questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "One's heart affects how he feels fear."
},
"options": [
"One's heart affects how he feels fear.",
"fear is a result of one's relaxed heartbeat.",
"fear has something to do with one's health.",
"Ones fast heartbeats are ... | Fear may be felt in the heart as well as in the head, according to a study that has found a link between the cycles of a beating heart and the chance of someone feeling fear.
Tests on healthy volunteers found that they were more likely to feel a sense of fear at the moment when their hearts are contracting and pumping blood around their bodies, compared with the point when the heartbeat is relaxed. Scientists say the results suggest that the heart is able to influence how the brain responds to a fearful event, depending on which point it is at in its regular cycle of contraction and relaxation.
Sarah Garfinkel at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School said: "Our study shows for the first time that the way in which we deal with fear is different depending on when we see fearful pictures in relation to our heart."
The study tested 20 healthy volunteers on their reactions to fear as they were shown pictures of fearful faces. Dr Garfinkel said, "The study showed that fearful faces are better noticed when the heart is pumping than when it is relaxed. Thus our hearts can also affect what we see and what we don't see - and guide whether we see fear."
To further understand this relationship, the scientists also used a brain scanner to show how the brain influences the way the heart changes a person's feeling of fear. "We have found an important _ by which the heart and brain 'speak'to each other to change our feelings and reduce fear," Dr Garfinkel said.
"We hope that by increasing our understanding about how fear is dealt with and ways that it could be reduced, we may be able to develop more successful treatments for anxiety disorders, and also for those for those who may be suffering from serious stress disorder." | high4084.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He had no arms or legs."
},
"options": [
"He had no arms or legs.",
"He was born with heart disease.",
"He was deaf and couldn't speak.",
"He needed an operation to stay alive"
],
"question": "What's wrong with ... | Nick Vujicic
Imagine getting through your busy day without hands or legs.Picture your life without the ability to walk,care for your basic needs,or even hug those you love.Meet Nicholas Vujicic.Without any medical explanation or warning,Nick was born in 1982inMelbourne,Australia,without arms and legs.
The early days were difficult.Throughout his childhood,Nick not only dealt with the typical challenges of school and adolescence,but he also struggled with depression and loneliness.Nick constantly wondered why he was different from all the other kids.He questioned the purpose of life.
After experiencing many difficulties,Vujicic eventually began to realize that his experiences were inspiring to many people and began to be thankful for being alive.A key turning point in his life was when his mother showed him a newspaper article about a man dealing with a severe disability.This led him to realise he was not the only one with major struggles.When he was seventeen,he started to give talks.He has traveled around the world,sharing his story with millions,sometimes in stadiums full of people,speaking to a range of various groups such as students,teachers,young people,business professionals and so on.He has visited more than 50countries and given thousands of talks.Now he is an encouraging speaker with TED.
Vujicic promotes his work through television shows and through his writing.His first book,Life Without Limits:Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life,was published by Random House in 2010.He markets a motivational DVD,Life's Greater Purpose,a short documentary filmed in 2005.He markets a DVD for young people titled No Arms,No Legs,No Worries!In March 2008,Vujicic was interviewed by Bob Cummings for the 20/20 American television show.
According to Nick,the victory over his struggles,as well as his strength and passion for life today,can be owning to the power of hope.His family,friends and the many people he has met along the journey have inspired him to carry on,as well.Today this energetic young gentle man has achieved more than most people achieve in a lifetime. | high19828.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In a newspaper ."
},
"options": [
"In a newspaper .",
"In a magazine.",
"In a textbook.",
"In a history book."
],
"question": "Where can you read this passage ?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answ... | BEIJING, July 21-More and more parents in Shanghai have found that their children are forgetting how to use Shanghai dialect to express themselves, according to a report in the city's Jiefang Daily on July 11, and some have begun forcing them to speak it at home.
Language experts say that the promotion of Putonghua, and the large number of non-Shanghainese setting down in the city have meant that the local dialect has lost its previous high social status, according to the report.
They have urged that the dialect be protected alongside Putonghua (also known as Mandarin), the nation's common tongue that has been systematically promoted since new China was founded in 1949. In their opinion, dialects carry and preserve local culture . They say that a dialect is not only a linguistic tool. But is also like a person's "birthmark" and part of their local identity and feeling of belonging.
They recommended that TV and radio stations set up channels and programs using dialects , and that schools offer selective courses in which the dialects are taught. The experts also suggested that dialect be protected while maintaining high standards of Putonghua and a multicultural environment in the city. | high20071.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "teaching young people about money"
},
"options": [
"how to manage school lessons",
"teaching young people about money",
"how to deal with the financial crisis",
"teaching students how to study effectively"
],
"q... | Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the 'wash up'. An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
At school the children are taught to add up and subtract but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account -- let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England. Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say. And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called "wash-up" earlier this month -- the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed. Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not last long. Over 75% of seven- to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends. By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft as a way of extending their spending power. Pfeg predicts that these young people will "find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school."
The UK has been in the worst financial recession for generations. It does seem odd that -- unless parents step in -- young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university. In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools, while 3% said it was a job for parents. | high3933.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A sad story about an orphan."
},
"options": [
"Her preference for kids.",
"Her own similar experience.",
"A sad story about an orphan.",
"Her successful charity work."
],
"question": "What inspired Sister Wanjal... | In many African countries, the care of orphans has been mainly led by foreign donor organizations. However, Sister Florence has changed all that. Using her own resources, Sister Florence is leading the work of raising orphans from different backgrounds. Sister Florence Wanjala's biggest motivation to start the orphan program was when she saw a little boy whose parents had died. The boy was living with a cruel grandparent and he would visit the grave of his mother, crying for support. Sister Wanjala wanted to give a helping hand and give him hope. From that time, she started feeling the call to help a larger number of orphans.
She opened an office with a few friends and coordinated a program to help the orphans. All the registrations were done in the office and the program so far has 8000 children. Sister Wanjala said, "My dream is to help the orphan to live a holistic life and be a good Kenyan citizen to help this country. Many people think that the way to support orphans is to put them in an institution . Others support them up to the age of eighteen, but here, we do it very differently." For Sister Wanjala, _ She prefers the orphans to live in a foster home.
She said, "I'm so encouraged and happy to see the orphans succeeding. When they come first or second in class, it shows how the program has helped them, and that's encouraging to me as I continue to coordinate the program."Through her charity work, more than 1000 orphans have been able to find a home. Sister Wanjala, as a mother, takes care of her own family. | high4090.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "his father didn't return home from the sea as expected"
},
"options": [
"there was no way to light the lighthouse",
"his father wouldn't come back home any more",
"his father didn't return home from the sea as expected",
... | Colin walked slowly home from school. He looked across the hills at the little Irish fishing village. It did not seem like Christmas Eve. Perhaps this was because it still had not snowed. But Colin knew there was another reason--a reason he did not dare whisper even in his heart.
He looked toward the sea. There was no ship. And seven days ago his father's fishing boat hadn't gone home in time. "I'll bring you a small sheep dog from the Shetland Isles," Colin's father told him the morning he left. But now it was Christmas Eve. Colin looked toward the lighthouse, high on the hill. For seven days, there had been no light to guide his father's ship.
Colin pushed open the door of his cottage. "We'll need more peat for the fire, Colin," said his mother as he entered. "It has burned itself out. And it's near time to light the Christmas candle. Everybody in Ireland lights a candle on Christmas Eve, even when there's sadness in the house. It shows that your house and heart are open to strangers. I've two candles, one for each of us. If you gather some peat, we'll be ready for supper soon." Colin nodded and went outside.
He led their donkey up the hill. But while he was staring at the lighthouse, Colin had an idea. He came to the lighthouse and knocked on the door.
Mr. Duffy, the keeper, opened the door. "What's up, young man?"
"Mr. Duffy," said Colin, "what did you use to light the lighthouse?"
"Well, we used an oil lamp. But we've no oil to burn."
"Maybe kerosene would do," suggested Colin.
"Well, I suppose," Mr. Duffy thought. "But you wouldn't find even a little spare kerosene in this village. Everyone is so poor ..."
Colin was gone before Mr. Duffy could finish his sentence.
He ran back to the cottage. Then he ran out with four buckets. Colin could see candles glowing in nearly every cottage in the valley. A candle on Christmas Eve meant that a stranger would be welcome and given whatever he asked. He didn't stop running until he came to the first house.
"Could you spare me just a half cup of kerosene from your lamp?" he asked. Colin went to every house where a candle was shining . In one hour he had filled two buckets. Slowly and painfully he carried them up to the lighthouse door.
"What's this?" Mr. Duffy asked. "This won't keep the lamp burning for more than an hour or so."
"I'll get more!" Colin shouted as he started down the hill.
After three more long hours, Colin had gathered five more buckets of kerosene. He was on his way with the sixth pail, when the tower suddenly shone with light. The light spread toward the dark heart of the sea like a finger pointing home. Mr. Duffy had lighted the lamp!
It was very late when Colin reached home. His mother jumped from her seat near the fire.
"Colin, where have you been? You've had no supper, nor lighted your candle!"
"Oh, mom! I've lighted a candle, and it's a big one!"
Colin slept soundly that night, dreaming of candles. Suddenly, a loud shout aroused him from his sleep.
"The boat! The boat was just different in the fog, lost." Colin rushed to the window. His mother was running toward the harbor. It was true! There floated his father's boat. Colin ran across the yard and raced to the harbor. He felt a wet wind on his face. It was beginning to snow.
Oh, it was Christmas morning all right, falling right from heaven and into his heart! | high17811.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from"
},
"options": [
"there is a universal agreement on the place of first domestication",
"data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from",
"Dr. Savolainen's research mainly foc... | Researchers at Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today's dogs can be from southern East Asia -- findings that are contrary to theories placing the birth place in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably the only region where wolves were domesticated by humans.
Research data show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there's never been scientific agreement on where in the world the domestication process began. "Our analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA now confirms that wolves were first domesticated in Asia south of Yangtze River -- we call it the ASY region -- in southern China or Southeast Asia," Savolainen says.
The Y data supports previous evidence from mitochondrial DNA. "Taken together, the two studies provide very strong evidence that dogs appeared first in the ASY region," Savolainen says.
Archaeological data and a genetic study recently published in Nature suggest that dogs originate from the Middle East. But Savolainen rejects that view. "Because none of these studies included samples from the ASY region, evidence from ASY has been overlooked," he says.
Peter Savolainen and PhD student Mattias Oskarsson worked with Chinese colleagues to analyse DNA from male dogs around the world. Their study was published in the scientific journal Heredity.
Approximately half of the gene pool was universally shared everywhere in the world, while only the ASY region had the entire range of genetic diversity. "This shows that gene pools in all other regions of the world most probably originate from the ASY region," Savolainen says.
"Our results confirm that Asia south of the Yangtze River was the most important -- and probably the only -- region for wolf domestication, and that a large number of wolves were domesticated," says Savolainen.
In separate research published recently in Ecology and Evolution, Savolainen, PhD student Arman Ardalan and Iranian and Turkish scientists conducted a comprehensive study of mitochondrial DNA, with a particular focus on the Middle East. Because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother in most species, it is especially useful in studying evolutionary relationships.
"Since other studies have indicated that wolves were domesticated in the Middle East, we wanted to be sure nothing had been missed. We find no signs whatsoever that dogs originated there," says Savolainen.
In their studies, the researchers also found minor genetic contributions from crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in other geographic regions, including the Middle East.
"This subsequent dog/wolf hybridisation contributed only modestly to the dog gene pool," Savolainen explains. | high3927.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are liked by students"
},
"options": [
"should engage parents in them",
"should take place outdoors",
"are used widely at schools",
"are liked by students"
],
"question": "According to Para.4, lessons about natu... | You maybe surprised to learn that one of the best steps you can take to protect your health is to step outside and spend some time in the grass, dirt and water.
Our ancestors enjoyed the healing power of nature , and now scientists are starting to catch up.According to research in recent years, just having a view of nature has been shown to improve hospital patients' recovery and reduce illness rates among office workers.Also, exposure to wildlife, horseback riding, hiking, camping and farms can be helpful for a variety of health conditions in adults and children.
Much of this type of research is focusing on children, and in fact an entire movement has quickly developed to connect kids with the healing power of nature.
Obesity .Rates of childhood obesity have grown sharply in recent years, and this is partly because of reduced outdoor activity time.Increasing the time students spend learning about nature, both in and outside the classroom, would help solve this problem.Such lessons are often more attractive for students and often lead them to become more active outside.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) .Exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common after-school and weekend activities may be effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children.Participation in green activities --such as nature walks--helped ADHD patients from a wide range of backgrounds to stay focused and complete tasks.
Stress.Access to nature, even houseplants, can help children cope with stress.
Depression and seasonal emotional disorder.Major depression requires medical treatment, but physical activity, especially outdoors, can help ease symptoms.For your average case of winter blues, experts suggest spending time outside every day and, if possible, taking the family to a sunny vacation spot in mid-winter.
Experts emphasize that you needn' t go to wilderness preserves to enjoy nature' s benefits--simply walking in a city park or growing in a rooftop garden can make a difference. | high20065.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "felt exhausted after 26 years' work"
},
"options": [
"gave up his old job",
"felt exhausted after 26 years' work",
"wanted to travel very much",
"became interested in historical research"
],
"question": "Dr. Sin... | Dennis Sinar, 51, a doctor from Washington, N. C., is quick to explain why he took a yearlong 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, antique restoration, 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 the Center for Interim Programs in Princeton, N, J., which sets up gap-year programs. The group works mainly with college-age students, but it has also served older adults since it was formed 28 years ago. "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 "reaffirmed 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.
"My hope is that this takes off," Dr. Garritan said. "We're all thinking, 'What's my next act?' " | high6687.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Proper rest time improves children's learning efficiency."
},
"options": [
"Kids of five years old had better get more break time.",
"Proper rest time improves children's learning efficiency.",
"The more rest children have, t... | Parents are fighting for their child's right to rest across the country. Twenty-three elementary schools in Orange County, Florida, have been cutting back on rest, and even canceling it to increase class time.
In a recent Orange County School Board meeting, parents demanded that rest time be carried out in all local schools for all students. Angela Browning, a parent in the area, said that schools' rest is ranging from zero to 30 minutes per day. "Five-year-olds not getting rest means abuse," said Browning, whose twins in the second grade benefit from taking a break and learn better.
The main reason for reducing the rest time is Common Core exams including math, language arts and literacy, where the students' performance often controls teachers' pay and sometimes teachers may lose their jobs. Many teachers are using that extra 20 minutes that would have been spent on the schools' scores, everybody is stressful," said Diana Moore, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association.
The decision of whether reducing rest takes place, and for how long is up to each school's rule. "Florida law requires that districts provide 900 teaching hours during the school year," Florida's Department of Education press secretary Cheryl Etters said in a statement. "Whether test is part of the school day is a decision made by the school board."
Reducing test also can take away an opportunity for children to learn social skills, according to many experts. "In society, who cares if you have straight A's and you get a scholarship to Harvard if you lack social skills?" said Mallet, a mother of two children. | high12969.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the police will not be treated unjustly"
},
"options": [
"the police will not be treated unjustly",
"the police will be free from any lawsuits",
"the police can beat the law-breakers first",
"the police can monitor ever... | The Rockford police chief and some city officials want to install video cameras in all 100 police cars. They think this will reduce the number of lawsuits . In the last five years, Rockford has paid out more than five million dollars to settle about 40 lawsuits.
The chief said, "If cameras had been in those cars, we wouldn't have had to pay one cent. We're always pulling over drunks or drug users who try to fight the police or shoot them. Then they always claim that the police start beating them first or start shooting at them first."
The cost of installing cameras will be about $500 each. The city council will vote on the proposal next Monday. Ten of the 13 council members said that they like the idea. One member said that it makes good sense.
The police officers enthusiastically support camera use. One officer said that too many people think the police often lie; cameras would show citizens that police tell the truth. "The money that we've been spending on lawsuits will be better spent on more cameras," said one officer.
Citizen opinions to the idea of police car cameras are mixed. One person said that the police should have started doing this years ago when video cameras were invented. But an elderly man strongly objected. "These police are trying to stick their nose into everything," he said. He was going to attend the council meeting to condemn the proposal. He hoped that other citizens would join him. | high24203.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "You had better turn your attention away from delicious foods."
},
"options": [
"You had better turn your attention away from delicious foods.",
"Drinking some water or soup before eating helps you eat less.",
"Holidays are ha... | Do you love the holidays,but hate the pounds that follow? You are not alone. Holidays are times for feasting and celebrating. Many people are worried about their weight.With proper planning,though,it is possible to keep normal weight during the holidays.Whether it is celebrating at the office party or sitting down for the traditional family dinner,regard eating as a time for tasting a variety of the foods.The idea is to enjoy the holidays but not to eat too much. You don't have to turn away from the foods that you enjoy.
Here are some tips for preventing weight gain and maintaining physical fitness:
Don't skip meals.Before you leave home,have a small,low-fat meal or snack.This may help to avoid getting too excited before delicious foods.
Control portions.Use a small plate (about 10 inches) and put aside the large ones that may encourage you to "load up." You should be most comfortable eating an amount of food about the size of your fist. Once you have your "tasting" serving,move away from the buffet . Doing so will make it less tempting to be eating constantly as your appetite is inspired by the sight of food.
Begin with soup and fruit or vegetables. Fill up beforehand on water-based soup and raw fruit or vegetables. Or drink a large glass of water before you eat to help you feel full.
Stick to physical activity. Don't let exercise take a break during the holidays. A 20-minute walk after a meal can help burn off excess calories.
Avoid high-fat foods. Dishes that look oily or creamy may have a large amount of fat. Choose lean meats. Fill your plate with salad and green vegetables. Use lemon juice instead of dessert or butter. | high8872.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "10"
},
"options": [
"10",
"40",
"70",
"22"
],
"question": "How old was Roger when he started stealing things?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"a... | Roger was a thief,but he wasn't very clever. When he was in school, he stole apples or oranges from other children. Sometimes he stole pencils or books from other children. But he always got caught.
The teacher spoke to Roger's parents and they tried to stop him from stealing things, but Roger wouldn't stop. He kept stealing.
When he was older, he began to steal from stores, but he was still stupid. Once, he went into a store wearing the clothes he had stolen the day before. The still had the price tags on them, and the store manager called the police. They warned him that he would go to jail if he didn't stop stealing.
Then Roger decided to rob a bank. He planned everything. He got some gloves so that he would not leave fingerprints, and a mask so that no one would _ him.
" But what if they recognize my voice?" he thought.
He decided to write his message on a piece of paper so that he wouldn't need to speak. He found an old envelope and wrote "give me all the money" on the back of it. He got a toy gun and went to the bank. He put on his musk and his gloves( and showed the note to the bank clerk. The clerk gave him all the money, and Roger ran out of the bank and went home.
Ten minutes later he heard a knock on the door. It was the police. They had come to arrest him for robbing the bank.
" How did you find me so quickly?" asked Roger
" It was easy," said the police." Your address was on the envelope!" | high7599.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Smart clothes that track your health."
},
"options": [
"How to make your day stress free.",
"Biochemical sensing techniques.",
"Smart clothes that track your health.",
"New advancement in the medical field."
],
... | It is 7 o'clock in the morning. You check yourself in the mirror, adjust your collar, and consider the busy day ahead. But at least you know that the stress won't damage your health, for this is no ordinary set of clothes you are wearing. Set within the fabric are numerous sensors, constantly monitoring your vital signs. If danger signs are detected, the garment is programmed to contact your doctor and send a text message telling you to take it easy.
Garments that can measure a wearer's body temperature or trace their heart activity are just entering the market, but the European project BIOTEX weaves new functions into smart textiles. _ biosensors in a textile patch can now analyse body fluids, even a tiny drop of sweat, and provide a much better assessment of someone's health.
Jean Luprano, a researcher at the Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM), coordinates the BIOTEX project. "One of the most obvious applications for smart fabrics is in the medical field," he says. "There has been a good deal of progress with physiological measurements, body temperature or electrocardiograms . But no one has yet developed biochemical sensing techniques that can take measurements from fluids like sweat and blood. We are developing a suite of sensors that can be integrated into a textile patch. The patch is a sensing and processing unit, adaptable to target different body fluids and biochemical species. At the very least, some basic biochemical analyses could complement the physiological measurements that can already be monitored. In some circumstances, fluidic analysis may be the only way to get information on a patient's health status." | high22672.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "bad-tempered natives who enjoyed killing"
},
"options": [
"the fierce conflict with Native Americans",
"lack of food in winter",
"bad-tempered natives who enjoyed killing",
"unfamiliarity with a foreign land"
],
... | Imagine landing in a foreign country where you cannot speak the language, understand the culture and don't know anybody. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend who could help you out?
John Smith, an English explorer who landed in America in 1607, found the best friend ever. She was a Native American named Pocahontas (1595-1617). And she did more than teach Smith the language: she saved his life, twice.
Smith was captured by members of Pocahontas's tribe and was going to be killed. But for some reason, the Chief's daughter, Pocahontas, felt sorry for Smith (who was probably the first white man she had ever seen) and threw her body over his to protect him. Smith returned safely to the small village he was living in. During the winter the English settlers did not know how to get food from nature. Pocahontas often brought food for Smith and his friends.
A year later Pocahontas's father tried to kill Smith again because the Native Americans were very scared the English would try to take over their land. Pocahontas warned him and he was able to escape. Later she became a Christian and eventually married an Englishman named John Rolfe. She spent the last year of her life in London. Pocahontas has become an American legend. Her life story has been re-created in many books and films, including Disney's 1995 film, Pocahontas.
One of the reasons she is so popular is that many Europeans look at Pocahontas as an excellent example of how a minority can adjust into the majority. Pocahontas is also respected because of her selfless love. She proved that people can be kind and loving even to people of a different race or culture. John Smith was very different from Pocahontas but she could see he was a good man and that was all that mattered. No race or country owns goodness, love and loyalty. | high1856.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "strongly recommend an e-book."
},
"options": [
"strongly recommend an e-book.",
"show the author's attitude to money.",
"introduce the general idea of an e-book.",
"point out Rich Ezzo isn't money hungry."
],
"q... | A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book,
By Rich Ezzo.It took only about an hour to read.
When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick type of publication.Nothing is wrong with Get Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn't chase after dreams of wealth.I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse.
When I began reading
I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn't money hungry either.He, too, is hungry far more important than money.
Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review? Simple.I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper.After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle which promised to forever change the way we thought about money.I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install a stoplight to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yielded them as a few ones arrived in town.
.
It has been a week and the effect is the same.I truly do look at money differently and have even done a few things differently this week.This is an e-book you'll want to read, I promise.I often recommend books to my daughter, and this is one that I didn't just "suggest"---I left it open at the bottom of the computer and told each one, "Read it, you'll love it."
I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn't go myself.I urge you to visit the author's website,
, and to download the e-book.You won't regret it. | high15960.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "produce the first artificial bacteria"
},
"options": [
"create a new animal",
"clone a new species",
"produce the first artificial bacteria",
"develop a new system"
],
"question": "Craig Venter and his team are ... | Scientists have not come close to understanding all the different kinds of life on the planet, but US researcher Craig Venter is already working on creating the first artificial life.
Venter and his researchers made a breakthrough this August. They successfully moved the DNA of one type of bacteria to a yeast cell, changed it, then put it into another bacterial cell.
"Bacteria have systems that protect them from foreign DNA," Venter explained to the BBC. In the experiment, the team managed to block this system.
The experiment was performed on a simple type of bacteria called Mycoplasma mycoides. The team took the bacteria's genes and put them into a yeast cell.
Putting the DNA in a yeast cell allowed the team to change the genes----in this case, taking out a gene that was not necessary for the bacteria to live.
They then put the gene into a host bacteria cell. The cell went on to divide normally, producing new healthy bacteria.
In January, the team created artificial genes of a new type of bacteria. Their next goal is to put the artificial DNA into a host cell to create a new species, according to a report inSciencemagazine.
"If we don't make any errors, I think it should work and we should have the first artificial species by the end of the year," Venter said in the report.
The first artificial life from is likely to be a simple man-made bacteria, to prove that the technology can work. But that form will be followed by more complex bacteria that turn coal into cleaner natural gas, or algae that can take in carbon dioxide and change it into fuel.
Many scientists think it's good news to have this artificial life, but others are worried that the technology to create new organisms might end up in the wrong hands, with dangerous results. | high2387.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Watson's worries."
},
"options": [
"Watson's interests.",
"Watson's intention.",
"Watson's success.",
"Watson's worries."
],
"question": "Which of the following topics is not mentioned in the passage?",
"que... | While she may be best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films,Emma Watson would rather be known for something else--her mind.
The 18yearold British actress intends to put her acting career on hold to pursue higher studies at a university after she finished filming the final installment,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Watson,whose parents are both Oxford graduates,recently scored straight A's in her Alevels. She is now on a gap year before starting university.
Earlier this month,Watson applied to two of the top universities in the United States--Harvard and Yale. She admitted that Harry Potter series has brought her fame and financial security .She has made more than PS 10 million so far,but now she "has a need to study".
"I think the entertainment business is such a temperamental one. One minute you're up there and the next--nothing,"she said.
Watson is growing up in front of millions of viewers .She was only nine years old when she started playing the role of Hermione. And the way she figured out how to deal with media attention is "try not to read too much of what is said and try to distance myself a bit from it".
Watson has other interests. These include,interestingly,fishing and she has helped raise money for the Wild Trout Trust. | high3099.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because they realize communication technology is disrupting family life."
},
"options": [
"Because they are determined to communicate face to face.",
"Because they value \"technology-free\" time.",
"Because they realize commu... | Family life is being disrupted because parents and children are overwhelmed by the huge volumes of emails and social messaging updates they are handling each day, according to a new study.As a result one in three of us are now desperate to cut down our use of Twitter and Face book as well as emails.
Surprisingly the study, by Cambridge University, found children as well as adults preferred to communicate face to face.More than half of all families said a "technology-free" time is important and a third of parents said technology had disrupted family life.The findings led family groups to warn that if parents end up spending more time checking emails and social networks than with their children, it could have a detrimental effect on the home.
Amongst children aged 10 to 18, who have grown up with new technology, 38% admitted feeling overwhelmed by the volume of messages.Similar numbers of adults felt the same way, with 34 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds agreeing.
Justine Roberts, founder of parenting website Mums net, warned: "Social media is something we have to keep a watch on because it can eat into your life."
"We encourage our members to switch off because otherwise you can't give your kids and husband the time they need." She added: "Websites like Face book and Twitter can be enjoyable and addictive but, like with everything, it needs to be taken in moderation."
The survey also discovered that 43 percent of children and 33 percent of adults are taking steps to reduce their reliance on messaging, text and networking.But only one in five said they would be reducing the number of text messages they are sending and even less said they will be writing fewer emails.Nearly 43 percent said they have had a cull of their Face book "friends" and followers on Twitter in an attempt to cut down on the amount of time spent on the websites.
As part of the research, 63 families were asked to keep a diary of their use of communications technology.More than 1,250 adults were questioned in the research which was paid for by BT - the biggest broadband provider in the country. | high19182.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "by two brothers"
},
"options": [
"by the Vietnam government",
"by a family",
"by a non-profit organization",
"by two brothers"
],
"question": "\"Stand By You\" is established _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_... | In Vietnam, two members of a family of street vendors are finding a way to help the poorest students in Hanoi. Pham Minh Dap and his brother are providing the students with mostly free English and Japanese lessons at a learning center they created. The men want to help people who would not normally have a chance to learn a foreign language.
Some education experts in Vietnam say such knowledge may help college graduates get jobs. The country's economy has improved. But many graduates continue to have a hard time finding employment. Local media reported ten percent of university graduates do not have a job.
Earlier this year, 24-year-old Pham Minh Dap and his brother established a school they call "Stand By You". Volunteers teach poor students English and Japanese. Many classes are free. Students with some language knowledge pay 25 to 50 cents per class. Mr. Dap pays about $ 500 to rent the language center space and for other costs. He gives about $ 150 from his earnings as a street Vendor and private language teaching. His brother gives the same amount from the money he earns as a secretary. Friends provide the rest. Mr. Dap and many of his family members have sold things outside HoaBinh Park in the center of Vietnam's capital for five years. They come from a village of rice farmers in Thanh Hoa Province.
Twenty-four-year-old Pham THi Trang is one of 600 students at the language school. She is finishing her university studies. Her parents work in a market in a village in Ha Nam Province. She says life is hard in the city. She earns about $50 a month from a part-time job, and her parents give her $ 75. But this is not enough to live on. She has said she has to be very careful with money so she can pay her bills.
Demand for the school is growing. About 1,000 people are on a waiting list to enter. Ten people have offered to teach for free. And Mr. Dap says he is hoping to raise money to pay for a bigger place. He wants to open more classes. | high10818.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches"
},
"options": [
"had to leave the biscuits on the table",
"liked biscuits better than sandwiches",
"had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches",
"could only find some biscuits... | The house was quiet at 5 am and Tim's mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He'd dreamt of the cave last night. The purring of the freezer had been the sea .
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He'd eat after he'd been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches--but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she'd want to know why he had to leave so early.
, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael's. Back tonight. Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday's sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea . The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point. Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious now ? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way ... | high15790.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "No firm conclusions are drawn."
},
"options": [
"No firm conclusions are drawn.",
"Neither Culik's nor Nimon's findings are of much value.",
"Penguin reduction is closed related to tourist behavior.",
"Tourists are not ... | A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica.
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds' heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 meters away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes this. Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving human who does not approach the nest too closely, is not viewed as a threat by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of certain types of penguins near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist that their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans. "A nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest," says Nimon. "First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest leaving it open for predators to fly in and remove eggs or chicks." The artificial egg, specially for the project, monitored both the parent who had been 'disturbed' when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in turns to guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon's findings do not invalidate his own research. He points out that species behave differently - and Nimon's work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik's research was methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins' responses needed capturing and restraining the birds and fitting them with beart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human _ . | high332.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Country Bear Playhouse will be closed."
},
"options": [
"The Country Bear Playhouse will be closed.",
"There will be a new attraction for our guests at Disneyland.",
"The number of visitors to the Country Bear Playhouse i... | Allen : I've never been a big fan of the bears ,especially the vacation show .On my last trip to Disneyland (1999) we passed it by ,because we didn't want to spend the time on something we didn't really enjoy. If we'd known it would be closed by our next visit, I'm sure we would have watched it one more time. I was just making the point that it wasn't until Disney announced the closing that this feeling suddenly sprang up for the Country Bear show at Disneyland.
But I think the idea of keeping some attractions open forever regardless of the number of visitors it gets is a mistake .We all have great memories of the Bears ,but clearly very few kids today (or I should say families today) are making those same memories from this show . That may be a sad fact ,but it's a fact. For whatever reason, the show doesn't pull in the numbers. Isn't it right to use the Country Bear space to bring in a more popular attraction so that more kids today can make those magic memories of an attraction THEY like? Otherwise aren't we just telling kids today that they "have to" make great memories of the Bears ,when it's obvious that the kids themselves are not enjoying the Bears like we did?
Roger: I am very disappointed that they have decided to retire the Country Bear Playhouse. I remember going to the show as a child ,and still enjoyed it as a teenager, and now young adult .It is true that there aren't a lot of shows left at DL and with this one closing even less .Being at DL does require a lot of walking ,and it is nice to have a few attractions that are a place to sit and enjoy a good show. I understand that DL has to develop ,but there has to be some history to the Disneyland that Walt Disney first designed .There should be some parts of DL that just never go away ,and this is one of them . By the time I have children it looks like there won't be any attractions that I can say I went to as a child at the rate they are going.
Now the Bears are leaving .What I want to say is : stop trying to compete with everyone! DL is the best ,because of attractions like the Country Bears. If DL insists on destroying all of its magic to make way for the latest ,well ,then it might as well be just another theme park. | high17187.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "obey the basic rules"
},
"options": [
"be a team leader",
"obey the basic rules",
"act as a grown-up",
"predict possible danger"
],
"question": "Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ... | Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules...planning your next move...acting as a team member...these are all "game" ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate _ that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating .
Many children's games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. Which sharpens the hand-eye coordination needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it--some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to give people hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life. | high4906.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "tell the students how to study well."
},
"options": [
"prove that learning is not difficult",
"make parents interested in study",
"tell the importance of self-teaching",
"tell the students how to study well."
],
... | Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a best student.By using your time properly,you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn.It doesn't mean that you must always like the subject.It does mean,however,that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things.Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier.Sometimes,the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them.
Here is some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study,so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions; have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary,paper,a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing,first find out the main parts and recite the whole thing, check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don't try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods.There are many students who know many good learning methods but don't study well. They forget that the most important useful learning method is to study hard. | high10830.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "is difficult but hopeful to end by 2030"
},
"options": [
"is difficult but hopeful to end by 2030",
"exists only in Africa and Asia",
"is not quite hard to end by 2030",
"will be sure to disappear by 2030"
],
"q... | WASHINGTON The head of the World Bank says for the first time in human history, it is possible to end poverty around the world. Jim Yong Kim told a Washington audience Tuesday, he wants to make ending world poverty by 2030 a top goal for the bank and governments around the world.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says that the problems of poverty, hunger and inequality are wide, urgent and a matter of survival of millions.
"We know that despite the great successes of the last decade, there are still about 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty, 870 million who go hungry every day, and 6.9 million children under five dying every year," he said.
But Kim told a Washington audience that the previous successful efforts to cut the number of people living in extreme poverty by half give them hope.
"We are at an
moment in history, when the successes of past decades and an increasingly favourable economic outlook combine to give developing countries a chance-for the first time ever-to end extreme poverty within a generation," he said in a speech at Georgetown University. "Our duty now must be to ensure that these favourable circumstances are matched with deliberate decisions to realize this historic opportunity."
Kim says success will require increasing the speed of economic growth, particularly in South Africa and South Asia.
But he warned that civil unrest could happen if economic growth does not help people at all income levels, and also include women and youth.
Kim says that the World Bank and other development agencies will have more resources to get this job done right. "Meeting this 2030 goal will take extraordinary effort," he said.
However, Kim warned that all the progress in fighting poverty could be destroyed by climate disasters unless the nations of the world do more to prevent climate change. | high16299.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The program is intended to promote Chinese culture."
},
"options": [
"The courses mainly focus on university education.",
"Viewers will have to pay for watching the courses.",
"The program is intended to promote Chinese cultu... | Twenty courses provided by 18 top Chinese universities went online on Wednesday, China's latest attempt to disseminate teaching resources within the nation and promote Chinese culture globally.
These courses cover 20 subjects or lectures given by speakers and professors from several universities, including Zhejiang University, Nankai University and Wuhan University.Most of the courses will focus on traditional Chinese culture, according to the Ministry of Education. They are available through the websites of NetEase and China Network Television, as well as icourse.edu.cn, for free.
Some of the courses will be translated into English and promoted across the rest of the world, according to NetEase Company, an international body promoting open content among the world's universities.
The company has set up a translation team and "will kick off the translation work when we finish the negotiation on intellectual rights with universities", said Zhu Xirui, a senior manager for NetEase Company.
"We want to promote Chinese culture to overseas netizens through the program," he said.
Ding Xiuhong, another manager of NetEase Company, said they had invested more than 15 million yuan($2.37 million)in the program.
"Although we haven't made a profit from 'the program, it will at least help increase our website's page views," Ding said.
"I'd like to watch the Chinese elite classes, such as Chinese literature and poetry, as well as economy," said Jeremy Scaramuzzi, a teacher at Tsinghua International School.
He said he was also interested in Chinese classes on political science since that is the subject he majored in in the United States. | high21435.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Fox television program."
},
"options": [
"NASA's publicity campaign.",
"The Fox television program.",
"Buzz Aldrin.",
"James E.Oberg."
],
"question": "According to the writer, which of the following is to bl... | Which is sillier: denying we ever went to the moon or trying to convince the true nonbelievers?
Once upon a time - July 20, 1969, to be specific - two men got out of their little spaceship and wandered around on the moon for a while.Ten more men walked on the moon over the next three and a half years.
Unfortunately, not quite.A fair number of Americans think that this whole business of moon landings really isa fairy tale.They believe that the landings were a big hoax staged in the Mojave Desert, to convince everyone that U.S.technology was the "best" in the whole wide world.
Which is the harder thing to do: Send men to the moon or make believe we did? The fact is the physics behind sending people to the moon is simple.You can do it with computers whose entire memory capacities can now fit on chips the size of postage stamps and that cost about as much as, well, a postage stamp.I know you can because we did.
However, last fall NASA considered spending $15,000 on a public-relations campaign to convince the unimpressed that Americans had in fact gone to the moon.That idea was mostly a reaction to a Fox television program, first aired in February 2001, that claimed to expose the hoax.The show's creator is a publicity hound who has lived up to the name in more ways than one by hounding Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon.Mr.X (as I will call him, thereby denying him the joyous sight of his name in print) recently followed Buzz Aldrin around and called him "a thief, liar and coward" until the 72-year-old astronaut finally lost it and hit the 37-year-old Mr.X in the face.
Anyway, NASA's publicity campaign began to slow down.The nonbelievers took the campaign as NASA's effort to hide something while the believers said that $15,000 to convince people that the world was round -- I mean, that we had gone to the moon -- was simply a waste of money.(Actually, the $15,000 was supposed to pay for an article by James E.Oberg, an astronomy writer who, with Aldrin, has contributed to Scientific American.)
If NASA not paying Oberg, perhaps it could put the money to good use by hiring two big guys to drag Neil Armstrong out of the house.Armstrong is an extremely private man, but he is also the first man on the moon, so maybe he has a duty to be a bit more outspoken about the experience.Or NASA could just buy Aldrin a commemorate plaque for his recent touch on the face of Mr.X. | high21353.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Providing education for non-native English learners."
},
"options": [
"Handling more cases from the immigrant Mexican communities.",
"Offering services to immigrant families in the southern states.",
"Offering enough communic... | As thousands of communities in the USA -- especially in the South -- became booming gateways for immigrant families from Central and South America during the 1990s and the early years of the new century, public schools struggled with the unfamiliar task of serving the large numbers of English learners arriving in their classrooms.
Education programs needed _ . "We had no teaching resources suitable for English learners here before. We had to develop them all ourselves," a Texas principal said. Throughout the country, districts had to train their own teachers to teach English to non-native speakers or recruit teachers from elsewhere. School staff members had to figure out how to communicate with parents who spoke no English.
But even as immigration has slowed or stopped in many places, and instructional programs for English-learners have matured, serving immigrant families and their children remains a work in progress in many public schools, especially those in communities that are skeptical, or sometimes unwelcoming, to the newcomers. One of the biggest challenges educators face, is communicating effectively with parents who don't speak English -- an issue that, in part, has contributed to recent complaints of discrimination by Latino students in some cities.
"The parents' role is very important for the success of these students, but it's also one of the most difficult things we've had to tackle ," said Jim D. Rollins, the president of the Springdale school district, where the 19,000-student school system has gone from having no English-learners 15 years ago to more than 7,500 now. "You have to make it a priority and work on it, work on it, and work on it."
Aside from the practical challenges, such as finding bilingual staff members, guiding districts through such dramatic changes requires school leaders to bridge difficult political and cultural divides. For school leaders in the South, especially in the last few years, this difficult job has been made harder still by the negative attitudes of some locals towards immigrants. | high11290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "all of the above"
},
"options": [
"birds and otters",
"shellfish",
"seals and whales",
"all of the above"
],
"question": "The creatures affected by the oil spill near Alaskawere_.",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | Every year 2.2 million tons of oil are spilled into the ocean. Actually, this only amounts to a small percentage of the total 1.6 billion tons of oil shipped around the world each year. However, this spilled oil has terrible effects on ocean life, including the coastlines where the oil washes up onto shore. Some of the largest spills in history were caused by oil tankers running into each other or by an oil tanker sailing into shallow water and hitting the bottom of the ocean. After these spills, officials try to discover who or what was at fault to help prevent similar accidents in the future.
One of the worst oil spills in history occurred along the Alaskan coastline in 1989. In this accident, 42,000 tons of oil spilled from a tanker which resulted in terrible damage to this sensitive natural area. In this spill, the tanker's captain, who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol, had gone to take a rest. He gave control of the ship to the third mate. The third mate was unfamiliar with the path the ship took, and he ran the ship onto Blighe Reef. Blighe Reef is a natural underwater rock wall near the Alaskan coast. Damaged by the reef, the ship leaked oil out into the ocean. More than 1,600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill. Some scientists who studied nature in the area guessed that 580,000 birds and 5,500 otters died when the oil from the spill covered their skin. As well, smaller shellfish and other sea creatures were later eaten by seals, whales, and other animals.
The most oil ever spilled was actually dumped on purpose as an act of ecological warfare. The term ecological warfare means to fight by doing harm to nature in the area under attack. In 1990, prefix = st1 /Iraqsent soldiers intoKuwaitand set off the Persian Gulf War. As part of theIraqwar plan, 9,000,000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian Gulf byIraq. This oil covered 1,500 square kilometers of water in the Persian Gulf. The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of the coastline of bothKuwaitandSaudi Arabia. In some places, oil floating on the water was measured to be 43 centimeters thick. Water birds, water plants, and baby fish were all seriously affected by the oil. The long-term effects of this act on the food chain in the area are bound to cause problems far into the future. | high17839.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to raise the salaries of the staff"
},
"options": [
"to keep Wikipedia free for people all over the world",
"to update the software that runs Wikipedia",
"to raise the salaries of the staff",
"to pay the cost of running... | Dear Reader,
Today I am going to ask you to support Wikipedia with a donation. Wikipedia is built differently from almost every other top 50 website. We have a small number of paid staff,just twenty-three. Wikipedia content is free to use by anyone for any purpose. Our annual expenses are less than six million dollars. Wikipedia is run by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation,which I founded in 2003.
Wikipedia is driven by a global community of more than 150,000 volunteers--all devoted to sharing knowledge freely. Over almost eight years,these volunteers have contributed more than 11 million articles in 265 languages. More than 275 million people come to our website every month to access information,free of charge and free of advertising.
But Wikipedia is more than a website. We share a common cause:Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. _ 's our commitment.
Your donation helps us in several ways. Most importantly,you will help us cover the increasing cost of managing global traffic to one of the most popular websites on the Internet. Funds also help us improve the software that runs Wikipedia--making it easier to search,easier to read,and easier to write for. We are committed to increasing the free knowledge movement worldwide,by taking on new volunteers,and building strategic partnerships with institutions of culture and learning.
Wikipedia is different. It's the largest encyclopedia in history,written by volunteers. Like a national park or a school,we don't believe advertising should have a place in
Wikipedia. We want to keep it free and strong, but we need the support of thousands of people like you.
Thank you,
Jimmy Wales | high23544.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Tom"
},
"options": [
"Old Ed",
"The driver's grandchild",
"The author",
"Tom"
],
"question": "Who wrote the letter?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_tex... | I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, "I'm sorry, but I was reading a letter." He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.
Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild. "This isn't family," he replied. "Though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family, Old Ed and I grew up together."
They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it'd generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. "I should have kept in touch." He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn't seem to find the time. "But we used to find the time," he said. "Take a look." He handed the letter over to me.
The first sentence "I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always delayed it." reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said "Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that", I found myself nodding in agreement.
We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph: "So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you." And it was ended with "Your Old Friend, Tom."
"I thought your friend's name was Ed," I said.
"I'm Tom," he explained. "It's a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he'd died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner." His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away. I had to write a letter and post it. | high454.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Spanish"
},
"options": [
"English",
"Swedish",
"Spanish",
"German"
],
"question": "Nobel could speak all the following languages except _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | The world's most famous awards, the Nobel Prizes, are given for achievements that benefit humankind. Ironically they are named for a 19thcentury scientist who invented powerful explosives that came to be used as weapons of war.
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish-born chemist who died in 1896, was known by some as "The Mad Scientist," and by others as "The Merchant of Death." He was really pacifist, who at one time believed that his explosives could end warfare. Later, he realized that he was wrong.
"High explosives will not stop men from war," he wrote. "Nobody will benefit from my inventions except manufacturers of war materials, some generals, and diplomats."
Nobel was born in Sweden in 1833. His father was an architect and inventor who moved to Russia. With only one year formal schooling, Nobel became a chemist and inventor by the age of 16.
He was also excellent in languages, speaking English, Russian, German, and French in addition to Swedish. He wrote poetry. His study of explosives began with manufacturing liquid nitroglycerin for use in mining and construction. But in 1864, the factory blew up, killing his youngest brother and four others. He then discovered that liquid nitroglycerin could be dried and handled safely to be a mixture, which can explode.
He called the mixture dynamite, after the Greek word dynamis, meaning "power." He then perfected a more powerful form of dynamite that made him a multimillionaire. When he died, his fortune was about $9 million.
Nobel never married, and he left his fortune to what has since become known as the Nobel Prizes. The money is invested and the interest is given out every year as prizes for the most important work in six fields: Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. Nobel Prize winners receive money, a gold medal, and a diploma.
Prizes were first awarded in 1901, and the list of Nobel laureates contains many well-known names: Albert Einstein in Physics, Marie Curie in Chemistry, Toni Morrison and William Faulkner in Literature, Martin Luther King, Jr., for Peace. | high22882.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Asia World-Expo Box Office."
},
"options": [
"Hong Kong Disneyland Ticket Express.",
"Asia World-Expo Box Office.",
"Hong Kong Disneyland main Entrance.",
"Disney's Hollywood Hotel."
],
"question": "In which pla... | A Hong Kong Disneyland park admission ticket is your passport to a full day of magical adventures. Learn the ways to buy your tickets now.
Three types of 1-day ticket are available:
Ticket Type Price
General Admission Ticket (aged 12--64)
HK $ 499
Child Ticket (aged 3----11) HK $ 355
Senior Ticket (aged 65 or above) HK $ 100
Free admission for Child aged under 3.
Book Online Now
Purchase tickets conveniently through our website, then pick up your tickets starting from 1 hour after you have purchased online.
Purchase Tickets Directly at Hong Kong Disneyland Ticket Express
You can purchase tickets at the Hong Kong Disneyland Ticket Express, conveniently located at the MTR Hong Kong Station. Open from 9:00 am ---- 8:00 pm on Mondays to Fridays and from 9:00 am ---- 5:00 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
Purchase 2 Park Tickets at one of the following locations and receive a FREE limited-edition Disney gift:
Avenue of Stars Kiosks
You can purchase tickets at Avenue of Stars Kiosks in Tsim Sha Tsui. Open daily from 9:00 am ----10:30 pm.
Asia World-Expo Box Office
You can purchase tickets at Asia World-Expo Box Office. Open Mondays to Fridays from 10:00 am ---- 6:00 pm.
Reserve Tickets for Hotel Guest
As a hotel Guest of Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel or Disney's Hollywood Hotel, Park tickets are reserved for your purchase at front desk. Open daily from 9:00 am ---- 8:00 pm.
Buy at Hong Kong Disneyland Main Entrance
Guests can purchase tickets on the day of their visit at the Main Entrance Ticket Booths or Guest Relations Windows. Open daily from 30 minutes before Park opening until Park closes. | high13487.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "couldn't come to an agreement"
},
"options": [
"played basketball",
"had writing contests",
"couldn't come to an agreement",
"couldn't reach a decision on headphones"
],
"question": "The two brothers' mother oft... | Brothers Ishmael and Isadore were complete opposites. People who knew them both could hardly believe they were from the same planet, let alone the same family. The boys were not unkind toward one another, but their personalities were so different that it was difficult for them to reach a decision they both liked. Their mother frequently played the judge in their disagreement.
Ishmael, the older brother,was athletic. He played baseball, football, and basketball.Isadore, the younger brother, hated sports. He was quieter and less active than his brother. He preferred spending his time on the computer, making short videos and writing short articles. Ishmael loved classic rock. He listened to bands like the Beatles. Isadore didn't care much for those bands. He preferred music from Central Africa. Luckily for their parents, both boys enjoyed listening to music through headphones.
One other thing the brothers did agree on was that they wanted a pet. Mom had _ getting one, but after both brothers had begged, she finally agreed."We can get a pet, as long as you two take care of it," she said.That means you do the feeding, you do the training, and if it needs to be walked, you do the walking. "No problem, Mom,"Ishmael and Isadore said together. "Good, we all agree," Mom said. "Now, what kind of pet are we going to get?" | high12799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To tell us two budget hotels."
},
"options": [
"To show the problems of London hotels.",
"To give warnings to some illegal hotels.",
"To blame the travel industry of London.",
"To tell us two budget hotels."
],
... | London is one of the most expensive cities in the world to stay in, but there are many budget hotels that offer accommodation at a reasonable cost. Please take careful note of the facilities described for each budget hotel; the very cheapest accommodation may offer good budget deals but a minimum of facilities. The higher the price per room, the greater the number and quality of facilities you can expect.
Arriva Hotel
This 2-star Arriva Hotel lies at the heart of the city centre--just a short walk from King's Cross Tube station London's famous attractions are all easily accessible by foot or public transport. A short stroll will bring you to the British Museum and the fashionable area of Bloomsbury.
With 75 en-suite rooms available, the Arriva Hotel is a large budget hotel that offers accommodation for tourists at a very reasonable price. Also, Wi-Fi Internet connection is available in most rooms and a Continental breakfast is included in the rates.
From: $ 50.00
Accommodation Rating:
Beaconsfield Hotel
The Beaconsfield Hotel is situated on Green Lanes, North London, famous for its Turkish community. The Beaconsfield Hotel is housed in an attractive Victorian building, which is also home to a traditional pub(, )--if you want to experience real British culture, an afternoon in the pub is the place to do it! Manor House Station is just a short walk to Beaconsfield Hotel, so you will find traveling around the city quick and easy. The Beaconsfield Hotel offers ten comfortable rooms, each with a television, fridge and kettle.
There is a shared kitchen where you can prepare your meals. Bathroom facilities at Beaconsfield Hotel are also shared, but there are enough facilities for all guests to use.
From: $ 30.00
Accommodation Rating: unrated | high8682.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to be more capable of doing things"
},
"options": [
"to be more capable of doing things",
"to be a successor",
"to be ashamed of his defeat",
"to know himself better"
],
"question": "The person who is able to an... | If there is any single factor that makes for success in living, it is the ability to profit by defeat. Every success I know have achieved because the person was able to analyze defeat and actually profit by it in his next undertaking. Confuse defeat with failure, and you are doomed indeed to failure. For it isn't defeat that makes you fail: it is your own refusal to see in defeat the guide and encouragement to success.
Defeats are nothing to be ashamed of. They are routine incidents in the life of every man who achieves success. But defeat is a dead loss unless you face it without _ , analyze it and leave why you have failed. Defeat, in other words, can help to cure its own cause. Not only does defeat prepare us for success, but nothing can arouse within us such a compelling desire to succeed. If you let a baby grasp a rod and try to pull it away, he will hold more and more tightly until his whole weight is suspended. It is the same reaction as should give you new and greater strength every time you are defeated. If you exploit the power which defeats give, you can accomplish with it far more than you are capable of. | high23550.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they are essential in modern technologies"
},
"options": [
"they exist in small numbers",
"they are essential in modern technologies",
"life would be impossible without them",
"new technology markets are emerging"
]... | From our smartphones to our latest weaponry, the technology that underpins modern life would be impossible without rare earth metals. The importance of rare earths has only grown as emerging markets increase their demand for technologies made with it, as does the renewable energy industry.
The 17 metallic elements are common in the earth-s crust, but the technique used to extract and refine them is labor-intensive, environmentally hazardous and increasingly costly. Thomas Gradael, a professor of geology and geophysics at the Yale School of Forestry Environmental Studies, explains that thecriticality" of rare earths was only recently understood after China, which dominates the world-s supply of the minerals, cut exports by 40% in 2010, citing concerns over how polluting the rare earth industry was.
Along with colleagues at Yale, Gradael decided to investigate the metals used in modern technologies to determine if there were viable substitutes."Twenty or thirty years ago electronics were being made with 11 different elements," explains Gradael. "Today's computers and smartphones use something like 63 different elements." Their findings showed that there were no "readily apparent" substitutes for a metal that would not compromise on quality or performance.
However increased mining for these scarce resources can have some nasty side effects for the environment. China, which has intensively mined for rare earths with little regulation, allowing it to dominate the global industry since 1990, has acknowledged the incredible environmental harm caused by the process. "Excessive rare earth mining has resulted in landslides, clogged rivers, environmental pollution emergencies and even major accidents and disasters, causing great damage to people's safety and health and the ecological environment," read a white paper issued by the Chinese cabinet in June last year.
Recycling metal has been advocated by some as a possible way of managing these precious resources-the European Parliament adopted a law curbing dumping of electric waste in 2012. But Gradael says that for rare earths, recycling will have little impact. | high9588.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The bridegroom's parents were not that joyful."
},
"options": [
"The bride's mother shared their joy.",
"The bridegroom's parents were not that joyful.",
"The bridegroom's parents were quite delighted.",
"The bride's fa... | The wedding took place in a Birmingham hotel.The bride and her father arrived in a new black American sports car.Her father looked nervous and uncomfortable in front of the cameras.The bride wore a silk wedding dress.She smiled nervously at the waiting photographers and went to a room on the first floor where she met her future husband for the very first time.
Carla Germaine and Greg Cordell were the winners of a radio station's competition.The aim of the competition was to find two strangers prepared to marry without having met each other.Miss Germaine,23,is a model.Mr.Cordell,27,is a TV salesman.They were among the two hundred people who entered for a particular "experiment" organized by BMRB radio in Birmingham,England.Greg and Carla were among eight finalists who were interviewed live on radio.They took a lie detector test and the station also spoke to their friends and family about their personalities.The competition judges included an astrologer who declared that they were suited.
The couple celebrated their wedding with a wedding breakfast and a party for 100 guests in the evening,but not everyone shared their joy.Miss Germaine's mother looked anxious throughout the wedding and Mr.Cordell's parents are reported to be less than delighted.
Organizations,including the marriage guidance service Relate,have criticized the marriage.As one expert put it,"we have enough problems getting young people to take marriage seriously.Marriage should always be about love."
The couples are now on a Caribbean honeymoon followed by journalists.Their other prizes include a year's free use of a wonderful apartment in the centre of Birmingham,and a car.But will it last? | high12955.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The author and his wife were grateful for what parents had done."
},
"options": [
"The author and his wife were grateful for what parents had done.",
"The jar again in the bedroom reminded themselves of the hard years.",
"The... | The pickle jar , as I can remember, sat beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When ready for bed, Dad would toss any coins in his pockets into the jar. As they dropped, they landed with a merry jingle.
Whenever the jar was full, Dad would roll up the coins. Every time he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would smile proudly and say,"All for my son's college."
We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. Dad would show me the coins in his change, saying "When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again." He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. "You might have to get to college on loose change," he said. "But you'll get there."
As years passed, I went to college, got married and took a job.
Once, while visiting my parents, I noticed the jar was gone. It had served its purpose. My dad was a man of few words and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance or faith. The jar had taught me those far better than the most flowery of words could have done.
Soon, my daughter Jessica was born. We spent Christmas that year with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other, taking turns holding their first grandchild. When Jessica began crying, my wife Susan took her from Dad's arms to put her in my parents' room.
Susan came back, tears in her eyes and led me into the room. "Look," she said softly. To my amazement, there, next to the dresser, stood the old pickle jar, as if never removed, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to it, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out several coins. Choked by emotion, I dropped them into the jar.
Dad had slipped quietly into the room when I looked up. Our eyes locked, but neither of us spoke, because we knew nothing had to be said. | high13493.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Happy lst Birthday"
},
"options": [
"We Love You",
"Happy lst Birthday",
"One Year Old",
"Our One-Year-Old Son"
],
"question": "What would be the best title for the first advertisement?",
"question_type": nu... | Here are some advertisements taken from a newspaper.
(1)
Dear Drew Carter,
Your first year on this earth has been a pleasure ride for all of us. We love you!
Dad and Mom
and many friends
(2)
Lawlis---Clarke
The Doctor Virgil and Marjorie Lawlis are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Diane Susan to Mr. Robert Brent Clarks, son of Mr. and Mrs. James Clarks of Herford, Texas.
A spring wedding is planned in House.
(3)
Isbell---Foss
Mr. and Mrs. Davis K. Isbell announce the marriage of their daughter Dang to Mr. Stanley Foss, son of Mrs. John Sipe of Ada, Minnessota.
The wedding will be early April at Abiding Love Lutheran Church.
(4)
Story-Kurio
Miss Stephanie Story and Mr. Todd Warren Kurio were married on February 5, at half past seven o'clock in the evening in Highland Park Prebytefian Church in Dallas, Texas. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Brue Story Jr. of Dallas. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Stanley Kurio of Austin. | high6863.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "By giving an example."
},
"options": [
"By making comparisons.",
"By giving an example.",
"By making an analysis .",
"By showing the result of a survey."
],
"question": "How does the passage introduce its topic... | At noon, Shi Huizi received a text message: "This is Yuantong Express. Please come to the school gate and pick up your parcel." The 22-year-old girl at Beijing International Studies University rushed to the school gate, where hundreds of parcels lay waiting to be collected by their owners.
This scene is not uncommon on China's campuses, as shopping online has become an important part of their lifestyle for many university students. But convenient as it is, online shopping among students is marked by impulse buying and other risks. Students should be cautious to avoid them.
According to Taobao, during last year's graduation season, 250,000 graduate students from 116 "211" project universities nationwide spent 846 million yuan on Taobao. Beijing Haidian Consumers' Association conducted a survey on the online purchasing behavior of students, which showed that nearly 54 percent of respondents had made _ purchases.
Yang Yi is one of them. The 23-year-old business administration major at Beijing Wuzi University bought a limited edition Gundam model kit online for a small fortune, only to find that its appeal faded rapidly. "I did like it when I bought it, but it doesn't look so attractive to me anymore now. So I've decided to sell it to pay off my debts," says Yang. Yang's experience reflects the consumption patterns of many university students. In an attempt to be unique, many of them turn to online shops to buy "exotic " items not easily found in the domestic market.
According to Lei Li, a psychology professor at Renmin University, the impulsive buying patterns found among students have psychological roots. When shopping online is a campus trend, it's not only about convenience, but also about group identification . "If everyone is doing something and you're not, you're less likely to be accepted by others," Lei says. The mentality of not wanting to be left out is fuelling impulse buying.
As he Haidian survey indicates, online shopping is not always a satisfying experience. Of 848 respondents from universities based in Beijing, 42 percent said they had received products that didn't match the online description or photos. Even so, 72.5 percent of student buyers don't return unsatisfactory goods due to the inconvenience it causes and long procedures.
Lei suggests that students who are enthusiastic about online shopping "pay attention to the consequences and develop a wiser way of consuming--namely, buying items within their budget and being aware of the risks of buying online." | high8696.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "seriously"
},
"options": [
"honestly",
"seriously",
"emotionally",
"foolishly"
],
"question": "Compared to women, men usually treat shopping _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | "Regardless of social class, race and age, men say they hate to shop," says Zukin, City University of New York sociology professor."Yet when you ask them deeper questions, it turns out that they like to shop.Men generally like to shop for books, music and hardware.But if you ask them about the shopping they do for books or music, they'll say, " Well, that's not shopping.That's research."
In other words, what men and women call "buying things" and how they approach that task are different.
Women will wander through several 1,000-square-meter stores in search of the perfect party dress.Men will wander through 100 Internet sites in search of the perfect digital camcorder .Women see shopping as a social event.Men see it as a special task or a game to be won.
"Men are frequently shopping to win," says Ann, a marketing professor at Loyola University of Chicago."They want to get the best deal.They want to get the best one, the latest one and if they do that it makes them happy." When women shop, they're doing it in a way that they want everybody to be very happy," says Ann."They're kind of shopping for love."
" Teenage girls learn to shop from their moms and older sisters, but they also learn to shop by examining articles in magazines like Seventeen," City University Zukin says. "And although men's magazines such as GQandEsquire have long had shopping articles, it's TV that has the eye of young male shoppers," say Ann and Zukin.
"Television shows are used by young men in the same way Seventeenmagazine orLuckyis used by girls," says Zukin, "to help make clothing and toiletry choices."
"Of course, there are men who love to shop and are proud of it," Loyola's Ann says.And that is important no matter whether you buy a car or a frying pan.All men love to buy but don't want to get cheated. Ann adds, "There actually are men who are interested, for example, in cooking or shopping or chinaware or things around the home-----they become kind of girl _ .Women like it." | high21347.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "were killed by a disease"
},
"options": [
"were killed by a disease",
"moved to another habitat",
"were hunted by other animals",
"hid in a place where people couldn't find them"
],
"question": "All the bats in ... | When I was little, I'd see tons of bats flying around streetlights at night in my neighborhood in upstate New York. But I'll never forget the first time when I saw a bat up close. By the time I turned 7, though, I noticed something strange: All the bats in my neighborhood had disappeared, and I wondered why.
Then, three years ago, when I was 11 and visiting the state fair, I learned what had happened to my town's bats. A disease called "white nose syndrome" had killed 93 percent of New York State's bats. I was horrified. Then I wrote a letter to the host of an environmental program on the local radio station, asking if they could do a show on bats. They did!
But I still wanted to find a way to educate people face to face. I reached out to a teacher I had in elementary school and asked if I could make a presentation to her class. I described how bats help farmers by eating crop-damaging insects. It went over so well that other teachers started requesting me. Over the past three years, I've talked in front of everyone from 5-year-olds to senior citizens! Many people think that bats are blind, and that they always carry diseases, but none of that is true. The more I present, the more I notice that I am changing minds.
And while getting people to respect bats is pretty hard, getting them to respect me has been difficult too. When I first applied to host a booth at a local street fair, the managers thought I was too young. But I refused to take "no" for an answer. I continued to make my case, and they finally said yes! The best part is, I impressed them so much -- 100 visitors on my first day -- that they now invite me back every year. | high19800.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People with light skin seem to have more advantages over people with dark skin."
},
"options": [
"There are many products that can make the dark skin light.",
"Many people with dark skin have no confidence.",
"People with lig... | In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group, if some members are darker skinned than others.
The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world. More and more people with dark skin are using skin lightening products, even if they may face health risks.
They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This process is also called bleaching. But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone.
Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries. This chemical has been linked to kidney damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnanc y.
At first, bleaching products make the skin color1 lighter. But after long-term use they can cause problems. They can even make some skin darker. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color1 to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolor1ed. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse.
Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage.
And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color1 suffer emotional damage. They feel regret and sadness. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color1 as it was. | high20059.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to present some questions we can't yet answer"
},
"options": [
"to inform people of the knowledge about the universe and nature",
"to introduce major breakthroughs that have been made in science",
"to present some questions w... | Back in old times, people had little knowledge about the universe and nature. Things we now consider to be common sense were mysteries to our ancestors.
Over the years, major breakthroughs have been made in science and many phenomena have been explained. But still, there are always questions we can't yet answer, and The Guardian has listed some of them.
1. What makes us human?
Just looking at your DNA won't tell you - human DNA is 99 percent _ to that of the chimpanzee and, believe it or not, 50 percent identical to a banana's! A lot of the things we once thought were unique about us - language and tool use, recognizing ourselves in the mirror and so on - have since been seen in other animals. Perhaps it's our culture that makes the difference or maybe our ability to use fire. It's also possible that our capacity for co-operation and our trading skills are what make us unique.
2. Why do we dream?
Given the fact that we spend around a third of our lives sleeping, shouldn't we know everything about it? Unfortunately, scientists are still searching for a complete explanation of what happens when we sleep and why we dream.
Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud believed dreams were the expressions of wishes that we can't fulfill in our real lives. Others have wondered whether dreams are just random "noise" coming from a sleeping brain.
3. Could we someday live forever?
Apart from accidents, most people die because of diseases that can be treated and aging. And since many diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, are diseases of aging, treating aging itself could be the key to extending our lives.
Our knowledge of what causes us to age - and what allows some animals to live longer than others - is expanding rapidly. And though we haven't quite worked out all the details, we've worked out some pieces of the puzzles such as DNA damage and metabolism , which are all leading to the invention of drugs that can slow down the aging process.
If we're lucky enough to lengthen our lives, we might even get to see the day when all of these questions are answered. | high4912.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "come from the same family"
},
"options": [
"will soon die out completely",
"were once a relative of English",
"are no longer spoken",
"come from the same family"
],
"question": "According to the passage, most Eu... | Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how languages first began, but no one knows exactly where or how this happened. However, we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times. There are probably about 3,000 languages in the world today. Chinese is the language with the most speakers. English, Russian and Spanish are also spoken by many millions of people. On the other hand, some languages in the world have less than one hundred speakers.
There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European. The original language of this family was spoken about 4,500 years ago. Many of the present day languages of Europe and India are modern forms of the language of 4,500 yeas ago.
Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago. In time some even died out completely. About 1,000 years ago, English was a little-known relative of German spoken on one of the borders of Europe.
If a language has a large number of speakers or if it is very old, there may be differences in the way it is spoken in different areas. That is, the language may have several dialects. Chinese is a good example of _ differences. Chinese has been spoken for thousands of years by many millions of speakers. The differences between the dialects of Chinese are so great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China can't understand speakers from other parts. | high10824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "camels try to punish people who ill-treated them"
},
"options": [
"camels are usually kind to their owners",
"camels are generally as stupid and sensitive as a mule",
"camels don't see very well",
"camels try to punish ... | Most people think of a camel as an obedient beast of burden, because it is best known for its ability to carry heavy loads across vast stretches of desert without requiring water. In reality, the camel is considerably more than just the Arabian equivalent of mule . It also possesses a great amount of intelligence and sensitivity.
The Arabs say that camels are so acutely aware of injustice and ill-treatment that a camel owner who punishes one of the beasts too hard finds it difficult to escape the camel's revenge .Apparently, the animal will remember an injury and wait for an opportunity to get revenge.
In order to protect themselves from the vengeful beasts, Arabian camel drivers have learned to trick their camels into believing they have achieved revenge. When an Arab realizes that he has excited a camel's rage, he places his own garments on the ground in the animal's path. He arranges the clothing so that it appears to cover a man's body. When the camel recognizes its master's clothing on the ground, it seizes the pile with its teeth, shakes the garments angrily and steps on them in a rage again and again. In the end, after its rage has died away, the camel leaves, believing its revenge is completed. Only then does the owner of the garments comes out of hiding, safe for the time being, thanks to this clever trick. | high21421.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The water remained."
},
"options": [
"It produced a lot of heat.",
"The water remained.",
"Water disappeared.",
"It was the oldest planet."
],
"question": "Why was the earth different from other planets?",
"... | After the "Big Bang ",the earth was just a cloud of energetic dust. What it was to become was a mystery until the dust began to slowly combine into a ball moving around the sun. The problem was that the earth became violent because it was not clear whether the solid shape was to last or not. It exploded loudly with fire and rock, which were in time to produce the water vapor, carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen and other gases, which were to make the earth's atmosphere. As the earth cooled down, water began to appear on its surface. Nobody knew that it was going to be different from other planets going round the sun. Water had already disappeared from planets like Mars or satellites like the moon, but it stayed on the earth. This is how the earth began to show its special qualities. Many people think that this was important for the beginning of life. It allowed the earth to dissolve harmful gases, which had become part of the earth's atmosphere, into the oceans and seas. That made it possible for life to begin to develop.
What scientists think is that the earth was different because of the arrival of small plants growing in the water on its surface. Nobody understood that these plants were the start of many changes. They multiplied and filled the first oceans and seas with oxygen .This encouraged the development of early shellfish and all sorts of fish.
Many millions of years later the first green plants began to appear on land. Scientists believe that taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and filling the air with oxygen helped life to develop. Later land animals appeared. Some were insects. Others, called amphibians, were able to live on land as well as in the sea. When the plants grew into forests, reptiles appeared for the first time. They produced young generally by laying eggs. Later, some huge animals, called dinosaurs, developed, They laid eggs too. They became the most important animals on the earth for millions of years. But when they disappeared, mammals became more important. They were the last group of animals and they were different because they produced their young from within their bodies.
Small clever animals, now with hands and feet, appeared and spread all over the earth. They developed new methods of growing food, hunting and moving around. As time went by they covered the earth and have become the most important animals on the planet. But they are not taking care of the earth very well. They are putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which prevents heat from escaping from the earth into space. The earth may become too hot for the lives on it. Whether life will continue on the earth for millions of years to come will depend on whether this problem can be solved. | high22128.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "bicycling was considered unsafe and unladylike"
},
"options": [
"bicycling demanded too much hard work",
"bicycling was considered unsafe and unladylike",
"they preferred to ride tricycles",
"tricycles could carry young... | The bicycling craze came in when we were just about at the right age to enjoy it.At first even "safety" bicycles were too dangerous and improper for ladies to ride, and they had to have tricycles.My mother had(I believe)the first female tricycle in Cambridge;and l had a little one,and we used to go out for family rides,all together;my father in front on a bicycle. and my poor brather Charles standing miserable on the bar behind lny mother.I found it very hard work.pounding away on my hard tyres;a glorious,but not a pleasurable pastinle.
Then, one day at lunch, my father said he had just seen a new kind of tyre,filled up,with air,and he thought it might be a success.And soon after that everyone had bicycles,ladies and all; and bicycling became the smart thing,and the lords and ladies had their pictures in the papers,riding along in the park,in straw hats.
My mother must have fallen off her bicycle pretty often,for I remember seeing the most appalling cuts and bruises on her legs.But she never complained,and always kept these accidents to herself.However,the great Mrs. Phillips,our cook, always knew all a hout them;as indeed she knew practically everything that ever happened.She used to draw us into the servants' hall to tell us privately:"Her Ladyship had a nasty fall yesterday;she cut both her knees and sprained her wrist.But don't Iet her know I told you."So we never dared say anything.Similar little accidents used to occur when,at the age of nearly Seventy,she insisted on learning to drive a car.She never mastered the art of reversing ,and was in every way an unconventional and terrifying driver. Mrs.Phillips used then to tell us:"Her Ladyship ran into the back of a milk-cart yesterday;but it wasn't much hurt";or"A policeman stopped her Ladyship because she was on the wrong side of the road;but she said she didn't know what the white Line on the road meant,so he explained arld Let her go on."Mrs.Phillips must have had an excellent Intelligence Service at her command,for the stories were always true enough. | high326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "by 1930 Olivetti produced 13,000 typewriters a year"
},
"options": [
"by 1930 Olivetti produced 13,000 typewriters a year",
"Olivetti earned more in the 1960s than in the 1950s",
"some of Olivetti,s 700 staff regularly visite... | The engineer Camillo Olivetti was 40 years old when he started the company in 1908. At his factory in Ivera, he designed and produced the first Italian typewriter. Today the company's head office is still in Ivrea, near Turin, but the company is much larger than it was in those days and there are offices all around the world.
By 1930 there was a staff of 700 and the company turned out 13,000 machines a year. Some went to customers in Italy, but Olivetti exported more typewriters to other countries.
Camilllo's son, Adriano, started working for the company in 1924 and later he became the boss. He introduecd a standard speed for the production line and he employed technology and design specialists. The company developed new and better typewriters and the calculators .In 1959 it produced the ELLA computer system. This was the first mainframe computer designed and traded in Italy.
After Adriano died in 1960, the company had a period of financial problems. Other companies, especially the Janpanese, made faster progress in electronic technology than the Italian company.
In 1978, Carlo de Benedetti became the new boss. Olivetti increased its marking and service networks and made agreements with other companies to design and produce more advanced office equipment. Soon it became one, of the world's leading companies in information technology and communications. There are now five independent companies in the Olivetti group --- one for personal computers,one for other office equipment, one for systerms and services, and two for telecommunications. | high23236.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "home builder"
},
"options": [
"baby-sitter",
"stockbroker",
"caterer",
"home builder"
],
"question": "Martha has NOT been a",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | Martha Kostyra was born in Jersey City ,New Jersey on August3, 1941(she became Martha Stewart when she married Andy Stewart in 1961). Martha's dad was a pharmaceutical salesman and her wife was a housewife and a teacher. Her were fairly strict and required their children to do plenty of housework and help around the house . Martha learned how to cook and sew from her mother .She also learned about gardening by helping her father out in the yard.
When Martha was in high school , she made extra money by babysitting and organizing children' parties . She was a bright student and attended Barnard College in New York city. She helped pay for her schooling through modeling jobs. In 1962, she graduated from Barnard with degrees in History and Architectural History.
Before graduating from college, Martha married Andy Stewart. After college she and Andy traveled and Martha continued to model. Martha had her only child, a daughter named Alexis, in 1965. Two years later, Martha wanted to go to work. She got a job as a stockbroker in New York City and worked for six years.
In 1971,Martha and Andy purchased a farmhouse they called Turkey Hill in Westport, connecticut. After quitting her job, Martha spent her time completely restoring the old farmhouse. She also studied how to cook and became an excellent gourmet chef. One day Martha decided to put her cooking skills to the test by opening up her own catering business. She cooked food and hosted large dinner parties and quickly became a success.
Through her books and television appearances, Martha soon became famous . In the 1990s, she began to expand her business . She started a magazine called Martha Stewart Living, a popular newspaper column, and her own television show. The name Martha Stewart became a brand that was worth millions of dollars . In 1997, she formed a company called Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She was president and CEO. She took the company public in 1999, selling shares in the company. At one point her estimated wealth was nearly $1 billion. She also had her own band of products at stores like Home Depot, K-Mart, Macy's and Sears. She also worked with home builders to design Martha Stewart inspired homes. | high19801.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To ask for advice on how to deal with her annoyance."
},
"options": [
"To start a public donation for the unlucky couple.",
"To teach us how to see the true colors of friendship.",
"To tell us to loam a lesson from her story"... | Dear Miss Manners,
Friends of mine lost their home in a house fire.It was terrible.Another friend set up a "go fund me" type page for friends and funnily to donate and help the couple.Many friends, including me, helped with money, meals, lamprey and their dog while 'they were getting back on their feet.
Last week, they sent thank-you notes.My roommate received one addressed to her and I did not The notes were not in modularized; it was a printed one-size-fits-all message.My roommate realized I didn't receive a thank you, so she sent a private message to the couple just letting them know I had been left out.I didn't know she had done this until later.
The next day, I got a text message apologizing and saying that I had been left out because their friend who addressed the notes must have missed me!(Miss Manners, they didn't even address the notes themselves!)It was accompanied by a picture of the thank-you note, which was texted to me with- the message, "Here is a thank you just for you. "
I was a little annoyed.I helped them in their fume of need and didn't get a second thought.I have not responded to her text message.Is it fair of me to consider this friendship over? Should I tell her that I am upset, or should I accept that this rude thank you was better than nothing? | high11285.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Active and energetic."
},
"options": [
"Active and energetic.",
"Beautiful and interesting.",
"Great and proud.",
"Convenient and modern."
],
"question": "According to the passage, which of the following can bes... | The city of X is internationally known for sports, catering for the needs of both professional and amateur sportspeople as well as those that seek to maintain an active lifestyle. The city promotes well-being by offering its citizens lots of opportunities for sports, both indoors and outdoors throughout the year.
Sports clubs in X organize activities in a wide arrangement of sports. The most popular are ice hockey and football, and the list covers well over one hundred other sports.
X's large green areas including the Central Park and the sea offer ample opportunities for physical activity: walking, running, jogging, hiking, bicycling, roller skating, swimming, boating and fishing. The city claims 50,000 amateur fishermen, more than any other capital city in Europe.
The city organizes a number of community sports activities and maintains a variety and lots of sports facilities. These facilities include more than 200 km of tracks for walking, jogging and running, close to 200 km of ski tracks in winter, some 30 indoor sports halls, some 10 indoor ice rinks and 80 outdoor ice rinks, 14 indoor swimming halls and 2 outdoor pools in summer, close to 30 beaches, and 12,000 boat berths .
Ice Park is a downtown winter-time skating rink on Railway Square, complete with skate rental and a heated cafe.
The local people are active bicyclists especially in summer. X's bicycle path network covers 1,000 kilometers inside the city limits. The city promotes bicycling with many services, including a Journey Planner for Cycling.
One of the unusual sports here is ice swimming, and X even hosts ice swimming world championships. The city maintains some 15 ice swimming sites throughout the city.
Campers find a convenient site inside the city: Rastila Camping is one of the most popular camping sites in this country, located by the seaside and accessible by underground. The Nuuksio National Park offers camping in wilderness just half an hour from the city by car.
The city of X's sports function is managed by the Sports Department. The department provides and maintains sports facilities and organizes activities. The department also rents facilities for sports, conference rooms and saunas. | high21346.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "wife"
},
"options": [
"friend",
"mother",
"sister",
"wife"
],
"question": "Rosy is David's _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "... | The story is about two old people named David and Rosy Jackson. Both of them had very bad memories. For example, Rosy would forget to cook dinner or take vegetables home after paying for them. David would show up for work on Sundays, thinking it was Monday. One winter they were to take a long plane trip. When they arrived at the airport, there were only ten minutes left. In that situation, anyone would get into the plane right away. But David and Rosy didn't do so. They went to buy some flight insurance instead. Immediately after they put a two-pound note into a machine, their policy came out.
"Who would get the money if the plane crashed, I wonder?" asked Rosy. "My mother, of course," her husband replied. "We should post the policy to her. Now, be quick! Give me a stamp, will you?" he said to Rosy. "The plane is going to take off in another minute." David put the stamp on the envelope, dropped it into a postbox, and suddenly he let out a cry.
What do you suppose happened to him? He had posted their plane tickets to his mother. | high8697.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the advantages of learning to play the piano through an online course"
},
"options": [
"the disadvantages of the traditional ways of learning to play the piano",
"the differences between traditional piano courses and online courses... | In the past, going to a piano teacher was the most popular way to learn how to play the piano. You could get one-to-one teaching and have the opportunity to learn as much as the teacher knew. If you didn't have private lessons, you could still learn the piano, but you would have to teach yourself. This was easy for some, but very difficult for most. However, with technology developing today, there is at last another way that you can take piano lessons. You can take an online course.
An online course is much cheaper than a private lesson. _ . You can take a whole online course in piano for just a fraction of the money that you would spend on weeks of private lessons. Also, private lessons are usually only one hour per week. So you would have to wait for your next lesson to continue your learning. However, online piano courses are quite different.
With an online piano course, you can work at your own pace. You can also take as many lessons per week as you want, or go back and listen to your last lesson if you have forgotten anything. Most adults who want to learn how to play the piano enjoy being able to go back and listen to the lessons again.
Of course if you need someone to sit beside you and offer you immediate feedback as you are playing, you might not get that from an online piano course. However, the lessons online can be viewed at any time, or as often as you'd like, which means that you can get your own type of feedback from an online piano course. | high6862.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They carry many genes that keep tumors from developing"
},
"options": [
"They have a large body size",
"They carry many genes that keep tumors from developing",
"Certain genes in their body kill existing tumors",
"Their... | Elephants have impressed us for centuries. They are big, clever, and sociable. But what if someone told you that they may also hold the key to fighting cancer?
People have been wondering why elephants do not develop cancer, even though they have life spans that are similar to humans, living for around 50 to 70 years.
Now scientists believe they know why. A team at the University of Chicago, Us has found that elephants carry a large number of genes that stop tumors from developing. To be precise, they found 20 copies of an anti-tumor gene called TP 53 in elephants. Most other species, humans included, only carry one copy.
According to the research, which was recently published on the online science network BioRxiv, the extra copies of the gene improved the animal's sensitivity to DNA damage. This lets the cells quickly kill themselves when damaged before they can form deadly tumors.
"An increased risk of developing cancer has stood in the way of the evolution of large body sizes in many animals," study author Dr Vincent Lynch told The Guardian. If every living cell has the same chance of becoming cancerous, large creatures with long life spans like whales and elephants should have a greater risk of developing cancer than humans and mice do. But across species, the risk of cancer does not show a connection with body mass.
_ was found by Oxford University scientist Richard Peto in the 1970s and later named "Peto's paradox". Evolutionary biologists believe it results from larger animals using protection that many smaller do not, In the elephant's case, the making of TP53 is nature's way of keeping this species alive.
The study also found that when the same genes were brought to life in mice, they had the same cancer resistance as elephants. This means researchers could use the discovery to develop new treatments that can help stop cancers from spreading or even developing in the first place.
"Nature has already figured out how to prevent cancer," said Joshua Schiffman, an oncologist at the School of Medicine, University of Utah, US.
"It's up to us to learn how different animals tackle the problem so we can use those strategies to prevent cancer in people." | high13492.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sometimes being beautiful can cost you something"
},
"options": [
"teenage girls care too much about their appearance",
"loving beauty will necessarily make one disfigured",
"we can never judge a person merely by one's looks"... | Being beautiful means a lot to teenage girls. Once it did to me too. I was the vainest person in the world, but that all changed one December night.
It was a Thursday, and I was getting ready for the wrestling tournament the following day. I was so excited; it was going to be my first tournament as a cheerleader. I walked past the mirror and stopped to check my appearance. I noticed my eyebrows were a little bushy, and that's when my vanity kicked in. The brows could be easily fixed with the waxing kit I had purchased. I put the jar of wax in the microwave. But instead of heating the wax for 30 seconds, I pressed too many zeros and heated it for three minutes. As I reached for the jar, I dropped it, spilling it all over myself.
My mother came running when she heard my screams. The hot wax was rolling down my face and arm. My mom took a wet washcloth and tried to wash the wax off my face. This proved to be a bad idea, because the wax was honey based, and it pulled my skin off with the wax.
The 15-mile drive to the emergency room seemed to take hours. When we finally arrived, the nurse didn't waste any time. They took me straight to a doctor and gave me extra-strength painkillers, so my mind was in confusion. The doctor explained how severe my burns really were: my arm was a combination of first-, second- and third-degree burns, and needed to stay bandaged. My face was first- and second-degree burns. If the wax had gotten any closer to my right eye, I would have lost my sight. I was covered in multi-colored "goop ", wrapped, and sent home to recover.
I got up the next morning and the first thing I wanted to do was wash off the remaining wax. I unwrapped the bandages and "degooped", letting warm water gently remove the rest of the wax. The next step was to do a self-evaluation of the damage. I couldn't believe how horrible I looked. A horror-movie monster stared back at me from the mirror. All I could think was, my life is over. For someone as vain as me, this was very true. I thought I was going to be horribly disfigured for the rest of my life! All I could do was cry.
My mom made it worse by forcing me to go out in public. She dragged me to the grocery store and wherever else she felt like taking me. Everywhere we went, people had a million questions, none of which I wanted to answer. Then my mom declared she was going to put me through even more torture--I had to go to school on Monday. School only led to more questions from more people.
Now, two years later, my wounds have healed, leaving a few scars. I still feel self-conscious if I don't wear make-up, and I've discovered that three-quarter length sleeves are wonderful for covering the scars on my arm.
After spending several months adjusting to this injury, I realized how vain I was. _ . It took this event to teach me that no matter how much you change on the outside, you're still the same person on the inside. | high441.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they consider the food free of pollution"
},
"options": [
"they are getting richer",
"they can get the food anywhere",
"they consider the food free of pollution",
"they like home-grown fruit"
],
"question": "Mor... | LONDON(Reuters)--Organic fruit, delivered right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers, and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
"Organic produce is always better,"Gold said."The food is free of pesticides ,and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And at most times it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty."Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers accepting the _ , and supermarkets across Britain are counting on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amount of pesticides can be used on organic products. And about three quarters of organic food in prefix = st1 /Britainis not local but imported to meet growing demand."The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market,"said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business | high22897.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Beijing Hongda Road Estate Co.Ltd."
},
"options": [
"Fucheng Garden Villas",
"American Company---IDI",
"Beijing Hongda Road Estate Co.Ltd.",
"The Beijing Luftthansa"
],
"question": "The advertiser is _ .",
... | Fucheng Garden Villas is situated along the North 4th Ring Road,just 2 kilometres east away from the Asian Games Village with easy traffic connection.It is 5 kilometres from the Beijing Lufthansa Centre.
Fucheng Garden Villas occupies an area of 34.7 hectares,over 80% of which is covered by trees and green,just like a garden in the city.
All the 108 villas were designed by American Company IDI,in American style,luxurious besides comfortable.
All materials of the construction and decoration as well as equipment are famous American products.
From June 25 to July 31,1997,preferential prices for sale and rent are offered.You can move into Fucheng Garden Villas on signing an agreement.
Bank will provide a 50% mortgage for 5 years.
Overseas sales License: NO.124.
Developer: Beijing Hongda Read Estate Co.Ltd.
60 East,North 4th Ring Road,Chaoyang District,Beijing.
Tel:(8610)64967050 64967049
Fax:(8610)64933575 | high12954.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "show breaking one's promises is terrible"
},
"options": [
"show butchering is cruel",
"explain the meaning of covenant",
"express his disappointment with old customs",
"show breaking one's promises is terrible"
],
... | There have been a number of occasions through the years that I had to sit at the feet of a theologian .Some of those times, I came away wondering what on earth the man was talking about. That was not the case when I heard Dr. Randy Harris. He suggested that a lot of our day-to-day problems in the world be solved by simply keeping our promises. Too many people do not take such matters seriously. Are you serious in keeping your promises?
Some of my most anxious moments in over a half-century of ministry have come as a result of carelessness in failing to keep my word. Preachers can say a lot of requests on any given Sunday. I have been asked to make hospital visits, write letters of recommendation , put people's names on the prayer list, read books, make telephone calls, remember birthdays and anniversaries, come to special events, and put announcements in the church bulletin .
There was a time when I would foolishly agree to fulfill each request. I had the best of intentions, but I could not remember all I had agreed to do, much less find a way to do them all! Did I think I was "Super-Preacher"? The sad look of disappointed faces taught me that I was not. I hurt people, and they deserved better.
The Hebrew word of covenant means primarily "a cutting". It refers to the custom of cutting an animal in half and having the parties making promises pass between the two halves. They were saying to each other, "If I don't keep my word, may I be as this animal--be cut in two."
If butchering were the result of breaking our word today, how many of us would be headed for the death? I think that, although we are not cut like animals for our failures to keep promises, there are serious results connected with our carelessness. It ruins our character and our reputation.
What can we do? It is simple. Stop making promises we cannot keep. Reduce promise lists, and be sure to carry out the commitments that remain on it. If after giving our word, we are unable to keep the appointment or whatever, inform and apologize as soon as possible.
Last weekend, I stood with a dressed-up couple at a wedding in another county. They made some serious promises to each other in a covenant of marriage. They made vows to be faithful to each other for as long as they live. I pray God that they will keep those vows and be an example for others to follow. | high23551.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "deal with problems rather than blame others"
},
"options": [
"deal with problems rather than blame others",
"meet with fewer difficulties in their lives",
"have responsible and able colleagues",
"blame themselves rather... | When something goes wrong,it can be very satisfying to say,"Well,it's so-and-so's fault."or "I know I'm late,but it's not my fault;the car broke down."It is probably not your fault,but once you form the habit of blaming somebody or something else for a bad situation,you are a loser. You have no power and could do nothing that helps change the situation. However,you can have great power over what happens to you if you stop focusing on whom to blame and start focusing on how to _ the situation. This is the winner's key to success.
Winners are great at overcoming problems. For example, if you were late because your car broke down, maybe you need to have your car examined more regularly. Or, you might start to carry along with you the useful phone numbers, so you could call for help when in need. For another example, if your colleague causes you problems on the job for lack of responsibility or ability, find ways of dealing with his irresponsibility or inability rather than simply blame the person. Ask to work with a different person, or don't rely on this person. You should accept that the person is not reliable and find creative ways to work successfully regardless of how your colleague fails to do his job well.
This is what being a winner is all about--creatively using your skills and talents so that you are successful no matter what happens. Winners don't have fewer problems in their lives; they have just as many difficult situations to face as anybody else. They are just better at seeing those problems as challenges and opportunities to develop their own talents. So, stop focusing on "whose fault it is." Once you are confident about your power over bad situations, problems are just stepping stone on for success. | high23237.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "turn to Internet pharmacies for help"
},
"options": [
"are suffering from mental disorders",
"turn to Internet pharmacies for help",
"like to play deadly games with doctors",
"are skeptical about surfing medical website... | Increasingly, Americans are becoming their own doctors, by going online to diagnose their symptoms, order home health tests or medical devices, or even self-treat their illnesses with drugs from Internet pharmacies . Some avoid doctors because of the high cost of medical care, especially if they lack health insurance. Or they may stay because they find it embarrassing to discuss their weight, alcohol consumption or couch potato habits. Patients may a1so fear what they might learn about their health, or they distrust physicians because of negative experiences in the past. But p1aying doctor can also be a deadly game.
Every day, more than six million Americans turn to the Internet for medical answers ---most of them aren't nearly skeptical enough of what they find. A 2002 survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 72 percent of those surveyed believe all or most of what they read on health websites. They shouldn't. Look up "headache", and the chances of finding reliable and complete information, free from a motivation for commercial gain, are only one in ten, reports an April 2005 Brown Medical School study. Of the l69 websites the researchers rated, only l6 scored as "high quality". Recent studies found faulty facts about all sorts of other disorders, causing one research team to warn that a large amount of incomplete, inaccurate and even dangerous information exists on the Internet.
The problem is that most people don't know the safe way to surf the Web. "They use a search engine 1ike Google, get l8 trillion choices and start clicking. But that's risky, because almost anybody can put up a site that looks authoritative , so it's hard to know Whether What you're reading is reasonable or not," says Dr.Sarah Bass from the National Cancer Institute. | high21420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Internal motivation is more important than external motivation."
},
"options": [
"Only the internal motivation can result in success.",
"Internal motivation is more important than external motivation.",
"Internal motivation a... | Ask any person who is successful in whatever he or she is doing what motivates him/her, and very likely the answer will be "goals". Goal Setting is extremely important to motivation and success. So what motivates you? Why are you in college? If you are in college because that's what your parents want, you may find it difficult to motivate yourself. Sure, it's possible to succeed with someone else providing the motivation for you. ("If you graduate from college, I'll give you a car!" or worse "If you don't graduate from college, you won't get a car.") But motivation that comes from within really makes the difference.
Certainly, you need some intelligence, knowledge base, study skills, and time management skills, but if you don't have motivation, you won't get far. Think about this analogy. You have a car with a full tank of gas, a well-tuned engine, good set of tires, quadraphonic CD system, and a sleek, polished exterior . There it sits. This car has incredible potential. However, until a driver sits behind the wheel, puts the key in the ignition , and cranks it up, the car doesn't function. You guessed it; the KEY is MOTIVATION.
Interest is an important motivator for a student. So is a desire to learn. When you link these two things together, you create success. Often success in an endeavor leads to more interest and a greater desire to learn, creating an upward spiral of motivation toward a goal you have established.
So be honest with yourself. Are you genuinely interested in being in college? Have you set realistic goals for yourself? How can you develop the internal motivation that really counts? When it comes to motivation, KNOWING is not as important as DOING. | high10825.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sleep and health."
},
"options": [
"Boys and girls.",
"Food and weight.",
"Sleep and health.",
"Screens and fat."
],
"question": "What's the research really about?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},... | WELLINGTON, September 19 (Xinhua) -- If your teenage son won't get out of bed in the morning, then take comfort from the fact that he might be sleeping his way to a healthier future, according to a new research from New Zealand.
Researchers in human nutrition at the University of Otago have found that teenage boys who sleep less have more body fat when compared to girls, for whom lack of sleep has no noticeable effect on their body fat ratios.
The study of 386 boys and 299 girls aged 15 to 18 found that average-sized 16-year-old boy weighing 69.5 kg and 176 cm tall, who slept for eight hours a day, had a waist size l.8 cm bigger and l.6 kg, or 9 percent, more body fat than the average-sized boy who slept 10 hours a day.
"The boys who slept eight hours a day would also have l.8 kg more lean (bone and muscle) mass compared to the boys who slept 10 hours, but that's only a 1.4-percent increase, compared to the 9- percent increase seen in body fat," said lead researcher from the Department of Human Nutrition, Dr. Paula Skidmore.
"Our results suggest that for older teenage boys, making sure that they get enough sleep may help to maintain a healthier body. It seems to be that, within reason, the more sleep the better for boys," Skidmore said in a statement Thursday.
"It was unexpected that we did not find the same result in girls, who may actually be more aware of their diet and more in tune with a healthier lifestyle."
The researchers ruled out the effects of food choice and number of screens, such as televisions, games and consoles, which the teenagers had in their bedrooms. | high4913.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to introduce more world literature to readers in the US"
},
"options": [
"to compete for page views and subscribers online",
"to get American literature better known to the world",
"to help advance nonprofit world literature ... | Besides news reports that tend to focus on war or election, Americans generally don't hear much about people in other countries. One reason may be that very little foreign-language literature is translated into English. In the United States, just a few of the titles, mainly translations of foreign novels, short stories, or poetry, make it into English. However, a number of efforts have taken root to try to bring more global literature to US audiences. Ks5u
The online magazine of international literature, Words Without Borders, was founded by Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. The nonprofit site, now in its fifth year, offers modern writing from places such as Argentina, China and Italy, often for the first time in English. It gets about 200,000 page views per month and counts roughly 8,000 subscribers , more than one-quarter of whom live in the US.
"There's a wave of interest right now," says Jill Schoolman, publisher of Archipelago Books, a small nonprofit press in Brooklyn, N.Y., opened in 2003 to publish world literature in translation only. "People are hungry for ideas from other countries."
Rainmaker Translations, a Las Vegas-based nonprofit, was formed two years ago to support the publication of more top-quality global writing here in the US. They put out their first three titles, translated from Arabic, Chinese and Russian, in the spring of 2006 and plan to aid up to four more in the coming year.
In March, the Center for the Art of Translation, a nonprofit started in 1994 in San Francisco, will publish Two Lines World Library, focused on writing from some particular areas published over the last several decades.
Dalkey Archive Press, a century-old nonprofit publisher in Champaign, Illinois, has upped the number of translations on its publication list since 2003, from 25 percent to nearly 80 percent.
In recent years, more nonprofits have applied to the National Endowment for the Arts for help to publish literary translations. The agency is also trying to increase the availability of translated prose and poetry in the US, such as publishing partnerships with foreign governments. | high17192.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To do exercise now and then."
},
"options": [
"To do exercise now and then.",
"To eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.",
"To avoid staying in the sun for a long time.",
"To keep away from cigarettes."
],
"questi... | New evidence shows that getting enough Vitamin D may be the most important thing you can do for your health.
You know the usual prescription for good health: a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, no smoking.Now add this: Spend a little more time in the sun.
Huh? That may sound like medical
.After all, we've been warned for decades about the dangers of the sun: wrinkles, age spots and the increasing threat of skin cancer.But new and impressive medical evidence suggests that sunlight is beneficial.The vitamin D it
our bodies to make may prevent cancer, protect against heart disease and ward off a long list of disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and gum disease.It is even showing promise as a treatment for heart disease and some cancers.
Long recognized as vitally important for bone building (it's needed for calcium absorption), vitamin D has now achieved superstar status among nutrients.While all doctors may not agree, many experts are confident enough of its wide-ranging powers to urge that we get much more of it, from the sun and from supplements, as even the best diet in the world may not give us enough. | high16298.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it is easy to prepare and cook"
},
"options": [
"it is rich in nutrition",
"it smells just like bread",
"it is easy to prepare and cook",
"Italian food stands for fashion"
],
"question": "One reason why pasta is... | Pasta is the world's favorite food. A survey taken in 17 countries confirmed that pasta is what people like to eat most. Not only is pasta the number one food in its home country Italy, but it is also enjoyed in faraway places like the Philippines, Mexico and South Africa.
Pasta has become popular, for one thing, because it is cheap and easy to prepare. Just cook noodles or other forms of pasta, make a sauce to go with it and you're finished. Many different types of meals can be created with pasta. It tastes good and fills your stomach. It produces energy in the form of carbohydrates , which is why athletes eat pasta regularly. Pasta can also be kept for a long time. You don't have to use it up at once.
Pasta has also become popular because it stands for the Italian way of life. People all over the world like it because it's so simple. It has two basic ingredients, wheat and water, just like bread.
Before it became popular in Italy during the 19th century, earlier civilizations also ate pasta. Legend has it that Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy with him but this is not true. Arabs probably brought a noodle-like dish to Sicily in the 8th century. Farmers have been growing wheat, the main ingredient of pasta, there for ages.
The worldwide sales of pasta have risen sharply over the past decade. $16 billion worth of pasta were sold in 2010, compared to $13 billion worth of the favorite food in 2003. Italy leads the pasta-eating community of the world. The Italians are the number one consumers followed by Venezuela and Tunisia. ks5u | high21434.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Two tablets"
},
"options": [
"Half a tablet",
"One tablet.",
"Two tablets",
"Four tablets."
],
"question": "How many tablets should a nine-year-old child normally take in 24 hours?",
"question_type": "factio... | Do you always understand the directions on a bottle of medicine? Do you know what is meant by "Take only as directed"? Read the following directions and see if you understand them.
"To reduce pain, take two tablets with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For night-time and early morning relief, take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours.
For children six to twelve years old, give half the amount. For children under six years old ,ask for your doctor's advice.
Reduce the amount if you suffer from restlessness or sleeplessness after taking the medicine". | high4907.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "color1 and arrangement"
},
"options": [
"size and shape",
"color1 and shape",
"size and arrangement",
"color1 and arrangement"
],
"question": "Scientists found that the brain cells of a learning-disabled person ... | Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children .Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities.
Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized.
You cannot look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability .There is no outward sign of the disorder .So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong.
In one study ,researchers examined the brain of the learning-disabled person who had died in an accident .They found two unusual things. One has something to do with cells on the left side of the brain ,which control language. These cells normally are white .In the learning-disabled person, however ,these cells were gray. The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been .The nerve cells were mixed together.
The study was carried out under the guidance of Norman Geschwind, an early expert on learning disabilities. Doctor Geschwind thought that learning disabilities resulted mainly from problems on the left side of the brain .He believed this side of the brain failed to develop normally .Probably ,he said ,nerve cells there did not connect as they should .So the brain was like an electrical device in which the wires were crossed.
Frank Duffy experimented with this technique at Children's Hospital Medical Center inprefix = st1 /Boston. Doctor Duffy found large differences in the brain activity of normal children and those with reading problems. The differences appeared throughout the brain. Doctor Duffy said his research proves that reading disabilities result from damage to a wide area of the brain, not just the left side. | high17186.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The Black Box of the Soul"
},
"options": [
"The Black Box",
"The Black Box and Disasters",
"The Black Box of the Soul",
"The Black Box and Humans"
],
"question": "The best title for the text is",
"question_t... | On an--airplane,a spacecraft or a man-made satellite,there is usually an installed device called the "black box "Made of a special kind of material.it would remain unbroken,even if the entire craft were blown to pieces.The box records some important data,which provide clues as to what changes had occurred before the real thing came along and help to discover the causes of the
disaster.
The black box.Therefore, becomes the last piece of evidence left.More often,it reveal a Schocking fact that many aircrafts met their disasters only because of a simple but fatal mistake
Some hadn't been supplied with sufficient fuel;others crashed due to a bird flying in their paths.In many cases. the pilot had been tired.In 1986,the famous US space siadttle Challenger exploded soon after launch, because a screw on it was a bit loose!
An idea thus occurs to me:if a human being was equipped with _ , tracking allthe subtle inner Changes that had taken place over time,the results could astonish the world Newspapers carry no few such stories from day to day-cases of graft or bribe-taking ,how--innocent mail was robbed and killed, and so on.A fatal error, committed by a criminal at a particular point in his life,may have arisen from a small quarrel or out of envy.The number of those who were boom evil and deliberately sent themselves to the" gallows "is in fact extremely small.The disappointment towards the last moment of their life is no different from a struggle against an aircraft crash!
Behave properly in small matters and take best care of the soul---this,I insist, is the message from that mysterious box planted deep inside human souls | high23223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Green benefits of Web conferencing"
},
"options": [
"Ways of protecting the environment",
"Green benefits of Web conferencing",
"Ways of hosting a Web conference",
"Impact of Web conferencing on costs"
],
"quest... | Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It's an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a Web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn't being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants' personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don't have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause. | high333.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they are active at night and sleep during the day"
},
"options": [
"they are similar to humans in dealing with colors",
"they are easy to observe and study",
"they are sensitive to colors like human beings",
"they are a... | Some colors people see late at night could cause signs of clinical depression . That was the finding of a study that builds on earlier study findings. They show that individuals who live or work in low levels of light overnight can develop clinical depression. Doctors use the word "clinical depression" to describe severe form of depression. Signs may include loss of interest or pleasure in most activities, low energy levels and thoughts of death or suicide.
In the new study, American investigators designed an experiment that exposed hamsters to different colors. The researchers chose hamsters because they are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active at night.
The animals were separated into four groups. One group of hamsters was kept in the dark during their night-time period. Another group was placed in front of a blue light, a third group slept in front of a white light, while a fourth was put in front of a red light.
After four weeks, the researchers noted how much sugary water the hamsters drank. They found that the most depressed animals drank the least amount of water.
Randy Nelson heads the Department of Neuroscience at Ohio State University. He says animals that slept in blue and white light appeared to be the most depressed. "What we saw is that these animals didn't show any sleep uneasiness at all but they did mess up biological clock genes and they did show depressive sign while if they were in the dim red light, they did not."
Randy Nelson notes that photosensitive cells in the eyes have little to do with eyesight. He says these cells send signals to the area of the brain that controls what has been called the natural sleep-wake cycle.
He says there's a lot of blue in white light. This explains why the blue light and white light hamsters appear to be more depressed than the hamsters seeing red light or darkness. | high8683.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A woman customer in the beauty shop."
},
"options": [
"A woman customer in the beauty shop.",
"Hunting Hartford.",
"The author herself.",
"The author's father."
],
"question": "Who inspired the author's desire t... | I wasn't interested in becoming a model at first. I worked as a receptionist in a beauty shop during high school. It was in South Dakota. A woman who had worked for Vogue--a famous fashion magazine said to me, "Why don't you go to New York and be a model?"
So I went to New York at eighteen. I went to the first model agency, they thought that I was too long-waisted. It was too bad since I came all the way from South Dakota. I did an information check on the internet and found that Hunting Hartford had just bought the agency. I looked up in the telephone book and dialed. Then I went there. About half an hour later, the man who had just taken over the agency--he had been a male model before--came in. I was just staring at this unfamiliar man when he said, "You! Come into my office!"
How do you feel as a fashion model? Quite OK, I should say. But you stop thinking when you are working. It takes a lot of nervous energy as well because the camera goes one, two, three very fast and you have to move very fast. I like my job because it gives me freedom. I can have half a day off to do things I like. I can't do that if I do a normal job. I never like becoming a secretary. They have to sit in the office for eight hours a day, facing the same people.
Most models, after one or two years, can't be still very interested in it. But I like being a model. Maybe I was a born one, as many people say. | high12798.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Thailand offers them more than just a wedding ceremony."
},
"options": [
"They will be pressured into arranged married in India.",
"India shares the same religion as Thailand.",
"Thailand offers them more than just a wedding ... | If you are a wealthy resident of India, madly in love and planning your big fat wedding--or being pressured into arranged marriage--Thailand wants you to exchange vows in Bangkok, Phuket or elsewhere in this "wedding Paradise ".
This wedding business starts from overseas with the Indians. Thai embassies in India give quick services for the visas. Not only the couples, you can bring anyone, say, your own cook. So, feel free to invite hundreds of your friends and relatives.
Why would Indians want to spend so much on weddings in Thailand? Because they have similarities in religion. When Indian weddings want to have some religious prayer for the couples, Thailand can do that. But the more obvious appeal are Thailand's fancy hotels, tropical islands, and delicious Thai food, allowing newlyweds to include a honeymoon in Thailand after they say "I do" while their guests also celebrate on a holiday here. But on the other hand, love does have a price.
Kasu Rajagopal arranged for his daughter to have a wedding in Phuket. They arranged entertainment to begin three days before the wedding, because guests' arrival time varied. Yachts were chartered to take guests to small islands, while a DJ, flown in from Bangalore, India, was booked to help them dance in the evening. Kasu also arranged priests for the Hindu wedding, and cooks to prepare Indian food. The approximate costs are around half a million U. S. dollars, including the airfares, hotel accommodation, food, transportation, the yachts on hire and the wedding ceremony expenses, for 225 to 250 guests.
Thailand wants to make itself a wedding paradise for all couples, not just from India, but from around the world. Last year, there were around 500 to 600 couples from China, and the numbers are slowly coming up. Westerners also arrive to get married, but in much smaller numbers. | high6876.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because he could compete in the game and won the game."
},
"options": [
"Because he won game.",
"Because he was an American.",
"Because he could compete in the game and won the game.",
"Because the National Game was pla... | At the beginning of the World Series of 1947, I experienced a completely new emotion, when the National Anthem was played. This time, I thought, it is being played for me, as much as for anyone else. This is organized major league baseball, and I am standing here with all the others; and everything that takes place includes me.
About a year later, I went to Atlanta, Georgia, to play in an exhibition game. On the field, for the first time in Atlanta, there were Negroes and whites. Other Negroes besides me. And I thought: What I have always believed has come to be.
And what is it that I have always believed? First, those imperfections are human. But that wherever human beings were given room to breathe and time to think, those imperfections would disappear, no matter how slowly. I do not believe that we have found or even approached perfection. That is not necessarily in the scheme of human events. Handicaps, stumbling blocks, prejudices -- all of these are imperfect. Yet, they have to be dealt with because they are in the scheme of human events.
Whatever obstacles I found made me fight all the harder. But it would have been impossible for me to fight at all, except that I was sustained by the personal and deep-rooted belief that my fight had a chance. It had a chance because it took place in a free society. Not once was I forced to face and fight an immovable object. Not once was the situation so cast-iron rigid that I had no chance at all. Free minds and human hearts were at work all around me; and so there was the probability of improvement. I look at my children now, and know that I must still prepare them to meet obstacles and prejudices.
But I can tell them, too, that they will never face some of these prejudices because other people have gone before them. And to myself I can say that, because progress is unalterable, many of today's dogmas will have vanished by the time they grow into adults. I can say to my children: There is a chance for you. No guarantee, but a chance. And this chance has come to be, because there is nothing static with free people. There is no Middle Ages logic so strong that it can stop the human tide from flowing forward. I do not believe that every person, in every walk of life, can succeed in spite of any handicap. That would be perfection. But I do believe -- and with every fiber in me -- that what I was able to attain came to be because we put behind us (no matter how slowly) the dogmas of the past: to discover the truth of today; and perhaps find the greatness of tomorrow.
I believe in the human race. I believe in the warm heart. I believe in man's honesty. I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that the society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it -- and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist. My fight was against the barriers that kept Negroes out of baseball. This was the area where I found imperfection, and where I was best able to fight. And I fought because I knew it was not doomed to be a losing fight. It couldn't be a losing fight--not when it took place in a free society. And in the largest sense, I believe that what I did was done for me -- that it was my faith in God that sustained me in my fight. And that what was done for me must and will be done for others. | high13486.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To destroy the troublemakers in order that they might not hurt the body."
},
"options": [
"To prevent bacteria or germs from entering the body.",
"To destroy the troublemakers in order that they might not hurt the body.",
"To... | The immune system is the body's defender. It identifies, tracks down, and destroys troublemakers before they can hurt the body. Those troublemakers may be, for example, bacteria from a cut or splinter, a measles germ, a cold bug, or even a cancer cell.
These invaders try to take over our tissues and feed off our bodies' nutrients. If they succeed, we become sick or, sometimes, even die. It's the job of our immune systems to destroy these invaders before they destroy us.
Say you picked up a flu virus last week. Perhaps it entered your body through a cut, from a drinking glass, or from the air you breathe. Of course, you didn't feel it, but the virus made its way into your bloodstream. As soon as it entered your body, it began to reproduce. Viruses have only one goal: to take over your cells. Once inside your body, viruses try to enter cells and disrupt their normal work. If left alone, these viruses would hurt so many cells that you would weaken, or worse, get a serious illness.
But this flu virus should not be so complacent as it seems to be. As it reproduces in your bloodstream, the virus is met by a certain kind of white blood cell, the lymphocytes. The _ are the foot soldiers that keep you alive.
The number of lymphocytes in your body is hard to imagine. Thousands of them could fit in the period at the end of this sentence. Your body holds about a trillion --that's 1,000,000,000,000 of them, or about 3,000 in every drop of blood. _
Some of these lymphocytes pass through a small walnut-sized organ called the thymus. The thymus is the base of the neck. Here, special hormones turn lymphocytes into fighting cells, called T cells.
T cells have one terrific talent: They can tell the difference between friend and foe; what should be in our bodies and what shouldn't. They do not affect the body 's healthy cells. Yet they attack everything that is foreign to our bodies, such as germs, transplants, and even our own cells which have become abnormal, as in the case of cancer. | high22883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The live performances in the studio."
},
"options": [
"The famous singers of the bands.",
"The live performances in the studio.",
"The large numbers of pop fans in Britain.",
"The jobs carefully done by the workers of t... | The audience starts to scream and young people all over Britain turn on their TVs. Yes, it's Top of the pops!
Top of the pops is an amazing 45-year-old programme. Pop stars from all over the world appear on this successful TV prograrmme. After about 2340 shows, it's still the most popular pop music show in Britain.So what's the secret?
"We get lots of bands to perform live in the studio," says producer Chris Cowey. "That just doesn't happen on other shows"
Chris starts the preparations for the programme over a week before it goes out.His first job is to decide which bands to have on the show. When the chart of the top twenty songs is produced on Sunday, Chris can start to book the bands
Monday starts with Chris meeting his sound, lighting and camera workers. They listen to each song and plan the show.
Tuesday is paperwork day. There are bookings to make sure of, letters to answer and lots of phone calls to make. The show is on Thursday. Bands arrive at the studio from 10 o'clock in the morning and start practicing. Tonight's presenter, Jo Whiley, practises too
First the bands go to make up. Judy and Issy are the make-up artists. "We see the stars with no make-up on, looking terrible," says Issy. Then the bands go to the costume department where Marianne dresses the stars.
Back in the studio things are happening. The audience is practising their dance moves! It takes over two hours to record the whole programme, then Chris edits it all night long. The final version is exactly 29 minutes long | high455.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "pulling pollutants to the ground with an electromagnetic field"
},
"options": [
"helping keep the particles out with more masks",
"pulling pollutants to the ground with an electromagnetic field",
"absorbing hair with a balloo... | A Dutch artist and designer has come up with a device which he hopes will get rid of pollutants from Beijing's smog skies, creating clean air for the city's mask-wearing people.
An electromagnetic field will pull particles in the smog to the ground where they can be easily cleaned.
"It's like when you have a balloon which has static and your hair goes toward it. Same with the smog," says artist Daan Roosegaarde.
His studio has reached an agreement with the Beijing government to test the technology in one of tile capital's parks.
With its skies regularly covered by dirty gray smog, Beijing this week announced a series of emergency measures to handle the problem.
Roosegaarde says an indoor model device has already proven it works and is confident that the results -- with the help of a team of scientists and engineers -- can be replicated outside.
"Beijing is quite a good place because the smog in Beijing is quite low. It lies in a valley so there's not so much wind. It's a good environment to explore this kind of thing."
"We'll be able to purify the air and the challenge is to get the top of the smog so you can see the sun again."
Roosegaarde acknowledges that projects like this are a way of drawing attention to the problem, rather than a practical solution to Beijing's awful air pollution.
"This is not the real answer for smog. The real answer has to do with clean cars, different industry and different lifestyles."
However, he hopes the project will make a "fundamental statement" by allowing the city's people to realize the difference between breathing clean and smog-filled air. | high12940.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "China ranks high among the countries with 29 sites listed on the list."
},
"options": [
"The world heritage education programme was jointly launched by the United States and China's Ministry of Education.",
"The course will first b... | According to a world heritage education programme jointly launched by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and China's Ministry of Education, the course will first be offered at several school in Beijing before being included as a mandatory course for high school students nationwide.
The new course covers photos, slide shows and documentaries on the magnificence of the world heritage sites. The class aims to tell children what world heritage is and why and how it should be protected. A total of 177 nations, including China, have signed the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Listed are 754 sites all over the world, of which 29 are in China--the third most after Spain and Italy. Currently, protection of the country's cultural and natural resources leaves much to be desired. Education is undoubtedly the best way to _ people's sense for protecting cultural and natural resources.
The introduction of such a programme in Chinese classrooms will certainly help our young people realize the significance of common heritage, learning about world heritage sites, the history and traditions of different cultures, ecology, and the importance of protecting biological and cultural diversity.
More importantly, it will help cultivate a sense of responsibility in the minds of young participants. This is critical in protecting these cultural and natural legacies, as well as our living environment and the limited resources for sustainable development. | high23545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "loved to help the sick people"
},
"options": [
"wrote a book on public health",
"knew what her duty in life was",
"loved to help the sick people",
"was most interested in music and drawing"
],
"question": "When ... | Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young, she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also travelled a great deal with her mother and father.
As a child, she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them.
At last, her mind was made up. "I'm going to be a nurse," she decided.
"Nursing isn't the right work for a lady," her father told her.
"Then I will make it so," she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for women.
During the Crimean War in 1854, she went with a group of thirty-eight nurses to the front hospital. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurses went to work.
Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicines and food for the men. Her only pay was the smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman.
After war, she returned to England and was honoured for her service by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries.
Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honour nurses today. | high19815.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Friends Forever"
},
"options": [
"Jenna and I",
"Friends Forever",
"Friendship is very important.",
"Friendship is very necessary."
],
"question": "The best title for this passage would be _ .",
"question_... | "Hey, Jenna, do you think we' ll still be friends when we're eighty-two?" I asked my friend.
Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister.
"Of course, we'll still be friends when we're eighty-two," Jenna announced loudly
The next year, in Grade Four, we met Jamie. The three of us soon became close friends. We played together almost every day. I thought even time couldn't pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken.
The three of us started fighting a lot. Before Christmas, We had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy . I felt helpless and lonely. I thought Christmas would be horrible!
_
"Wow," I said, breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door. "Thanks."
"Okay...well... I have to go," she said softly.
"Okay. See you later then..." and I closed the door.
"Who was that at the door?" my mom asked.
"It was Jenna, my classmate." I said.
The card started off with "Merry Christmas", but then it said, "I am so glad we're friends. I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting. A fight won't stop us from being friends. Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we're eighty-two."
I stopped reading and started laughing. I couldn't believe I had forgotten what she said that day in the backyard. I couldn't believe I had been so selfish in trying to make my friends feel sorry for me. | high11291.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "pigs need affection"
},
"options": [
"pigs love being alone",
"pigs easily become physically ill",
"pigs need affection",
"pigs don't like to play with each other"
],
"question": "The research on pigs at Purdue ... | Animals are more like us than we ever imagined. They feel pain, they experience stress, they show affection, excitement and love. All these findings have been made by scientists in recent years and such results are beginning to change how we view animals.
Strangely enough, some of this research was sponsored by fast food companies like McDonald's and KFC. Pressured by animal rights groups, these companies felt they had to fund scientists researching the emotional and mental states of animals.
McDonald's, for instance, funded studies on pig behavior at Purdue University, Indiana. This research found that pigs seek affection and easily become depressed if left alone or prevented from playing with each other. If they become depressed, they soon become physically ill. Because of this, and other similar studies, the European Union has banned the use of isolating pig stalls from 2010. In Germany, the government is encouraging pig farmers to give each pig 20 seconds of human contact a day, and to provide them with toys to prevent them from fighting.
Other scientists have shown that animals think and behave like humans. Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, for instance, has been taught sign language. Koko can now understand several thousand English words, more than many humans who speak English as a second language. On human IQ tests, she scores between 70and 95.
Before such experiments, humans thought language skills were absent from the animal kingdom. Other myths are also being overturned, like the belief that animals lack self-awareness. Studies have also shown that animals mourn their dead, and that they play for pleasure.
These striking similarities between animal and human behavior have led some to ask a question:" If you believe in evolution, how can't you believe that animals have feelings that human beings have?"
Until recently, scientists believed that animals behaved by instinct and that what appeared to be learned behavior was merely genetically-programmed activity. But as Koko, the gorilla shows, this is not the case. In fact, learning is passed from parents to offspring far more often than not in the animal kingdom.
So what implications does this knowledge have for humans? Because of this, should we ban hunting and animal testing? Should we close zoos? Such questions are being raised by many academics and politicians. Harvard and 25 other American law schools have introduced courses on animal rights. Germany, meanwhile, recently guaranteed animal rights in its constitution-the first country to do so. | high21352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "before any others in the country"
},
"options": [
"after 50,000 burglaries in the area",
"before any others in the country",
"because the police could not protect people",
"because some villagers wanted to go away for a... | The "Neighborhood Watch" scheme all started a few years ago in the quiet village of Mollington after a number of burglaries in the village and the surrounding area. The villagers came up with the idea that they themselves could keep an eye on their neighbors' possessions while they were away on holiday. Since then, and with the support of the government and police, more than 50,000 "Neighborhood Watch" schemes have been set up all over the country.
The object of each "Watch" group is to reduce the opportunities that criminals have in any particular street or area. Each villager who is a member of the scheme will call the police whenever they see something suspicious. It is the police who actually check out each report and look into what is happening. Villagers who are part of the "Watch" are not supposed to act as police or put themselves in danger.
When a new "Neighborhood Watch" scheme is set up in an area, one benefit is that most burglars dare not take a chance on breaking into someone's house because they know that there is a high risk of being seen by neighbors keeping a lookout. Burglars also know that people are more likely to have fitted good locks to their doors and windows.
Another benefit is that, since the "Neighborhood Watch" schemes came into existence, there is growing evidence of a new community spirit. It is bringing people together as never before, and encouraging people to care for each other. New friendships are being made, and contact is often established with old people living on their own, who are often the most frightened and the most at risk. | high22673.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because Tilbury wanted his money to continue its function."
},
"options": [
"Because Sally was Tilbury's only relative alive.",
"Because Tilbury loved Sally and his family deeply. [:,,]",
"Because Tilbury wanted his money to ... | Now came great news! It came from a neighboring state, where the family's only surviving relative lived. It was Sally's relative -- a distant relative by the name of Tilbury Foster, seventy and single. Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave him thirty thousand dollars, cash; not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its evil work. The _ would be found in his will, and would be officially handed over provided that Sally should be able to prove to the executors .
As soon as Aleck had partially recovered from the strong emotions created by the letter, she sent someone to the relative's home and subscribed for the local paper.
For the rest of the day Sally made confusion with his books, and Aleck could not keep her mind on her affairs, not even take up a flower-pot or book or a stick of wood without forgetting what she had intended to do with it. For both were dreaming.
"Thirty thousand dollars!"
All day long Aleck was absorbed in planning how to invest it, Sally in planning how to spend it.
There was no romance-reading that night. The children took themselves away early, for their parents were silent, disturbed, and strangely unentertaining. Two pencils had been busy during that hour -- note-making; in the way of plans. It was Sally who broke the stillness at last. He said, with excitement, "Ah, it'll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand we'll have a horse and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter."
Aleck responded with decision and calmness.
"You can spend a part of it. But the whole of the capital must be put right to work.
"Why, yes. Yes, of course. Have you got it invested yet?"
"No, there's no hurry about that; I must look around first, and think, er..., I've turned it over twice; once in oil and once in wheat."
"Why, Aleck, it's splendid! What does it amount to?"
"I think -- well, to be on the safe side, about a hundred and eighty thousand clear, though it will probably be more."
"My! Isn't it wonderful? Good heaven! Luck has come our way at last, Aleck!"
Then they went up to bed, but they left the candle burning in the sitting room. They did not remember until they were undressed; then Sally was for letting it burn; he said they could afford it, if it was a thousand. But Aleck went down and put it out.
A good job, too; for on her way back she hit on a scheme that would turn the hundred and eighty thousand into half a million before it had had time to get cold. | high7598.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A librarian."
},
"options": [
"A teacher.",
"A librarian.",
"A detective.",
"A professor."
],
"question": "What was the author when the story happened?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | One day in l965, when I worked at View Ridge School in Seattle, a fourth-grade teacher approached me. She had a student who finished his work before all the others and needed a challenge. "Could he help in the library?" She asked. I said, "Send him along."
Soon a slight, sandy-haired boy in jeans and a T-shift appeared. "Do you have a job for me?" he asked.
I told him about the Dewey Decimal System for shelving books. He picked up the idea immediately. Then I showed him a stack of cards for long-overdue books that I was beginning to think had actually been returned but were misshelved with the wrong cards in them. He said, "Is it kind of a detective job?" I answered yes, and he became working.
He had found three books with wrong cards by the time his teacher opened the door and announced, "Time for break!" He argued for finishing the finding job; She made the case for fresh air. She won.
The next morning, he arrived early. "I want to finish these books," he said. At the end of the day, when he asked to be a librarian on a regular basis, it was easy to say yes. He worked untiringly.
After a few weeks I found a note on my desk, inviting me to dinner at the boy's home. At the end of a pleasant evening, his mother announced that the family would be moving to neighbouring school district. Her son's first concern, she said, was leaving the View Ridge library. "Who will find the lost books?" he asked.
When the time came, I said a reluctant good-bye. I missed him, but not for long. A few days later he came back and joyfully announced: "The librarian over there doesn't let boys work in the library. My mother got me transferred back to View Ridge. My dad will drop me off on his way to work. And if he can't, I'll walk!"
I should have had an inkling such focused determination would take that young man wherever he wanted to go. What I could not have guessed, however, was that he would become a wizard of the Information Age: Bill Gates, tycoon of Microsoft and America's richest man. | high8873.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "go to the Box Office on Sundays."
},
"options": [
"use the Internet.",
"ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by credit card.",
"complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office.",
"go to the Box Office o... | The booking notes of the play "the Age of Innocence":
Price: $10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for performance:
------ in person
The Box Office is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a. m. -8 p. m.
------ by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card(Visa, MasterCard and Amex accepted)
------ by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Global Theatre Box Office.
------ on line
Complete the on-line booking form at www. Satanfiedtheatre. com
DISCOUNTS:
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday. Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersaver: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion . It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible(suitable)for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Bookings: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets in advance and will get every tenth ticket free. ks5u
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unforeseen cases. | high24202.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Nearly 600."
},
"options": [
"Nearly l, 700.",
"Nearly 600.",
"About 200.",
"About 60."
],
"question": "How many terawatt hours did the energy consumption of new electronic gadgets reach?",
"question_type": ... | An energy watchdog is alarmed about the threat to the environment from the increasing electricity needs of gadgets like MP3 players, mobile phones and flat screen TVs.
In a report today, the Paris-based International Energy Agency says new electronic gadgets will be three times their energy consumption by 2030 to 1,700 terawatt hours , which is equal to today's home electricity consumption of the United States and Japan combined.
The world would have to build around 200 new nuclear power plants just to power all the TVs, iPods, PCs and other home electronics expected to be plugged in by 2030,when the global electric bill to power them will rise to $200 billion a year, the agency said.
"Consumer electronics is the fastest growing area and the area with the least amount of policies in place to control energy efficiency, " said Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst at the agency.
Electronic gadgets already account for about 15 percent of household electric consumption, a share that is rising rapidly as the number of these gadgets multiplies. Last year, the world spent $80 billion on electricity to power all these household electronics, the energy agency said.
" Most of the increase in consumer electronics will be in developing countries, where economic growth is the fastest and ownership rates of gadgets are the lowest , " Waide said.
"This will _ efforts to increase energy security and reduce the amount of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming." the agency said. Existing technologies' could cut down gadgets' energy consumption by more than 30 percent at no cost or by more than 50 percent at a small cost, the agency estimates, meaning total greenhouse gas emissions from households' electronic gadgets could be held stable at around 500 million tons of CO2 per year. | high6686.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Increase online sales"
},
"options": [
"Celebrate single lives",
"Defeat competitors",
"Develop firm cultures",
"Increase online sales"
],
"question": "What does Alibaba expect to do on Singles' Day?",
"ques... | Singles' Day, also called Double Eleven, began as a day for unmarried or uncoupled people to celebrate their lives on November 11, 1993. In China, however, Singles' Day has become the biggest online shopping day in the world, which was created in 2009 by Alibaba's CEO Daniel Zhang to increase online sales. Since then, it has grown into a cultural phenomenon.
China Singles' Day, as a shopping day, takes place on November 11 each year. There are sharp _ and other promotions designed by Alibaba to attract online customers. In 2015, E-commerce giant Alibaba broke records with sales of $14.3 billion on China Singles' Day, with online sales increasing 60 percent from last year, according to Alibaba. "Most people shop on mobile phones or ipads and online shopping has become a comfortable channel for most consumers", said Kitty Fok, China manager for market research. "China is a big market with close to one billion smart, connected device users. It is good news for both Alibaba and their competitors," she said.
The company is focusing on international e-commerce for future Singles' Days, reported Reuters. "Within the next five years, we expect China will become the world's largest e-commerce market for imported products," President Michael Evans told reporters on Wednesday. Alibaba Chief Executive Daniel Zhang said in a statement that Singles' Day would mean that "the whole world will see the power of Chinese consumption." Over 130 million users visited Alibaba's marketplace app, Taobao, reported the BBC. | high12968.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "take a positive attitude"
},
"options": [
"take a positive attitude",
"hold on to our dreams",
"have a good opportunity",
"show gratitude every day"
],
"question": "According to the author, we are likely to achi... | Attitude is one of the most important factors in determining success for all people.Successful people have one thing in common--an expectant attitude of success.Most people begin each morning in neutral and react to events of the day.You can be one of the successful people in life by starting each day with a positive attitude, a gratitude for the opportunities you have, and an expectancy of the best for yourself.
People tend to live up to expectations.We get out of life just about what we put into it.Our environment becomes a mirror of our spirit, our attitude, and expectations.If we set a great goal, we get great results.If we have a fair goal, we accomplish fair results, and if we have a poor goal, we accomplish poor results.The world will give you back what you expect, so expect the very best.Don't be defensive or doubtful.Nothing changes unless you do.Before you can do something, you've got to be something.Know that you have worth and value.Show that to the world.
Treat everyone you come in contact with as the most important person in life.It will build self-esteem .Smile! You'll be rewarded with a returned smile.Don't react to others rudely.Forgive everyone who ever hurt you.Then, forgive yourself.Keep yourself healthy.Exercise.Eat a proper diet.Display an attitude of confidence.
Develop these good habits and your expectancy will be rewarded by successes.This attitude will put you into that group of people who are truly successful, because you will know and understand how an expectant attitude enhances every aspect of your life. | high20064.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because it sensed something unusual would happen."
},
"options": [
"Because it sensed something unusual would happen.",
"Because its daughter Kibibi was injured.",
"Because it heard an orangutan let out a loud call.",
"... | Mandara seemed to know something big was about to happen. So she let out a yell, caught hold of her 2-year-old daughter Kibibi and climbed up into a tree. She lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
And on Tuesday, August 23rd, witnesses say she seemed to sense the big earthquake that shook much of the East Coast before any humans knew what was going on. And she's not the only one. In the moments before the quake, an orangutan let out a loud call and then climbed to the top of her shelter.
"It's very different from their normal call," said Brandie Smith, the zookeeper. "The lemurs (monkey-like animals of Madagascar) will sound an alarm call if they see or hear something highly unusual."
But you can't see or hear an earthquake 15 minutes before it happens, can you? Maybe you can -- if you're an animal. "Animals can hear above and below our range of hearing," said Brandie Smith. "That's part of their special abilities. They're more sensitive to the environment, which is how they survive."
Primates weren't the only animals that seemed to sense the quake before it happened. One of the elephants made a warning sound. And a huge lizard ran quickly for _ . The flamingoes (a kind of bird) gathered before the quake and stayed together until the shaking stopped.
So what kind of vibrations were the animals picking up in the moments before the quake? Scientist Susan Hough says earthquakes produce two types of waves -- a weak "P" wave and then a much stronger "S" wave. The "P" stands for "primary". And the "S" stands for "secondary". She said she thinks the "P" wave might be what set the animals off.
Not all the animals behaved unusually before the quake. For example, Smith says the zoo's giant pandas didn't jump up until the shaking actually began. But many of the other animals seemed to know something was coming before it happened. "I'm not surprised at all," Smith said. | high3926.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are more likely to be talented in certain fields."
},
"options": [
"They have a much higher IQ than right-handed people.",
"They have an obvious advantage in tennis.",
"They are more likely to be talented in certain fiel... | Is it true that left-handed people are smarter than right-handed people? Chris McManus, professor of psychology and medical education at University College London, responds;
"If by intelligent you mean someone who performs better on IQ tests, the simply answer is no. Studies in the U.K., U. S. and Australia have revealed that left-handed people differ from right-handers by only one IQ point, which is not _ ."
Left-handedness is, however, much more common among individuals with severe learning difficulties. A slightly higher proportion of left-handers have a stutter . Other problems, such as a higher rate of accidents reported in left-handers, mostly result from a world designed for the convenience of right-handers, with many tools not made for the left-handed.
However, if by smarter you mean more talented in certain areas, left-handers may have an advantage. Left-handers' brains are structured differently from right-handers' in ways that can allow them to process language, relations and emotions in more diverse and creative ways. Also, a slightly larger number of left-handers than right-handers are especially gifted in music and maths. A study of musicians in professional orchestras found a greater proportion of talented left-handers, even among those who played instruments that seem designed for right-handers, such as violins. Similarly, studies of adolescents who took tests to assess mathematical ability found many more left-handers in the population. The fact that mathematicians are often musical may not be a coincidence.
For other talents and skills, the benefits of being left-handed are less clear. In one-on-one competitive sports, being in the minority can be an advantage. For example, most right-handed tennis players have little experience of playing left-handers, but left-handers have plenty of experience of playing right-handers.
Whatever the advantages are, handedness seems to be genetic. With 10 percent of people preferring their left hand, there must be some selective advantages, or else the genes would probably not survive. | high10819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "on the Boston College website"
},
"options": [
"on the Boston College website",
"in the Boston College newspaper",
"on BC Eagle One Card",
"at Student Services"
],
"question": "The above page can most probably b... | We've organized the following information to help you prepare for your arrival at Boston College.Please feel free to contact our Admissions Office at any time over the coming months with any questions.
Your First Steps...
Please return the Acknowledgment Form sent with your acceptance letter to Dean Robert Howe, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, McGuinn Hall 221,140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
#For Ph.D.Acceptances and Master's Acceptances with funding, we ask you to reply by April 25, 2008.
#For Master's Acceptances without funding and Non-degree Acceptances, we ask you to reply by May 31, 2008.
#You should also contact your department to receive any department information.
Over the Coming Months...
Get informed about services around campus.We have provided links for you to the following offices.
#Student Services
After you return your Acknowledgment Form, you should receive a letter containing your BC Username and Eagle ID number.With this information you can reach email and Agora.In Agora, BC's online community, you can update your student information, check your student account, and register for classes.
The Office of Student Services issues your BC Eagle One Card.This ID card acts as your campus library card and meal card.
Student Services' website offers a complete listing of courses for the school year, as well as student forms and other important student information.The Office of Student Services also handles billing.
#Housing ...
CLICK HERE for more information.
If we can be of any more help to you, just contact us.Congratulations again! We look forward to you joining our University! | high3098.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how Buffett earned his fortune and achieve his aptitude"
},
"options": [
"why Buffett took the place of Bill Gates as the world's richest man",
"what effect Buffett's childhood experiences have on his success",
"how Buffett e... | When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said, "I will be the richest man one day," his friends made fun of his "daydreaming". But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks. The American had already earned $9,000 (equal to $90,000 today) by the time he graduated from the high school.
And this month the 78-year-old, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world's richest man. Gates' worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine.
Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age. At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls. At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular.
As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions , he could still make a profit from the other. With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent. Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only $5. The experience taught him one of the virtues in investing patience.
After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends. He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time. By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich.
"Learning is important to Buffett's success. He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading. He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure. In this way, he over achieved his aptitude ," said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner. | high2386.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "suit the need of different students"
},
"options": [
"act out what you have learnt strictly",
"be a good actor on the stage",
"sit all the time while teaching",
"suit the need of different students"
],
"question... | To be a good teacher, you need some of the _ of a good actor: you must be able to hold attention and interest of your students; you must be a clear speaker, with a good, strong, pleasing voice which is fully under your control; you must be able to act what you are teaching, in order to make its meaning clear.
A good teacher doesn't sit still before his class; he stands all the time he is teaching; he walks about, using his arms, hands and fingers to help him in his explanations, and his face to express his feelings. Listen to him, and you will hear the loudness, the quality and musical note of his voice always changing according to what he is talking about.
The fact that a good teacher has some of the gifts of a good actor doesn't mean he will indeed be able to act well on the stage, for there are very important differences between the teacher's work and the actor's. The actor has to speak words he has learnt by heart; he has to repeat exactly the same words each time he plays a certain part, even his movements and the ways in which he uses his voice are usually fixed beforehand. What he has to do is to make all these carefully learnt words seem natural on the stage.
A good teacher works in quite a different way. His audience takes an active part in his play--they ask and answer questions, they obey orders, and if they don't understand something, they say so. The teacher therefore has to meet the needs of his audience. He can't learn his part by heart, because their brains couldn't keep discipline: they couldn't keep strictly to what another has written. | high20702.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "By shortening the distance traveled by the scent molecules of flowers."
},
"options": [
"By shortening the distance traveled by the scent molecules of flowers.",
"By disturbing the bees' ability to attract mates.",
"By weaken... | Pollution is reducing the fragrance of plants and thus preventing bees from pollinating them--endangering one of the most essential cycles of nature, a new study suggests.
The potentially hugely significant research, funded by US National Science Foundation, has found that gases mainly formed from the emissions of cars prevent flowers from attracting bees and other insects to pollinate them. And the scientists who have conducted the study fear that insects' abilities to drive away enemies and attract mates may also be disturbed.
Professor Jose Fuentes, who led the study, said, "Scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters. But today they may travel only 200 to 300 meters. This makes it increasingly difficult for bees and other insects to locate the flowers."
The researchers, who worked on the molecules of snapdragons ,found that the molecules are volatile and quickly bond with pollutants, mainly formed from vehicle emissions. This chemically changes the molecules so that they no longer smell like flowers. A harmful cycle is therefore set up where insects struggle to get enough food and the plants do not get pollinated enough to multiply.
Already bees, which pollinate most of the world's crops, are in such a great decline that has never been known before in Britain and across much of the globe. At least a quarter of America's 2.5 million honey bee colonies have been mysteriously wiped out by colony collapse disorder(CCD),where hives are found suddenly deserted.
The crisis has now spread to Europe. Politicians insist that CCD has not yet been found in Britain, but considering the present number of bees, the agriculture minister Lord Rooker has sent the warning, "The honey bee population could be wiped out in 10 years."
Although the researchers are not certain whether this is the real cause of CCD, they say that pollution is making life more difficult for bees and other insects in many ways. | high1857.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "do some shopping online"
},
"options": [
"sell your old things",
"do some shopping online",
"create your own announcement board",
"get useful information about 450 cities"
],
"question": "By logging on the Craig... | There are many ways to find a job. It can be as easy as walking into a neighborhood store to look at its announcement board. Local stores often have areas where people can put small signs telling what kind of service they need or can provide. Such services include caring for children or cleaning houses.
Or, job searchers can look in the newspaper. Local newspapers have employment announcements placed by companies seeking (looking for ) workers.
Another popular tool for finding jobs is the Internet. For example, people in four hundred and fifty cities around the world can use the Craigslist Web site to buy objects, meet people or find a job. Craigslist says that it receives two million new job listings each month.
Another useful way to find a job is through a college or university. For example, students at the University of Texas in Austin can go to the Career Exploration Center to get help in finding a job. Of course, looking for a job requires knowing what kind of work you want to do. For example, there is a book called "What Color is Your Parachute ?"by Richard Bolles. This book has been helping people choose a career since it was first published in nineteen seventy.
Some experts also help people find jobs. Susan W. Miller owns a company called California Career Services in Los Angeles. She says her company helps people find jobs by first helping them understand their strengths, goals and interests. Then she provides them with methods and resources to help them find the right job. | high22101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To make some income for schools."
},
"options": [
"To draw the attention of the public.",
"To make some income for schools.",
"To win the support of other organizations.",
"To make students learn about advertisements."
... | In 11 states across the United States, school buses are now doing more than just sending students. They also carry advertisements on the outside. Restaurants, companies, banks, and other businesses pay for the ads, hoping to attract more customers. Anci it's a way for the schools to make money.
"We've seen a lot of income produced by the advertisements," said Devra Ash, who is the spokesperson for School District 11 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is also the mother of a third grader. Last year, District 11 made more than $ 15,000 from school-bus ads.Besides Colorado, states such as Arizona, New Jersey, and Texas allow ads on the outside of their school buses. The idea appears to be spreading. In Georgia, some school district leaders are suggesting putting ads on their buses ioo.
School districts need to make sure that the ads are proper for kids, according to Michael Beauchamp, an officer of Alpha Media. This company works with businesses in several states to create ads for school buses. "The districts won't allow ads for things like beer, cigarettes,or politics," Beauchamp said.
But not everyone is in favor of school buse.s having ads on the outside. That includes Georgia's Department of Education. Spokeswoman Dorie Nolt said, "We strongly believe that advertising on the outside of school buses distracts drivers and children. "
Parents also hold different opinions about this. "If the advertisements can bring in money for the schools and help save some programs, that is great. " said Glenn Herdling of River Vale, New Jersey. His son is in second grade.
Cindy Tomarchio of East Windsor, New Jersey, feels differently. "I know the schools can use the money, but kids already see enough advertising every which way they turn," she said. | high19197.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They drive fastest."
},
"options": [
"They are the friendliest.",
"They are the most knowledgeable.",
"They charge the most money.",
"They drive fastest."
],
"question": "Which of the following about London's ta... | London taxis, with their friendly drivers who actually know where they are going, are ranked best in the world, according to an annual taxi survey.
The survey by travel websitehotels.comfound London taxis, despite being the most expensive, beat rivals across the globe to head the list for the third consecutive years, scoring a total of 59 percent in votes on several categories by travelers.
London taxi drivers were voted both friendliest and most knowledgeable. Drivers in the English capital must pass a _ examination called The Knowledge to earn their taxi license.
New York's yellow taxis came second in the list, scoring 27 percent which was up 10 percentage points from last year even though Manhattan's cab drivers tied with Parisian taxi drivers as the rudest.
Travelers said New York had the most convenient taxis.
Taxi drivers in Rome were voted the worst drivers in the world with almost one in 10 travelers thinking the Italian capital had the world's worst taxi drivers when it came to the quality of driving.
"Traveling by taxi is one of the first experiences that many travelers have upon arrival in a new city. In fact, the research found that cabs are by far the most popular method of traveling from the airport to their hotel," a spokesman for hotels.comsaid in a statement.
The global survey scored city based taxis for their levels of cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and convenience.
Rounding out the top five were Tokyo with a total score of 26 percent, Berlin with 17 percent, and Bangkok famed for its tuk-tuks scoring 14 percent.
The survey for hotels.com, part of the Expedia group, was conducted among over 1,900 travelers between May 11-28 this year. | high2392.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "His customers were mainly the local laundry owners."
},
"options": [
"He didn't like the job of salesman.",
"He was confident in his first task.",
"His customers were mainly the local laundry owners.",
"He accomplished ... | Salesman Ramesh lived in the southern part of India. He got his first assignment in the month of June, the start of the rainy season in the area. He was given a list of local laundry owners whom he had to approach and sell products to. He was scared and thought he wouldn't be able to fulfill the task, but he accepted the challenge as he had no other choice.
The next day he started approaching the laundry owners, and within 15 days he got a really nice response. Most of them purchased his products, but they borrowed money from Ramesh to buy the products. Everyone promised to pay him back within the next 15 days.
During the last week of June amidst heavy showers, he started visiting the laundry owners to collect money. Upon visiting half of them, he realized he hadn't collected a penny.
After almost 14 days, on a bright sunny Monday morning, he started visiting the laundry owners once again. Suddenly, by noon Ramesh realized that he had collected the payments from almost 50% of the owners.
He worked hard throughout the day, and by the end of the day he had completed 90% of his target for June and July. At last, he became the "star performer" for the months of June and July.
Why did the laundry owners look at the sky and tell him to come the next day when Ramesh visited them? He went to a laundry owner and asked him the question. The owner said, "This is the month of the rainy season and we have to wash the clothes, dry them off and iron them before handing them over to customers. If the sun doesn't shine, how can we dry our clothes and earn money to pay you back?" Ramesh then realized that it was his patience and endurance that kept him going and ultimately helped him achieve success.
Like Ramesh, each one of us should realize that apart from being honest and hard-working, if we can keep our patience, we are inching up the ladder of success. | high18289.txt |
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