questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "fine"
},
"options": [
"special",
"fine",
"clever",
"strong"
],
"question": "The teachers and students look _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"an... | It's September, and we're back to school. It's good to see all my teachers and friends again. They all look fine.
We are in Grade Eight this year. We are going to have some new subjects. My name is Wu Ming. Wei Fang and I are in the same class. I'm not very good at Chinese, but Wei Fang says she's going to help me. I think I can do better than last year.
I like English very much. This year I'm going to do more speaking. Zhang Hong also likes English, but he needs some help. I'm going to help him.
This term I'm going to work for the wall-newspaper. My classmates say I draw well. I like it, too. I'm going to do my best this year. | middle6003.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "food"
},
"options": [
"plant",
"medicine",
"food",
"fertilizer"
],
"question": "Kombu is a kind of _ according to the text.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | Algae are very simple plants. They grow in fresh water or salty water. Seaweed is algae that grow in salty water. Seaweed is red or brown in color. The Japanese people use these plants from the sea in many ways. From it, they make a food called Kombu. Kombu is seaweed that has been dried, cooked and pressed together. Then it is dried again and cut into long pieces. The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu and like it very much.
Japanese farmers often use seaweed as fertilizer. It makes their plants grow better. Many farmers also find seaweed makes a fine food for their animals.
From seaweed the Japanese also get iodine , which they sell to other countries. Iodine is used in many ways all over the world. It is used in making medicine. It is added to the salt we use at the table. Scientists even use one form of iodine to "seed clouds" when they want rain to fall. | middle2265.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "both A and C"
},
"options": [
"The whole village",
"the whole country",
"the forest and mountains",
"both A and C"
],
"question": "You can have a view of _ at the Post Hotel.",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | Come to Austria!
Soll is a village in the mountains in western Austria. The Post Hotel, opened by a local family, is clean and not expensive. From the hotel you can see the whole village, the forest and the mountains. Temperatures in summer are usually 20degCto 25degCin the daytime, but much cooler at night.
Enjoy Thailand!
When you visit Bangkok in Thailand, do not miss the early morning river boat trip to the Floating Market just outside the city. There you will find many kinds of fruits and vegetables. There you can pay for them when you sit in your boat. Don't forget your hat and sunglasses: the sun can be strong and it may be as hot as 40degCat noon!
Visit Hawaii!
Maybe the most beautiful place in Hawaii is Kauai. You can visit its long, sandy beaches in the south and west of the island, and mountains and forests in the north, but be careful: there are many mosquitoes , and don't be surprised if it rains in the center of the land. Daytime temperatures there are usually around 24degCto
26degCby the sea, and only a little cooler in late evening. | middle4172.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "we should fit(...) our words with proper situations"
},
"options": [
"arguments often happen between kids and parents",
"we should talk to the neighbors and other people according to different cultures",
"city people and coun... | Talking to Teachers--Teachers are just people.Behind that desk, is a living, breathing human being.And just like any human being, they will probably be friendly to people who talk nicely to them.Teachers also seem to get along better with children who take schoolwork seriously and are prepared for class.And, just like any other human being, teachers like to be appreciated.The next time your teacher helps you solve a math problem or figure out a science project, say thank you with a smile.
Talking to Parents--Parents can be very supportive if their children ask for help.If you think there's something your parents can do to help you socialize more or feel more comfortable around people, then ask them.Very often, parents want very much to help, but really don't know what to do.Pick a quiet time of the day and ask to talk.Tell them how you feel.Maybe they had the same trouble when they were kids.
Talking to Stranger --This is always a tough one.How do you deal with a neighbor, the mail carrier, or someone walking down your street--situations that often seem to cause arguments between kids and parents.The answer to these questions will vary from kid to kid, from parent to parent because all cultures are different.Some folks live in small towns where a hello to everyone is "what's done".Then there are kids who live in the city who may have been taught not to speak to anyone they don't know.If you're having trouble with this and always feel _ in these kinds of situations, you might want to talk to your parents or a teacher about it.Where do they think you should draw the line ? When is silence rude and when is it wise? | middle2503.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Six."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many strange or funny school rules are mentioned in this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | All schools have their own rules. The rules change from one school to another. Some schools are much stricter than others. There are also some rules that are strange or funny to us. Here are some funny school rules:
Strict Japanese rules
Most schools ask students to wear uniforms, such as sports suits or skirts. But Japanese schools even have rules about the colour of underwear ! They also require that girls' socks should be folded in a certain way and boys' heads should be shaved .
Other Japanese schools tell students that they can't go to the movies after sunset.
Different shoes in the USA
At some American schools, students have to change their shoes when they go into the schools every day. This makes sure students won't fall over on the floors and keeps the schools clean.
No strange hair in the UK
Strange hairstyles are not allowed in some British schools. But they might allow students to wear certain hairstyles during the World Cup years. There were two students who had special hairstyles during the 2002 World Cup. After the World Cup, their teachers asked them to go to the barber's at once. | middle3635.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "who stole Matt's iPhone."
},
"options": [
"who stole Matt's iPhone.",
"how Matt knew Orange Brother",
"what Matt's job is",
"where Orange Brother comes from"
],
"question": "In this passage, we cannot know _ ... | Two men from different worlds -- a BuzzFeed editor from New York and a man in southern China known as "Orange Brother" -- have been friends after social media helped them know each other over a stolen iPhone.
The story of a guy named Matt in New York City who had his iPhone stolen last year has become famous on Chinese social media. Matt said his phone was stolen from a bar in the East Village last February. He bought a new phone and carried on with his life. It wasn't until this January, however, that he was going through his photo stream and noticed tons of photos that weren't his, including several pictures of an unknown man posing next to an orange tree. More photos of food menus, fireworks and something strange kept appearing in his photo stream in the following days.
Matt later learned that his phone, stolen almost a year ago, had ended up in China and that the new owner was still logged into his iCloud account .
After Matt wrote about the cross-seas connection on BuzzFeed, a web user translated it and posted it to Weibo. He started getting tons of attention from people in China about the story. They thought it was romantic like a fairy tale and perfect for the spirit of the Spring Festival.
In typical Chinese netizen -fashion, they were able to track down the information of "Orange Brother". He lived in Meizhou, Guangdong province. Web users loved this, and urged Matt to come to China and connect with his "long-lost brother".
Orange brother made the first move. "Matt, I welcome you to come to Meizhou and try some local food," he said on Weibo, China's micro blogging platform. That post was "liked" over 12,000 times. Matt quickly accepted. Matt began learning Chinese, while Brother Orange posted videos of himself learning English. But when they finally met, the smiles and hugs said it all. | middle5244.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "there are fewer color -- blind women"
},
"options": [
"women drive more carefully",
"women are better at driving than men",
"women can see things more clearly",
"there are fewer color -- blind women"
],
"questio... | About ten men in every hundred have the trouble of color blindness in some way. Women are luckier, only about one in two hundred is affected in this matter. Perhaps, after all ,it is safer to be driven by a woman.
There are different kinds of color blindness. For example, a man cannot see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shades of green. Sometimes a person can't tell the difference between blue and green. Only a few unlucky men may see everything in shades of green-- a strange world indeed.
Color blindness in human beings is a different thing to explain. In only one eye there are millions of very small things called "cones " . These help us to see in the bright light and to tell differences between colors. These are also millions of "rods" ,but these are used for seeing when it is nearly dark. They show us shapes but not colors.
Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes like blue but do not like yellow. A red light will not attract insects, but a blue light will. Human beings also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky. With the help of the cones in our eyes, we can see many beautiful colors by day, and with the help of the rods we can see shapes at night. | middle1022.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Education"
},
"options": [
"Education",
"Travel",
"Lifestyles",
"Business"
],
"question": "In which section can readers probably read the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | Life comes in a package. This package includes happiness and sadness,failure and success,hope and _ . Life is a learning process. Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person. With each passing day we learn to deal with kinds of situations.
Love plays an important role in our life. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could become cruel. In the early stage of our life,our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong,good and bad.. But we always tend to take this for granted. It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others feelings.
Happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others face gives a certain level of fulfillment.Peace of mind makes you feel happy. No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are sad.Sadness comes from the death of a loved one or the failure .But all of these things will pass away.
Failure is the way to success, and it helps us to touch the sky,teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way. Success brings in money,fame,pride and self-respect.
Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well.Hope makes us dream.Hope builds in patience.Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour,because after every night there is a day.
Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control.Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. _ | middle7453.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "23 yuan"
},
"options": [
"16 yuan",
"23 yuan",
"30 yuan",
"20 yuan"
],
"question": "Mr Smith, who comes from Australia, wants to visit the Long March exhibit. You, a Chinese student, will go with him as an inter... | Long march exhibits. The Shenzhen History Museum is putting on an exhibition to mark the 81st anniversary of the Long March. On show are more than 220 photos and some other things that show how the Red Army made the Long March from Jiangxi Province and to northern Shanxi Province in the mid-1930s.
Time: 10:00 am --- 4:00 pm
Address: 1368 Shennan Road
Admission: 8 yuan for Chinese / 15 yuan for foreigners
Thai elephants. Eight elephants from Thailand are entertaining visitors at the Window of the World by riding bicycles, playing basketball, balancing on a beam , dancing and blowing a harmonica . People are encouraged to lie on the ground and have the elephants step over them. The elephants give three shows a day at 9:30am, 3:30pm and 8:00pm and there is an additional show at 1:30 pm at weekends.
Address: West Huaqiaocheng
Admission: 60 yuan
Dancing dolphins. Dolphins leaping from the water to touch a ball, waving their bodies to music, kissing people and doing maths by tapping their tails have made the delphinium in Shenzhen Ocean Park an attraction for children. Seals and sea lions also perform. Hours: 10:30pm, 4:00am, and 7:30pm
Admission: 40 yuan for adults and 20 yuan for children. | middle6995.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Wuhan"
},
"options": [
"America",
"England",
"Chinese",
"Wuhan"
],
"question": "Mary is in _ now.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text... | Mary is an American girl. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith find work in China. So they live in Wuhan now. Mr. Smith works in a big shop. Mrs. Smith teaches English in a middle school. Mary goes to that school on weekdays. On Sundays she goes shopping with her mother. She likes dumplings very much. Every time they'd like many dumplings. It's 6:30 in the evening now. Mrs.Smith is cooking. Mr. Smith is helping her with the housework. What's Mary doing? She is doing her homework carefully. | middle8006.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "we do many things every day"
},
"options": [
"we watch TV too much",
"we sleep long hours",
"we do many things every day",
"we are not feeling well"
],
"question": "Many of us feel tired every day, because _ ... | The world is full of amazing things. Today, I'm going to talk about something amazing.
We have lots of things to do every day, so many of us will be tired after a busy day. They all choose sleeping to have a rest. But do you know that sleeping can consume many calories. The energy consumed is even more than watching TV. If you want to have a good health, I think you can't sleep too much.
Do you like animals? There are a lot of surprising things they can do. Goldfish are a lovely kind of fish. Most goldfish have quite a short life -- only 6 to 7 years. Once, the goldfish called Freb had a very long life. It lived up to 41 years. It was the oldest goldfish in the world. Now if people take good care of the goldfish, they can live more than 10 years. Animals are our friends. We should know more about them and give them a good home. Do you have any interesting stories about amazing things? If so, tell us. Let's share them together. | middle7335.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "an expert on students'problems"
},
"options": [
"Laura's teacher",
"the writer of the passage",
"a person with a problem",
"an expert on students'problems"
],
"question": "According to the passage Robert Hunt mi... | Students these days often have a lot of worries. Sometimes they have problems with their schoolwork, and sometimes with their friends. _ Some people think the worst thing is to do nothing. Laura Mills, a teenager from Washington, agrees. "Problems and worries are normal in life," says Laura. "But I think talking to someone helps a lot. If we don't talk to someone, we'll certainly feel worse."
Laura once lost her purse, and worried for days. She was afraid to tell her parents shout it. She even walked three miles to school each day because she didn't have any money. She just kept thinking. "If I tell my parents, they'll be angry!" But in the end, she talked to her parents and they were really understanding. Her dad said he sometimes made careless mistakes himself. They got her a new purse and asked her to be more careful. "I will always remember to share my problems in the future!" Laura says.
Robert Hunt advises students about common problems. He feels the same way as Laura. "It is best not to avoid our problems. We should always try to solve them." He thinks that you can first find someone to talk to. This person doesn't need to be an expert like himself. Students often forget that their parents have more experience than them, and are always there to help them.
In English, we say that sharing a problem is like cutting it in half. So you're halfway to solving a problem if you talk to someone about it! | middle1744.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "13 years"
},
"options": [
"2 years",
"13 years",
"15 years",
"20 years"
],
"question": "The word \"selfie\" has a history of about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | What is the hottest English word these years? "Selfie" may be one of them. It was even named Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. The word was first used in an Australian online forum in 2002. Now, almost everybody knows it.
Selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself. People usually take selfies with a smart phone and send them to a social media website. Nowadays, more and more people are taking selfies. From your best friend to your favorite pop star, selfies are taking over Renren and Sina Weibo.
What makes people love selfies? Selfies can help to remember what's going on in their personal life. "Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone. These photos record my happy and sad moments." said Huang Xu, 16, from Hunan. Another usual reason for taking a selfie is to share online. They hope to make friends and share their feelings with others. "During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Through these photos, we got to know each other's holidays and feelings," said Wang Lin, 15, from Henan. "I'm too shy to ask someone to take pictures of me, but it's easier to do it by myself."
Although taking selfies is popular among young people around the world, they should be careful at the places where they take selfies. People are warned not to take light-hearted selfies in serious places, such as in some traffic accidents. In order to protect art works, selfie is _ in some museums and galleries, too. | middle5522.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "has similar effects to physical exercise"
},
"options": [
"keeps down blood pressure",
"has similar effects to physical exercise",
"decreases the heart rate",
"increases stress and pain"
],
"question": "Doctors ... | There is an old saying in English, "Laughter is the best medicine". Until recently, few people took the saying very seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to study laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found evidence that laughter really can improve people's health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart rate and the rate of breathing. It also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be helpful.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to make the effect of pain on the body less. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group which could bear the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can make pain less seems to be that it helps to produce endorphins in the brain. These are natural chemicals which make both stress and pain less.
There is also some evidence to suggest that laughter helps the body's immune system that is the system which fights infection . In an experiment, one group of students watched a funny video while another group served as the control group -- in other words, a group with which to compare the first group. Doctors checked the blood of the students in both groups and found that the people in the group that watched the video had an increase in the activity of their white blood cells that is the cells which fight infection.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors and psychiatrists in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they try to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce good effects similar to those caused by laughter. | middle3153.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"3",
"5",
"8",
"20"
],
"question": "During the 20th century, _ kinds of wild tigers died out.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Tigers are strong and dangerous animals. But now they are in danger.
In the past, there were eight kinds of tigers in the world. But during the 20th century, only five were left. The number of Siberian tigers was about 300, but now it is less than 22. They're in danger of dying out. If the government does nothing, we won't be able to see them in ten to twenty years.
In order to stop people from hunting and killing wild tigers, and in order to make wild tigers more, the World Wildlife Fund has started a program recently . China and twelve other countries joined it.
However, it's not enough. Remember that nature is a food chain . If we hurt and kill too many wild deer and pigs, wild tigers will die out because of hunger . So the most important thing is to save the animals that tigers eat. In order to protect the wild tigers, we need call on more people to stop eating, hunting and killing wild animals.
,. | middle2259.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "His company failed like many others."
},
"options": [
"He founded his own company.",
"His company grew quickly and smoothly.",
"His company failed like many others.",
"He was successful though he had no investment."
... | In the ancient Arabic story called Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, the young hero Ali Baba said "Open Sesame" and a door to hidden treasures was opened to him.The old story had a special meaning for Ma Yun.He drew inspiration from _ for Alibaba.com - Chinese largest e-commerce website.
In 1995, Ma Yun was working for a US trading company when he was introduced to the Internet."I know nothing about computers and has never touched a keyboard," he said.He searched the word "beer" and nothing came up about Chinese products.
Ma Yun had an idea.Why not build a large Internet market to connect customers with companies from all over the world? They could do business online in that way.That was how Alibaba began.His company grew quickly.But that didn't mean everything went smoothly.In 2000, many Internet companies failed including Alibaba.But later, he was successful because he managed to attract investment into his company."You should stick to your dream," he said."Everyone thought I was daydreaming when I started.But the most important thing is that we believe in our dream from past to today and tomorrow.Of course we made many mistakes, but we never give up."
Ma Yun is also smart.For him, success in business is like trying to catch a rabbit.If there are nine rabbits, focus on catching one - don't try to catch them all," he said."Change your ways if you need to, but don't change the rabbit.Get one first, put it in your pocket and then catch the others." | middle5536.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "his father and mother"
},
"options": [
"his father and mother",
"his sister",
"his grandparents",
"his brother"
],
"question": "Tom liked to watch TV with _ after supper.",
"question_type": "cloze_questio... | Tom was three years old. He liked to watch TV with his parents after supper, but his parents never let him stay long. Mother would say, "It's eight o'clock now. It's time for you to go to bed, Tom."
"But why don't you go to bed, too?" Tom always asked.
"We are adults ," mother would say, "And adults go to bed late."
One evening Tom asked his mother for an apple.
"But it's too late," his mother didn't want to give him anything to eat at bedtime. "The apples are already asleep."
"But not all of them, Mom." Tom said, "The baby apples are perhaps asleep, but their parents are surely awake." | middle3147.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "there is something wrong with their mind"
},
"options": [
"they are friends of the famous people",
"famous people can pay them a lot of money",
"they must go to the hospital",
"there is something wrong with their mind"
... | In Britain, some people say they will do anything if a famous person they love asks them to. One in three people in Britain have a new kind of disease --they love a famous person too much.
Some people love famous stars like Britney Spears, David Beckham or even Tony Blair. It is not just the young, grown-ups have the same problem. One in four people are so interested in their heroes that it affects their life.
There are two ways of worshipping famous people. One way is just to follow them or talk about them with friends for fun. The other is a more serious way. People have very strong feelings for them and think they are their friends. People who do so for fun are found to be happier. But those who have strong feelings for a famous person are perhaps to feel more lonely and worried.
"Worshipping famous people is not certainly a bad thing," Dr.John, an expert said, "But like many things, overdoing it may not always be good for you."
,,. | middle8012.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He wanted some water and fell into the mire."
},
"options": [
"He wanted to make his friend have trouble ,too.",
"He wanted some water and fell into the mire.",
"He wanwed to know if his friend would save him when he was in t... | Jack and James were good friends .One day,they were walking through the desert .During the journey they had a big fight,and Jack hit james in the face.James felt hurt,but he didn't say anything.Instead( ),he wrote in the sand:Today my best friend hit me in the face.
They kept on walking until they found an oasis .They decided to get some water there .Suddenly James had trouble in the water,he fell into the mire and was in danger.Jack saved him at once.When he felt Ok,he wrote on a stone:Today my best friend saved my life. "After I hurt you ,you wrote in the sand, and now you wrote on the stone.Why?"asked Jack."When someone hurts us,we should write it down in the sand so that the wind of forgiveness can blow it away.But when someone does anything good for us,we must write it down on the stone,so no wind can blow it away." Since then ,the two friends have never fought with each other again.
Hatred can bring you nothing but unhappiness .If you don't forgive others,you are making trouble for yourself.Keep a peaceful heart all the time and remember to be always thankful to those who ahve helped you! | middle1988.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Firecrackers."
},
"options": [
"Cities.",
"Firecrackers.",
"Population.",
"Movies."
],
"question": "What caused the air pollution on the Chinese New Year Eve to 6 am on Feb 8?",
"question_type": "factiod_que... | Here are some news from China Daily in February, 2016.
1. Air quality in 271 out of 338 prefecture-level or above cities failed to meet national standards on the Chinese New Year Eve to 6 am the next morning on Feb 8, primarily because of pollution caused by firecrackers .
2. According to data released by CCTV, the Spring Festival Gala was watched on TV domestically by 690 million views while 138 million people watched it online.
3. Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Mermaid<<>> were very popular movies during the Spring Festival. But The Mermaid has earned more than 2 billion yuan after nine days in Chinese mainland theaters. It is expected to break the box office records Fast & Furious 7<<7>> and Monster Hunt<<>> set on the Chinese mainland to become the highest earning film in China's film history.
4. After the universal two-child policy, China will have a baby boom. Especially Chinese people have traditionally believed babies born in the Year of the Monkey to be smart and confident, due to their love of the animal because it is cute and resembles humans in many ways. | middle7321.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "because she was angry with her husband"
},
"options": [
"to visit her own parents in Maiyuwa",
"to see if the elephant would follow her",
"because she was angry with her husband",
"because she was tired of the large fam... | A young man from a village called Nawalapitiya married a young woman from Maiyuwa, a small village. They lived with the man's big family-his parents, his brothers, their wives and children. The family kept an elephant, in which the woman soon took a great interest. Every day she fed it with fruit and sugar.
Three months later, having quarreled with her husband, the woman went back to her parents' home. Soon the elephant refused to eat and work. It appeared to be ill and heartbroken. One morning after several weeks the animal disappeared from the house.
It went to the woman's home. On seeing her, the elephant waved its trunk and touched her with it. The young woman was so moved by the act of the animal .So she went back to her husband's home. | middle1750.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "half"
},
"options": [
"a third",
"half",
"to thirds",
"a fourth"
],
"question": "In 1620 ,about _ the USA was covered by forests",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | In 1620,about half the USA was covered by forests .Today the forests have almost gone .A lot of good land has gone with them ,leaving only sand .China doesn't want to copy the USA's example.We're planting more and more tress .We've built the "Great Green Wall "of tress across northern pat of our country .The "Great Green Wall"is 7,000 kilometers long ,and between 400 and 1,700 kilometers wide .It will stop the wind from blowing the earth away .It will stop the sand from moving towards the rich farmland in the south .More "Great Green Wall "are needed .Trees must be grown all over the world. "Great Green Wall "will make the world better .
,. | middle1036.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Nancy."
},
"options": [
"Frank.",
"Liu Ming.",
"Nancy.",
"Lucy."
],
"question": "Who goes to Beijing with Lily?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | Dear Frank,
Thanks for your email. My friend Lily and I have a good trip in Beijing. We visit many interesting places and go shopping on Wangfujing Street. When we are in Beijing,we live in our Chinese friend Liu Ming's house. Have a look at our activities there.
On May 1stArrive in Beijing at 10:00 am.
On May 2ndVisit the Great Wall with Liu Ming.
On May 3rdVisit the Summer Palace
On May 4thVisit the Palace Museum with Liu Ming and his sister.
On May 5thGo shopping on Wangfujing Street and buy presents for our families. Lily buys a toy for her brother Jack and a postcard for her sister Lucy. I buy two cups for my father and a silk shirt for my mother.
On May 6thSay goodbye to Beijing.
Hope you will go with us next time.
Yours,
Nancy | middle6759.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "get the reader to think about AI"
},
"options": [
"get the reader to think about AI",
"draw the reader's attention to AlphaGo",
"show how AI is usually tested",
"tell the reader AI has over the human brain"
],
"... | Who is smarter, human being or artificial intelligence(AI, )?The question swept the world a few months ago. In March 2016, AlphaGo, an AI program developed by Google, had the Go match with Lee Sedol, a South Korean Go player. He is the world top player of this old Chinese game.
In October 2015, AlphaGo became the first computer program to beat a professional human Go player. And this time, it beat Lee Sedol 4-1.
In fact, before the match, most people believed that Lee would certainly be the winner, because they didn't think that AI was good enough to beat the human mind. However, the result was disappointing. As a machine, AlphaGo would never get tired, while Lee Sedol was only a human and humans must have some weaknesses.
AlphaGo's wins over a human champion show that computers can do more difficult tasks. Some people may worry whether computers are now smart enough to beat us at everything. But scientists say that is not the case. Real life problems can be more difficult than the Go game. Thomas Johnson, a scientist of AI said, "It's not hard to get a computer program to remember and produce facts. What is hard is getting computers to use knowledge in everyday situation. " We believe we can use the technology of AI to improve the world. | middle7447.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Newspaper."
},
"options": [
"TV.",
"Radio.",
"Magazine.",
"Newspaper."
],
"question": "What is the report from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Here is a report from Xinghua Daily Newspaper. Computer games are very popular not only with the young people but also the adults. In some ways, they will take the place of the traditional games such as cards, chess and so on. Because you only need a computer to play computer games. But in the past, if a man wanted to play chess, he must look for another one. In fact, computer games themselves are so interesting and exciting for us. The games can bring you happiness and excitement. They have been used in too many places such as schools, business, hospitals and so on.
Now there are many educational games for the students. They are helpful to the students. They can make the students learn more and better by changing the study ways. When the students play the educational games, they use their brains, eyes, ears and hands. The students will be active to get knowledge while playing. But now the students shouldn't spend too much time on the computer games. Otherwise, it may _ their study.
We have gone into the computer age. And learning too much knowledge through the computer is becoming true. | middle6981.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Buying products with unnecessary packaging."
},
"options": [
"Taking shorter showers.",
"Buying products with unnecessary packaging.",
"Wearing clothes made from organic materials.",
"Using both sides of a piece of paw.... | Want to save the environment? You probably can't fix everything on your own, but by taking small steps and keeping the environment in mind every day, you can make a difference,
1. Think Green. Challenge yourself to think about the environment as you live your life. If you shut off lights when you leave the room, turn off your TV when you're not watching it, you'll save energy. If you take shorter showers, you'll save water.
2. Shop Green. Shopping is fun, but buying things you don't need is wasteful and bad for the earth. Before you buy something, ask yourself how much you'll really use it. Keep yourself away from buying products with unnecessary packaging , and whenever possible, buy things that were locally made instead of those shipped from far away.
3. Dress Green. Wear green trousers and T-shirts if you want. But what really matters isn't the colour, it's how the clothes were made. If you want to help the environment, the best place to find clothes is at _ , but you might not want to buy everything used. No matter where you shop, keep an eye out for products made from environmentally friendly materials like organic cotton, which is grown without the use of pesticides ( ).
4. Study Green. What's better than learning about the environment? Save it while you learn, It can be as simple as using both sides of a piece of paper before you recycle it, or reusing an old textbook :instead of buying a new one. If you want to do more, join an environmental group at your school, and encourage your friends to join, too. | middle3621.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "two"
},
"options": [
"one",
"two",
"three",
"four"
],
"question": "There are _ seeds in the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_tex... | Once upon a time, there were two seeds . They were good friends. They often talked with each other when they were free. One day, they had nothing to do . They lay on the ground. They looked up at the sky and had a chat with each other.
The first seed said, "I want to grow! Then I can enjoy the sun and the rain!" Later, it grew. It had a chance to enjoy the sun and the rain.
The second seed said, "I am afraid of growing up. If I grow, I have to live in the _ . Little animals may come up to me and eat me. How terrible! If I become a beautiful flower, a child will come and pick me. It is much better for me to wait. It's a dangerous way to be alive." It did nothing and refused to grow.
Spring came soon. A duck came up to the seeds. It eat the second seed and went away. See? We shouldn't act like the second seed. We should face our life bravely. | middle5250.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "washed"
},
"options": [
"cooked",
"kept warm",
"washed",
"brushed with its juice"
],
"question": "The food probably looks best in photographs if it has been _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Good food photography makes the food look fresh, so many dishes have _ , just as movie stars do. "When I get my lights and camera set up, I remove the stand-in and put in the real thing," explains Ray Webber, who photographs food for magazine advertisements. "Sometimes I have to brush the food with its juices because it may have dried out a bit. And when I'm shooting something like tomatoes, I always carry an atomizer of water to spray them with dew just before I shoot."
Shooting food outdoors has special problems. " I'm always worrying about flies or worms coming up a glass," Webber explains. "I am also worried that someday a dog will come up from behind and run off with the food." Once Webber was shooting a piece of cheese outdoors and needed something to add to its colour. Finally he found a plant with lovely blue flowers. When the photo appeared, several people were horrified , because the plant was Deadly Nightshade which can be very dangerous. | middle3812.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Three."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many books has Dou Kou written?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"... | Dou Kou, a Chinese boy, is called "the youngest writer in the world". He has written three books till now.
Dou Kou was born in Jiangsu in 1994. When he was 7 months old, his parents started working in over 30 different cities, such as Xi'an and Shenzhen. This kind of life gave him things to think and write about. When he was 9 months old, he could speak and at the age of one, he could say five to six hundred words. At three, he could look up words in the dictionary. At four, his father taught him how to learn by himself. His parents like reading very much. So does he . At the age of 5, he began writing fairy tales. At the age of 6, he wrote a novel about his life in different cities with his parents. His fairy tales are all from his life. One day, he found many mice in the house. They not only ate their food but also hurt his mother's hand. So he thought, "If we give mice the stomach of cows, _ will eat grass and they will be helpful to people." This was his first fairy tale Change stomach for Mice.
Now he studies well in a middle school. He has written his third book, the novel called Eyes of Children. He says, "I am not different from other children. I just wrote several books." | middle1963.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "silly"
},
"options": [
"clever",
"silly",
"1azy",
"naughty"
],
"question": "The barber wants to prove the young boy is _ to the customer.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | A young boy arrives at a barber shop and the barber _ to his customer, "This is the most foolish kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you."
The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two cents in the other, then calls the boy over and asks,"Which do you want,son?"The boy takes the cents and leaves.
"What did I tell you?"says the barber."That kid never learns!"
Later,when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store."Hey, son! May I ask you a question ? Why did you take the cents instead of the dollar bill?"
The boy licks his ice cream and answers,"Because the day I take the dollar, the game is over!" | middle1977.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Talking to older students."
},
"options": [
"Learning Japanese.",
"Talking to older students.",
"Losing at table tennis.",
"Surfing the Internet."
],
"question": "What does the writer enjoy doing at the club?",
... | I think the Buddy Club is great. I really enjoy talking with the older students about school life and growing up. They can tell me a lot. One student told me how he relaxed before exams. Another student told me about great websites about learning History and English.
The Buddy Club is also a good place to just forget about school altogether! One of the older students taught us origami . We made paper planes, birds and hats together.
The table tennis tournament was a great idea. I didn't do very well, but I learnt a lot from watching the doubles tournament won by a fourteen-year-old girl and a seventeen-year-old boy.
Last year, we had the annual Buddy Club Picnic. Everyone enjoyed the games we played. After I learnt how to fish, I caught two fish in the lake. I think it might be a good idea to change the Buddy Club Picnic to a weekend camping trip. We could learn how to put up tents and how to find our way through a forest. Many of the older students know how to do this already, and I think they would like to teach the younger students.
I want to say again how much I enjoy the club. When I'm older, I will make friends with younger students. Then, I can tell them all about school life and growing up. | middle3806.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "An office worker ."
},
"options": [
"A teacher .",
"A cook .",
"An office worker .",
"A farmer ."
],
"question": "What does Mr. Chen do ?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Mr. Chen works in an office and he usually gets up at six thirty in the morning . After he has breakfast , he goes to work at seven o'clock . He comes back home at a quarter to six in the afternoon .
Today is Friday . It is six twenty and Mr. Chen is home . Mr. Chen doesn't look happy . His wife , Mrs. Chen looks at Mr. Chen and asks him , " Why do you look _ today , dear ?"
" A bus ticket is usually four yuan , but it will be three yuan next week . " Mr. Chen says .
" That's good ." Mrs. Chen answers .
" But it is not good for me ." Mr. Chen says , " You know , I usually go to work and come back home on foot . I don't take a bus . I can save eight yuan every day now , but I can just save only six yuan every day from next week ." | middle7490.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "recycle old Nokia mobile phones"
},
"options": [
"recycle old Nokia mobile phones",
"raise money for the poor",
"have fun and enjoy the competition",
"take exercise and keep healthy"
],
"question": "Finland hold... | Have you ever heard of a mobile phone company called Nokia?And do you know that there's a mobile phone throwing competition in Finland every year?
In order to recycle old mobile phones,the town of Savonlinna in southeast Finland holds a Mobile Phone Throwing Competition every year.And people can have a little fun from the games.
While _ cannot throw their own phones,the competition organizers provide hundreds of mobiles to choose from. Then people throw as far as possible from the throwing area.Last year's winner Ere Karjalainen set a world record with his 101.46m throw.As a prize,he got a chance of drinking and practiced again as hispreferred training methods.
Those without a strong throwing arm can enter the freestyle competition.During the competition,the style of the throw are judged rather than the distance.
A three person jury gives scores from one to six,and the thrower with the highest number of points wins.This Year's competition will be held on August 24.Sign ups( ) are still being accepted for five dollars per person or twodollars for children 12and under.Once all the day's phones have been thrown,they are taken to a recycling center. | middle6956.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "hot"
},
"options": [
"hot",
"cold",
"raining",
"wet"
],
"question": "It was _ when-Allan and Henry went out.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"a... | One day, Allan and his friend Henry went swimming in a river. It was very hot. How happy they were in the river! After they got out of the water, they played games in the sun for a while.
On their way back, Henry saw some flowers. He liked flowers very much and ran into the green field to look at them. Now Allan was walking by himself.
Then he heard Henry calling out, "A snake ! Help!..."
"What's wrong with you?" asked Allan.
"A snake bit me in the leg. Come here!"
Allan ran over and saw a small red wound on Henry' s leg.
"The snake was in the grass. I didn't see it."
"Sit down quickly"! Allan told Henry.
Allan put his mouth at the little red wound and began to suck at it. In this way he saved Henry's life. "Oh, Allan, it's very kind of you to help me."
"That's all right. We are friends and we must always help each other." | middle575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "you don't need to care about it"
},
"options": [
"it means you are wrong",
"you should leave them right away.",
"you don't need to care about it",
"they will stop smoking quickly"
],
"question": "If your friends... | Smoking is a very bad habit. It is one of the worst things that kids or adults do to their bodies. It can cause different kinds of diseases , such as cancer and heart disease. In middle schools, there are about 10% of the students smoking. Some students may start smoking because it looks cool. Others might think it is a way to look like an adult.
If some of your friends smoke, you should ask them to stop. Here are some reasons you can give.
** It is bad for their health.
** They will pay a lot of money for it.
**Their fingers and teeth will turn yellow.
**They may not live long.
** It will also damage the health of their families.
You can tell your friends about these problems. Your friends may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking. But people don't like to hear others say they're doing something wrong, so they could also be a little angry. If that happens, do not mind. Your friends will know that you are right in the future. | middle5287.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "water on three sides and a cliff to the east."
},
"options": [
"a lot of rich and green grass",
"water",
"a cliff",
"water on three sides and a cliff to the east."
],
"question": "There was _ around the fie... | The cows of Cobblonia Kingdom lived in a large field. This field had a lot of rich and green grass. There was water on three sides and a cliff to the east. The cliff was as tall as the sky and as steep as a wall.
On the top of the cliff lived a very special cow. All the other cows called him "Ma Moomia May" It meant "The Wise One" in the old language. Nobody knew much about him, and nobody ever asked anything about him, except for one cow.
His name was Randy, but all the other cows called him "Muckamoo Mee". It meant "The Annoying One". Randy never stopped asking questions. He woke up with many new questions to ask his parents every morning.
"Why is the sky blue?" Randy asked his dad.
"Nobody knows," said Randy's dad.
"Then how do we know it won't be yellow or red tomorrow?" Randy asked another question.
"I can't spend all day answering your questions, Randy why don't you go and play in the stream?"
He did so.
"How does the grass grow?" Randy asked his mom the next day.
B(510) | middle4199.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Young boys."
},
"options": [
"Young girls.",
"Young children.",
"Young students.",
"Young boys."
],
"question": "Who always go to the computer game houses?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Nowadays, computer games are becoming more and more popular in many cities and towns.
A lot of small shops along busy streets have been made into small game houses in order to get more money. These places are always crowded with people, especially young boys.
In the computer game houses, people spend a lot of money competing with the machines. It's hard for one to win the computer, but one can make progress after trying again and again. People have a kind of gambling psychology when they play computer games. The more they lose, the more they want to win. When class is over, the school boys run to the nearby computer game houses. Little by little , they forget all about their lessons and fall far behind others. Some of them can get enough money from their parents. But some of them are not lucky enough to get the money. They begin to take away other students' money and become thieves. | middle207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "how poor people were on the farm"
},
"options": [
"how people on the farm worked",
"how poor people were on the farm",
"how beautiful the farm was",
"how far it was from the city to the farm"
],
"question": "The... | There was a boy and his family was very rich. One day his father took him on a trip to a place. He wanted to show his son how poor people were there. They spent several days on a farm. There were many poor families living on the farm.
On their way home, the father asked the son, "How was the trip?" "It was great, Dad," the son answered. "Did you notice how poor people were there?" asked his father. "Oh, yes," said the son. "So, tell me," said his father. The son said, "Well, we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool in our garden, while they have a river that has no end. We have expensive lanterns , but they have stars above their heads at night. We have only a small piece of land to live on, while they have the endless fields. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have high walls around our houses to protect us, but they don't need walls, because their friends will protect them."
The father had nothing to say. Then the boy added, "Thank you, Dad, for letting me see how poor we are." | middle3184.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Burning too much coal and oil."
},
"options": [
"Setting off too many fireworks.",
"Burning too much coal and oil.",
"Too many cars in big cities.",
"Too many factories and companies."
],
"question": "What is th... | Smog is a big problem in many Chinese cities. But it seems that besides wearing a mask, few of us know what has caused the smog and what to do to beat it. Chai Jing, a former news interviewer with CCTV, discussed the questions in her documentary Under the Dome.
The 103-minute film was on websites on Feb 28. In the film, Chai visits polluted places and talks to officials and scientists. She thinks that burning too much coal and oil are the main causes of PM2.5 and smog.
To solve the problem, Chai suggests that we should clean our coal and oil or replace them with cleaner energy such as natural gas.
In her film, Chai also emphasized that everyone can do something to help control smog too. For example, we can live a greener life by using more public transport. Or if we see things that could harm the environment, we can try to stop it. In the film, when she sees a restaurant cooking without any suitable filter facilities , she calls the hotline 12369. The restaurant installed the filter a week later.
Chen Jining, the new minister of environmental protection, praised Chai. "This film encourages ordinary people to take notice of the environment. This is what we need in the future." | middle4833.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in the newspaper"
},
"options": [
"on the radio",
"on TV",
"in the newspaper",
"on the Internet"
],
"question": "Bill put an ad _ to find the greatest gift.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Bill, Frank, Dave and Tom were brothers. Every year they sent their mother expensive gifts on her birthday. They liked to show her how rich they were.
The eldest brother, Bill, had lots of money and wanted his mother to have the most expensive gift, but he didn't know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper, "Wanted--the greatest gift for my mother".
About a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He brought a big bird, this bird can speak foreign languages and sing pop songs. The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. The next day, Bill sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother's birthday, he called his mother, "Well, mother," he asked, "what do you think of the bird?" "Oh, it's very delicious, dear." said his mother. | middle5293.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To prove iPad has good effect on Mrs. Comer's life."
},
"options": [
"To tell us the secrets of how Mrs. Comer keeps healthy.",
"To describe how co use Apple apps in our daily life.",
"To explain Mrs. Corner makes a living al... | Elsie Comer is nearly 92, but she can still play a game of Words with Friends on her iPad and claims that the Apple product has changed her life.
Mrs. Comer, who lives in a house close to Manchester Airport, admits to playing the hugely popular puzzle game at a time and also uses her iPad to track the planes that fly overhead and explore the world with Google Earth.
"It's been a wonderful ,way to keep in touch with my family, " she said. "I use it nearly all the hours of daylight. 2-3 hours in the morning. then again in the afternoon. " I live near the airport , so I love being able to look at the Flight Tracker and see where the planes that fly overhead are going. I also really like Words with Friends . and have 16 games going at a time.
Mrs. Comer taught painting when she left school. She did own a laptop. But struggled( ) with it. "She had a laptop before, but the problem was that she couldn't see the cursor , and that she also has shaky hands that struggle with the mouse. " said her 63-year-old daughter, Jean Holt , from Citheroe. "I was in America visiting my daughter, and I played with an iPad and decided to buy one for my mother.
Mrs. Holt loaded the iPad with apps gradually so her mother could learn how to use them. "She uses it several hours a day, and is determined to keep up with everything new, so she reads the news, sends emails, and uses FaceTime to make video calls to us all." she said.
ELSIES FAVORITE APPS
Words with Friends-a free Scrabble-like puzzle app
Flight Tracker-allowing her to see the details of planes that fly over her home
FaceTime-used to make video calk to her family around the world
iMessage-used to send text messages to mobile phones
Solitaire-a classic card Same | middle7484.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "around the world"
},
"options": [
"only in Washington",
"only in England",
"only in Africa",
"around the world"
],
"question": "Jack has sent some poor children _ each $200 a month to help them.",
"quest... | Jack Brown, an office worker, lives in Washington. He inherited a million dollars when he was 23, but he wasn't happy at all.When his college friends were looking for their jobs, he didn't have to. Jack decided to keep living a simple life like everyone else. He gave $ 10,000 of his money to a charity to help poor children live a happy life. Today he is 36. He still wears cheap shoes and clothes and drives a small car only, but he is very happy.
Up to now Jack has helped some children from poor countries all over the world, by sending them each $200 a month. The money is used for the children's study, food, medicine and clothing. Jack receives a report each year on the children's progress They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak English.
When Jack first heard about these children, he wanted to help them. "It was nothing special,"he said."Until I went to these countries and met the children I was helping, I didn't know anything about their life." Once Jack went to meet a little girl in Africa, he said that the meeting was very exciting. "When I met her, I felt very,very happy,"he said."And I saw that the money was _ . It brought me happiness. I want to do everything I can to go on helping these children." | middle6942.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a newspaper"
},
"options": [
"a newspaper",
"a storybook",
"a science book",
"a guidebook"
],
"question": "The above ( ) job ads are probably from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | A Want Ads
1. WANTED
Are you hard-working? Do you like to meet people? If your answer is "yes", then we have a job for you as a waiter, Call AL Hotel at 556779!
2. SUMMER JOB
Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to write stories? If you want to work for our magazine as a reporter, please call Jack at 558366.
3. HELP WANTED
Do you like babies? Can you look after one baby for two days? If you are sure to take care of him, call us at 766588, $80 or more
4. CLEANER WANTED
Can you make a large house clean and tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $20 once, call us this evening, 18:00-20:00. Tel: 633800. | middle561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "an additive"
},
"options": [
"a food",
"an additive",
"a factory",
"a country"
],
"question": "Monosodium Glutamate is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a food additive , which has been widely used by many food factories all over the world since it appeared first in Japan in 1909.
MSG is a _ that is added to some food to improve its original taste and colour. It is used in foods around the world such as cakes, bread, frozen meats, fish and vegetables. In the beginning, people thought MSG was safe just like salt and sugar. However, in 1968 some people reported they seemed to have bad reactions to MSG after having had a meal at a restaurant. They included headaches and quick heartbeat . It was also reported that MSG excited a person's brain and caused his death in Japan. Scientists think that MSG may lead to many neurological disorders . In mice studies done by a university, the evidence showed the mice didn't want to eat the food including MSG.
Today many food companies "hide" MSG on food labels by using different names. If you see "natural flavorings", "hydrolyzed protein" and "spices" in a food label, you are probably seeing a hidden way to "report" MSG in a food label. Every time we have a meal in a restaurant, we always feel the food very delicious to taste, but sometimes it is dangerous for our health because some poisonous food additives have been added to the food.
To protect people's health, our governments, from central to local, are taking actions to stop factories producing poisonous food additives. | middle6215.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "big"
},
"options": [
"old",
"big",
"dirty",
"small"
],
"question": "How is the park?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It's beside... | My name is Mary Green. I live in a new house with my parents. There is a beautiful and a small room for me. I like it very much.
Now let me tell you something about my new house. My new house is on a busy street. There is a big, new and clean park across from my house. I can see the flowers in it from my room. We often take a walk in the park after dinner every evening. There is a big supermarket near my house. It is between a hospital and a cinema. We can buy fruits, vegetables and food in the supermarket. They are good but cheap. My school is near my house. So I always go to school on foot. I like my new house. Do you like it? | middle2073.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "by car"
},
"options": [
"by car",
"on foot",
"by bike",
"by bus"
],
"question": "The children go to school _ every day.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | It is eight o'clock. The children go to school by car every day, they are going to school on foot. It is ten o'clock. Mrs. Sawyer usually stays at home in the morning, but this morning, she is going to the shops. It is four o'clock in the afternoon, Mrs. Sawyer usually drinks tea in the living room. But this afternoon, she is drinking tea in the garden. It is six o'clock, In the evening, the children usually do their homework, but this evening, they are not doing their homework. At the moment, they are playing in the garden. It is nine o'clock. Mr. Sawyer usually reads his newspaper at night. But he's not reading his newspaper tonight. At the moment, he's reading an interesting book. | middle950.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Three."
},
"options": [
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many shops are mentioned in this advertisement ?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Winter Sale!
Winter is coming. So we are having a big and end-of-autumn sale. Look at the prices!
A blouse :$5 A coat:$20 A silk skirt: $28
A pair of trainers :$30 A pair of jeans:$30
Will you come to Reborn Fashion Shop on the 2nd floor of New Century Shopping Mall from Friday to Sunday?
Cash Back!
Spend twenty dollars in our shop, we will give you five dollars back. Spend 40 dollars, and you will get 10 dollars back.
Remember: only at weekends
You are welcome to Happy Times Doll Shop on the first floor of New Century Shopping
Mall.
Closing Down Sale!
Come to our shop next Monday. There is a discount on every kind of chocolate. And we will give you a big box of sweets for free if you spend more than 20 dollars in our shop. So come to Sweetheart Chocolate Shop on the first floor of New Century Shopping Mall. | middle6573.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "eat more food and spend more money"
},
"options": [
"have a nice meal",
"eat more food and spend more money",
"enjoy some wonderful music",
"have a great time in the restaurant"
],
"question": "In the restaurant... | When does music in public places become noise pollution?
You may like at least some kind of music. But the problem is that, in lots of places, you're made to hear somebody else's choice in music. Say you've just landed at an airport. At the airport, the "background" music may be played loudly.
When you are on the way to your hotel, there may be another kind of music played by the taxi driver. Then you finally reach your hotel. But when you are taking the elevator ,there is elevator music.
You go out to dinner and end up in a place where the owner of the restaurant thinks music will help make you eat more and spend more. Then a person playing the violin comes around. This is called the "music wallpaper". It is to make you buy more and eat a lot. Even the government thinks this is "noise pollution," especially when the music is too loud.
Noise pollution may be bad for our hearing. It's also bad for some of our daily activities, such as sleeping, conversations and so on.
The fact that you can't see, taste or smell it may help explain why it has not received as much attention as other kinds of pollution, such as air pollution or water pollution. The air around us is always filled with sounds, but most of us would not think we are surrounded by noise. This can be bad for our health. So many people like soft and quiet music in their house. | middle788.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the USA"
},
"options": [
"Alaska",
"London",
"the USA",
"France"
],
"question": "Jack London was from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answ... | Jack London was a famous American writer. He was born on January 12, 1876, in America.His family was very poor, and Jack had to leave school to make a living when he was twelve. He worked very hard.
Later Jack returned to school. He was strict with himself and worked hard at every subject, especially literature .
In 1897, he went to Alaska to look for gold . Instead of getting gold, he found material for his books and stories. He returned home and started to write. His writings were so successful that he became rich and famous in his twenties.
But Jack London was not a happy man. He took his own life in 1916 when he was only 40 years old. | middle944.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "sure of"
},
"options": [
"afraid of",
"wrong with",
"sure of",
"worried about"
],
"question": "Harry went to ask for the job because he was _ himself at first.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | One Tuesday morning, Harry saw an ad in a window. It said, "Wanted. The Best Salesman in the World Top Pay." Harry thought he was a great salesman and went to ask for the job." I am the best salesman in the world," he said to the manager, "Give me the job."
"You must prove you're the best," the manager said.
"OK, I will!" Harry answered.
"Good!" The manager took a box of sweets out of his desk." Last week I bought a thousand boxes of sweets. If you can sell them all before the end of the week, you can have the job," said the manager.
"That's easy." Harry said. He took the boxes of sweets and left the office.
Every day and all day, he went from shop to shop, trying to sell the boxes of sweets. He couldn't sell one. The sweets were too bad for him to sell. At the end of the week he went back to the manager. "I'm sorry, sir." He said. "I was wrong about myself. I'm not the best salesman in the world, but I know who is."
"Oh," said the manager. "Who?" "The person who sold you a thousand boxes of these sweets." Harry said. | middle7679.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "an egg and some chicken"
},
"options": [
"an egg and some fruit",
"a hamburger and a banana",
"chicken and French fries",
"an egg and some chicken"
],
"question": "Paul eats _ for breakfast.",
"question_t... | Hello! I'm Paul. I'm from America and I' m in China with my parents now. I like China and Chinese food. I have breakfast at home. I eat an egg and some chicken for it. I don't like salad, but Mom says that it's healthy. I should eat it. I have lunch at school. The lunch in my school is good. I can eat different food. I eat a hamburger, a banana and some vegetables. Sometimes I have chicken and French fries . I have dinner at home and I like to eat some fruit and ice-cream. | middle6567.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Clothing and home-use products."
},
"options": [
"Candies and DVD players .",
"Clothes and books.",
"Clothing and home-use products.",
"Everything."
],
"question": "What are the most popular online?",
"quest... | "Who needs a shopping mall if you have Taobao?" says Wang Lin, 28, a writer in Beijing. Taobao, China's largest online shopping site, becomes an important part of Wang Lin's life. She spends lots of money on Taobao.
Most online shoppers like Wang are students or young workers, More women shop on line than men. Clothing and home-use products are the most popular on line. It was reported that more than 250 billion yuan was spent on online shopping last year, 80% through Taobao.
Taobao means"Looking for treasure" in Chinese .People can find almost everything they need on Taobao, from clothes to books, from candies to DVD players.
You may question the _ of online shopping. Wang Lin says ,"It's very safe and conveniet . If you don't like the products from the sellers, the seller can't get the money. You can also get your money back if you want to return the products. | middle4416.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "how to like reading"
},
"options": [
"how to read",
"what to read",
"when to read",
"how to like reading"
],
"question": "This passage is about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer... | If you don't like reading books, this is for you.
* Have a few laughs . Sit down with a book of jokes, a picture book or a funny story- book first.
* Ask around. Ask your friends or your teachers about interesting books.
* Find new interests. After reading, you may find an interest in something new.
* Go to the library. Don't be shy about asking a librarian a question like, "Do you have any books about soccer?"
* See the world . When you want to know or see something, you can open the book about it.
Try to read, you can find there is a lot of fun in books. | middle6201.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a proposal"
},
"options": [
"a sign",
"a notice",
"an advertisement",
"a proposal"
],
"question": "From the above, we know that this is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | There are some easy things you can do to protect the environment and the earth. Choose ideas from the list or come up with a few of your own.
* Plant flowers, grass or trees.
*Whenever you visit a park or beach, take away what you bring there----keep rubbish in a bag until you can put it in a dustbin .
*Turn off the lights, TV sets when you leave the room. This saves a lot of electricity.
*Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. You can save some water by not letting it run. Also, use a glass cup instead of a paper cup because this saves paper.
*Keep the doors and windows closed in winter to keep warm air in.
*Give your old books and magazines to a library instead of throwing them away.
*Give your old clothes to poor children you know instead of throwing them away.
*Use both sides of paper.
*Stop pouring dirty water into the rivers or the lakes nearby .
*Encourage all your friends to do the same things you do to help protect the earth.
You don't have to wait until Earth Day to do these things. Make every day Earth Day.
If everyone makes a contribution to protecting the environment, the world will become much more beautiful. | middle1546.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "all kinds of"
},
"options": [
"all kinds of",
"three kinds of",
"four kinds of",
"only two kinds of"
],
"question": "There are _ food in the world.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | There are all kinds of food in the world. Some people like the Chinese food. Firstly, the Chinese food has a lot of fruit and green vegetables. It has little sugar and fat. Secondly, the Chinese food is very delicious and has many dishes. So Chinese people can keep fit and have white teeth. However, some people enjoy the western food. Now many people, especially the workers in companies , are too busy to have lunch slowly so the western food meets their need and they can eat quickly. And the food is not too bad, too. It is a great pleasure to try eating a different style of food. In my opinion, I like the Chinese food more than the western food. First of all I'm a Chinese and used to Chinese food, it can keep us healthy. On the other hand, the western food is high in fat, sugar and salt. If you eat too much these food and don't take enough exercise, you'll get fat easily. The western food is too expensive and "not good value for money". | middle6229.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "David Crystal thinks Netspeak helps develop the habit of writing."
},
"options": [
"Cynthia McVey points out teenagers can deal with Netspeak properly.",
"Geoffrey Nunberg believes Netspeakers can write Standard English.",
"D... | My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his CF & thr 3:-@ kids FTF ILNY, its gr8.
Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cellphones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the "translation" of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York; it's great.
Schoolteachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes cxan be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted .
Everyone should just relax, say linguists . They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nunberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says, "Kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents."
Linguist James Millroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can bet your bottom dollar that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become "corrupted"; they simply change to meet the new needs.
However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their future."
Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Texting is just for fun" | middle7137.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in the morning"
},
"options": [
"in the morning",
"in the afternoon",
"in the evening",
"at night"
],
"question": "The story took place _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | One day a dentist was starting his morning work. Suddenly a man ran in. His face was red and he could only say "Quick! Quick!" The dentist thought he must be very ill. His assistant helped to make the poor man sit in a chair. The dentist gave the man some medicine to make him sleep. Then, he looked into the man's mouth and pulled out all the bad teeth. As soon as the man woke up, he said in a low voice, "Quick, doctor, quick."
"It's all right now," the dentist told him, "It's over."
"You don't understand," said the man, "I came to tell you your house is on fire." | middle8204.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "tigers"
},
"options": [
"dogs",
"tigers",
"cats",
"mice"
],
"question": "If you go to a zoo, you can see _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answ... | It is good to keep animals in zoos. Zoos are places for people to see many different kinds of animals from all over the world. Without zoos, most people would never see a real tiger or bear. Secondly, zoos look after the animals very well. The animals are always given food and cleaned on time. In the wild, it is not always possible for an animal to find food, so sometimes it goes hungry. Thirdly, Zoos protect the animals. They give them safe place to live in. In the wild, some kinds of animals are in danger. If there is no zoos, there would be fewer kinds of animals in the world.
However, some people think it is unnatural and unfair to keep wild animals in cages. Some cages are too small for many animals such as bears and tigers. They always look not happy in cages. Wild animals should look for their own food. Anyone would not feel happy if he isn't allowed to go outside his home and animals don't like it either. | middle7651.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they reached the foot of the mountain"
},
"options": [
"Jake contacted them on the phone",
"they began to ski down the mountain",
"they reached the foot of the mountain",
"Jake lost one of his skis"
],
"question... | Teenager Jake Deham was skiing with his family in the US when he fell over and lost one of his skis. His family didn't know that he had a problem. They kept on skiing. When they got to the foot of the mountain, there was no sign of Jake.
Jake couldn't find his ski anywhere. In the end, he decided to take off his other ski and walk down the mountain. But he couldn't work out the right way to go.
It was now getting dark and he was a long way from any place of safety. He knew that he might die that night in the cold temperatures. But Jake kept calm. At home, Jake watched a lot of programmes about living in difficult situations. He remembered the advice from these programmes and knew that he should build a hole in the snow. He made a hole so the wind couldn't blow into it. Outside his hole, the temperature fell to a dangerous -15degC that night, but inside it Jake was safe from the cold.
After the long evening passed, Jake began to think his way out. He had to get down the mountain. The TV programmes always said, "If you are lost, you should find someone else's tracks through the snow and follow them." "I wanted to live my life." remembered Jake, "So I got up and I found some ski tracks and I followed those." He walked and walked and finally saw lights...
His mum was very happy when she heard her son was saved. Amazingly, Jake didn't even have to go to hospital. He got through the terrible experience without any injuries.
So, the next time someone says that watching TV is a waste of time, think of Jake. Sometimes TV can save your life!
. | middle7889.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "an artist"
},
"options": [
"an artist",
"a doctor",
"a teacher",
"a driver"
],
"question": "If you want to be _ ,come to our club.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Do You Want to Be an Artist?
Do you want to be an artist? Come to our club. We have guitar, violin, piano and drum lessons for just Y=240 each. You can also learn to sing or dance for just Y=180 each. If you like art, you can be satisfied, too. Art lessons are just Y=200 each. | middle1220.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "you can't smoke"
},
"options": [
"you can make a phone call",
"you can't talk to others",
"you can't smoke",
"you can drink"
],
"question": "If you are a bus driver, _ while you are driving, according to the ... | You want to run across the street to catch the bus? But wait! You'd better not. If a policeman sees you, you'll have to pay a fine .
New traffic laws say that if people cross the street when the light is red, they can be fined as much as 50 yuan.
Traffic accidents killed more than 104,000 people in China last year. Chinese cities have more cars than ever. Drivers and pedestrians must work together to make the streets safer.
The law has new rules for drivers and pedestrians. Drivers have to slow down when they are close to crosswalks. If people are in a _ , cars must stop to let them pass.
There are rules for bus drivers, too. If bus drivers smoke, drink or make phone calls while driving, they can be fined. Buses that carry too many people are also against the law.
Pedestrians will have to walk more safely under the new law. They must cross streets at crosswalks. Also, they shouldn't climb over the fences along streets.
Do you ride a bike to school? It's not a good idea to carry classmates on the back. You could be fined 50 yuan. And stay in the bike lane when you're riding. The big roads are for cars and buses.
Do you like to ride your uncle's motorbike? When you put on your helmet , ask him to put one on, too. People on motorbikes must wear helmets, the new law says. If they don't, they'll have to pay 200 yuan.
Do you ride in cars often? Don't forget to put on your seat belt , even if you're going for a short taxi ride. It could save your life.
If you see a hit-and -run , tell the police. They may give you a reward . And don't be afraid to help people to the hospital if they are hurt in an accident. Don't worry about money. The new law says that doctors must take care of them even if they can't pay right away. | middle2729.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "September"
},
"options": [
"September",
"February",
"June",
"January"
],
"question": "Most American children start school life in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | American schools begin in September after a long summer vacation . There are two terms in a school year: the first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Most American children go to public schools . High school students take only four or five subjects at a time. They usually go to the same classes every day, and they have homework for every class. After class they have many activities. After high school, many students go to college. | middle4358.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"3",
"4",
"5",
"6"
],
"question": "How many people are there in Lin Dan's family?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_tex... | Super Dan
Lin Dan is a famous badminton player. Now he plays for Badminton team of the People's Republic of China. Many people around the world know him because he won the gold medals in 2008 and 2012.
He is from Fujian. He was born on October 14, 1983. He lives with his parents, grandmother and his wife now. Lin Dan's favorite player is Jordan. Jordan is a basketball player. Lin loves Coke. He likes pets, but dog is his favorite.
Many young people love him very much. They think Lin Dan is their super star. They also call him Super Dan. | middle3437.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "more information than television"
},
"options": [
"more information than television",
"less information than television",
"more news from other countries",
"less information about important events than TV"
],
"q... | Some people say that today, reading is not as important as it was. These days we have photographs, films, radio and television. Why read a description of something when you can look at a photograph? Why read a newspaper when the latest news is brought to us every hour on radio and TV?
Photography was certainly a wonderful invention. Photographs can give a very clear idea of places and of people that we have never seen. An encyclopedia , for example, is always better when it has good illustrations. But we also need words to explain the photographs and drawings. A photograph of an elephant may give us a very good idea of what an elephant looks like, but it tells us nothing about the different sorts of elephants there are and where they are found, their exact size and weight, how they can be useful to man and so on.
In the same way, a good film has action, movement, color, and maybe music. These are things we do not find on the printed page. But reading a novel has certain advantages over watching even an excellent feature film. Reading a novel requires imagination. Each of us imagines a story differently.
Watching news on television can certainly be exciting. But we need newspapers as well. Some important news stories happen when there are no cameras around. More importantly, a newspaper does not just report the news. It explains why something has been happening. It also contains interesting articles on different subjects. Newspapers are an important part of our lives, if we want to understand what is going on in the places we live as well as in other parts of the world.
Reading is very important for information and pleasure. We need to be good readers to enjoy a full life as human beings. Reading is a skill and like other skills, it needs practice. The more we read, the better readers we become. And the better readers we become, the more we enjoy reading! The secret is to get the reading habit. Read at least a little every day. | middle5052.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Talk about problems"
},
"options": [
"Talk about problems",
"Try to give a reason",
"Say something positive",
"Prepare your listener for the news"
],
"question": "Which step isn't mentioned in the passage?",
... | Giving someone good news is easy, but what about bad news? Are there any good ways to give bad news without making people too upset? The following steps might help:
Say something positive. Try to start or end the conversation with some good news, so that it's not all bad. For example, " You did very well in the interview, but unfortunately we've given the job to somebody else."
Prepare your listener for the news. Use phrases to introduce what you're going to say, like "Unfortunately, ...", " I'm really sorry , but..." or " I'm afraid I've got some bad news." This gives the listener time to prepare for what you're going to say.
Try to give a reason. People like know why things go wrong. Try to explain the decision. If someone doesn't get the job, can you explain why? If you have to cancel an appointment, try to give a reason.
Use a soft _ of voice. If you're giving someone bad news, try to use a soft, calm voice to make your sound kind. Say things to show you understand, like "I'm really sorry." Or "I know this must be disappointing." | middle3423.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "8."
},
"options": [
"7.",
"6.",
"11.",
"8."
],
"question": "How many hours do we need to sleep every day if we want to keep healthy?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | One of the easiest and cheapest ways to help your health is just to sleep eight hours or more every night, but more and more people in the world are not sleeping enough. According to the World Health Organization, over half the people in the world may be _ . The result of this is not just a lot of tired people; in the United States alone, sleepy drivers cause at least 100,000 car accidents, and 1,500 deaths a year. Problems with sleep can also cause mental problems, as well as medical problems such as high blood pressure and heart problems.
American culture values work and often doesn't value sleep. In fact, people who sleep a lot are often called "lazy". Many famous men say proudly, "I only have time to sleep four or five hours a night." Students, especially college students, often sleep only a few hours a night. They often say, "I'm used to sleeping only a little."
But according to experts, sleep is like money. If you sleep only five hours a day, you don't "get used to it", but instead, build up a "sleep deficit ". "It's like a credit card (a card used to buy things or services)," says Dr. James Maas, "You are only borrowing time. You always have to pay it back." The more hours you don't sleep, the more hours you should sleep to "pay back" the hours on your "sleep credit card". For example, if you sleep four hours on Monday and then sleep eight hours on Tuesday, on Wednesday you will still have a "sleep deficit" of four hours. This deficit can continue for months or even years. People with a "sleep deficit" are sleep-deprived. Driving and making decisions can be dangerous for these people.
Another research shows people should sleep nine or ten hours every night. More than half the people in the world may be running a "sleep deficit". You didn't do your homework last night? Maybe you can tell your teacher that you were working hard on your sleep deficit.
"Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish idea which is held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to do more," said Winston Churchill. | middle7645.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Twenty"
},
"options": [
"Ten",
"Fifteen",
"Twenty",
"fifty"
],
"question": "How many classes are there in the school?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Hi, I'm Liu Ying. This is my school. It's big and beautiful. There are twenty classes. There are nine hundred students in my school. There are four beautiful gardens in it. There is a building in my school. On the first floor, there are two offices and a hall. There are six classrooms on the first floor, too. On the second floor, there are fourteen classrooms. There are two toilets on the second floor. There is a big library and some reading rooms in my school, too. | middle978.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It will die soon."
},
"options": [
"It will become a worker.",
"It will die soon.",
"It will hang around inside the hive.",
"It will have to leave the hive."
],
"question": "What will happen if a male mates with... | Honey bees are a kind of animal most of us learn about very early. In summer, many people step on honey bees and get stung while walking without wearing shoes.
Honey bees are normally about third fourths of an inch long. Most bees are workers, which are female, but some are male, called "drones ". Workers are a little smaller than drones.
Honey bees live in a nest, called a "hive". A hive can have up to 80,000 bees, mostly workers. It usually lies in a tree with a hole inside.
The hive is ruled over by a queen bee. She is the largest bee in the hive, and she is the only female to mate. Males usually just hang around; their only purpose is to mate with the queen. Then they die. The workers do all of the work inside and outside of the hive. Their jobs include: caring for baby bees, cleaning up the hive, making honey...
Honey bees are usually very friendly, and they mind their own business. They are too busy to worry about people or other animals. If a person is hardworking, we can say he is as busy as a bee. Are you a bee? | middle7123.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "His daughter"
},
"options": [
"His son",
"His daughter",
"His mother",
"His father"
],
"question": "Who does Mr. Wang need a babysitter to look after?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"ans... | Babysitter wanted( )
Do you like children? Do you have free time in the afternoon? We need a babysitter for our daughter. She's six years old.
Working time: Monday to Friday, 3:00pm--6:00 pm.
Cost: $5 an hour.
We need help with: Looking after our daughter, reading to her, playing with her.
Address: You must work at our house. We live in Changjiang Road, near the Culture Square.
Please call Mr. Wang at 0551-487-2563. | middle3345.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In a store"
},
"options": [
"In the street",
"In a store",
"In a garden",
"In a school"
],
"question": "Where did the writer meet the boy?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | When shopping in a store, I met a boy. When I saw him waving his hands excitedly in the air and shouting in a loud voice, " Mommy, I'm here," I knew he was mentally challenged.
I asked his name and he said proudly, " My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother." "Wow," I said, " That's a cool name. How old are you, Denny?"
" How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother. " You're fifteen years old, Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by." I continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. _
Denny's mom thanked me for talking with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, let alone talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said, " There are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in the garden, however, 'Blue roses'are very _ and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness . Denny is a 'Blue ses'and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and kindness, then they've missed a chance to appreciate the beauty."
She was silent for a second, and then went away with tears in her eyes. | middle5734.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"3",
"5",
"45",
"100"
],
"question": "WFF has nearly _ million members.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Net... | World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Greenpeace are two famous organizations in the world. They both aim at making our planet a better place to live.
World Wildlife Fund works to protect wild animals and plants. It began in Switzerland on September 11, 1961. Now, it has offices in 100 countries and nearly 5 million members all over the world. The members are from different groups, including government officials, businessmen, scientists and farmers. They have played an active role in saving animals and rainforests. One recent WWF project is protecting the Amazon rainforest. WWF has done plenty of research to find creative ways that meet the need of both people and nature.
Greenpeace was set up in 1971, with an idea of working for world peace at the very beginning. Now it is active in protecting oceans, forests, and animals as well. It also calls for the use of clean energy, like wind power and solar power. Greenpeace has offices in 45 countries such as America and Canada. Its head office is in Netherlands. Greenpeace has about 3 million members at present. Small steps lead to big changes. It has encouraged more and more people to take action. | middle5907.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the TV"
},
"options": [
"the Internet",
"the newspapers",
"his friends",
"the TV"
],
"question": "The father knew that there was going to be a typhoon from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{... | My family lives very happily on a farm near a small town. My father always learns some information about weather through the TV, the Internet and newspapers.
One evening, he asked us to meet at the table after dinner. "I have some bad news," he said. "The weather reports on the television warned that we would face a typhoon tomorrow."
At 6.30 a.m. the next day, the winds started and the rain was falling heavily. There were new warnings that the sea level could go up as much as 5 meters.
The winds were terribly strong and tree branches were flying everywhere. Trees were falling down and the rain kept coming down.
Just after 10:30, the wind stopped suddenly-it was strangely calm and the sun was shining. Then the winds came howling again, but this time more rain fell. There were more flying things and the storm came in. Everything within 1 km of the coast was flooded-there was fish in the streets. Now the winds were dying down, but the rain was still falling.
After another two hours, the wind came to a stop at last. My home was in a mess and my mum burnt her arm when the hot water from the stove hit her skin. We were all frightened, but we were all safe, including the cat. | middle7876.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Early in the afternoon."
},
"options": [
"Early in the morning.",
"Early in the afternoon.",
"Late in the morning.",
"At about one o'clock at night."
],
"question": "When did the woman come to Joe's shop?",
... | Joe Brown had a shop. He sold meat in his shop. One Thursday a woman came into his shop at five to one. "I'm sorry I'm late," she said. "I need some more meat for my dinner tonight." Joe had only one piece of meat in his shop. He took it out of the fridge and said, "This is$6.50." "That piece is too small." the woman said, "haven't you for anything bigger?" Joe went into the room behind his shop, put the piece of meat into the fridge, took it out of again and closed the door with lots of noise. Then he brought the piece of meat to the woman and said, "This piece of meat is bigger and more expensive. It's $8.75." "Good," the woman said with a smile, "give me both of them." | middle993.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "I won't let the rider go until I call my parents."
},
"options": [
"I will remember the bicycle number.",
"I won't let the rider go until I call my parents.",
"I will let the rider go before I call my parents.",
"I will... | According to a new survey, students' safety has become a big problem. Nearly 50% of students say they are worried about robbery on the way to and from school. Now in main big cities in China, some schools have taught an unusual lesson: self-protection. Students like this lesson because there are no exams or boring classes. And they can learn how to save lives and know how to get away from danger before it really happens.
Chen Haoyu, a teacher at Beijing No. 25 Middle School, gives young students advice on how to deal with danger.
If you are robbed
Keep calm if you can not cry for help or run away. Give the robber your money. Try to remember
what the robber looks like and tell the police later.
If you are in a traffic accident
If a car hits you, you should remember the car number. If it is a bicycle, try to call your parents before you let the rider go. This is because you don't know how seriously you are hurt.
If it is raining hard and there is lighting
Don't stay in high places and stay away from trees.
If there is a fire
Get away as fast as yon can. Put wet things on your body and try to find an exit . Do not take the lift.
If someone is drowning
If you can't swim, don't get into the water. Cry out for help.
Remember that danger is never as far away as you think. Take care of yourself at all time! | middle7862.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "keep warm"
},
"options": [
"play with snow",
"keep warm",
"play basketball",
"play outside"
],
"question": "In winter, the children wore coats and gloves to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},... | Miss Williams is a teacher, and there are thirty children in her class. They are nice children, and Miss Williams like them all, but they often lose some of the clothes. It's winter, and the weather is very cold. The children's mothers always take them to school with warm coats and hats and gloves . The children come into the classroom in the morning and take off their coats and hats and gloves, and put the gloves in the pockets of their coats.
Last Tuesday, Miss Williams found two small blue gloves on the floor in the evening, and the next morning, she asked the children, "Whose gloves are these?" But no one answered. "Haven't you got blue gloves, Dick?" she asked him.
"Yes, Miss Williams," he answered, "but those can't be mine. I've lost already." | middle987.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because both Mark and Jim were very good runners."
},
"options": [
"Because it was a 3000 meters race.",
"Because there were only two runners in the competition .",
"Because both Mark and Jim were very good runners.",
"... | The crowd stopped their talks as the runners came to the starting line. At this moment, all eyes were on two people, Mark, the favorite for the gold medal, and Jim, a new face to all.
Mark had won a lot of competitions in 3000 meters and was thought to be the finest runner in the country. Until a few months before, Jim was almost unknown outside his hometown. But he had won one competition after another, which was a big surprise. Many people thought Jim would also do very well this time. It was going to be an exciting race.
Bang! The race started. For the first half, Jim ran with Mark in the leading group. At 1700 meters, Jim was about one meter behind Mark. Suddenly, the crowd stopped cheering. Mark fell and lay on the grass. He tried to get up, but he had been injured and was out of the race.
The crowd believed that Jim had tripped( ) Mark and they began to shout at him. Jim looked back and slowed down. Then _ . But the race was over for Jim, too. He was far behind others now. Jim was very unhappy because of what had happened.
Later, after the judges had studied the video of the race, they decided that Jim had done nothing wrong . Jim went to see Mark and said, "I'm sorry for ..." "It's not your fault. I got injured myself in the leg. Such a thing never happens to me. I've got to see the doctor,"
The two went on to become good friends and were often seen training together. | middle5913.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he was very poor"
},
"options": [
"he was very poor",
"the mouse helped him",
"his wife knew nothing about it",
"People didn't like Cartoons at all"
],
"question": "When Disney began making cartoon movies, _ .... | Walt Disney began to make cartoon movies when he was young. But he didn't have much money and he didn't always have enough to eat. One day a mouse ran near his desk when he worked in his small office.
"Would you like to be my pet? "Disney asked the mouse. He caught the mouse and kept it as a pet. A few years later, Disney decided to make a cartoon about it. "I am making a cartoon about a mouse named Mortimer," he told his wife. "Mortimer Mouse? I think Mickey Mouse would be a better name." She said. "You are right!" Disney agreed and made many Mickey Mouse cartoons.
People all over the world saw Mickey and loved it. Mickey Mouse made Disney famous. Then come Donald Duck, and Goofy Dog and others. Disney began to make full length cartoons. Then he made cartoon movies for television. Millions of children watched the shows every week.
In California, real boats, castles , trains, mountains, rivers, all in one beautiful park. Millions of people came to Disneyland. He died in 1966, but the world will not forget him quickly. Mickey Mouse and all his cartoons will help us to remember him. | middle1585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "unusual"
},
"options": [
"young",
"handsome",
"unusual",
"common"
],
"question": "The old man looked _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_t... | An old man walked slowly into a restaurant with his cane . His old jacket and shoes made him unusual that day.
A young waitress named Mary watched him move towards a table by the window. She ran over to him, and said with a smile, "Here, sir. Let me give you a hand."
Without saying a word, he gave her a smile. She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit down. Then she put his cane against the table so that he could reach it. In a soft, clear voice, he said, "Thank you, miss."
"You're welcome, sir," she replied. "I'll be back in a moment, and if you need anything, just wave at me!"
After he had finished a good meal. Mary brought him the change. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, "Come back and see us, sir!" The old man turned around and smiled.
When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under the plate, she found a business card, a 100-dollar bill and a note. The note said, "Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness."
In fact, the old man was the owner of the restaurant. That was the first time that she, or any of his waitresses, had seen him. | middle3392.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the time to get a job"
},
"options": [
"the best time of our lives",
"the most difficult time of our lives",
"the time to make some important decisions",
"the time to get a job"
],
"question": "The author doesn'... | Everybody says that youth is the best time for our lives. Being young means romance, love and new discoveries, but it is also the most difficult time, because you have to make some very important decisions, which will influence your future life.
Things are not easy nowadays even for adults, but for teenagers, Who have to find their own place in society, it's even difficult. It is necessary not only to adapt to society, but also to be confident of your position in five, ten or even twenty year's time.
For the future it is important to have a good nob. In order to get a really good job, you have to be well educated.
Emotional problems for young people can be very important, too. The first teenager problem is that "nobody understands me". Some parents often continue to treat their children as little children when they are starting to consider themselves to be adults.
There are also some global problems. Young people in all countries are facing these problems. Let's start with smoking. According to studies, at the age of 16, almost 72% of all boys and 37% of all girls in Russia have already tried smoking. Smoking is not a natural need.It's just that teens try it when they want to appear to be more like adults.
Drugs are also a serious problem. Students know the names of drugs well enough. 32% say they have tried drugs at least once, mainly because they were having fun, their friends influenced them to, they wanted to relax or they wanted to seem "cool". That's too bad.
So, you see, problems do happen and they can't be _ d. We should pay much attention to them. | middle2932.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "two corneas"
},
"options": [
"two corneas",
"all organs",
"heart",
"kidney"
],
"question": "Yao Beina had her _ donated to save others.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Not only a popular singer was Yao Beina, but also she was an energetic and warm-hearted angel. She had her corneas donated to two men who needed them, which helped them see the world clearly again.
Yao was born in a music family on Sept. 26, 1981 in Wuhan. She started to learn the piano at the age of 4, and she sang her first song on the stage when she was 9 years old. Yao did quite well in singing, so she took part in the thirteenth Youth Singing Competition and won the first prize.
She became well-known to the public after making a series of songs for the hit TV drama "The Legend of Zhenhuan" in 2012, and the mandarin version of "Let It Go" from Disney's "Frozen". In July 2013, she competed in The Voice of China II and finally got the second place in Na Ying's team. She had won a lot of music awards before she was famous.
Yao Beina was unfortunate to be diagnosed with breast cancer and had a successful operation in 2011. Since then, she has fought against the disease for about four years while keeping singing, but sadly she failed. She originally thought of donating all of her organs to save others' lives, but failed to do it because of her serious illness.
She's gone, even though she had never stopped struggling with cancer. Heaven just got another beautiful angel, with her beautiful voice and kindness. | middle5085.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "teen bloggers get messages from strangers"
},
"options": [
"their kids use a surprising language",
"their kids talk about how they don't like studying",
"teen bloggers get messages from strangers",
"their kids talk abou... | It's cool, it's hot, and everyone is doing it. People talk about _ often, and friends tell other friends how good they look. Sound like a fashion? In fact, it's another trend : "blog". What's a blog? A blog is a personal online diary. The word "blogger" means a person who writes diaries online.
Many bloggers are teenagers who log onto websites to discuss anything in their lives. Many of today's teenagers are not afraid to openly discuss everything in their lives. Teenagers complain about parents and homework. They share diaries, post songs from the latest bands and show pictures of theirs. They write their own poems, say something about their girlfriends or boyfriends and complain to each other or offer support. But mostly they just write down what they do every day.
However, many parents are worried about these young bloggers. Parents see the kids talking about how they got drunk last weekend and how they don't like studying. They are using language that is surprising to their parents. Besides hearing from their friends, teen bloggers also get messages from strangers. Most of the time, it's older men asking to meet teenage girls. "These strange men are dangerous for my kids. They sometimes teach my kids bad words," said Cara Cabral, a mother of two.
Many teenagers and young adults know it's not safe to use blogs on the Internet. They know they are putting information about themselves in a place they can be seen by anyone. But teenagers are unwilling to give up these new communication tools that have become a way of life for many of them. | middle777.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "in most cities and towns"
},
"options": [
"only in the countryside",
"in every town in China",
"in a supermarket",
"in most cities and towns"
],
"question": "We can find night markets",
"question_type": "fac... | Most cities and towns in China have night markets . During the day, these streets are quiet. At night, they become crowded and lively. Usually, people get there at three or four in the afternoon. By 6:00, the streets are like rivers of people. Night markets are fun places to shop. You can buy clothes, shoes, and many other things. If you think the price is too high, you can _ with the seller. You can also buy nice food. When you are hungry, you can Sit down for a meal. Smelly tofu is popular, but it really smells bad! The best thing is that everything in night markets is cheap! | middle6598.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it made his arms and fingers hurt"
},
"options": [
"it is useless to him",
"it doesn't work well",
"it made his arms and fingers hurt",
"his mother got angry with him"
],
"question": "Zhou Yan wishes he never go... | Zhou Yan, a Junior 3 student, wishes he never got a mobile phone. Last week, he went to see a doctor because his arms and fingers were injured. The doctor told him that he had had "mobile phone disease ". A growing number of teenagers are getting "mobile phone disease" because more and more are using mobile phones.
Zhou got his mobile phone five months ago. He sent messages to his friends with it all the time, even when going to bed. Zhou started to do badly in exams because he spent too much time playing with his mobile phone. His mom got very angry with him, but he didn't stop playing with the mobile phone until his arms got injured.
Yang Ling, a doctor, says that if someone uses his mobile phone too much, like Zhou Yan, he might get "mobile phone disease". If teenagers find their arms or fingers hurt , they should go to see a doctor as soon as possible. Yang says teenagers should try to use their mobile phones less, especially at school. | middle763.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He wrote something on the new wallpaper with his crayons."
},
"options": [
"He had a big fight with his elder brother.",
"He broke all his crayons and threw them away.",
"He played games with his elder brother in their house.... | A mother returned home from the store very tiredly.As she put down all of the things on the kitchen table,her 8-year-old son ran up to her.He was waiting for her and wanted to tell her what his younger brother had done.
"While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,Tyler took his crayons and wrote on the wall! It's on the new wallpaper you just hung up in the living room.I told him you would be mad at him for doing it again,but I couldn't stop him." She let out a long sound and asked, _ "He is in his room,"the son answered quickly.
She walked to the younger son's room.She called his full name as she entered.Then,she found Tyler.He was trying to hide.He knew that the worst moment was corning! For the next 10 minutes,the room was full of her shouting about the expensive wallpaper.She punished the little boy for his bad behavior.
Then,she headed for the living room to see what happened.As she saw the wall,her eyes flooded with tears at once.It said"I love Mommy"and was surrounded with a heart.
Well, the wallpaper remained,just as she found it,with an empty picture frame hung around it.A reminder to her and to all:Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.
So when you are sure that something goes wrong,have you ever had any doubt that there might be a misunderstanding? Take some time to give it a second thought. | middle7686.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "family"
},
"options": [
"classmates",
"friends",
"teachers",
"family"
],
"question": "Jimmy got quite a lot of nice presents from his _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | It was Jimmy's birthday, and he was five years old. He got quite a lot of nice birthday presents from his family, and one of them was a beautiful big drum .
"Who gave him that thing?" Jimmy's father said when he saw it. "His grandfather did," answered Jimmy's mother. "Oh," said his father. Of course , Jimmy liked his drum very much. He made a terrible noise with it, but his father did not mind . His father was working during the day, and Jimmy was in bed when he got home in the evening, so he did not hear the noise.
But one of the neighbors did not like the noise at all , so a few days later, she took a sharp knife and went to Jimmy's house while Jimmy was hitting his drum. She said to him, "Hello, Jimmy. Do you know, there's something very nice inside your drum. Here's a knife. Open the drum and let's find it. " | middle2926.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In the woods."
},
"options": [
"In a hotel.",
"At home.",
"In the woods.",
"In a drugstore."
],
"question": "Where does the writer usually have a good sleep?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Actually, long-distance bicycle camping is one of the happiest activities I have ever experienced. I generally sleep poorly at night, but in the woods on a tour, I sleep like a baby with the music of insects. In the morning, birds wake me up. I eat a snack before getting up, and then I quickly pack my sleeping bag, tent, and other things and get on the road. Usually I have less speed. Traveling by bike allows me to stop anywhere, such as lakes(especially places to swim), woods, and scenic spots .
Somewhere near lunch, I find a small drugstore and buy some bread, sandwich materials, and fruit. In the afternoon, my speeds are higher, and I spend less time at stops. In the late afternoon, I start thinking about stopping. I finally find a place in the early evening, cook a simple meal, and rest and cool off. As it starts to get dark, I put up my tent, and fall asleep.
There are exciting times and difficult times as well. Visiting strange or famous places are always exciting to me. I meet and talk with interesting people along the way. Enjoying beautiful scenes, meeting wild animals(usually at my camping site), and traveling up and down hills also make me cheerful. On the other hand, I may run into rainy or hot days, have to repair my bike, or just find myself in a bad state. The problems are easily dealt with. The pleasures remain in my mind for years. | middle5091.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "friends"
},
"options": [
"teachers",
"friends",
"children",
"musicians"
],
"question": "Tom and Mike are good _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Tom and Mike are good friends. They are good with children. They want to find jobs in summer vacation. This Friday Tom tells Mike that Sunson School Trip needs teachers to help with sports, music and computer. Mike is glad to know that.
Tom can play basketball, volleyball, and he can swim. Mike can play the violin, the trumpet, the drums and the guitar, and he can swim,too. Tom and Mike like computers very much. Can they join Sunson School Trip? | middle1591.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a little thinner"
},
"options": [
"a little fatter",
"a little thinner",
"a little older",
"a little younger"
],
"question": "Henry wants to be _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | Henry is a little fatter than he wants to be.He wants to lose some weight .He tries not to eat too much and he eats very little sugar because it will make him fat.He also does exercise every day.He swims,and he runs about two miles a day.Now he is stronger than before.Henry's sister,Susan, is healthier than Henry.She is also younger and thinner than he is.She does exercise every day.She doesn't eat much meat.She eats a lot of fruit and vegetables, because she thinks they are better for her health. | middle2107.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a shopkeeper"
},
"options": [
"a waiter",
"a runner",
"a player",
"a shopkeeper"
],
"question": "Joe Brown was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Joe Brown has a shop. He sells meat in his shop. One Thursday a woman comes into his shop at five to one. "I'm sorry I'm late," she says. "I need some more meat for my dinner tonight." Joe has only one piece of meat in his shop. He takes it out of the fridge and says, "This is $6.50." "That piece is too small," the woman says, "Don't you have anything bigger?" Joe goes into the room behind his shop, puts the piece of meat into the fridge, takes it out of the fridge again and closes the door with lots of noise. Then he brings the piece of meat to the woman and says, "This piece of meat is bigger and more expensive. It's $8.75." "Good," the woman says with a smile, "give me both of them, please." | middle4210.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Hard."
},
"options": [
"Exciting.",
"Easy.",
"Relaxing.",
"Hard."
],
"question": "What did Yang Yunjing's friends think of her work?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Yang Yunjing is a tour guide volunteer in Tibet. She went there five times as tour guide . Her parents and friends couldn't understand why she chose the hard work. But facing all the confusion( ), Yang just smiled and said, "Tibet is full of charm ."
When Yang finished her studies at the university three years ago, she had two choices: being an exchange student in Germany, or volunteering for Tibet. Finally, she chose the latter . Her father said, " I'll support( ) you. But no matter what happens, you have to face it on your own."
When Yang went to Tibet for the first time, she got a " gift" -- altitude sickness( ). She had to be in hospital, but she didn't tell her parents about it. During her volunteer work, she did a great job because she worked very hard.
One day when she returned to her room at night, she got a call from another tour guide volunteer. She told her that a woman of the group was badly hurt when climbing the mountains. Hearing that, Yang went to the hospital quickly and decided to stay there and look after the woman.
Yang learnt a lot from the volunteer experience." As long as I think of the sky there, I can laugh it off, no matter what difficulties I may meet," she said. | middle2661.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Canada."
},
"options": [
"England.",
"America.",
"Canada.",
"China."
],
"question": "Where does Simon come from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | I have a pen pal in Canada. His name is Simon. He lives in Ottawa, Canada. He is twelve years old. He also studies in a middle school.
Simon lives in a happy family. His father is a policeman and his mother is a bank clerk . Simon and his parents like exercising. They almost exercise every day. Simon's father is tall. He is good at playing basketball. Simon's mother likes playing volleyball.
Simon usually gets up at 6.30 am. He eats his breakfast at home. Then he goes to school. It's kind of far from the school to his home, so he usually has his lunch at school.
Usually, Simon does his homework four times a week. Simon likes watching TV. He usually watches TV for about one hour every day. He goes to bed at nine. | middle1368.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "teacher"
},
"options": [
"player",
"runner",
"teacher",
"driver"
],
"question": "Mr. King is a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text... | Mr. King is a tall and strong man. He teaches P.E. in a middle school. He has a long beard and takes care of it.
It was Sunday yesterday. There was a big football match of the year on the playground in the centre of the city. Mr. King likes the games very much and of course he was going to watch it. With his friends' help he got a ticket a few days ago. After breakfast he hurried to the bus stop, but a lot of people were waiting there. A bus came. There were lots of people on it and it was difficult for them to put their feet. He had to grip the back of the chair. At the next stop a boy got on the bus. He was short and couldn't grip anything. Suddenly the bus stopped and the boy was likely to fall off. He looked around and saw Mr. King's beard and gripped it. The man found it at once and called out,"Go off my beard, boy!"
"Are you going to get off, sir?"asked the boy. | middle824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "I was the only child who didn't have a father at home on Father's Day."
},
"options": [
"My parents divorced when I was 8 years old.",
"My parents' marriage was a mistake of World War II.",
"My mother has got cards on Father'... | My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. Their marriage was a mistake of World War II. And about 50 years ago, I was the only child I knew who didn't have a father at home on Father's Day. Divorce was very uncommon back then.
So when my friends were in town shopping for presents for their fathers, I decided since my mother was both Mother and Father, no one else was like her, who better deserved(be worth) a present on Father's Day than her?
I bought her a little set of tools, just a few things, hammer, pliers and screwdriver and a box to put all these things in. I got some ideas from my grandfather and named it Mother's Tool Box. She was excited, more at the thought of being cared for on Father's Day than of the present. She always said she liked her Father's Day memories better than the Mother's Day ones. It made her feel special -- and she was. I have noticed in the past few years, greeting cards are even made for "Mother on Father's Day". Ever since then, my mother has got cards on Father's Day. By the way, she knew just how to use those tools and others she had ever used over the years. | middle830.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Teeth."
},
"options": [
"Bones.",
"Teeth.",
"Head.",
"Bactria."
],
"question": "What's the strongest part in the human body according to the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | What's the strongest part of your body? Your head? Bones? It's your teeth. There is a special thing called enamel in teeth. It is the hardest thing in the human body and keeps bacteria away. However, teeth are hurt easily to problems and disease. September 20 is National Teeth-loving Day in China. Let's pay attention to the health of our teeth.
Teeth problems are common around the world. Most children and young adults have tooth decay . A study which come out on China Health Monthly magazine this year showed that 40.74% of a sample of 1,306 Chinese students under age 15 has decayed teeth.
Food that is rich in sugar increases the risk of tooth decay. After you eat, bacteria go crazy over the sugar on your teeth. The bacteria turn sugar into acids that eat away at tooth enamel. This causes holes in your teeth.
Another common problem is crooked teeth . When your new teeth begin to grow and the old teeth haven't fallen out, there isn't enough space for the new ones. This causes crooked teeth.
Don't worry. Here are some ways to keep your teeth healthy.
*Brush at least twice a day in the morning and in the evening.
*Learn to use dental floss . The floss gets rid of food that's hidden where your toothbrush can't get it.
*Visit a dentist. He or she can check if you have any dental problems and help you clean your teeth.
*Pay attention to what you eat. It's better to eat lots of fruit and vegetables instead of fries and drink water instead of soda.
*Wear braces to make your teeth straight and beautiful. | middle4204.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Australia"
},
"options": [
"Canada",
"America",
"Australia",
"English"
],
"question": "Mr and Mrs Green come from _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | Mr and Mrs Green come from Australia .They are in Beijing now .Mr Green is a teacher in a high school .He teaches English ,He likes reading and running .His son, Jim, is a student.He likes playing football very much .He likes school, too. He does his homework every day . Mrs Green is a teacher ,too. She can speak a little Chinese. She likes Chinese food .She doesn't like doing housework at all, but she likes cooking .They all like China a lot. | middle2675.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "two months"
},
"options": [
"one day",
"one year",
"two weeks",
"two months"
],
"question": "Before she gave the jasmine away, the writer had it for.",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answ... | I bought a jasmine plant for my office. When I bought it, I was told it would bloom and the sweet smell would fill my office. I had the plant for two months, and every day I looked at it, but there weren't any flowers or pleasant smell. I was not happy, so I gave the plant to my friend Linda.
One day, another friend Mary called and invited me to her office. When I walked in, her jasmine flowers surprised me. I reached out to touch the flowers. Mary cut some and gave them to me. I couldn't help smelling them. Surrounded by the sweet smell of only a handful of these flowers, I suddenly understood something.
Mary bought her plant the same time I did. It took a year for her jasmine to bloom. I was so impatient for mine to bloom; regretfully, I gave it away.
In a way my life is like the jasmine plant. I need to be patient and let things happen.
Last Sunday Linda told me that she was going abroad the next week. Before she left, she returned the plant to me. This time I am going to wait. I have learned that when we want something in our life, we have to be patient. I am slowly learning to have that patience to wait for my jasmine to bloom. | middle2113.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "not only get knowledge but also improve your ability"
},
"options": [
"study math harder than any other subject",
"stop learning the subjects you don't like",
"not only get knowledge but also improve your ability",
"pay... | Have you thought of such questions as "Why do I have to study math?" or "I am not interested in history at all. My dream is to be an engineer.Should I give history up?"
Maybe you are right. After you leave school, it's necessary for you to understand such things. Please remember that at school, besides getting knowledge, you should pay attention to some other important things.
First, try to find what you are most interested in. At school, you study many subjects. Try to find which you like and which you don't like. This may be helpful to you in the future. Second, maybe you don't like math and you want to drop it. But the logical thinking ability from math can help you solve some problems. At school, you should practice your brain by thinking. Third, you should believe in yourself. Maybe you learn English at school, but you don't need to speak English in your daily life at all. You should think learning English can prove that you have the ability of learning languages. Suppose you go to France one day and find a job there. Then you can tell yourself, "I can do my job well. At school I learned English well, and now I must be able to learn French well, too." But if you have no confidence, what will happen?
Try to challenge yourself as often as possible. I think many of us like playing computer games. When we fail in a game, we always want to try it again. Why? Because we want to get the highest marks, though it is hard for us to get it. If we want to challenge ourselves, we must face more difficult things and make greatest progress. | middle4562.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "took a plane"
},
"options": [
"took a coach",
"took a plane",
"took a bus",
"took a train"
],
"question": "The writer met the soldiers when he _ to Chicago.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Choose the best answer (,)
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment , and sat down in my seat.Just before take-off,a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the empty seats.
After flying for about an hour,an announcement was made that sack lunch were available for $5.As I reached for my wallet to buy one,I overheard the soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch."No ,that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch.I'll wait till we get to Chicago."His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers.None were buying lunch.I walked to the back of the plane,and handed the flight attendant a $50 bill."
Take a lunch to all those soldiers."
After we finished eating. I went again to the back of the plane,heading for the restroom.A man stopped me."I saw what you did.I want to be part of it.Here,take this."He handed me $25.
Soon after I returned to my seat,I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle.
When he got to my row,he stopped and said,"I want to shake your hand.I was a soldier and I was a military pilot.Once,someone bought me a lunch.
It was an act of kindness I never forgot."I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs.A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand,wanting to shake mine.He left another $25 in my hand.
We landed in Chicago,I picked up my belongings.Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me and put something in my shirt pocket.Another $25.
Upon entering the terminal ,I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to their base.I walked over to them and handed them $75."It will take you some time to reach the base.It will be about time for a sandwich.God Bless You."I said.
These soldiers were giving their all for our country.I could only give them a couple of meals.It seemed so little. | middle6375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he throws the lottery in a garbage can"
},
"options": [
"he lost the money on the way home",
"he can't find the lottery in his box",
"he throws the lottery in a garbage can",
"he can't find his money in his pockets"
... | Pedro Rossi is happy--he is very,very happy! He won $500,000! He won the lottery !
Pedro is happy for only a few days. Then he remembers his lottery ticket! He throws it in the garbage _ !
Pedro runs to the garbage can and looks in it. The garbage can is not over there at all!
"The garbage is gone,"his wife says. "The garbage truck comes in the morning."
The garbage truck takes the garbage can to the garbage dump ! Pedro runs to the dump. He looks for it for two days. But he can't find it.
Pedro lives in town in Brazil. Pedro tells the people in the town,"Look for my lottery ticket at the dump. If you find it,I can give you half the money."
Everyday hundreds of people go to the dump to look for the ticket. Five days later,a man finds it. Pedro gives the man $250,000.
Pedro won $500,000 in the lottery. Now he won only 250,000. But he is not sad. "Before,one man was happy,"Pedro says. "Now two men are happy!" | middle3225.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because the number SIX is considered to be \"lucky\" in China."
},
"options": [
"Because that day is quite close to the summer holiday.",
"Because the opening celebration won't be ready until that day.",
"Because the number S... | DISNEY's theme park, its first on the Chinese mainland, Shanghai Disneyland, has already been completed, and will open its doors on June 16, 2016. "Six is a lucky number to Chinese people," the Walt Disney Company said.
Shanghai Disneyland will host an opening celebration to welcome its first guests. At the opening, it will hold more Chinese-style activities instead of Western-style ones, because the host wants to show China's local traditional culture. "We have prepared a three-day celebration and are hiring more than 8,000 actors," Philippe Gas, Shanghai Disneyland's general manager, told Shanghai Television yesterday.
So why has Disneyland been so popular? Well, it's described as "the Happiest Place on Earth" and "a place for the young and young at heart". Disney's storytelling in rides like roller coasters is a big reason for their parks' success. "We tell a story in everything we do," Pressler said.
However, Disney's parks haven't always been popular everywhere. When Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, some French people felt that American culture was invading France. But still, the park stayed open and today it is a popular place for European visitors. | middle7043.txt |
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