questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "shocked"
},
"options": [
"shocked",
"angry",
"disappointed",
"calm"
],
"question": "Hearing her son's question, the author felt _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | One evening last summer, when I asked my 17-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response surprised me, "What's a colander ?" he asked.
I could only blame myself. Nobody's hands went in the sauce except my own. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn't prepared Ray for.
As parents, while we focus on our child's confidence and character, we perhaps don't always consider that we are also raising someone's future roommate, boyfriend, husband, or father. I wanted to know that I'd raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, "What's for dinner?" So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home economics course. I was delighted to find that he didn't say no.
For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.
I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops I the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother -- he tried to beg off sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive -- but it couldn't be denied that he was learning, and _ . "I appreciate more what you do as a mom," he told me one day.
Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more important, he realizes there's nothing masculine about being helpless. Not only can he make his own dinner, he can make it for his family, too. That's what I call a man. | high10207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was made to welcome customers and check their bags"
},
"options": [
"asked every customer for money to feed her family",
"was made to welcome customers and check their bags",
"was asked to keep the door open all the time",
... | While I was on my way to Walmart, I was greeted by an elder woman who was working at the door as a greeter, I had a return to make so she stopped me and asked to tag my bag. Usually I would have gotten annoyed because I know I don't steal, so why does my bag need to be tagged? I'd just witnessed someone ahead of me being not so nice, and treating the lady like she was a nobody. I could see this lady looked to be at retirement age, trying to make ends meet. The look on her face and the energy she gave was that of someone afraid and not knowing where they stood in life. Not to mention the person ahead of me who'd just snatched a bag back from her and stormed off without even saying thank you. I could tell this woman was hurt by that, and no one knows how many people had been treating her that way all day long.
What if she was a grandmother who'd recently taken care of her grandchildren for whatever season? What if her husband she had to support recently fell sick and they couldn't afford the medical expenses, so she had to go back to work? What if she just lost everything she had in her retirement and now she had to go back to work?
All she wants is to do her job and do it well. All she wants is to serve customers the way she was trained. All she needs is to be appreciated. Can I be that someone she needs, just for the moment?
I looked her in her eyes as she scanned my bag, smiled and said, "Your hair is beautiful and fits you well!" Her face lit up and she smiled back and began to tell me how much easier it is to manage. It was salt-and-pepper hair and was cut in the prettiest style. She handed my bag back, smiled and told me the service desk was straight down to my left. I said "Thank you!" | high2740.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Show ads based on your conversation ."
},
"options": [
"Chat with you like a real friend .",
"Turn on your phone's microphone .",
"Identify the movie you are watching .",
"Show ads based on your conversation ."
],
... | The Big Brother in the novel 1984 listens to everything and nothing can escape his ears . Now in reality , we have Facebook . The social media giant has never denied that it's keeping track of conversations you have near your phone ( if the Facebook app is open , that is ) , but not , one expert has told NBC that Mark Zuckerberg's empire may be keeping ears on you at a more regular basis . According to Professor Kelli Burns , who teaches mass communication at the University of South Florida , it may be listening more often than it lets on .
To prove her point , Burns turned on the microphone feature on her phone , and said , " I'm really interested in going on an African journey . I think it'd be wonderful to ride in one of those jeeps . " Less than a minute later , when she checked her Facebook page , she was met by a story about a journey - the first post on her newsfeed . There was also a car ad on her page .
While Facebook says that it's only keeping its ears open to help " identify the music you're listening to and TV matches you're watching , " Burns' little experiment suggests that there may be other motivations at play as well . But the social media company has denied claims that it records any conversations , and told The Independent , " Facebook does not use microphone audio to inform advertising or News Feed stories in any way . Businesses are able to serve related ads based on people's interests and other statistic information , but not through audio collection . "
Whether you believe this statement or not , there are ways to stop Facebook from listening in at all . Simply turn off your phone's microphone by heading over into Settings ( if you're an iPhone user ) , going to the Privacy tab , then clicking on Microphone . From there , you can remove Facebook's mic privileges , and probably , stop the company from hearing your conversations . On Android , you can also go to Privacy under the Settings tab , and change Facebook's permissions .
So the next time you're chatting with your friends about your summer vacation plans , keep an eye on your Facebook feed . There may be more participants in your conversation than you realize . | high19545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "frightened but calm"
},
"options": [
"panicked but optimistic",
"nervous and hopeless",
"upset and regretful",
"frightened but calm"
],
"question": "Gaddy felt _ when he found himself trapped in the crocodil... | "All I could see was two sets of red eyes below me," said Dave Gatty, an Australian farmer who spent seven days up a tree in remote bush land to escape crocodiles. Gatty, 52, said he was forced to take such drastic action after he accidentally went into a crocodile-infested area of Queensland. He only had two meat sandwiches to keep him going, as crocodiles moved beneath his tree each night until his rescue. Gatty said he decided it was safer to hold out for a rescue team than try to make a run for it. His problems began after he fell off his horse while out in the northern Australia outback. Dazed and bleeding, he climbed back on his horse and hoped it would lead him home. It was only when he regained his senses he realized that he had been taken into crocodile-infested area. "I had to get off the horse and I fell straight into a crocodile nest," he told reporters.
"That frightened me. I couldn't go back, it was too far and too dangerous, so I headed to the nearest high ground and stayed there, hoping someone would come and find me before the crocs did."
Gatty explained how each night two crocodiles would sit at the bottom of the tree staring at him. Although Gatty's two sandwiches ran out after three days, he was able to get running water during the day and knew rescuers were looking for him as he could see helicopters in the air above his tree.
"If I hadn't seen the crocs circling me, and if I hadn't fallen into the croc nest, I would have made a push for it. But I knew the safest thing was for me to sit and wait," he said. A chocolate bar, given to him by rescuers after being moved to safety by using a winch , "was like a gourmet (delicious)meal," he said. | high4331.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell"
},
"options": [
"people dive 300 meters into the sea",
"expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones",
"cheap cars don't run as fast as expensive ones",
"expensi... | When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven't had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don't need one. I have a mobile phone and I'm always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices tell the time--which is why, if you look around, you'll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don't need them, others--apparently including some distinguished men of our time--are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to PS250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions--but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years' school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds' worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as"investments" . A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly PS350, 000, while the 1960s Rolexes have gone from PS15, 000 to PS30, 000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It's a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up--they've been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that PS350, 000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex. | high2998.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was disappointed with the restaurant"
},
"options": [
"was satisfied with the restaurant.",
"was disappointed with the restaurant",
"had to wait for his food",
"ate for the first time at the restaurant"
],
"ques... | To: manager@ tastytreat.com.ca
Date: Monday, 7 October, 3:34p.m.
From: raymondyuen@ canada.net
Subject: Complaint
Dear Mr. Price,
I have eaten in your restaurant many times and have always been happy with the food and service. This makes what happened last Saturday even more disappointing.
It was my son's birthday so we booked a no-smoking table at your restaurant for 7:30 p.m. We arrived on time but were told that our table was not yet ready. At 8:00 p.m., we were given a table in the smoking section. I asked to move but I was told that there were no other tables. A lot of people were smoking so it was uncomfortable and unhealthy.
Our first waitress, Janet, was very polite and helpful. She gave us free drinks for waiting so long. Our food also came quickly and looked fresh and tasty. When my wife had eaten most of her meal, she found a dead cockroach in her vegetables. She was shocked and wanted to leave. At first, the waitress told us it was a piece of garlic . When we told her that garlic does not have legs, she apologized and took the food away.
We asked for the bill, expecting not to pay for my wife's meal. Nobody came. After 15 minutes, I asked to see the manager. The head waiter told us that you were on holiday. I complained again about the horrible cockroach. He told me Janet had finished work. He didn't believe my story and gave me a bill for three meals. I argued with him but was forced to pay.
The waitress, Janet, was always friendly, but I would like an apology from your impolite head waiter and a full refund for our meal. It cost $68. Until then, I will not be eating at your restaurant or recommending it to anyone.
You can contact me at 742-3254 or through e-mail if you want more information.
Thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Raymond Yuen | high16676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Monday"
},
"options": [
"Monday",
"Wednesday",
"Friday",
"Sunday"
],
"question": "_ has always been thought as the unhappiest day of a week.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | If you struggled to get up for work on Wednesdays, there could be a good reason--it is the day our mood reaches its lowest point. Monday has traditionally been thought of as the most depressing day of the week but according to psychologists, midweek gives more cause for concern in reality. Wednesday represented the lowest point in the week as people were furthest away from the weekend that has either just gone or is coming up and often feel too tired to go on with work.
However, psychologists have found that, on average, people's moods remain about the same on each day throughout the week.
To start their research, the University of Sydney scientists asked around 200 people what they thought their mood would be on each day of the week.
Most said their worst moods were on Monday mornings and evenings but they became increasingly cheerful as the week went on, with their best moods falling on Friday and Saturday mornings and evenings.
When asked why they believed that Friday and Saturday were best, respondents said they saw them as less-structured days when they could choose how to spend their time.
The psychologists then asked a further 350 people how they felt each day.
They found that, on average, people's moods remained about the same on each day throughout the week.Mondays were not as depressing as they had feared and Fridays and Saturdays were not as exciting as predicted.
Professor Charles Areni, who led the study, said the day-of-the-week stereotypes stem from a cultural belief that people are generally happier when they are free to choose their activities compared to when they are engaged in paid work.
In reality, he said, weekends do not often see moods change because they are frequently dominated by productive activities that may require large amounts of energy and begin to feel tired like work. "Day-of-the-week stereotypes like Monday morning blues and Thank God It's Friday are largely illusions," he said. | high11119.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Flower buds"
},
"options": [
"Flower buds",
"Pictures",
"Boys",
"Innocent children"
],
"question": "Girls are usually compared to _ at the age of sixteen.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Sixteen, sweet sixteen! Sweet sixteen? What 's so sweet about this birthday? Perhaps because sixteen marks out coming of age, which is the interim period between childhood and adulthood. It is a very brief and unique stage in our lives. A time when we are becoming an adult, yet still haven't lost our childhood innocence. The best of both words.
Actually Sweet Sixteen applies more often to girl's 16th birthday than to boys. At that age, a girl is on the verge of becoming a woman. Picture a flower bud about to bloom, opening its face to the world for the first time. There's a sense of beauty and sweetness to this transition. Our 16th birthday is the first day we can get our driver's license. It is the official step towards becoming an adult. From this day forward, we no longer need our parents to drive us around, take us everywhere. Instead, we just borrow their car. Maybe that's what makes sixteen so sweet to the boys as they eagerly celebrate this newfound autonomy . Now they can drive without adult supervision! Haa, haa! | high18883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "her name was similar to a terrorist's"
},
"options": [
"she and her husband returned from Jamaica",
"her name was similar to a terrorist's",
"she had been held in Montreal",
"she had spoken at a book event"
],
"... | My heart sank when the man at the immigration counter gestured to the back room. I was born and raised in America, and this was Miami, where I live, but they weren't quite ready to let me in yet.
"Please wait in here, Ms. Abujaber," the immigration officer said. My husband, with his very American last name, accompanied me. He was getting used to this. The same thing had happened recently in Canada when I'd flown to Montreal to speak at a book event. That time they held me for 45 minutes. Today we were returning from a literary festival in Jamaica, and I was shocked that I was being sent "in back" once again.
The officer behind the counter called me up and said, "Miss, your name looks like the name of someone who's on our wanted list. We're going to have to check you out with Washington."
"How long will it take?"
"Hard to say...a few minutes," he said, "We'll call you when we're ready for you." After an hour, Washington still hadn't decided anything about me.
"Isn't this computerized?" I asked at the counter, "Can't you just look me up?"
"Just a few more minutes," they assured me.
After an hour and a half, I pulled my cell phone out to call the friends I was supposed to meet that evening. An officer rushed over. "No phones!" he said, "For all we know you could be calling a terrorist cell and giving them information."
"I'm just a university professor," I said. My voice came out in a squeak.
"Of course you are. And we take people like you out of here in leg irons every day."
I put my phone away.
My husband and I were getting hungry and tired. Whole families had been brought into the waiting room, and the place was packed with excitable children, exhausted parents, and even a flight attendant.
I wanted to scream, to jump on a chair and shout: "I'm an American citizen; a novelist; I probably teach English literature to your children."
After two hours in detention , I was approached by one of the officers. "You're free to go," he said. No explanation or apologies. For a moment, neither of us moved. We were still in shock. Then we leaped to our feet.
"Oh, one more thing," he handed me a tattered photocopy with an address on it, "If you aren't happy with your treatment, you can write to this agency."
"Will they respond?" I asked.
"I don't know--I don't know of anyone who's ever written to them before." Then he added," By the way, this will probably keep happening each time you travel internationally."
"What can I do to keep it from happening again?"
He smiled the empty smile we'd seen all day, "Absolutely nothing."
After telling several friends about our ordeal, probably the most frequent advice I've heard in response is to change my name. Twenty years ago, my own graduate school writing professor advised me to write under a pen name so that publishers wouldn't stick me in what he called "the ethnic ghetto"--a separate, secondary shelf in the bookstore. But a name is an integral part of anyone's personal and professional identity--just like the town you're born in and the place where you're raised.
Like my father, I'll keep the name, but my airport experience has given me a whole new perspective on what diversity and tolerance are supposed to mean. I had no idea that being an American would ever be this hard. | high5991.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "is an interesting experience"
},
"options": [
"is an interesting experience",
"is always very stressful",
"needs much professional knowledge",
"is the best choice to work in a TV station"
],
"question": "Accordi... | The Production Department can be a fun place to work in a TV station. It can also be quite stressful if the station broadcasts a significant amount of live programming. There can be a number of interesting positions in this department. Here is a list of the core ones:
The Production Manager heads the department, and is the person to contact if you are interested in working in this area. He or she oversees all activities in the studios, hires and fires workers, meets with customers who want to produce an advertisement, and monitors expense budgets for the department. The person in this position may also sometimes act as a Director, Producer, Camera Operator, or any other role in which they are proficient.
Directors lead the crew during a production session. Over a headset, the Director tells Camera Operators what shots to get and the Technical Director (TD) what audio and video to put on the air. Directors work closely with the Producer of each program, ensuring that the final product meets with the Producer's demands.
A Technical Director is a master at "punching" up the correct video source. In other words, if the Director calls for camera one, the Technical Director puts camera one on the air. The TD sits in front of a massive board called a "swicher" during production sessions, which allows him or her to literally switch between video sources. Since this can be a high-pressure, fast-moving job, the best Technical Directors are people who can stay even-tempered and in control.
The Stage Manager is responsible for everything that goes on in the television studio. This person makes sure all of the equipment is in good working order, oversees the building and placement of all staging, and may even set the lighting for all productions. Really efficient Stage Managers take pride in their studios, and it would not be unusual to see this person sweeping the floor or cleaning the sets between productions. This is a leadership position, which often leads to promotion to the position of Production Manager. | high3338.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She does reading"
},
"options": [
"She does reading",
"Her mother doesn't provide her with enough books.",
"She has become addicted to playing games on the web.",
"Like many youngsters, she has lost interest in"
],
... | Books are not Nadia Konyk's thing. Her mother brings them home from the library, but Nadia rarely shows interest. Instead, like so many other teenagers, Nadia, 15, is addicted to the Internet. She regularly spends at least six hours a day in front of the computer, spending most of her time reading and commenting on stories written by other users. Her mother, Deborah Konyk, would prefer that Nadia read books for a change.
As teenagers' scores on reading tests have declined, some argue that the hours spent surfing the Internet are the enemy of reading--destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books. Critics have warned that electronic media would destroy reading.
Others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write. What is different now, some literacy experts say, is that spending time on the Web engages viewers with text.
Web supporters believe that strong readers on the Web may eventually surpass those who rely on books. Reading five Web sites, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book. "It takes a long time to read a 400-page book," said Spiro. "In a tenth of the time," he said, the Internet allows a reader to "cover a lot more of the topic from different points of view."
Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem. "Kids are using sound and images so they have a world of ideas to put together," said Donna Alvermann, a professor of literacy education at the University of Georgia. "Books aren't out of the picture, but they're only one way of experiencing information in the world today."
Next year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which gives reading, math and science tests to 15-year-old students in more than 50 countries, will add an electronic reading component . The United States says it will not participate because an additional test would overburden schools. | high16110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He has a great talent for singing."
},
"options": [
"He has a great talent for singing.",
"He works quite hard as a shop owner.",
"He sings better than Susan Boyle.",
"He likes watching TV best."
],
"question": ... | A shop worker nicknamed Little Fatty told of his shock at becoming a Susan Boyle-like Internet star after a perfect Whitney Houston performance on a TV talent show. Lin Yuqun, 24, won over the judges and the audience of the Million Star show with perfect performances of Whitney Houston's I will Always Love You , and has got 480,000 hits on video sharing website You Tube.
"I am shocked that I can draw so much attention. I'm really moved and happy that people like my performance of Whitney's song," said Lin, who works part-time at a musical instrument shop. "I've loved singing since I was a little boy and I feel like I am living my dream now. I hope I can pursue a career in singing," he told reporters.
Reporters called him "China's Susan Boyle", describing him as "plain-looking and short", but Lin, who has the nickname "Little Fatty", told reporters the comparison made him proud. "I am honoured to be compared to Susan Boyle. I am inspired and encouraged by her because she proved that even a person who's seen as an underdog and who has ordinary looks can shine on the stage," Lin said.
Since his performance was posted on Youtube late last week, he has been the subject of heated conversation in on-line chat rooms on American Yahoo! and other foreign websites. " _ " a viewer wrote on YouTube.
Scottish single Susan Boyle got recognized around the world after she was discovered last year on the British's Got Talent television show with her performance of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables, which was the best-selling debut in British chart history and also topped the US charts. | high5749.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "wanted to refresh after 26 years' work"
},
"options": [
"had lost his old job",
"wanted to refresh after 26 years' work",
"had a desire for travelling",
"became interested in historical research"
],
"question": ... | Dennis Sinar, 51, a doctor from New York, is quick to explain why he took a year-long break from his job. "I was pretty burned out after practicing medicine for 26 years. I needed a recharge." So he took a "gap year", from July 2011 to June 2012, to explore things like ancient buildings, and traditional Eastern medicine, in locations including Alaska, Nepal and Romania.
"Taking a break from work is an excellent way for adults to go into a new career or refresh an old one," said Holly Bull, president of Princeton, N, J. "In recent years, mid-career breaks have been gaining more interest," she said. A report on adult gap years published this year by a market research company also described the potential American market for gap years as a "sleeping giant."
"A gap year is a challenge for the older individual to step out of a comfort zone and take a risk. I enjoyed that side most." said Dr. Sinar, who kept a daily blog about his experience. His time studying Eastern medicine "assured the reasons I went into health care," said Dr. Sinar, who returned to practice medicine at his old job, although he works fewer days. "I use those experiences to provide my patients with more care," he added. "And I listen better than I did before."
George Garritan, chairman of the Department of Leadership and Human Capital Management at New York University, certainly agrees with Dr. Sinar. He said a gap-year experience could be worthwhile for employees and companies. For employees, investing in themselves and improving skill sets is a move that will benefit throughout their career. He added that returning employees feel refreshed and have given more thought to their career. For companies, offering unpaid leaves makes good sense for attracting and keeping talented employees. | high10561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "25%"
},
"options": [
"16%",
"25%",
"35%",
"55%"
],
"question": "How many office workers use old computers in Britain expressed their dissatisfaction?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answ... | Old Computers Make for Unhappy Workers --- Survey
LONDON (Reuters) ----- Dealing with the dissatisfaction of aging and unreliable office computers leads to workers' unhappiness and more sick leave, a survey showed on Wednesday.
A survey carried out by caro4free.net of over 2,700 European office workers from the UK, France and Germany found that workplace dissatisfaction increased greatly with the age of the computer equipment.
"We do know that job satisfaction is falling in Britain and most advanced nations," said Stephen White, a researcher from the Work Foundation. "The actual reasons for _ are the subject of very heated discussion. It's certainly one interesting theory that technology may be the cause of this in some way," White added.
A quarter of these using outdated computers in Britain said they were "quite" or "very dissatisfied" with their everyday job compared to the percent of those who had enjoyed an advantage from up-to-date technology.
The survey also said that among workers dealing with outdated equipment, there was a 35 percent greater probability they would take six or more days of sick leave per year compared with the average worker. In France, where more workers use old computers, the probability jumped to 55 percent.
Results also showed that women in the three countries were more likely to be using outdated equipment. In the UK, where more workers have up-to-date computers than in the other countries surveyed, the number of women using old equipment doubled that of men.
White pointed out that there were two sides to this problem, saying that continuously having to deal with new technology and equipment can also be a source of worry. "Old and faulty equipment is a major cause of office dissatisfaction. There is no question about it; but you also have to say that the frequent change of equipment is also, or could be, a main cause of dissatisfaction." | high2026.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "83156170"
},
"options": [
"65514787",
"83156170",
"68485462",
"66069999"
],
"question": "If you want to buy tickets for listening to the music \"Memory of Childhood\", you will dial _ .",
"question_type": ... | The China National Opera (CNO) will give a concert to celebrate its 50thbirthday.
Different generations of CNO vocalists , like Li Guangxi, Yao Hong and Ma Mei, will present the concert which will feature both songs from famous operas like "The White-haired Girl" and "The Hundredth Bride", as well as arias of such Western opera classics as "Madame Butterfly", "La Traviata" and "Rigoletto".
Time/Date:7:30pm, September 7,8
Location: Tianqiao Theatre
Tel: 65514787, 83156170
Tickets:60~500 yuan (US $7.3~60.2)
_
A concert will be held to feature some recently-composed traditional Chinese music works.
The concert, given by the Folk Orchestra of China Opera and Ballet Theatre, will include such pieces as "Memory of Childhood", "Memorial Ceremony for God" and "Wine Song".
Time/Date:7:30pm, September 13
Location: Concert Hall at the National Library of China
Tel: 68485462, 68419220
Tickets:30~200 yuan (US $ 3.6~24.1)
_
A concert of traditional Chinese music will be given on the eve of the Moon Festival which falls on September 21 this year.
The concert will feature a number of famous pieces centered on the theme of the moon, such as "Moonlight", "Spring Night on a Moonlit River" and "Lofty Mountain and Flowing River".
A number of established traditional Chinese music performers, like Zhou Yaokun and Fan Weiqing, will play solos as well as collaborate with the folk music orchestra.
Time/Date:7:30pm, September 20
Location: Grand Theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities
Tel : 66068888, 66069999 | high13068.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The authority's order."
},
"options": [
"Parents' complaints.",
"The authority's order.",
"The photos of other kids.",
"Supporting from the school."
],
"question": "What speeded up the spread of Martha's story?"... | When Barbra Streisand discovered in 2003 that a photograph of her California beach house was among 12,000 photos on theInternetas part of a collection by photographer Kenneth Adelman, she did what any famous person would do:hit him with a $50 million lawsuit. But in trying to hold back the images, she caused a different outcome. Her legal actions led to almost half a million people visiting the website, viewing and copying the photos within a month.
Ever since then, the effect of letting public know something you are trying to keep secret has been called the"Streisand effect". The problem for anyone trying to _ information is that the Internet is the world's biggest and most efficient copying machine. Put a document on to a connected machine and it will spread. So when you want to be famous, you can't, but if you find yourself in the spotlight and want to erase yourself, you cannot.
There is no shortage of examples of the Streisand effect. Nine-year-old Martha Payne created a simple blog, posting the meals her school served. She took a photo of what was barely a filling meal by anyone's standards. With the photo, she filled a comment, "Now Dad understands why I am hungry when I get home." The thing did not go too far, until the local authority banned little Martha from doing that again. Martha posted a supposedly final post called "Goodbye", explaining everything. Once the media found this out, things went from bad to worse for the authority. Now the blog has more than 9.5 million page views. Martha has even expanded her blog by including pictures of school meals taken by other kids from all over the world, like Germany and Japan.
We can find similar examples throughout history, to be frank. Man has experienced the Streisand effect ever since the birth of mass communication. Why does it exist? Every time you are told not to see what's in the secret shiny box wrapped in gift paper, you're going to do everything in your power todo exactly that! Just realizing that knowing something about someone is harmful to their status, we will want to know that piece of information. This is exactly the human nature. This is what lawyers and authorities should be familiar with. Unfortunately, a few of them fail to grasp it. | high9173.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an olive branch means flood is over"
},
"options": [
"an olive branch suggests flood is coming.",
"the ark is made of olive tree wood.",
"an olive branch means flood is over",
"a dove loves to settle on the olive branch... | The term "to extend an olive branch" means to make an offer of peace or reconciliation . This term has Biblical origins, coming from the section of the Old Testament that deals with the flood; the sign that the flood is over is an olive branch brought back to the ark by a dove. Olive branches were also symbols of peace in Ancient Greece and Rome, and they continue to be used in various works of art that are meant to suggest peace.
Some people have suggested that the olive was a very deliberate and well-considered choice as a metaphor for peace, because olive trees famously take years to mature. War is typically very, hard on the trees because people cannot take the time to nurture them and plant new ones. Therefore, the offer of an olive branch would suggest that someone is tired of war, whether it be an actual war or a falling out between friends.
In Ancient Greek and Roman times, people would offer actual olive branches. In Rome, for example, defeated armies traditionally carried olive branches to indicate that they were giving in, and the Greeks used them into weddings and other ceremonies. In the modem era, the branch is usually metaphorical, rather than actual, not least because the plants can be a bit difficult to obtain.
Many people agree that peace negotiations at all levels of society are a good idea. Between nations, obviously, it is important to extend an olive branch to ensure mutual safety and to help the world run more smoothly. This act can also be important on a personal level, as resolving conflict and learning to get along with others is viewed as an important life skill in many cultures.
At some point m their lives, many people will be advised to extend an olive branch to settle a dispute or resolve an issue. Some people believe that it takes an immense amount of courage to take this action, as it often comes with an admission of wrongdoing and regret. | high14707.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "her English was poor"
},
"options": [
"her English was poor",
"it's easy to master English",
"it's difficult to make money",
"people there weren't very friendly"
],
"question": "After the woman visited the Unite... | A woman from Japan was telling a friend about her trip to the United States.The woman had visited major businesses and investment companies in New York City and Chicago.
"I studied English before I left home,"she said."But I still was not sure that people were speaking English."
Her problem is easy to understand.Americans in business are like people who are in business anywhere.They have a language of their own.Some of the words and expressions deal with the special areas of their work.Other expressions are borrowed from different kinds of work such as the theater and movie industry.
One such saying is "get your act together".
When things go wrong in a business,an employer may get angry.He may shout,"Stop making mistakes.Get your act together."
Or,if the employer is calmer,he may say,"Let us get our act together."
Either way,the meaning is the same.Getting your act together is getting organized.In business,it usually means to develop a calm and orderly plan of action.
It is difficult to tell exactly where the saying began.But,it is probable that it was in the theater or movie industry.Perhaps one of the actors was nervous and made a lot of mistakes.The director may have said,"Calm down,now.Get your act together."
Word expert James Rogers says the expression was common by the late 1970s.Mister Rogers says the Manchester Guardian newspaper used it in 1978.The newspaper said a reform policy required that the British government get its act together.
Now,this expression is heard often when officials of a company meet.One company even called its yearly report,"Getting Our Act Together."
The Japanese visitor was confused by another expression used by American business people.It is cut to the chase.
She heard that expression when she attended an important meeting of one company.One official was giving a very long report.It was not very interesting.In fact,some people at the meeting were falling asleep.
Finally,the president of the company said,"Cut to the chase."
Cut to the chase means to stop spending so much time on details or unimportant material.Hurry and get to the good part.
Naturally,this saying was started by people who make movies.Hollywood movie producers believe that most Americans want to see action movies.Many of their movies show scenes in which the actors chase each other in cars,or in airplanes or on foot.
Cut is the director's word for stop.The director means to stop filming,leave out some material,and get to the chase scene now.
So,if your employer tells you to cut to the chase,be sure to get to the main point of your story quickly. | high6240.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The first English dictionary was published in the early 17"
},
"options": [
"The dialect of London became the standard in the year 1604.",
"Vowels were pronounced longer towards the end of Middle English",
"The first English ... | Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16
century the British had contact with people from around the world. This means that many new words and phrases entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604, the first English dictionary was published.
The numbers of words in Early Modern English and Late Modern English differ. Late Modern English has a lot more words because of two main factors: firstly, the Industrial Revolution created a need for new words; secondly, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth's surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization of North America resulted in the creation of American English. Some English pronunciation and words
when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that the British call " Americanisms" are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies but were lost in Britain. Spanish also had an influence on American English, with words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante being examples of Spanish words that entered English. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English is the most influential . But there are many other kinds of English around the world, including Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, South African English , Indian English and Caribbean English. They have differences. | high15419.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "angry"
},
"options": [
"worried",
"angry",
"nervous",
"surprised"
],
"question": "Hearing Mary decided to leave home, Mary's father was very _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | It was late one evening. I can't remember what it was about, but my dad and I had a very big argument when my mom was away. We both said things we didn't mean, and in the end I said, "I'm leaving." And he said, "Good. The sooner, the better."
I threw a few things in a suitcase and closed the door angrily behind me, not knowing where I was going. After walking aimlessly for about 20 minutes, I stopped at a local supermarket. Then my phone rang. It was my mom calling. She said, "Hey, Mary. Where are you? Dad is worried about you."
"How can he worry about me? I've been away for nearly half an hour, but he didn't call," I said with annoyance . My anger returned and I remembered all the hateful things he'd shouted to me. "Listen, Mom. You can tell Dad that I'm fine. I'll call you tomorrow," I said and hung up.
I walked around the store, trying to get my thoughts together. By the time I paid for my _ , it had been much later than I used to be out alone. When I left the supermarket, a large piece of white paper was in front of me. On the piece of white paper were these words: "Please come home! I miss you and I'm worried about you!"
Then a car pulled up beside me. Hanging out of the window was my dad. Beside him, smiling gently, sat my mom. And that's when I started laughing. I laughed so hard that I cried. Despite my best efforts to run away from home, my father finally managed to track me down. I couldn't leave now, not with him sitting there with caring eyes. | high14713.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "people seldom show depressing stuff on the social networking websites"
},
"options": [
"Facebook or Twitter is a good place where we share personal experience",
"people seldom show depressing stuff on the social networking websites... | Recently the barbican museum in London held an exhibition called the rain room. During the time this exhibition was open, my twitter stream was filled with photos of people standing in the rain room, accompanied by the caption "rain room@ the barbican!" and a location attachment to prove that they were indeed in the rain room.
This got me thinking. What were people actually saying by Tweeting about their visit? I think all they were doing was fulfilling the obligation that we have to share. Not sharing in the sense of treasuring a moment with people close to us, but sharing in the sense of "tell the world that I am doing a thing".
It's not sharing; it's showing off. When we log in to Facebook or Twitter we see an infinitely updating stream of people enjoying themselves. It's not real life, because people only post about the good things whereas all the dull or deep stuff doesn't get mentioned. But despite this obvious fact, it subconsciously makes us feel like everyone is having a better time than us.
This is the curse of our age. We walk around with the tools to capture extensive data about our surroundings and transmit them in real-time to every friend we've made. We end up with a reduced understanding of reality because we're more concerned about choosing a good Instagram filter for our meal than how it tastes.
I don't think that it's inherently wrong to want to keep the world updated about that you're doing. But when you go through life robotically posting about everything you do, you're not a human being. You're just a prism that takes bits of light and sound and channels them into the cloud.
The key thing to remember is that you are not enriching your experiences by sharing them online; you are detracting from them because all your efforts are focused on making the look attractive to other people. Once you stop seeing things through the eyes of the people following you on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram, you can make your experiences significant, because you were there and you saw the sights and smelled the smells and heard the sounds, not snapped a photo of it through a half-inch camera lens. | high9167.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "5 to 7"
},
"options": [
"5 to 7",
"18",
"13",
"384"
],
"question": "If you want to get into touch with a stranger in the world, how many e-mails might it take for the message to reach him/her?",
"question_ty... | We're all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Recipients could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on.
Targets, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail.
The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers estimated that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails.
The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That's because your close friends know each other whereas your acquaintances tend to know people you don't know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren't that close to.
So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It's all about who you know. | high6254.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the outflow of labour helps solve its social problems"
},
"options": [
"the country is Asia's main source of migrant workers",
"labour exports lead to a 10% growth of its GDP",
"the outflow of labour helps solve its social pr... | Last year more than one million Filipinos worked abroad as servants,nurses,sailors and in other difficult but low-paid jobs.Southeast Asians leave their poorer countries for their richer neighbours.
Many of these wage-earners return in the end.In the meantime,they send home huge amounts of money--in the Philippines' case,over 10% of its GDP.Between January and November,the amount was up 18% on the same period of 2005.Poverty and unemployment are still high in the Philippines and other labour-exporting countries.They would be far worse but for this outflow of bodies and inflow of dollars.As for those Asian countries that import labour,as in Europe,falling birth rates mean they are going to need more foreign workers.
On January 13th leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) signed an agreement to help migrant workers--with the realization that the flow of labour between their countries is a growing problem that they cannot blame on outsiders.A 2005 study showed that 8.4 million Southeast Asians worked outside their home countries,but this did not include the huge numbers of Indonesians doing so without papers.So the true total is probably rather higher.
Of the ten ASEAN countries,the Philippines,Indonesia,Myanmar,Cambodia,Vietnam and Laos export labour,Singapore and Brunei import it,and Thailand and Malaysia do both.Sziraczki of the UN's International Labour Organization points out that,in the next ten years,the total labour force of the worker-exporting countries should grow by about a third.It makes sense to work on the problem before it gets out of control.
People in the receiving countries seem to be worried about competition for their jobs.Most Thais said their government should admit no more foreign workers,and a few thought otherwise.Even in Singapore,just over half of people are against admitting more foreign workers.Malaysians think that the increase in foreign workers has worsened crime rates . | high8279.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "his boat was in the darkness"
},
"options": [
"the wind was too strong",
"the wave hit the boat",
"the safety belt was broken",
"his boat was in the darkness"
],
"question": "The author of the passage was alone ... | Well, when the huge wave hit the boat, my safety belt broke and I was swept overboard. I don't really understand how it happened, but it did. I heard someone yell out, but then my boat, Wild One, went off into the darkness and I was alone in a very rough sea. I then spent five and a half hours in the water. The place where it happened was, oh, about 50 kilometers from shore. It was likely that I wouldn't see another day, but I always thought I'd overcome the difficulties. At first I was watching out for Wild One. The rest of the crew knew I was gone, so they were sure to come back and look for me. After a while, I saw the boat's lights when it came looking for me. They were within about 300 meters of me, but the spotlight just missed me. The reason why they didn't see me was because of the huge waves. You know, I started sailing when I was seven, and started ocean racing when I was about eighteen, but I'd never been overboard before. I believed I was going to survive, but it was very cold, and as the hours passed I started to get desperate----and frozen! It was around 5 am when I saw the lights of a tanker coming towards me. I figured it was probably my last chance. At first, I thought they were going to miss me, and then they made a slight turn and I yelled out "Help!" and they heard me. Then another yacht appeared. These guys were terrific. They gave me dry clothes, and then one jumped into the bunk and hung onto me. They covered us with as much dry clothing as they could, and the guy in with me stayed to transfer his body heat to me. | high12362.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He is extremely busy."
},
"options": [
"His hand is more shaky than ever.",
"He is extremely busy.",
"He has got a new address.",
"He has to help the North Polar Bear."
],
"question": "Why can the writer only wr... | Cliff House
Top of the world
Near the North Pole
Christmas, 1925
My dear boys,
I am dreadfully busy this yearit makes my hand more shaky than ever when I think of itand not very rich; in fact awful things have been happening, and some of the presents have got spoilt, and I haven't got the North Polar Bear to help me, and I have had to move house just before Christmas, so you can imagine what a state everything is in, and you will see why I have a new address, and why I can only write one letter between you both.
|K] It all happened like this: one very windy day last November my hood blew off and went and stuck on the top of the North Pole. I told him not to, but the North Polar Bear climbed up to the thin top to get it downand he did. The pole broke in the middle and fell on the roof of my house, and the North Polar Bear fell through the hole it made into the dining room with my hood over his nose, and all the snow fell off the roof into the house and melted and put out all the fires and ran down into the cellars where I was collecting this year's presents, and the North Polar
Bear's leg got broken.
He is well again now, but I was so cross with _ that he says he won't try to help me againI expect his temper is hurt, and will be mended by next Christmas.
I send you a picture of the accident and of my new house on the cliffs above the North Pole(with beautiful cellars in the cliffs).
That's all. Good Bye! | high5985.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People who do not feel satisfied with their jobs."
},
"options": [
"Joanne Gordon herself.",
"Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron.",
"People who do not feel satisfied with their jobs.",
"The workers who agree wit... | "Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life." Do you agree with this old saying? Joanne Gordon does. She is the author of Be Happy at work and other books about careers . Gordon believes that about 30% of employees in North America do not like their jobs, and she thinks that is terrible. She wants to help people who do not feel satisfied with their jobs find work that is good for them. Joanne says, "There are no happy jobs, only happy workers." She believes that happy workers share three main characteristics.
First, happy workers enjoy the daily activities of their jobs, and they look forward to the workday. Take Tony Hawk, for example. At age 14, he became a professional skateboarder. Now he is a businessman working on projects related to skateboarding--films and video games, but he still skates every day. He once said, "My youngest son's pre-school was recently asked what their dads do for work. My son said, 'I've never seen my dad do work.'" Tony agrees that his job doesn't look like work. He has found a way to spend each day doing a job he enjoys.
Second, happy workers like the people they work with. Sally Ayote says, "I work with the coolest people in the world." She and her group cook for almost 1,200 people in Antarctica. Most of these people are scientists who are doing research. Sally loves to sit and talk with them. She says, "There is no television here, no radio, so I get to know the scientists and what they're studying." Sally thinks she has a great job, and the best part about it is the people.
Third, happy workers know that their work helps others. Caroline Baron's work helps people who have had to leave their home countries because of war or other dangers. She is a filmmaker who started an organization called FilmAid, which shows movies in refugee camps around the world. Caroline believes that movies can be very helpful in these camps. For one thing, entertaining movies let refugees forget their troubles for a little while. Movies can also teach important subjects like health and safety. For example, in one camp, thousands of refugees saw a movie about how to get clean water. Caroline knows that is helping other people, and this makes her feel proud and happy about her work.
Tony Hawk, Sally Ayote, and Caroline Baron all get great satisfaction from their work. Tony Hawk says, "Find the thing you love. If you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous." Joanne Gordon would agree. She encourages people to find something they enjoy doing, find people they like to work with, and find ways to help others. Then they can be proud of what they do, and they will probably be happy at work. | high4443.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To make testing new drugs faster and cheaper."
},
"options": [
"To treat the patients whose body organs don't work well.",
"To examine the health condition of human organs.",
"To make testing new drugs faster and cheaper.",
... | Testing new drugs for safety and effectiveness is a costly process in the United States. It also can take:lot of time. Some scientists are now designing silicon computer chips that act like human organs. The scientists think they have found a way to make the process faster and more economical.
The silicon computer chips are smaller than a child's hand. Each one has living cells that act and react like a human organ. The chips are being created as part of a program to test the safety of drug compounds. It is called the Tissue Chip for Drug Screening Program.
It is a project of the US National Center for Advancing Tmnslational Sciences, or NCATS. Danilo Tagle is the center's Associate Director. He says a three-dimensional computer chip can be designed to act like a human lung.
Some computer chips contain very small models of the human digestive system. They copy the real function or duties of the human stomach and intestine , moving when breaking down food.
Drugs are added to the tiny organs for testing through instruments known as micro-tubes. Experiments with the tissue chips have produced more detailed information than tests using animal or cell models.
NCATS just announced$17 million in grants to develop an entire human organ system over the next three years. | high19237.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they have to get more advanced degrees to earn more"
},
"options": [
"they don't have to worry about the cost in education",
"they have to get more advanced degrees to earn more",
"they don't want to support their family memb... | A job used to be the next step after a diploma. But now, young people aren't in any rush to start working. Less than 78 % of people aged 20 to 34 either have jobs or are looking for work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA). That's down from the peak of 83 % in 2000, and the lowest since the 1970s. The biggest thing keeping young people out of work is the weak economy.
But there are other reasons as well -- what economists call "structural changes".
Staying in school: Economists generally agree that, aside from the economy, extended education is the biggest reason why today's youth are shunning the job market.
More people are going to college now -- 25 % more compared to 2000 -- and they're taking longer to finish. There are a few reasons why young people are spending more years at school.
First, they're getting more advanced degrees. "We used to say that a high school degree wasn't sufficient to provide a middle class income," said Bill Rodgers, a professor and chief economist at Rutgers University's Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. "Now what we're saying no longer is a bachelor's degree. "
Second, college is getting more expensive. Rodgers believes the increased financial burden of higher education is also causing people to take longer to finish, as they'll take fewer classes per semester or drop out for periods of time before scraping up enough money to enroll again.
Staying home: Since 2000, married women between the ages of 25 and 34 have been leaving the labor force at a slightly higher rate than young people at large, according to BLS.
There could be many reasons for that, but Rodgers thinks stagnant (not growing) wages and rising child care costs are two of them. "The recession has caused a lot of people to think what they want in their lives," said Rodgers. "They've decided they want to spend time with their kids. " | high18129.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "early adopters are probably welcomed by the tech companies"
},
"options": [
"the Segway motorized scooter (para. 3) was once quite popular",
"early adopters are probably welcomed by the tech companies",
"Mecca (para. 2) is a ... | Gadgets can be wildly expensive and quickly out-of-date, but Steven Poole is still the first to buy them. Technological innovations are often quite stupid. The idea that you might want to walk down the street holding a mobile phone in front of your face, just to experience the wonders of video calling, is clearly ridiculous. Luckily for the tech companies, however, there are some people who jump at the chance to buy into new gadgets before they are fully ready and cheap enough for the mass-market. They are called early adopters, and their fate is a terrible one. I should know, since I am one myself.
Early adopters have a Mecca: it's Tokyo's Akihabara district, also known as "Electric City". There, in 1999, I bought a digital camera, a gizmo that few people in Britain had heard of. Over the next few years I watched in great sadness as digital cameras became more popular, cheaper and more powerful, until better models could be had for a quarter of the price I had paid. Did I feel stupid? What I actually did was this: I splashed out more money last year for a new one, one that let me feel pleasantly ahead of the curve once again. But I know that cannot last, and I'll probably have to buy another in a few years.
Thus early adopters are betting on other people eventually feeling the same desires. And it's worse if that future never arrives. Early adopters of the Betamax home-video format in the 1970s could only look on in sadness when their investment was nullified by the success of VHS. All sorts of apparently splendid inventions, such as videogame consoles like the Atari Jaguar have been abandoned to the dustbin of history right after a few early adopters bought in. Those who invested thousands in a Segway motorized scooter on the wave of ridiculous advertising campaigns that accompanied its launch a couple of years ago can join the club.
You might think we should just stop being so silly, save our money, and wait to see what really catches on. But the logic of the industry is such that, if everyone did that, no innovation would become popular. Imagine the third person to buy an ordinary telephone soon after Alexander Graham Bell had invented it. Who was he going to call? Maybe he simply bought two phones, one for a special friend. But still, the usefulness and eventual popularity of the device wasn't clear at the time. Nobody dreamed of the possibility of being able to speak to any one of millions of people. And yet if he, and the hundreds and thousands of early adopters after him, had not bought into the idea, the vast communication networks that we all take for granted today would never have been built.
The same goes, indeed, for all new technologies. Those guys holding bricks to their ears that we laughed at in the 1980s made the current mobile phone possible. People who bought DVD players when they still cost a fortune, instead of today's cheap one at the local supermarket, made sure that the new format succeeded. Early adopters' desire for desires supported the future financially. And what did they get for their pains? They got a hole in their bank accounts and inferior, unperfected technology. But still, they got it first. And today they are still at work, buying overpriced digital radios, DVD recorders and LCD televisions, and even 3G phones, so that you will be eventually be able to buy better and less expensive ones.
So next time you see a gadget-festooned geek and feel tempted to sneer , think for a minute. Without early adopters, there would be no cheap mobile phones or DVD players; there would be no telephone or television either. We are the tragic, unsung foot soldiers of the technology revolution. We're the desire-addicted pioneers, pure in heart, dreaming of a better future. We make expensive mistakes so you don't have to. Really, we are heroes. | high21970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter"
},
"options": [
"to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter",
"to build a common connection between various religions",
... | Kataria is the founder of the worldwide laughter movement. The celebration of World Laughter Day is a positive activity for world peace and is intended to build up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship through laughter. The first "World Laughter Day" gathering took place in Mumbai, India, on 11th January, 1998. 12,000 members from India and international Laughter Clubs attended it. Now there are over 5,000 Laughter Clubs worldwide on all 5 continents.
"HAPPY--DEMIC" was the first World Laughter Day gathering outside India. It took place on 9th January, two years after the Mumbai gathering. In Copenhagen, Denmark, more than 10,000 people gathered at Town Hall Square. The event went into Guinness Book of World Records. "World Laughter Day" is now organized on the first Sunday of May every year. Hundreds of people gather worldwide on that day to laugh together.
Today, many people fear widespread international terrorism. The world has never faced so much unrest before. People are at war within themselves. Laughter is a universal language, which has the ability to unite humanity without religion. Laughter can build a common connection between various religions and create a new world order. The idea may sound over -ambitious , and maybe it is. But maybe it is not. It is our deep belief that laughter and only laughter can unite the world, building up a global sense of brotherhood and friendship.
Studies also say that laughter helps your body do the following: lower blood pressure; lighten depression; reduce stress; work out the heart, especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise. So in life, when you can laugh, you should laugh loudly and with your entire body-because it's good for you. | high2032.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Learning How to Be Happy."
},
"options": [
"Basic Things for Happiness.",
"Tips to Be Happy.",
"Learning How to Be Happy.",
"Laughing a Lot at School."
],
"question": "What would be the best title of this passag... | Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside subjects like maths and languages.
The class sit in a circle with their eyes shut and count from one to ten: one begins, the next voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side. The aim is to listen for an opportunity to shout the number without clashing with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try, most of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in. But by the fifth round, they develop a rhythm.
The message: giving other people space but also confidently claiming your own space is a requirement for social well-being.
While the game suggests a soft course for the less bright, the school says it is trying to make it affect even clever pupils. The Willy Hellpach School is the first in the nation to develop a happiness course, intended for 17-19-year-olds preparing for university-entrance exams. "The course isn't there to make you happy," Ernst Fritz-Schubert, the school principal, warned the pupils who were taking the course, "but rather to help you discover the ways to become happy." Cooking a meal together will be one of the class exercises, along with improving body language under the guidance of two professional actresses.
"In the first period, we had to each say something positive about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people or teasing," said Fanny, 17.
The message: self-esteem improves happiness too.
The course is taught for three periods a week and will be graded as a part of overall assessment. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter. Max, 18, says he is happy when he finds people who share his interests. Janina, 18, says she needs to be fit to feel happy.
"We want to show how proper food or exercise can help in becoming happy," the principal said. He hopes other schools in Germany will copy the idea. The school has attracted national interest since it announced its new course. | high10213.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "cloud and rain"
},
"options": [
"low cloud and fog",
"typhoon and flood",
"cloud and rain",
"sunshine and mild wind"
],
"question": "On August 25, in N. Ireland and northwest England, there will be _ .",
... | National Forecast
LONDON --This Evening and Tonight:
Rain, locally heavy across northwest Scotland. Mostly cloudy but dry in other northern and western areas. Dry with clear spells in more central and eastern parts, but some low cloud and fog will develop. Generally mild with light winds.
Saturday:
Cloud and rain over western Scotland at the beginning will gradually push down over N. Ireland and northwest England. Largely dry, warm with sunny spells elsewhere, once early fog and low cloud clears.
http://www.times.online.co.uk/tol/news/weather/
The Nation's Weather
Fri, Aug 24,
NEW YORK--Heavy rain was forecast throughout Friday in parts of the Midwest. The heaviest rainfall was over northern Illinois, with more than 4 inches possible around Chicago.
Wet weather was also expected in the Plains as the same storm system tracks through the region.
Periods of heavy rain were also forecast for the Northeast as the remnant of tropical storm Erin moves into the Canadian Maritimes.
Hot weather was expected to continue in the South and West.
http://www.underground.com
Death toll rises to 36 in China typhoon
Wed, Aug 22,
BEIJING-- At least 36 people were killed by Typhoon Sepat in four provinces in eastern and central China in widespread destruction that also forced the evacuation of l.37 million people.
More than 60,000 homes in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan also were destroyed or damaged, Xinhua News Agency said.
Total economic losses in the provinces have reached $ 663 million.
Fujian was the worst-hit province, with 18 people killed, Xinhua said.
Earlier, the storm, named after a Malaysian fish, killed at least one person in Taiwan, and left three dead in the Philippines.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap | high2754.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "New royal baby named George Alexander Louis"
},
"options": [
"New royal baby named George Alexander Louis",
"The royal couple gave birth to their eldest son.",
"The choice of name was interesting and complicated .",
"Th... | Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge's new son will be named George Alexander Louis, the royal family says. A statement from William and Catherine's settlement Kensington Palace said the baby, third in line to the throne , would be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.
On Wednesday the royal couple took their son to Catherine's parents' house in Berkshire, following a half-hour visit by the Queen. All three names had been among the favourites listed by British bookmakers and the announcement was relatively quick by royal standards. It took a month for the name ofPrince Charles, the heir to the throne, to be announced, and a week for William, his eldest son.
George has been the name of six British kings. The last, George VI, was the father of Queen Elizabeth II and _ from 1936 to 1952. Alexandra, the female form of Alexander, is one of the Queen's middle names and was also the name of the Queen mate of King Edward VII at the start of the last century. Louis is one of William's middle names and was the given name of Prince Charles's tutor and great-uncle Louis Mountbatten, who was murdered by the IRA in 1979.
The choice of name, relatively short by royal standards, does not necessarily mean the baby will eventually become King George VII. The Queen's father was named Albert, but chose to be crowned as George VI.
"It's interesting that they chose to go with just three names," historian Suzannah Lipscomb told Sky News. "It's almost as if the royal family is coming down with ordinary people, who tend to have fewer middle names than monarchs .It is a name that none can find any problems with. George itself can't be shortened in any obvious offensive way. They've probably gone for something that is safe." | high4325.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They will be completed in the near future."
},
"options": [
"They have been opened to travelers.",
"They will be completed in the near future.",
"They are all located in Asia.",
"They are mostly for military purposes."
... | From Britain to the Middle East and China, engineers and architects are pushing the boundaries of possibility as they strive to create the biggest and the best. Here are recently-selected seven wonders-to-be in the modern world which are near completion. Among these, Beijing Daxing International Airport ranks the first and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge ranks the third.
No.1 Beijing Daxing International Airport, China
Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is set to be the biggest airport in the world, is designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The new Terminal One will have a radial-like plan, designed to reduce passenger travel distances. The construction of the new airport started in 2015 and it is planned to be put into use in 2019.
No.2 Kingdom Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Adrian Smith, the architect who has designed the highest structure in the world, the 829.8 m-high Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is now working on his new project which will smash his own record by this over-a-kilometer-high Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. No one can be sure about the exact date of its completion but most probably the project will be ended in 2019.
No.3 Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, China
At about 50 km long, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will take the title of the longest water span in the world from another China's bridge in Jiaozhou Bay. The construction started in 2009 and will complete the first session in 2017.
No.4 Chernobyl reactor, Ukraine
The engineers of the USSR who fought to bring the Chernobyl disaster under control built a concrete sarcophagus to cover the hole that had opened up above the destroyed reactor. A new steel arched structure is being built, to be rolled on rails over the reactor, from which point demolition work can begin using cranes suspended from the new roof. Most possibly it will be finished in 2020.
No.5 Hotel Abraj Kudai, Mecca
Every hajj, Mecca receives more than two million pilgrims from all over the world. New buildings are being built to accommodate these pilgrims. The Abraj Kudai cluster of towers will hold more than 10,000 hotel rooms. It is expected that the construction work will be put an end to in 2017.
No.6 Crossrail, London
Crossrail is built to link east and west London through the sewers, cables, and the city's foundations. After its completion in 2017, it is expected to alleviate traffic jams in London.
No.7 Grand Stade FFR, Paris
Grand Stade FFR is designed especially for the French Rugby Federation. The stadium can accommodate 82,000 fans and is dotted with retractable pitches (a marked out area of ground on which a sport is played). A retractable roof apparatus is capable of turning the stadium into a giant interior. Hopefully the fans can gather there to watch thrilling matches in 2018. | high19551.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The INCCH will learn more if allowed to clean the Mona Lisa painting."
},
"options": [
"The French government will be in charge of digging up da Vinci's body.",
"The INCCH will learn more if allowed to clean the Mona Lisa painting.... | Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous portrait in the world, but now some suspect that the woman with the mysterious smile may not be a woman after all. They are suggesting that the Mona Lisa may be a self- portrait, da Vinci in drag .
Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage (INCCH) is carrying out the research. They think the artist, who died in 1519, was buried at a French castle and they plan to dig up his body. Using CSI-style technology, they want to rebuild da Vinci's face. Jason Rosenfeld, a member of INCCH, says, " It shows the reason why we preserved Einstein's brain or King Tut's mummy , which throws light on the problem we are working on."
"Now we want to get the body of Leonardo. We want to see what he died of, we want to see his DNA, we want to see the size of his head, and what his facial feature were like, so we can know whether this was a self-portrait."
The Mona Lisa was painted around 500 years ago. Beyond that, we know almost nothing about the painting that is now on display at the Louvre in Paris.
But will the exhumation discover the truth behind the Mona Lisa? Not likely, according to Rosenfeld. "If the French government really wants to help find out what this is about, what they should do is allow us to clean the Mona Lisa. We will learn much more from it and understand it better if we are allowed to clean the painting than by digging up a body." | high18897.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "very strange"
},
"options": [
"very interesting",
"very strange",
"very common",
"very sensitive"
],
"question": "The writer felt the birthday party he attended was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions... | I attended a birthday party in 1991. My teacher was then 59 years old. But her fellow teacher said that we were celebrating her 39thbirthday! We were all surprised and puzzled.
After the party I was told by the fellow teacher that American women have a special saying about birthdays. If a woman is over 40, or even if she is 80, her birthday is always the 39th. If she is in her thirties, her birthday will be the 29th. And in her twenties, it's the 19th. They usually have their "real" birthday when they are below 20.
This shows that American women, especially elderly women, are very sensitive about their ages. But my teacher always says, "We want to be younger," so about the age of Western women, my advice is that if you don't know it, don't ask about it; if you really know it, don't mention it. | high12404.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to result from environmental influences"
},
"options": [
"to be based on inactive life style",
"to be due to anxiety",
"to result from environmental influences",
"to be caused by heavy smoking"
],
"question": "A... | Cancer is feared by everyone. And there is more and more fear about cancer. Not the disease itself -- there is no such thing as a high incidence rates of cancer. Except for lung cancer, mostly caused by cigarette smoking, the incidence rates are not on the rise. However, some kinds of cancer are decreasing. But the fear of cancer is catching, and the country stands at risk of an anxiety. The earth itself is coming to seem like a huge carcinogen . The ordinary, more or less, scientific statement that something between 80 and 90 percent of all cancers are due to things in the environment is taken to mean that none of us will be safe until the whole environment is "cleaned up." This is not at all the meaning.
The 80-percent calculation is based on the unthinkable differences in the incidence of cancer in various societies around the world -- for example, the high incidence of liver cancer in Africa and the Far East, stomach cancer in Japan, breast cancer in Western Europe and North America, and the relatively low figures for breast cancer in Japan and parts of Africa and for liver cancer in America. These data show there may be specific environmental influences, but largely based on personal life-style, which determines the incidence of various forms of cancer in different communities -- that is all the data suggest. The overall incidence of cancer, counting up all the cases, is probable roughly the same everywhere. | high911.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "prepare for the landing on the moon"
},
"options": [
"take the astronauts to the moon",
"detect alien music in outer space",
"prepare for the landing on the moon",
"move around and observe the moon"
],
"question... | On May 18,1969,NASA astronauts Thomas Stafford,John Young,and Eugene Cernan boarded the Apollo 10 lunar module --the fourth manned mission in the US Apollo Space program and only the second after Apollo 8 to circle the moon.Its mission was to circle the moon and thoroughly test the components and procedures to pave the way for the first lunar landing. The mission went perfectly without incident--at least that's what every one believed.
However, that view has changed since February 22, after NASA released a digital recording of strange music heard by the space travelers.Then as they were re-entering the zone where they could communicate with ground control.One of the astronauts asked if they should report it.In response, Stafford expressed his doubts if anyone would even believe them.But they needn't have worried. When NASA experts listened to the recordings,they thought the strange sounds were radio interference.
Michael Collins--the Apollo 11 pilot--said that the only reason why he was not shocked upon hearing them was that he had been forewarned by NASA officials.Collins also said that the music stopped as soon as the lunar module landed on the moon.
So why did it take NASA over 40 years to release the digital recording of the awful music only after it was featured in a recent television series NASA's Unexplained Files? The US Space Agency says they have not been hiding them.In the press release that accompanies the release of the recording,NASA officials state,"The Apollo 10 audio clips were uploaded in 2012, but the mission's sound recordings have been available at the National Archives for anyone that wanted to hear them since the early 1970s."
Eugene Cernan, Apollo 10's pilot who heard the sounds first,also released a statement saying,"I don't remember that incident excited me enough to take it seriously.It was probably just radio interference.Had we thought it was something other than that,we would have briefed everyone after the flight. We never gave it another thought."
While most people are ready to accept this logical explanation,there are some that believe otherwise. They guess the music proves the presence of aliens. Among them is Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden,who thinks the sounds came from a source in outer space.In the episode of NASA's Unexplained Files, which discusses the origin of the strange music,the astronaut says, "Logic tells me that if there was something recorded on there,then there was something there." | high14075.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It is an opportunity for Americans to get things they want at a much lower price."
},
"options": [
"It is a special day in the US on which government hands out coupons to customers.",
"It is a shopping festival in the US that falls... | There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons , sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which fell on Nov 28,2014, "has become in recent decades a special American holiday", said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation.
But why does the shopping festival have such a name?
The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day "Black Friday", said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the "red" - that is, debt - and into the "black", or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight.
People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, "for it isn't just about the bargains", noted CNN. "For many shoppers, it's just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year's Eve." | high9601.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "California's worse situation in higher education"
},
"options": [
"California's worse situation in higher education",
"the dangerous situation in California",
"California's research on education and economy",
"funding c... | California, once regarded as a leader in the United States for its public higher education system, ranks next to the last in the U.S.for its number of adults with at least a high school diploma, according to the report, titled "California at the Edge of a Cliff," released by the California Faculty Association.
Meanwhile, the state's investment in public higher education has dropped over the past three decades, and now ranks 22nd in the country.That's despite having the country's largest public higher education system, the report said.
"It's a collapse ," said Thomas Mortenson, author of the report, who is an independent analyst living in Iowa and a senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education in Washington, D. C. "Ranking 49th out of 50 states is an indication that shows the quality of the state's educational has become much worse in recent decades." Mortenson said in the report.As of 2007, California ranked 14th in the United States in terms of college educated members of the workforce over 25 years of age, a drop from eighth place in 1981, the report showed.
Mortenson said that California has never been the state of high status in education and economy while other states have made greater gains in building a college-educated workforce.
The California Faculty Association is using the report's findings to criticize Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed funding cuts for education.
Struggling with a 14.8-billion-dollar state budget deficit , Schwarzenegger has proposed a combination of sales tax increases, borrowing and major budget cuts, including cutting billions of dollars from the state's education budget. | high6532.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "5 dogs and 169 people"
},
"options": [
"10 dogs and 55 people",
"5 dogs and 86 people",
"10 dogs and 83 people",
"5 dogs and 169 people"
],
"question": "McCulloch and his group used_in their research.",
"que... | Dogs have long been used to find explosives and drugs.Now,a new study shows that man's best friend can also help to find lung and breast cancer,researchers report in integrative Cancer Therapies.The findings show that trained ordinary household dogs can detect early--stage lung and breast cancers by smelling the breath samples of patients.
Researchers have found that cancer cells send out molecules different from those of healthy ones,and that might be sensed by smell by the highly sensitive dog's nose.
For the study,five dogs were trained by a professional instructor to respond differently to breath samples of healthy and cancer patients."The dogs learned to sit or lie down in front of cancer patient samples and to ignore control samples through the method of food reward," McCulloch explained.
After a period of training,researchers tested the animals'ability to distinguish cancer patients from controls.The animals were given breath samples from 55 patients with lung cancer,3 1 with breast cancer and 83 healthy controls who were not included in the original training period.
McCulloch's group found that the dogs were able to correctly distinguish the breath samples of cancer patients from those of the control subjects in about 90 percent of the cases.The dogs were also able to detecting early-stage lung and breast cancers.
"These results show that there is hope for early detection,"McCulloch said.The re-searches are planning to conduct further studies on the breath composition of cancer patients to possibly design an electronic device that can do the dogs'job."A dog's nose is so powerful it can detect odors 10 000 to 100 000 times better than a human nose can.I hope people will be interested in doing this research,"McCulloch added,"It shows that there is definitely something out there." | high16892.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "imagining that you are better than others"
},
"options": [
"imagining that you are better than others",
"imagining you have a cottage.",
"thinking how pretty you will be in the future.",
"comparing yourself with million... | It is an agreed fact that all creatures want happiness instead of pain and grief. However, what is happiness?
Some thinkers say "Happiness doesn't lie in objects of enjoyments ; happiness or unhappiness lies in imagination". To prove their belief, they give examples like the following one: A man has a two-storey house; on the right is a five-story building on the left a cottage. When he sees the right he feels unhappy and when he sees the left he feels happy. It is unreasonable to hold this point. It is unkind to regard one as happy by imagining that one is better than the other.
Some people ask others to do this and that and say, "This way your desires would be satisfied. You would get the desired objects and become happy". People holding this view regard happiness as satisfaction of desires. But it isn't possible to satisfy one's desires because there are countless desires of countless people and material things are limited. New desires arise the moment the previous ones are satisfied. Therefore, desires, changing all the time, can never be satisfied.
Happiness in fact is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control their inner experiences will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which means that any of us can reach happiness. Happiness lies in helping others. Happiness stands for forgiveness and justice. Happiness is the name of struggle and courage. Happiness may be found in the search for knowledge and the rule of wisdom. Happiness may be shared in service and duty. This life is a combination of joys and sorrows and honest efforts must be made to make this life a journey of happiness, love, peace and harmony. | high17554.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She would like to resign herself to life."
},
"options": [
"She wanted to rid herself of worries.",
"She was to have words with her mother.",
"She was defeated by misfortunes.",
"She would like to resign herself to life... | A young woman went to her mother and told her how hard life was. She was tired of struggling and fighting and wanted to give up.
So, her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out, pulled the eggs out and then poured the coffee into three different bowls.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the daughter was asked to drink the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich fragrance.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?" Her mother explained that each of these objects had
faced the same disaster but reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, and hard. However, after being subject to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The coffee beans were unique, however; after they had been in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When misfortune or change knocks on your
door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
"Are you the carrot that seems strong, but with change and difficulty will you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg that starts with a malleable , heart, but changes with the heat? When faced with a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or other trial, do you become hardened and stiff? The coffee bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavour."
"If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and provide strength
and happiness for those around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, can you improve yourself to another level?" | high18667.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "there are bedtime stories in the Tale of Samuel Whiskers"
},
"options": [
"Annie knew how important she was to her mother",
"shoppers didn't notice the author dancing with her son",
"there are bedtime stories in the Tale of S... | When we're young and we dream of love and fulfillment, we think perhaps of moon-covered Parisian nights or walks along the beach at sunset. No one tells us that the greatest moments of a lifetime are short, unplanned and nearly always catch us off guard.
Not long ago,as I was reading a bedtime story to my seven-year-old daughter, Annie,I became aware of her focused look. She was staring at me with a faraway, blank expression. Apparently, completing The Tale of Samuel Whiskers was not as important as we first thought.
I asked what she was thinking about. "Mommy," she whispered, "I just can't stop looking at your pretty face."I almost dissolved on the spot. Little did she know how many trying moments the glow of her sincerely loving statement would carry me through over the following years.
Not long after, I took my four-year-old son to an elegant department store, where the sweet notes of a classic love song drew us toward a tuxedoed musician playing a grand piano. Sam and I sat down on a marble bench nearby, and he seemed as astonished by the pleasant theme as I was. I didn't realize that Sam had stood up next to me until he turned, took my face in his little hands and said, "Dance with me."
If only those women walking under the Paris moon knew the joy of such an invitation made by a round-cheeked boy with baby teeth. Although shoppers openly chuckled and pointed at us as we glided and whirled around the open space, I would not have traded a dance with such a charming young gentleman if I'd been offered the universe. | high19579.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "criticized himself a lot"
},
"options": [
"was very proud of himself",
"treated people differently",
"worked hard to keep fit",
"criticized himself a lot"
],
"question": "The author's coworker used to be a perso... | It was a dark, wet November morning. It seemed like it would take a million years to get to summer again. I thought bears have got it right---- what a perfect idea to sleep through the worst part of the year and wake up when spring comes!
"Want some words of affirmation ?" a coworker, seeing my mood, kindly suggested. "You don't think they would cheer you up?"
"Today? No." I shook my head.
"I used to think so too," he said, "until I realized the effect my words had on a certain person. Well, it was someone I knew pretty well. I have to say I treated him rather badly."
"You? But you are always so positive! How did you treat him badly?"
"I told him I did not like anything about him, really. I told him I did not even like his name. In fact, it wasn't only what I said. I also did pretty bad things to him. When he was hungry, I did not give him the chance to eat proper food. When he felt like doing something fun, I said to him that he was being childish and having fun was not productive . And worst of all, when he was sick and needed care, I did not care. I told him to get up and get to work. And when he did, I never told him he did good work. You could say I was ashamed of him," he said. "I wanted to get rid of him because he just wasn't good enough for me---but couldn't."
"But that was heartless!"
He nodded. "Then one day it all changed. I stood there in front of the bathroom mirror one morning. I saw the dark circles under his eyes, I saw the excess weight. I saw the hair that needed cutting. And I saw the eyes that once had looked at the world eagerly. Now they were so sad and tired. And there and then I realized he deserved better. So I told the man I had disliked for so many years that he was a good person after all."
My jaw dropped. I looked at him---full of positive energy, in good shape, always ready to encourage others.
"Wow..."
He winked at me. "So how about having a little positive conversation with the bathroom mirror? The person in there has the greatest effect on you!" | high11125.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The songs of humpback whales can spread globally."
},
"options": [
"The humpback whale likes to hear Lady Gaga's songs.",
"The humpback whale's tunes sound like Lady Gaga.",
"Lady Gaga's new single gained worldwide popularity... | When Lady Gaga releases a new, pleasing and easily remembered single, it quickly goes around the world. Now scientists have discovered the same thing happens with the songs of another creature----the humpback whale. The mammals become absorbed by new tunes just like people do, and the most popular original whale songs spread globally like hit singles.
Male humpback whales are famed for the loud, long and complicated songs they make during the mating season. Each song lasts for 10 to 20 minutes and the males can sing nonstop for 24 hours. At any one time, all the males in a population sing the same song.
But a study shows that this song changes over time and spreads around the oceans. Dr. Ellen Garland of Queensland University, said: "Songs move like cultural communication from one population to another, causing all males to change their song to a new version."
Researchers recorded songs from six neighboring populations of whales in the Pacific over a decade. They found that new versions of the songs appear over time and always spread from west to east. It takes two years for songs that appear in the waters off Australia to be heard in French Polynesia.
Most of the new songs contain material from the previous year mixed with something new. " It would be like getting an old Beatles song together with U2," she said. " Occasionally they completely throw the current song out of the window and start singing a completely new song".
Dr. Garland believes that a small number of whales may migrate to other populations carrying the new songs with them, or that they are heard by passing whales.
The researchers suspect whales adopt new songs to make themselves distinct. Dr. Garland said: " we think this male search for new songs is in the hope of being that little bit different and perhaps more attractive to the opposite sex." | high7604.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "delay tasks"
},
"options": [
"delay tasks",
"work hard",
"seek help",
"accept failure"
],
"question": "People with start-up fatigue are most likely to .",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"... | Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical , never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day's work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over.
When planning Encyclopaedia Britannica (<<>> ), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after dat I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind provided correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired. | high13732.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The female chooses their nest."
},
"options": [
"They choose their nest together.",
"The male chooses their nest.",
"The house-hunter chooses their nest.",
"The female chooses their nest."
],
"question": "How do... | The blue tits have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.
Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage which acts as signal for drawing the female's attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal his tail.
If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them. | high1275.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He had an attention disorder"
},
"options": [
"He was new to the class",
"He was tired of literature",
"He had an attention disorder",
"He wanted to take the task home"
],
"question": "The author didn't finish t... | At thirteen, I was diagnosed with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, "Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it."
She glanced down at me through her glasses, "you are no different from your classmates, young man."
I tried, but I didn't finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn't get much education. But Louis didn't give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots , which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn't I the "blind" in my class, being made to learn like the "sighted" students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn't expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day with an "A" on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: " See what you can do when you keep trying?" | high13054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "leading to a big mistake"
},
"options": [
"leading to a big mistake",
"reducing pressure",
"making people more creative",
"improving performance"
],
"question": "According to the passage, gallows humor has the f... | Gallows humor may seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress."Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not,"says James M.Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.
Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you're wasting time. Occasional tease among colleagues, particularly if it is associated with the job, can inspire creativity, departmental cohesiveness and performance.
"There are a lot of stresses out there,"says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist in Chicago."Gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult."
This is as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people--not laughing at them. "Anything that would lift morale in terms of the company would be good humor,"says Thierry Guedj, a professor.
You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don't make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr. Guedj says, don't make comments about people's physical appearance or faith. If you have any doubt about its appropriateness, don't go through with it.
Or you can take aim at the person that you know won't be offended : yourself. "If there's going to be a joke or story, it should be you,"Mr Dunkelblau says.
"People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves, too,"Mr Jones says."And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself." | high1513.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "dressing casually"
},
"options": [
"dressing casually",
"learning about weight control",
"improving communication skills",
"being a tidy person"
],
"question": "To build relationship with others, you should pay ... | Several years ago, I read a book Your Money or Your Life, written by Joe Domingguez and Vicki Robin. The major theme of the book is the idea that if you want to cut your spending, you'll have to begin by stopping trying to impress other people.
The authors divide people into two groups : people whose opinions you care about, and people whose opinions you don't care about one way or another. It's easy to stop caring about people whose opinions you don't care about. Who cares what they think ? As long as you're not doing something truly immoral ---- something that might potentially create a negative reputation for you ---- it doesn't matter what they think.
But shouldn't you impress other people whose opinions you do care about ? Anyway, they are people you want to meet : customers, friends and family.
The answer is that you don't need to impress those people with expensive, shiny things. The relationship you've built with them ---- or you're going to build with them ---- is based on you, not on the material items. They'll either like you for you or they won't.
To put it simply, take care of the basics. Keep yourself clean. Keep your weight under control. Wear reasonable clothing. Work on your communication skills. If you have them covered, you don't need to invest time and money in impressing other people.
Coming to this realization is incredibly valuable. It drops your clothing budget. It drops your automobile budget. It drops your electronics budget. It drops your housing budget. You don't need a shiny car, an iPhone, or a $50 haircut.
Yes , you may actually still want one or two of these things, but the impetus comes from what your personal values are, not what other people around you seem to value or what marketing messages you receive.
For some people, it seems impossible. Their social cues come from advertising-laden media and from friends who also get their cues from advertising-laden media.They believe they need a slick cellphone and $100 casual clothes. Their self-worth revolves around that little burst they get from impressing others.
People should learn to break through that situation. In short, don't play socially by the tiring old rules that revolve around needing to impress people. Instead, spend your time on things that bring real value to you and give real value to others. | high23197.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Achievement and Dream of the \"Weichi Prince\""
},
"options": [
"The Achievement and Dream of the \"Weichi Prince\"",
"Wang Chen Won the International University WEICHI Tournament 2013",
"Weichi Brings Wang a Sense of Ach... | This July, Wang Chen, a student from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, won the International University WEICHI Tournament 2013 in Shanghai, which saw competitors from 54 universities around the world, including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Compared with the busy sports ground, it seems a bit dull, but Wang and his peers enjoy an intense brain workout . Wang is an amateur seventh-degree master player -- the highest degree amateur players can attain. "I had hoped to win first place, but when it came true, I couldn't believe it," says Wang. Wang began studying weichi when he was 7 years old. "I was a quiet boy and my parents thought weichi would help develop my logical thinking ability," he says. He began to attend the Chinese Rank Promotion from the age of 10. "I failed for nine years, and them I gave up. I entered university and became an amateur player," says Wang.
What this hobby brings Wang is not only a sense of achievement, but also independence. He has won 10 national and international championships, which have brought the young student a handsome sum of money. When he won the national amateur competition in 2011, he received 100,000 yuan in prize money. With awards from contests, Wang covers his expenses and tuition fees all by himself.
Wang is busier than most of his peers. A look at his calendar shows that he will attend competitions in Guizhou and Taiwan at the end of August, after attending an international competition only this July. But Wang admits he has little in common with his classmates. "I feel a bit lonely sometimes," he says.
On campus Wang spends more time on exploring his skills. Wang now regards playing weichi as a hobby. He is the captain of the weichi team on campus, which has five members. He organizes them to research the latest formations once a week. Wang says his next project is to promote weichi among his peers on campus. "Many young people in China don't understand this kind of sports and I want to promote it," says Wang. | high7162.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "vitamin D is vital for the body to absorb calcium needed for healthy teeth and bones"
},
"options": [
"the babies who were only breast--fed certainly need to take vitamin D supplements",
"a large quantity of vitamin D stored in bod... | Sometimes successful health campaigns can have quite unexpected reactions. The years of warnings about skin cancer mean that Britons are happy to cover themselves in sunscreen or stay out of the sun altogether, but it also means that most of us are not getting enough vitamin D.
Scientists announced yesterday that Britons need to increase to three times the amount of vitamin D they get per day. They called on food producers to fortify their products with more of the vitamin and suggested people should consider taking supplements to keep levels up. They also suggested getting out in the sun for short periods more often, but they warned against "sun bingeing".
The government does not publish official advice on the amount of vitamin D people should take due to a lack of research, says Dr Birgit Teucher of the Institute for Food Research. But in the US, the government recommends 5 micrograms a day. By that count, Dr Birgit Teucher said that around 90% of Britons between 19 and 64 would be lacking in the vitamin because they only took around 3 micrograms a day.
Vitamin D is important for absorption of calcium by the body, which is needed for healthy teeth and bones. A lack of it can lead to serious diseases in both children and adults. The vitamin can be found in some foods but it can also be obtained from chemicals in the skin reacting to sunlight. Dr Barbara Boucher said adults should get 5 to 25 micrograms a day. Shortage of vitamin D may be linked to diseases such as muscle weakness, high blood pressure and rickets .
Dr Birgit Teucher gave several reasons for the lack among Britons. Increasing numbers of office-based jobs mean a lack of exposure to the sun; and the rise of becoming overweight means that vitamin D--which is fat soluble is increasingly stored in body fat, where it cannot be accessed readily.
Professor Brian Wharton of the Institute of Child Health said that children in particular needed to have enough vitamin D to prevent rickets.
Professor Graham Bentham, an environmental scientist at the University of East Anglia, added that babies who were only breast-fed probably need to take supplements in case their mother was vitamin D lacking. Those drinking milk were likely to be OK, thanks to the fortification of the drink.
The scientists called on food producers to fortify milk, bread and breakfast nutrient to enable people to get their daily amount of the vitamin. Prof Graham Bentham added that 30 minutes of sun exposure to the face and forearms between April and October would be _ . Outside these months, the sun is not strong enough in Britain for the body to produce its own vitamin D.
But Prof Graham Bentham warned against spending too long in the sun. "Sun bingeing is well known to be dangerous," he said. "In any case, vitamin D transformation in the skin switches off after a while so short frequent amounts are better for vitamin D formation." | high8251.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He laid great values on old things."
},
"options": [
"He could hardly put them in any other places.",
"He laid great values on old things.",
"He was afraid someone would steal them.",
"He wanted to let them have life."
... | A man called Greedy Black loved nothing but old things. He was so crazy about everything that was old and out of fashion because he was convinced that the older, the better. Always worried about losing his treasures, he kept all he had collected in an old room. It had no windows, so it was very dark, and of course, it was full of old things.
One day Greedy Black went into this room to get a ladder, as he had often practiced, but slipped on something and fell against a big garden fork. The fork hit him on the head and knocked him down. Then it fell on top of him and hit him hard on the left leg. The ends of the fork then went into his long beard. He fought with the fork fiercely, and at last threw it off him, jumped up and ran out of the room. He was very angry. He had an old sword under his bed, and he now ran and got this. Then he ran back to the room, opened the door suddenly and shouted in a terrible voice, "All right, come out and fight, you and all the other forks in the world! I'm not afraid of you!" But there was no response for his challenge. So in great _ , he turned on the electric light, only to find that there was no other fork but the one that had repeatedly troubled him.
After reading this story, what reflections have you got for yourself? Do you still think that keeping old things in a private place sounds sound? Or don't you believe that you have to be far away from forks because forks are the most powerful? Or what else.....? | high22289.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Mrs.Cobell used to swim very well."
},
"options": [
"Mrs.Cobell crossed the Channel in order to set a slowest record.",
"Mrs.Cobell raised $2,000 in all.",
"Mrs.Cobell used to swim very well.",
"Mrs.Cobell crossed the C... | Down on the beach of Dover,56-year-old Channel swimmer Jackie Cobell bravely set off for Calais.The time was 6:40 am.28 hours and 44 minutes later the exhausted,successful mother from Kent crawled to the shore and walked proudly into the record books.After five years in training,Mrs.Cobell became the slowest person to cross the Channel under her own steam.The previous record for the slowest crossing,set by Henry Sullivan at 26 hours and 50 minutes,has stood for 87 years before Mrs.Cobell started at Dover Saturday morning.
She had struggled through changing tides that swept her first one way,then the other.It turned the 21-mile crossing into a 65-mile one.She declared,"Time and tide wait for no man--and they certainly didn't wait for me.I was fully expecting it to get dark before I got to Calais but I never imagined I'd also see the dawn again.But I wasn't going to give up."
Her feat raised more than $2,000 in charity sponsorship for research into Huntingdon's disease,a sum that was continuing to grow as news of her achievement spread.That was why she did it."I don't really know myself," she said."I just kept thinking of all the people I'd be letting down if I stopped."
Mrs.Cobell took to the water so well at school.But after bringing up two daughters,she started to gain weight.Five years ago she took up swimming again and decided to prepare for the Channel challenge to lose weight.She became much fitter.Then came the big swim."I practiced on Windermere Lake," she said."it's about half the distance of the Channel so I just doubled it,added some extra time,and worked out I could probably get to Calais in about 16 hours."
Her husband David,trainer,official observer and friend sailed alongside her on a boat.She said,"I sang to keep myself going.When they told me I was a record breaker I thought they were just having a joke--until I realized it was the record for the slowest crossing.But maybe next time I might be a bit quicker." | high21780.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "give some advice for the graduates"
},
"options": [
"visit her old school",
"help the votes for Obama",
"welcome new students",
"give some advice for the graduates"
],
"question": "Michelle went to Tennessee Hig... | First lady Michelle Obama has some advice for some Tennessee High School graduates: Strike your own path in college and life and work to overcome inevitable difficulties with determination and courage.
The first lady told the 170 graduates that she spent too much of her own time in college focusing on academic achievements. While her success in college and law school led to a high-profile job, she said, she ended up leaving to focus on public service.
"My message to all of you today is this: Do not waste a minute living someone else's dream,"she said. "It takes a lot of real work to discover what brings you joy... and you won't find what you love simply by checking boxes or padding your GPA ."
She said the school reminded her of her own high school experience in Chicago. "My No. 1 goal was to go to a high school that would push me and challenge me," she said. "I wanted to go somewhere that would celebrate achievement. A place where academic success wouldn't make me a target of teasing or bullying, but instead would be a badge of honour." But Mrs. Obama said pitifully that not all students have the same opportunities. "Unfortunately, schools like this don't exist for every kid," she said. "You are lucky."
The first lady told graduates that failure may be a part of their college lives and careers, and that how they respond to any difficulties will define them. "That's when you find out what you're really made of in those hard times," she said. "But you only do that if you're willing to put yourself a position where you might fall."
Overcoming difficulties has been the hallmark of many great people, she said. "There's this guy Barack Obama... he lost his first race for Congress, and now he gets to call himself my husband." The first lady joked: "I could take up a whole afternoon talking about his failures." | high17232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Kenya"
},
"options": [
"Hawaii",
"California",
"Illinois",
"Kenya"
],
"question": "Barack Obama's father was probably born in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father came to America from Kenya, which is a country in Africa. His parents, Ann and Barack, met when they were students at the University of Hawaii. Since Barack had the same name as his father, young Barack went by the nickname "Barry".
In 1979, after he finished high school, Barry went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. There, he started to learn about his African roots and decided to use his African name, Barack. After two years in L.A., he went to Columbia University in New York City to study politics.
After college, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked to help poor people in his city. He traveled to Africa to meet his grandmother and cousins for the first time. He went back many times over the years to visit with his family and learn about where he came from. At work, he met a lawyer named Michelle Robinson. They worked together in a big law firm. Then he left Chicago to go to Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did very well in law school.
After he was done with school, Barack moved back to Chicago and in 1992 he married Michelle. He worked as a lawyer, devoted to helping poor people for free who had been treated unfairly. He worked hard to get the people he helped to vote .
He made many people believe that their votes were important, and helped them feel like they could make a difference. | high5775.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It is capable of orbiting for two weeks."
},
"options": [
"It will be sent into space in 2005.",
"It is capable of orbiting for two weeks.",
"It will be sent into orbit atop a Long March 2F rocket.",
"It will be sent in... | China's second manned space flight will be done by two astronauts over five days in 2005. "Shenzhou-VI will be sent into space sometime in 2005," said Zuo Saichun, a spokesperson of the China Aerospace Science and Technology (CAST). "The spacecraft will make new breakthroughs in China's manned space technology."
Unlike Shenzhou-V, a little more than a year ago (in October, 2003), the next flight will see two astronauts fly in space for five days. Their capsule is designed to be capable of orbiting for a whole week, the spokesperson said. "For the first time, astronauts will enter and live in the orbital module of the spacecraft to do scientific experiments," said a statement from CAST. CAST did not say what those experiments will be.
In Shenzhou-VI, scientists have changed the spacecraft's configuration to reduce its weight, and tried to improve the performance of on-board equipment. They have also worked to make sure of the energy supply of the spacecraft and further improve its safety. So far, scientists have worked out ways to solve problems on environmental control and life support. Shenzhou-VI will be sent into orbit atop a Long March 2F rocket.
Meanwhile, a model of the Chang'e-1 satellite is expected to be sent to orbit the moon in two years. The satellite, part of the three-stage programme, would be followed by the landing of an unmanned vehicle on the moon in the second stage by 2010 and collecting samples of lunar soil by 2020 in the final stage, according to Sun Laiyan, director of the China National Space Administration. | high18101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Big Machine."
},
"options": [
"Best Buddhist Writing 2006.",
"Teahouse of the Almighty.",
"Mother Jones.",
"Big Machine."
],
"question": "Which of the following won the Shirley Jackson Award?",
"question_typ... | The following are selected contributors' notes for an essay collection.
KATY BUTLER, a 2004 finalist for a National Magazine Award, has written for The New Yorker, the New York Times, Mother Jones, Salon, Tricycle, and other magazines. She was born in South Africa and raised in England, and came to the United States with her family at the age of eight. "Everything Is Holy," her essay about nature worship, Buddhism , and ecology, was selected for Best Buddhist Writing 2006. In 2009 she won a literary award from the Elizabeth George Foundation. "What Broke My Father's Heart" was named a "notable narrative" by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, won a first-place award from the Association of Health Care Journalists, and was named one of the 100 Best Magazine Articles of All Time. Butler has taught narrative nonfiction at Nieman Foundation conferences and memoir writing at Esalen Institute. Her current book project is Knocking on Heaven's Door: A Journey Through Old Age and New Medicine to be published in 2013.
VICTOR LAVALLE is the author of a collection of stories, Slapboxing with Jesus, and two novels, The Ecstatic and Big Machine, for which he won the Shirley Jackson Award, the American Book Award, and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. He is a 2010 Guggenheim Award winner and an assistant professor at Columbia University's School of the Arts. About "Long Distance" he says: "This essay actually came about when I was asked to write about my life after having lost a great deal of weight. And yet, when I sat down to work, all I could do was return to that time when I was much heavier and deeply unhappy. Why? I sure didn't miss those days. And yet, I felt I couldn't write about my present without touching on that past. But, of course, I never reach the true present in the essay. Maybe I still don't know how to talk about a life with greater happiness. "
BRIDGET POTTER was born in Brompton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, and came to the United States as a teenager in 1958. She spent the first forty years of her career in television, beginning as a secretary, then as a producer and an executive, including fifteen years as senior vice president of original programming at HBO. In 2007 she earned a BA in cultural anthropology from Columbia University. This year she will complete an MFA in nonfiction, also from Columbia, where she has been an instructor in the University Writing Program. She is currently working on her first book, a memoir / social history of the 1960s, from which her essay "Lucky Girl" is adapted.
PATRICIA SMITH is the author of five books of poetry, including Blood Dazzler, chronicling the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, which was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and Teahouse of the Almighty, a National Poetry Series selection. Her work has appeared in Poetry, The Paris Review, TriQuarterly, and The Best American Poetry 2011. She is a Pushcart Prize winner and a four-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam, the most successful poet in the competition's history.
RESHMA MEMON YAQUB wouldn't even be fit to write a grocery list were it not for her guardian editors. Her stories owe many glorious plot twists to Zain, eleven, and Zach, seven. Ditto their dad (Amer) and grandparents (Ali, Razia, Muhammad, Nasreen). Costars: Sophie, Sana, Yousef, and Maryam. Miss Yaqub lives in Bethesda, Maryland. Her next project is an investigation into the whereabouts of two missing people: Mr. Right and Ms. Memoir Literary Agent. | high11657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "friendship is the most important for students"
},
"options": [
"family relationship can be chosen",
"love is more important than friendship",
"friendship is the most important for students",
"social development is based... | Family relationship, love and friendship are the three most important emotions in the world. Family relationship is the inborn connection, which you can't avoid or choose at will. Love, for a student, is not always within our reach and as for friendship, personally, it's most important. Nowadays, it is common to see friendship in colleges or middle schools. What is difficult is how to deal with personal contacts between different sexes. The key is to know how to tell love from friendship.
The term, friend, covers a much wider range of meanings. It can be a nodding acquaintance, a comrade, a confident , a partner, a playmate, a brother, etc. Everyone needs friendship. No one can sail the ocean of life single handed. We need help from, and also give help to, others. In the modern age, people attach more importance to relations and connections. Without stars, the night sky won't be so beautiful; without friendship, our life won't be meaningful. With friendship, life is happy and harmonious. So, friendship may be a quiet walk in the park with the one you trust if possible, while love is the company you are always feeling like keeping. And friendship is when someone gazes into your eyes, you feel only care and calm while love is when someone gazes into your eyes, you will not keep calm.
Love is not a word spoken out easily. In a way, love is selfish, while friendship is selfless and extensive. Love is not necessarily to be returned. But friendship needs something in exchange. You can't wish "let there be love in our hearts", for love needs enough time to sow, to water and to take good care of and also needs a rosy, calm, relaxed, emotional and private atmosphere. With such heavy feelings of high pressure and nervousness, do you think the schoolyard the proper field for us middle school students to sow our love? | high21794.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "love you whoever you are"
},
"options": [
"be one of family members",
"love you whoever you are",
"stay with you most of the time",
"be good at keeping you quiet"
],
"question": "A loyal best friend must _ a... | Do you know that people without friends are more likely to die an early death? It's true.However,not all the friends are helpful to up your chances of living a long,happy life. The following types of friends are just what you need to keep the doctor away.
A Loyal Best Friend
Sometimes a loyal best friend is the only thing you need to stay calm. Everyone needs a non-judgmental friend who will support them no matter what.This is the kind of friend who knows all of your deepest and darkest secrets, but still loves you all the same.
An Honest Confidant
There are certain situations in life where we need to hear the harsh truth. It is really hard for you to face it, but that's what the honest confidant is for. Friends are supposed to be honest with each other. If you find someone who is bravely honest with you (in a constructive way), then hold on to this person! People like that are hard to come by these days.
A Polar Opposite
If you only develop friendships with others who follow the same beliefs, customs, and values as you do, chances are you're kept away from the rest of the world. Try to break out of your comfortable zone and befriend people who hold opposing views. You'll learn to accept people who don't see the world exactly the way you see it.
A Work Pal
Do you know that with a full--time job, you spend at least 50%of your waking hours at work? Depressing, isn't it? The more isolated you are at work, the more depressed you get. That's why it makes sense to get a work pal to chat with to help you get through the week. You spend 50%of your waking hours at work, and so does your work pal. You'll find it much easier to complain about work with someone than to eat lunch alone every day.
With them in your life, you're bound to live a long and happy life! | high18115.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "discusses the practical value of college degrees"
},
"options": [
"approves of the value of education",
"explains the reasons for dropping out",
"tells the way of getting out of college",
"discusses the practical value ... | In the new book The Education of Millionaires,Michael Ellsberg suggests that although"there are many wonderful things you can learn in college,"few of them are applied to real life .So Ellsberg has written the book to tell"the capabilities and attitudes that will get you improved outside the classroom."
I welcome the kind of debate about the value of higher education.It is necessary to remember, however,that Ellsberg also tells how important it is to make money.He mentions a number of college dropoutssuch as Bill Gates and Michael Dellto show how successful they have become without the benefit of a college degree.While Ellsberg stresses the achievements of dropouts,he includes degree holders who have become wealthy and famous.For example,of the current Fortune 500 CEOs,some 99%have a college degree.Similarly,of the Forbes 400 richest people in America,81%hold postseconda.ry degrees.
But in the discussion,what is forgotten about the value is that the purpose of education is not simply to enable one to earn a living but to prepare one for living over the course of life .What is also left out of the debate about higher education is that its purpose is not just to provide a pathway covered with gold for the nation's elites .If we have the discussion that way,we may look down upon the people who devote themselves to other ordinary jobs that form the basic structures of our society,Though these individuals may not be reaching for the kind of stars that Michael Ellsberg and others would have them grasp,most are doing something even more important:they are involved in the useful tasks of good citizens and contributing to the common welfare,including providing for their families. | high5761.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "I care little about the teacher's instruction"
},
"options": [
"English idioms were too difficult to master",
"I care little about the teacher's instruction",
"My teacher didn't emphasize the importance",
"I had no inte... | A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was showed in an _ experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman, on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished, gently shaking his head ,shrugging his shoulders, saying, "You don't say! You don't say!" I was puzzled, I thought, perhaps this is not a proper topic.Well, I had better change the topic. So I said to him, "Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?" "Certainly, everybody back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent(,)." He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. "The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it. " Soon I was interrupted again by his order "You don't say!" I couldn't help asking, "Why do you ask me not to talk about it?" "Well, I didn't request you to do so," He answered, greatly surprised. I said, "Didn't you say you don't say?" Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, "You don't say actually means really? It is an expression of surprise Perhaps you don't pay attention to English idioms" Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. | high10549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the color of their skin was different"
},
"options": [
"they were unwilling to go out and vote",
"they were agitators and un-American",
"too many people tried to erect new barriers",
"the color of their skin was differe... | The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights of any democracy. Yet, for too long, too many of our fellow citizens were denied that right simply because of the color of their skin.
Fifty years ago this week, President Lyndon Johnson signed a law to change that. The Voting Rights Act broke down legal barriers that stood between millions of African Americans and their constitutional right to cast ballot . It was, and still is, one of the greatest victories in our country's struggle for civil rights. But it didn't happen overnight. Countless men and women marched and organized, sat in and stood up, for our most basic rights. For this, they were called agitators and un-American; they were jailed and beaten. Some were even killed. But in the end, they reaffirmed the idea at the very heart of America: that people who love this country can change it.
Our country is a better place because of all those heroes did for us. But as one of those heroes, Congressman John Lewis, reminded us in Selma this past March, "There's still work to be done." Fifty years after the Voting Rights Act, there are still too many barriers to vote, and too many people trying to erect new ones. We've seen laws that roll back early voting, force people to jump through hoops to cast a ballot or lead to legitimate voters being improperly purged from the rolls. Over the years, we have seen provisions specifically designed to make it harder for some of our fellow citizens to vote. In a democracy like ours, with a history like ours, that's a disgrace. That's why, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, I'm calling on Congress to pass new legislation to make sure every American has equal access to the polls.
It's why I support the organizers getting folks registered in their communities. And it's why, no matter what party you support, my message to every American is simple: get out there and vote--not just every four years, but every chance you get, because your elected officials will only heed your voice if you make your voice heard. The promise that all of us are created equal is written into our founding documents but it's up to us to make that promise real. Together, let's do what Americans have always done: Let's keep marching forward, keep perfecting our union, and keep building a better country for our kids.
[From Obama Weekly Address Aug 8th , 2015] | high13040.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "twice a year"
},
"options": [
"once a year",
"twice a year",
"from time to time",
"once a month"
],
"question": "TEENGIVING is an activity which is held _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | TEENSGIVING is an exciting event where hundreds of New York City teens gather together annually for a remarkable day of community service.This year, TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2013, participants will once again belter New York City and impact thousands of lives!
When is TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2013?
SUNDAY, APRIL 25,2013
Where is TEENSGIVING?
All over New York City.Everyone will meet at the 92nd Street Y (92nd and Lexington) at 9:00 AM for the event kick-off.Then, all TEENSGIVING volunteers will disperse (BW) across the city to work with our partnering agencies where they will make a HUGE difference (and have fun!).
Who participates in TEENSGIVING?
Hundreds of teenagers from around the city.Teens come from the 92ndStreet Y, various city schools, youth groups, and organizations in the area.In addition, many adult volunteers (ages 21 and older) will donate their time to TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2013.
What projects do participants do at the agencies?
Sample projects include painting park benches, planting gardens, visiting and playing with underprivileged children, assembling craft kits for children in hospitals, assisting at animal shelters, working at soup kitchens, delivering meals and celebrating with families at homeless shelters.
Do I get anything for participating in TEENSGIVING?
Yes! Everybody benefits! Teen volunteers will receive *6 hours* of community service credits, good towards honor society, high school graduation and college application requirements.Adult volunteers will be "thanked" with a tight breakfast, a gift certificate for their troubles, and the satisfaction of helping our city's youth contribute to their community.In addition, all teen and adult volunteers will receive a cool TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2013 T-shirt.
This sounds awesome!
How do I register for TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2013?
Interested teens and/or adults should e-mail the TEENSGIVING Coordinator Josh Hyman at jhyman@92Y.org (subject: TEENSGIVING) to receive more information and to register for this fantastic event!
**Teens can also contact their school's Community Service Advisor**
TEENSGIVING is sponsored by the 92nd Street Y. | high23183.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "how Liz struggled to change her life"
},
"options": [
"how Liz managed to enter Harvard University",
"What a hard time Liz had in her childhood",
"why Liz loved her parents so much",
"how Liz struggled to change her lif... | When other nine-year-old kids were playing games, she was working at a petrol station . When other teens were studying or going out , she struggled to find a place to sleep on the street. But she overcame these terrible setbacks to win a highly competitive scholarship and gain entry to Harvard University . And her amazing story has inspired a movie , " Homeless to Harvard : The Liz Murray Story" , shown in late April .
Liz Murray , a 22-year-old American girl, has been writing a real-life story of willpower and determination . Liz grew up in the shadow of two drug-addicted parents. There was never enough food or warm clothes in the house . Liz was the only member who had a job . Her mother had AIDS and died when Liz was just 15 years old. The effect of that loss became a turning point in her life. Connecting the environment in which she had grown up with how her mother had died , she decided to do something about it.
Liz went back to school. She threw herself into her studies, never telling her teachers that she was homeless . At night , she lived on the streets. " _ she wrote in her book Breaking Night .
She admitted that she used envy to drive herself on . She used the benefits that come easily to others , such as a safe living environment , to encourage herself that " next to nothing could hold me down". She finished high school in just two years and won a full scholarship to study at Harvard University . But Liz decided to leave her top university a couple of months earlier this year in order to take care of her father, who has also developed AIDS. " I love my parents so much . They are drug addicts. But I never forget that they loved me all the time."
Liz wants moviegoers to come away with the idea that changing your life is " as simple as making a decision". | high7176.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Only a small portion of the atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide."
},
"options": [
"Only a small portion of the atmosphere consists of carbon dioxide.",
"Professor Bolin's predictions were taken seriously in the first place.",
... | In the 1960s Professor Bolin predicted that the "greenhouse effect", caused by an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, would lead to important changes in the Earth's climate. At the time his prediction were regarded as science fiction. But it is now gradually agreed that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will double from 0.03% to 0.06% in the next 50 years and that temperatures worldwide will rise by 2degC.
Although a temperature rise of 2deg may not seem significant, the local effects may be much greater: in polar regions a rise of 10deg by 2025 is expected and in Northern Europe a rise of 4deg. Indeed the first effects were expected to be felt before the end of the 20th century.
But how does the "greenhouse effect" _ and why should such a tiny proportion of CO2have such a harmful effect? When living creatures breathe out or when things are burned, CO2enters the atmosphere. Until recently all of this was absorbed by plants, which converted it back into oxygen.
However, the balance of nature has been disturbed. In power stations, in factories and in our cars, we are burning more and more fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) and this produces huge quantities of CO2--18 billion tons of it enter the atmosphere every year. Added to this, the destruction of forests means that less CO2can be converted into oxygen by plants. So, the amount of CO2in the atmosphere is increasing every year. | high8245.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Preparing for a play."
},
"options": [
"Telling a story.",
"Playing a game.",
"Preparing for a play.",
"Acting in a movie."
],
"question": "What was the author doing at the beginning of' the story?",
"questi... | "Grandma, Grandma, tell us a story ! "Four darling children sat by my feet, looking up at me expectantly. Suddenly, we were interrupted clapping."Terrific, " the director said, stepping up the stage from the aisle ."Except, could you kids face the audience a bit more? "
The kids shifted to face the empty seats, which would be filled in a few days for the church play."Perfect," the director said. "Now, Grandma, read to your grandchildren."
hit me. If' only I could read to my real grandchild!
I had a granddaughter, but I'd never met her. Sixteen years earlier my son was involved in a relationship that ended badly. But out of' it came a blessing: a baby girl named Lena. I hoped to be a grandmother to her-but shortly after the birth, the mother moved without any address left. Over the years, I asked around town to try and find my son's ex-wife ,but it seemed that she didn't want to be found.
I'd just joined this new church a week earlier and was at once offered the part of Grandma in the play. At least now I could pretend to be a grandma. The rehearsals went well, and finally the day of' the show arrived. The performance was great. "You all looked so natural up there, "one of' my friends said.
Afterward, we went to the church basement for refreshments .I walked over to one of the girls in the play. Rehearsals had been such a whirlwind that we never really got to talk. "How's my granddaughter? " I joked.
"Fine !" she answered. Just then, someone else walked up and asked the girl her name.
I wasn't sure I heard the girl's answer correctly. But it made me ask her another question."What's your mother's name? "
She told me, I was still in shock."And what's your father's name? "I asked. She told me.It was my son.
She'd only started going to that church a week before I did. Since that day of 'the play, we've stayed close. Not long ago, she even made me a great grandma. | high15431.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "growing online sales will cut their share of the market"
},
"options": [
"consumers can get a better selection by shopping online",
"growing online sales will cut their share of the market",
"people like to have their goods d... | Traditional businessmen feel worried that growing ecommerce will reduce their share of the market.
According to a survey, 90% of some people's purchases are made on the computer. As they find that by being able to go online and choose the things that they need to choose, and have them delivered right to their doorsteps, they could no longer be bothered with driving, the crowds, the noise of that, and they usually get a better selection.
Cornell University Marketing Professor, MeLaughlin says traditional stores can keep their customers by offering goods like clothing, which customers may want to see and try on before purchasing, as well as items that are difficult to ship. He says some traditional stores are also pleasing customers with services that set up or repair computers and electronics.
Traditional stores also offer a social experience that some shoppers enjoy. There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision that takes place. Oftentimes, you need that last sense of "this is exactly what I want" before you part with money. And you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process.
As more and more people have Internet access and smart phones, online commerce is likely to continue its growth here in the United States and in other countries. | high7610.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A plough"
},
"options": [
"His wife",
"The large tree",
"A plough",
"The lightning itself"
],
"question": "What did Edwards see first after being struck down by a lightning?",
"question_type": "factiod_quest... | Something strange was unbelievable. Take Robert for example. After the terrible car accident, his whole world had been completely dark and quiet for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing made him try many times to put end to his life.
His family especially his wife did their best to tend and comfort him. By and by he finally regained the courage to live on.
On a hot summer afternoon he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started suddenly. He stood under a large tree in order not to get himself wet. Unfortunately he was struck down to the ground by a lightning. The witnesses thought him dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water below the tree. He felt that he was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes ,he didn't dare to believe that he saw a plough( )lying near the wall. When Mrs Edwards came running up to him, she shouted their neighbours for help. And he saw her and heard her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert's regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread in his area. And many doctors came to prove the truth of the news. Most of them said that he gained sight and hearing again obviously from the knock of lightning; none of them could give convincing reasons, however. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Edwards lost his sight and hearing as a result of sudden shock in a terrible accident, perhaps the only way for them to regain was by another sudden shock. | high8523.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Painful."
},
"options": [
"Painful.",
"Curious.",
"Frightened.",
"Disappointed."
],
"question": "Which of the following best describes Roth's feeling in Book 1?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer":... | Book 1Elixirwritten by Eric Walters
Twelve-year-old Roth becomes a friend of Dr. Banting and his assistant, Mr. Best, who are doing research on a cure for diabetes . She finds herself torn between her sympathy for the animals being experimented on and her friendship with Banting and Best.
Book 2George Washington Carver written by Elizabeth Macleod
Meet the "Peanut Specialist", George Washington Carver, the inventor and professor who made over 325 products out of peanuts. Through his agricultural research, he also greatly improved the lives of countless black farmers in the southern United States. See also Macleod's Albert Einstein: A Life of Genius.
Book 3The Inuit Thought of It: Amazing Arctic Innovations
written by Alootook Ipellie & David MacDonald
Explore more than 40 ideas necessary to Inuit survival. From ideas familiar to us today to inventive concepts that shaped their lives, celebrate the creativity of a remarkably intelligent people. Also see other books: The Chinese Thought of It by Tingxing Ye and A Native American Thought of It by Rocky Landon and David MacDonald.
Book 4 Made in Canada: 101 Amazing Achievements written by Bev Spencer
What things do we use daily that have a Canadian connection? Here are 101 common things that were invented in Canada or by a Canadian, including the Blackberry, alkaline batteries and the Blue Box recycling program.
Book 5Newton and the Time Machinewritten by Michael McGowan
Ten-year-old boy Newton has invented a time machine to see dinosaurs up close. But it disappears on a test run with his two huge friends, King Herbert and Queen Certrude, can he save them before time runs out? | high15357.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Cats and dogs can cooperate with each other in order to finish something."
},
"options": [
"Cats and dogs can never work together.",
"Cats and dogs can be friends if they work together.",
"Cats and dogs can get along well wit... | Cats and dogs aren't usually friendly but they can work together well when there's a common goal.
Matt Hirst's pets were recently caught on camera conspiring to open the kitchen door while the master was away.
According to his post on Reddit, Hirst -- who lives in the U.K. -- had been arriving home all week to notice one of the doors open, even though he knew he shut it before he left. After the fourth time the door was open he decided to set up a hidden camera.
"The first time, I assumed I just must have left the door open. The second time, I checked the whole house thinking that someone was breaking in (and began to suspect the cat). The third time I figured it must be the cat, and decided to catch him out, so set the camera up and left it going all day," he wrote.
Just three hours after leaving the house, the cat jumps up onto a scratch tower and starts pawing at the door.
It takes the cat just over a minute to finally break through and then both cat and dog escape to the other side. | high14049.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Taste many kinds of apples."
},
"options": [
"Attend experts' lectures.",
"Visit fruit-loving families.",
"Plant fruit trees in an orchard.",
"Taste many kinds of apples."
],
"question": "What can people do at t... | If you are a fruit grower--or would like to become one--take advantage of Apple Day to see what's around.
It's called Apple Day but in practice it's more like Apple Month. The day itself is on October 21, but sinceit has
caught on, events now spread out over most of October around Britain.
Visiting an apple event is a good chance to see, and often taste, a wide variety of apples. To people who are used to the limited choice of apples such as Golden Delicious and Royal Gala in supermarkets, it can be quite an eye opener to see the range of classical apples still in existence, such as Decio which was grown by the Romans. Although it doesn't taste of anything special, it's still worth a try, as is the knobbly Cat's Head which is more of a curiosity than anything else.
There are also varieties developed to suit specific local conditions. One of the very best varieties for eating quality is Orleans Reinette, but you'll need a warm, sheltered place with perfect soil to grow it, so it's _ for most apple lovers who fall for it.
At the events, you can meet expert growers and discuss which ones will best suit your conditions, and because these are family affairs, children are well catered for with apple-themed fun and games.
Apple Days are being held at all sorts of places with an interest in fruit, including stately gardens and commercial orchards .If you want to have a real orchard experience, try visiting the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent. | high13726.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The team Houston led by YaoMing promises to be the most difficult one to be defeated."
},
"options": [
"Yao has become the best one in NBA and no one can be over him any more.",
"The team Houston led by YaoMing promises to be the m... | MIAMI (AFP) -- Yao Ming's 34-point performance against Shaquille O'Neal has the 2.26m Chinese center enjoying a happiness almost as huge as himself.
Yao scored 34 points, 14 in the fourth quarter, to spark Houston past defending NBA champion Miami 94-72 Sunday night. prefix = st1 /Yaoalso grabbed 14 rebounds and helped keep "Shaq" to 15 points of 6-of-14 shooting from the field.
"Every time I score on (Shaq) I'm happy because he's such a great player," Yaosaid. "No question he's the toughest player in the league. You have to have energy and mental toughness in the fourth quarter or else he'll _ "
Yao was generous in victory, indicating that O'Neal has not yet returned to top form after missing two games with a injured left knee.
"He wasn't the same Shaq tonight as he was during the playoffs last year," Yaosaid. "That was a totally different Shaq out there."
Nevertheless, Yao's task was far from simple in containing the controlling big man who has muscled his way to three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and another last season with the Heat.
"It's a hard job. He's the most important center in this league," Yaosaid. "I just have to keep running with him and matching him play-for-play at both ends."
Yao, whose Rockets have won four games in a row, has proven he can reach that next level and made believers out of plenty of competitors, including Heat coach Pat Riley.
"Yaowas a load," Riley said. "We got our heads handed to us in the second half."
No one knew that better than O'Neal, who watched Yao hit 11-of-19 shots just two nights after a 35-point, 17-rebound performance in a victory over New York.
"He hit a lot of tough shots and when you're playing against a guy like that ... you're not going to block his shot," O'Neal said. "You've just got to try to push him out and play him tough." | high17540.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she thought they were hungry and needed something to eat"
},
"options": [
"she know them",
"she thought they were hungry and needed something to eat",
"she wanted to get success",
"she wanted to become richer"
],
... | A woman saw three old men sitting in her front yard. She said, "I don't think I know you, but you must be very hungry. Please come in and find something to eat."
"We do not go into a house together." they replied.
"Why is that?" she asked.
One of the old men answered, "His name is Wealth, this is Success, and I am Love." Then he said, "Now go in and discuss with your family which one of us you want in your house."
Then the woman went in and told her family what was said. She said, "Let's invite Wealth. Let him come in and bring us nice things. We have been so poor." His husband disagreed, "My dear, why don't we invite Success? Don't you want me to be a successful man?" Then the daughter asked, "Would it be better to invite Love? Our life will then be filled with love!" "Let's take our daughter's advice," said the father and mother.
So the woman went out and asked, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other two also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, "I only invited Love. Why are you coming along?" The two old men answered, "If you had invited Wealth or Success, Two of us would have stayed out, but since you have invited Love, wherever he goes, we go with him. Where there is love, there is wealth and Success." | high18673.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "don't use chemicals to control harmful insects and weeds"
},
"options": [
"don't cut grapevines every year",
"don't use chemicals to control harmful insects and weeds",
"don't need to control harmful insects and weeds",
... | Growers around the world are using new methods to grow grapes to make wine. They use natural and organic methods to control harmful insects and weeds instead of using chemicals. Now, a winery in Canada has adopted a natural way to control its grapevines .The Featherstone Winery is in southern Ontario. The grapevines, like other plants, need to be cut every year.
Cutting grapevines must be done very carefully. Only a targeted area of leaves is removed from the lower part of the vines to help the grapes grow better. But at the Featherstone Winery, no man or machine does the cutting. Instead, the job is done by 40 little wooly lambs.www.zxxk.com
David Johnson owns the vineyard. He says he learned about using lambs while visiting wineries in New Zealand. The young lambs are perfectly designed to do the job. They eat the grape leaves on the lower parts of the vine. But they are not tall enough to reach the grapes. They only weigh about 22 kilograms, so they do not beat down the soil. And their waste makes good organic fertilizer. In addition, using the lambs costs much less than hiring workers to cut the vines for seven weeks in summer. And when the cutting is done in August, the lambs become tasty dishes.
Mr Johnson says he had a difficult time finding enough lambs to do the job. There are about 50 million lambs in New Zealand. But there are not nearly as many in Ontario. Also, some organic pesticides are harmful to lambs. And the lambs must be watched to make sure they do not eat too much of the grapevines.
David Johnson says the lambs help him carry out his environmental ideas about farming. They are lovely and peaceful and he likes having them in his vineyard. People visiting the vineyard also enjoy watching the lambs do their job. | high5007.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "tell the nature of life learning"
},
"options": [
"tell the nature of life learning",
"carry life learning through",
"learn without going to school",
"find a specially trained teacher"
],
"question": "It is impl... | One is never too old to learn. Life learning (sometimes called un-schooling or self-directed learning) is one of those concepts that are almost easier to explain by saying what it isn't than what it is. And that's probably because our own schooled backgrounds have convinced us that learning happens only in a fine building on certain days, between certain hours, and managed by a specially trained professional.
Within that schooling framestudy, no matter how hard teachers try and no matter how good their textbooks, many bright students get bored, many slower students struggle and give up or lose their self-respect, and most of them reach the end of the process unprepared to enter into society. They have memorized a certain body of knowledge long enough to rush back the information on tests, but they haven't really learnt much, at least of the official curriculum.
Life learners, on the other hand, know that learning is not difficult, that people learn things quite easily if they're not compelled and forced, if they see a need to learn something, and if they are trusted and respected enough to learn it on their own timetable, at their own speed, in their own way--no matter what age and no matter whether we're at school or at home.
Life learning is independent of time, location or the presence of teacher. It does not require mom or dad to teach, or kids to work in workbooks at the table from 9 to noon. Life learning is learner-driven. It involves living and learning--in and from the real world. It is about exploring, questioning, experimenting, making messes, taking risks without fear of making mistakes, being laughed at and trying again.
Furthermore, life learning is about trusting kids to learn what they need to know and about helping them to learn and grow in their own ways. It is about providing positive experiences that enable children to understand the world and their culture and to interact with it. | high4319.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To support the author's own argument on competition."
},
"options": [
"To advise friends to be loyal even in competition.",
"To expose the weak side of friendship when tested.",
"To support the author's own argument on compet... | We live in a very competitive world. Everybody seems to be competing with someone at some level. Each week we spend hours playing or watching others compete in sporting activities all over the world. We cannot help being impressed by the level of excellence that these people achieve.
In sport and business, competition encourages excellence in performance. Where there is no competition, improvement in performance is less likely. Some level of competition is a have-to in all aspects of life.
The following story makes this point.
As two friends are hiking in the forest they come across a huge, ferocious and obviously hungry bear. Its next meal has just come into sight, and they are it! The first friend calculates that the bear will catch them in 27.3 seconds. At that point, she panics, realizing there is no escape. She faces her friend, with the fear of death in her eyes. To her amazement, she observes that her friend is not scared at all. On the contrary, her friend is quickly but calmly taking off her hiking boots and putting on running shoes. "What do you think you're doing?" the first hiker says to her companion. "You'll never be able to run faster than that bear". "That's true," says the companion, "but all I have to do is escape, faster than you."
We all compete when the motivation is strong enough. However, competition is not the real purpose of life. Fulfilling the measure of our creation can only be achieved individually.
Most of time, we are not in competition with any other person, so we do not have to compare ourselves with others. There is only one person that can fulfill our role and that is us. This means that others cannot beat us to the finish line because there is no race. This is not to say that others do not have a similar role to us, but it is never the same. This is important to understand if we are going to enjoy life. Every human being is unique and cannot be cloned. In this, I am not referring to the body, only to the spirit, soul, or the essence of a person. | high3476.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The ability to discover a student's potential to succeed."
},
"options": [
"The ability to make all students behave well.",
"The ability to treat different students in the same way.",
"The ability to discover a student's pote... | Many of us have heard stories about teachers who can "see" into a student's future. Even if a student is not performing well, they can predict success. We are convinced that this ability, this gift, is evidence that they were "called to teach" . If the gift of sight is evidence, how greater must be the gift of touch. I have a story.
I grew up in the fifties in a poor African American neighborhood in Stockton, California, that had neither sidewalks nor an elementary school. Each day, always in groups at our parents' insistence, my friends and I would leave home early enough to walk eight blocks to school and be in our seats when the bell rang. For four blocks, we walked on dusty roads. By the fifth block, we walked on sidewalks that led to lovely homes and to Fair Oaks Elementary School. It was at Fair Oaks, in a sixth grade English class, that I met Ms. Victoria Hunter, a teacher who had a huge influence on my life.
During reading periods, she would walk around the room, stop at our desks, stand over us for a second or two, and then touch us. Without saying anything to us (nothing could break the silence of reading periods), she would place two fingers lightly on our throats and hold them there for seconds. I learned many years later when I was a student at Stanford University that teachers touch the throat of students to check for sub-vocalization , which slows down the reading speed. I did not know at the time why Ms. Hunter was touching our throats, but I was a serious and respectful student and so, during silent reading period, I did what Ms. Hunter told us to do. I kept my eyes on the material I was reading and waited for her to place her fingers lightly on my throat.
One day, out of curiosity, I raised my head from my book -- though not high -- so that I could see Ms. Hunter, a white woman from Canada, moving up and down the rows, stopping at the desks of my classmates. I wanted to see how they reacted when she touched their throats. She walked past them. I was confused. Did she pass them by because they were model students? What did we, the students who were touched, not do right? I sat up straighter in my chair, thinking that my way of sitting might be the problem. I was confused. Several days later, I watched again, this time raising my head a little higher. Nothing changed. Ms. Hunter touched the same students. Always, she touched me.
She touched me with her hands. She also touched me with her belief in my ability to achieve. She motivated me by demanding the best from me and by letting teachers I would meet in junior high school know that I should be challenged, that I would be serious about my work. I am convinced that she touched me because she could "see" me in the future. That was true of all of us at Fair Oaks who sat still and silent as Ms. Hunter placed her fingers lightly on our throats. We left Fair Oaks as "best students," entered John Marshall Junior High School, finished at the top of our high school class, and went on to earn graduate degrees in various subjects. Ms. Hunter saw us achieving and she touched us to make certain that we would.
I was not surprised that she came to my graduation ceremony at Edison High School in Stockton or that she talked to me about finishing college and earning a Ph. D. She expected that of me. She gave me a beautifully wrapped box. Inside was a gift, the beauty of which multiplies even as it touches me: _ . | high11131.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They took cultural values seriously."
},
"options": [
"They lived a well-off life.",
"They were famous in Puerto Rico.",
"They had different cultural values.",
"They took cultural values seriously."
],
"question... | Growing up in Puerto Rico, our family was no different from so many others. My parents got married after my father came back when the war ended. Both of my parents were struggling with the hard economic realities of the time. But somehow, they found time to cherish those cultural values that shaped our everyday life.
In our daily life, we celebrated together with our friends or family members every birthday, every graduation, and all holidays with music and dancing, typical foods. When we visited our family in the countryside -- a trip that took about two hours in a car, with five children fighting as to who would get a window or the front seat -- we would break into song, and somehow the trip would turn into one full of happiness and fun. We would sing not only interesting children's songs but also beautiful love songs -- songs about the love of the country though we didn't understand the meaning of the words many times.
I came to Philadelphia for the first time in 1973 to do a residency in family medicine. I remember the many hours of work. I was facing issues of life and death and suffering the clearly social unfairness and issues of poverty and race. These were all aggravated by my feeling of cultural differences.
An important turning point in my life happened one Saturday night when I attended a concert of Puerto Rican singer and composer Antonio Caban Vale. The music showed my familiar rhythms, and the words spoke to my heart. I had found a space to express, celebrate, and share my culture in Philadelphia. Therefore, I believe diversity is seen as an advantage and not as a disadvantage. As a Puerto Rican, I am a mixture of races and I believe in my strength because of this. | high19586.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "6"
},
"options": [
"4",
"5",
"6",
"7"
],
"question": "How many airports are introduced in the text?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text... | Scottish Islands Airports
Many of the larger Scottish Islands have airports on the smaller islands. This makes island travel a lot easier across from the mainland of Scotland and between islands. Flying over the islands gives you a bird's-eye view on clear days.
Orkney Islands Airport
Kirkwall Airport is 3 miles east of Kirkwall itself. Scheduled flights largely by Loganair/British Airways to and from Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness Sumburgh on Shetland are serviced by Kirkwall Airport. The inter - island flight between Papa Westray and Westray is the shortest scheduled flight in the world lasting a mere 2-3 minutes! If you make the journey you get a certificate to prove you've made it.
Outer Hebrides Airports Western Isles
Stornoway Airport, four miles east of the town, is the main airport for flights to the Western Isles. Flights to Stornoway run direct from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. There are two other airports serving the Outer Hebrides islands. Benbecula airport is on the west coast of the island.Barra Airport is actually on a beach--the only beach airport in the world handling scheduled flights.
Islay Airport
Islay has its own small airport. British Airways/Loganair schedule regular flights to Islay from Glasgow International Airport. Islay Airport is on the south west of the islands beside a seven mile beach. There is a gift shop at the air- port. Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9 am-12:30 and 1:30-6:15 pm; Sat 9:30-10:30 am; Sun 5:30-6:30 pm.
The Oban to Colonsay Air Service
You can now fly direct to the Isle of Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides from Oban Airport. Flights between Oban and Colonsay operate twice daily on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Extra flights between Oban Airport and Colonsay also run during termtime on Saturdays and Sundays. | high21019.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "everyone wore the same color1"
},
"options": [
"it was a nice and old city",
"there were forty master dyers",
"everyone wore the same color1",
"the dyers didn't use machines"
],
"question": "To the traveler, the... | A traveler once visited a city where everyone wore blue. Puzzled, he went to a dyer and said, " Please dye the handkerchief red."
"I don't know how to dye red."
"Then dye it green."
"I can't dye it green. There are forty master dyers in this city, and every one of us can dye only blue." "I can dye all color1s," said the traveler, "Hire me and I'll teach you my art."
"We never allow a stranger to enter our craft ", said the dyer.
The traveler made the same offer to the other master dyers, but none would hire him. So he began his own dye shop. Folks soon crowded around asking, "What are all these beautiful color1s called?"
He answered, "This is red and that is yellow," and so on. Everyone began bringing him cloth to dye. When the master dyers saw this, they quickly apologized for their past insults , begging him to hire them and teach them his art. | high18840.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To be in hot water;To be in deep water."
},
"options": [
"To be in hot water;To be in deep water.",
"To be in hot water;To keep your head above water.",
"To be in deep water;Water over the dam.",
"Water over the dam;To ... | Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.
The expression "to be in hot water" is one of them. It is a very old expression. "Hot water" was used 500 years ago to mean being in trouble. One story says it got that meaning from the custom of throwing extremely hot water down on enemies attacking a castle.
That no longer happens. But we still get in "hot water".When we are in "hot water", we are in trouble. It can be any kind of trouble--serious or not so serious. A person who breaks a law can be in hot water with the police. A young boy can be in hot water with his mother. if he walks in the house with dirty shoes.
Being in "deep water" is almost the same as being in hot water. When you are in deep water, you are in a difficult position. Imagine a person who cannot swim being thrown in water over his head.
You are in deep water when you are facing a problem that you do not have the ability to solve. The problem is too deep. You can be in deep water, for example, if you invest in stocks without knowing anything about the stock market.
"To keep your head above water" is a colorful expression that means staying out of debt. A company seeks to keep its head above water during economic hard times. A man who loses his job tries to keep his head above water until he finds a new job.
"Water over the dam" is another expression about a past event. It is something that is finished. It cannot be changed. The expression comes from the idea that water that has flowed over a dam cannot be brought back again. | high2783.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because he has many opportunities to look for any possible challenges initiatively."
},
"options": [
"Because he has learned there for about two years.",
"Because he ran a business of his own.",
"Because he has many opportuni... | I always wanted to run a business of some sort,and finally I got such a good chance to do so at the beginning of the summer term.The business project is called Young Enterprise,where we set up a small company called "Limitless" and sold the products to the school and public.I was appointed deputy director and financial director of the company,in which my role was to manage the financial activities.
I have learnt so much from this experience,for I could put what I have learnt into practice in real life and learn to work with different people,which improved my skills in management and communication.
In this school we students can organise our own activities if we want to,and the school is usually highly supportive:so this term I have organised an Engineering Society in school,which arranges regular visits to local industries.So far,the society which has only 10 members has proved to be really "popular".Well,it is always the quality,not the quantity,that matters,isn't it?
I have had many opportunities to challenge myself since I got to the school,and I do think it is all of these challenges that make me more and more mature.Perhaps one of the most important lessons I have learned in this school is to have the initiative to look for any possible challenges. | high18698.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a good cry can sometimes help us face problems rightly"
},
"options": [
"people don't like being seen crying",
"crying in public makes people feel better",
"a bad cry is as common as a good cry",
"a good cry can sometim... | We've all experienced a "good cry". Shedding some tears can often make us feel better and help us put things in perspective. But why is crying beneficial? And is there such a thing as a "bad cry"?
The researchers analyzed the detailed accounts of more than 3,000 recent crying experiences and found that the benefits of crying depend entirely on the what, where and when of a particular crying episode . The majority of persons reported improvements in their mood following a short period of crying. However, one third reported no improvement in mood and a tenth felt worse after crying. Criers who received social support during their crying episode were the most likely to report improvements in mood.
Research to date has not always produced a clear picture of the benefits of crying, in part because the results often seem to depend on how crying is studied. The researchers note several challenges in accurately studying crying behavior in a laboratory setting. Volunteers who cry in a laboratory setting often do not describe their experiences as making them feel better. Rather, crying in a laboratory setting often results in the study participants feeling worse; this may be due to the stressful conditions of the study itself, such as being videotaped or watched by researchers. This may produce negative emotions, which neutralize the positive benefits usually connected with crying.
However, these laboratory studies have provided interesting findings about the physical effects of crying. Criers do show calming effects such as slower breathing, but they also experience a lot of unpleasant stress, including increased heart rate and sweating. What is interesting is that bodily calming usually lasts longer than the unpleasant. The calming effects may occur later and overcome the stress reaction, which would account for why people tend to remember mostly the pleasant side of crying.
Research has shown that the effects of crying also depend on who is shedding the tears. For example, individuals with anxiety or mood disorders are least likely to experience the positive effects of crying. In addition, the researchers report that people who lack insight into their emotional lives actually feel worse after crying. | high20307.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A student magazine."
},
"options": [
"A student magazine.",
"A computer magazine.",
"A food magazine.",
"A fashion magazine."
],
"question": "In which magazine will you read this text?",
"question_type": "fa... | Your stay in Britain should be a memorable and happy time. To achieve this, you
need to prepare yourself well for the trip. Not only will you use English, but you will also need to get used to customs, attitudes and food that are different from what you know.
Your stay will be more enjoyable if you join in with your host family, which is the family you will stay with. Use every opportunity to talk with your hosts. Do not just sit alone in your bedroom. If you plan to go out, you should tell them when and where you are going and when you expect to get back. This is important because your hosts are responsible for you.
Find out what the "house rules" are. For example, who uses the bathroom first in the morning? When can you do your washing? Can you use the iron for your clothes? What about doing the dishes after dinner? Most British teenagers are very tidy. They are expected to help in the home and look after their things. Do not expect your host mother to do everything for you.
The telephone can be a problem. At the start of your stay, ask your hosts if you may use their phone and of course, tell them you will pay for the calls to China. Make sure that you do not spend too long on their phone in the evenings.
The food in Britain will be a new experience for you. Everyday food in Britain is not the same as the Western-style food you can find in China. Even so, you should try to eat whatever you are given. However, if it is something you really do not like, just say so politely. Do not bring your own food into the house.
Whether you are at home or in a restaurant, do not spit out bones onto the table. Put them on the side of your plate. And remember--in Europe, people eat the main dish with a knife and fork. The spoon is used only for soup or dessert. | high24161.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Section 3."
},
"options": [
"Section 1.",
"Section 2.",
"Section 3.",
"Section 1&2."
],
"question": "There are three sections in the passage.Which section do you think is about why phonecards are good?",
"qu... | How many coins have you got in your pocket right now?Three?Two?Or one?With a phonecard you can make up to 200 calls without any change at all.
1.What do you do with it?
Go to a telephone box marked "Phonecard".Put in your card,make your call and when you've finished,a screen tells you how much is left on your card.It costs no extra for the cards,and the calls cast 10 per unit,the same as any other payphone call.You can put them in units of 10,20,40,100 or 200.
2.Now appearing in a shop near you
Near each card phone place you'll find a shop where you can buy one.They're at bus,train and city tube stations.Many universities,hospitals and clubs,restaurants and gas stations on the highway and shopping centers.At airports and seaports.
3.No more broken payphones
Most broken payphones are like that they've been vandalized .There are no coins in Cardphone to excite thieves' interest in it.So you're not probably to find a vandalized one.Get a phonecard yourself and try it out.Or get a bigger wallet. | high7823.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "grown-ups"
},
"options": [
"grown-ups",
"boys",
"girls",
"old men"
],
"question": "According to the article, more and more_in Europe were giving up smoking.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Within a few short years, girls in Europe have become heavier smokers than boys, for reasons experts still fail to understand, according to a British study, presented last week to an international conference on smoking.
Anti-smoking activists at the second "Tobacco or Health" conference in the Canary Islands pointed out that while grown-ups were giving up smoking in ever-growing numbers, more and more young people were taking up the habit, particularly girls.
One 15--year--old in four is a regular smoker, according to a study made in 27 countries in Europe and the United States, Canada and Israel----Edinburgh University together with the World Health Organization.
In Western Europe, girls were more likely than boys to smoke. In prefix = st1 /Germanyor In England, one third of the girls were smokers compared to one in four boys. In Eastern Europe, the girls "still fall behind" those in the Western Europe but were "catching up" quickly, said the study.
The study dealt with the behaviour of 15--year--old in seven European countries over four year periods between 1986 and 1998.
The percentages of young women smoking went from 17 percent to 36 percent in Austria, from 17 percent to 28 percent inNorway, from 21 percent to 28 percent inHungary.
In the seven countries Austria,Finland,Hungary,Norway,Sweden,SwitzerlandandWales--more girls smoked than boys in 1998, exceptHungary. | high22510.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are all great cities for art lovers."
},
"options": [
"They are all great cities for female shoppers.",
"They are all famous for their traditional food.",
"They are all great cities for art lovers.",
"They are all ... | Florence,Italy
Who should go:Art lovers;Renaissance historians;leather handbag shoppers with high credit limits.
When to go:Spring or fall.Travellers usually avoid summer in Florence.
Paris,France
Who should go:Starving artists;Henry Miler fans;traditional food lovers.
When to go:Spring is the best time.That's what they all say,anyway.Autumn isn't bad,either,and I'd rather be rooting around the south of France in search of truffles in autumn.Summer in Paris isn't bad,really.
Amsterdam,Holland
Who should go:Lovers of Dutch Masters(artists I mean,like Rembrandt,not cigars);bicyclists--it's a bike city in a flat land.
When to go:It can rain at any time in Amsterdam,but that's not a reason for not visiting this fascinating city.Off season tourists will be rewarded with good enough weather to stick around.Summer is good for sun lovers.
Madrid,Spain
Who should go: _ --Madrid never sleeps;art lovers--the Prado is second only to the Louvre in presenting serious art;partygoers.
When to go:Spring,when days are warm and the nights are pleasantly cool.Demand for outside eating and drinking starts becoming stronger in March or April.Street life peaks in June,then slows in July and August as the temperature peaks.Autumn is also good,although you'll risk some rain.
Venice,Italy
Who should go:Romantic dreamers who like walking through automobile-free streets;your mother(she'll want you to take her there,trust me);almost anyone who wants to see something really different and romantic.
When to go:February is the time when the famous Venice Carnival is held and the weather is usually cold and foggy--perfect weather for Venice.Summer?A large number of tourists in shorts and whiny children ruin the atmosphere.You'll greatly enjoy yourself there in spring and early fall. | high13915.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "more right-handed women than left-handed women tend to hold their babies on the left"
},
"options": [
"left-handed women tend to hold their babies on the right",
"more right-handed women than left-handed women tend to hold their ba... | Scientists have recently discovered that mothers tend to hold their baby on the left.Of 255 right-handed mothers,83% held the baby on the left.And out of 32 left-handed women,78%held the baby on the left As a control( ),women were watched coming from supermarkets carrying baby-sized bags;the bags were held with no side preference.
Then,dental patients were given a large rubber ball to hold during treatment.The majority held the ball to their left side,even when it was interrupted with the dentist's activities.
This suggested that in times of stress objects are held against the left side.
At that point,something clearly contrary was observed.A large number of mothers who brought their premature babies to a clinic were seen to hold their babies against their right side.
So,115 mothers who had been separated from their babies for 24 hours after birth were observed for holding response.The experimenters presented the baby directly to midline of the mother's body, and noted how she held the baby.53% placed the baby on the left and 47% on the right.And it was also noted that the mothers of the group who had held their baby on the left had already had a baby from which they had not been separated after birth.
Left-handed holding enables the baby to hear the heartbeat.In order to discover whether hearing the heart has a beneficial effect on the baby,the sound of a human heart-beat was played to 102 babies in a New York nursery for 4 days.A control group of babies was not exposed to heart-beats.The babies in the heart-beat group gained more weight and cried far less than the babies in the control group. | high22276.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "be a beautiful and attractive fairy"
},
"options": [
"learn the most powerful magic",
"become a good fairy godmother",
"be a beautiful and attractive fairy",
"help more people get out of trouble"
],
"question": ... | There was once a fairy who was learning how to be a fairy godmother. She was the kindest and cleverest of all fairies. However, she was also a very ugly fairy. And no matter how friendly she was to others, it seemed that everyone always believed that the most important thing about a fairy was her beauty. In the fairy country, she was always laughed at. Every time she flew off to help a child or anyone else in trouble, before she could say a word they were already shouting: "Ugly! Get out of here!"
Although she was little, her magic was very powerful because she studied very hard in the fairy school. And more than once she had considered using her magic to make herself beautiful. But then she remembered what her mother had always told her: "My dear, you are what you are, so just be yourself. Remember, you are this way for a very special reason."
Then, one day, the witches of the neighboring land invaded the country, putting all the fairies in prison. The ugly fairy was helped by her ugly face, since the witches believed all fairies were beautiful. So no witches thought she was a fairy. That way she was able to follow the witches back to their home. Once there she used her magic to prepare a big party for everyone. The witches got really excited. They sang and drank. While _ , the fairy hurried off and set free all the fairies. Then they worked together and succeeded in locking the witches inside the mountain for the next hundred years and more, everyone remembered the great bravery and intelligence of the fairy. From that day on, no one in that land ever saw ugliness as a bad thing, and whenever someone ugly was born, people were filled with joy, knowing that for that new person great things waited ahead. | high23168.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the child may behave badly"
},
"options": [
"the child may behave badly",
"the ability may fade away",
"the child may lose interest",
"the parents may become anxious"
],
"question": "If a child's musical ability... | How to deal successfully with a child showing outstanding musical ability? It's not always clear how best to develop and encourage his gift. Many parents may even fail to recognize and respond to their children's need until discouragement explodes into uncooperative behavior. And while most schools are equipped to deal with children who are especially able in academic subjects,the musically gifted require special understanding which may not always be available in an ordinary school. Such children may well benefit from the education offered by a specialist music school.
The five music schools in Britain aim to provide all environment where gifted children can develop their skills under the guidance of professional musicians. Children here spend about half of a day on musical activities,for example,individual lessons,orchestras,chamber groups,voice training,conducting and theory. They also spend several hours a day practicing in private rooms .The rest of their time is taken up with the subjects:English,maths and basic sciences.
What are the disadvantages? An obvious problem is that the fees are high .However, each school will often scholarships and other forms of financial aid. Secondly, not all parents want to send their children to boarding school, especially at an early age .Almost all the directors of the specialist schools express doubts about the wisdom of admitting children as young as seven into such a tense and disciplined environment. They stress,however, that their main aim is to turn out "well-rounded and well--balanced individual." | high6283.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "security in shopping"
},
"options": [
"freedom of shopping",
"shopping convenience",
"security in shopping",
"Internet access"
],
"question": "Consumer confidence in online shopping mainly relies on _ .",
... | It is amazing to note that the Internet is still such a new device,and yet it is one of the fastest and most powerful media tools. But think about it for a moment. On the Internet,a big online company can be run by only two guys in their garage. So it is only reasonable then,that people shopping online would be a little _ of the security levels.
Internet giants such as Microsoft knew consumer confidence was the key to getting virtual shopping off the ground,and they work hard to make people feel safe to shop online.
Credit card companies,too,quickly saw the potential for online shopping,and have installed things like online shopping insurance for people. If you ever have a problem with your online credit purchases,many credit card companies will happily refund your money and then set their claws on the company that wronged you. Now that's buying power!
There are other bonuses for online shoppers,of course. No lineups,for one. No annoying mall shopping carts with broken wheels and kids crying because their parents won't get them what they want.
When shopping online,consumers can sit down,have a coffee,and wear their slippers,not having to worry about their hair or parking,and just clicking through sale after sale. Comparison shopping couldn't be any easier. And thanks to courier companies getting in on the act,you never need to wait longer than a day or two to get those all important purchases delivered right to your door.
No wonder so many companies are shaking their heads at traditional advertising and instead looking to the"virtual" world to attract online shoppers. | high11864.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he was busy looking for her"
},
"options": [
"he was busy looking for her",
"he had to look after his wife",
"he was not strict in his job",
"he no longer enjoyed working there"
],
"question": "Her father didn't... | A gentle breeze blew through Jennifer's hair. The golden red sun was setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery ball. She was amazed by its color1, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this was what she needed. "It's getting late," she thought, "I must go home. My parents will be wondering where I am."
She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself where she spent every summer holiday. The road was deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she would have been safe in her house.
It was really getting dark now. The sun had set a few minutes before and it was getting cold, too. She wished she had her favorite sweater on-- it kept her really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thoughtdisappeared when she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemed deserted. She couldn't understand what was going on.
She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a note written by her father. It said, " Ellen, there is some coffee ready. I went looking." Ellen was her mother but -- where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her parents' room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her mother, lying on the bed, was sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn't slept for days. She was really pale. Jennifer would have wanted to wake her up but she looked too tired. So Jennifer just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up, something was different... she wasn't in her mother's room and she wasn't wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her _ bed in her pajamas .
It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice, "Are you feeling better now, ? You know you got us very, very scared." | high20461.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He is a blind but very neat."
},
"options": [
"He is a blind but very neat.",
"His wife died many years ago.",
"He likes playing the piano.",
"His room in the nursing home is big."
],
"question": "What do we kno... | Busy as I am every day, I always open my computer and check my email. Most of the time I am simply doing finger exercises, another form of piano practice without beautiful tones. Sometimes, however, I receive a gift, reminding me of the gifts in my life. The following passage is one of those gifts.
Peter Jones is a 92-year-old, short, calm and proud man. Every morning he is fully dressed by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and face perfectly shaved even though hi is unable to see anything. He would move to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years old has recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After hours of waiting patiently in the entrance hall of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he moved his walking stick skillfully to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of his tiny room. "I love it," he stated with enthusiasm. "Mr. Jones, you haven't been the room," said the nurse.
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I have already decided to love _ It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed complaining of the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do."
Each day is a gift, and as long as we are alive. We'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories we've stored just as Mr. Jones does. | high5952.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Roslyn to Benjamin"
},
"options": [
"The boy's mother to his father",
"Benjamin's father to Roslyn",
"Benjamin to his mother",
"Roslyn to Benjamin"
],
"question": "Who lost a bet to whom?",
"question_type": ... | Bet Winner
MILLBURN, New Jersey-- An 11-year-old boy, he gave up television for a year in a bet with his mother, says he will use some of the money to buy himself an astronaut's suit. The bet ended at 9:01 on Monday morning, but Benjamin waited until his mother, Roslyn, handed him five 100-dollar bills in front of a gathering of newspapermen in the afternoon before switching on the TV. During the past year, he has filled his time reading and his grades have improved from ''satisfactory" to ''very good."
CHINA DAILY, Wednesday, March 9, 2011 ( 94 words ) | high20475.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Trees that can resist wind better."
},
"options": [
"Trees that worms can't hurt.",
"Genetically engineered trees.",
"Trees that can resist wind better.",
"Trees that can protect themselves at a chemical attack."
],... | Special trees that grow faster, fight pollution, produce better wood, and even sense chemical attacks are being planted by scientists in the US.
When 40 per cent of Hawaii's US$14 million-a-year papaya industry was destroyed by a virus five years ago, work began on creating genetically engineered trees.
Researchers successfully introduced seeds that were designed to resist the virus.Since then, more and more people have been testing genetically engineered trees.Some researchers put special bacteria into trees to help them grow faster and produce better wood.Others are trying to create trees that can clean polluted soil.Meanwhile fruit farmers are looking for trees that are strong enough to resist worms, and paper companies want trees that produce more wood and therefore more paper.
The Pentagon even gave the researchers US$500,000 this year after they developed a pine tree that changes its colours if it senses a chemical attack.So far, the poplar, eucalyptus , apple and coffee trees are among those being engineered.All this can be done today because we have a better understanding of tree genomes .
However, some people fear that the genetically engineered trees will cause dangerous results.They are worried that the new trees will breed with natural species and change the balance of the forest environment.
"It could be destructive," said Jim Diamond, an environmentalist. "Trees are what is left of our natural environment and home to many endangered species."
But researchers insist that science could give nature a fighting chance against both natural and man-made dangers.They hope to answer the critics by stopping the new trees from breeding, so their effect on the environment can be controlled. | high5946.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to help poor college students"
},
"options": [
"for parents and students to complain",
"to help poor college students",
"for poor students to get free education",
"to help students find jobs"
],
"question": "The... | The national assistance system for poor college students is getting more effective as proved by fewer phone calls to the hotline of the National Center for Student Assistance Administration.
"Poor college students and their parents are getting more satisfied with the national assistance system," said Ma Wenhua, deputy director of the administration, on Saturday. Over the past three years, the hotline received 8,488 calls. Statistics show 62 percent of the calls were made to ask about the funding policy, while 38 percent (3,200 calls) complained local colleges had failed to _ the rules to support the students.
Complaints were seen a year-on-year decrease from 2006 to 2008. Ma said some poor families might still overlook what they should do to get support for their child. To ensure education equality, the government has introduced a set of favorable policies to help poor students, such as scholarships, grants, student loans, tuition waivers and the work-study programs under which poor students are helped out in libraries, teachers' offices or service departments to earn money.
Statistics show the government spent 29.3 billion yuan last year to aid college students, up 7.6 percent from the previous year. Around 40 million persons of college students received the national aid.
The Ministry of Education of the government would ensure that no students drop out of colleges or universities because of poverty.
Among the 20 million students in the country's public and private universities and colleges last year, about 20 percent came from poor backgrounds, official figures show. | high4480.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Harriet's fight against slavery."
},
"options": [
"The Underground Railroad.",
"The history of American slavery.",
"Harriet's hard life and bravery.",
"Harriet's fight against slavery."
],
"question": "What does... | Harriet Tubman was an AfricanAmerican woman who fought against slavery. She was born in 1820. She helped many people escape from slavery through the Underground Railroad. It was an organized effort to help slaves from the southern states to areas that banned slavery.
Slaves could be sold freely. Families were often separated. Harriet married a free black man named John Tubman in 1844, yet she remained a slave. In 1849, the farmer who owned her died. Then she ran to the home of a white woman who had offered to help her.
This woman told her how to reach another home where she could hide. Harriet Tubman went from place to place in this way. This was how the Underground Railroad operated. Finally,she went into the northern state of Pennsylvania. During the next ten years,she led an expanded Underground Railroad,and helped 300 slaves escape.
Harriet Tubman found another way to fight against slavery during the Civil War. She went into the southern states to spy for the North. After the Civil War,Harriet Tubman settled in New York State. She gave speeches to raise money for better education for black Americans, worked for women's rights and sought help for older adults who had been slaves.
Harriet Tubman died in 1913.By that time, she had been recognized as an American heroine . | high7189.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Basic Photography"
},
"options": [
"Understanding Computers",
"Basic Photography",
"Oil Painting",
"Typing"
],
"question": "Of all the courses mentioned in the text, the shortest one is _ .",
"question_ty... | Register in person, by phone 264-8833, or by mail. Use form given.
178 IN Winchester St, Chicago
Basic Photography
This is an eight-hour course for beginners who want to learn how to use a 35mm camera. The teacher will cover such areas as kinds of film, light, and lenses . Bring your own 35mm camera to class. Course charge: $50. Jan.10,12,17,19, Tues. & Thurs. 6:00~8:00 p.m. Marianne Adams is a professional photographer whose photographs appear in many magazines.
Understanding Computers
This twelve-hour course is for people who don't know very much about computers, but need to learn about them. You will learn what computers are, what they can and can't do, and how to use them. Course charge:$75. Equipment charge:$10. Jan.14,21,28, Sat. 6:00~10:00 p.m. Joseph Saimders is Professor of Computer Science at New Urban University. He has over twelve years of experience in the computer field.
Typing
This course on week-days is for typing. You are tested in the first class and practice at one of eight different skill levels. This allows you to learn at your own speed. Each program lasts 20 hours. Bring your own paper. Course charge:$125. Materials charge:$25. Two hours each evening for two weeks. New classes begin every two weeks. This course is taught by a number of business education teachers who have effectively taught typing courses before.
Oil Painting
Oil paint is easy to use once you learn the basics. When you enroll in this oil painting course, you will learn to draw and paint using many oil painting techniques under complete guidance and instruction. Together--with the teacher's knowledge and your passion--we'll unlock your creativity and develop your potential! Course charge: $35. Jan. 5,12,19,26, Thurs. 2:00---5:00pm. Ralf Ericssion has taught beginners to masters and he has learned that everything builds on just a few basic concepts that he will show you here. | high14908.txt |
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