questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "All the people don't sing high praise for Thatcher' contribution to England."
},
"options": [
"Thatcher was a member of the Labour Party.",
"There was a war between England and Argentina when Thatcher retired.",
"All the peop... | BBC London Tributes continue to be paid at home and abroad to Margaret Thatcher after her death at the age of 87. David Cameron, the present Prime Minister, said she had been a "great Briton" while US President Obama called her a "great champion of freedom and liberty". Her funeral is expected to be held next week. Thatcher, Britain's first female premier, was in power from 1979 to 1990 and won three successive general elections. She died "peacefully" after suffering a stroke on April 8th 2013. She will not have a state funeral but will be accorded the same status as Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. The Union Jack above Number 10 Downing Street has been lowered to half-mast to pay tributes.
"In an era in which politicians are all too often greeted with indifference, it is easy to forget that Britain was once led by a woman who inspired passion." says Nick Robinson, a well-known BBC political editor.
After cutting short a trip to Europe to return to London, Cameron described Thatcher as "the patriot prime minister" and "greatest peacetime" leader. While acknowledging that she had "divided opinion", Cameron said she had "taken a country that was on its knees and made it stand tall again." "Thatcher loved this country and served it with all she had," he added. Her other successors in No 10--- Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown --- paid tribute to her strength of character and political purpose while Labour leader Ed Miliband said Thatcher had been a "unique figure" who "reshaped the politics of a whole generation."
But critics and her opponents questioned the economic and social impact of her policies, ex-Labour leader Lord Kinnock saying her economic policies had been a "disaster for Britain" at the time. Among international reaction, Obama said "America has lost a true friend" while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she would "never forget her part in overcoming the division of Europe".
Nick Robinson said Thatcher, who had suffered poor health for several years, would always be a divisive politician but one who inspired "passion" among her critics and supporters.
She was in power when the UK won a war following Argentina's invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982,but during her later years in office, she was increasingly at odds with other senior figures in the Conservative Party. | high23753.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "By doing this he could understand what Gavin was saying."
},
"options": [
"By doing this he could understand what Gavin was saying.",
"He wanted to be aware of what the code was.",
"He attempted to get the code into the phone... | As I walked along the Edgware Road, I felt as though the world was closing in on me. All the sounds I take for granted, had gone. I had entered a world of silence. This unsettling experience occurred a few weeks ago when I agreed to go deaf for the day to support the work of the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, for which I am an ambassador.
When I managed to take a cab to the office of my manager, Gavin, I couldn't hear what the taxi driver was saying to me. Conversation was impossible. Then, when I reached the office, I had to ring the intercom five times as I couldn't hear a response.
Everybody said I was shouting at them--- I simply wasn't aware of how loudly I was speaking as I couldn't hear my own voice. Gavin kept telling me my phone was ringing, but I didn't realize. I was too busy trying to concentrate on reading his lips. And when he tried to tell me a code to put into my phone, I had to keep asking him to repeat it, more slowly. Eventually he lost his patience and snapped at me: "Just give me the phone!" I was shocked.
People couldn't be bothered to repeat themselves, so they kept trying to do things for me that I was perfectly capable of doing myself. I felt I'd lost control.
Being deaf for the day was extraordinarily tiring. I had to work so hard to "listen" with my eyes, get people's attention and use my other senses to make up for my lack of hearing. It was a huge, exhausting effort.
Until that experience I didn't realize how much I took my own hearing for granted, or the sorts of emotions and experiences deaf people go through. If a deaf person asks you to repeat something, never think: "It doesn't matter." It does matter. | high13690.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "reading processes"
},
"options": [
"reading skills",
"silent reading",
"reading processes",
"reading aloud"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | If we are to help students develop reading skills in a foreign language, it is important to understand what is involved in the reading process itself. If we have a clear idea of how "good readers" read, either in their own or a foreign language, this will enable us to decide whether particular reading techniques are likely to help learners or not.
In considering the reading process, it is important to distinguish between two quite separate activities: reading for meaning (or "silent reading") and reading aloud. Reading for meaning is the activity we normally engage in when we read books, newspapers, road signs, etc.; it is what you are doing as you read this text. It involves looking at sentences and understanding the message they convey, in other words "making sense" of a written text. It doesn't normally involve saying the words we read, not even silently inside our heads; there are important reasons for this, which are outlined below.
Reading aloud is a completely different activity; its purpose is not just to understand a text but to convey the information to someone else. It is not an activity we engage in very often outside the classroom; common examples are reading out parts of a newspaper article to a friend, or reading a notice to other people who can't see it. Obviously, reading aloud involves looking at a text, understanding it and also saying it. Because our attention is divided between reading and speaking, it is a much more difficult activity than reading silently; we often stumble and make mistakes when reading aloud in our own language, and reading aloud in a foreign language is even more difficult.
When we read for meaning, we do not need to read every letter or every word, nor even every word in each sentence. This is because, provided the text makes sense, we can guess much of what it says as we read it. | high9953.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce an on-going research on delaying ageing"
},
"options": [
"encourage people to eat as little as possible",
"tell people how harmful food is to their health",
"introduce an on-going research on delaying ageing",
... | Eating 40 percent less food could extend a person`s life by 20 years, according to scientists.
Researchers at the Institute of Health Ageing at University College London are developing a treatment that they hope will fight the `disease` of getting older.
They are looking into how genetics and lifestyle can affect ageing and add years, possibly decades, to a person`s life.
Age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and neuro degeneration can also be treated, it is claimed.
They want to find out how the life of a rat can be increased by up to 30 percent simply by reducing its food intake.
Researcher Dr. Piper told the Independent : `If you reduce the diet of a rat by 40 percent it will live for 20 or 30 percent longer. So we would be talking 20 years of human life. This has shown on all sorts of animals, even Labradors(a kind of dog).`The scientists are also studying fruit flies, which share 60 percent of human genes and age in a similar manner, and mice.
They have already made the healthy lifespan longer in both flies and mice by using drug treatments and a balanced diet. It is hoped that this combination will also work to extend human life. Dr. Piper said: `If we discover the genes involved with ageing, we should be able to delay ageing itself. This is what we`ve found.`
He added that the field of research into extending life is only a decade old, so remains `in theory . It is their special approach to treating all age-related diseases caused by the `disease` of ageing itself that sets their research apart. | high8495.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They can't live in peace with farmers."
},
"options": [
"They are still being killed.",
"Their habitats are being destroyed.",
"They don't have enough food.",
"They can't live in peace with farmers."
],
"questio... | Elephants might be the most well-known and well-loved animal in African wildlife. But conservation of the African elephant faces special difficulties. While the elephant population is half of what it was 40 years ago, some areas of Africa have more elephants than populated areas can support. That's why AWF scientists are studying elephant behavior, protecting habitats and finding ways for humans to live peacefully with elephants in Africa.
Years ago, over hunting and the ivory trade were the biggest threats to elephants survival. Luckily, ivory bans , hunting rules and protected areas protect elephants from these dangers today.
The 21st century brings a different challenge to elephant conservation --land-use. Elephants walk across borders and outside parks and other protected areas. So they often destroy crops, causing conflicts between local farmers and these big animals.
Successful conservation strategies must allow elephants to walk freely in their natural habitats while reducing conflicts between elephants and local people.
AWF researchers are searching for a way to give both elephants and people the space they need. The AWF is collecting information on elephant habitats and behavior. The information they gather will help to develop the widest possible space for elephants.
The AWF is helping elephants by protecting their habitats. And they also work with local farmers to improve their life in order to encourage them to protect rather than destroy elephants. | high13848.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The air quality in coastal cities is worrying."
},
"options": [
"Coastal cities are ideal places to live in.",
"The air quality in coastal cities is worrying.",
"Cleaner-burning fuels are welcome in ships.",
"The world'... | Contrary to most people' s idea, the air in Coastal cities can be far from fresh and healthful, said a report recently published.
University of California Professor Mark Thiemens led the research team. His team. report blames ships that release dirty smoke by burning low-cost, high-sulfur fuel. They directly measured smoke released from a ship. They also tested air at the end of the Scripps Pier .The area is just north of San Diego, which is both a major city and port. The Scripps Pier is also close to waters with heavy shipping traffic and the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles has the third largest port in the world.
Primary sulfate is produced when a ship burns fuel called bunker oil. Bunker oil contains a Large amount of sulfur. Most sulfur released by ships burning bunker oil is a gaseous pollutant--sulfur dioxide. After a time, sulfur dioxide becomes sulfate in the atmosphere. The researchers say this primary sulfate may be only a small part of what ships produce.
Professor Thiemens said no one had really expected that ships would be responsible for so many , particulates .He said the extremely small particles ( )are especially threatening. They measure only one and one half microns in size., A micron is one millionth of a meter.
The researchers say the particulates can travel long distances because they stay in the atmosphere longer than other pollutants. Professor Thiemens noted that the air of Los Angeles influenced air quality in San Die -go. That distance is almost 180 kilometers. ,
Primary sulfur particulates can also threaten human health. When people breathe, the particulates stay in their lungs. Other scientists have said that up to 60,000 people around the world die each year from dirty ship smoke.
Other gaseous pollutants from ships include nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide. Earlier this year, a United Nations' report said gases from ships produce more than one billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. Ships are not governed under the Kyoto Protocol, the agreement that establishes limits for gases linked to climate change. But international rules requiring ship fuels that burn cleanly are to become effective in 2015. | high21144.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the bid price didn't go up very quickly at first"
},
"options": [
"it attracted no attention at all",
"things started to heat up immediately",
"the bid price didn't go up very quickly at first",
"people thought it was w... | On Sunday, August 24th, comic book lovers across the world held their breath to watch how much crazy collectors would pay for a rare Superman comic book. Though bids above the initial asking price of 1 million dollars had been coming in gradually since the copy was placed on the auction site eBay on July 14th, things really started to heat up during the final minutes when the price jumped from $2.5 to $2.6 and then $2.7 million, before shooting up to unbelievable 3,207,852 dollars!
This of course was no ordinary Superman comic book, but an edition of the extremely sought-after No. 1 of Action Comics series -- the first publication of the superhero that was born from the creative minds of teenagers Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel. Though Action Comics No. 1, which depicted a diaper-clad baby Superman lifting furniture, had a print run of 200,000 copies, only about 100 are known to exist today.
While the rarity is certainly a reason for the high price, Stephen Fisher, CEO of ComicConnect.com, thinks it also has a lot to do with the fact that Superman was the world's first superhero! Even so, none of the copies have been able to fetch as much as the most recent one, simply because they have not been as well-preserved. Graded a rare 9 out of 10 by CGC, a third party grading service for comic books, the book is the highest rated copy of Action Comics No. 1 so far. According to CGC officials, the 76-year-old comic book looks and feels as though it has just come off the newsstand .
That is not surprising given that the original owner, a Virginian man who bought the book for only 10 cents in 1938, had carefully tucked it away in a wooden box for four decades. Fortunately, when he passed away, the book was bought by a string of collectors who all realized it was a rare treasure that needed to be looked after.
Before this, the highest price paid for an Action Comics No. 1 had been $2 million for a copy sold by Hollywood actor Nicholas Cage in 2011. Ironically, the two teenagers responsible for creating Superman received just 130 dollars when they sold the rights to the superhero to comic book publisher Detective Comics in 1938. | high11087.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A material that turns red before it breaks."
},
"options": [
"The collapse of a large building in Zhu Zhou, Hunan Province.",
"A type of molecule that can be put into a soft material",
"A material that turns red before it bre... | Thick dust rose and a large building collapsed. This was the scene in Zhu Zhou,Hunan Province on May 17. Nine people were killed and 16 injured.
Things were similar in the Sichuan earthquake. Thousands of people were buried in the ruins and lost their lives. What if we could have warned them?
People are always _ to find a way of preventing buildings' collapse. Better materials and technology help,but they are not a solution.
Just like humans,a building has its own life cycle from "birth" to "death".If we know when a building is going to collapse,we can repair it in advance or get out of it before it falls. Now,scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks. The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes or bridge supports. The research was led by Nancy Sottos,a professor at the university's Beckman Institute,and Douglas Davis,a graduate research assistant.
The secret behind the color--changing material is a type of molecule .A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle,holding hands. Each person stands for one atom,your hands represent the bonds,and the entire circle represents a molecule. If one person lets go of his or her hands,the molecule changes color. The research team put the molecule into a soft material. When the researchers stretched the material,it turned bright red for a few seconds before it broke into two pieces. When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material,without breaking it,it only turned a little red.
The major problem is that light can get rid of the red color. When the team shone bright light on the molecule,the broken bond was fixed,and the color disappeared. Scientists have yet to do more research before the color--changing molecules can be used outside the lab. | high10399.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Obama Says He Deserves a Second Term"
},
"options": [
"Obama Says He Deserves a Second Term",
"Obama Becomes the American President Again",
"Obama Has Planned to Leave the White House",
"There are Lots of Obstacles in O... | U.S.President Barack Obama said on Friday he can make the case for a second term, and voters will come to see him as the candidate best prepared to serve as president by next year's elections, according to an interview he gave to the U.S. media.
In an interview he gave the Associated Press, Obama admitted that the state of the economy could be his biggest obstacle to win reelection .
"I think the economy's going to continue to improve, and I think I'm going to be able to make an effective case that... I am the person who is best prepared to finish the job so that we are on track to succeed in the 21st century." Obama said in the video interview conducted in Chicago, where he attended money-raising events the previous night.
"I think I can make that case, and I think that, in the debates that take place over the next 18 months, the American people will feel that I deserve a second term," he said.
He made the reelection announcement on April 4. According to a survey on Friday, Only 41 percent of people support him, lower than his competitor. Someone said the figure was influenced by economic dissatisfaction. | high16930.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "is in an area by the sea"
},
"options": [
"never snows",
"is still warm in winter",
"has a long history",
"is in an area by the sea"
],
"question": "The author's hometown _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_que... | Moving to a new city and state was difficult for me, especially in winter. Little did I know that a Colorado snowstorm would greet me after I had been in my new home for only a week.
I just missed home. But more than the old house and the beach, I missed Stacey, my best friend. And I missed our lovely tea. Going to a sweet little tearoom, we had discovered was a special treat for us. The place was a Victorian dream, with delicate teacups and tablecloths with flower prints. The hat shelf near the front door swept us back to childhood. Stacey and I became little girls, trying on different hats until we found the perfect one for our dress-up tea party. We would then choose a lovely table and order our tea. That was a precious time, filled with laughter between scones and sharing our lives between tiny cucumber sandwiches.
Springtime descended upon Denver, and the sun lightened my heart. But I still fought loneliness almost every day. I decided to explore the Denver area. While my husband went to the office, I took time to see what our new area had to offer.
One day, I was walking along the street when suddenly the words "Tea Leaves" caught my eye. A tea room? Here, in the land of loneliness and pain?
I walked through the doors, and tears came to my eyes. It was a beautiful room, not Victorian, but simple and lovely.
I sat down and ordered a pot of tea, a cucumber sandwich, and some scones.It felt silly and wonderful --- and it felt like home. For the first time since moving, I felt as if this new city and state could be, would eventually be, my home. I would come back here and bring new friends. When Stacey visited, we would come here.
I lifted my cup and made a silent toast. I toasted Stacey, whom I missed ly, and I toasted the sweet little tearoom that lessened my pain. | high2812.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "advertisements"
},
"options": [
"the government",
"advertisements",
"their owners' families",
"the audience"
],
"question": "The existence of the privately-owned mass media depends financially on _ .",
"q... | When you turn on the radio, you hear an advertisement. When you watch television, you hear and see
an advertisement. If you turn the pages of a newspaper or magazine, again you find an advertisement. If
you walk down the street, you see one advertising board after another. All day, every day, people who
want to sell you something compete to catch your attention. As a result, advertisements are almost
everywhere.
In the West, advertisements are the fuel that makes mass media work. Many TV stations, newspapers, magazines, radio stations are privately owned. The government does not give them money. So where does
the money come from? From advertisements. Without advertisements, there would not be these private
businesses.
Have you ever asked yourself what advertising is? Through the years, people have given different
answers to the question. For some time it was felt that advertising was a means of "keeping your name
before the public." And some people thought that advertising was "truth well told." Now more and more
people describe it in this way: Advertising is the paid, non-personal, and usually persuasive description of
goods, services and ideas by identified sponsors through various media.
First, advertising is usually paid for. Various sponsors pay for the advertisements we see, read, and
hear over the various media. Second, advertising is non-personal. It is not face to face communication.
Although you may feel that a message in a certain advertisement is aimed directly at you, in reality, it is
directed at large groups of people. Third, advertising is usually persuasive. Directly or indirectly it tells
people to do something. All advertisements try to make people believe that the product, idea, or service
advertised can do good to them. Fourth, the sponsor of the advertisement must be identified. From the
advertisement, we can see if the sponsor is a company, or an organization, or an individual. Fifth,
advertising reaches us through traditional and nontraditional mass media. Included in the traditional
media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and films. Nontraditional media include the mail,
matchbox covers, and billboards. | high21150.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the medicinal value of plants in the rain forests"
},
"options": [
"the native healers of the rain forests",
"the plants and animals living in the rain forests",
"the medicinal value of plants in the rain forests",
"the... | A tropical rain forest is an amazing place. Thousands of different kinds of plants and animals make their homes there. Some are not found anywhere else in the world. If the rain forests are not protected, some species of plants and animals could disappear forever, taking their resources with them.
Scientists have known for a long time that medical cures can come from plants. The rain forest is the perfect habitat for various types of plants. They compete for space, sunlight, water, and nutrients. The plants that survive are strong. They also contain many types of chemicals. These chemicals are part of the plants' defence system. They can help protect the plants from bacteria, insects, diseases, and other threats. Experts believe that some of these chemicals might be useful to human beings, too.
The native people of the rain forests have healers who help those who are sick. For hundreds of years, they have known which leaves, roots, and berries can be used to treat different illnesses.
Western scientists have begun working with these native healers. They learn about different plants, cures, and treatments. Then, they can perform tests on the plants to see what chemicals they contain and how they might be used. When they do find something important, it goes through more and more tests. Lots of experiments must be done over a long period of time before something can be safely sold as a drug. Scientists want to be sure that it works and that the risk of using it isn't too high.
American scientists have set up labs in the countries where the rain forests are. They do studies and research there. They also employ scientists and workers who live in these countries to help them. This allows the local people to benefit from research on the rain forests. They can make money from the rain forest without destroying it, which is very important. If the rain forest is valuable to them, they will help protect it. The more people who are trying to protect the rain forests, the better. Just imagine the cures that might be found there! | high18909.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "came from one place and spread to another"
},
"options": [
"have damaged the native species",
"are able to live in a new environment",
"came from one place and spread to another",
"will attack other species with their p... | The Lionfish Invasion!
Lionfish are popular saltwater aquarium fish all over the world, especially in the United States. Nowadays, they also live in Atlantic waters off the East Coast of the United States. These lionfish are what scientists call an invasive species or an "alien invader."
Local divers off the coast of North Carolina were not expecting to see what they found one day in August 2002--the beautiful lionfish, common to the warm waters of the western Pacific, but unknown of the Carolina coast. They provided the first solid evidence that lionfish were in the Atlantic.
A year later, scientists documented 19 lionfish sightings at eight locations along the North Carolina continental shelf. Then, lionfish were observed off the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, and even as far north as Long Island, New York! Between 2000 and 2003, lionfish sightings were reported at 16 different shipwrecks and natural hard bottom locations. During a summer 2004 research expedition, NOAA(The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) scientists collected 155 lionfish at 19 different locations off the North Carolina coast alone. The jump in numbers and distributions over such a short time strongly indicates that the lionfish is reproducing in the Atlantic Ocean. If this is true, it's the first time that a western Pacific fish has populated the U.S. Atlantic coast.
These lionfish were likely released on purpose when people no longer wanted them! The swift and warm Gulf Stream, which transported the floating lionfish eggs from Florida northward, helped the lionfish's Atlantic journey. In Florida waters and along the continental shelf near the Gulf Stream the temperatures are very similar to the lionfish's native waters.
However, from north Florida upward, the waters along the coastline are too cold in the winter for lionfish to survive. Scientists expect them to survive the winter only at water depths greater than 120ft because this is where the Gulf Stream has influence all year long. Very importantly, the types of predators and competitors present in the Atlantic are very different from the native range of the lionfish. Generally, the lionfish have not been found to endanger marine ecosystems because they were not likely to survive long. | high23747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are more likely to become victims of violence"
},
"options": [
"often offend other people",
"often become injured",
"are more likely to fight with others",
"are more likely to become victims of violence"
],
"que... | Teenagers who drink alcohol are at higher risk of becoming victims of violence, a Cardiff University study has found.
A team from the School of Dentistry's Violence Research Group studied drinking habits in children aged 11 - 16 in England. They found not only a link between drink and violence but also that children who drank were more likely to be hit, even if they weren't violent themselves.
The researchers are now calling for measures to prevent alcohol misuse to reduce injury risk. Current policy focuses on reducing aggression but this research shows that there should be equal effort to reduce victimization.
More than 4,000 children were surveyed at 13 schools at four local authorities in the North, the Midlands, London, and the South. The study found that 25% of 11-year-olds were drinking monthly and 3.6% daily, with 12.8% admitting to getting drunk 3 to 5 times a year. By the age of 16, 40% were drinking weekly and 6.2% were drinking every day. The research also showed 22.6% of 16-year-olds were getting drunk more than 21 times a year.
The study, which has just been published in the Journal of Adolescence, found a strong link between frequency of drinking and frequency of hitting other people.
However, children who reported drinking monthly were also three times more likely to be hit. Adolescents who drank but didn't get into fights were more likely to be hit than those who did fight.
Professor Jonathan Shepherd, who led the research, said a lot of previous alcohol-related violence work had focused on the offenders rather than the victims. His team is calling for more prevention work from parents and teachers in the first two years of secondary school by taking advantage of the "teachable moment", that is, immediately after a student has missed school because of drunkenness.
Previous work by Professor Jonathan Shepherd has shown drinkers may be more at risk of violence because of reduced physical co-ordination, poor decision-making in threatening situations and isolation while out late at night. He said, "This new study seems to be the first to show a direct link between alcohol misuse and victimization. There now needs to be much more effort put into reducing alcohol misuse in order to reduce injury." | high13684.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "10,000,000 or less."
},
"options": [
"No more than 10, 000, 000.",
"10,000,000 or less.",
"More than 10, 000, 000.",
"Just 10,000,000."
],
"question": "How many books are there in the British Museum?",
"ques... | There are a lot of public libraries in Britain. These libraries have more than one hundred and fifteen million books, not including those libraries of public schools.
Public libraries not only lend books, music records but also help children, patients in hospitals and others to get special play readings, film shows and so on.
The first public libraries were founded in about the year 1850. Today's public libraries usually have a reading-room, a lending room and a reference room.
The greatest and most famous library in Britain is that of the British Library in London. It was founded in 1973 and has over 10, 000, 000 books. It has nearly every magazine, newspaper and book published in Britain and other parts across the world. | high24028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "introduce some museum exhibitions"
},
"options": [
"promote some scientific projects",
"highlight some children activities",
"release some entertainment videos",
"introduce some museum exhibitions"
],
"question"... | From Art to Zoo, the Smithsonian, the world's largest museum and research complex, has something to interest kids and students of all ages.
Plan ahead online with The Official Kids Guide to the Smithsonian Institution - an interactive guidebook just for kids.
The Last American Dinosaurs: Discovering a Lost World
November 25, 2014 - 2018
Museum: Natural History Museum
Location: 2nd Floor, West
Explore how we learn about past ecosystems and organisms through the study of their fossils and find what goes into making a large-scale fossil exhibition. Watch fossils being prepared in a working fossil preparation lab.
As We Grow: Traditions, Toys, Games
August 22, 2012 - Indefinitely
Museum: American Indian Museum
Location: 1st Floor, near Imaginations Activity Center
All children play. Native American children play like any others, but their toys and games are more than playthings. They are ways of learning about the lives of grown men and women and ways of learning the traditions of their families and their people. The toys, games, and clothing come from all over North, Central, and South America, representing many tribes and many time periods.
The First Ladies
November 19, 2011 - Indefinitely
Museum: American History Museum
Location: 3rd Floor, Rose Gallery
On view are more than two dozen gowns, including those worn by Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Jacqueline Kennedy. Four cases provide in-depth looks at Mary Todd Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Lady Bird Johnson and their contributions to their husband's presidential administrations.
Apollo to the Moon
July 1, 1976 - Permanent
Museum: Air and Space Museum
Location: 2nd Floor, East Wing
This gallery traces NASA's manned space program beginning with Project
Mercury's Freedom 7 (1961); then the Gemini Project (1965 - 66); followed by the Apollo Program
(1967 - 1972), with Apollo 17 as the last manned exploration of the moon. | high9947.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "begin by receiving on-the-job training"
},
"options": [
"must learn several jobs",
"begin by receiving on-the-job training",
"begin as ticket takers",
"have already attended Disney University"
],
"question": "Th... | Thousands of people pass through the gates of Disney's entertainment parks in California, Florida and Japan each year. What makes these places an almost universal place of interest? What makes foreign kings and queens and other important people want to visit these Disney parks? Well, one reason is the way they're treated once they get there. The people at Disney go out of their way to serve their "guests", as they prefer to call them, and to see that they enjoy themselves.
All new employees, from vice presidents to part-time workers, begin their employment by attending Disney University and taking "Traditions I". Here, they learn about the company's history, how it is managed, and why it is successful. They are shown how each department relates to the whole. All employees are shown how their part is important in making the park a success.
After passing "Traditions I", the employees go on to do more specialized training for their specific jobs. No detail is missed. A simple job like taking tickets requires four eight-hour days of training. When one ticket taker was asked why it took so much training for such a simple and ordinary job, he replied, "What happens if someone wants to know where the restrooms are, when the parade starts or what bus to take back to the campgrounds?...We need to know the answers or where to get them quickly. Our constant aim is to help our guests enjoy the party."
Even Disney's managers get involved in the daily management of the park. Every year, the mangers leave their desks and business suits and put on special service clothes. For a full week, the bosses sell hot dogs or ice cream, take tickets or drive the monorail , and take up any of the 100 jobs that make the entertainment park come alive. The managers agree that this week helps them to see the company's goals more clearly.
All these efforts to serve the public well have made Walt Disney Productions famous. Disney is considered by many as the best mass service provider in America or the world. As one longtime business observer once said, "How Disney treats people, communicates with them and rewards them, is the very reason for his fifty years of success... I have watched with great admiration, the theory and practice of successfully selling satisfaction and serving millions of people on a daily basis. It is what Disney does best." | high22459.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "misleading zones and right ways in educating children"
},
"options": [
"misleading zones and right ways in educating children",
"current problems in training children",
"what should be taught to children",
"the importan... | Madame de Stael says that only the people who can play with children are able to educate them. For success in training children, the first condition is to become a child oneself. It means to treat the child as really one's equal, that is, to show him the same consideration, the same kind of confidence one shows to an adult. It means not to affect the child to be what we ourselves want him to become, but to be affected by the impression of what the child himself is; not to treat the child with cheating, or by force, but with the seriousness and true love suitable to his own character.
Not leaving the child in peace is the greatest problem of present methods of training children. Parents do not see that during the whole life, the need of peace is never greater than in the years of childhood, an inner peace under all outside liveliness.
But what does a child experience? Corrections, orders, interference , the whole livelong day. The child is always required to leave something alone, or to do something different, to find something different, or want something different from what he does, or finds, or wants. He is always guided in another direction from the true inner will that is leading him. All of this is caused by our so-called enthusiasm in directing, advising, and helping the child to become the same model produced in one assembly line . Understanding, the deepest characteristic of love, is almost always absent.
To bring up a child means carrying one's soul in one's hand; it means never placing ourselves in danger of meeting the cold look on the face of the child. It means the truth that the ways of injuring the child are limitless while the ways of being useful to him are few. How seldom does the educator remember that the child, even at four or five years of age, has already had a sharp feeling! The smallest mistrust and unkindness, the least act of injustice, leave wounds that last for life in the heart of the child. While, on the other hand, unexpected friendliness and kindness make quite as deep an impression on those soft senses. | high15593.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Three."
},
"options": [
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five."
],
"question": "How many films Anne Hathaway acted in are mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | Princess Diaries star Anne Hathaway has announced she is engaged .The actress, 29,confirmed the news after she was photographed wearing a ring while with her boyfriend Adam Shulman in Brooklyn yesterday. Shulman, an actor and jewellery designer, worked with Kwiat Heritage Jewels to create the ring. The pair quietly began dating in November 2008,but weren't pictured together until the following year.
"We hit it off immediately the first time we met each other but it took us a pretty long time to get together," she has said of Shulman. "He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I'd better keep my distance because I didn't want to be that girl. She described their union as more mature than her previous experiences, adding, "Being mature doesn't always make for a good story, but it makes for a good life."
Speaking about the relationship in the September issue of U.K.s Marie Claire, she said, "Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little time alone tod then I fell in love like a fool. Her romance with Shulman followed a disastrous relationship with an Italian real estate developer Raffaello Follieri. She split up with him in 2008 when he was arrested on fraud charges and he was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
The actress, whose film credits also include Brokeback Mountain and One Day, will next star in the new The Dark Knight Rises. She plays Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman. | high131.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "working safely."
},
"options": [
"problem solving.",
"communicating with others.",
"working safely.",
"critical thinking."
],
"question": "Compared with humans, robots are better at _",
"question_type": "c... | In the future, when robots can be used both in homes and in other areas, they could improve the living standards of people. Many people burn their energy on their day-to-day tasks like cooking, cleaning after work, etc. When robots can complete such jobs, people can spend more time with their family and friends. Experts say that many major problems in the modern world are caused by miscommunication. When people have more time, they can talk freely to solve such issues and eventually create a happy society.
Robots can be used on certain jobs to avoid accidents caused by careless behavior of some people. When robots are used on such work, it does not risk any human life due to accidents at the workplace. Human resources can be efficiently used by performing tasks which demand human skills like critical thinking and problem solving. Robots can be used on low-end jobs like moving heavy things and heavy weight lifting.
While some people talk about how robots can be useful to humans, others voice their concerns about reduction in human value and the creation of a lazy society due to heavy dependency on robots. When robots become cheaper to produce, employers may prefer to use more robots than humans. As the technology constantly improves the abilities of robots, it could weaken the value of humans. Many people may rely on robots heavily. Some may even develop the habit of using robots on tasks that they can easily do. This could create a lazy society.
As an aging society, Japan sees it a must to build robots that take care of elderly people at their home, because without them, the nation's health care system can't cope. There will simply be too many elderly people to care for as the nation faces a decreasing birth rate, an aging population, and the loosening of family ties. However, many of Japan's elderly people would prefer human helpers rather than robots. Above all, Japan wants, if not "needs", its immigration policy is anti-immigration.
In conclusion, robots can be used on anything that can eventually improve humans' living standards but we can't depend on them too much. Robots can be used to help humans live in harmony and form a happy society. | high23021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Newspaper"
},
"options": [
"Magazine",
"Scientific report",
"Newspaper",
"Textbook"
],
"question": "Where can you probably find this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Taiwanese fishing boats that sailed to the Diaoyu Islands to protest Japan's "purchase" of part of the islands completed their voyage Tuesday morning and have set sail for home.
Local media reported that the boats finished their protest at 9:15 a.m. and are expected to return to a port in northeast Taiwan's Yilan county at noon Wednesday.
Although the boats originally numbered 75,they were joined at sea by other boats from different parts of Taiwan, raising the total number to about 100 vessels. Organizers said the voyage was made to protect Taiwanese fishing rights in nearby waters and to protest Japan's "purchase" of part of the Diaoyu Islands.
The Japanese government announced a plan to "purchase" part of the islands earlier this month despite repeated protests from the Chinese government. The action aroused demonstrations
across China as well as consumers' boycott of Japanese products in recent weeks. Local authorities in Taiwan have also protested the move.
"Japan's purchase and nationalization of China's Diaoyu Islands is putting China-Japan economic and trade ties at risk due to man-made factors." An official spokesman from Beijing warned .
China-Japan economic and trade relations was back on track in 1952 when the two countries signed their first non-governmental trade agreement. Currently, China has been Japan's largest trade partner since 2007 while Japan is China's fourth largest trade partner, after the EU, U.S. and the ASEAN. Meanwhile, China is the biggest destination for Japanese exports and biggest source of imports. In the first half of 2012, Japan's exports to China totaled 73.54 billion U.S. dollars, down 6.2 percent from the same period last year, while its import from China was 91.29 billion U.S. dollars, up 7 percent from the same period last year.
Now, China-Japan economic and trade relations are at a crossroads. Negotiation could be the way out of the rift. | high17384.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "87"
},
"options": [
"87",
"55",
"23",
"157"
],
"question": "According to the study, about _ children's language scores were 15 percent higher than those of children who didn't play with blocks.",
"questi... | Playing with toy blocks may lead to improved language development in young children, a new study reported.
Early childhood is an important period in the development of young minds. The newborn brain grows three times in size between birth and age 2. Scientists have said that certain activities during this important period may promote healthy development while others may hold it back, and development of memory and language may especially be helped by imaginative play.
After six months, language scores among half of the 175 children aged 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 who were sent plastic blocks were 15 percent higher than a matched group that did not receive the free blocks, according to the study by researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Parents were given ideas about how to help their children play with the blocks, then were told to keep diaries of their children's activities over four days. Finally, all the parents filled out questionnaires that judged their children's vocabulary, grammar, and other language abilities. Study author Dimitri Christakis said unstructured play with blocks motivated children's thinking, memory and physical skills at a time when a child's brain is growing rapidly. "They are the foundation of thought and language," he wrote of the skills learned from building blocks. "Older children begin to make up stories for these objects ."
Such play may also take the place of less helpful activities such as watching TV, he said, adding parents ought to have doubts about some toy-makers' words. "An increasing number of media-based products are making ungrounded claims that they can make children smarter, more literate, and more musical," Christakis said. | high20528.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "face criticism calmly"
},
"options": [
"develop respect for Liz",
"love people around her more",
"rest for five months",
"face criticism calmly"
],
"question": "Radcliffe's failure in Athensmade her _",
"q... | Paula Radcliffe, chasing a third London marathon title , says she has became a stronger person after her terrible experience at the 2004 Athens Gaines.
Radcliffe, who failed to complete the Olympic marathon and the 10,000m last August, said: "Athens made me a stronger person and it made me care less about criticism "
"In the past I wanted to please everyone, but now I am going to listen even more to the people around me."
She didn't care about criticism made at the weekend by Liz McColgan, who felt Radcliffe should have rested and let her body recover after her failure inprefix = st1 /Athens.
"Liz is someone I look up to but she hasn't spoken to me since last year and if she really eared for me, I'm sure she would have contacted me."
Instead Radcliffe won the New York City marathon just 11 weeks afterAthens.
"In New York I wasn't in my best state but I did know I was good enough to win the Radcliffe insisted her only goal in Sunday's race would be winning a third title and not chasing world records.
However, RadcIiffe has not ruled out m the future chasing her "final" world record time and questioned sayings that marathon runners have the ability in their career to produce only four or five world-class times.
"I don't think that -- although _ ," said. RadcLiffe. "That changes from person to person."
Radcliffe is sure she can better her winning London 2003 performance at some point in the future. Following a successful three-month training period in theUnited States, the 31-year-old will chase a third title on Sunday after her first victory in 2O02 and again 12 months later.
Radcliffe clocked a time of 2:18:56 in her first 42.2-kdnmetre race three years ago.
Afterwards she set a "mixed course" mark of 2:17:18 five months later In Chicago before lowering that to a time of 2:15:25 m the 2003Londonevent. | high21636.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sell unwanted things in their own yards"
},
"options": [
"sell their front yards at a low price",
"throw away their trash in someone's yard",
"gather in someone's yard to enjoy things",
"sell unwanted things in their ow... | The first time I went for a walk around my father-in-law's neighborhood was garbage day, and I was shocked to see what people were throwing out. It was back in 1981, and I saw many people gathered in someone's front yard. As I went nearer to see what was happening I got my first introduction to yard sales. For the few dollars I had in my wallet, I was able to buy a seven-inch black-and-white portable TV. I also bought a flashlight.
The following weekend, at another yard sale, I saw a 14-inch color1 TV being sold for almost nothing. I felt I could not miss the offer and bought it. Now I had two sets and couldn't wait to see what else I could afford the next weekend. Spring ended, and by then I had accumulated almost every type of electronic equipment I had always wished to have back home.
Then this new idea came to mind. I had heard about a man who traveled back home every few months. He drove a truck filled with boxes of new and used stuff that people were sending to s. So I told my father that I would send as many types of items as I could so that he could start his resale business.
Every few months I would gather several boxes of American "junk" --- televisions, toasters, fans, hair dryers, etc. and send them home. As word got out about my father's "trash" market, people all came to buy these things.
Three years later, when I visited my family for the first time since leaving home, I learned that many of the families in our neighborhood had a piece of "trash". It proved that I had the responsibility to keep people back home up to date with the latest technology you no longer need.(304words) | high22317.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "What makes the Ice Hotel special"
},
"options": [
"How the Ice Hotel is built",
"What makes the Ice Hotel special",
"Why the Ice Hotel is made of ice",
"The services of the Ice Hotel"
],
"question": "What is the... | The Ice Hotel
Are you going into skiing? Is winter your favorite time of year? If you like snow and ice, maybe you should stay at Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada. But, you can only check in at this hotel during the winter. Why ? Because this hotel is built every December. It has 32 rooms and 80 people can stay there each night. The hotel even has a movie theatre, art gallery, and church. Of course, all of these parts of the hotel are made of ice. In fact, all the furniture, art, lights, and even plates and drinking glasses are made out of ice.
Because this hotel is so unusual, it is becoming very popular. People from all over the world come to the Ice Hotel to look at the fantastic ice art, drink and eat from designed ice dishes and experience the unique atmosphere . Some couples have even got married in the hotel's ice church. But all these guests keep their winter coats on! Because of all the ice, the temperature inside the hotel is always between - 2oC and - 5oC. Surprisingly, sleeping is not a problem in the freezing cold hotel rooms. Every guest gets a special cold-weather sleeping bag and some fur blankets. These keep the room cozy and warm until morning. | high119.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "focusing the scientific examination on the happy or joyful people"
},
"options": [
"evaluating the psychological state of people",
"making a study of people who suffer from mental illness",
"focusing the scientific examinatio... | Seligman is leading the research on what might be called Happiness Revolution in psychology. Since World War II, psychologists have focused on fixing what is broken --repairing psychosis , and neurosis . Research has piled up steadily when it comes to looking at patients who are neurotic, while the happy or joyful people among us have received little scientific examination.
When Seligman did a search to find academic articles about such 'positive psychology' he found only 800 out of 70,000. 'Psychologists tend to be concerned with taking a negative 8 person, and helping him get to negative 2,' said Seligman, a psychology professor of the University of Pennsylvania. 'My aim is to _ '
In the last 50 years, statistics have shown that we are less happy as a people. 'While our quality of life has increased dramatically over that time, and we've become richer, we're in an epidemic of depression,' Seligman said. 'Depression is 10 times more common now, and life satisfaction rates are down as well.' Seligman argues that the new science he writes about is shifting psychology's model away from its narrow-minded focus on mental illness towards positive emotion, virtue and strength that increase people's happiness. If you want to be happy, forget about winning the lottery , getting a nose job, or securing a raise. In his new book, Authentic Happiness, psychologist Martin Seligman argues that overall lifetime happiness is not the result of good genes, money, or even luck. Instead, he says we can increase our own happiness by making use of the strengths and virtues that we already have, including kindness, originality, humor, optimism, and generosity. He has named the field'Positive Psychology,' arguing that we would be better off building on our own strengths rather than mourning, and, hence, trying to repair, our weaknesses. By frequently calling upon their strengths, people can build up natural barriers against misfortune and negative emotions, he said.
Science has shown that there are several distinct roads to being a happy person -- though happiness might not mean what you think. Material goods -- even simple ones like ice cream, and massages -- are only stimulating things that rapidly give people a boost.
To cultivate happiness, we must first find out our individual strengths and virtues. Next, apply the qualities in such a way as to enhance your happiness-generating system. | high23009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To tell us differences between city life and country life."
},
"options": [
"To persuade more people to live in the country.",
"To inform us of some information about a better life.",
"To tell us differences between city life... | People live in different parts of the world and lead different types of lives. Their lifestyles change across the different areas in the world. What is the difference between a city and country life? Let us see.
We can see the modern facilities everywhere in the city like the Internet, telephone, television and satellite communication facilities are widely available in the city. A majority of families in the city are enjoying this technological advancement.
The increasing population has led to an imbalance in human population. More and more industries have led to environmental problems like pollution.
However, the rise in economic growth has resulted in a self-centered nature of society. While technological advancement has brought the world closer, human beings have gone far apart from each other.
The country is not crowded with constructions all over. Houses are rather widely spaced with enough room for fields and gardens. The country is the only area fortunate enough to house the _ . People in the country live in close to nature. Apart from people, there is room for pets and animals that help keep a balance in nature.
Due to a lesser number of people in the country, it is not overcrowded by people. These areas have least amounts of pollution. Pollution is less also because of very less number of industries in the country. The life may not be as enjoyable as that in the city, but the people there are generous, kind and friendly. The country is the one where humanity is still alive.
Every coin has two sides to it. While we can't enjoy expensive things and technology in the country, it is rich in its relationship with 'nature'. The city life is modern in technology and career opportunities. However, the falling humanity and a bad environmental balance affect the bright future of city life. | high20500.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "people in India shouldn't celebrate Valentine's Day"
},
"options": [
"his daughter should have received a gift",
"people in India shouldn't celebrate Valentine's Day",
"people in India should welcome Western culture",
"... | Hallmark arrived in my hometown of Calcutta, India when I was 16. On Valentine's Day , I waited in line with many other teenagers just for a chance to get into the store. I remember wishing two things. One of them is that the good-looking boy whom I could see through the store window was picking out a gift for me. Unfortunately, Valentine's Day passed and I received nothing but a lecture from my father on how Western capitalism was ruining your culture.
The next Valentine's Day, I still didn't have a boyfriend, but I did receive a greeting card from a secret admirer. I can't remember what it exactly said inside the card, but it hardly mattered. I know I'm not the only one who's had the blues because of being single on Valentine's Day.
It's not just on Valentine's Day that I'm reminded of these feelings. One night, my friend and I were at the subway station in New York City waiting for the local to arrive. The station was mostly full of college students, and later an older couple walked in. Just at that moment, a street musician started playing She's Only a Woman to Me. The couple began dancing around the station and lost in their own world. On the train, I found myself recalling the time when I was with a date at the subway station, and there he picked me up in his arms like I was a ballerina .
My view of romance has changed from when I was 16 in Calcutta to now, 23, and living in Manhattan. This year, I won't focus all my romantic expectations on one particular day. I'll spend Valentine's Day with friends in New York City. But I won't try to hide somewhere or turn off my cellphone. Instead, I'll help my coupled-up friends pack for their weekend trips to Rome. | high11905.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else."
},
"options": [
"The more you earn, the greater happiness you will get.",
"Spending more money on yourself will make you happier.",
"Money can buy happiness,... | Spending as little as $5 a day on someone else could significantly _ happiness, the team at the University of British Columbia found.
Their experiments on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier.
"We wanted to test our theory that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn," said Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia. They asked their 600 volunteers first to rate their general happiness, report their annual income and detail their monthly spending including bills, gifts for themselves, gifts for others and donations to charity.
"No matter how much income each person made, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness, while those who spent more on themselves did not," Dunn said in a statement.
Dunn's team also surveyed 16 employees at a company in Boston before and after they received an annual profit-sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000. "Employees who devoted more of their bonus to prosocial spending experienced greater happiness after receiving the bonus, and the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself," they wrote in their report, published in the journal Science.
They gave their volunteers $5 or $20 and half got clear instructions on how to spend it. Those who spent the money on someone or something else reported feeling happier about it.
"These findings suggest that very minor changes in spending allocations-as little as $5 may be enough to produce real gains in happiness on a given day," Dunn said. | high2184.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "reducing air pollution"
},
"options": [
"reducing energy use",
"reducing air pollution",
"improving public health",
"reusing waste materials"
],
"question": "The United States Conference of Mayors' Climate Prote... | The United States is not part of the Kyoto Protocol.But since 2005 more than 1,000 mayors across the country have agreed to sign their own version of the protocol.
It is called the United States Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement.Local leaders have agreed to follow the suggestions of the Kyoto Protocol in their communities.They have also agreed to urge state and federal governments to follow these suggestions.One goal is to reduce air pollution to the 1990 levels by 2012.
A "green" city might work on several kinds of environmental goals and programs.These include air quality,reducing electricity use, green building, public health, the reuse of materials, water quality and clean transportation.
The Natural Resources Defense Council works to protect the environment through action, law and science.One of its online projects is called Smarter Cities, which lists some cities that have made important environmental steps.
Washington,D.C.is also a leading city for green roofs,with over 92,000 square meters of green rooftops.The city also launched a program called "Skip the Bag,Save the River."Stores charge people a fivecent tax for using plastic or paper shopping bags instead of reusable bags.Money from the tax will be used to clean up a local river.
New York City is using water as a renewable energy source.For several years, the city has experimented with water in the East River to create energy.Officials operating the program recently asked for permission to put into place 30 river turbine devices.
The people of Portland, Oregon are among the top recyclers in the nation.People living there recycle over half of the waste they throw out.The city has also worked to provide green transportation by providing safe bike paths and free parking spaces where electric cars can get recharged.
In Oakland, California, you can ride on one of several public hydrogenpowered buses.These buses release zero pollution into the air.However,they cost about five times more than common buses. | high5833.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "reducing insurance cost"
},
"options": [
"setting up a special fund",
"raising employers' salaries",
"reducing taxes",
"reducing insurance cost"
],
"question": "According to Mary Sue Coleman, one way of keeping ... | Health insurance is a great concern to Americans now. It's likely that many Americans lack health insurance with the economy having no sign of picking up. The National Academy of Sciences reported Thursday. "Unless health insurance is made more affordable, the number of uninsured Americans is likely to continue growing over time," said Mary Sue Coleman, co-chairwoman of the committee that wrote the report. The report is the first six planned by the institute of Medicine over two years. The series is planned to find out who lacks health insurance and why, and determine what the consequences are and provide the groundwork for debate on how to correct the problem. The institute is part of the academy, a private organization supported by Congress to advise the government of scientific matters.
This first report seeks to draw a picture of the millions who lack insurance. It does not offer any recommendations. "Much of what Americans think they know about the uninsured is wrong," said Dr. Arthur Kellermann, a public health professor at Emory University Schools of Medicine in Atlanta, who also worked on the report. The Census Bureau reported last month that 38.7 million Americans went without coverage for all of 2000, compared with 39.3 million the year before, thanks to the booming economy. Experts say the trend is likely to reverse this year, given that the economy was slowing even before the Sep. 11 terrorist attacks. "Unfortunately, the recent economic slowdown might have reversed the modest gains in coverage for shorter periods."
The report said that with insurance costs rising, more employers and individuals may conclude they are unable to afford coverage. Premium increases were often absorbed by employers in the strong economy of the 1990s, but that may not continue as the economy softens, the report said. The panel found that about 13.6 million of the uninsured work for employers that do not offer health insurance. Individually purchased coverage may be prohibitively costly. | high19381.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "may help him return to the focus of the public in spite of some negative news."
},
"options": [
"may help him sign away some of Swizerland's banking secrecy.",
"may help him return to the focus of the public in spite of some negati... | When was the last time you laughed a lot? Most people are the victim of an uncontrollable fit of laughter at least once in their lives. But when it happens in front of the television cameras, it can become an internet sensation.
Do you think there's anything funny about spicy meat? Swiss finance minister Hans-Rudolf Merz seemed to think it was hilarious. Mr. Merz was making a speech in the Swiss parliament on meat imports when he started laughing and couldn't stop. The meat in question is known as "bundnerfleisch"-- a type of air-dried beef product. Herr Merz later admitted that he was amused by the bureaucratic language in which the bill was written.
Since then, Mr. Merz has become an internet hit. A video of the incident shows a grey-suited minister giggling away, accompanied by applause from his parliamentary colleagues. So far, the video has been seen by more than 500,000 people on YouYube and other websites. "I don't understand what he's talking about," said one viewer, "but it's just so funny." The recent publicity will be good news for the minister, too. Mr. Merz had been criticized recently for signing away much of Switzerland's banking secrecy, and for failing to do enough to help two Swiss citizens who were detained by Libya. But now, with retirement a few months away, Mr. Merz may leave on a high note. Some even suggest he may have a future career as a comedian.
Of course, Mr. Merz isn't the first person to _ on air. BBC Radio 4 newsreader Charlotte Green lost control on the programmeTodaynot so long ago. It all happened after a clip of the oldest known recording of the human voice was played. A studio member remarked that the 1860 recording of a woman singing the French song "Au Clair de la Lune" sounded like a "bee buzzing in a bottle". That seemed to set Ms. Green off as she broke down into a fit of the giggles. Later, the editor of the show, Ceri Thomas, said most listeners who contacted the show had commented on "how much they had enjoyed the moment". He added, "When Charlotte loses it, she really loses it."
So, why do we get these fits of laughter? Experts say it's a form of release. Nervous tension often builds up inside us, especially in those who have got high-pressure, stressful jobs. When stressed out, the body constricts blood vessels, elevates the production of potentially damaging stress hormones, and raises blood pressure. Short periods of stress are normal and not dangerous, but over long periods of time stress weakens the immune system and makes heart problems more likely. Under the control ofself-protecting mechanisms of human body, this pressure needs an outlet, usually manifesting itself through tears, anger or laughter-- uncontrollable fits of laughter!
So, beware! That uncontrollable laughing fit could strike at any moment.
[(<<>> 201102 "Laugh Away")] | high21178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To protect himself."
},
"options": [
"To show off his gun.",
"To hunt some animals for food.",
"To protect himself.",
"To play with it for fun."
],
"question": "Why did the boy always carry his gun with him wher... | I knew I was all right now. Nobody else would come ahunting after me. I got my traps out of the canoe and made me a nice camp in the thick woods. I made a tent out of my blankets to put my things under so the rain couldn't get at them. I caught a catfish and towards sundown I started my camp fire and had supper.
When it was dark I sat by my camp fire, feeling pretty satisfied; but by and by it got sort of lonesome, so I went and sat on the bank and listened to the current crashing along, and counted the stars and drift logs and rafts that came down, and then went to bed; there was no better way to _ when you are lonesome; you can't stay so, and you soon get it over.
And so for three days and nights. No difference--just the same thing. But the next day I went exploring around the island. I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, and I wanted to know all about it; but mainly I wanted to spend the time. I found plenty of strawberries and green summer grapes; and the green blackberries were just beginning to show.
Well, I went fooling along in the deep woods till I judged I wasn't far from the foot of the island. I had my gun along, but I had shot nothing; it was for protection. About this time I almost stepped on a goodsized snake, and it moved quietly and smoothly through the grass and flowers, and I was after it, trying to get a shot at it. I clipped along, and all of a sudden I bounded right on to the ashes of a camp fire that was still smoking.
My heart jumped up among my lungs. I never waited to look further, but unlocked my gun and went sneaking back on my tiptoes as fast as I could. Every now and then I stopped a second among the thick leaves and listened, but my breath came so hard that I couldn't hear anything else. I moved quietly along another piece further, then listened again; and so on, and so on. If I saw a stump , I took it for a man; if I stepped on a stick and broke it, it made me feel that a person had cut one of my breaths in two and I only got half, and the short half, too.
There was no time to be fooling around. When getting to the camp, I got all my traps into my canoe again to have them out of sight. I put out the fire and threw the ashes around to look like an old last year's camp, and then climbed a tree.
I suppose I was up for two hours; but I didn't see or hear anything--I only thought I heard and saw as much as a thousand things. Well, I couldn't stay up there forever, so at last I got down, but I kept in the thick woods and on the lookout all the time. All I could get to eat was berries and what was left over from breakfast. | high4293.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "several kinds of earliest board games"
},
"options": [
"a common origin of board games",
"several kinds of earliest board games",
"the unknown rules of board game",
"the newly discovered board games"
],
"questio... | Everybody loves to play board games sometimes, but it is surprising to know how long this pastime has been in existence. Some of the earliest board games are over 5,000 years old. The oldest is probably Senet, an American Egyptian game which has been found in burials from before 3000 BC. The game involves an element of luck, and so it was thought by the Ancient Egyptians that those who won the game were protected by God. For this reason, games of Senet were often buried alongside the dead body, to be used on the dangerous game board is set out as a grid of three by ten rows, and uses two sets of at least five pawns. The actual rules are unknown, although some historians have proposed rules which were used in the Senet sets available today.
The Royal Game of Ur, also known as the Game of Twenty Squares, is another ancient game which dates back to the First Dynasty of Ur, in 2600 BC Mesopotamia. It was played with two sets of seven counters, one black and one white, and three four-sided dice . Although the ancient rules are unknown, a stone tablet has been found which describes a reliable record of how the game was played in 177-176 BC.
Both Senet and The Royal Game of Ur probably came into existence long before the game backgammon ,which itself has a long history. The game of Nard, which existed in Iran in around 3000 BC, used two sets of fifteen counters, four dice and same board as the one used in backgammon today, although the initial starting positions and rules are different. Similar games were played in Ancient Rome and India. | high18921.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Cancelling the Affordable Care Act"
},
"options": [
"The government shutdown",
"Unemployment rate",
"The addiction to foreign oil",
"Cancelling the Affordable Care Act"
],
"question": "Which of the following is ... | Hi, everybody. Over the past couple months, most of the political headlines you've read have probably been about the government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act . And I know that many of you have rightly never been more frustrated with Washington.
But if you look beyond those headlines, there are some good things happening in our economy. And that's been my top priority since the day I walked into the Oval Office.
After decades in which the middle class was working harder and harder just to keep up, and a punishing recession that made it worse, we made the tough choices required not just to recover from crisis, but to rebuild on a new foundation for stronger, more durable economic growth.
Five years later, we have fought our way back. Our businesses have created 7.8 million new jobs in the past 44 months. Another 200,000 Americans went back to work last month.
The American auto industry has come back with more than 350,000 new jobs --- jobs putting out and selling the high-tech, fuel-efficient cars the world wants to buy. And they're leading the charge in a business that has added jobs for the first time since the 1990s --- a big reason why our businesses sell more goods and services "Made in America" than ever before.
We decided to stop our addiction to foreign oil. And today, we produce more renewable energy than ever, more natural gas than anybody, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, America now produces more oil than we buy from other countries.
We decided to fix a broken health care system. And even though the task has been rough, so far, about 500,000 Americans gain health coverage starting January 1st. And by the way, health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in 50 years.
And one more thing: since I took office, we've cut our deficits by more than half. And that makes it easier to invest in the things that create jobs --- education, research, and so on.
Imagine how much farther along we could be if both parties were working together. Think about what we could do if the few didn't hold the economy hostage every few months, or waste time on dozens of votes to _ the Affordable Care Act rather than try to help us fix it.
In the weeks ahead, I'll keep talking about my plan to build a better bargain for the middle class. Good jobs. A good education. A chance to buy a home, save, and retire. And yes, the financial security of affordable health care. And I'll look for any willing partners who want to help.
Because of your hard work and tough sacrifices over the past five years, we're pointed in the right direction. But we've got more work to do to keep moving that way. And as long as I'm President, I'll keep doing everything I can to create jobs, grow the economy, and make sure that everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead. Thanks, and have a great weekend. | high6484.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "you can see the formed type of artwork an artist can create"
},
"options": [
"it is easy to paint Abstract Art for the author",
"nobody wants to pay money for Abstract Art in Europe.",
"it would not be interesting to apprecia... | How can something that represents nothing in particular be so eye-catching to look at? If you have once said, "That is easy to paint... Who would pay that significant amount of money for something that doesn't even relate to anything?", then chances are that you do not appreciate what Abstract Art really is. When looking at Abstract Art, you are seeing the most freely formed type of artwork an artist can create.
_ 1 _ . You would think that when looking at art that is non-representational, it would be less interesting to view as you do not know what the artist is truly trying to depict in his or her artwork.
_ 2 _ . This type of art is meant to grab your attention and pull an emotional response right from within you. Once you see that part of the painting...the part that keeps you drawn in and your mind thinking, it is then when you know you are analyzing something special...something called Abstract Art.
_ 3 _ . So what grabs your attention when seeing this particular piece of art? Well let's think...what gets your attention in any circumstance? Why is a stop sign bright red? That's right...Abstract Art, in most circumstances, is filled with color1s of all sorts that are meant to turn heads. These characteristics, along with others such as the paintings texture and other elements, are what make this form of art one of the most popular styles collected today. The creativity involved with these pieces of art brings upon a new imagination that some viewers didn't know existed within them. This art is from the heart and soul, instead of what you see is what you get. With that being said, you can now see that Abstract Art is more than just a thoughtless mess put on a canvas.
_ 4 _ . While viewing the work of a very talented artist, Osnat Tzadok, I came across a quote of hers that states "Every time I pass near a blank canvas I feel something explode inside of me. It is not something I can explain or pass on to someone else...but it is, always, a beginning of a new creation". This quote of Osnat's perfectly portrays what we, the viewers, should feel when viewing an artist's abstract creation. Just as an artist gets this "explosion" that Osnat speaks of, we receive the same feeling when looking at their piece if we truly appreciate Abstract Art. The beauty of non-representational art is that we can create the story within the painting. We can ask ourselves, "Why do these color1s interact with each other?" or "What does this symbolize?".... and with those questions our imagination brings about answers. | high24000.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he wouldn't have any language difficulties"
},
"options": [
"he wouldn't have any language difficulties",
"he would not understand the Americans",
"the Americans might not understand him",
"it wouldn't be an easy and re... | When I was sixteen years old, I made my first visit to the United States. It wasn't the first time I had been abroad. Like most English children I learned French at school. And I had often been to France, so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn't understand English. But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language barriers.
How wrong I was! The misunderstandings began at the airport. I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Penny a call and tell her that I had arrived. A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.
"Yes," I said, "I want to give my friend a ring."
"Well, that's nice," he said. "Are you getting married? But aren't you a bit young?"
"Who is talking about marriage?" I replied. "I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I've arrived. Can you tell me where there's a phone box?"
"Oh!" he said, "There's a phone downstairs."
When at last we met, Penny explained the misunderstandings to me.
"Don't worry," she said to me. "I had so many difficulties at first. There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from British. You'll soon get used to all the funny things _ say. Most of the time British and American people understand each other!" | high13874.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "failed to make both ends meet"
},
"options": [
"failed to make both ends meet",
"earned nothing and borrowed money",
"once had a relatively rich family",
"didn't know how to save money"
],
"question": "Before wi... | I think people everywhere dream about having lots of money. You could win a large amount of money in the United States through lotteries. People pay money for tickets with numbers. If your combination of numbers is chosen, you win a huge amount of money --- often in the millions.
A few years ago, my friend Al won the lottery. It changed his life. He did not have a rich family. He was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Instead, my friend was always hard up for cash. And the money he did earn was chicken feed --- very little.
Sometimes Al even had to accept gifts from his family and friends. But do not get me wrong. My friend was not a _ . He was not the kind of person who never paid the money he owed. He was always very careful with the money he spent. In fact, he was often a cheapskate . He did not like to spend money.
One day, Al got together a few dollars for a lottery ticket. He thought he would never strike it rich or gain lots of money unexpectedly. But his combination of numbers was chosen and he won the lottery and won a great deal of money.
Al was so excited. The first thing he did was to buy a costly new car. Then he started spending money on unnecessary things. He started to waste it. It was like he had money to burn. He had more money than he needed and it was burning a hole in his pocket so he spent it quickly.
When we got together for a meal at a restaurant, Al paid every time. He told me the money made him feel like a million dollars. He was very happy.
But, Al spent too much money. Soon my friend was down and out again. He had no money left. He had spent his bottom dollar, his very last amount. He did not even build up a nest egg. He had not saved any of the money. Some might say he was penny wise and pound foolish. He was wise about small things, but not about important things. | high7956.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They turned out to be working at the same laundry."
},
"options": [
"They both became famous for their talents in art.",
"They turned out to be working at the same laundry.",
"Art helped them out of the poverty they were face... | When one loves one's Art, no service seems too hard.
Joe was a man with a genius for art. Delia did things in six octaves promisingly.
Joe and Delia became in love with one of the other, or each of the other, as you please, and in a short time were married - for (see above), when one loves one's Art no service seems too hard.
They began housekeeping in a flat. It was a lonesome flat, but they were happy; for they had their Art, and they had each other.
Joe was learning painting in the class of the great Magister - you know his fame. His fees are high; his lessons are light - his high-lights have brought him fame. Delia was studying under Rosenstock - you know his reputation as a disturber of the piano keys.
They were mighty happy as long as their money lasted.
After a while, Art flagged . Everything going out and nothing coming in, money was lacking to pay Mr. Magister and Rosenstock their prices. When one loves one's Art, no service seems too hard. So, Delia said she must give music lessons to make the ends meet.
For two or three days she went out looking for pupils. One evening she came home overjoyed.
"Joe, dear," she said, cheerfully, "I've a pupil. And, oh, the loveliest people! General - General Pinkney's daughter Clementina - on Seventy-first street."
"That's all right for you, Dele," said Joe, "but how about me? Do you think I'm going to let you work while I play in the regions of high art? "
Delia came and hung about his neck.
"Joe, dear, you are silly. You must keep on at your studies. It is not as if I had quit my music and gone to work at something else. While I teach I learn. I am always with my music."
"All right," said Joe. "But I may sell some of my pictures as well."
The next few weeks, they both busied themselves with their own business and brought back a ten, a five, a two and a one - all legal tender notes - and laid them beside each others' earnings.
One Saturday evening Joe reached home first. He spread his $18 on the table and washed what seemed to be a great deal of dark paint from his hands.
Half an hour later Delia arrived, her right hand tied up in a shapeless bundle of wraps and bandages .
"How is this?" asked Joe. Delia laughed, but not very joyously. "Clementina," she explained, "insisted upon a Welsh rabbit after her lesson. In serving the rabbit she spilled a great lot of it, boiling hot, over my wrist. Nothing serious, dear."
"What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Dele?"
"Five o'clock, I think," said Dele. "The iron - I mean the rabbit came off the fire about that time."
"Sit down here a moment, Dele," said Joe. "What have you been doing for the last few weeks, Dele?" he asked.
She braved it for a moment or two with an eye full of love and stubbornness, but at last down went her head and out came the truth and tears.
"I couldn't get any pupils," she wept. "I got a place ironing shirts in that big Twenty-fourth street laundry . A girl in the laundry set down a hot iron on my hand this afternoon. I think I did very well to make up both General Pinkney and Clementina. What made you ever suspect that I wasn't giving music lessons?"
"I didn't," said Joe, "until tonight. And I wouldn't have then, only I sent up this cotton waste and oil from the engine-room this afternoon for a girl upstairs who had her hand burned with a smoothing-iron. I've been firing the engine in that laundry for the last few weeks."
"And then you didn't ..." said Delia
And then they both looked at each other and laughed, and Joe began:
"When one loves one's Art no service seems ..."
But Delia stopped him with her hand on his lips. "No," she said - "just 'When one loves.'" | high13860.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "shake his hand firmly"
},
"options": [
"greet him with a hug",
"place a hand on his shoulder",
"shake his hand firmly",
"shake his hand weakly"
],
"question": "If you are introduced to a stranger from the USA, y... | Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don't talk. Gestures are the "silent language" of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say. It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.
In the United States, people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction. The handshake must be firm. If the handshake is weak, it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness. Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder. Some people, usually women, greet a friend with a hug .
Space is important to Americans. When two people talk to each other, they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle, so they are not facing each other directly. Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close. They will move back to have their space. If Americans touch another person by accident, they say, "Pardon me." or "Excuse me."
Americans like to look the other person in the eyes when they are talking. If you don't do so, it means you are bored, hiding something, or are not interested. But when you stare at someone, it is not polite.
For Americans, thumbs-up means yes, very good, or well done. Thumbs-down means the opposite. To call a waiter, raise one hand to head level or above. To show you want the check, make a movement with your hands as if you are singing a piece of paper. It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger . Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them.
Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing. If you don't know what to do, the safest thing to do is to smile. | high22465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "not all in the same way"
},
"options": [
"at school",
"over the radio",
"on TV",
"not all in the same way"
],
"question": "People learn English _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Students in many countries are learning English. Some of these students are small children. Others are teen-agers. Many are adults. Some learn at school, others by themselves. A few learn English by learning the language over the radio, on TV, or in film. One must work hard to learn another language.
Why do all these people want to learn English? It is difficult to answer this question. Many boys and girls learn English at school because it is one of their subjects required for study. They study their own language and maths and English: Some people learn it because it is useful for their work. Many people learn English for their work. Many people learn English for their higher studies, because at college or university some of their books are in English. Other people learn English because they want to read newspapers or magazines in English. | high4287.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a traffic accident"
},
"options": [
"a mental illness",
"overwork",
"a traffic accident",
"starvation"
],
"question": "John Nash passed away because of _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | John Nash, a Nobel Prize winner and a mathematical genius whose struggle with mental illness was documented in the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind, was killed in a car accident on May 24th, 2015.
Born in West Virginia, Nash displayed a keenness for mathematics early in life,independently proving Femret's little theorem before graduating from high school. By the time he turned 30 in 1958,he was an unquestionable academic celebrity. At Princeton, Nash published a 27-page thesis that led to applications to economics, international politics, and evolutionary biology.
His signature solution-known as a "Nash Equilibrium "-found that competition among two opponents,not necessarily governed by zero-sum logic. Two opponents can, for instance,each achieve their maximum objectives through cooperating with the other, or gain nothing at all by refusing to cooperate. It is now regarded e, one of the most important social science ideas in the 20th century.
In the late 1950s, Nash began a slide into mental illness. By the time Nash was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1994, he hadn't published a paper in 36 years. But like a child cured of a nightmare by the switch of a light, Nash recovered from his illness seemingly by choosing not to be sick anymore. He continued to work, travel,and speak at conferences for the rest of his life.
In 2001, the release of the film A Beautiful Mind,based an Sylvia Nasar's 1998 book of the same name, introduced Nash's unusual life story to an international audience. | high18935.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He has been married."
},
"options": [
"He speaks poor English.",
"He is too old.",
"He has been married.",
"He is from a poor country."
],
"question": "Which of the following is NOT the reason why a man was refu... | Americans get really annoyed when people drive badly, smoke in no-smoking zones, or don't pick up after their dogs, but the rude behavior that annoyed them most is workplace discrimination, according to a survey.
The survey found workplace discrimination featured highly on the "Terrible Ten" list of rude behaviors.
In the survey,615 people from two companies in Baltimore and the University of Baltimore were asked to rank 30 examples of rude behavior ranging from text messaging when talking to someone, taking other people's food from the office fridge, to snubbing people.
Dr Forni, who conducted the survey, said he was surprised discrimination topped the list above other more usual bad habits in the workplace such as colleagues brushing their teeth in the water fountain.
"When a worker felt they weren't chosen for a project because they did not speak English as well as others, or felt they weren't promoted because of their national origin, age or sexual preference, they were really upset," he said.
"The American workplace is the most diverse in the world and the American worker is very sensitive to any kind of treatment that seems to be unfair."
Aggressive--behavior typical of rush hours--came second in the list with taking credit for someone else's work rounding out the top three, followed by treating service providers as inferiors.
Forni said it seemed from this survey that people were starting to focus more on the big issues. He said people were far more forgiving when family or friends behaved in a way seen as rude than work colleagues. "With the long hours that are so common today in the workplace, the real determinant of our ability to have a good or bad day is linked to the people we work with," he said. | high20272.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "one must read as many books as possible"
},
"options": [
"one must read as many books as possible",
"a student should not have a complicated idea",
"it was impossible for one to read two thousand books",
"students ought... | I entered high school having read hundreds of books. But I was not a good reader. Merely bookish, I lacked a point of view when I read. Rather, I read in order to get a point of view. I searched books for good expressions and sayings, pieces of information, ideas, themes--anything to enrich my thought and make me feel educated. When one of my teachers suggested to his sleepy tenth-grade English class that a person could not have a "complicated idea" until he had read at least two thousand books, I heard the words without recognizing either its irony or its very complicated truth. I merely determined to make a list of all the books I had ever read. Strict with myself, I included only once a title I might have read several times.(How, after all, could one read a book more than once?)And I included only those books over a hundred pages in length.(Could anything shorter be a book?)
There was yet another high school list I made. One day I came across a newspaper article about an English professor at a nearby state college. The article had a list of the "hundred most important books of Western Civilization." "More than anything else in my life," the professor told the reporter with finality(firmly), "these books have made me all that I am." That was the kind of words I couldn't ignore. I kept the list for the several months it took me to read all of the titles. Most books, of course, I hardly understood. While reading Plato's The Republic, for example, I needed to keep looking at the introduction of the book to remind myself what the text was about. However, with the special patience and superstition of a schoolboy, I looked at every word of the text. And by the time I reached the last word, pleased, I persuaded myself that I had read The Republic, and seriously crossed Plato off my list | high20514.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "You can feel full soon after having the soup."
},
"options": [
"You can take in large quantities of vegetables.",
"You can absorb high calories from the soup.",
"You can take in low calories from the soup.",
"You can fe... | Health experts have discovered that adding low-calorie vegetable soup to the start of a meal can actually help to lose weight.
Because you feel full sooner, you eat less of your main course.
The soup regime was tested by researchers at Pennsylvania State University, led by Dr Barbara Rolls.
They found that when people ate a first course of soup before lunch they reduced their total calorie intake by 20 per cent, compared with those who did not begin the meal with soup.
But those who _ creamy soups should be careful.Researchers stressed the soup must be low-calorie and based on stock , not cream.
All of the soups tested in the study were made from identical ingredients - chicken stock , broccoli , potato, cauliflower and carrots.
They were mixed together to create four different textures and thickness from separate stock and vegetables through to pureed soup.
Scientists thought that thick soups with chunks of vegetables which required chewing might be more filling, but to their surprise they found all forms had the same effect.
The findings were presented to the Experimental Biology conference in Washington, DC, and the research was part-funded by the National Institutes of Health. | high11911.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "involves acting out words"
},
"options": [
"is a computer game",
"is too difficult for children",
"involves acting out words",
"should be played by more than four people"
],
"question": "We can learn from the pa... | There are many fun, free activities that you can do as a family. All that is required is a bit of imagination and some time set aside for fun. And the best part is that these are the kind of memories a child will remember for a lifetime.
Family game night
Find out any of the games that are already around the house. Kids often get computer games for Christmas or birthdays, and would love to have a chance to play with their family. Or, make up some games of your own. " _ " is a fun game to play that will challenge a child to use his/her imagination. Divide the family into teams and let each team come up with words that the other has to act out.
_
Pick some time for the family to sit down and come up with their own masterpiece. It doesn't need to be just a drawing -- take some old magazines sitting around the house, let the kids cut out pictures and paste them into their own montage. Or, use items from nature. Let them use leaves, pine cones, twigs and whatever else they can find to create something from their imaginations.
Family Picnic
Taking the family for a picnic is a great way for some fun that doesn't cost any money. If the weather is nice, take them to a park or playground and let the kids have a day of playing. Or, if it is the middle of winter and a foot of snow is on the ground, set up a picnic in the living room.
Family Field Trip
A family field trip doesn't have to cost a dime. Ask a nearby farm if it would be alright to bring your kids out for a tour and to see some of the animals. Or take them to a park and make a scavenger hunt where they need to find certain items from nature. Ask a local business if you could bring the family for a tour to see how things work -- you might be surprised at the number of people who would be thrilled to share what they do with others, and it could be an interesting lesson for the kids. | high2190.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "By close personal contact."
},
"options": [
"By caged animals.",
"By close personal contact.",
"By animal-to-human transmission.",
"By directly caring for a very ill person."
],
"question": "According to Tom Fri... | MERS, also known as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, has made its way to the US. The second patient was in Orlando, Florida while the first reported case was in Indiana.
Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the disease has mainly been transmitted by close personal contact, such as directly caring for a very ill person.
The virus is formally called MERS-CoV because it's part of the corona virus family that includes the common cold and severe SARS. SARS was ly easy to stop a decade ago, because it was being transmitted by caged animals in Chinese markets. MERS-CoV was first identified in people in 2012, but has been spreading rapidly since March, 2015. The vast majority of those cases occurred in Saudi Arabia.
The patient in Orlando felt ill on the first flight but not ill enough to notify a doctor. Early on May 9, he apparently became concerned that he was still feeling ill, and he went to the emergency room at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital. He identified himself as recently having been in Saudi Arabia, so he was quickly isolated to avoid infecting other patients.
Wayne Marasco, an expert at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, said his biggest concern about MERS-CoV is how little we know about it. It's still not clear, in some instances, where the virus comes from, how it is transmitted or who is most subject. | high19395.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Putting healthy food nearby."
},
"options": [
"Avoiding watching advertisements.",
"Putting healthy food nearby.",
"Putting unhealthy food nearby.",
"Watching TV with parents."
],
"question": "Which of the follo... | What you see is what you eat, according to the latest study to confirm that watching TV encourages children to eat more junk food. But the researchers say there may be an easy way to stop unhealthy snacking in front of the television: put healthier food within easy reach.
Leah Lipsky and Ronal Iannotti are the scientists who worked on the study, which was reported this week in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The report says that for every hour of television children watch, they are 8% less likely to eat fruit every day, 18% more likely to eat candy, and 16% more likely to eat fast food.
The reasons for the link between watching TV and eating junk food aren't surprising: young people watching TV are exposed to more advertising for unhealthy food-such as fast food-than commercials for fresh fruit and vegetables. Studies show that children who watch a lot of TV are more likely to prefer eating things that are high in sugar, salt and fat, even when they aren't watching TV.
The researchers also found that some children who snacked in front of the television, however, increased the amount of fruit that they ate. It all depended on what was available and within reach. " _ ," says Lipsky. "But it suggests that if you have other choices available-and don't have the unhealthy choices available-then children might be encouraged to eat more fruit."
Lipsky and Iannotti also recommend that parents _ the amount of time that children spend in front of a TV or computer-no more than two hours a day for children over two years old. | high22303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because REM can help find creative solutions"
},
"options": [
"Because REM takes place just after you sleep.",
"Because REM can store more information.",
"Because REM can help find creative solutions",
"Because REM can ... | Scientists found that sleeping considerably improves our creativity. After taking a nap people are able to think faster and put more imagination into their thinking. Besides, if we dream, the thinking abilities are improved even more.
Researchers consider that sleeping on a problem in most cases leads to elucidation . They say when a person enters a phase called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) during sleep, _ increases the effect. Such phase takes place right before we awake and according to scientists it helps our brain make links between unrelated subjects.
In the study, led by Professor Sara Mednick, scientists made a conclusion that the REM was "important for assimilating new information into past experience" in order to find solutions to creative problems.
Prof. Mednick is a psychiatrist at the University of California. Her study involved the analysis of 77 adults. Each participant was given several word-associated creative tasks. All tasks were given in the morning, with participants being shown a number of groups of 3 words, for example: cookie, heart and sixteen. They were asked to come up with a word that would be associated with all three given terms--like sweet. Sometime later, after some participants were allowed to sleep, they were asked to perform the same tasks and some new ones. It is worth mentioning that while some people slept, researchers used brain scans to see the type of sleep each participant entered.
When given the same tasks, participants, who took a nap, were able to give more varied solutions, some of which were much better than they gave earlier. But when given new tasks, researchers found that those who entered REM sleep had a 40 percent better result compared to the performance they showed in the morning. | high14869.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they can see their drawings more clearly"
},
"options": [
"huge display screen laptops are very cheap",
"small display screen laptops are not on sale yet",
"they can see their drawings more clearly",
"they also want to ... | The laptop is a machine which can be a mobile office;it can be used to entertain us and people can play computer games on them.One machine can perform many tasks at the same time.As technology grows,the size of the new laptop machines is _ .Now laptops are lighter,have smaller screen sizes,and perform better.Smaller screen laptops,which are more convenient to take along with,have been specially designed for professionals.Huge display screen laptops are still used by graphic designers and those who like playing computer games.
Laptops are advanced machines,and they can be very expensive.When we spend much money on something,we should take good care of it.I know some people who buy a new laptop every year.The reason they do this is that the old one either is broken or has some problems which cannot be fixed.Common problems are the breaking of the screen,the breaking of joints of the laptop,display problems,and keyboard problems.
Different problems will always come up with machines,and they cannot be avoided .Old machines will always have to be replaced by new ones.However,if we are more careful and handle our laptops with care,they will last for a longer period of time,and they will perform better.This is not a hard thing to do,but it will greatly increase the life and performance of laptops. | high1499.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "People stopped work and enjoyed themselves."
},
"options": [
"People stopped work and enjoyed themselves.",
"The cities there were often against one another.",
"People watched baseball games.",
"People didn't go to any ... | People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves.One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event.Even thousands of years ago,groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes .
Over 2000 years ago in Greece,certain days in the year were festival days.These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves.They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia.It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus(Zus).For five days,athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games.At the Olympic Games,people could watch them box,run,jump and so on.There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch was passed from runner to runner.The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting.People were allowed to travel to the games safely.Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies in Africa,Asia and Italy.They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves. | high1472.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "carry out one simple task"
},
"options": [
"solve some difficult maths problems",
"retell some dictated sentences",
"follow the teacher's instructions",
"carry out one simple task"
],
"question": "During the stu... | Children whose minds wander might have sharper brains, a research suggests.
A study has found that people who appear to be often distracted have more "working memory", giving them the ability to hold a lot of information in their heads and control it cleverly.
Children at school need this type of memory on a daily basis for a variety of tasks, such as following teachers' instructions or remembering dictated sentences. During the study, volunteers were asked to perform one simple task during which researchers kept asking if their minds were wandering. At the end, volunteers measured their working memory capacity by their ability to remember a series of letters mixed with simple maths questions.
Daniel Levinson, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States, said that those with higher working memory capacity reported "more mind wandering during these simple tasks", but their performance did not _ .
The results, published online in the journal Psychological Science, appear to confirm former research that found working memory allows humans to deal with multiple thoughts at the same time.
Dr Jonathan Smallwood, of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science in Leipzig, Germany, said, "What this study seems to suggest is that, when surroundings for the task aren't very difficult, people with additional working memory capacity use them effectively to think about other things besides what they're doing."
Working memory capacity is also associated with general measures of intelligence, such as reading comprehension and IQ scores. Dr Smallwood added: "Our results suggest the sorts of planning that people do quite often in daily life - when they are on the bus, when they are cycling to work, when they are in the shower - are probably supported by working memory." | high13135.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Customers didn't accept his taste in fashion."
},
"options": [
"He had to prepare for his exam.",
"The dresses he bought weren't of high quality.",
"Customers didn't accept his taste in fashion.",
"He didn't have enough... | Luo Jingyu, 19, has four years of experience of running business. He is also a freshman in the arts department of Hubei University.
Luo Jingyu is from an ordinary family. He said, "My parents told me if I wanted something I should make an effort to get it, so I earned pocket money by doing housework when I was little." The dream of running his own business grew in his heart. He said, "I want to be a successful person, like Alibaba's Ma Yun."
When Luo was a junior student, he had the idea of selling lanterns when he saw many people flying Chinese lanterns in a square. Luo bought some lanterns from a store, but the sales were not as good as he had expected. Then he found another way to do business. He bought lanterns on the Internet at a very low price. Finally he easily made 5,000 yuan in two days.
With a happy beginning, Luo planned to open a dress shop. "My parents didn't support me opening a dress shop, so I had to borrow 120,000 yuan for it." Although he did market research before starting, the business wasn't very good because his taste in fashion wasn't accepted by customers. The shop eventually closed down after half a year.
After experiencing a big loss, he decided to do something he was familiar with --- selling painting tools. As a fine arts student, he knew the market. He convinced his friends to invest one million yuan in his shop. With a good business mind and a lot of effort, the sales of the shop reached six million yuan in a year.
Even though Luo is rich, he uses a cheap cell phone and does not wear luxury clothes. He has a simple lifestyle. "It isn't easy to make money, so money should be used on something worthwhile," he said. | high7003.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "3."
},
"options": [
"2.",
"3.",
"4.",
"5."
],
"question": "How many kinds of threats are particularly mentioned to bear species?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | OSLO ( Reuters) -Six of the world's eight bear species are under threat of extinction after the addition yesterday of the sun bear, the world's smallest type of bear, to a "Red List" which says China's panda is most at risk. The sun bear is threatened partly by poachers who sell its bile as medicine, said the World Conservation Union which runs the list of the threatened wildlife.
"Things are getting worse for all the bear species except the American black bear which is unquestionably increasing," said Simon Smart, senior species adviser for the Union.
The addition of the sun bear to the authoritative "Red List" after a major review means the American black bear and the brown bear, found from Europe to Alaska, are the only two of eight species still considered robust . The sun bear, found in Asia from Bangladesh to Borneo and weighing up to about 70kg, was rated "vulnerable " by experts at the Union,which consists of more than 80 governments, conservation groups and scientists. The union said there were several thousand sun bears in the wild. "We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30 percent over the past 30 years, and continue to decline at this speed," said Ron Steinmetz, head of the Swiss- based Union's sun bear expert team.
Scientists did not change the level of threat to any bear species (except sun bears). Deforestation, loss of habitat to roads and cities and poaching are among risks. The Asian black bear, the sloth bear and the Andean bear were all proved again as vulnerable after reassessment of land-living bears. The polar, the only species not reassessed, is separately rated as vulnerable. Pandas were regarded again as endangered, one step closer to extinction than vulnerable, in spite of China's protection efforts for the bamboo-eaters. | high14882.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Noisy Life"
},
"options": [
"Noisy Life",
"Background Noise",
"Disturbed Concentration",
"Changeable Noise"
],
"question": "The best title for this passage is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},... | Life gets noisier every day and very few people can be free from noise of some sort or another. It doesn't matter where you live--in the middle of a modern city, or a faraway village--the chances that you will be disturbed by jet aero planes, transistor radios, oil-powered engines, etc. are almost everywhere.We seem to be getting used to noise, too. Some people feel quite lonely without background music while they are working.
Scientific tests have shown that total silence can be very frightening experience for human beings. However, some people enjoy listening to pop music which is very loud, and this can do harm to their eardrums .The noise level in some disco is far above the usual safety level for heavy industrial areas.
One recent report about noise and concentration suggested that although a lot of people say that any noise disturbs their concentration, what really affects their ability to concentrate is a change in the level of noise. It goes on to say that a background noise, which doesn't change too much (music, for example) may even help people to concentrate. | high11722.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Personal privacy is inaccessible online with control customized."
},
"options": [
"It is illegal to keep track of personal privacy on Facebook.",
"Personal privacy is inaccessible online with control customized.",
"People ten... | Q: On Facebook, my friends are a mix of real-life pals, former classmates, professional colleagues, extended-family members, and ... my mom. Mom is the first to like and comment on everything I post, which is annoying. I tried talking to her about it, but her feelings quickly got hurt, so I backed off. I know I can't block her, but now I don't want to post anything. How do I handle this?
A: This is about Facebook, not your mom. The often-shrugged-off truth about social media is that nothing is private. It's easy to forget this, so in a way, you're lucky that your mom is reminding you. Everything you post--comments, likes, photos--is freely available to future friends, employers, lovers etc unless blocked. That said, you can ask Mom again nicely to tone it down. You can also customize your controls so she can't see everything you post.
Q: In which situations am I required to make a phone call versus send a text message?
A: A text is for information--time, date, news. It's for the stuff you can keep short and sweet. A phone call is for analysis, discussion, opinion, and, if you must, gossip.
Q: I'm always on Facebook, so I just send messages to friends through the site. But when should I log off and send an e-mail?
A: When you're serious about anything. Think of it as chatting with someone on a bus versus asking her to meet you for coffee. The former is good for casual conversation; the latter is personal and requires attention.
Q: For which occasions should I mail paper invitations versus send e-mail ones? (E-cards are free and easy--what's not to love?!)
A: Anything important needs a paper invitation. That's your baseline. So ask yourself: "Do I want people to dress up for this event?" If the answer is yes, dress up your invitation by making it printed instead of virtual. For more casual events and gatherings, e-card away.
Q: Is using emoticons ever inappropriate to express a feeling or make a point in texts or e-mails?
A: Emoticons are for fun. Is the message you're writing fun? Use an emoticon. Are you asking for a big favor? Skip it. Is the message to your boss or a colleague? Skip it. Avoid them if you want to be taken seriously about anything.
Q: I have a big, happy announcement to share with a lot of people. Is it appropriate to share it on my blog?
A: Yes, so you don't have to go cc-ing everyone in an e-mail. Post away. But send a private message to those who should know first.
Q: I have a big, sad announcement. What should I do?
A: Respect your privacy--and yourself. Pick up the phone and call a trusted friend or family member to let her know, and then ask her to help spread the news offline. | high5614.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "film"
},
"options": [
"image",
"factory",
"film",
"camera"
],
"question": "In 1884, George Eastman changed photography by inventing a new kind of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"ans... | The invention of the camera goes far into the past. In the 1500s, men were experimenting with cameras that made images. But it was not until the early 1800s that man found a way to make the pictures permanent. Even then, photography was a new field. Most families had their pictures taken by a photographer. People did not own cameras because taking pictures and developing the film were too difficult.
In 1884, George Eastman changed photography by inventing a kind of film that fit into a small camera. Because the new film was easy to use, many people began to buy cameras. When they had used up their film, people returned their cameras to the factory. There, the film was developed, and pictures were printed. Then more film was put into the cameras, which was sent back to the owners, along with their pictures.
Eastman's camera made it easy to take pictures. Today's cameras are even easier to use, and people can put in their own film. Photography has become a growing hobby.
There are also many new jobs in the field of photography. One of the most important kinds of work is in news reporting. Newspapers, magazines, and television all need pictures to tell their stories. Photographers aid scientists by taking pictures through microscopes and telescopes. Deep-sea divers take pictures of ocean plants and animals, while astronauts take cameras into space. Man finds new uses for the cameras every day. | high17353.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Britain."
},
"options": [
"Britain.",
"Several European countries.",
"The United States of America.",
"None of the above."
],
"question": "Who turned Australia into a colony?",
"question_type": "factiod_ques... | Australia, the last continent, was discovered by ships belonging to some European nations in the seventeenth century. These nations were less interested in changing it into a colony than in exploring it. As in the early history of the United States, it was the English who set up the settlements in Australia. This history and the geography of these two British colonies have some other things in common as well.
Australia and the United States are about the same in size, and their western lands are both not rich in soil. It was the eastern coast of Australia and American that the English first settled, and both colonies soon began to develop towards the west. However, this westward movement took place more because the English were searching for better land than because the population was increasing. Settlements of the western part of both countries developed quickly after gold was discovered in America in 1849 and in Australia two years later.
Although the development of these two countries has a lot in common, there are some striking differences as well. The United States gained its independence from England by revolution while Australis won its independence without having to go to war. Australia, unlike the United States, was firstly truned into a colony by English prisoners and its economic development was in wheat growing and sheep raising. By 1922, for example, Australia had fifteen times more sheep than it had people, or almost half as many sheep as there are people today in the United States. Yet, in spite of these and other main differences, Australia and the United States have more in common with each other than either one has with most of the rest of the world. | high18706.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they draw attention to common things in life"
},
"options": [
"they are close in style to works in ancient times",
"they look like works by 19th-century painters",
"they draw attention to common things in life",
"they d... | Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists. No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change-to find _ where no one has ever seen or experienced it before.
Landscape is another unchanging element of art. It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists. In the 1970s, Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice. Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before. Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees. In his paintings, there is no particular change in emotion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background. He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom.
Besides, all art begs the age-old question: What is real? Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another. The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests. To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for artists of all periods.
Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant. Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience. Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings. | high5172.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "one's occupation affects the way one is treated as a person"
},
"options": [
"one's position is used as a standard to measure one's intelligence",
"talented people like her should fail to get a respectable job",
"one's occupa... | Like most people, I've long understood that I will be judged by .www.ks5u.commy occupation, that my profession is a standard people use to see how smart or talented I am. Recently, however, I was disappointed to see that it also decides how I'm treated as a person.
Last year I left a professional position as a small-town reporter and took a job waiting tables. As someone paid to serve food to people, I had customers say and do things to me I suspect they'd never say or do to their most casual acquaintances . One night a man talking on his cell phone waved me away, then asked me back with his finger minutes later, complaining he was ready to order and asking where I'd been.
I had waited tables during summers in college and was treated like a peon by plenty of people. But at 19 years old, I believed I deserved inferior treatment from professional adults. Besides, people responded to me differently after I told them I was in college. Customers would joke that one day I'd be sitting at their table, waiting to be served.
Once I graduated, I took a job at a community newspaper. From my first day, I heard a respectful tone from everyone who called me. I assumed this was the way the professional world worked .
I soon found out differently. I sat several feet away from an advertising sales representative with a similar name. Our calls would often get mixed up and someone asking for Kristen would be transferred to Christie. The mistake was immediately evident. Perhaps it was because money was involved, but people used a tone with Kristen that they never used with me. .www.ks5u.com
My job title made people treat me politely. So it was a shock to return to the restaurant industry.
It's no secret that there's a lot to put up with when waiting tables, and fortunately, much of it can be easily forgotten when you pocket the tips. The service industry, by definition, exists to satisfy others' needs. Still, it seemed that many of my customers didn't get the difference between server and servant.
I'm now applying to graduate school, which means someday I'll return to a profession where people need to be nice to me in order to get what they want. I think I'll take them to dinner first, and see how they treat someone whose only job is to serve them. | high20299.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "help the passengers when they were in trouble"
},
"options": [
"help the pilot manage the airplane",
"help the passengers when they were in trouble",
"help the passengers adventure by plane",
"ensure the safety of the a... | My name is Laura. At the age of 35, I decided to work on the plane against the will of my children. After my first plane ride at the age of five, I felt so excited that I had a dream of earning my wings on the plane. I didn't earn much, but I loved my job.
We were flying from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C, when I answered a call. Then I went to the cabin , I found a young mother struggling with her baby son.
She told me that she had no more diapers . With the saddest eyes I have ever seen, she continued. She said she had two babies, but she could no longer support two of them. She was taking her son to a family in New Hampshire.
As she stood in front of me, crying, I could see the hopelessness on her face. I went away and got some diapers from the other mothers, and gave her a sweater of mine. After the woman and her son had changed their clothes, I sat with her, holding her hand, trying to provide some support and comfort. I could feel her pain and her love for her baby son. During that time, I kept thinking of my children who were waiting for me in New York.
Once we landed, I walked with them to their next flight, which would take them to their final destination. The woman thanked me a lot, and I replied, "Thank you, too." At this moment, I couldn't wait to return home to see my children. | high19418.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "his memory is not often used"
},
"options": [
"his memory is not often used",
"he does not use his arms or legs for some time",
"he can't read or write",
"his father or mother may have a poor memory"
],
"questio... | Believe it or not, if you do not use your arms or your legs for a long time, they become weak. When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows that. Yet many people do not seem to know that memory works in the same way.
When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by using it. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend says that his arms and legs are weak, we know that it is his fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, and few of us know that it is just his own fault.
Have you ever found that some people can't read or write but they have better memories? This is because they cannot read or write and they have to remember things; they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember days, names, songs and stories; so their memory is the whole time being exercised. | high21187.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "professional computer knowledge"
},
"options": [
"a suitable degree",
"certain working experience",
"professional computer knowledge",
"a good command of English"
],
"question": "Most of the positions require th... | We are seeking for qualified and experienced candidates to join our fast growing team for the following positions at Ratchathewi (Head Office), Pracha - Uthit (site), Pantai Norasing (site), Thepharak (site), and a few other incoming projects in Bangkok.
*Project Managers
-Degree in Civil / Structural Engineering
-Minimum 7 years' working experience in similar capacity, preferably in building construction.
-Ability to plan and execute works, keep deadlines, control cost and implement continual quality improvement
-Possess leadership attributes, good interpersonal and follow-up skill to motivate subordinates and develop team spirit
-Possess a valid driving license
*Accounting Officer
--Degree in Accounting
--Minimum 1~2 years accounting experience
--Knowledge of accounting packages & spreadsheets
*Account Executive / Finance Executive
--Degree in Accounting
--Preferably 3 years' accounting experience VAT, Withholding tax compliance & submission
--Knowledge of accounting packages & spreadsheets
--Expert at English and Thai spoken or written
--Ability to handle full set accounts
*Senior Admin. Asst.
--Minimum 5 years experience in Building Construction company is preferable.
--Computer literate with knowledge in Microsoft Office
--Good command of both written and oral English compulsory.
--Female preferred
*Site Supervisor
--Diploma / Certificate in Building or Civil Engineering
--Minimum 5 years' working experience in building construction or precast concrete manufacturing
--Able to work independently and co - ordinate work effectively
All positions mention above requires candidates with good command of both written and oral English. Interested candidate, please send your application stating full qualification, work experience and expected salary together with a copy of transcript and a recent photograph to the address below:
ASCE Construction Limited.
503/19E K.S.L. Tower (11TH Floor), Sri-Ayudthaya Rd., Thanon Phayathai,
Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400
TEL: - 02642-6272 , 02642-6120
FAX: - 02642-6273
E-MAIL: asce _ construction@hotmail.com | high11044.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Shanghai will be getting ready for the 40\nthOlympic Games."
},
"options": [
"China will be richer than it is now.",
"Shanghai will be getting ready for the 40\nthOlympic Games.",
"We will see the blue and clear sky and smell... | Four students are talking about the future after class.
Deng Yu: In 2050, China will be richer than it is now. Beijing will be getting ready for the 40thOlympic Games in 2050. We will see the blue and clear sky and smell the fresh air. There will be more pandas living happily in China. I believe that 2050 will be the year of China.
Liu Yan: A holiday to the moon will no longer be a dream. We can also travel far to other planets and talk with spacemen. We might also eat something like pills instead of today's meals. Everyone will enjoy a longer life.
Sun Wei: Robots will be more popular. They will do what people don't want to do. We'll build new homes on other planets. By then, I'll be sixty years old.
Zhang Lan: By the year of 2050, cloning will have been used in many ways. It will bring back animals which disappeared many years ago. There will be no pollution. The whole world will be one big family. There will be no wars. We'll live a much easier and better life. | high3503.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To report the tips of an American food psychologist on holiday eating."
},
"options": [
"To report the tips of an American food psychologist on holiday eating.",
"To report on studies of weight problems conducted by an American foo... | The New Year holidays bring delicious food, but no one wants a weight problem after they are over.
American Food psychologist Brian Wansink has recently published "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think". The book explains why we eat what we eat and how we can control our eating.
Most of his suggestions are based on scientific studies he has conducted as director of Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab.
Here are 10 of his tips for the holiday season:
1 People tend to eat more when distracted by conversation or a game on TV. Setting your chopsticks down and giving full attention to the conversation will prevent overeating.
2 See it before you eat it. Eating chips from a bowl led one group to consume 134 fewer calories than others who ate straight from the bag.
3 Keep the evidence on the table, such as chicken bones, cake papers, and candy wrappers . Studies have shown that leaving the wrappers and remains of food on the table leads diners to eat less.
4 Budget calories. Do not eat the appetizer if you know you want dessert. It will be easier to count how many calories you consume.
5 Sit next to the slowest eater at the table and try to eat slower than him or her. Always be the last one to start eating, and set your chopsticks down after every bite.
6 Don't avoid the food you really want, but eat it in smaller portions .
7 The more variety, the more people will eat. When there are a smaller number of dishes on the table people eat less.
8 Put foods that are unhealthy in the back of the cupboard , the back of the refrigerator, the back of the freezer. You can also "hide" food that is bad for you. Office workers ate 23 percent less candy when it was in a white, covered candy dish than in a see-through one.
9 Use small bowls. A study found that people serving themselves from smaller bowls ate 59 per cent less.
10 Use tall, narrow glasses for drinks. Even experienced waiters poured more into short, wide glasses than into thin ones. | high23948.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens."
},
"options": [
"Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good.",
"Achieving ZPG is every country's aim in spite of its side effects.",
"Achieving ZPG is bad for senior c... | Many of the world's countries have reached or are approaching zero population growth (ZPG) .Nearly all such lands are economically well developed.They include much of Europe(including Russia),the United States,Canada,Japan.and Australia.As the rate of natural increase(RNI)declines,two things happen.First,the population begins to decline if the loss is not balanced by immigration.Second,a country's population ages because there are fewer births.
Is achieving ZPG good or bad? What happens when a country's population begins to drop? Many people,after all,believe that population decline is a good thing.But is it good for everyone? Does everyone agree?
An aging population can create many problems.Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention.Rather than paying into retirement programs,they begin to draw from their pensions.In the US,the Social Security program,according to many experts,will be used up by 2018.It will pay out more money than it takes in.Additionally, a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or entry. level positions that pay low wages.With an able to do them.Many of these jobs are aging population,who will fill them? At the other extreme,some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills.Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce?
The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple:increased migration.Today many people,particularly those from less developed countries,are migrating in search of employment.Many are willing to take jobs that cannot(or will not) be filled by _ .Others are well educated and highly skilled.Both groups contribute to a country's economy progress in many ways.Further, they add to the richness of a country's culture.Of greatest importance,perhaps,is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands.As you can see,for many countries and for most immigrants,migration is a win--win situation. | high9990.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a new currency used both online and in real life"
},
"options": [
"actually exactly like QQ Coins",
"only used online",
"a new currency used both online and in real life",
"a country's new digital currency."
],
... | You may not be aware, but digital currency is a big part of the Internet world. QQ Coins can buy you accessories for your QQ images. More importantly, a new digital currency, Bitcoin, is bringing the world's commerce online.
If you're traveling, you can spend Bitcoins at restaurants and hotels listed at BitcoinTravel.com. In China, Bitcoins can be used to buy goods at about 134 online shops on Taobao. And at a cafe named 2nd Place in Beijing, you can even buy fresh coffee with Bitcoins.
So what makes Bitcoin so attractive to investors?
First of all, the Bitcoin system is not controlled by anyone. One central authority cannot make policies to change the value of Bitcoins. The fixed amount of Bitcoins also means they cannot lose value through inflation , as all forms of paper money have done over time.
In addition, accounts in the Bitcoin system are anonymous and transparent. Users can set up an account easily and track every Bitcoin. All of these features seem to make Bitcoins immune from loss, but that is not entirely true.
"The value of Bitcoins can vary wildly as no central government makes the price of them steady. If the value drops suddenly, investors cannot get any compensation ," Zhao Qingming, a senior researcher at China Construction Bank, told China Economic Weekly. And Bitcoins, unlike company shares, are not backed by any tangible funds, which also adds to their risk.
While China will not recognize the digital currency anytime soon, Xinhua said, lawmakers and officials at a hearing on Nov. 18 in the US made positive comments about Bitcoin.
Ben Bernanke, outgoing chairman of the Federal Reserve, told the Washington Post that "these types of creations, such as Bitcoin... may hold long-term promise, particularly if its system promotes a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system." | high8456.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Rob did the breathtaking wave riding in the film Soul Surfer."
},
"options": [
"Hamilton was severely injured when surfing.",
"Nobody thought Hamilton could overcome the troubles.",
"Rob did the breathtaking wave riding in th... | In 2003, Bethany Hamilton,13, lost her left arm to a shark attack while surfing off Kauai, Hawaii. A new film ,Soul Surfer, is based on the story of how she overcame that to achieve her dream of becoming a professional athlete.
Growing up on the "garden isle" of Kauai, Hamilton spent every minute she could riding the waves. She was on the verge of becoming a top competitor in professional surfing. But while she was practicing at an isolated cove ,a four-meter-long tiger shark ripped off her left arm. Though her life was saved, nobody could imagine she would ever get back on a surfboard again.
In a true test of her faith and by _ will power, Bethany did get back up on a surfboard only a month after the attack. Six months later, she was competing again. Bethany Hamilton won her first amateur surfing championship just two years after she lost her arm. She also established the "Friends of Bethany," a non---profit foundation dedicated to supporting sharks attack victims.
It's a story told in her autobiography, which is the basis for the film that stars teenager Anna Sophia Robb. "I knew Bethany's story, of course, but I thought 'What an incredible role' ,"explains Robb. "I was so fascinated by all of the challenges. What would it be like to have your arm taken and what would go through your head and how would your faith be challenged?"
The filmmakers used special effects to digitally remove Robb' s arm .However ,no tricks were necessary for the surfing scenes because Hamilton herself did the breathtaking wave riding.
Now 21, Hamilton says she hopes audiences find inspiration in the description of the sport she loves.
"Not a lot of people know that much about surfing, so I hope they're educated about it," Hamilton says. "And most of all if people are going through a hard time, they could be encouraged and find inspiration to push through those hard times and see that, in my case ,so much good has come out of it." | high858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a problem and a solution"
},
"options": [
"a personal narrative",
"a problem and a solution",
"a spatial description",
"a persuasive essay"
],
"question": "This passage is organized as_.",
"question_type":... | When it's 10:15 in New York, it's 9:15 in Salt Lake City, and 7:15 in San Francisco - isn't it? This consistent and orderly time system, based on a grid of time zones, seems so natural that people rarely give it a moment's thought. So you may find it surprising to learn that prior to the late 1800s each community established its own time - by looking at the sun. When the sun shone directly overhead in Washington, D.C., for example, it was 12:00 noon there; up the road in Philadelphia, however, it was 12:07, and in Boston it was 12:24. To measure time with accuracy, it is necessary to move the clock about one minute for every twelve miles of distance; so according to "sun time" your pocket watch would be slightly incorrect if you ventured only a few miles down the road.
It was not until the advent of widespread railroad travel that a need arose for regularized time. At one point over 300 local times were honored within the country, making it literally impossible for trains to arrive consistently on time everywhere. As a result, in 1883 the continental, United States was divided into four time longitude. The standardization resulting from this system proved so helpful that in 1884 the International Meridian Conference applied the same procedure to establish time zones around the world. Thus, if it is 11:07 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a little simple research will quickly determine that in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it is 9:07 A.M. - and not 9:15. | high23790.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "start cooking on Sundays regularly"
},
"options": [
"attend a cooking competition",
"start cooking on Sundays regularly",
"buy the cookbook The Family Cooks",
"spend more time with families on Sundays"
],
"quest... | We need your help -- actually, we all need each other's help!
Although dinner might be just about our only daily opportunity to sit down together, catch up and eat a healthy meal, we tend to be too busy/stressed/tired (you can throw in a dozen other reasons) to cook ourselves. The kids are shrieking, everyone is starving and your fridge contains nothing but a few squishy squashes and a limp carrot. So what do we all do? We give up and give in to some awful food choices that someone in some far-off factory or fast-food restaurant "cooked" without one bit of love in their heart. And this is making us sick and fat and it's killing us.
Why not try HOME COOKED SUNDAYS? The idea is simple: Use the one day of the week we do have time to cook -- Sundays. Let's make it a fun bonding activity -- and a wildly productive and delicious one, too. Let's use Sundays to shop, prep and cook with our families (hey, everyone can pitch in!), and then enjoy a great sit-down dinner at the family table. Let's turn this into a cherished weekly ritual .
To get people excited and cooking again, Kirstin Uhrenholdt (she is Danish and -- no kidding -- grew up on a fruit farm) and I wrote The Family Cooks, a cookbook filled with easy, healthy and tasty recipes.
We included lots of tips and tricks to avoid an unhealthy week -- including how to avoid junk food hazards in the supermarket, and ways that small and big kids can help you cook. We know you have good ones, too. So let's share all our great ideas and inspire others to give it a try, because we know that Home Cooked Sundays will guarantee calmer and healthier weeknights -- and give us the perfect way to start the week connecting with our kids while teaching them a thing or two about health and happiness.
Will you help make home-cooked meals synonymous with Sundays? Share your ideas, inspirations and best tips on how you prep your fridge on Sunday for a smooth week ahead. Send us your three best tips and favorite go-to recipe for Sunday dinner.
We will post ours, and together, we'll make Home Cooked Sunday the single best and most delicious day of the week! | high9748.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "is planted on levels upwards"
},
"options": [
"is mainly built outwards",
"is dependent on solar power",
"is planted on levels upwards",
"is only an environmental friendly farm"
],
"question": "According to the ... | A farm planted levels or floors is called a vertical farm. A skyscraper type building can house a vertical farm. Since the garden is built upwards,rather than outwards,it requires much less space than a conventional farm.
The world is quickly running out of room for conventional farming. Vertical farms could be a key to this situation. An 18story vertical farm could feed as many as 50,000 people,all in an area which is the size of the average city block. Vertical farms in the city could cut down on transportation costs as well. Think about the amount of fuel it takes to transport food from farmland to city. The resources saved would be surprising. Besides saving travel time,food would be delivered in fresher condition and with less damage.
There is a growing concern about the use of pesticides in agriculture today. But the vertical farm would be a greenhouse type environment, avoiding the need for a large number of pesticides. Vertical farms can be built in a contained space,therefore they are an excellent solution for living well in an environment far different from our own. Hydroponics could be a big part of vertical gardening. This would reduce the amount of soil needed to grow food. Of course,not all food does well with this type of planting,but there are many crops that actually seem to do better.
In some climates,a lack of sunlight creates a short growing season. The solar power option may not work as well here. The addition of grow lights would make it possible to grow crops in vertical gardens in these areas .In other words,we could grow crops in areas where we never could before.
Vertical farms may just be a concept for now,but they are a concept that will solve many of our problems in the future. | high680.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "kind and warm-hearted"
},
"options": [
"good at cheating others",
"dishonest",
"kind and warm-hearted",
"foolish"
],
"question": "We could see from the passage that the mouse was _ .",
"question_type": "cl... | A mouse looked through a hole in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was astonished to discover that it was a mouse trap!
Running to the farmyard, the mouse shouted, warning, "There is a mouse trap in the house; there is a mouse trap in the house." The chicken with her head high, said, "Shut up, Little Ugly. This is a great concern to you, but it has nothing to do with me; I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mouse trap in the house." "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse," said the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; you are always in my prayers."
The mouse turned to the cow, who said, "A mouse trap; am I in great danger, huh?"
So the mouse had to face the farmer's mouse trap alone.
That very night a sound was heard through the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a poisonous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
She returned home with a fever. It is said that drinking fresh chicken soup will help treat fever, so the farmer took his sharp knife to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer killed the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well, in fact, she died, and so many people came for her funeral. The farmer had the cow killed to provide meat for all of them to eat.
So next time someone is facing a problem, don't say that has nothing to do with you. | high1314.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "sensed that something terrible had happened."
},
"options": [
"sensed that something terrible had happened.",
"might be very concerned about who phoned so late.",
"wanted to scold the people who phoned so late.",
"was n... | It was a late Wednesday night when the dreading phone call reached our home. I sat up, somehow terrified, so I could hear the phone call better. To my surprise, I heard my mom burst into tears. "Get the car, Dean! Andrea has been in a car accident."
_ We got to the hospital, but were not allowed to see Andrea. The next morning, after wearing masks, we were allowed to go to the ICU to see Andrea. Well, the least I could say was that everything was injured in her body and she lost all of her memories. It was a fatal accident.
Over the next two months, I lived more at the hospital than I did at my house. I watched as Andrea worked so hard to gain back everyday motor skills. She never once complained or pitied herself; her determined spirit was shining through. After two weeks in the ICU and two months of the regular hospital treatment, Andrea was able to come home. She missed several months of school, so it was hard for her to catch up. Andrea had tasks to accomplish, and no matter how hard it was, she stuck with them until the job was done. Though busy with dealing with pain and therapy, she always found time to love and play with me.
I'll never forget the impact that this incident made on my life. I admire her strong-willed personality and her determined spirit. Today she is perfectly normal, despite the scars and the pins holding her leg in place. I couldn't ask for a better sister, hero, or best friend. | high13653.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication"
},
"options": [
"literary greats usually used the pen name",
"his father encouraged him to use the name",
"he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication",
... | He was once referred to as the _ of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda(1904--1973).
Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table became a major influence on his work.
However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.
In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair." Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. "I need the sea because it teaches me," he wrote. "I move in the university of the waves." He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work. | high9984.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "wolves can be tamed."
},
"options": [
"wolves can be tamed.",
"wolves are like ticking bombs",
"wolves like living with humans",
"keeping wolves at home is easy"
],
"question": "The writer uses the example of Ku... | Who needs guard dogs when you have wolves , right? That's probably what Kazakh villagers in the Almaty region though when they decided to replace their dogs with the fierce forest dwelling beasts. According to local news reports, taming wolves is now the latest trend and a sort of hobby among rural Kazakhs.
Nurseit Zhylkyshybay, a farmer from the south-eastern Almaty region, told reporters that he purchased a wolf cub from hunters three years ago, and the animal is now perfectly tamed.
Kurtka, Nurseit's pet wolf, lives in the family's yard and takes long walks through the village with his master. "He's never _ ," Nurseit insisted. "I rarely put him on a chain and do take him for regular walks around the village. Our family and neighbors aren't scared of him at all."
But wolf expert Almas Zhaparov said that the animals are 'far too dangerous' to keep at home. "A wolf is like a ticking bomb, it can go off at any moment," he warned. "If nothing is done, the fashion could spread to the wealthy Kazakhs, who might try to keep wolves in the grounds of their houses, with possibly deadly consequences." Social media users also expressed worry about the trend, accusing the government for failing to limit the practice.
Nevertheless, the wolves don't seem to be posing an immediate threat. If visuals from news reports are anything to go by, the beasts look pretty happy with their new lifestyle, and appear quite fond of their new masters, not unlike dogs. | high12559.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It sounds very attractive."
},
"options": [
"It sounds very attractive.",
"It ensures national security.",
"It will bring oil prices down.",
"It will protect the environment."
],
"question": "What does the autho... | People talk about energy everywhere. Green energy, for example. Then, energy independence. It has a nice ring to it. Doesn't it? If you think so, you're not alone, because energy independence has been the dream of American president for decades, and never more so than in the past few years, when the most recent oil price shock has been partly responsible for kicking off the great recession .
"Energy independence" and its rhetorical companion "energy security" are, however, unreliable concepts that are rarely thought through. What is it that we want independence from, exactly?
Most people would probably say that they want to be independent from imported oil. But there are reasons that we buy all that oil from elsewhere.
The first reason is that we need it to keep our economy running. Yes, there is a trickle of biofuel available, and more may become available, but most biofuels cause economic waste and environmental destruction.
Second, Americans have basically decided that they don't really want to produce all their own oil. They value the environmental quality they preserve over their oil imports from abroad. Vast areas of the United States are off-limits to oil exploration and production in the name of environmental protection. To what extent are Americans really willing to tolerate the environmental influence of domestic energy production in order to cut back imports?
Third, there are benefits to trade. It allows for economic efficiency, and when we buy things from places that have lower production costs than we do, we benefit. And although you don't read about this much, the United States is also a large exporter of oil products, selling about 2 million barrels of petroleum products per day to about 90 countries.
There is no question that the United States imports a great deal of energy and, in fact, relies on that steady flow to keep its economy stable. When that flow is interrupted, we feel the pain in short supplies and higher prices. At the same time, we get massive economic benefits when we buy the most affordable energy on the world market and when we engage in energy trade around the world. | high8442.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "has read about the writer's articles"
},
"options": [
"loves Americans",
"has read about the writer's articles",
"is an American",
"knows little about Americans"
],
"question": "From the passage we can know that... | Dear Flowermouse,
Thank you for your comments on how Americans and Chinese view each other. This is an important subject. Modern technology has given many nations the chance of destroying other nations. This is a cruel picture but it is a realistic one. It means that every nation should make sure that these weapons of great destruction are never used. This requires greater acceptance of differences among people and nations in all parts of the planet.
Your letter asks specially about Chinese-American relationships but I want to let you know my feelings on a global scale. Because China and America are the most powerful nations and I believe they have a special responsibility for promoting better understanding and for leading the way toward peaceful solutions to the world's problems.
You ask how Chinese and American people view each other. This is an important question. Because I know so little about China that I am not able to judge how Chinese view Americans. I am sure that the view differs according to individual experiences that persons might have. And it is not easy to describe America to foreigners. America is a vast mass of people and cultures. These people came from all parts of the world, from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and Australia. Each brought a different culture and a different set of values within a single nation.
I believe that the vast majority of Americans like the vast majority of Chinese want peace and friendship between our two nations. Both China and America have suffered through generations from war and violence in our history. And I believe that it is the special responsibility of all Chinese and all Americans to impress this need for mutual understanding on our neighbors in other.
So my friend, this is my response. Please know that I write to you as a private person living in America. I do feel strongly that people everywhere have more in common than they have in differences. We all share the same basic needs for existence and we all depend upon the same need for the survival of this beautiful planet earth. Maybe we can begin to encourage better communication and better understanding through my columns. I hope so. | high7771.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "discounts for certain exhibitions"
},
"options": [
"reserved access to 2 sites",
"free entry to any museums",
"free use of ATAC within Italy",
"discounts for certain exhibitions"
],
"question": "With Roma Pass y... | Roma Pass Kit enables both tourists and interested local residents the opportunity to benefit from various discounts and services that make it easier and cheaper to enjoy the sights of Rome.
Free entry to the first 2 visited museums and / or archaeological sites of your choice.
Concessionary ticket to all other museums and / or archaeological sites visited thereafter.
Free use of the city's public transport network.Valid until midnight of the third day inclusive that of the first validation for ATAC public transport within the territory of the Municipality of Rome.
Discounted tickets to exhibitions,events and other cooperating operators and businesses (Roma Pass Guide).
Tourist cultural services Roma Passe.
At the Colosseum a reserved turnstile is available for Roma Pass holders to get direct access to the monument.
In the kit:
The Roma Pass card:the card used to visit museums / archaeological sites and on the public transport system as described above.
Roma MAP:A map with all the Tourist Information Points,Metro stations,museums and other sites of interest;
Roma Pass Guide:the list of under agreement museums/sites.and the list of all the partners of the Roma Pass which offer discounts to card holders;
Roma Passe:the card with the App activation code to download the best of the city.
How to use it:
The overleaf form must be filled with name,surname and validation date.
The card is valid for three days and is activated at the time of the first entry to the museums/sites,and/or at the first journey on public transport,up until midnight of the third day, including the day of the activation.
It must be produced along with your identity papers when required by the staff in charge.
Please note that most museums generally are closed on Mondays (with the exception of the Colosseum and the Baths of Caracalla).Almost all the museums normally are closed on December 25 , January l and May l too.We advise you to check in advance. | high14128.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A busy life."
},
"options": [
"An easy life.",
"A happy life.",
"A busy life.",
"A healthy life."
],
"question": "What kind of life do campers live before they go camping?",
"question_type": "factiod_questio... | Here are many kinds of vacations. People can go traveling abroad or spend their holidays at the seaside. One kind of vacation is camping. Many Americans enjoy going camping because it is good for them. Each summer millions of Americans drive to the countryside where they find places to camp. There are a lot of national parks in the USA and these national parks mostly stand on the mountains. They are people's favorite camping places.
Campers are free from the busy life in the noisy and crowded city. They throw themselves into the arms of Mother Nature. They enjoy the fresh air, lakes and forests in these parks. Hiking, swimming and fishing are the main kinds of exercise. They can see different sorts of animals and plants there.
Some campers have trailers which they pull behind their cars to the camping places. Trailers are like small houses on wheels, having many of the things that people use in their homes, such as electricity, hot water, kitchen tools and things like that. But most campers don't have trailers. Tent campers lead a very simple but healthy life.
Camping is a pleasant sports activity. After living a while in the open, campers become as fresh as paintings. They feel relaxed. | high23784.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Junior chef."
},
"options": [
"Kitchen manager.",
"Kitchen assistant.",
"Food service assistant.",
"Junior chef."
],
"question": "Which job probably offers the second highest salary?",
"question_type": "fact... | This busy and popular hotel requires a Junior Chef. You will need to be energetic, enthusiastic with a minimum of five years' kitchen experience. You must assist the head and senior chefs in the creation of new dishes. Annual salaries range from 20,000 to 25,000 pounds. Please send or e-mail your CV to the Personnel Administrator Hydo Hotel, Mount Road Eastbourne BN207HZ eclaine.ward@hydrohotel.com.
We are looking for a kitchen assistant willing to learn the day-to-day jobs in a professional kitchen environment. You must have a passion for cooking and basic understanding of spoken English. You will mainly be working for a well-known company and learn valuable cheffing skills. The salary will be based on experience but could start from 12,500 pounds to 14,000 pounds annually plus tips. Please forward your CV and a letter of recommendation.
01428644460
Kitchen Manager. Spirit Pub Company is looking for the best individuals to lead our kitchen teams through some very exciting new developments. As an experienced Kitchen Manager, you will play an important role in engaging the chef team by great leaderships to deliver excellent standards and guest satisfaction. We can offer a starting salary of up to 27,000 pounds plus a bonus worth an extra 2,000 pounds per year for the right candidates. If you have what it takes to join our company, please provide your CV with your application.
07044338313
Food Service Assistant, South East Food Service Assistant required. Salary starts from 15,000 pound to 20,000 pounds annually. We are seeking a General Assistant for a Care Home East Sussex. Assisting the Cook and kitchen team in the food preparation of freshly prepared meals, washing up and cleaning of all kitchen areas. Previous experience would be an advantage.
07044338228 | high694.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "has developed his special comedic style"
},
"options": [
"is already in his forties now",
"made his first album in 2003",
"danced only in his \"Gangnam Style\"",
"has developed his special comedic style"
],
"que... | Over the past few months, PSY's funny video for "Gangnam Style" has become a YouTube sensation, resulting in over 112,000,000 views since July 15. It's also been Tweeted more than 780,000 times and received over 260, 000 likes on Facebook, reportsMashable.com.
With the rapper making an appearance at Thursday's MTV Video Music Awards, here's what you need to know about the break-out artist.
His real name is Park Jae-Sang. The 35-year-old Korean pop rapper is known for his comedic music videos and performances. The video for "Gangnam Style" is no exception. When his first albumPSY--From the Psycho World!was released in 2001, he was nicknamed "PSY" because of his unusual dress, special lyrics and funny dance movies.
Gangnam is a wealthy neighborhood in Seoul . Gangnam may only be 15 square miles, but the district in Seoul, South Korea, is home to the headquarters of some of the country's most influential companies, including Samsung, Hyundai and LG. The region also makes up 7% of South Korea's GDP. 41% of students at Seoul University, a very famous college, come from Gangnam. The lyrics of PSY's song describe the personality of a girl and a guy.
He studied in the U.S. Born in South Korea on December 31, 1977, PSY attended Banpo Elementary School, Banpo Middle School and Eva High Sch ool. But when it came time to achieve a college degree, the rapper attended both Boston University and Berklee College of Music in the U.S.
"Gangnam Style" is giving K-pop international fame. "Gangnam Style" is currently No.1 on the iTunes music video chart. The video has surpassed Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"; Justin Bieber's "As Long As You Love Me"; and Katy Perry's "Wide Awake". This is the first time a Korean artist has ranked this high on iTunes. | high2609.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they had different views on things"
},
"options": [
"they had different views on things",
"they lived very far from each other",
"they only communicated by phone",
"they seldom went to see each other"
],
"questi... | When I was a kid, I was close to my dad, but as I grew older, my dad and I grew further apart. We always had totally different opinions. He thought that college was a waste of time, but for me it was important to finish college. He wanted me to work my way to the top as he had done in his field, but I wanted a different life. There was a time when we did not talk with each other.
A few months ago, I heard that my 84-year-old dad was in poor health. When he called and asked whether I could move from Colorado back to Tennessee to help him, I knew he was seriously ill. I am his only child and so it was time to meet my father's requirement.
Two weeks after moving back, we bought a boat and started fishing again. Fishing was one of the few things that we did while I was young and that we both enjoyed. It is strange but true that as we are fishing we are able to put things that have kept us apart for so many years behind us. We are able to talk about things that we have never talked about before. Fishing has been healing the old wounds that have kept us apart
It is not important how many fish we catch. It is about enjoying the relationship that we have not had for years. I'm 62 and he is 84. When we are on the lake fishing, it is like two kids enjoying life. It is far better to find a way to put the unhappy past behind. I am so lucky to spend the happy time with my father in his last years. Now my heart is filled with love. A smile always graces my lips. | high5166.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "marriage helps people increase their wealth more easily"
},
"options": [
"marriage helps people increase their wealth more easily",
"staying single is the best way to increase wealth",
"getting divorced does much more harm to... | Staying married has its benefits. A new U.S.-wide study shows the wealth of a married person is almost double that of somebody who is single. "If you really want to increase your wealth, get married and stay married. On the other hand, divorce can destroy your wealth," said Jay Zagorsky, author of the study. Married people will see an increase in wealth that is more than just adding the assets of two single people, ac-cording to the study published in the Journal of Sociology. Those who remained together saw a 93 percent gain in wealth compared to that of a single person, while individuals facing divorce saw their financial situation worsen long before they finally divorced, according to Zagorsky. The study used data from surveys taken over a 15-year period involving 9,055 Americans who were between 21 and 28 years old in 1985. Those who remained single had a steady, but slow growth in wealth, from less than $2,000 at the start of the surveys up to an average of about $11,000 after 15 years. However, those who married and stayed that way showed a sharp increase in wealth after marriage, growing to an average $43,000 by the 10th year of marriage or by about 16 percent a year. For people who married and then divorced, there was a slow build-up of wealth during the early years of marriage and then a steady decrease about four years before divorce. The study also showed doubt about a common idea that divorce was much harder financially on women than on men. In fact, it showed that women suffered financially only slightly more than men. | high18712.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "allow cyclists to enjoy local history and culture"
},
"options": [
"work natural wonders alone the historic pathways",
"allow cyclists to enjoy local history and culture",
"discourage locals and foreigners from riding them",
... | New Zealand has long been mountain hike mad. Over the last 25 years an increasing number of dedicated cycle tracks and parks have sprung up in both town and country, many developed by bike clubs and other community groups.
Recreational cycling was already on a roll, when in 2009 a 50 million New Zealand dollar government fund was established to create a continuous touring route running the length of the country, supported al a grass roots level by an additional 50 million New Zealand dollars offered up by councils and focal organizations.
It soon became apparent, however, that building one continuous route across the two islands was not only too ambitious, hut it also would bypass many of the most remote and interesting corners of the country. Restoring and extending historic pathways made more sense, enabling cyclists to visit fascinating historic and cultural sites while seeing natural wonders along the way, and inspiring both locals and people from overseas to ride them.
The first sod of the new trails was turned by Prime Minister John Key in late 2(X)9. Since then, armed will machetes, shovels and diggers, some of the world's hest single-track designers and builders have bush-bashed, benched. sidled and switch-hacked their way through a diverse range of terrain .
By the encl of 2012, 10 0f the 20 trails were open to riders, with the remainder scheduled for completion by the end of 2,013.The 2,340 km network will be even further extended by already-established trails, such as the famous 71 km Queen Charlotte Track that goes through the Marlborough Sounds al the top of the South Island. | high17421.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "find out the role taste preference plays in a person's drinking"
},
"options": [
"show that a person's opinion about taste is mere guess-work",
"compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks",
"find out the... | Taste is such a subjective matter that we don't usually conduct preference tests for food. The most you can say about anyone's preference is that it's one person's opinion. But because the two big cola companies--Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola are marketed so aggressively, we've wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty. We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-Cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting.
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi, Diet Coke, or Diet Pepsi. These were people who thought they'd have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand.
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers. Then we fed them four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other. We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants' choices with what mere guess-work could have accomplished.
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand. In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials. The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse----only 7 of 27 identified all four samples correctly.
While both groups did better than chance would predict, nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times. Two people got all four samples wrong. Overall, half the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste _ , was not a factor. Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price. | high4278.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a product can make you beautiful quickly"
},
"options": [
"beauty is just a personal choice",
"a cream from carrots is healthier",
"it is beautiful to be black every day",
"a product can make you beautiful quickly"
... | "Beauty is only skin deep." This expression means that beauty is only a temporary surface quality. Some beauty products can cause lasting damage that goes far below the surface of the skin.
In America,many people use sunlight and non-natural light to darken their skin. Health experts advise against what is called"tanning"because of its links to akin cancer. In the African country of Senegal ,some women take health risks trying to do just the opposite.
An average beauty supply shop in Dakar has many kinds of skin-lightening creams and soaps. The World Health Organization says that 25%of Senegalese women use skin-lightening production a usual basis. These products can contain chemicals,like mercury ,hydroquinone ,etc. These are dangerous ingredients that can cause cancer and possibly other physical damage to the akin. They can actually burn the eyes and skin.
Shop worker Adama Diagne advises her visitors to avoid the stronger products that promise fast results. She users a cream that is made from carrots,not the strong chemical,hydroquinone. She says that it is a personal choice and that no one pressures her. Some women want to be black every day,but for her,she likes to be a shade of brown.
Women in Senegal say they lighten their skin for the same reason that women all over the world make changes to their appearance. They say they want to look beautiful,to find a husband, to stand out in a crowd or simply to look great for a special event.
This thinking troubles Senegalese film-maker Khardiata Pouye Sall. So,she made"This Color That Bothers Me",a film about the subject of skin lightening. She said,"I used the most shocking images so that women would see the dangers. It is hard to understand why a woman says that dark skin is not beautiful. It is in their heads. They want to please a man,to he loved or they want to please society,to succeed."
Ms. Sall says that the government needs to better control the marketing and the sale of skin-lightening products. But she adds that education is the best way to persuade people against using them. | high11050.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "when he opened his mouth as he was swimming"
},
"options": [
"when he opened his mouth to have some food",
"when he opened his mouth as he was swimming",
"The moment he got into the sea to start swimming",
"when he was ... | A few years ago, an Englishman called Roy Jones went on holiday to a small seaside town in the west of England. He was swimming in the sea one day when, as he opened his mouth, his false teeth fell out and floated away. The following year, Mr. Jones returned to the same town. As he was having dinner in a local cafe one evening, he mentioned the story of his lost teeth to the manager. The manager looked surprised. He explained that he had found a set of false teeth on the beach last month. Then he asked Roy Jones if he wanted to try them on. "OK", said Mr. Jones. "I suppose it won't do any harm." When the manager brought him the teeth, Mr. Jones put them into his mouth, and laughed and laughed. They were his.
In 1987, an American couple called Jane and Robert Bentley went for a picnic on a beach in California. When they returned home, Mrs. Bentley realized that she had lost her wedding ring. It wasn't a lot of money but it was valuable to Jane Bentley. The Bentleys drove straight back to the beach, and searched for the ring for three hours, but could not find it. A few months later, Mr. Bentley went fishing off the same beach. As he pulled a large crab out of the sea, he noticed that there was something attached to one of its claws. It was his wife's wedding ring!
At the end of the 19thcentury, a young woman called Rose Harcourt was on her honeymoon in Barmouth, North Wales, when she lost a gold bracelet her husband had given her as a wedding gift. Feeling very upset, she went straight to the police stations and asked if anyone had found her bracelet. Unfortunately, no one had. Twenty-five years later, the Harcourts returned to Barmouth _ They were sitting on the beach one day when Mrs. Harcourt noticed something gold in the sand by the edge of the sea. She walked down to see what it was, and discovered her gold bracelet that had been missing for 25 years. | high3517.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "older people are more likely to have black and white dreams"
},
"options": [
"people in the first half of the last century never had colorful dreams",
"older people are more likely to have black and white dreams",
"the dreams... | If you dream in color, you're not alone: the majority of people today claim to have colorful dreams. But it wasn't always thus. Research conducted in the early part of the last century consistently found that people reported dreaming most often in black and white.
According to Eva Murzyn at the University of Dundee, there are at least two possible explanations for this strange situation.
The first is the methods used in the researches. The early studies tended to use questionnaires , while more modern studies use dream diaries (filled in upon rising in the morning) or so-called "REM-awakening", which involves interrupting people's dream-filled periods of sleep to find out what they were dreaming about. People's memories of their dreams are likely to be less accurate by using the questionnaire approach and they are more likely to reflect their beliefs about the form dreams generally take in an unclear way.
The second explanation has to do with black and white television and film. It's possible that the sudden increase in black and white film and television during the first half of the last century either affected the form of people's dreams at that time, or affected their beliefs about the form dreams generally take.
According to Murzyn's findings, it's the explanation based on media exposure that _ . She used both questionnaire and diary methods to study the dreams of 30 older (average age 64) and 30 younger people (average age 21).
The methodological technique made no difference to the type of dreams people reported. However, the extremely important thing was that, across both questionnaires and diaries, the older participants (who had had significant early life exposure to black and white media) reported experiencing significantly more black and white dreams over the last ten days than the younger participants (22 per cent vs. 4 per cent).
Another finding was that older participants reported black and white dreams and colorful dreams to be of equal clearness. By contrast, the younger participants reported that the quality of black and white dreams was poorer. This raises the possibility that the younger participants didn't really have any black and white dreams at all, but were simply regarding poorly remembered dreams as black and white. | high11736.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They don't stay in one place long enough."
},
"options": [
"They love to travel.",
"They don't stay in one place long enough.",
"The new country and its people are delightful.",
"Everything is so different and charming.... | My own experiment with culture shock came to a fruitless end when I returned with homesick from a year's study in Italy. I had never heard of culture shock. All I knew was that I was unhappy and wanted to go home.
That was twenty years ago, and since then culture shock has become a real field of study. It is now understood that any normal person, finding him or herself for an extended time in a new culture, is in for trouble.
The process of "culture shock" is now recognized as so predictable that its four stages have been noticeable. The first is the honeymoon stage, familiar to those of us who love to travel, but never stay in one place long enough to find out what follows. In this stage, the new country and its people seem delightful. Everything is better than home. Everything is so different and charming.
_ Now the people start to look shallow, selfish and stupid. The different ways of doing things don't seem interesting any more. You start to feel tired all the time. Culture shock has set in. You feel at sea.
The emotional response to culture shock in stage two can be extreme. Confusion, depression and anxiety, and resentment can all enter to varying degrees. You may become physically ill. Little things seem terribly annoying.
The happier resolution is to move on to stage three. Adjusting. Rather than itemizing what's "wrong" with Americans, you remind yourself that "right" and "wrong" are not meaningful terms in cultural matters.
Instead, you try to understand what motivates Americans, perhaps realizing that many of the things you don't like are related to the things you do like.
As time goes on, you should be moving into stage four. Acceptance. At this point, you simply don't think any more about the specialties of Americans. You accept them as individuals. You have started to feel at home; you know how to do things. You have not rejected your old culture; but the American ways have settled upon you. You feel optimistic about your future here. You have truly arrived. | high3271.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she exercised less influence"
},
"options": [
"she exercised less influence",
"she kept her new job a secret",
"she is no longer a public figure",
"she was silent after resignation"
],
"question": "42. Condoleez... | The US first lady Michlle Obama is among the world's 100 most powerful women in a list topped by German premier Angela Merkel for four years in a row, according to a Forbes ranking released on 19 August.
Michelle Obama
at No.40, coming in ahead of Talk Show host Oprah Winfrey at 41 and Britain's Queen Elizabeth at 42.
Sheila Bair, chair of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, which insures bank deposits, remained No.2 after debuting on the Forbes list last year. She has gained increased fame as the US recession lasts.
The list is based on factors such as politics and economic impact ,media reach and career accomplishments.
The chief executives of Dupont and Sunoco are new to the top 10, replacing the Xerox Cop. Chair, who dropped to No. 15, and the former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who fell off the list after leaving office in January.
Rice's successor, Hillary Clinton, came in at No.36,dropping from No.28 last year when her presidential bid made her the woman with the highest public profile on the list.
Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, retained No.35.
"Woman in power are rising to leadership positions in business, government and philanthropy by making daring and unconventional moves," Forbes said. "Gone are the days of women feeling they have to stick with one employer and patiently wait for promotions."
"Highly ambitious women are moving across companies and industries, making big leaps with each change, and repositioning themselves for opportunities that allow them to gain a breadth of experience." The business magazine said.
Merkel , 55, became the first female premier of Germany in 2005 and was successful in retaining power in a federal election on September 27.
Michelle Obama, 45,has won the support of fans for her down-to-earth personality, her views of healthy eating and the arts, and her fashion sense that has seen her grace several best-dressed lists. | high16059.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a hotspot"
},
"options": [
"a computer",
"a radio",
"a cell phone",
"a hotspot"
],
"question": "Wi-Fi is not available in cities without _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | The world's biggest Internet search engine, Google, has proven once again to be King of the Web. Users can download "Google Wi-Fi" software and then enjoy free Wi-Fi service available in some US cities since last Tuesday.
Wi-Fi is short for "Wireless Fidelity" . It allows laptop computers and personal digital assistants to the Internet at high speed by radio signal.
A person with a Wi-Fi enabled computer can connect to the Internet when near one of the network's access points. The place covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot. Google has already set up two "hotspots" in the US city of San Francisco which provide a free Wi-Fi service.
The Wi-Fi technology even allows users to enjoy a free Internet phone service. Some scientists argue that Wi-Fi may replace mobile phone networks.
Wi-Fi is still limited to a few cities, where there are "hotspots". But its capability of sending information has already done better than that of the mobile phone network, even that of 3G(Third Generation Telecommunication Technology). Some scientists have started to call Wi-Fi 4G.
In addition to a high speed Internet connection, Wi-Fi has other advantages compared to mobile phones. Wi-Fi is global. The same Wi-Fi system works in different countries around the world. Different from using cell phones, you don't need to change computers to use Internet phones when you go to other places and most importantly, many Internet phones cost you nothing at all. | high5600.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "too anxious to relax."
},
"options": [
"too anxious to relax.",
"unable to stay still.",
"unable to have real rest.",
"excited to forget sleep."
],
"question": "Teens who become addicted to their cellphones will... | Teens who become addicted to their cellphones may be placing their health at risk by harming their ability to sleep well,a new Swedish study suggests.
"The message is that teenagers who use their cellphones excessively are much more stressed, much more restless, much more tired, and have a great tendency to develop sleep deprivation as a result of their calling habits, " said the study author Dr. Gaby Bader.
He focused on the experiences of 21 healthy Swedish boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 20. The teens kept what the authors described as "regular working/studying hours" and were not previously diagnosed with any particular sleep irregularity.
He observed that the above-15 call group kept more irregular sleeping hours than the lower-use group,had more difficulty falling asleep,more difficulty waking up,and experienced more sleep disruptions .
Bader said that among young people,a ly recent technological invention like the cellphone has quickly become existed nearly everywhere,giving rise to considerable pressure to keep in touch. And this pressure can develop into an addiction,with serious negative results for teenager health.
"We see more and more people--especially the young generation-- who grew up with these kinds of items and gadgets in their hands," Bader said. "And they become dependent on the technology. So,we have to teach young people to be structured. To know when to have the cellphone on,and when to switch it off. To avoid becoming the slave of technology,instead of the master. "
Dr. Mary Carskadon expressed little surprise with the finding. " Interpersonal contact is one of the things that's best at keeping us awake," she observed. "And so,a young person receiving cellphone texts or phone calls is going to have more deep disturbances. And they are going to be tired and restless,and probably,as a result,going to use more stimulants .And judgment is not always the best in our teenage years. So, that's where I think parental attention to this issue may be useful. " | high18074.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "can be performed using digital tools"
},
"options": [
"makes the performance emotionally affected only",
"contributes to memorizing various things",
"may result in losing the next generation of great thinkers",
"can be ... | Welcome to the world of multitasking -- a place where the measure of a person is how many jobs they can perform at the same time. In fact, if experts are to be believed, multitasking is a disastrous idea.
One of the opponents of multitasking is Dr. Clifford Nass, a professor at Stanford University. "People who multitask frequently are less able to pay attention; they're worse at managing their memory." he said. In his opinion, the loss that we get with multitasking is harmless in some situations, for example, part of doing business in the digital world: but you can't do serious work like writing, thinking or solving an important problem this way. You do worse even as you think you're doing better. All the time the research points to a simple fact: the brain cannot cope. When you stop midway through composing a report to check an email, you force your brain to stop and regroup. It is like pressing the pause button during a movie, meaning the film takes longer to watch.
And as for Dr. Nass, the problems extend beyond the brain. Young people who frequently multitask are not as socially and emotionally healthy as those who don't. They just feel more emotionally satisfied and the feeling is so good and they are bound to desire it again. Todd Oppenheimer, a writer said "We've become a very short-term society and don't reward people for taking a lot of time on something." He fears we may end up losing the next generation of great thinkers. "It's really unfortunate because the long-term challenges of our world -- environmental issues, financial issues -- require people to think wisely about the long-term consequences of what they do. And it's no coincidence that the kind of people who do think long-term don't multitask." | high17347.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Having a very long conversation with a new neighbour."
},
"options": [
"Offering to help your neighbours if they need help.",
"Having a very long conversation with a new neighbour.",
"Inviting your neighbours over for a backy... | Neighbours play an important role in our lives. Their lifestyles, friends, and social habits can have a strong influence on our lives. It is a good idea to get to know the people next door or across the street to develop a community of support and safety. You never know when a neighbour will find a stranger walking around your house, or you may want to leave an extra key at their house in case someone in your family gets locked out.
How do you get along with your neighbours? Here are some tips for building a better relationship with your neighbours.
Point 1...Proper greetings can make your neighbours remember your name and pave the way for more meaningful future meetings. Don't stay too long, though, or you'll wear out your welcome!
Point2...If your neighbour is building a pool, offer a few hours of help. Besides, you never know when the favor might be returned.
Point3...If you hear that someone who live close to you has had an accident, take over a hot meal or some fruit. Your action will add a special touch during a difficult time.
Point4...Invite your neighbours over for a cup of coffee in December or an Easter egg hunt in spring. A backyard barbecue can be a great way to share food and fun.
Your neighbours may annoy you at times, but they are like family in many ways. Appreciate their strengths and overlook their weaknesses, and everyone will get along just fine. | high1466.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "suggest the possibility to invent the time machine"
},
"options": [
"suggest the possibility to invent the time machine",
"have similarities in many ways",
"have proved wrong by some time travelers",
"push the invention... | Time Travel
If you could travel in time, where would you go? Perhaps you would watch an original performance of a Shakespeare's play in Elizabethan England? What about hanging out with Laozi in the Spring and Autumn Period? Or maybe you'd voyage far ahead of the present day to see what the future holds.
The possibility of time travel is indeed appealing. Stories exploring the subject have been around for hundreds of years. Perhaps the best known example is science fiction novel The Time Machine, which was written by H.G. Wells and published in 1895 for the first time. It was adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term "time machine", coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to a vehicle transporting people into the far future.
But could time travel actually be possible? Some scientists say yes, in theory. They propose
using cracks in time and space called "wormholes", which could be used as shortcuts to other periods. Einstein's theory of relativity allows time travel in extreme circumstances. And British
physicist Stephen Hawking says you could travel into the future with a really fast spaceship -- going at nearly the speed of light. Though building such a spaceship would of course be no simple task.
Even if you could travel into the past, there is something called the "grandfather paradox". It asks what would happen if a time traveler were to go back in time and have his own grandfather killed for some reason, and therefore prevent himself from being born.If the time traveler wasn't born, how would he travel back in time?
And would you really like to visit the future?In H.G.Wells' book, the main character travels into distant time where he arrives at a beach and is attacked by giant crabs. He then voyages 30 million years into the future where the only living thing is a black object with tentacles .If that's what's in store, maybe we are better just living in the present day after all. | high13121.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "were extremely frightened and decided to give up fighting back"
},
"options": [
"were scared and at a loss what to do",
"looked worried and turned to Su Dai for help",
"asked a large enemy force to bear down upon the border",... | In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 B.C., the Qin army launched a more serious attack upon the State of Wei than ever. The king of the State of Wei gathered his officials, and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army. After years of chaos caused by the wars, the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak of resistance.
At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the officials persuaded the king to
peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain. However Su Dai, a counselor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and said, "Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all. It is just because they are afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country. Of course you can temporarily satisfy the ambition of Qin, but it will never stop attacking us until our land is totally given away."
He added,"Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. Isn't it similar to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?"
Though Su Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. As might be expected, the Qin army attacked the State of Wei in 225 B.C. again, surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes of the Huanghe River. The State of Wei was finally destroyed. | high15550.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She got married more than once."
},
"options": [
"She became famous after her first show.",
"After her tour in Europe, she returned to New York.",
"She got married more than once.",
"The song \"Home, Sweet Home\" was me... | Anna Riviere was one of the most admired of 19th-century English sopranos . She was also one of the most adventuresome.
She was born in London on January 9th, 1810. She entered the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 14. Seven years later, just after her first show, Anna married Sir Henry Bishop, who was 24 years her senior. Her reputation as a singer grew rapidly, based largely on her tours with Sir Henry and harpist Nicholas Bochsa. After a tour of Dublin, Edinburgh, and London, Anna Bishop deserted her husband and three children and ran away with Bochsa.
From then on, Madame Bishop--as she continued to be known--traveled and sang as if her life depended on it. Between 1839 and 1843 she traveled to every major town in Europe, where she sang in 260 concerts. In the course of two years in Naples, she performed in 20 operas. In 1855 she and Bochsa sailed for Sydney, Australia. He died there the following year, and Anna went on to tour South America before returning to New York, where she married a diamond merchant.
Then she began what proved her most dangerous adventure. After another American tour in 1866, she and her husband set sail across the Pacific. They were shipwrecked on a small coral reef, and for more than a month they drifted in a small boat before they finally reaching Guam. She had lost her music, her wardrobe, and her jewelry, but Madame Bishop was not to be stopped. She went on to Manila and began a concert tour that led to Hong Kong, Singapore, and India before she went back to England. After another two-year world tour she returned eventually to New York, where she gave her last public performance in 1883--at age 73.
Meanwhile the husband she left behind, Sir Henry, had become famous for writing the music to lyrics that might eventually have been meaningful to Anna Bishop--"Home, Sweet Home." | high8324.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "their attractive appearance"
},
"options": [
"\"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder\"",
"something beyond the lovely sight",
"their attractive appearance",
"the other senses"
],
"question": "When we talk about... | There is a saying "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder." What one individual considers beautiful may not be beautiful to another. When we talk about beauty in people, we often refer to their physical attractiveness. Of course, a beautiful or handsome face is pleasant to look at. But to me, beauty is not only something that pleases the eyes, but also pleases the other senses and the mind. I think true beauty makes you see beyond the lovely sight. It will give you insight or realization of something interesting beyond just the outward appearance.
The most memorable "beautiful people" are those who have attractive personalities behind the pretty faces. In one of my previous classes, there were two beautiful girls, Sue and Lin. Both had almost perfect faces and slender figures. But Lin was used to getting her way. She felt that her looks could help her get anything she wanted, especially among the boys. Sue, on the other hand, treated her beauty in a matter-of-fact way and she was nice to everyone. She was also a member of the debating team. Her personality was mostly accepted by others and it made her a more outstanding beauty than Lin.
Inner beauty is another kind of beauty that attracts people greatly. People who have this kind of beauty have attained inner peace. They care about their fellow-men, and try to right the injustices in this world. Two well-known personalities who exemplify (...) this are Nelson Mandela and Mother Theresa. Mandela is willing to sacrifice his life and freedom to obtain equal right for the blacks in South Africa. Mother Theresa's mission is to help the poorest of the world's poor. This inner look makes the world a better place. | high7017.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "takes great effort"
},
"options": [
"is just a piece of cake",
"is more costly",
"takes great effort",
"is convenient for travelers"
],
"question": "According to the text, getting tickets _ around the offici... | China is a country on the move--especially around its Lunar New Year holiday. This year, the holiday crush promises to be even heavier than before.
Government officials estimate that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel.
Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a _ challenge that annually tries patience. And it is the railway system that routinely is most unable to cope. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system routinely falls down.
Much of the criticism has, focused on the railway's online purchasing system, which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers from ending up with many of the hard-to-find tickets.
While insisting that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, railway officials told reporters that the public need to be patient. Efforts were being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems. While officials had little good news for rail passengers, they did manage to bring a few smiles to those traveling by car as the country's extremely expensive highway tolls will be free of charge for the period of the official holiday. | high14896.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun."
},
"options": [
"TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge.",
"cinemas are the best choice in getting information.",
"reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun."... | Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
_ . Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbooks , which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia , though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books, science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets. | high3259.txt |
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