: $ 28; child: $ 22. Book online now to Save 37%.
Regular Schedule:
Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Summer Hours: 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
Nearest Transit: Roosevelt Metro Station
Address: 1300 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605 | high13123.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Watching television may cause women to feel depressed."
},
"options": [
"Watching television may cause women to feel depressed.",
"Finding interests and hobbies in common means taking a class.",
"Going to concerts is the best... | In today's fast paced, high stress world people are working longer hours than ever, and often exhaust themselves at day's end in front of the television to relax enough to begin again in the morning.However, television watching, for most people, does not really lower stress.Studies show that TV viewing more than an hour or so actually creates stress and, especially in women, may lead to the blues.Most individuals are unaware that doing some exercise after work makes them more energetic since it increases energy levels.
Wise use of free time does not mean getting an advanced degree, although the mental encouragement gained through education is unbeatable in keeping your mind active.Learning new things nearly always adds a spark to your daily life, especially if it is a favorite topic, such as sport, fashion, or art.Also, look through your bookstore or library to find books on your interests.Try to replace a half hour TV watching with reading.
It is reported that in the United States recently, many individuals have as few as two good friends.Long work hours and car _ act to separate people from each other.This separation is deadly.Find ways to meet people at the end of the day and on weekends.Often this can be best done by combining activities, such as by joining a walking group to get both exercise and companionship.Taking a class will lift your spirits and allow you to meet others with similar interests.Hobbies are great for reducing stress and provide another opportunity for social interaction.
Using your free time to aid your health may include these elements and many more, such as going to concerts and spending time with family.Overall, the key is to spend less free time being passive.The best ways to use free time are to be mentally and physically active, spend some time outdoors, and interact with other people on a regular basis. | high5602.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "6"
},
"options": [
"3",
"6",
"10",
"2l"
],
"question": "Temple became famous at the age of",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "she a... | Shirley Temple(1928--2014),an American actress,was considered among the most successful child stars in the history of film.Born by an ambitious mother,Temple first appeared in a film at the age of three,and at six she starred in Stand Up and Cheer (1934).Known and recognized for her ability to sing and tapdance in several films,Temple became a famous figure in 1934.At the end of that year she was given a special Academy Award "in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution.''
During the Great Depression of the l930s,Temple was celebrated by an adoring public.At the height of her popularity,from l935 to 1938,Temple was the biggest box-office attraction in Hollywood.Temple made a number of films as a teenager,but her appeal had faded,and the films were not successful.In l949, Temple depaaed elegantly from Hollywood.
Two decades later,she reappeared into the spotlight by announcing her qualification as a candidate for Congress.She lost the election,but Temple displayed her determination and went on to enjoy a long and successful:career with the United Nations and the State Department.
After retirement,she reposed that she was at peace with her life and proud of her accomplishments in two of the nation's most influential areas."If I had to do it all over again.''Shirley Temple once declared,''I wouldn't change anything.'' | high17345.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Chessington Safari Hotel"
},
"options": [
"Athenaeum",
"Chessington Safari Hotel",
"Novotel",
"The Ritz"
],
"question": "If your kids love to see animals, you will choose_.",
"question_type": "cloze_question... | If you're travelling with kids in London, many London hotels have special services and features to help the family holiday, offering services for kids as well as games, bike hire and free ice cream!
Athenaeum
The five-star Athenaeum is a fantastic family hotel, particularly with the addition of its kids' services. Even before you arrive, they'll be in touch to make sure your kids have their favorite DVDs, treats and anything else to keep them happy. And they can arrange your perfect family activities, from bike hire to theatre tickets.
Chessington Safari Hotel
At Chessington Safari Hotel, kids will love staying in an African adventure-themed room, having breakfast overlooking the animals of the Wanyama Reserve, watching family-friendly movies and getting into the theme park before it opens.
Marjin Apartments
Marlin Apartments operate more than 700 serviced apartments in London Apartments are all within five minutes walk of the Tube (good for tired little legs!) with flat screen TVs, fully equipped kitchen and free Wi-Fi. One or two bedroom family apartments have extra room for fold out beds in the living area too.
Novotel
Novotel's family rooms are designed to accommodate two adults and two children. Accommodation and breakfast are free for under-16s (up to two staying in their parents' room). You can also enjoy a late check-out at 5p.m. on a Sunday, and while you lie in, the kids can entertain themselves with the Cartoon Network.
The Ritz
Kids at The Ritz are treated just as well as their parents, if not better! Children can enjoy computer games and DVDs, free ice cream and their own bathrobes and slippers Under-16s can stay for free in their parents' bedroom, depending on the room type. | high19368.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "There are more members in the DIY club than in the translation club ."
},
"options": [
"The members in the DIY club sell their products to raise money for the club .",
"There are more members in the DIY club than in the translation... | Now I'm a senior high school student in Grade Two . I feel that school life is a little hard , just as my friends said . However , a hard life doesn't have to mean a boring one at all .
School life is not just about studying and getting high marks . Getting involved in student clubs can be a unique and unforgettable experience .
Wang Tian enjoys Tuesday afternoons more than any other time of the week . Why ? Well , that's when Wang and 47 other members of the DIY ( do it yourself ) club learn to make things such as rondo flowers ( ) and cross-stitch( ). Wang also knows how to knit scarves and make clay accessories( ). They even sell their products to raise money for poor students !
When Chen Mo started the High School , there was a drama club and a rock band , but no street dance club . So the girl started one . "Street dancing is dynamic and helps us relax and keep fit ," Chen said . There are around 30 students in Chen's club . They practice dance skills on Sundays . Sometimes they go to street dance performances in the city . "We watch , learn and make friends . People in this circle are actually very nice and sweet ," she said .
There are dozens of clubs for me to choose from , such as basketball club or science club . But I love the translation club best . The 30 club members get together once a week . With the help of a volunteer teacher , I've learned the general principles of professional translation . It's the first step to becoming a good translator . Besides ,after attending this club , my English has improved a lot .
I like my school life very much . And I believe whether a life is meaningful or not depends on the person who leads it . | high11734.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he was not familiar with the new surroundings"
},
"options": [
"he was unable to work out the puzzle",
"his schoolmates were unfriendly to him",
"he was not familiar with the new surroundings",
"his schoolbag was too he... | On the first day of my new high school, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Everything about the school seemed so difficult. When I got home, my parents said, "You're nervous and that's okay. Everyone is afraid of high school." I denied it. I wanted to be strong, so I refused to let anyone know about my fear, even my closest friends.
On the first day I was late for every class and was constantly lost. The school seemed like a puzzle that I couldn't figure out. Was this how the whole year was going to be? I didn't think I could rise to this challenge, especially carrying a huge backpack that I could hardly lift. It was so big that I could knock someone out with it! The schoolmates seemed to regard me as a fool, and they were probably right.
Despite my fears, after the first week I finally had my schedule figured out. With the exception of falling up and down the stairs a couple of times and getting laughed at, high school was turning out to be not so bad. It was actually much better than middle school and much more challenging.
Since then, I've been elected vice monitor of my class, which wasn't much of a victory since only three people ran for the four positions.
It is normal to be scared about a new school. Take a deep breath and relax. High school is something that any student can overcome. Make sure you participate in some outofclass activities because you'll find it easier to make friends. Try to do your best, even if it isn't straight A's.
Most important of all, be who you are, whether you're a "fool", an athlete, or a lower grader. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not. Now you know the true secrets of high school. | high3273.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The lead singer said negative comments about the president's political actions."
},
"options": [
"It's unusual that the members of this music group are all women.",
"The lead singer said negative comments about the president's poli... | The Dixie Chicks used to be known as the biggest-selling female group in music history. Now they are known as one of the most disputed .
In 2003, Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, was in the news. During a concert in London, she criticized President Bush for his political actions. She spoke less than two weeks before the invasion of Iraq. The Chicks did not realize the effect of those words. They soon lost their fans. They even received death threats. The comment changed the direction of their lives, music, and beliefs. Now, their new album Taking the Long Way shows their new musical direction. It is about acting and thinking freely. Maines openly sings about criticizing the president. She says she learned about herself by expressing her beliefs. The album also represents the Chicks' new musical style. In the past, they only sang songs influenced by country music. They did not always write their own music. Now, they are adding some rock sounds to their song collection, and they wrote every song on the album. Taking the Long Way quickly became the top-selling album in the country when it was released at the end of May. But many country music radio stations will not play music by the Dixie Chicks. Many people in the country music industry now oppose the band for criticizing the president. However, the Dixie Chicks continue to stress the importance of standing firmly and bravely for what they believe in --no matter what people may think or say. | high18710.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to make more honey"
},
"options": [
"to go to Central America",
"to grow four times a year",
"to make more honey",
"to breed with Brazilian bees outside"
],
"question": "A scientist in Brazil wanted bees _ ."... | Killer bees started in Brazil in 1957. A scientist in Sao Paulo wanted bees to make more honey. So he put forty-six African bees with some Brazilian bees. _ . But the new bees were a mistake. They did not want to make more honey. They wanted to attack. Then, by accident, twenty-six African bees escaped and bred with the Brazilian bees outside.
Scientists could not control the problem. The bees spread. They went from Brazil to Venezuela. Then they went to Central America. Now they are in North America. They travel about 390 miles a year. Each group of bees, or colony , grows four times a year. This means one million new colonies every five years.
Why are people afraid of killer bees? People are afraid for two reasons. First, the bees sting (, ) many more times than a normal bee. Killer bees can sting sixty times a minute non-stop for two hours. Second, killer bees attack in groups. Four hundred bee stings can kill a person.
Already several hundred people are dead. Now killer bees are in Texas. In a few years they will spread all over the United States. People can do nothing but wait. | high5164.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "About 30% of the total population."
},
"options": [
"More than 29, 000.000",
"About 30% of the total population.",
"Over 45% of th etotal population",
"Less than 30% of the French-Canadians."
],
"question": "Wha... | Some people have travelled to Canada while others may have just heard of it . As is known to
all, the Canadian red and white maple leaf flag is officially called The National Flag of Canada.
The Canadian flag shows a stylized red maple leaf with 11 points on a white background, with red
borders down each side. The Canadian flag is twice as long as its width. The white square containing
the red maple leaf is the same width as the flag. Canada is a very large country, too. It is the second
largest country in the world.By contrast, it has a very small population. There are only about 29
millinon people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official
language as well English. About 45 % of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents
or grandparents, etc, come from Britain. Nearly 30 % are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of quebec. Over the years people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are mostly from European countries and also from China, as well as other Asian countries.
However , Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian-Indian lived along the coast, bythe rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only 350,000 Canadian-Indians in the whole country, with their own language. In the far north live the Inuits.
There are only 27, 000 Canadian-Inuits. Their life is hard in such a harsh climate. | high17423.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they laugh in their presence"
},
"options": [
"they suddenly start to laugh.",
"they keep on laughing",
"they laugh in their presence",
"they stop laughing suddenly."
],
"question": "People in Finland don't beli... | Imagine this situation. You pass a group of people. The people are talking to each other. You cannot hear what they are saying. But suddenly they start laughing. What would you think? Would you think they were laughing at something funny that one of them said? Or -- be honest with yourself -- would you think they were laughing at you? Yes, you.
Being laughed at is a common fear. But a major study published in two thousand and nine found that this fear is not the same around the world. It differs from culture to culture.
People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them. Less than ten percent of Finns in the study said they would think that, compared to eighty percent of people in Thailand.
Some people in the study said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations but hid their feelings of insecurity. Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before.
The study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia were more likely to be in the first group. They would hide their feelings of insecurity if they were around other people's laughter. But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan were more likely to try to avoid such situations if they felt they had been laughed at before.
Shy people often avoid situations that would force them into close contact with other people. They worry that something they say or do will make other people laugh at them. But some people worry much more than others. They may have a disorder called gelotophobia. Gelos is a Greek word. It means laughter. Phobia means fear. This fear of laughter can be truly sad for those who live with it. It can affect how they lead their lives.
In the study, a team from the University of Zurich led more than ninety researchers from around the world. They wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia. Another purpose of the study was to compare the levels of fear of being laughed at in different cultures. The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people in forty-two different languages. The findings appeared in the scientific journal Humor. | high696.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The woman comforted him."
},
"options": [
"He was fired.",
"He was blamed.",
"The woman comforted him.",
"The woman left the restaurant at once."
],
"question": "What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream ... | Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can not get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman's kind reaction . She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. "It is OK. It wasn't your fault." When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn't the only CEO to have made this discovery. Instead, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It's hard to get a dozen CEO's to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.
Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, "I could buy this place and fire you," or "I know the owner and I could have you fired." Those who say such things have shown more about their character than about their wealth and power.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management. "A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person," Swanson says. "I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns _ o someone cleaning the tables." | high1302.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To enjoy the beautiful tree in all colors."
},
"options": [
"To appreciate the beauty of the sunset.",
"To find what happened at the street corner.",
"To draw a picture of a tree.",
"To enjoy the beautiful tree in all c... | My neighbor Mrs. Gargan first told me about it. "Have you seen the tree?" She asked as I was sitting in the backyard enjoying the autumn twilight . "The one down at the corner," she explained. "It's a beautiful tree--all kinds of colors. All the passers-by stop to have a look. You ought to see it." I told her I would, but I soon forgot about the tree. Three days later, I was jogging down the street when a splash of bright orange caught my eyes. For an instant, I thought someone's house had caught fire. Then I remembered the tree.
I approached the tree to look at it closely. There was nothing remarkable about the shape of the tree. It was a medium-sized maple. But Mrs. Gargan had been right about its colors. Like the mess of an artist's palette , the tree blazed a bright crimson on its lower branches and burned with vivid yellows and oranges in its center, and deep red at its top. Through these colors were light green leaves as yet untouched by autumn.
Walking closer I noticed several bare branches near the top, their small black branches scratching the air like claws. The fallen leaves lay like a red carpet around the trunk.
As I was amazed at this beauty, I thought of Ralph Waldo Emerson's comments about the stars. "If the constellations appeared only once in a thousand years, imagine what an exciting event it would be. But because they're up there every night, we barely give them a look," he made a remark in Nature.
I felt the same way about the tree. Because its beauty will last only a week, it should be especially precious to us. And I had almost missed it.
Once in the 19th century when a man noticed a brilliant display of northern lights in the sky over Massachusetts, he rang a church bell to alert the whole town's people. That's what I felt like doing about the tree. I wanted to awake the countryside to its wonder.
I didn't have a church bell, but as I walked home, I did ask each neighbor I passed the same simple but important question Mrs. Gargan had asked me: "Have you seen the tree?". | high13645.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the audience"
},
"options": [
"the audience",
"public schools",
"advertising agencies",
"other television stations"
],
"question": "According to this article, PBS received part of its funding from _ .",
"q... | Though the Web is becoming increasingly popular, the TV never fails to attract people. Do you know which television network is the largest in America? It is not ABC, CBS, or Fox. Nor is it one of the cable net-works such as CNN, which carries only news and news stories. It is not ESPN, the all-sports cable net-work, or even MTV, which is famous for its music videos. Rather it is PBS, Public Broadcasting System, a non-profit public broadcasting TV service. PBS has 349 member television stations in the U. S. and some member stations by cable in Canada.
PBS only attracts a minority of all TV viewers, about 2 percent. The industry leader, NBC, however, attracts 11 percent of viewers. But the growth of public television in the past two decades has been dramatic. This is especially noteworthy when one considers that public television stations must often survive on very limited budgets, on viewers' donations, and on private foundations and some governmental funding.
The level of quality of PBS programs, whether in national and international news, entertainment, or education, is excellent. Almost a whole generation of children throughout the world is familiar with Sesame Street and the characters of The Muppet Show. PBS is especially well known for the quality of its many educational TV programs. Over 95 percent of all public television stations have tele-courses. These courses are accepted and supported by more than 1, 800 colleges and universities throughout the US. Each year, over a quarter of a million students take courses this way. | high8440.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "one of them was rude and badly behaved"
},
"options": [
"five of them were rude and badly behaved",
"one of them was rude and badly behaved",
"five were always causing trouble on the train",
"only one was quiet and well... | Six people were traveling in a compartment on a train. Five of them were quiet and well behaved , but the sixth was a rude young man who was causing a lot of trouble to the other passengers.
At last this young man got out of the station with his two heavy bags. None of the other passengers helped him, but one of them waited until the rude young man was very far away, and then opened the window to him, " You left something behind in the compartment!" Then he closed the window again.
The young man turned around and hurried back with his two bags. He was very tired when he arrived, but he shouted through the window, " What did I leave behind?"
As the train began to move again, the passenger who had called him back opened the window and said, " A very bad impression!" | high15234.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "lacks money"
},
"options": [
"lacks money",
"prefers to stay at home",
"is careful with money",
"wants to change cash"
],
"question": "A \"cash-strapped\" student means one who _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | Free and secure accommodation, no bills and even the odd home-cooked meal. It sounds like the perfect living arrangement for cash-strapped students.
Two mothers believe they have devised a way for struggling students to save on accommodation costs when they leave home to study at university.
Kate Barnham and Amanda Flude have launched Student Swaps, an online accommodation forum for parents and students, in advance of the introduction in September of PS3,000 higher education top-up fees.
Their website says, "The principle behind Student Swaps is to enable students to literally swap family homes." The website will hold a database of students who would like to swap and link them with suitable matches. So those from one town / city could swap with those from a different town / city.
The site describes itself as offering a "cost-free accommodation alternative... at a time of growing student debt". There is no charge for the service at the moment but Ms Barnham and Ms Flude intend to introduce a PS10 annual fee if it becomes established.
However, the National Union of Students (NUS) has warned that, while the scheme may sound appealing to struggling freshers, it lacks any formal regulation.
Veronica King, NUS vice-president of welfare, said, "The fact that this scheme has even been suggested is evidence to the high levels of debt students now face on graduation." Recent research has shown that students are more likely to live at home in coming years, in a bid to cut down on the cost of a degree.
"This is worrying, as it may mean that students choose their university on the basis of where it is, rather than because it offers the best course for them. It also means students will miss out on what is for some a key part of the student experience-living away from home." | high22498.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Parents pass away before children grow up."
},
"options": [
"Parents bring up children.",
"Parents give love and care to children.",
"Parents educate children to be good persons.",
"Parents pass away before children gro... | People in the United States honor their parents with 2 special days: Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May and Father's Day on the 3rd Sunday in June. These days are to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens.They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home and more fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother's Day, people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It's also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father's Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are more valued than those bought in stores. It's not the value of the gift that is important, but "the thought that counts". Greeting card stores,florists,candy makers, bakers, phone companies and other stores do lots of business during these holidays. | high7773.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "enjoy some world-class vivid wax works in the Gold Coast Wax Museum"
},
"options": [
"visit the Gold Coast Wax Museum anytime",
"enjoy some world-class vivid wax works in the Gold Coast Wax Museum",
"see many members of the R... | The Gold Coast Wax Museum is one of the Gold Coast's longest running attractions. It's a collection of famous figures. It's Australia's largest museum of its kind, featuring more than 110 life-size copies of wax figures of British and Australian History.
The Wax Museum is visited by many thousands of the people each year who are amazed at the amazing realism of the life-size figures in real costumes. This is your invitation to wander through at your leisure and meet many important and famous people's figures on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Come face to face with such famous people as Michael Jackson, President Barack Obama,Past President John F. Kennedy, King Hussein's Royal Family members, and many others whose lives have all left an unforgettable mark on our world. Information cards are located alongside each figure, helping visitors know them well.
The old Coast Wax Museum contains figures which have been crafted by leading local and overseas sculptors to international standards' equal in quality to the world's best, as seen in Europe, the United Kingdom, and USA. The detail in the figures is amazing and includes hair applied one strand at a time, requiring many working hours for one hand and the eyes so real that they seem to follow the viewer around.
Price
Child (1~3 yrs): free
Child (3-~12 yrs): $22.00
Adult: $29.00
Open hours
Open 7 days a week, 10 am to 10 pm
Closed Christmas Day (25 Dec.) and Anzac Day (25 Apr.)
Location
Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise (Gold Coast) QLD
How to get there
You can choose any of the Gold Coast airport transfers, car rentals, shuttles and private transfers to/from your hotel.
Notice to visitors
*All carried items including food and drinks will be inspected upon entry.
*Coats, umbrellas, etc. should be left in the checkrooms (max size 40x40x50 cm and max weight 8 kg).
*The checkroom is to the left of the Main entrance (PS1.50 per item).
*When maximum checkrooms capacity is reached the Museum cannot accept any more items.
*Bring your sense of adventure and your camera with you and see something exciting and quite unique.
For further information, please _ to see more about gold coast wax-museum/contact Us Page. | high9986.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To obtain a good knowledge of the past experts' skills."
},
"options": [
"To lay a solid foundation for the tomorrow masters.",
"To make refreshing standards of craftsmanship and excellence.",
"To obtain a good knowledge of t... | Welcome. You have just entered the largest online museum on the Internet. A work in progress, steadily expanding with thousands of high quality images of the greatest paintings and sculpture in history, the Art Renewal Center is building an encyclopedic collection of essays, biographies and articles by top scholars in the field.
ARC is the Eye of the Storm, at the core, hub and center of a major cultural shift in the art world. With a growing body of experts, we are setting standards to become ARC Approved for artists, art schools, systems of training, museum exhibitions and historical scholarship, to bring guidance, direction, goals and reality to an art establishment that has been sailing rudderless for nearly a hundred years.
Additionally, the Art Renewal Center is a non-profit educational organization committed to refreshing standards of craftsmanship and excellence. Only by gaining a full command of the skills of the past masters can we create the masters of tomorrow. This is a step forward for our culture. Experimentation and creativity can only succeed and prosper(......) when built on a solid foundation of past accomplishments, with the tools which can make artists realize their visions.
Nothing has been more restricting and weakening than the theories of modernism, which got rid of these tools, along with the skills to employ them. We are providing a forum for artists, scholars, collectors and the public to appreciate great art, and to recognize that they're not alone in their doubts about the emptiness of modern and postmodern art. These doubts are fully justified by the overwhelming body of evidence and historical facts. | high13876.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Algae has existed for more than 430 million years."
},
"options": [
"Algae has existed for more than 430 million years.",
"It is impossible that algae might be the earliest plant on land.",
"Plants get food from animals in th... | Life on land probably began about 430 million years ago, though it has existed in the water for perhaps as much as 3,000 million years. When we think of the first thing on land, we probably think of strange animals coming out of the oceans, but in fact no animals could have been living if plants had not been on land first. Plants had to be on land before animals arrived. They supplied the first land animals with the surrounding and food necessity, since they, the plants, are the only form of life that is able to get and store energy.
The first plants to exist out of the water were probably certain kinds of algae which were followed by other plants that grew close to the ground and needed water in which to reproduce. Once the move to land had been made, however, evolution took place quickly. By the end of 100 million years, plants had developed their roots ,and some had got tree -like forms since height was very important in gaining sunlight. About 300 million years ago, much of the world was covered with forests of huge trees. In most ways they were like modern trees. They had roots, leaves, wood, but mostly they had not developed seeds. | high7798.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "really shocked"
},
"options": [
"very excited",
"really shocked",
"deeply regretful",
"quite joyful"
],
"question": "When Father recognized the waitress as his old love, he was _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | It happened in one of those color1ful Danish inns which offer service specially for tourists and where English is spoken. I was with my father on a business-and-pleasure trip, and in our leisure hours we were having a wonderful time.
"I wish Mother were here, " I said.
"If your mother had come with us, " said Father, "it would have been wonderful to show her around." He had visited Denmark when he was a young man. I asked him, "How long is it since you were here?"
"Oh, about thirty years. I remember being in this very inn, by the way." He looked around, remembering. "Those were pleasant and enjoyable days..." He stopped suddenly, and I saw that his face was pale. I followed his eyes and looked across the room to a woman who was setting drinks before some customers. She might have been pretty once but now she was fat and her hair was untidy. "Do you know her?" I asked.
"I did once," he said.
The woman came to our table. "Drinks?" she asked.
"We'll have beer," I said. She nodded and went away.
"I couldn't believe it! How she has changed! Thank heaven she didn't recognize me," father said in a low voice, mopping his face with a handkerchief. "I knew her before I met your mother," he went on. "I was a student, on a tour. She was a lovely young girl, very graceful. I fell madly in love with her, and she with me."
"Does Mother know about her?" I said suddenly, without thinking. "Of course," Father said gently. He looked at me a little anxiously. I felt embarrassed for him.
I said, "Dad, you don't have to..."
"Your mother would tell you if she were here. I don't want you wondering about this. I was a foreigner to her family. I was dependent on my father. If she had married me, she wouldn't have had any prospects . So her father objected to our romance. When I wrote to my father that I wanted to get married he cut off my allowance . And I had to go home. But I met the girl once more, and told her I would return to America, borrow enough money to get married and come back for her in a few months."
"We know," he continued, "that her father might stop and seize our letter, so we agreed that I would simply mail her a slip of paper with a date on it, the time she was to meet me at a certain place; then we'd get married. Well, I went home, got the loan and sent her the date. She received the note. She wrote me: 'I'll be there.' But she wasn't. Then I found that she had been married about two weeks before, to a local innkeeper. She hadn't waited."
Then my father said, "Thank God she didn't. I went home, met your mother, and we've been completely happy. We often joke about that youthful love romance. I suggest that one day you write a story about it."
The woman appeared with our beer.
"You are from America? "she asked me. "Yes," I said. She smiled happily, "A wonderful country, America."
"Yes, a lot of your countrymen have gone there. Did you ever think of it?"
"Not me. Not now," she said. "I thought so one time, a long time ago. But I stayed here. It's much better here."
We drank our beer and left. Outside I said, "Father, just how did you write that date on which she was to meet you."
He stopped, took out an envelope and wrote on it. "Like this," he said. "12/11/13, which was, of course, December 11, 1913."
"No!" I _ . "It isn't in Denmark or any European country. Over here they write the day first, then the month. So that date wouldn't be December 11 but the 12thof November!"
Father passed his hand over his face. "So she was there!" he sighed, "and it was because I didn't show up that she got married." He was silent a while. "Well," he said, "I hope she's happy. She seems to be."
As we continued walking I said, "It's a lucky thing it happened that way. You wouldn't have met Mother."
He put his arm around my shoulders, looked at me with a heartwarming smile, and said, "I was doubly lucky, young fellow, for otherwise I wouldn't have met you, either!" | high22473.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they can't afford professional help"
},
"options": [
"they are skilled handymen",
"they are proud of their houses",
"they can't afford professional help",
"they are mean enough"
],
"question": "Many Englishmen j... | Some people would say that the Englishman's home is no longer his castle; that it has become his workshop. This is partly because the average Englishman is keen on working with his own hands and partly because he feels, for one reason or another, that he must do for himself many households for which, some years ago, he would have hired professional help. The main reason for this is a financial one. The high cost of labor has meant that builders' and decorators' cost have reached a level which makes them prohibitive for house-proud English-people of modest means. So, if they wish to keep their houses looking bright and smart, they have to tackle some of the repairs and decorating themselves. As a result, there has grown up in the post-war years what is sometimes referred to as the "do-it-yourself movement".
The "do-it-yourself movement" began with home decorating but has spread into a much wider field. Nowadays there seem to be very few things that can't be made by the "do-it-yourself movement" method. A number of magazines and handbooks exist to show hopeful handymen of all ages just how easy it is to build anything from a coffee table to a fifteen-foot sailing boat. All you need, it seems, is a hammer and a few nails. You follow the simple instructions step by step and, before you know where you are, the finished article stands before you, completely in every detail.
Unfortunately, alas, it is not always quite as simple as it sounds! Many a budding "do-it-yourself" has found to his cost that one can not learn a skilled craftsman's job overnight. How quickly one realizes, when doing it oneself, that a job which takes a skilled man an hour or so to complete takes an amateur handyman five or six at least. And then there is the question of tools. The first thing the amateur learns is that he must have the right tools for the job. But tools cost money. _ It is not surprising then that many people have come to the conclusion that the expense of the paying professional to do the work is, in the long run, more economical than "do-it-yourself". | high24002.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Children are indulged to sleepover, play dates, etc."
},
"options": [
"Children must get a medal if they attend a competition",
"Children should practice piano even on holidays.",
"Children are indulged to sleepover, play dat... | Amy Chua may well be very _ . What kind of a mother will drag her then 7-year-old daughter's dollhouse out to the car and tell her that it is going to be donated if the poor kid doesn't master a difficult piano composition by the next day? What kind of a mother will inform her daughter that she is nothing but "garbage"? And what kind of mother will believe, as Chua tells readers, that "an A- is not always a good grade"? The only activities her children should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal, which must be gold.
What kind of a mother she is? Why, a mother who is raising her kids in the typical Chinese way, rather than the Western way. In her new book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Chua tells her adventures in Chinese parenting, and -- so _ as she may be -- she is also mesmerizing . Chua's voice is that of a happy, knowledgeable serial killer -- think Hannibal Lecter -- who's explaining how he's going to cut his next victim, as though it's the most self-evidently normal behavior.
There is another attractive aspect of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. There are methods to Chua's madness, enough method to stir up self-doubt in those readers who support the more educating parenting styles. It is trusted that Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is going to be a book club and parenting blog phenomenon; there will be fevered debate over Chua's tough love strategies, which include unchangeable bans on such Western indulgences as sleepovers, play dates, and any after class activities except practicing musical instruments, which must be limited between the violin or the piano.
The back story to Chua's book is this -- she is the daughter of a couple of Chinese immigrants and is now a professor at Yale Law School and the author of two best-selling "big-think" books on "free-market democracy" and "the fall of empires". When Chua married her husband, her fellow Yale law professor and a novelist Jed Rubenfeld, they agreed that their children would be brought up in "the Chinese way," in which punishingly hard work, enforced by parents produces excellence; excellence, in turn, produces satisfaction. The success of this strategy is hard to debate. Their older daughter is a piano talent who played at Carnegie Hall when she was 14 or so. The second, a more rebellious daughter, Lulu, is a gifted violinist. Chua rode the girls hard, making sure they practiced at least three hours a day even on vacations, when she would call ahead to arrange access to practice in hotel lobby bars and basement storage rooms.
Chua also rarely refrained from criticizing her daughters. She explains: Chinese parents can do things that would seem unimaginable to Westerners. Chinese mothers can say to their daughters, "Hey so fatty, lose some weight." By contrast, Western parents have to tiptoe around the issue, talking in terms of "health" and never ever mentioning the f-word, and their kids still end up in treatment for eating disorders and negative self-image. ... Western parents are concerned about their children's minds. Chinese parents aren't. They assume strength, not weakness, and as a result they behave very differently. | high7940.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they didn't have much in common"
},
"options": [
"her sisters seemed strange to her",
"her sisters didn't like to be her friends",
"none of the girls had their own friends",
"they didn't have much in common"
],
... | When I was a child, I was shocked at the idea that my sisters could be my best friends. Now, I wouldn't have it any other way. At the time, the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me. We fought all the time over toys, food, attention, what to watch on television--you name it, and we quarreled about it at some point. How could my sisters be my best friends? They weren't the same age as I. We all had our own friends in school.
My mother never let the three of us forget that sisters are lifelong friends. Her wish like most parents' was to give us something that she never had. Growing up as an only child, she longed for siblings. When she gave birth to three daughters, the fulfillment of her dream had only just begun. She had given each of us a gift and she wanted to make sure we did not take that gift for granted. She would frequently tell us how lucky we were. But there were other, more subtle ways that she encouraged us to grow closer. She never showed favoritism to one daughter over the other, as not to cause jealousy or bitterness between sisters. She constantly took us places together--skating, shopping and swimming, so that we developed common interests. And when we were teenagers, Mom always punished us equally, giving us yet another bonding experience.
We didn't always get along beautifully and fought just like any other _ . But somewhere in between Mom's lectures, the family vacations and the shared memories, we realized that our mother was right. Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else. My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together, side by side, even holding hands when we crossed the finish line. When my sister Karen got married, I was her maid of honor . Cindy and I traveled through Europe together and even shared an apartment for two years. The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.
It was twenty-three years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were. Today she doesn't have to. She already knows. | high6486.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was greatly influenced by Boudin"
},
"options": [
"spend most of his childhood in Paris",
"was greatly influenced by Boudin",
"chiefly relied on traditional painting skills",
"devoted his whole life to painting portrait... | Claude Monet was born on November 14, 1840, in Paris, but he spent most of his childhood in Le Havre, a city of southern France. By the time he was fifteen Monet had become popular as a caricaturist . Through an exhibition of his drawings at a local frame shop in 1858, Monet met the French landscape painter Eugene Louis Boudin, who introduced Monet to outdoor painting, an activity that soon became his life's work.
By 1859 Monet had committed himself to a career as an artist and began to spend as much time in Pairs as possible. During the 1860s he met Edouard Manet. With other ambitious French painters, they formed the impressionist school.
Working outside, Monet painted simple landscapes and he began to have some success. As his style developed, however, Monet broke one traditional artistic convention after another. His experiments with bright color1 became more and more daring, and he seemed to cut himself off from the possibility of a successful career as a conventional painter supported by the art establishment.
In 1874 Monet and his colleagues decided to organize their own exhibition. They called themselves independents, but the press soon labeled them impressionists because one of Monet's paintings had borne the title Impression: Sunrise. Then the name stuck.
By the mid-1880s , Monet , generally regarded as the leader of the impressionist school, had achieved significant recognition and financial security. In 1890 he was able to purchase some property in the village of Giverny, not far from Paris, and there be began to construct a water garden--a water lily pond with a Japanese bridge. Beginning in 1906, paintings of the pond and the water lilies occupied his mind for the rest of his life. His famous series Water Lilies, painted between 1990 and 1926, Clearly shows the artist's strong interest in color1 and produces a remarkable visual effect. Despite failing eyesight, Monet continued to paint almost up to the time of his death, on December 5,1926, at Giverny. | high20264.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He lost his pet parrot"
},
"options": [
"He became a veterinarian.",
"He put an advertisement in a newspaper.",
"His family moved to Torrance",
"He lost his pet parrot"
],
"question": "What happened to Darren Ch... | A pet parrot that spoke with a British accent when it disappeared from its home four years ago has been reunited with its owner ---- and the bird now speaks Spanish.
The reunion was brought about by Teresa Micco, a Southern California veterinarian who mistook Nigel, an African gray parrot, for her own missing bird, the Daily Breeze reported on Sunday.
Teresa Micco tracked Nigel's microchip to Darren Chick, a British man who lives in Torrance, California. "I introduced myself and said, 'Have you lost a bird?' "Micco told the newspaper. "He first said, 'No' But he thought I meant recently " When she checked on Chick's name and said she had his African gray parrot, "He looked at me like I was crazy. " He said his bird had gone missing for four years earlier.
Little is known about Nigel's whereabouts for the past four years, but Chick says the bird's British accent is gone, and it now chatters in Spanish. Chick says last week's reunion brought tears of joy to his eyes---despite the fact that Nigel bit him when he first tried to pick him up.
Micco said the behaviour was not unusual and that Nigel would settle back in soon enough. "He is doing very well," Chick told the newspaper. "It is really strange. I knew it was him from the minute I saw him"
It is the fifth parrot reunion helped by Micco, who has been running advertisements for her own missing bird for nine months. That parrot, Benjamin, escaped in February when it flew out through a door that had been left open.
Julissa Sperling found Nigel outside her home and brought him to Micco after seeing one of her advertisements. "He was the happiest bird. He was singing and talking all the time," Sperling said. "He was barking like my dogs. I am from Panama, and he was saying, 'What happened?' in Spanish." | high18923.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they had to do so"
},
"options": [
"they were all strong",
"they loved their country",
"they wanted to be full",
"they had to do so"
],
"question": "The old man's sons joined the army because _ .",
"questi... | The story happened during the Second World War. An old man lived in a small town of Germany. He had three sons and they all worked in the same factory where he had worked. After the war had begun, his sons were all made to join the army one after another and they all died in the fights. The old man was very sad. He didn't have enough food and was often hungry. And nobody helped him and he didn't know how to go on living.
It was a very cold winter night. The old man couldn't go to sleep. He had been hungry for two days and it was so cold in his room that ice could be seen. He had to get up and began to run in the room until he lay down on the floor. The next morning he had to beg from door to door. He had been to a lot of cities and knew a lot.
Once he came to a village, but the villagers were all poor and couldn't give him anything. He was too hungry to go to another village. He thought hard and found a way. He came to a police station and called out, "Hitler is a foolish pig!"
Out came an old policeman at once. He took the old man into a room, gave him some bread and a cup of tea. Then he said, "Don't say so in our village, sir!"
"I'm sorry, sir," said the old man. "I don't know it's Hitler's hometown." "No, no, sir," the policeman said in a hurry. "It's pigs' hometown!" | high2838.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Howard Gardner thinks intelligence includes various factors"
},
"options": [
"Robert Plomin confirms genes have something in common",
"Howard Gardner thinks intelligence includes various factors",
"Michael Rowe approves of a ... | What exactly is intelligence? There aren't any easy answers.Despite the progress that has been made in genetics and psychology, human intelligence has remained one of the most controversial areas of modern science,until now, that is, for the discovery of a gene linked to intelligence has made the experts think again.
Robert Plomin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London and his colleagues in the US have been looking into genetic make-up.From their research, they have discovered that a slightly different gene is more common in those with a high IQ.Plomin analyzed DNA from two groups of 51 children aged between 6 and 15.What he found was that the first group had an IQ of 136, putting them in the top 5% of the population, while the other group had an average IQ of 103.An analysis of their genes showed that 32% of children in the higher group had the gene in question, while only 16% in the second group did.However, there is a lot more research to be done, and Plomin himself is cautious at this early stage.He suggests that there are probably many genes that contribute to intelligence, rather than just one. Several studies have shown a strong link between IQ and career success, although some psychologists remain unconvinced about this.Professor Michael Rowe, who has written a book called Genius Explained, is one of these."The people with the highest IQs are not usually the ones who do best in their careers."
Many psychologists now believe that when it comes to intelligence, IQ isn't everything.Many alternative views have been put forward recently.One example is the idea of multiple intelligences, which was developed in the 1980s by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner. _ offers a much broader view than the IQ theory, including creativity and communication skills as relevant factors in intelligence.
Tony Buzan, brain expert and author of Master your Memory, is enthusiastic about this belief, arguing that true geniuses do indeed appear to combine high levels of each type of intelligence.He lists Alexander the Great, Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein as examples.At the same time, Buzan believes that everyone can develop their intelligence, only if they take the trouble to exercise their brain.Perhaps there's hope for us all! | high4291.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is made up of four chapters."
},
"options": [
"It is made up of four chapters.",
"It introduces the scenery in China.",
"It was intended for children.",
"It invites Macro Polo to read it."
],
"question": "Wha... | Marco Polo:The Boy Who Traveled The Medieval World
Author: Nick McCarty
Pages: 64
ISBN: 0792258932
Divided into four chapters, "A Boy in Venice", "Setting Out", "The Long Journey", and "Working for Kublai Khan", Marco Polo examines the fascinating life of the merchant and traveler. Marco was a teenager by the time his father and uncle returned home. Both men were full of tales from their travels through China,including a story about meeting the great Kublai Kahn, the ruler of the Mongols.
Rabbit's Gift
Author: George Shannon
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0152060731
Rabbit's Gift is a modern retelling of the "giving" fable. Through the eyes of the adorable forest creatures the reader sees that while he is not responsible for the happiness of others, his actions can deeply impact those he comes in contact with.
A Little Peace
Author: Barbara Kerley
Pages: 32
ISBN: 1426300867
A Little Peace is a book with an important message. The spare, refreshing text winds its way around and through full-color1 photographs. Each vividly captures the universal emotions and peaceful pursuits of everyday people around the world: a young girl in Kenya smiling into a mirror; a group of waving school children in Bali. Near the end of the book a double-page spread offers pictures along with an explanation of where it was taken.
How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference
Author: Katie Smith Milway
Illustrator: Eugenie Fernandes
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781554530281
The families in Kojo's village come up with an idea. Each family contributes a small amount of savings so that one family at a time can borrow the money to buy "something important". Kojo's mother uses the loan to buy a cart with which to carry firewood to the marketplace as well as rent out to those who need to transport items. | high19383.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Josh felt quite good about his independence."
},
"options": [
"Josh felt quite good about his independence.",
"Josh appreciated his parents ,company and care.",
"The father felt guilty all the time.",
"The father should... | Kilimanjaro Climb : a Rite of Passage for Father and Son
Climbing Kilimanjaro is a transformational experience for many people. The things that make the mountain hard are the very things that make it so powerful. In the case of my son Josh and I,the walk up Kilimanjaro proved a powerful symbol ofhis transition into manhood, and a great change in our relationship.
Day three on the mountain, Josh was hit with massive headaches. He told me every step felt like a nail driving into his head. And then, on the night we climbed the crater rim, less than 40 minutes from the summit, Josh fell. I was walking ahead, and did not even see it. He was so exhausted that he could not get up. He recalled our guides, debating whether or not they should take him straight down. Josh _ He forced himself to his feet, shook the guides off. He set his face towards the peak and just kept marching. Near the summit he caught up with me and we reached the peak together.
" I've never been in so much pain and so happy at the same time,,,he said, as we sat side by side on the frozen rock and looked down over Africa. "You know, in the past when we'd go on camping and rafting trips, you guided and took care of me through it all. But on Kilimanjaro it was different. From the bottom up, I climbed it. I never feltlike a kid, even when 1 was in pain. You never acted like a parent."
"That's not quite true,"I replied. "When you told me that on the summit you fell-and I did not even notice, my first thought was, 'Oh my God! I'm such an awful parent!' But then it hit me, 'He got himself up. He walked to the peak on his own. He didn't need me to help.,"
I realized as I spoke that two people had died that night on Kilimanjaro. A child and a parent. It wasjust two friends who walked down the mountain together. | high3298.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles."
},
"options": [
"The old furniture is still in the author's first bedroom.",
"The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles.",
"The autho... | Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia .It's fun to come home.It looks the same.It smells the same.You'll realize what's changed is you.Home is where we can remember pain,love,and some other experiences:We parted here;My parents met here;I won three championships here.
If I close my eyes,I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home.I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glasstop wooden table.To the right of the living room is my first bedroom.It's empty,but it's where my earliest memories are.
There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays,and where I cried on Halloween-when I didn't want to wear the skirt my mother made for me.I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong.If I sit at this table,I can see my favorite room in the house,my parents' room.It is simple:a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side.Their bed is my safe zone.I can jump on it anytime-waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.
I'm lucky because I know my first home still exists.It exists in my mind and heart,on a physical property on West 64thstreet on the western edge of Los Angeles.It is proof I lived,I grew,and I learned.
Sometimes when I feel lost,I lie down and shut my eyes,and I go home.I know it's where I'll find my family,my dogs,and my belongings.I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I'll be blamed by Mom.But I don't mind,because I want to hear her say my name,which reminds me I'm home. | high5831.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Lopez has done many things in her career."
},
"options": [
"Lopez is better at singing than acting.",
"Lopez has done many things in her career.",
"Lopez grew up in a poor family.",
"Lopez has had many problems in her p... | Coming from the Bronx, Jennifer Lopez knew from an early age it would be tough to achieve her dream. In an interview in 2002 she remembered, "I had such a will in me. I had such a passion in me. I could overcome my situation. But a lot of people will get beaten down and be held back by that." Lopez was not beaten by her situation. She worked hard dancing, singing, and acting in theaters and her hard work paid off with small roles in television and films.
Lopez's big breakthrough came in 1996 when she played the main role in the movie Selena. For this movie, Lopez got paid $1 million and became the highest paid Latin actress of all time. Since then, she has had starring roles in several successful movies, including Out of Slight(1998) with George Clooney.
Then, Lopez turned her attention toward music. In 1999, she released first album, On the 6. Two songs from the album, "If You Had My Love" and "Waiting for Tonight," both reached number one on the Billboard music charts. The album sold more than three million copies around the world.
After starring in The Cell (2000), Lopez released her second album, J. Lo, in 2001. The album went straight to the top of the Billboard chart. At the same time that her album came out, Lopez's new movie, The Wedding Planner, opened in theaters. It became the number one movie at the box office. This meant that Lopez was the first entertainer to ever have a number one album and a number one movie at the same time! Like her first album, J. Lo went tripe-platinum.
But her entertainment career was not the only thing Lopez focused on that year. 2001 was also the year Lopez started her own line of clothing, called J.Lo, and she married Cris Judd, a dancer who performed in her videos. The marriage did not last long, and Lopez and Judd divorced nine months later.
In 2002, Lopez starred in the films Enough and Maid in Manhattan. Maid in Manhattan became Lopez's biggest movie yet, earning $19 million during its first weekend in theaters. Lopez also put her third album, This Is Me... Then, and the single "Jenny from the Block" hit number one for a week. To go with her line of clothing, Lopez introduced her own perfume.
In an interview, Lopez was asked if she planned to do more acting, singing, designing, or something new. She answered, "Yes, yes, yes, and yes! All of those things. I love making music, I love doing movies and all the other things. I think that everyone should do everything that they have a passion for." | high20502.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Finally, a school understands teenagers."
},
"options": [
"Get up early, teenagers!",
"Finally, a school understands teenagers.",
"Why do teenagers stay up late?",
"Difference between teens and adults."
],
"ques... | You're lost in the world of dreams and sleep. You roll over, smiling as you come across a swimming pool filled with chocolate. And then, your wonderful dream becomes a nightmare when someone is screaming, "Get up!" It's just what every teenager goes through each morning!
Now, there seems to be one school that finally understands that requiring teens to show up at 9 am is not just cruel but also harmful to both the kids and the school.
The Monkseaton High School in North Tyneside, Britain, recently decided to experiment to see if there is any difference in student behavior if they just pushed back the start of their day by one hour, from 9 am to 10 am. And the results are surprising.
Since carrying out the later start, Monkseaton has seen a 28% drop in truancy, even hardly any lateness, and best of all, higher test scores. One of the reasons is that the teenagers are much happier to have the extra hour of sleep, but there is also a scientific reason behind why they need the extra sleep.
The school's decision to push back the time was based on the research done by Oxford Professor Russell Foster, who pointed out that teenagers and adults have different sleep cycles, explaining why teenagers go to bed late and wake up late.
While adults are wide awake and ready at 8 am, teenagers are not fully awake until 10 am, sometimes even noon. Teachers may argue that their students perform better in the morning, but in fact, it is because they are in the zone while their students are still sleepy, making the students easier to control. Memory tests prove that the more difficult classes should be in the afternoon when teenagers are most wide awake.
The Monkseaton school officials are encouraged by the results and plan on voting to make it a permanent change. | high11907.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Give information about SCUBA diving."
},
"options": [
"Advertise some popular diving sites.",
"Describe how to dive underwater.",
"Warn people against diving in the sea.",
"Give information about SCUBA diving."
],
... | Just as mankind has always had a desire to fly, the human race has wanted to swim under the water since prehistoric times. Pictures of primitive devices to enable people to breathe underwater have been found dating from 3000 years ago, but our dream of moving freely beneath the ocean waves for long periods of time was only realized about 60 years ago, when French diving legend Jacques Cousteau developed the first practical Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus(SCUBA). Since then the sport of SCUBA diving has gone from strength to strength.
Lovers of SCUBA diving like the feeling of weightlessness, the peace and quiet under the water, the ability to move in three dimensions and the sense of adventure they get while on a dive. SCUBA divers often travel to some of the most beautiful and remote places in the world in the search for rare underwater flora and fauna(, ). prefix = st1 /Palau, The Red Sea, The Maldives and Hawaii have many of the most popular diving sites, but recreational divers often have to make do with less exotic local destinations, like the North Sea inBritain.
SCUBA diving is not without its dangers, however. The mixture of nitrogen and oxygen divers breathe underwater, combined with the pressure under the water can be deadly if a diver rises too quickly to the surface, causing a condition called 'the bends'. Divers can also get lost or trapped when diving on wrecks, and fatalities are particularly common in cave diving, where divers add to the dangers of diving by swimming through underground caves filled with water. Diving can also be harmful to the underwater environment. However with proper precautions diving can open up a whole new world, far from the stresses of daily life. | high22315.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "At 10:00 am on Wednesday."
},
"options": [
"At 9:30 am on Monday.",
"At 10:00 am on Wednesday.",
"At 1:00 pm on Friday.",
"At 11:00 am on Sunday."
],
"question": "When can people visit the White House?",
"qu... | White House Tours
Members of the public can visit the White House now. Requests must be made through one's Member of Congress . These self-guided tours are available from 7:30 am to 11:00 am Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30 am to 12:00 pm Fridays, and 7:30 am to 1:00 pm Saturdays (except for holidays). Requests can be made up to six months in advance and no less than 21 days in advance. All White House tours are free.
If you wish to visit the White House and are a citizen from a foreign country, please contact your embassy for help in making a tour request.
All visitors 18 years of age or older will be required to present a valid photo ID. All foreign visitors must present their passport. All other forms of foreign identification will not be accepted.
All visitors should call the 24-hour Visitors Office information line at 202-456-7041 to determine if any last minute changes have been made in the tour schedule .
Forbidden Items:
l Cameras or video recorders
l Handbags, book bags, backpacks or purses
l Food, drinks, or cigarettes
l Any pointed objects
l Guns, or knives of any size
The U.S. Secret Service has the right to forbid any other personal items. Umbrellas, car keys, and cell phones (including those with cameras) are permitted. However, guests will not be allowed to use cell phones inside the White House.
Please note that there is no place to store forbidden items for visitors. Those who arrive with forbidden items will not be allowed to enter the White House.
Restrooms / Public telephones
The nearest restrooms and public telephones to the White House are in the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion (the park area south of the White House). Restrooms and public telephones are not available at the White House.
The Disabled
Please contact your Member of Congress if you cannot hear or see clearly and need help during your White House tour. Guide animals are permitted in the White House. | high22301.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "For about half a year."
},
"options": [
"For about half a year.",
"For 21 days.",
"For about a year.",
"For 13 months."
],
"question": "How long had the snowballs been stored before they were seen?",
"questi... | You're walking down the street, minding your own business, when you see a snowball. No big deal, right? Except that the snowball is as tall as you are and weighs about a ton. Did we mention that it's June?
That's the experience thousands of Londoners had when they crossed paths with "Snowballs in Summer", the brainchild of artist Andy Goldsworthy. Goldsworthy makes sculpture from all sorts of things he finds outside-leaves, earth, and rocks, as well as ice and snow. He wanted to find out how busy city people would react to an unexpected snowball melting in their midst.
During the winter of 2005, he rolled 13 giant snowballs near his home in prefix = st1 /Scotland. He filled each one with a surprise in the center-such as pebbles, berries, feathers, or sheep's wool which would emerge as the snow melted. The finished snowballs were stored in a deep freeze until summer, then transported toLondonin refrigerated trucks. At midnight on June 21, 2006, while the city slept, Goldsworthy and his co-conspirators rolled their snowballs into place.
People walking to work or school must have thought the sky was falling when they stumbled across snowballs of the size of baby elephants. Some of them had never even seen snow in real life, and they couldn't resist poking the snowballs or even breaking off a chunk . As the snow started to melt, things got even more interesting. The perfectly round snowballs took on different shapes as the stuff inside began to poke through. Two days later, most of Goldsworthy's snowballs were gone, and their fillings scattered. But Londoners were left with a really good story about that odd summer day when the snowballs came. | high18089.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to tell a piece of news of a heatwave"
},
"options": [
"to tell a piece of news of a heatwave",
"to record the highest temperature in India",
"to report the deaths in the heatwave",
"to inform people of a drop of rice o... | A severe heatwave sweeping India, with temperatures of almost 44oC, the highest in 52 years, has killed at least 80 people this month, officials said on Sunday. The hot weather, which officials say would continue over northern, north-western and central India in the next 48 hours, also may have some impact on wheat production, exporters and flour-mill associations said.
New Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 43.7oC on Saturday, indicating a hot summer in the next two months in the nation's capital and other parts of northern and eastern India. The highest temperature in the past 24 hours was 47oC at Ganganagar city, in Rajasthan state. Summer temperatures have been 4oC-6oC above normal over most parts of northern and central India since March, weather officials said.
In the eastern state of Orissa, authorities have decided to shut down schools from next Tuesday, advancing the annual summer holiday. Authorities said they were investigating reports of 53 deaths from various parts of the state.
"District collectors have been asked to investigate and submit reports on other deaths," Bhimsen Gochhayat, a government official said. Other deaths were reported from northern state of Uttar Pradesh and central Madhya Pradesh states.
India is expected to produce about 82 million tons of wheat in 2009-2010, but there could be a shortage of 1-1.5 million tons due to the heatwave, said Veena Sharma, Secretary General of the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India. "Most of the harvesting is over, but there definitely will be a slight shortage of 1-1.5 million tons due to the extreme weather conditions," she told Reuters.
India is relying on an abundant wheat crop to make up for a 14.2% drop in rice output, the major summer-sown food grain, _ by the worst monsoon in 37 years last year. Weather officials say with summer temperatures in India set to remain above average, there were hopes of heavy rains at the start of the monsoon season that will help early sowing of rice, soybeans and lentils. | high11913.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Julia Rhodes and her work."
},
"options": [
"Julia Rhodes and her work.",
"Why Julia Rhodes works in RES.",
"The importance of renewable energy.",
"Howe wind can produce Dower."
],
"question": "What's the text m... | When Julia Rhodes is asked what she does for a living,she says she is a "wind farmer".While her job is operation manager for wind farm owner RES-Gen:Rhodes is responsible for making sure their l4 wind farms in the UK and Ireland are using the power of the wind to produce power for homes and businesses.
RES-Gen is a division of leading renewable energy group Renewable Energy Systems(RES),a UK-based company with global operations. RES was one of the pioneers of wind energy technology.It built the UK's second wind farm in l992.Since then:RES has built more than 40 wind farms across four continents.
Rhodes graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in manufacturing engineering. Following that,she received a master's degree in renewable energy systems technology specializing in wind energy. Rhodes has worked in the wind sector ever since, providing technical support for two leading wind farm developers before joining RES in 2001.
RES's projects are continually monitored by computer and checked remotely on a daily basis.Regular servicing is carried out by contractors ,usually every six months. Rhodes always has a top--level view of how well the wind turbines are operating.
Rhodes is a supporter of wind--energy engineering.She also works closely with other departments to keep good relations with the communities around RES's wind farms.The open days and government officials' visits show that wind power is popular and that wind projects-are viewed positively.
Renewable energy is a growing sector with attractive career prospects. For Rhodes.as the RES wind farms expand,the team that she manages is expected to increase.She enjoys working for a company with strong engineering roots and a highly respected track record .Her job as a wind farmer is challenging and enjoyable."It's great knowing that you are helping to bring about a clean.environment and are contributing to the global community." | high20270.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She was born that way."
},
"options": [
"She was born that way.",
"It is a common disease",
"It is sometimes helpful to her",
"She is getting better and better now."
],
"question": "What can we learn about Ashly... | Ashlyn Blocker could break her arm and not know it. That's because Ashlyn, 13, can't feel pain. That might sound like a cool superpower. But without pain, everyday activities can be hazardous for Ashlyn. In fact, they could kill her.
When Ashlyn was born, no one knew that she couldn't feel pain. But soon there was hints that something was wrong. When Ashlyn's teeth grew in, she almost chewed off part on her tongue. Ashlyn's parents took her to doctor for tests. The doctors discovered that Ashlyn couldn't feel pain, a condition called congenital insensitivity to pain(CIPA). Fewer than 100 people in the United States have it. There is no cure. .
"Sometimes it's frustrating," she admits.
But Ashlyn doesn't let anything stop her from doing things she wants to do. "I just have to be careful," she says.
For years, Ashlyn didn't know anyone else who had CIPA. That made it harder to deal with her condition. "I felt alone," she says.
One night she dreamed that there was a camp for kids like her. In 2011, Ashly's mom made the dream come true. She started Camp Painless But Hopeless.
The camp is for children who have CIPA. Every November, they and their families spend four days together.
The campers get to do daring activities like rock climbing--wearing safety equipment.
Someday, Ashlyn wants to be a director at the camp so she can help others who can't feel pain. In fact, Ashlyn is already helping others. Since 2004, she has let scientists study her to learn more about her condition. What they are finding out could one day help people who suffer from the same disease. That makes her feel great. "I believe there is a reason for everything, " she says, "There is a reason for me." | high18937.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Gases in the body."
},
"options": [
"Lack of oxygen.",
"Fierce heat from the sun.",
"Gases in the body.",
"Radiation from the sun."
],
"question": "Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the dangers of sp... | When thinking about placing a human being in space, one of the most important questions was how to design special clothing needed to protect a person from the dangers of the space environment. The cold of space will freeze skin in a short time. The fierce heat of the sun can cause serious burns. The lack of atmosphere can cause gases in the body to expand and even burst. With no oxygen to breathe, a human being will die in only a few moments. Radiation from the sun is another risk in space. So is damage from small pieces of rock and objects like meteoroids .
In 1933, an American flyer, Wiley Post, designed one of the first successful devices to protect a pilot at extreme heights. It was a large device that looked like a can surrounded the pilot's head. Astronauts in the American space agency (NASA) flew the first American space flights in the early 1960s. The clothing was similar to that invented by Wiley Post.
Today, astronauts wear very different protective clothing. It lets them move, do useful tasks, and stay outside their spacecraft in comfort and safety for several hours. The spacesuit is called the shuttle extravehicular mobility unit or EMU. It was designed to _ longer and to permit more movement than earlier spacesuits.
The EMU has a number of parts that an astronaut can link together by using only one hand, which makes it possible for each astronaut to select the parts that fit correctly.
Nowadays, NASA scientists are also considering the kind of spacesuits that would be needed for exploration on the planet Mars. Because of the gravity on Mars, spacesuits may have to be designed to be lighter than suits used in orbit or on the moon. The equipment may also have to protect astronauts from dust carried in the winds on Mars. And, they must be easy to repair and keep clean during a longer flight to and from the red planet. | high13862.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "talk loudly"
},
"options": [
"talk softly",
"talk loudly",
"take pity on him",
"feel worried about him"
],
"question": "When people talk to the writer, they usually .",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | Blind from birth, I have never had the opportunity to see myself and have been completely dependent on the image I create in the eye of the observer. To date, it has not been narcissistic.
There are those who think that since I can't see, I obviously also cannot hear. Very often people will talk with me at the top of their lungs, pronouncing each word very carefully. _ , people will also often whisper, thinking that since my eyes don't work, my ears don't either.
For example, when I go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for assistance to the plane, he or she will invariably pick up the phone, call a ground hostess and whisper: "Hi, Jane, we've got a 76 here."
On the other hand, others know that of course I can hear, but believe that I cant talk. Often, therefore, when my wife and I go out to dinner, a waiter or waitress will ask Kit if "he would like a drink" to which I respond that "indeed he would".
The toughest misconception of all is the view that because I can't see, I can't work. I was turned down by over forty law firms because of my blindness, even though my qualifications included a cum laude degree from Harvard College and a good ranking in my Harvard Law school class.
Fortunately, this view of limitation and exclusion is beginning to change... | high22467.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "tell people about baggage check"
},
"options": [
"introduce one of the security acts",
"tell people about baggage check",
"warn against the damage of locking the baggage",
"persuade people to contact TSA"
],
"qu... | To protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to check all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and checked. Your bag was among those selected for check.
During the check, your bag and its contents may have been searched for items forbidden by law such
as fireworks, fuels, gunpowder, etc. At the completion of the check, the contents were returned to your bag, which was resealed with a "special" lock.
If the TSA screener was unable to open your bag for check because it was locked, the screener may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, and has taken care to reseal your bag upon completion of check. However, TSA is not _ for damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution .
For packing tips and other suggestions that may assist you during your next trip, visit: WWW.TSATravelTips.us.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact the Transportation Security Administration Consumer Response Center:
Phone: toll-free at (866) 289-9673
Email: TellTSA@tas.dot.gov | high7954.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to reduce the chance of a heart attack in old men"
},
"options": [
"to treat heart disease",
"to reduce the chance of a heart attack in old men",
"to protect old men",
"to reduce the blood cholesterol levels"
],
... | Researchers have announced the result of two studies on the health effects of the drug aspirin.One study shows aspirin can sharply reduce the chance that a healthy, older man will suffer from a heart attack.
The study offered two new results from earlier findings, It said taking one aspirin pili every other day helped only healthy men over the age of fifty.It also said aspirin gave the greatest protection against heart attacks to men with low blood cholesterol levels.
Earlier in the United States began a major aspirin study in the early 1980s.It included 22,000 healthy men doctors.Ail were between the ages of forty and eighty-four.More than 11,000 of the doctors took a harmless pill that contained no drug.The men did not know which kind of pill they were taking.
The doctors who took aspirin suffered 44% fewer heart attacks than those taking the harmless pill.139 men who took aspirin suffered from heart attacks.Ten of them died.239 men who did not take aspirin suffered from heart attacks.Twenty-six of them died.
The researchers said the doctors' study provides clear proof that taking aspirin can prevent a first heart attack in healthy, older men.They said, however, the result does not mean every man over the mage of fifty should take aspirin.They said aspirin couldn't help men who do not eat healthy foods, who smoke cigarettes and who are fat.The researchers said men who think they wou3d be helped by taking aspirin should talk with their doctors first. | high669.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he was sentenced to death"
},
"options": [
"he was sentenced to death",
"he was considered to be immoral",
"he was criticized by the public",
"he was treated as a lawbreaker"
],
"question": "If a black man marri... | For generations here in the deepest South, there had been a great taboo : publicly crossing the color line for love. Less than 45 years ago, marriage between blacks and whites was illegal, and it has been forbidden for much of the time since.
So when a great job about an hour's drive north of the Gulf Coast attracted him, Jeffrey Norwood, a black college basketball coach, had reservations. He was in a _ relationship with a woman who was white and Asian.
"You're thinking about a life in South Mississippi?" his father said in a skeptical voice, recalling days when a black man could face mortal danger just being seen with a woman of another race, regardless of intentions. "Are you sure?"
But on visits to Hattiesburg, the younger Mr. Norwood said he liked what he saw: growing diversity. So he moved, married, and, with his wife, had a baby girl, who was counted on the last census as black, white and Asian. Taylor Rae Norwood, three, is one of thousands of mixed-race children who have made this state home to one of the nation's most rapidly expanding multiracial populations, up 70 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to new data from the Census Bureau.
In the first comprehensive accounting of multiracial Americans since statistics were first collected about them in 2000, reporting from the 2010 census, made public in recent days, shows that the nation's mixed-race population is growing far more quickly than many researchers had estimated, particularly in the South and parts of the Midwest. That conclusion is based on the bureau's analysis of 42 states; the data from the remaining eight states will be released soon.
In North Carolina, the mixed-race population doubled. In Georgia, it grew by more than 80 percent, and by nearly as much in Kentucky and Tennessee. In Indiana, Iowa and South Dakota, the multiracial population increased by about 70percent.
Census officials estimated the national multiracial growth rate was about 35 percent since2000 according to the known result, when seven million people ----- 2.4 percent of the population chose more than one race. | high6492.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a movie and an exhibition"
},
"options": [
"two exhibitions",
"a concert and a movie",
"a movie and an exhibition",
"an exhibition and a concert"
],
"question": "You can go to see _ for free in February.",
... | Transcribe Sheng Qi
Born in Anhui province, Sheng Qi worked in Italy from 1989 to 1992. His work deals with the ever-popular subject of the cultural gap between East and West. The artist combines calligraphy with other more western media in an attempt to bridge this gap.
Where: Red Gate Gallery, Dongbianmen, Watchtower
When: Till February 6, daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: free
Tel: 6525 1005
Wan Qingli Traditional Chinese Painting
Professor at the Hong Kong Chinese Language University and graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Wan Qingli, is well known as an art theorist. His landscape paintings are now on display at his alma mater.
Where: Central Academy of Fine Arts Gallery, Shuaifuyuaj, Wangfujing, 5 Xiaowei Hutong
When: Till January 26, Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: 5 yuan
Tel: 6527 7991
Music
Xie Tingfeng (Nicholas Tse)
Nicholas Tse is one of the hottest young stars in Hong Kong and a top-selling singer. Having decided to pursue a career in show business, he left school at 16 and spent a year in Tokyo studying various aspects of music and performance. On his return to Hong Kong, he released his debut CD, My Attitude, which quickly became a hit and propelled him to stardom .
Where: Capital Gymnasium, 54 Baishiqiao Lu
When: January 25, 7:30 p.m.
Admission: 80 to 900 yuan
Tel: 6833 5552
Movies
Yige Dou Buneng Shao (Not One Less)
Rural China in the 1990s was a far cry from its city counterparts. A young girl is made teacher of the local primary school and finds herself tracking down a student who left the school for work in the city. Director Zhang Yimou cast non-professionals for this film. Mandarin with English subtitles.
Where: B2M Bar, Dongpingfang Apartment Block (inside the easternmost gate), next to the Dong River, Andingmenwai
When: February 6, 7:00 p.m.
Admission: free
Tel: 6426 1091 | high23779.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in 1817"
},
"options": [
"in 1816",
"in 1817",
"by a Fenchman",
"by an American"
],
"question": "America's first school for the deaf was founded _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | The first outstanding deaf teacher in America was a Frenchman Laurent Clerc. He and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet founded America's first school for the deaf.
When Laurent Clerc was one year old, he fell into a fire. As a result, he lost both his hearing and his sense of smell. At the age of 12, Laurent entered the Royal Institution for the Deaf in Paris. After he graduated, the school asked him to stay on as an assistant teacher.
Meanwhile, in America, Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was studying to be a minister when he met a young deaf girl, Alice Cogswell. He was upset to learn that there were no schools for the deaf in America. Therefore, in 1815, Gallaudet sailed to London to seek ideas on how to teach deaf people. However, he was unable to get help. He met a French educator of the deaf who invited him to Paris to learn at the Royal Institution for the Deaf.
Gallaudet went to the Royal Institution for the Deaf, where Clerc became his Sign Language teacher. The two worked and studied well together. When the time came for Gallaudet to return to America, he asked Clerc to come with him.
The two men set sail on June 18, 1816. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean took 52 days; however, Clerc and Gallaudet put the time to good use. They discussed the school for the deaf which they planned to open. On the long trip, they had many conversations about education and deafness. The year after they arrived, they founded a school for the deaf in Harford, Connecticut. | high20258.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The harm of using red color1 in grading students' papers."
},
"options": [
"How a child sees his test result.",
"How to grade a student's paper.",
"The harm of using red color1 in grading students' papers.",
"Different ... | A child sits at his desk waiting for the teacher to hand back his test and praying that it is not sprayed with red marks. Fellow students in the classroom know a paper that has several red markings on it will usually receive a lower grade. The child with many red markings on his test will quickly fold the paper and stuff it into his desk in the hope that no one will see his test.
There is an education movement to retire the reds for softer color1s of purple, green, and blue pens to mark students' work. Many educators understand the psychological harm the constant red markings on the paper do to a child's self-esteem. After a child receives his test back with countless red markings there is a rare chance that he will bother to find out his errors. It is too embarrassing in the classroom to examine his errors and also many children do not want to show their parents their red stained test.
The purpose of grading a paper or test is to identify the child's weakness and offer suggestions to improve their ability in a specific subject. Red markings are too for the student to calmly understand their errors ; instead they become upset and begin their self-critical dialogue. No student wants to fail; they just do not know how to excel.
All color1s have an influence on our state of mind. Red is a powerful color1 that gives us energy. Colors such as blues and greens are calming color1s to the body. Hospitals often have doctors wear blue or green scrubs because it relaxes the patient on a subconscious level. I have never seen a doctor wear red scrubs because it will stress the patient. Remember this when you decide to mark a child' paper with red, the color1 of blood. | high16932.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "some tourist brochures"
},
"options": [
"some tourist brochures",
"his wife's introduction",
"his first visit there",
"some TV programs"
],
"question": "The author got to know Port Cros at first due to _ .",
... | The island of Port Cros is in the south of France. I first visited it about ten years ago with my wife. I had read that it was a magical place and it seemed fascinating , but I couldn't believe that it was true. In fact, it was much more magical than the tourist brochures had said.
The island is mountainous and covered in trees. The water around the island is transparent like glass. When I first visited it, there was mist rising from the trees. The little harbor looked mysterious and remote: tall palm trees, a few shops and restaurants, no cars, motorcycles or bikes.
It is not by chance that the island has kept its natural beauty. Once, it was privately owned and the owners always wanted to keep it in its natural state. In 1963, Port Cros became a national park. The park directors made some rules to protect the island. They didn't allow any new building projects. There is only one hotel and no camping is allowed. Visitors can't use mountain bikes or smoke on the island. Sailing boats that visit the island mustn't damage the bottom of the sea or pollute the water around it.
When we arrived, we started walking to the beach of Port-Man, which was the furthest beach from the port. It took us two hours and when we arrived, the beach was deserted. It seemed that we were the only people on the island. Time seemed to stop. It was so beautiful that we stayed there all day. I visited there again last summer. Nothing had changed. The island still looked magical and mysterious, still with few tourists. It must be wonderful to stay the night on the island, I thought. After all the visitors have gone, the island must be so quiet--a real paradise ! | high11085.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Teacher's Day around the world"
},
"options": [
"Teacher's Day around the world",
"The history of Teacher's Day",
"Activities on Teacher's Day",
"How to celebrate Teacher's Day"
],
"question": "The best title fo... | Teacher's Day around the world is not celebrated on the same day. In some countries, Teacher's Day is celebrated on working days. However, in other countries, it is celebrated on holidays. Here we are giving you a list of countries that celebrate Teacher's Day on holidays.
China
Teacher's Day was proposed at National Central University in 1931. It was adopted by the central government of Republic of China in 1932. In 1939, the day was set on August 27, Confucius's birthday. The government of the People's Republic of China called it off in 1951. It was reestablished in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10. Now more and more people are trying to celebrate Teacher's Day back to Confucius's birthday.
India
In India, Teacher's Day is celebrated on September 5, in honor of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India,because his birthday was September 5.
Russia
In Russia, Teacher's Day is on October 5. Before 1994, this day was set on the first Sunday of September.
The USA
In the United States, Teacher's Day is a holiday on the Tuesday of the first full week of May.
Thailand
January 16 was adopted as Teacher's Day in Thailand by a resolution of the government on November 21, 1956. The first Teacher's Day was celebrated in 1957.
Iran
In Iran, Teacher's Day is celebrated on May 2 every year. It is in honor of the famous Iranian professor Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari who died on May 2, 1980.
Although different countries celebrate Teacher's Day on different days, the activities people take to celebrate it just stay the same. | high2804.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "professional magazine for doctors"
},
"options": [
"textbook about animal behavior",
"popular science or health magazine",
"professional magazine for doctors",
"newspaper's local news section"
],
"question": "Th... | Have you ever asked yourself why you have two eyes instead of one, three, or even hundreds as some insects have? Have you wondered why your eyes are set close together on the front of your face rather than on the sides of your head, as on animals like rabbits, antelopes, and horses? The reasons are simple -- and important to the way you see the rest of your world.
Your eyes are like two small cameras. A camera catches an image of an object and records this image in miniature on a small piece of film. Similarly, when you look at something, each eye takes in what it sees and sends this image to the back of the eyeball. From each eye, an optic nerve then sends the image to the brain. Because your eyes are set close together, they view the world from about the same height but from slightly different angles. While your right eye sees an object a little to the right, your left eye sees the same object slightly to the left. Working as a team, the eyes send the images to the part of your brain called the cerebral cortex, which combines them into a single, centered image.
Seeing with two eyes working together is called stereoscopic vision. This allows you to view the world in three dimensions, or 3-D. These dimensions are height, width, and depth. Sensing depth allows you to judge the distance between you and the objects you see. It also helps you to adjust to the changing angle at which you see something as you move closer to or farther away from it. As you walk along a sidewalk, for example, seeing in stereo helps you to know how close you are to the street, how far you need to walk to arrive at a certain building, and how close you are to stepping on a rock or a piece of glass. As your body moves, your eyes give you a continual flow of information about where things are in relation to where you are.
If images are coming from only one eye, however, only two of these dimensions - height and width - can be sensed. A world seen with one eye is thus two-dimensional, as in a photograph. The sense of depth is lacking, making it more difficult to move around safely.
Now consider why your two eyes are located on the front of your face. Think of other animals with this same arrangement. Some examples are lions, wolves, and owls. What do these creatures have in common? They are all animals that hunt. These animals have eyes facing directly in front of them. This provides a field of vision that is about 180 degrees wide, like a half-circle. This kind of sight is called binocular vision.
On the other hand, animals that are hunted have eyes on the sides of the head. This provides nearly a 360-degree field of vision. Because these animals need to de ready to run at any moment in order to stay alive, they need to see things coming from the sides and from behind. However, without stereoscopic vision, these animals have a more difficult time determining how far away a threat is. | high21146.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Fido drove away the wolf to protect its master's sheep."
},
"options": [
"Fido didn't leave its sick master's chamber-door even refused to take food until its master recovery.",
"Fido saved its master when his master was sleeping i... | Fido was now his master's constant companion in his walks, playing and skipping round him, and amusing him by a thousand sportive tricks . He took care, however, not to be troublesome by leaping on him with dirty paws, nor would he follow him into the parlor , unless invited. He also attempted to make himself useful by a number of little services. He would drive away the sparrows as they were stealing the chickens' meat; and would run and bark with the utmost fury at any strange pigs or other animals that offered to come into the yard. He kept the poultry, geese, and pigs from straying beyond their bounds and particularly from doing mischief in the garden. He was always ready to alarm Towzer if there was any suspicious noise about the house, day or night. If his master pulled off his coat in the field to help his workman, as he would sometimes do, Fido always sat by it, and would not suffer either man or beast to touch it. By this means he came to be considered as a very trusty protector of his master's property.
His master was once confined to his bed with a dangerous illness. Fido planted himself at the chamber-door, and could not be persuaded to leave it even to take food; and as soon as his master was so far recovered as to sit up, Fido, being admitted into the room, ran up to him with such marks of excessive joy and affection, as would have melted any heart to behold.
One hot day, after dinner, his master was sleeping in a summer-house , with Fido by his side. The building was old and crazy; the dog comprehended the danger, and began barking to awaken his master; and this not sufficing, he jumped up, and gently bit his finger. The master upon this started up, and had just time to get out of the door before the whole building fell down. Fido, who was behind, got hurt by some rubbish which fell upon him. Thus his love and fidelity had their full reward. | high8497.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It was a trip to do practical science activities."
},
"options": [
"It was a common tour to a foreign country.",
"It was a journey to practice what students learned.",
"It was to attract students' interest in science.",
... | When Emily Beardmore first heard that a trip was being planned by the biology class at Windsor High School, she thought about how much fun it would be.
"I thought it would be a really good experience to go with other friends and teachers to another country in an environment other than a vacation environment," the 17-year-old girl said.
A few months later, Emily got her chance when she and 14 of her classmates, along with biology teacher Tamara Pennington went to Costa Rica for eight days in late May.
"It was not just a tour," said Pennington, who organized the trip. "You can go any place in the world on just a tour. This one was really working with the sea turtles and practicing conservation . It just seemed like the perfect science field trip for kids who think they want to get into science to see what it's really like to be out in the field and enjoy themselves."
Emily said her time on the turtle program, which was the focus of the trip, was "crazy." "We were walking on the beach at night and you can't see anything--just see a big black dot." She said with a laugh. "I was not expecting the turtles to be that big." The turtles are leatherback turtles, which are becoming extinct because their eggs are used as food.
"When they would move their legs while laying their eggs they were really hard to control because they were a lot more powerful than you would imagine," Emily said.
Once the eggs were collected, the students took them back to a hatchery and dug holes to copy the hole the mother turtle had made and then buried the eggs for the 60 days needed to hatch.
"The experience was so cool," Emily said. "You go to another country to see what their culture is like and learn what their everyday lives are like. It made me really want to help out my mom a lot more than I do, and value what I have." | high899.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "What it will be like if people are duplicated."
},
"options": [
"How to duplicate people.",
"What it will be like if people are duplicated.",
"Duplicating people makes trouble.",
"What duplicated people eat."
],
... | Over the next 20 to 50 years, it will become harder to tell the difference between the human and the machine. All body parts will be replaceable. A computer will function like the human brain with the ability to recognize feelings and respond with emotions. They can then make fake people. We will then be able to create a machine duplicate of ourselves so we will appear to be alive long after we are dead. Maybe a few decades later, a way will be found to transfer our spirit to the new body. Then we can choose to live for as long as we want.
Once one of you is duplicated, you will just have to press Ctrl + D and you will have two of you. If you want 500, select 500. Naturally, when duplicates are running around all over the place, there will be a food problem.
The most practical choice would be garbage. Your modified duplicate will be made to eat garbage like a goat. But don't worry. Their taste buds and sense of smell will be changed so they will really enjoy it. They will want to eat lots of garbage.
When it becomes possible to do a spirit transfer, you will be able to live within whichever duplicate you want, whenever you want and as long as you want.
Just imagine what it would be like when you are with so many duplicates of yourself. You will be very busy enjoying many things. One duplicate of yourself is in the middle of doing a jigsaw puzzle and another duplicate has almost completed another puzzle. When you become tired of the joy of puzzles, "you" jump to the duplicate that is eating garbage, then to the one that is playing in a rock concert, then to the one
that is scoring the winning goal. You will be so busy enjoying so many things that it could drive you crazy.
When it is predicted that things will be better in the future, it doesn't necessarily mean that things will be easier! | high23989.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Stops the student having classes for several days."
},
"options": [
"Calls the student's parents.",
"Writes to the student's parents.",
"Let the student stay at school for an hour.",
"Stops the student having classes fo... | In the United States, headmasters and teachers discipline students in several ways. The teacher often writes to or calls the students' parents. Sometimes students have to stay at school for one hour. If a student behaves very badly, the headmaster can stop the student having classes. The student can't come to school for one, two or three days. Mr Lazares, the headmaster of a middle school in Ohio, did not like to do so. When he didn't let the students come to school, they were happy. "A three-day holiday!" they thought.
One day, a boy was in Mr Lazares's office. The boy was not behaving well in class. Mr Lazares telephoned the boy's parents. "If you come to school with your son, I won't stop him having classes." He said. The boy's father came to school and went with his son to every class. Other students looked at the boy and his father. The boy was embarrassed . After that he behaved better. And, of course, other students behaved better, too.
Now headmasters all over the USA are trying Mr Lazares's idea. They, too, think that students behave better when parents come to school. | high9951.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Thomas became a correspondent after she graduated from the university."
},
"options": [
"Thomas made speeches about events nationwide.",
"Thomas has written four books.",
"Thomas covered every Economic Summit when traveling w... | Helen Thomas, born on August 4, 1920, is a famous news reporter, a Hearst Newspapers columnist, and member of the White House Press Corps. She served for fifty-seven years as a correspondent and White House bureau chief for United Press International (UPI). She is called "First Lady of the Press".
Born in Kentucky, Helen Thomas was raised in Detroit, Michigan where she attended public schools and later graduated from Wayne State University. Upon leaving college, Helen served as a copy girl in an old company in Washington. In 1943, Ms. Thomas joined United Press International and the Washington Press Corps. Thomas served as president of the Women's National Press Club from 1959 to 1960.
In November, Helen began covering then President-elect John F. Kennedy, following him to the White House in January 1961 as a UPI correspondent. She later became White House Bureau Chief for UPI, where she was employed until her resignation on May 17, 2000. Thomas then became a White House correspondent and columnist.
Thomas was the only woman journalist traveling with then President Nixon to China in January, 1972. She has traveled around the world several times with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, during the course of which she covered every Economic Summit.The World Almanachas cited her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in America.
On March 21, 2006, Thomas was called upon directly by President Bush for the first time in three years. Thomas asked Bush about Iraq. Helen Thomas has written four books and she is also a popular speaker at events nationwide. | high641.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "their social skills will be improved"
},
"options": [
"their social skills will be improved",
"their fathers will better understand them",
"they will be willing to help their siblings",
"their family members will spend ... | Parents often think that time spent with their kids will gradually decrease in adolescence. But a new study suggests that while teens try to avoid spending a lot of time together with their parents, private parent-child meetings may actually increase in their early adolescent years. And that may raise a teenager's self-esteem and social confidence, especially if it is the time that spent with Dad, the researchers added. The researchers created a long-term study in which they invited families in 16 school districts in central Pennsylvania to participate. In each family, a teenager, a younger sibling , their mother and their father were interviewed at home and then asked about their activities and self-worth five times over a period of seven years.
The study authors were surprised to discover that when fathers spent more time alone with their teenagers, the kids reported they felt better about themselves. Something about the father's role in the family seemed to improve self-esteem among the teenagers in the study, said study co-author Susan McHale, a professor of human development at Pennsylvania State University.
"Time with Dad often involves joking, teasing, and other playful interactions. Fathers, compared to mothers, were more involved in leisure activities and had more peer-like interactions with their children, which is crucial for youth social development," the study showed. But Marta Flaum, a psychologist in Chappaqua, New York, said, "How these findings reflect the real world is a real question. The sample in the study is so small and so unrepresentative of most families in the country today that I'm not sure how much we can generalize from it. In my community in Westchester County, I don't see parents and teenagers spend much time together at all. Parents are often working so hard and have less time to be together with their kids."
However, Flaum encourages parents to make time for their kids no matter how much work they have to do. "Research like this reminds us of how important _ is. The time we have with them is so short," she said. | high13692.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "More than 4"
},
"options": [
"4",
"5",
"More than 4",
"Less than five"
],
"question": "How many hot topics will be discussed at the \"two sessions\"? _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"... | Theplenary sessionsoftheNationalPeople's Congress(NPC)andtheNationalCommitteeofthe ChinesePeople'sPoliticalConsultativeConference(CPPCC) popularlyknownasthe"twosessions", arekickingoffthisweek.Whatwillbethebigtalking points?Wehavecompiledsomeofhottopics.
Jobs
The number of jobs forecast to be created this year will be revealed at the annual session. In the past two years, despite an economic slowdown, the number of newly created jobs has increased steadily. China is promoting employment through encouraging business start-ups, cutting red tape and delegating power to lower-level governments.
Military
China's military expenditure will definitely become one of the most discussed topics during the two sessions in Western and domestic media. The question China faces is how to build and manage a stronger army in new conditions.
Pollution
"We will resolutely declare war against pollution as we declared war against poverty," said Premier Li Keqiang at the parliamentary sessions last year. A poll has showed that pollution-control and environmental protection remains one of the biggest areas of public concern ahead of the two sessions.
United States
Xi Jinping is scheduled to pay a State visit to the United States in September. Last year, China and the United States reached consensus in aspects including visa arrangements, trade and military trust. The two sides also released the landmark China U.S. Joint Announcement on Climate Change. Reporters will try to get some hints on how China and the United States will rise above their differences. | high9789.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a history of the Olympics"
},
"options": [
"the first Olympics",
"a history of the Olympics",
"the Greek Olympics",
"the Roman Olympics"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .",
"question_type": "... | The ancient Olympic Games were held in a sacred valley at Olympia at western Greece. The earliest records of the Games go back to 776 B.C.. These contests were held every four years. They were important to the Greeks. When they took place, all wars were stopped. No one dared to break the truce of Olympic.
Criers announced the names of winning athletes everywhere in the land. Artists made statues of them. Poets wrote about the Olympic heroes.
The first Olympians raced the length of the stadium at Olympia--about 200 yards. But later other events were added:longer races, broad jumping, the javelin throw, the marathon race, and the discus throw. Then boxing, wrestling and horseback riding were also added.
In the beginning, only Greeks competed in the Games. But in later centuries, athletes from other lands joined.
In 146 B.C. the Romans conquered Greece. Soon the Games began to change. Under the Romans, they became rougher, wilder, and bloodier. Many professionals took part, which was against the spirit of the Olympics. Finally, Emperor Theodosius of Rome decided that the Olympics were a public danger. He died away with them after the Games of A.D. 392. They had lasted over 1,000 years.
Fifteen hundred years passed. Then, in the 1890's, Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France began to interest nations in bringing the Games back. The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. They have been held every four years since then, except during the two world wars. | high23037.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Philip Island tour."
},
"options": [
"City sighteseeing tour.",
"Momington Peninsula tour.",
"Philip Island tour.",
"The Dandenongs Delux tour."
],
"question": "If you are interested in animals, which place woul... | This tour consists of touring the City, Bay and Surrounds Area of the CBD. Toorak(affluent), CliftonHill(reto), Carlton(little Italy), Fitzroy(bohemian), Kew(Studley Park Boat house), The Yarra River...etc
Picture yourself in a Classic Chevrolet Convertible travelling the streets of Melbourne with the wind blowing in your hair and everyone wondering who you are and wishing it was them.
Stopping to view The Bay and have your champagne and French pastry on the pier.
This is a feeling of luxury, this is unique!
Spend a few hours seeing Melbourne and its surrounds from the perspective of a Classic Convertible Chevrolet Impala (either 1965 or 1968).This unique chauffeured tour lasts 2 hours transports you and up to three friends.
Choose your own route, or let us choose for you and go to places such as Kew Boulevard along the Yarra - a lovely lush area or maybe the Country area of Warrandyte or the Bay area of St Kilda. You might want to have fish'n'chips at Station Pier or coffee and cake at Brunetti's in Carlton!
STOPPING FOR COFFEE AND SNACKS AT CUSTOMERS EXPENSE
MORNINGTON PENINSULA TOUR
When you think Mornington Peninsula you think of rolling hills and rugged coastline, and a beach on every cove.
This tour takes you to an area so diverse of soil, sunshine and rainfall. It has a micro- climate all itself. Its wine and food are unique. There are more than 150 Wineries in the Peninsula. Surrounded by 25 hectares of National Parks it has a mix of rugged coastline, serene wetlands and wild bushland.
We start our tour from Melbourne journey to Frankston, Mornington then Red Hill. We travel to a variety of vineyards.
Followed by lunch at Montalto Vineyard and Restaurant awarded both a Chef's Hat Rating in the 2009 Age Good Food Guide & 5 red stars in the 2009 Halliday Australian Wine Companion. (5 red stars stand for an outstanding winery regularly producing wines of exemplary quality and typicity!)
From here we travel along the picturesque coast line of natural beauty dotted throughout this land of striking contrast.
At your leisure we travel back to Melbourne.
PHILIP ISLAND TOUR
This is our Phillip Island Tour bringing you in touch with wildlife: seals, koalas, penguins not to mention the Island's surfing beaches. Panoramic views of Bass Straight and Cowes. This tour is a very personalized one because there is so much to see and do on this beautiful Island.
THE DANDENONGS/YARRA RANGES DELUX TOUR
With this Tour we take you to Olinda and Sherbrook Forest which is in the Dandenong Ranges, here we travel the winding Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, which has large lush fern gullies and greenery forest, towering Majestic Mountain Ash and beautiful colourful Rosellas.
We stop and visit "The Sky High Observatory" with spectacular views of Mt Dandenong and Surrounds have a cake or a cup of coffee while nestled under the canopy of Australian eucalypts forest and see wildlife in abundance.
We continue our journey travelling across to Coldsteam Hills and Yarra Glen, here we have, "The Yarra Valley Wineries".We stop for lunch at either, 'Sweet Water Cafe' or Yering Station After lunch we take in some wine tastings, all at your pleasure before traveling back home via Christmas Hills. | high127.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The author doesn't give the explanation."
},
"options": [
"Because her father did not want her to feel too sad.",
"Because she did not love her grandmother.",
"Because she was too shy to cry at that time.",
"The author ... | When I was small and my grandmother died, I couldn't understand why I had no tears. But that night when my dad tried to cheer me up, my laugh turned into crying.
So it came as no surprise to learn that researchers believe crying and laughing come from the same part of the brain. Just as laughing has many health advantages, scientists are discovering that so, too, does crying.
Whatever it takes for us to reduce pressure is important to our emotional health, and a study found that 85 percent of women and 73 percent of men report feeling better after crying.
Besides, tears attract help from other people. Researchers agree that when we cry, people around us become kinder and friendly and they are more ready to provide support and comfort. Tears also enable us to understand our emotions better; sometimes we don't even know we' re very sad until we cry. We learn about our emotions through crying, and then we can deal with them.
Just as crying can be healthy, not crying -- holding back tears of anger, pain or suffering -- can be bad for physical health, Studies have shown that too much control of emotions can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems and some other illnesses. If you have a health problem, doctors will certainly not ask you to cry. But when you feel like crying, don't fight it. It's a natural -- and healthy -- emotional response . | high14843.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain qualities"
},
"options": [
"long-term speaking practice and much reading",
"speaking practice for ten years only",
"long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain q... | According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn't happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker's performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US
Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don't have these qualities are more likely to have a "mental block". "Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition," he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition. | high15585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was Ceres' s daughter"
},
"options": [
"She loved Pluto very much",
"she was an April Fool",
"She was Ceres' s daughter",
"are easy to be tricked"
],
"question": "Which of the following is TRUE of Proserpina... | Though joke-lovers in many countries joyfully fool friends on April Fool's Day, no one knows exactly when or why, or even where, this tradition began.
Practical joking seems to have coincided with the coming of Spring since the time of Ancient Romans and Celts, Some trace April Fool's Day back to Roman mythology , particularly the story of Ceres ,Goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Proserpina. Pluto, God of the Dead, cheated Proserpina and took her to live with him in the underworld, The girl called out to her mother, but Ceres could only hear the echo of her daughter's voice. Such 'fool's errands ' became a popular practical joke in Europe in later centuries.
The most widespread theory of the origin of April Fool's day the switch from the old Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the late 16thcentury. Under the Julian calendar, it was celebrated during the week between March 25 and April 1, but under the Gregorian calendar, it was moved to January1. Those who weren't informed of the change, or stubbornly kept to the old tradition, were often laughed at and had jokes played on them or around the old New Year.
In France, this took the form of practical joker sticking fish on the backs of those who celebrated the old custom, earning the victims of the joke the name Poisson d' April, or April Fish. In Scotland, the butts of April Fool's jokes were known as April "Gowks", another name for a cuckoo bird.
In more recent times, radio stations, TV programs and Web sites have set up gullible readers and listeners. One of the most famous jokes was a 1957 BBC program of the annual spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. Were so fooled they wanted to find out how to get a spaghetti bush of their own. Many listeners So while you're surfing the web or watching TV today, be aware of what you see and read, or you should end up an April Fool ! | high22329.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By working hard."
},
"options": [
"By answering the questions perfectly.",
"By competing with others.",
"By working hard.",
"Through television show."
],
"question": "How did she manage to make her television sh... | My friends, as you know, my television career began unexpectedly. I was 16 years old in Nashville, Tennessee and I was in the Miss Fire Prevention contest. They had the requirement of having to have red hair in the final part until the year I entered the final. And to my joy the swimsuit competition was also cancelled. That year they were doing the question and answer period.
''Why, young lady, what would you like to be when you grow up? '' And by the time they got to me all the good answers were gone. I had seen Barbara Walters on the Today Show that morning so I answered: '' I would like to be a journalist. I would like to tell other people's stories in a way that makes a difference in their lives and the world. '' And as these words were coming out of my mouth, I went whoa! This is pretty good! I would like to be a journalist. I want to make a difference. Well I was on television by the time I was 19 years old.
And in 1986 I launched my own television show with the determination to succeed at first. I was nervous about the competition and then I had no competitor but I still pushed myself as hard as I before. Eventually we did make it to the top and we stayed there for 25years.
The Oprah Winfrey Show was number one for 21 years and I have to tell you I became pretty comfortable with that level of success. But a few years ago I decided that it was time to break new ground. So I ended the show and launched OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. But only one year later after launching OWN nearly every media said that my new attempt was a failure. Not just a failure but a big failure they called it. I can still remember the day I opened up USA Today and read the headline ''Oprah, not quite standing on her OWN. '' I mean really, USA Today? Now that's the nice newspaper! This time last year was really the worst period in my professional life. | high17392.txt |
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