questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"2",
"3",
"4",
"5"
],
"question": "How many reasons for going to college does the author mention in the text?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | Hey there,
So you're about to spend four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars of your parents' money, and all you really know about college is that all of your friends are going. Do you ever stop to wonder why you're going?
Relax. You're making the right decision. First of all, you'll discover what interests you by taking courses in many subjects. For example, it's hard to decide if you want to be a painter if you've never painted any pictures; once you're in a drawing-room on campus, you'll know one way or the other. College is also a lot of fun--after you graduate, you'll be working every weekday for 50 or so years. And remember that college graduates get about twice the
of those who never attended college.
Finding the right college can be difficult. Fortunately,
is here to help you every step of the way.
Researching School. To us, the most important decision you'll make is to choose the school that really fits you best---- not the one that is the most competitive or has the best-equipped rooms.
Applying to School. On
, you'll find hundreds of actual college applications and links to many more.
Raising Your Scores. American College Test is one of the most important parts of the admissions course. It's not the most important, though, and not everyone needs to prepare for the best. But, if you think you can do better, find the right course for better scores.
Paying for School. Most families need financial aid for the high cost of college. The problem is that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get caught up in the price of college. However, if you really do your research, you'll learn that there are many ways to get financial aid and that you can afford to attend any college, no matter the cost.
For more information, call 600-3681 or visit J
, wherever you go, have a nice trip!
Johnson Smith
Founder and CEO
John Review | high16071.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "There is more to life than riches."
},
"options": [
"There is more to life than riches.",
"Gold is more important than food.",
"You can't trust your friends.",
"You must make a wiser choice."
],
"question": "Wha... | Midas was a powerful king, both rich and greedy. Once he did a great favor for Bacchus, the god of wine. Bacchus offered Midas his choice of a reward. Midas answered at once. He asked that whatever he touched be turned into gold. Bacchus agreed, though he was sorry that Midas had not made a wiser choice.
Midas was eager to put his newly gained power to the test. He pulled a branch from a tree. The branch became gold in his hand. He picked up a stone; it turned to gold. He touched the grass, it, too, turned to gold.
Midas was overjoyed. Returning home, he ordered his servants to prepare a magnificent meal. But when he picked up some bread, it turned to gold. He lifted a glass of wine to his lips. But before he could taste it, it turned to gold.
Midas wished to free himself of his power. He hated the gift he had so recently hoped for. He raised his arms and begged and prayed for Bacchus to take away his deadly gift.
Bacchus showed pity. "Go," he said. "to the River Pactolus. There dip yourself in. Wash away your greed and its punishment. "Midas did so. Hardly had he touched the waters, before the gold-making powers passed into them. The river sands changed into gold. And they remain golden to this day. | high4536.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Harbin Ice and Snow Festival."
},
"options": [
"Sundance Film Festival.",
"Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.",
"Holi Festival.",
"The Carnival of Venice."
],
"question": "Which of the following festivals can't be ce... | During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals in the world. Look at the following ones.
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
Place: China
Time: January 5 to February 5
People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights.
The Carnival of Venice
Place: Italy
Time: between February and March
One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes.
Holi Festival
Place: India
Time: late February/ March, on the last full moon day
Hindus and Sikhs, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing color1ed powder and water at each other.
Sundance Film Festival
Place: Utah, the US
Time: end of February
The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket. | high19342.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "their birthplaces"
},
"options": [
"the chef's name",
"their birthplaces",
"the name of fish",
"some kinds of food"
],
"question": "Two kinds of Sushi, Edo and Osaka, were probably named after _ .",
"ques... | Sushi is a kind of food made with a mixture of cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and rice. Although Sushi is most commonly considered to have its origin in Japan, it actually began in China during the 7thCentury.
At that time, any fish caught had to be preserved. Raw fish was cleaned and then pressed between layers of heavy salt. After a couple of months, the whole process was complete. Over time, a discovery was made that by rolling the fish in rice that had been soaked in vinegar the fish was easily fermented in a few days rather than months. The rice was then thrown away and the fish was eaten. However, with a food shortage, people began consuming the rice as well as the fish and thus, Sushi today as we know was born. However, in the 1800s, a famous chef by the name of Yohei created two styles of Sushi--one called Edo, and the second, Osaka, for two cities.
Sushi is usually consumed with hot green tea. Also, Gari is offered free and eaten between bites to create a better taste. Two kinds of sauce are usually available: one is soy sauce, which is poured on most kinds of Sushi; the other is a thick sweet sauce used on eel .
Sushi has taken the world by storm and today is a multi-billion dollar industry. Its popularity continues to rise because people are looking for healthy food that is quick and easy to make. With such unbelievable popularity as well as the health benefits of eating Sushi, it is likely that this food will continue to be a part of everyday life for many more centuries to come. | high5628.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They have independence."
},
"options": [
"They have independence.",
"They want to win the permission of their parents.",
"They enjoy the freedom of choosing their spouses.",
"They want to challenge the authority of thei... | Upon reaching an appropriate age (usually between 18 and 21 years), children are encouraged, but not forced, to "leave the nest" and begin an independent life. After children leave home, they often find social relationship and financial support outside the family. Parents do not arrange marriages for their children, nor do children usually ask permission of their parents to get married. Romantic love is most often the basis for marriage in the United States; young adults meet their future spouses through other friends, at jobs, and in organizations and religious institutions. Although children choose their own spouses, they still hope their parents will approve of their choices.
In many families, parents feel that children should make major life decisions by themselves. A parent may try to influence a child to follow a particular profession but the child is free to choose another career. Sometimes children do exactly the opposite of what their parents wish in order to be independent. A son may decide not to go into his father's business on purpose because of a fear that he will lose his autonomy in his father's workplace. This independence from parents is not an indication that parents and children do not love each other. Strong love between parents and children is universal and this is no exception in the American family. Coexisting with such love in the American family are cultural values of self-reliance and independence. | high21805.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To offer tips for saving transport costs in London."
},
"options": [
"To introduce the public transport system in London.",
"To show readers how to use the Oyster Card.",
"To prove the subway in London is easy to use.",
... | Visiting London can be an expensive trip, so establishing a budget and finding bargains when you arrive will help you get around London on the cheap. The following steps can help you find cheaper alternatives for transport for your London trip.
l Familiarize yourself with the city's boroughs and specifically the area where you will be staying. You can use a street map, or an online map search engine, to establish where in the city you will be staying and the distance you are from the major tourist attractions you want to visit.
l Find a local provider of Transport for London tickets or travel cards, since your first bargain purchase will be an Oyster Card. Traveling around London with an Oyster Card will give you access to the cheapest option of transportation methods and the Oyster Card is accepted citywide on buses, boats and the London Underground, known by the locals as "the tube".
l Seek out your nearest Tube Station. The Tube is the cheapest and most reliable form of transportation and runs from around 6 a.m. until around 1 a.m. ..., depending on the line or the station.
There are 287 tube stations in London that accept the Oyster Card, with a high concentration in central London. If you are staying anywhere in central London, there will be a tube station less than 10 minutes away.
The Transport for London website offers a tube station search facility to find the nearest subway station to any location in the city. When you find a tube station, you can easily locate the closest bus stop by using the comparison bus-tube maps at the station's entrance.
l Follow the Transport for London Tube Guide to your destinations and always plan ahead. Making a plan for transport will save you unnecessary expenses, wasted trips on the tube and doubling back on your journey . | high2147.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Two."
},
"options": [
"One.",
"Two.",
"Three.",
"None."
],
"question": "How many night flights will the tourists take during this trip?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | 2015, the time has come for more creative China tours to be made, Shanghai Disney opens, more high-speed rail options. Insisting on high-quality services, we are proud to present our ever best-selling China tour packages, tour themes and the next popular destinations. Check out the optional activities and information making our Smart Travelers' trips outstanding.
China Highlights' most popular private tour. Our private guide, driver and car are available all times. You take the trip, we take the stress.
Day 1-2 In Beijing
Take a break on your arrival. Enjoy local people's morning exercise at the Temple of Heaven before visiting the Great Wall, and then have a lifetime experience of visiting the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall on Day 2.
Day 3-4 In Xi'an
Still in Beijing in the daytime of Day 3. Visit the Forbidden City and the Tian'anmen Square to feel royal life in ancient China. After that pay a visit to hutongs which give full flavor of authentic experience. Catch a flight at night to Xi'an. Private guide and driver escort you to visit the highlights of Xi'an on Day 4.[:]
Day 5-7 In Guilin/Yangshuo
Continue to see Xi'an and have more interacts with the local. Visiting a family in Xi'an and learning how to make different shapes of dumplings give you an unforgettable time. Take a plane at night and arrive at Guilin on Day 5. Get on board to enjoy essence of Guilin, the Li River cruise to Yangshuo. Cycle to villages and meet friendly local people and learn more about Chinese agriculture.
Day 8-10 In Shanghai
Private transfer from Yangshuo to Guilin airport. Shanghai guide and driver are waiting for you with smiling faces. Highlights of the city on Day 9 show you the future of China as the end of the trip. You have free time on the last day before taking an international flight.
Just let us know your travel style! We will then adapt this tour and create a unique quote based on your individual needs. For more information, please click here: http://www.chinahighlights.com/tour/. | high10400.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "At 13:00 0n 28 August."
},
"options": [
"At 9:00 0n 19 May.",
"At 18:00 0n 20 May.",
"At 13:00 0n 28 August.",
"At 17:30 0n 31 August."
],
"question": "When can you enjoy a visit to Frogmore House and Garden?",
... | Frogmore House has been a royal place since the 18th century and is today used by the Royal Family for private entertaining. It is especially linked with Queen Charlotte, The wife of George III, and her daughters, whose love of botany and art is reflected throughout the house.
Unfortunately, parts of a visit to Frogmore are unsuitable for wheelchair-users. For information about access, please telephone 020 7766 7324.
_
18, 19, 20 May 10:00 - 17:30 (last admission 16:00)
28, 29, 30 August 10:00 -17:30 (last admission 16:00)
Please telephone 020 7766 7305 for admission prices.
_
3 August - 30 September every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10:00- 15:00.
Adult: PS 10.50 0ver 60/Student (with valid ID) : PS 8. 80
Child ( under 17) : PS5. 80 Child ( under 5) : Free
Price includes a guided tour of the house.
_
17:30 - 19:00. ~ 25. 00 per person. Price includes a guided tour, a copy of the official guidebook and a glass of champagne.
The maximum group size for all visits is 10 people.
Please note that there is no access for private cars.
To make a group booking, please telephone 020 7766 7315.
For more information including BSL (British Sign Language) interpretation, please telephone 020 7766 7326. | high13109.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "some experts have given a warning"
},
"options": [
"they have evidence that the use of cell phones can lead to cancer",
"they make a fuss over cell phone use",
"some experts have given a warning",
"cell phones are respo... | Cell phones: is there a cancer link?
Could your cell phone give you cancer? Whether it could or not, some people are worrying about the possibility that phones, power lines and Wi-Fi could be responsible for a range of illnesses, from rashes to brain tumors.
Some say there is evidence to support the growing anxieties. David Carpenter, a professor of environmental health sciences at the university at Albany, in New York, thinks there's a greater than 95 percent chance that power lines can cause childhood leukemia . Also there's a greater than 90 percent chance that cell phones can cause brain tumors. "It's apparent now that there's a real risk, " said Carpenter.
But others believe these concerns are unjustified. Dr Martha Linet, the head of radiation epidemiology at the US National Cancer Institute, has looked at the same research as Carpenter but has reached a different conclusion. "I don't support warning labels for cell phones, " said Linet. "We don't have the evidence that there's much danger. "
Studies so far suggest a weak connection between EMFs and illness-- so weak that it might not exist at all. A multinational investigation of cell phones and brain cancer, in 13 countries outside the US, has been underway for several years. It's funded in part by the European Union, in part by a cell phone industry group. The final report should come out later this year, but data so far don't suggest a strong link between cell phone use and cancer risk. | high6321.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a travel brochure"
},
"options": [
"a science report",
"a news article",
"a travel brochure",
"a book review"
],
"question": "The text is probably from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Plan on traveling around the USA? There are a number of outstanding websites that can make your American dream come true.
www.101usaholidays.co.uk
This is the latest offering that features 101 holiday ideas to the USA. It's a diverse selection, ranging from touring in the footsteps of Martin Luther King to a golfing break in Arizona and a cycling and wine-tasting trip in California's Napa Valley. Narrow down what you're looking for--whether by price, region, theme and who will be traveling--and then just the photos of the relevant holidays remain on view. It's a really clever design.
http://byways.org
The National Scenic Byways Program covers 150 memorable roads. Some are natural scenic routes, such as Route 1 along the California coast. Others focus on history (such as Route 66) or man-made attractions (the Las Vegas Strip). For each, you're provided with a map telling the route's length and how long is allowed.
www.oyster.com
This is the best website for reviews of hotels in US cities and tourist sites. There are photos of each hotel. Importantly, these are not promotional photos provided by the hotels, but more honest and revealing ones taken by inspectors. From the 243 hotels reviewed in New York, you can narrow down what you are looking for by locations, facilities and styles, or just pick out a selection of the best.
http://seaworldparks.com
SeaWorld in San Diego can make dreams come true, but the price is not affordable for the majority of people. So turn to long-established http://seaworldparks.com, giving big discounts on tickets, hotel and dining at SeaWorld. | high14666.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "people's happiness is an important target for the development of a country"
},
"options": [
"people's happiness is determined by great people",
"people's happiness is an important target for the development of a country",
"pe... | Recently,CCTV journalists have approached pedestrians with their cameras,held a microphone to their mouth and asked a simple question :"Are you happy?"
The question has caught many interviewees off guard.Even Mo Yan who recently won a Nobel Prize,responded by saying:"I don't know".
While the question has become a buzz phrase and the Internet plays host to heated discussions,we ask:What exactly is happiness ?And how do you measure it?
In the 1776 US Declaration of Independence,Thomas Jefferson set in writing the people's unalienable right to"Life,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".Last year,235 years on,China's Premier Wen Jiabao told the nation:"Everything we do is aimed at letting people live more happily."At last year's National People's Congress,officials agreed that increasing happiness would be a top target for the 12thfive-year plan.
US psychologist Ed Diener, author of Happiness:Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth describes happiness as "a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive than negative emotions",according to US broadcasting network PBS.This may sound straight forward enough,but it still doesn't explain what determines people's happiness.
Many argue that happiness is _ and that there is no single source.It also means different things to different people.For some,happiness can be as simple as having enough cash.
Researchers believe happiness can be separated into two types:daily experiences of hedonic well-being;and evaluative well-being, the way people think about their lives as a whole.The former refers to the quality of living,whereas the latter is about overall happiness,including life gods and achievement.Happiness can cross both dimensions.
Li Jun,a psychologist and mental therapy practitioner at a Beijing clinic,says:"Happiness can mean both the most basic human satisfaction or the highest level of spiritual pursuit. It' s a simple yet profound topic ."
Chen Shangyuan,21,a junior English major at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics,said his idea of happiness always evolves."At present it relates to how productive I am in a day,"he said."It might be linked to job security or leisure time after I graduate."
Then there is the question of measuring happiness.Does it depend on how many friends we have,or whether we own the latest smart phone? Is it even quantifiable?
Economists are trying to measure happiness in people's lives.Since 1972,Bhutan's GDP measurement has been,replaced by a Gross National Happiness index.It is calculated according to the peoples'sense of being well-governed,their relationship with the environment,their satisfaction with economic development,and their sense of national belonging.
In 2009,US economist Joseph Stiglitz proposed "to shift emphasis from measuring economic production to measuring people's well-being".But is well-being more easily measured? | high9012.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "before she got married to Henry"
},
"options": [
"before she got married to Henry",
"when she was twenty years old",
"after she finished high school",
"when she just moved to Maryland"
],
"question": "Susan got ... | I got my first driver's license in 1953 by taking driver education in my first year at Central High School in Charlotte,North Carolina.Four years later when it was time to renew my license I was a married woman.Henry and I were living in Baltimore,Maryland.Two weeks before my 20th birthday,Henry drove me to the motor vehicle office on a hot July afternoon.When I got to the office and showed to the man behind the counter my North Carolina driver's license,ready to renew,the man told me that I was under age by Maryland law since I was not yet 21."Mr. Henry Smith,your husband,will have to sign for you," he said.
I argued,pointing to a very large belly of mine,"I am married.I am having a baby.Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?"He answered coldly."It's the law,madam."
Henry encouraged me to calm down,just go ahead and get the license and be done with it."No,"I said.I refused to have him sign for me.So I left without a Maryland license.
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle office and renewed my NC license by mail--using my name Susan Brown.And thus it was for the next twelve years.Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license.By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland,and I had to take the Maryland driver's exam.Since then I just go in and renew every four years--sign the name Susan Brown,have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive. | high15578.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She had an accident."
},
"options": [
"She was the farmer's wife.",
"She had an accident.",
"She was hidden somewhere.",
"She had caused a scandal."
],
"question": "What do we know about Milly from the story?",
... | I had just gone to bed after a very hard day when the phone rang. It was a strange farmer. I had never met him before although I had heard people talk about him. He sounded quite nervous and he had been talking for a minute or so before I understood anything. Even then all I could understand was that someone called Milly had had an accident. I hadn't the slightest idea who she was but I obviously had to go.
It had been snowing heavily that day and I didn't know the way. I had been driving for at least an hour when I finally found his place. He was standing there, waiting for me. "She meant more to me than anyone.even my own wife!" he said. I could see that he had been crying. I thought something terrible had taken place, a possible scandal . I was even more shocked when he told me he had put her in the barn . "I wouldn't leave her out in the cold!" he said.
Milly had clearly been a secret lover of his. I was about to tell him he could not expect me to cover anything up when he opened the barn door. He lifted his candle and I saw a dark figure on the ground. "She was such a good cow! I wouldn't let anyone but a doctor touch her!" he said, and burst into tears again. | high12217.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "PS175"
},
"options": [
"PS180",
"PS160",
"PS170",
"PS175"
],
"question": "A family of four,including a son of 19 and a daughter of 13,should pay _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | Here is the tour that's voted "3rdbest tour in London" on the Best Things to Do-TripAdvisor! Hairy Goat is the best and most original tour company in London.
Do you like walking around a city and discovering something that makes a great photo? London is full of interesting photo chances and maybe you need someone to lead you to them.The tour is perfect for team events,families,groups of friends and school or college classes.
Bring A fully charged camera and plenty of memory cards or film,a drink and wear comfortable walking shoes.Dress for three hours' walking outside.
Price PS45 per adult (18yrs and over),PS40 per child (12-15yrs) and full-time students (student ID required).Some tours to be booked and paid in advance.Please call or email for details.Please follow the links on the website or call Corinna at +44(0)7540832771.
Meet in front of the Royal Exchange Building at Bank Underground Station.Take Exit 3 or 4 from the underground station.
When See the website for scheduled dates.
Duration Three hours,at a comfortable walking pace.
Finish By an underground station within the city.Location varies daily. | high12571.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it was very long"
},
"options": [
"it was made by brick",
"it was very wide",
"it was very long",
"it had a long history"
],
"question": "The main reason for which the Great Wall can be called\"great\"is _ .",... | No one can believe that the over 6 300-kilometer long Great Wall might disappear some day.Believe it or not,the Great Wall is being destroyed by people.Less than 20 percent of the Great Wall built in the Ming Dynasty is still perfect,but about 80 percent is in danger.The Great Wall can be called "great" mostly because of its amazing length.But we should realize that the length was made up of one brick at a time.If we do nothing to save the Great Wall,it will become a series of separate wasteland rather than a historic site.
The Great Wall is actually a series of walls built and rebuilt by different dynasties over the past 2 000 years.It began in the rule of China's first emperor,Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC~206 BC),and lasted into the Ming Dynasty.The parts built before the Ming Dynasty have nearly disappeared.People are familiar with sections such as Badaling in Beijing and Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu because they have been open to tourists for many years.But those sections far away from the public eyes have been almost forgotten.
Few local people knew the 3-meter-high walls made of earth and stones beside them are part of the Great Wall.The lack of knowledge is considered as one of the main reasons behind human.
The bricks on the Great Wall are carried off by countryside people to build their houses,sheep corral and pigsties .Some were taken away to build roads.Bricks carved with people's names are put away as remembrance.Rubbish is spread over the battlements .The bricks can be sold for 15 yuan per tractor load.Those who destroyed and are destroying the Great Wall know its name,but are not clear about its cultural meaning.It will take a long time to let them know this.The local farmers not only carried off the body of the Wall but dug out the entire base.
It is necessary to protect the Great Wall.First of all,the officials should be aware of theimportance of the Great Wall.Young Chinese should know more about the nation's great civilization and learn to love it. | high7759.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "experience its fastest development"
},
"options": [
"work the shortest time",
"make the most money",
"enjoy its safest working conditions",
"experience its fastest development"
],
"question": "From the passage, ... | Young people looking for a job with good pay, flexible hours and job security should consider working in health care, according to a list of the top 15 best jobs in the US for young people.
Health care is the fastest growing sector of the US economy and nearly half of what are considered the top jobs for young people are in the sector, Forbes.com said.
With a medium annual salary of $33,470, dental assistants topped the ranking, while medical assistants, who earn about $28,860, came in No. 3, followed by physical therapist assistants who make a medium salary of nearly $50,000 and health aides who earn $20,560.
Teachers of self-enrichment courses such as pottery and art, were the only non-health job in the top five.
"Almost every one of these requires physical contact," Laurence Shatkin, the author of the book "150 Best Jobs for Your Skills," told Forbes. com. "You have to show up to do them, so you're not being shipped overseas, and they can't be done by a robot."
Shatkin studied which jobs have the highest concentration of 16 to 24 year olds, pay well and have opportunities for entry level positions. He based the ranking on annual salary and openings and projected growth. Many of the jobs do not require a college degree.
Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors, pharmacy technicians and surgical technologists were also among the top 10 jobs for young people.
Because many of the jobs can be done on a part-time basis, they offer the flexibility for people to continue their education while doing them. Some of the jobs offer career prospects and advancements.
"Young people may not have figured out what their priorities are yet," Shatkin told Forbes.com. "They may use these jobs to discover what they like and where they fit in." | high864.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access."
},
"options": [
"More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access.",
"Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards."... | They like using the Internet. They have lots of pocket money to spend. And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us. Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy-games, CDs and clothing-are easily sold on the Web.
But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards. Most have to use a parent's card. They want a facility that allows them to spend money.
That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic. If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.
In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and PS20bn annually in the UK. Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school-88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK. According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online-mainly CDs and books.
In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children. Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street. They are more likely to ask "Why?" if you ask to spend some money online.
One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK. Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such asPS20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account. | high24.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in the night time"
},
"options": [
"in the night time",
"after lullabies were broadcast",
"while the student was awake",
"all through the twelve hours"
],
"question": "In the experiment, lessons were given _ ... | If you ask some people, "How did you learn English so well?" you may get a surprising answer: "In my sleep!"
These are people who have taken part in one of the recent experiments to test "the learn while you sleep" method , which is now being tried in several countries, and with several subjects. English is among them.
Scientists say that this sleep study method greatly speeds language learning. They say that the ordinary person can learn two or three times as much during sleep as in the same period during the day--and this does not affect his rest in any way. However, sleep teaching will only put into your head what you have studied already while you are awake.
In one experiment, ten lessons were broadcast over the radio for two weeks. Each lesson lasted twelve hours -- from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The first three hours of English grammar and vocabulary were given with the students awake. At 11 p.m. a lullaby was broadcast to send the student to sleep and for the next three hours the radio in a soft and low voice broadcast the lesson again into his sleeping ears. At 2 a.m. a sharp noise was sent over the radio to wake the sleeping student up for a few minutes to go over the lesson. The soft music sent him back to rest again while the radio went on. At 5 o'clock his sleep ended and he had to go through the lesson again for three hours before breakfast. | high1328.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "think in a habitual way"
},
"options": [
"think in a habitual way",
"enjoy having a car ride",
"usually behave in a friendly way",
"have a good memory"
],
"question": "As with the dog Barney, people _ .",
... | Whenever my dog, Barney, comes into the house after having been for a ride in the car, he runs to the pen we have set up for him by the back door. It's not something we intentionally trained him to do. The habit came simply because my husband tended to put him in his pen whenever they came in. After doing it a few times, Barney just figures that's what you do when you come inside after a car ride.
It's the same with your thinking. You get into the habit of thinking a certain way and then you'll rarely question it after that.
This is especially true when you were growing up. You developed habits that just made things easier for you. You probably didn't even think about them. That's just the way it was and that's what you did. Just like Barney thinks he has to go into his pen, you do things automatically as well.
For example, when you were a kid, you may have been told not to "talk back" and to just keep quiet about things that were bothering you. These are habits that might have worked to keep you safe and out of trouble when you were young.
Now that you're grown up, you may be finding that these previous strategies are actually causing you problems. In a relationship, not communicating isn't going to work as your partner can't read your mind. What works when you're a child may not work when you become an adult.
When you decide you need to change your thoughts, your brain may at first feel that it's not a safe thing to do. Lots of practice and years of experience says it's not. Also, you don't know to question the thought. It's a truth for you. The trick is to look at your results and see if your thoughts are the cause. Be willing to question your thinking and ask yourself if there are thoughts that are hindering you. As you are now in a different phase of your life, different strategies may be needed. | high2621.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Caring and responsible."
},
"options": [
"Brave and independent.",
"Caring and responsible.",
"Honest and determined.",
"Friendly and humorous."
],
"question": ". Which of the following best describes Doniece Sa... | San Francisco, unofficially regarded as one of the homeless capitals of the US, counts nearly 6,500 homeless people, with 4,300 living on the street.
Among the many problems that the homeless face is little or no access to showers. San Francisco only has about 16 to 20 shower stations to accommodate _ . But Doniece Sandoval has made it her task to change that. [:"Homelessness is something you can't really miss," the 51-year-old woman said. She started Lava Mae, a sort of showers on wheels, a new project that aims to turn old city buses into shower stations for the homeless.
"One day I passed a woman in the street and she was very dirty and basically crying, and I heard her say that she would never be clean. But I was wondering what her opportunities were to actually get clean," Sandoval said.
Sandoval was inspired to start Lava Mae. The project has already been welcomed with open arms in the city. The Transportation Agency has donated one bus for the cause and is willing to donate three more if the project succeeds. Sandoval hopes the first bus will be able to hit the road in May this year. The Public Commission has also agreed to let the buses plug into fire hydrants around the city if Lava Mae pays for the water.
One of Lava Mae's biggest supporters is Bevan Dufty, the director of Housing Opportunity, Partnerships & Engagement under the mayor of San Francisco. "For people who are unhoused, access to showers is very difficult. Shower buses are something that could potentially be deployed in response to an emergency, so it is relevant to all San Franciscans," Dufty said. "Doniece has done an incredible job as a citizen who cares about helping the poor. We are very excited to see Lava Mae become real soon. "
Each bus will have two shower stations and Sandoval expects that by 2015, they'll be able to provide 2000 showers a week. | high10366.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To get back their football."
},
"options": [
"To go boat rowing.",
"To swim in the open water.",
"To get back their football.",
"To test the umbrella as a sail."
],
"question": "Why did the two boys go to the se... | On a sunny day last August, Tim heard some shouting. Looking out to the sea carefully, he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea.
Two 12-year-old boys, Christian and Jack, rowed out a boat to search for a football. Once they'd rowed beyond the calm waters, a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water. The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore. But they were no match for it and the boat was out of control.
Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves.
"Everything went quiet in my head," Tim recalls . "I was trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line."
Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water. Every 500 yards or so, he raised his head to judge his progress. "At one point, I considered turning back," he says. "I wondered if I was putting my life at risk." After 30 minutes of struggling, he was close enough to yell to the boys, "Take down the umbrella!"
Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella. Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat. He took over rowing, but the waves were almost too strong for him.
"Let's aim for the pier ," Jack said. Tim turned the boat toward it. Soon afterward, waves crashed over the boat, and it began to sink. "Can you guys swim?" he cried. "A little bit," the boys said.
Once they were in the water, Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier. Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs. Tim swam toward land as water washed over the boys' faces.
"Are we almost there?" they asked again and again. "Yes," Tim told them each time.
After 30minutes, they reached the pier. | high17409.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Shadow is a small and healthy dog."
},
"options": [
"the Browns have never had a pet before.",
"the Browns knew about Shadow from the newspaper.",
"Shadow is a small and healthy dog.",
"Mr Brown didn't quite agree with ... | Well,we're in our new house. Let's get a new pet to get along with it,"Mrs Brown said to her husband.
"That sounds like a pretty good idea,"he answered."Do you want to see the ads in the newspaper?"
"Let's go to the animal shelter. Many pets there need homes. Since tomorrow is Saturday,we can both go," she said. Next morning the Browns met Mr Snow at the animal shelter. "We want to be sure that the pets here go to good homes," Mr Snow said,"So I need to ask you some questions." After they talked for a while, the Browns decided to get a small dog. It wouldn't need a big house or a big yard. A small dog would bark and warn them if someone tried to break into their house. After Mr Snow gave the Browns a book on pet care, they chose one and wanted to take her home right away. But the animal doctor hadn't checked her yet. So Mr Snow told them to return on Sunday. On Sunday afternoon the Browns went to the animal shelter. The animal doctor said,"Shadow has had all of her shots . She will be healthy."The Browns thanked the doctor and took Shadow home.
*,. | high16717.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "full of enthusiasm"
},
"options": [
"full of ambition",
"self-disciplined",
"full of enthusiasm",
"knowledgeable"
],
"question": "According to the author, a born naturalist should first of all be _",
"ques... | Looking back on my childhood. I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.
Before Word War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal clear memory of dogs, the farm animals, the local birds and above all, the insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world, and my enthusiasm has led me into varied investigations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people's observations and discoveries. Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle. Because it all seems to fit together .This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books. Which some may light honor, with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist? One of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist can be made a naturalist. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds. | high4250.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "their country was in war and they needed peace"
},
"options": [
"they suffered starvation in their homeland",
"they wanted to start a rich life in the new land",
"they tried to get away from the terrible climate",
"thei... | My grandma whom we all called Nanny was a solid, first-generation, Italian immigrant. She came to this country with her family on a tiny ship during World War I when she was only 8 years old. During the trip she survived stormy seas,little food, and an attack by a German U-boat. After getting here,her large family worked hard to build a new life in America. They never had much money but were rich in love.
One day,when I was about 5 or 6 years old, my parents and brothers went on a trip. It was just me and Nanny in the house for the weekend. Nanny seemed so happy to be taking care of me all by herself. She made me a special breakfast that first morning. However, all I could do was to complain about how the food was not how Mom always made it. Nanny quietly put down the plate and went into the living room. I followed a minute later and saw that she had tears in her eyes. It was the first time I had ever seen my strong and proud grandmother cry and I was the one who had caused it.
I walked over to Nanny, climbed on her lap, and for the first time in my short life I did something else too. I apologized without being told to and asked Nanny to forgive me. She smiled, rubbed my head, and told me I was a good boy even though I didn't feel like one then.
That memory just like my Nanny's love will stay in my heart forever. It is a sign of both strength and wisdom. Asking for forgiveness helps us to learn, to grow, and to love. | high2635.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because it is environmentally friendly."
},
"options": [
"Because it means convenience to people.",
"Because it can help people save a lot of money.",
"Because local food has more nutrition.",
"Because it is environment... | "Eat local." It's one way to reduce human effect on the planet.Eating local means to try to buy and consume foods that are grown in places close to home.However, most of the food sold at supermarkets is not locally grown or produced.Trucks and planes deliver these foods from hundreds or thousands of miles away.During the transportation, greenhouse gases are produced, causing global warming.So the shorter the distance your foods must travel, the less the harm is done to the environment.
But how do you get local food if you live in a large city, hundreds of miles away from farms?Environmental health scientist Dickson Despommier and his students came up with the idea of a "vertical farm".
A vertical farm is a glass-walled structure that could be built as tall as a skyscraper.Since the garden is built upwards, rather than outwards, it requires much less space than an ordinary farm.The world is quickly running out of room for ordinary farming.Vertical farms could be a key to this situation.Despommier imagines a 30-story building with a greenhouse on every floor.The walls of the building would be clear, to allow crops to get as much sunlight as possible.Depending on a city's water resources, Despommier thinks hydroponic farming is another method for the vertical farm which needs no soil to grow plants.
Despommier says the hydroponic greenhouses would use a system that would use a city's waste water and fill it with nutrition to make the crops grow.If this method works, it would provide food to a city and save millions of tons of water.
The idea of a vertical farm has attracted the attention of government officials around the world.Scott Stringer, a government official from New York City, thinks the city is suitable for the vertical farming."Obviously we don't have much land left for us," Stringer said, "But the sky is the limit in Manhattan."
Despommier admits that there is still a lot of work to do to make vertical farms a reality."But I think vertical farming is an idea that can work in a big way." he says. | high10372.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a diary from Xiang"
},
"options": [
"Xiang's talk with reporters",
"a diary from Xiang",
"Xiang's composition",
"Xiang's lecture"
],
"question": "From the passage, we know that the text is probably _ .",
... | Xiang Xiaowen is a student who survived the earthquake in China's Sichuan Province. Like thousands of others, she is now living in a tent in the hard-hitting city of Mianyang.
We are now sleeping in a tent city.
The earthquake happened last Monday and our rooms in school were destroyed. There are four tent cities. Everybody is sleeping under tents. The tents are so wet and we feel so cold. Many students feel uncomfortable but we must live in the tent. Although there are many difficulties after the earthquake, we will do our best to solve them.
Yesterday it rained all day. Today the weather is better. There are no dining halls and supermarkets, so we must cook for ourselves. We have got some food and vegetables to eat.
After the earthquake, many students and I together cleaned all the rubble from our classroom and our dorms. Many of the rooms were destroyed and there was a lot of rubble which we had to clear.
Some students are helping at hospital. Many people are homeless and many are dead. We carried the injured to hospital. There were no buses so we walked to hospital. Many people tried their best to make sure people could live. With the injured, we first let them calm down and then we took them to hospital.
Today, I think people have enough food and drinking water. I think things will be better now. | high16703.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "raise chimpanzees as pets"
},
"options": [
"raise chimpanzees as pets",
"sell chimpanzees in the market",
"persuade people into donating money to WAZA",
"make chimpanzees feel on equal terms with human beings"
],
... | The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is an international organization that brings together zoos and aquariums to cooperate in efforts to advance the respectful, humane treatment of animals in our care, and to support the conservation of animals across the globe.
WAZA was shocked and disappointed to learn of the inappropriate and damaging content in the new TV show Wonderful Friends, jointly produced by China's biggest zoo & circus company (Chimelong) and one of China's top TV companies (Hunan TV). The show dresses up chimpanzees in human clothes and markets them as "cute pets". The animals are placed in many stressful and harmful situations, in order to create "entertaining" story lines. It is disappointing to note that Chinese pop singer and actress Li Yuchun took part in this show, helping to popularize these misleading and inhumane practices. In one example, a young chimp bit an actress in the face right next to a zoo visitor, and then bit another actor leaving a wound on his hand.
WAZA is strongly against practices and shows of this nature. Animals presented in such cruel and unnatural surroundings cannot contribute to serious conservation efforts. Presenting chimpanzees in unnatural and anthropomorphic settings suggests to viewers that they are not endangered and make great pets. Such shows are not only disrespectful to animals, they also lack any sort of conservation purpose. According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, chimpanzees are now considered endangered, and wild populations are declining rapidly. WAZA recognizes that the growing popularity of television programmes such as Wonderful Friends can only increase the already-huge existing demand for chimpanzees as pets.
WAZA requests the following:
(1) The immediate cancel of this programme and similar shows wherever they may take place;
(2) That all animals held in captivity be provided with the highest level of care;
(3) That under no circumstances should chimpanzees be imported from the wild just for entertainment purposes. | high19430.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "valued his dropping out"
},
"options": [
"was adopted by a lawyer and his wife",
"dropped out when he was 17 years old",
"The author was admitted to Stanford",
"valued his dropping out"
],
"question": "From the ... | I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another l8 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unmarried college graduate student, and she decided to, put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course. " My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers, She only gave in a few months later when my parents promised that would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I artlessly chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and ail of my working class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the $ 5 deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. | high4244.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sometimes doubted his ability to fly"
},
"options": [
"met several times of emergencies",
"was worried about his own safety",
"couldn't wait to fly alone in the sky",
"sometimes doubted his ability to fly"
],
"q... | Fly Alone for the First Time
I began flying lessons at the age of 14; but the Federal Aviation Administration requires you to be 16 before you make flight by yourself. So I had to wait for two long years until I could fly a plane by myself. I used that time to master the basic maneuvers of flying. I learned emergency procedures and practiced hundreds of takeoffs and landings until I could land the airplane smoothly without bouncing it down the runway. It wasn't always easy, and many times I would come home feeling discouraged and thinking maybe everyone was right - I would never learn to fly, but by the next day, I was always eager to try again.
On the day of my 16th birthday, I made my first solo flight, which meant I could finally fly alone. The night before, my dad, who was my flight instructor, explained that the winds were forecast to be high. He said if we were in the air by dawn, the winds would probably be calm enough for me to solo. The next morning it was cold, but the sky was completely clear, and the winds were calm. I expected my dad to stay in the plane for at least three takeoffs and landings. But after the first one, he told me to pull off the runway, and he got out of the plane.
I was alone. As I climbed higher and higher, the world began to change. Everything on the ground became _ . Houses, cars, and all looked like tiny toys that could fit in the surface of my hand. I made three takeoffs and landings that day. Each landing was perfect. It was one of the happiest days of my life.
Today, as a flight instructor, I stand alongside runways watching as my own students take to the sky on their first solo flights. I understand the joy faces, which always bring me back to that day when my dream came true. I learned that no matter how people tell you that you can't do something, if you believe in yourself, you can succeed. | high12565.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "unfortunate events usually happen together."
},
"options": [
"unfortunate events usually happen together.",
"personal misfortunes tend to happen every now and then.",
"misfortunes will occur three times in one's whole life.",... | People tend to be more impressed by evidence that seems to confirm some relationship. Thus many are convinced that their dreams are prophetic because a few have come true; they fail to notice the many that have not. Consider also the belief that "the phone always rings when I'm in the shower. " If it does ring while you are in the shower, the event will stand out and be remembered. If it doesn't ring, that nonevent probably won't even be remembered.
People want to see order, pattern and meaning in the world. Consider, for example, the common belief that things like personal misfortunes, plane crashes, and deaths "happen in threes. " Such beliefs stem from the tendency of people to allow the third event to define the time period. I if three plane crashes occur in a month, then the period of time that counts as their "happening together" is one month; if three crashes occur in a year, the period of time is stretched. Flexible end strengthens such beliefs.
We also tend to believe what we want to believe. A majority of people think they are more intelligent, more fair-minded and more skilled behind the wheel of an automobile than the average person. Part of the reason we view ourselves so favorably is that we use standards that work to our advantage. As economist Thomas Schelling explains, "Everybody ranks himself high in qualities. " He values: careful drives give weight to care, skilled drivers give weight to skill, and those who are polite give weight to courtesy. " This way everyone ranks high on his own scale.
Perhaps the most important mental habit we can learn is to be cautions in drawing conclusions. The "evidence" of everyday life is sometimes misleading. | high23960.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "loved to help the sick people"
},
"options": [
"loved to travel very much",
"knew what her duty in life was",
"loved to help the sick people",
"was most interested in music and drawing"
],
"question": "When she ... | Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also traveled a great deal with her mother and father.
As a child she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them.
At last mind was made up. "I'm going to be a nurse," she decided.
"Nursing isn't the right work for a lady," her father told her.
"Then I will make it so," she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for home. During the Crimean War in 1854 she went with a group of thirty eight nurses to the front hospitals. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen -- and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurse went to work.
Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicine and food for the men. Her only pay was in smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman.
After she returned to England, she was honored for her services by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries.
Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honor nurses today. | high870.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The amount of daylight."
},
"options": [
"The conditions of the soil.",
"The amount of daylight.",
"The amount of rainfall.",
"Cold weather."
],
"question": "What has a great effect on the life cycle of the mum?... | People have been growing chrysanthemums for more than 2,000 years. Mums make bright and colorful gardens. People in China and other Asian cultures make tea with the flowers.
One basic kind of mum is the garden mum. The other basic kind is the florist mum. The garden mum is better able to handle different growing conditions.
There are many varieties of mums. The decorative mum is often seen in gardens. Another popular type, the quill mum, has long, straight petals like a tube or needle.
Chrysanthemum blooms can be white, yellow, gold, red or other colors. The plants often grow one meter high.
The soil for chrysanthemums should be kept moist but well drained so it does not get too wet.
Newly-planted mums should be watered two or three times a week, depending on conditions. Plants established in the ground may do well just with normal rainfall.
Mums grow best in full sunshine. They produce colorful blooms when days get shorter and nights get longer. The life cycle of the plant depends on the amount of daylight. This is why experts advise against placing mums near night lights or street lights. The light may interfere with their normal growth cycle. The plants may develop buds too soon.
In climates where temperatures fall below freezing, plant mums at least six weeks before the first frost. That way, the plants will be well established for cold weather.
Some gardeners say the most beautiful presentation comes from planting mums close together. But be sure to leave enough space to let air flow between the plants. If not, there may be a greater chance of disease.
To get more blooms, gardeners pinch back the branches when new growth has reached fifteen centimeters. Squeeze about five to seven centimeters off each branch. Pinch it again when a branch grows another twelve to fifteen centimeters. Stop the pinching about one hundred days before you want the plants to bloom. | high30.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "language can help brain power"
},
"options": [
"language can help brain power",
"man's ability of learning a second language",
"science on learning a second language",
"language learning and maths study"
],
"que... | If English means endless new words,difficult gramrnar and sometimes strange pronunciation,you are wrong.Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university,learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power,Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter.This is the area of the brain which processes information.It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater,the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli,from University College London,took a group of Britons who only spoke English.They were compared with a goup of " _ .''who had learnt a second language before the age of five,as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language.But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language,the smaller the difference.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,"said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. ''Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,"he said."You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading,writing,and comprehension were all tested.The results showed,that the younger they started to learn,the better."Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,''explained the scientists. | high6453.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In the Water Cube."
},
"options": [
"In a theater in Shanghai.",
"In the Water Cube.",
"In a Children's Palace.",
"In Nanjing."
],
"question": "Where did the gala take place?",
"question_type": "factiod_ques... | Celebrity TV presenter Ju Ping has been a host on China Central Television for 30 years, but her recent experience fronting a charity event was one of the most special moments in her career.
On April 2, World Autism Day, Ju partnered with Xia Junqi, a 17-year-old autistic teenager, to host a charity gala at the Beijing National Aquatics Center, otherwise known as the Water Cube.
The event was organized by One Foundation, which aims to increase public awareness of autistic people and their needs.
Autism is a neural disorder that _ sufferers' communication skills and social interactions. Sufferers have restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. It affects about 1.6 million people in China, with medical studies suggesting autism may affect one in every 166 children.
Autism has no cure. For many years it went largely undiagnosed in China but early intervention and continuous education may help to teach the autistic self-help skills and lessen their disruptive behavior.
The gala featured autistic children singing, dancing and performing, and was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Cai Chunzhu, a celebrity playwright, recalled feeling heartbroken when his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. He says his family struggled to accept the reality but finally made peace with the diagnoses in the past four years. He says the boy lives in his own world and is trained in an intervention facility. Sun Zhongkai, executive director of the Beijing Stars and Rain Institute for Autism, one of the earliest intervention facilities for autistic children in China, shared with audience his deep sorrow for parents who often collapsed with desperation when he told them there was no cure for their autistic children.
Over the years, Chinese society has become more supportive of autistic people and their families, but there are still challenges in terms of getting autistic people employed and looking after them when their parents pass away.
Actor Zhou Xun also called on society to show greater understanding and support toward autistic children and their families. | high9760.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It will begin on July 16 and last for five days."
},
"options": [
"It will begin on July 16 and last for five days.",
"Students in any grade can take part in the camp.",
"Parents are allowed to come along with their children.... | Time: July 16-20
Location: Norman Park Conference Center
Price: 500
Students who have completed the 5th, 6th or 7th grade and meet our requirements can take part in this exciting project. Children will spend 5 days in the Center joining in various activities.
Our theme for this camp is "Teamwork". The title speaks to our goal: We want this trip to help our students improve their sense of cooperation.
What to do:
Step one: Form work
*Click on the link to print out the necessary forms: Propel Missions Camp Forms
*Complete the forms, printing clearly.
*Turn in your forms along with a copy of your insurance card to the office during business hours.
Member form
* This form must be signed and notarized .
* Your form may be notarized at the office during normal office hours, at the Children's reception desk before and after service times, or by a lawyer of your choosing.
Special needs form (If needed)
Special needs form should be filled out only if there is a particular need (as described in the form) of which we and the camp should know.
Roommate form
This form will help us place your child in a room with the partners he or she prefers. We will provide a list of students attending at your request to help your child make his or her choices.
Step two: Read
Click on the link and read carefully the Parent Information Packet provided by the camp: Propel Missions Camp Forms (Parents)
How to get in touch
If interested, get in touch with Pastor Scott at scott. Morrison@fbcvidalia.org or call the office at (912)537-4169. | high14114.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She was competitive."
},
"options": [
"She was competitive.",
"She was brave.",
"She was strong.",
"She was disabled."
],
"question": "What made Jean take part in sports?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world's best marathoners can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That's about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn't like to be told she's brave. "I'm in sports because I'm a competitive person!" Jean was born with spina befida , a birth illness that damages the spine . She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed." Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs," she says, "It was fun."
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. "When I sign my a utograph ,says Jean, "I write, dream big and work hard." | high6335.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "We use intelligent robots to do everyday housework."
},
"options": [
"We have diseases and die young.",
"We spend less time in virtual reality.",
"We give birth to a child when we are young.",
"We use intelligent robots... | By 2050, a completely new type of human evolve as a result of extremely new technology, behavior, and natural selection. This is according to Cadell Last, a researcher at the Global Brain Institute, who claims mankind is undergoing a major "evolutionary transition".
In less than four decades, Mr. Last claims we will live longer, have children in old age and rely on artificial intelligence to do ordinary and boring tasks. This shift is so significant, he claims, it is comparable to the change from monkeys to apes, and apes to humans. "Your 80 or 100 is going to be so radically different than your grandparents," Mr. Last says, who believes we will spend much of our time living in virtual reality. Some evolutionary scientists believe this age could be as high as 120 by 2050.
Mr. Last claims humans will also demonstrate _ , according to a report by Christina Sterbenz inBusiness Insider. This refers to something known as life history theory which attempts to explain how natural selection shapes key events in a creature's life, such as reproduction. It suggests that as brain sizes increase, organisms need more energy and time to reach their full potential, and so reproduce less.
Instead of living fast and dying younger, Mr. Last believes humans will live slow and die old. "Global society at the moment is a complete mess," he told MailOnline. "But in crisis there is opportunity, and in apocalypse there can be transformation. So I think the next system humanity creates will be far more sophisticated, fair, and abundant than our current civilization."
"I think our next system will be as different from the modern world, as our contemporary world is from the medieval world. The biological clock isn't going to be around forever," he added, and said that people could pause it for some time using future technology.
The change is already happening. Today, the average age at which a woman in Britain has her first baby has been rising steadily stands at 29. 8. In the US, just one percent of first children were born to women over the age of 35 in 1970. By 2012, that figure rose to 15 percent.
"As countries become socio-economically advanced, more and more people, especially women have the option to engage in cultural reproduction," Mr. Last added. And as well as having more child-free years to enjoy leisure time, he believes artificial intelligence will make up the need for low-skill jobs. We may also spend a large amount of time living in virtual reality. "I'm not quite sure most people have really absorbed the implications of this possibility," Mr. Last said.
His views are detailed in a paper, titled "Human Evolution, Life History Theory, and the End of Biological Reproduction" published Current Aging Science. | high14672.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Near the post office."
},
"options": [
"Near the hospital.",
"Near the post office.",
"Outside the food store.",
"In the bookstore."
],
"question": "Where did the author meet the woman?",
"question_type": nu... | One day when I left a bookstore and walked on the street, I saw a woman standing outside the post office. She looked pale and worried. I stopped and asked if she needed help. She told me that her foot was hurting and she had to go to the hospital fight away, but there was no taxi. I wanted to make a trip to a food store later that day. I asked the woman where she was going. She told me the name of a hospital which was actually on the way to the food store. So I said, My car is parked nearby, How about my giving you a ride? It will save you some time and money. She agreed gratefully.
When we got to the hospital, she thanked me again and again. Then I went to the food store and picked up what I went for. As I was waiting at the checkout, the man behind me said that he had a coupon for 20% off anything in the store. He gave it to me because he had an extra one and he wanted to do good things to others! I thanked him and let him go ahead of me in line to check out.
Each action creates a ripple that finally comes back to us. Do you believe it? | high8318.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They study at home rather than in classrooms."
},
"options": [
"They have to take long bus rides to school.",
"They study at home rather than in classrooms.",
"They receive money from traditional public schools.",
"They... | About 21,000 young people in 17 American states do not attend classes in school buildings.
Instead, they receive their elementary and high school education by working at home on computers.The Center for Education Reform says the United States has 67 public "cyberschools."and that is about twice as many as two years ago.
The money for students to attend a cyberschool comes from the governments of the states where they live. Some educators say cyberschools receive money that should support traditional public schools. They also say it is difficult to know if students are learning well.
Other educators praise this new form of education for letting students work at their own speed. These people say cyberschools help students who were unhappy or unsuccessful in traditional schools. They say learning at home by computer ends long bus rides for children who live far from school.
Whatever the judgement of cyberschools,they are getting more and more popular. For example, a new cyberschool called Commonwealth Connections Academy will take in students this fall. It will serve children in the state of Pennsylvania from ages five through thirteen.
Children get free equipment for their online education. This includes a computer,a printer,books and technical services. Parents and students talk with teachers by telephone or by sending emails through their computers when necessary.
Students at cyberschools usually do not know one another. But 56 such students who finished studies at Western Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School recently met for the first time. They were guests of honor at their graduation. | high12203.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "lives away from her parents"
},
"options": [
"takes pride in her friends",
"lives away from her parents",
"knows Mr. Expert quite well",
"hates her parents very much"
],
"question": "59. We can learn from the fi... | A letter to Edward,a columnist
Dear Mr. Expert,
I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home. I always promised myself that I'd get out as soon as possible. Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I'm really proud of the independence I've achieved.
Here's the problem: several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine--so much so that they make mine theirs.
It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me. But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like. They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever.
I enjoy having my friends here sometimes--it makes the place feel comfortable and warm--but this is my home, not a party house. I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can't I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy ?
Joan
Edward's reply to Joan
Dear Joan,
If your family didn't pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now.
And if you've gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere , you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with--or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy. You need to understand that in true friendship it's okay to put your own needs first from time to time.
Be clear about the message you want to send. For example, "I really love your company but I also need some privacy. So please call before you come over. "
Edward | high16065.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Her discovery has greatly reduced the death rate caused by malaria"
},
"options": [
"She was working together with two foreign scientists",
"Her work has inspired traditional Chinese medicine",
"She discovered a drug that has... | STOCKHOLM---William Campbell, Satoshi Omura and Tu Youyou jointly won the 2015 Nbel Prize for medicine for their work against diseases caused by parasites , the award-giving body said on Monday.
Irish-born Campbell and Japanese Omura won half of the prize for discovering a new drug, avermectin, that has helped the battle against river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, as well as showing effectiveness against other parasitic diseases.
The Chinese scientist Tu Youyou was awarded the other half of the prize for discovering artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced the mortality rates for patients suffering from malaria.
"These two discoveries have provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually," the Nobel Assembly at Sweden's Karolinska Institute said in a statement in awarding the prize of 8 million Swedish crowns ($960,000)."
"The consequences in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable. "
In an interview after the announcement, Juleen R. ZAierath, chairman of the Nobel Committee told Xinhua that Tu's "inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine" was important.
"But what was really important was that Tu Youyou identified the active agent in that plant extract ," said Zierath, adding " there was a lot of modern chemistry, bi0-chemistry attached to this to bring forward this new drug."
Despite rapid progress in controlling malaria in the past decade, the mosquito-borne disease still kills more than half a million people a year, the vast majority of them babies and young children in the poorest parts of Africa. | high19356.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "people who fight against hunger"
},
"options": [
"people who fight against hunger",
"researchers or top policy officials",
"people from nongovernmental groups",
"people who have advanced human development"
],
"q... | This year's World Food Prize will honor two leaders of hunger-fighting groups based in the United States. The winners are David Beckmann of Bread for the World and Jo Luck of Heifer International. They will share the prize of 250,000 dollars. The World Food Prize usually goes to researchers or top policy officials. This is the first time it will recognize the work of nongovernmental groups.
Heifer International provides donated animals and training to farmers in 50 countries. Jo Luck remains president until next year. Under her leadership, the group's budget grew from less than 10,000,000 dollars to more than 130,000,000 dollars. Jo Luck, "People pass on their gifts of not just animals but also gifts of training and leadership. We have seen cases where we have been gone 5 and 10 years and we go back and they have developed roads and built schools, and they have other communities receiving the animals and the training. You just give them those resources and that training and opportunity, and you cannot hold them back." She told the story of a woman from a poor village in Zimbabwe. A family member helped send her to school in the United States with earnings from a donated milk goat. She received a doctoral degree. Jo Luck, "That is what a goat did. That is one example. The animal is only the catalyst . That is the beginning of many other things that follow."
David Beckmann became president of Bread for the World in 1991. He is an economist and a Christian clergyman . Bread for the World organizes people from religious and non-religious groups to write, call and visit members of Congress . The purpose is to support measures to improve the lives of the poor. David Beckmann points to big increase in American development assistance. He said, "I think that would not have happened without the support of hundreds of thousands of people and churches that are part of Bread for the World and that keep the pressure on their members of Congress." The prize committee also credited his efforts with helping to increase aid to needy families in the United States. | high4522.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it is dark and cold"
},
"options": [
"there are some mysterious footprints",
"the landscape is not very large",
"there are many fish",
"it is dark and cold"
],
"question": "On the bottom of Challenger Deep, _ ... | Seven years of careful design and planning all came together on Monday, when James Cameron became the first human to make a solo trip to the deepest known point on earth - the Challenger Deep! More importantly though, he appeared safely seven hours later, completing with exciting-photos and videos from this dark mysterious world that has been visited by only two humans before!
Seated inside a specially built 12-ton green submersible called the Deep Sea Challenger, the brilliant filmmaker caught every moment of his 2-hour-36-minute journey down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench on video -- given that it is 120 times larger than the Grand Canyon and a mile deeper than Mount Everest.
Absolutely nothing! There were no large alien creatures or mysterious footprints -- just a flat desolate landscape, 50 times larger than the Grand Canyon. Mr. Cameron describes it as "devoid of sunlight, any heat, any warmth". The only things swimming around, were some tiny shrimp-like creatures no bigger than an inch.
While the 57-year-old had expected to spend six hours at the bottom, he was forced to return in three hours, because the robotic arm that was supposed to help him collect samples went wrong and began leaking oil. He also lost some thrusters and a whole starboard side, causing the submersible to spin around in circles.
However, these small setbacks did not make the whole trip any less exciting for Mr. Cameron. The director, who returned to the surface in a speedy seventy minutes, believes this is just one of many trips he and other adventurers will be taking. In fact, Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, is currently in the midst of planning a similar trip to the Puerto Rico Trench that lies five miles below the surface of the water. Though Mr. Cameron's is promising to move his historic trip into an exciting 3-D National Geographic documentary, he is tight-lipped about how the experience will be used in his next movie! We cannot wait to see! | high18048.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Miss White's praise"
},
"options": [
"Miss White's encouragement",
"Miss White's praise",
"knowing Miss White concerned him",
"Miss White's persuasion"
],
"question": "What made Steve change greatly all of a sud... | _ , by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White.
Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn't take his eyes off his teacher; yet, still he failed. He never did his homework, and he was always in trouble with Miss White. His heart would break under her sharp words, and when he was punished for failing to turn in his homework, he felt just miserable! Still, he did not study.
In the middle of the first semester of school, the entire seventh grade was tested for basic skills. Steve hurried through his tests, and continued to dream of other things, as the day wore on. His heart was not in school, but in the woods, where he often escaped alone, trying to shut out the sights, sounds and smells of his alcoholic home. No one checked on him to see if he was safe. No one knew he was gone, because no one was sober enough to care. Oddly, Steve never missed a day of school.
One day, Miss White's impatient voice broke into his daydreams. "Steve!!" Startled, he turned to look at her.
"Pay attention!"
Steve locked his gaze on Miss White with adolescent adoration , as she began to go over the test results for the seventh grade.
"You all did pretty well," she told the class, "except for one boy, and it breaks my heart to tell you this, but..." She hesitated, pinning Steve to his seat with a sharp stare, her eyes searching his face.
"...The smartest boy in the seventh grade is failing my class!"
She just stared at Steve, as the class spun around for a good look. Steve dropped his eyes and carefully examined his fingertips.
After that, it was war!! Steve still wouldn't do his homework. Even as the punishments became more severe, he remained stubborn.
"Just try it! ONE WEEK!" He was unmoved.
"You're smart enough! You'll see a change!" Nothing fazed him.
"Give yourself a chance! Don't give up on your life!" Nothing.
"Steve! Please! I care about you!"
Wow! Suddenly, Steve got it!! Someone cared about him? Someone, totally unattainable and perfect, CARED ABOUT HIM??!!
Steve went home from school, thoughtful, that afternoon. Walking into the house, he took one look around. Both parents were passed out, in various stages of undress, and the stench was overpowering! He, quickly, gathered up his camping gear, a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, a bottle of water, and this time...his schoolbooks. Grim faced and determined, he headed for the woods.
The following Monday he arrived at school on time, and he waited for Miss White to enter the classroom. She walked in, all sparkle and smiles! God, she was beautiful! He yearned for her smile to turn on him. It did not.
Miss White, immediately, gave a quiz on the weekend homework. Steve hurried through the test, and was the first to hand in his paper. With a look of surprise, Miss White took his paper. Obviously puzzled, she began to look it over. Steve walked back to his desk, his heart pounding within his chest. As he sat down, he couldn't resist another look at the lovely woman.
Miss White's face was in total shock! She glanced up at Steve, then down, then up. Suddenly, her face broke into a radiant smile. The smartest boy in the seventh grade had just passed his first test!
From that moment nothing was the same for Steve. Life at home remained the same, but life still changed. He discovered that not only could he learn, but he was good at it!
He discovered that he could understand and retain knowledge, and that he could translate the things he learned into his own life. Steve began to excel! And he continued this course throughout his school life.
After high-school Steve enlisted in the Navy, and he had a successful military career. During that time, he met the love of his life, he raised a family, and he graduated from college Magna Cum Laude. During his Naval career, he inspired many young people, who without him, might not have believed in themselves. Steve began a second career after the Navy, and he continues to inspire others, as an adjunct professor in a nearby college.
Miss White left a great legacy. She saved one boy who has changed many lives. I know, because I am the love of his life.
You see, it's simple, really. A change took place within the heart of one boy, all because of one teacher, who cared. | high2153.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A true friend"
},
"options": [
"A precious friendship",
"A true friend",
"A happy time",
"Friend, a treasure."
],
"question": "What is the best title for this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"a... | True friends double your happiness and half your burdens. Basically how you would like a true friend to be is what you should be like to your true friends. Trust, forgiveness, responsibility are some elements of a true friendship. True friendships are hard to achieve. And what's more, life is short. So treasure these friends if you already have them. If you don't continue to search, because once you have them, life will become so much easier to live, no matter what happens. I have been through very difficult times and I dare say, without my friends, I would not have made it.
Friendships need lots of energy and patience to maintain them. Not to mention time. When your friend needs you, and when things are not going too well on your side, it is often so easy to _ their requests. It is especially during these times, that you must find the strength to help your friend. And it is during these times that your friendship will be made stronger.
And you must always be happy for their successes, even when things are not going too well for you. It might be hard to do this, but it s something that you need to learn. Think about all the sacrifices your friend has made for you and all the times when he was happy for you despite his own troubles. Think about all the happy times you enjoyed and the sad, difficult times you went through together. That should give you plenty of patience to actually be a true friend. Remember, true friends are the next best thing to family. They will always be your supporters. | high21811.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Its dancers have chances to study in the U.S."
},
"options": [
"It was started by a journalist.",
"It travels across the U.S.annually.",
"It consists of two dozen performers.",
"Its dancers have chances to study in the ... | Over the past 20 years, AIDS and war have claimed the parents of 2.4 million Ugandan children.When Alexis Hefley first visited the country,, in 1993, she saw the children's sorrow, but the former Texas banker also spotted "a world of possibility".She watched as they danced for tourists to earn money, and she had a thought: If people in America could see them perform, they'd support them too.
The children's passion and talent inspired Hefley to work with the kids at an orphanage in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, to organize a traveling dance troupe .The goals: to give the problems in Uganda a human face, to raise awareness and to raise money.
The first tour touched down at six American cities in 1994.Today, the 22-member troupe, known as the Spirit of Uganda, travels across America every two years.The young performers bring their energy and joy to audiences across the U.S.and help support hundreds of Ugandan orphans back home.Among the young dancers, some earn scholarships to attend the U.S.colleges, and then return to their country to help rebuild it.
Photojournalist Douglas Menuez first photographed the troupe in 2006 -?a project that led to his new book, Transcendent Spirit, from which these images are drawn.At each performance, the dancers' faces show pure joy, quite an achievement given the hardships they've faced."They look to the future, not the past," explains Menuez."They embrace beauty and good in the world." As one dancer puts it, "People think we have lost our parents.We've had so many problems.But then they see us perform.They see our smiles.And they learn that life goes on." | high11695.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Ruff! Ruff! Where's Scruff?"
},
"options": [
"You and Me, Baby",
"Ruff! Ruff! Where's Scruff?",
"The Giving Tree",
"Where the Wild Things Are"
],
"question": "Little Tom who likes to read picture books with a hi... | A. You and Me, Baby
Reading level: Baby - Grade 1
Hardcover: 40 pages
Language: English
List Price: $15.95
Price: $12.44 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
You Save: $3.51 (22%)
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available.
Only 4 left in stock-order soon(more on the way). Want it delivered Thursday, September 27.
B. Ruff! Ruff! Where's Scruff?
Reading level: Baby - Preschool
Hardcover: 16 pages
Language: English
Price: $11.16 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
Availability: In Stock. Sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available.
Want it delivered Thursday, September 2.
Book Description: It's bath time for Scruff. But does anyone know where he's hiding? Have the cows seen him? Moo - no !How about the pigs? Oink - no ! Looking for that dog is just too tough! But not for toddlers. If they look carefully, they'll find Scruff hiding on every pop - up page !
C. The Giving Tree
Reading level: Ages 4 - 8
Hardcover: 64 pages
Language: English
Price: $11.55
Availability: Sold all year round and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout.
Book Description: Once there was a tree... and she loved a little boy. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her think... and the tree was happy.
D. Where the Wild Things Are
Reading level: Ages 6 - 10
Hardcover comic: 62 pages
Language: English
List Price: $16.95
Price: $11.53 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $ 25.
You Save: $5.42(32%)
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available. Want it delivered Thursday, September 12. Order it at once, and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout. | high20448.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "2 weeks ago"
},
"options": [
"60 days ago",
"one month ago",
"2 weeks ago",
"24 hours ago"
],
"question": "The container to California started on its journey _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | A cat is recovering in California after surviving a 6,500-mile journey across the Pacific stowed inside a Chinese shipping container without food or water. Staff and volunteers have named it "Ni Hao," which is Chinese for "hello."
It was discovered breathing shallowly after a two-week trip across the Pacific Ocean. The cat was seriously suffering from loss of water and starvation when the container was opened in California last week, but was said to be doing well after being sent to the Carson Animal Care Center in Los Angeles. At first it was too weak to stand, but finally took its first steps. Then it ate a good meal and slept soundly. The cat woke up Thursday morning, physically in a better condition than 24 hours ago.
"Ni Hao greeted the medical team with its first miaow this morning and is attempting to stand," said Marcia Mayeda, head of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Care and Control. Aaron Reyes, director of the Department, added: "We finally got to hear its voice. It sounds like a single-engine plane."
Ni Hao is expected to be observed for 60 days but afterwards animal workers will look forward to providing it with a good shelter. "It's much better for it to recover in a home environment," Mr Reyes said. "It's just like a human being in a hospital so we're hoping to move it." He added: "Little by little we're getting there. We're hoping that under the treatment and with rest, it'll be able to recover quickly.''
It was not immediately clear how the cat got into the container. | high23141.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Room 114"
},
"options": [
"Room 114",
"Room 207",
"Room 222",
"Room 113"
],
"question": "Where should you go for help if you fail to find a place to live in?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | This is a page from a college information handbook. It tells you where you can find several different college services and facilities .
Where To Find Help In The College
Here are the places of some important college services and facilities.
Rooms numbered 100-130 are on the first floor and those numbered 200-230 are on the second floor of the main college buildings.
Students Services Center
Careers 113
The officers can offer you some advice on career choice and applications for higher education.
Accommodation Office 114
Mrs. J Mardle is here each afternoon from 1:30 to 4:30 to help students with housing problems.
Medical Room 115
Mrs. J Wright, the college nurse, helps you each morning from 9:30 to12:00 am.
The college doctor is on duty at the room on Wednesday mornings.
Sports office 207
Mrs. B Murie can provide information about sporting and keep-fit activities.
Student Union Office 222
A range of services and advice (travel etc.) is provided.
Food service 127
Mr G Nunn is the manager and will do his best to help if you ask for a special diet.
Library 215
Besides books this also has photocopying, video, audio-visual and computing facilities.
Self Access Language Learning Center 203
Students can attend on a drop-in basis from 9:00 am to 4:15 pm. | high9199.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she (he) is very tired"
},
"options": [
"she (he) is boring",
"she (he) is busy",
"she (he) is very tired",
"she (he) is angry"
],
"question": "The working parent is not willing to listen to her (his) four-year-... | Back in the old days, when I was a child, we sat around the family roundtable at dinnertime and exchanged our daily experiences. It wasn't very organized, but everyone was recognized and all the news that had to be told was told by each family member.
We listened to each other and the interest was not put-on; it was real. Our family was a unit and we supported each other, and nurtured each other, and liked each other, and--we were even willing to admit--we loved each other.
Today, the family roundtable has moved to the local fast-food restaurant and talk is not easy, much less encouraged.
Grandma, who used to live upstairs, is now. the voice on long distance, and the working parent is far too beaten down each day to spend evening relaxation time listening to the sandbox experience of an eager four-year-old.
So family conversation is as extinct as my old toys and parental questions such as "What have you been doing, Bobby?" have been replaced by "I'm busy, go watch television. "
And watch TV they do; count them by the millions.
But it's usually not children's television that children watch. Saturday morning, the children's hour, amounts to only about 8 percent of their weekly viewing.
Where are they to be found? Watching adult television, of course, from the Match Game in the morning, to the afternoon at General Hospital, from the muggings and battles on the evening news right through the family hour and past into Starsky and Hutch. That's where you find our kids, over five million of them, at 10 p. m. , not fewer than a million until after midnight! All of this is done with parental permission.
Television, used well, can provide enriching experiences for our young people, but we must use it with some sense. When the carpet is clean, we turn off the vacuum cleaner. When the dishes are clean, the dishwasher turns itself off.
Not so the television, which is on from the sun in the morning to the moon at night and beyond!
Parents must exercise some control and show some concern about the cultural influence on the child when a program not intended for that child is viewed. Parents need to intervene . Nonintervention may be a wise policy in international affairs, but the results of parental nonintervention will not be wise at all. | high13082.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "attract more foreign tourists to China"
},
"options": [
"keep Marco Polo in people's memories",
"attract more foreign tourists to China",
"encourage more foreigners to speak Chinese",
"explore a new route of transportat... | When Marco Polo travelled to Hangzhou, China 700 hundred years ago, never had he thought he'd be creating a job of social media ambassador in the 21st century in China.
On May 20, one lucky foreigner would be selected to become the modern-day Marco Polo, getting a free 15-day trip to the scenic city of Hangzhou in China, and rewarded $55,000 in the next year for working part-time to promote the city to the global audience. Five finalists from Australia, Romania, U.S., Switzerland and France were in the final race. They came from a pool of 700 applicants from around the world, carefully selected by the Hangzhou Tourism Commission on their familiarity with China, social media presence and adventurous spirit.
Located about 100 miles southwest to Shanghai, Hangzhou is home to 844 million population and among China's richest cities as measures by per-capita GDP. Traditionally, Hangzhou is known for its charming West Lake, a UNESCO world heritage site with traditional Chinese stories and tales, and the Grand Canal, which travels from Hangzhou to Beijing and was a key route of transportation in ancient China. The city's mild climate and charming environment drew 97 million tourists last year, contributing to 6.5% of the city's GDP.
The lucky winner would start an all-expense-paid trip to Hangzhou, which, in addition to visits to tourist sites and tastings of delicious food, also would include a four-day ride along the Grand Canal and three evenings spent at a local resident's home.
"It is in fact a part-time job. How you work that out efficiently is your problem," Liam Bates, perhaps the strongest competitor because of his fluent Chinese, said. "We will see how hard it is to meet these numbers." | high14935.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "On a fish farm"
},
"options": [
"On a fish farm",
"At a local office",
"In a fish market",
"On the office walls"
],
"question": "Where would people see the notice?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},... | NOTICE
DO NOT FISH FOR FOOD, FISHERMAN!
FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH
FISH FROM THESE WATERS SHOULD NOT BE EATEN
BECAUSE OF MERCURY POLLUTION
Office of Land and Forests | high15395.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they didn't know how to save themselves in face of natural disasters"
},
"options": [
"the flood was so violent that no rescue work could be done",
"they were not warned ahead of time by their teachers",
"teachers failed to... | Desks and chairs remained in the classroom, but the lovely children have already left us forever. The handprints left on the walls tell us their fear and despair .
Ninety-nine pupils were killed in a flood in Heilongjiang Province on June 10, 2005. They were swept away by violent waters while having class. It was a natural disaster. But the destruction may have been less serious if students had known what to do to save themselves. Some witnesses said most children did nothing but cry when they found no escape route. Under the instruction of teachers, some pupils caught desks and chairs that were floating and survived. But others were so scared that they could not follow what the teachers said.
Everyone knows that people should mend the fold before the sheep are lost. Preparation for disasters is very important. Schools should be responsible for teaching students survival skills for times of danger. So survival skills and exercises are as important as textbook knowledge.
Japan has set a good example to us. Even though earthquakes and tsunamis often affect the country, there are usually few deaths and injuries. Survival exercises are held in every Japanese school every year. With different kinds of competitions and training, schools help the students be aware and capable of surviving disasters.
On June 16, 2005, a public safety museum opened in Beijing. People can experience disaster like fires and earthquakes, and learn survival skills. Some Beijing teenagers are required to visit the museum. If there were more similar activities in China, further tragedies may be avoided. | high22539.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "all of the above"
},
"options": [
"to share my stories",
"to share my sorrow",
"to fill the empty in my heart",
"all of the above"
],
"question": "I want to find Mary _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questi... | Mary Allen was my best friend- like the sister I ever had. We did everything together : piano lessons, movies, swimming, and horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Mary and I kept in touch through letters and we saw each other on special occasions- like my wedding and Mary's. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back stamped "Address Unknown".
Over the years, I thought of Mary often. I wanted to share stories of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sorrow when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Mary could fill.
One day I was reading the newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked a lot like Mary and whose last name was Wagman- Mary's married name. "There must be thousands of Wagman. "I thought, but I wrote to her anyway.
She called as soon as she got my letter. "Mrs Tobin!"she said excitedly. "Mary Allen Wagman "is my mother. Minutes later I heard a voice that was recognized instantly, even after 40 years. We laughed and cried and caught up on each others lives.
Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And theres one thing that Mary and I know for sure: We don't lose each other again. | high9827.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the woman was lucky to miss her flight"
},
"options": [
"the woman was lucky to miss her flight",
"some people just never run out of good luck",
"robbers will get what they deserve",
"if you feel yourself lucky, you wil... | A woman was in a hurry to go to the airport. She told the cab driver to drive quickly. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she was not aware they were going by a different route.
Suddenly, a man got inside the cab. He took her handbag where she had placed her visa, passport, and all her money for the trip.
The driver, who was _ the robber, left her in the middle of that dark street. She cursed the world for being so mean to her, and thought how unlucky she was in that situation.
That very same night, she heard some shocking news.Tears flowed down her face.Flight 230,which was the plane that she was supposed to have boarded, had crashed.If she had not lost her precious belongings, she could have lost something far more important--her life.
Sometimes bad things really happen.We lose money, fail our exams, or are rejected by others.There are times when nothing seems to go our way.
So what should we do about it? Should we be disappointed? The answer is a resounding "No!" We must get rid of all these frustrations and start all over again in the consistent faith that we will get what we deserve.
Don't waste your time and energy on things that can't be changed.Continuous worrying will only affect your health and you'll be doing much more damage than what was previously done.
What if it was the other way round? What if we never ran out of good luck?
There was a man who won the lottery.He thought he was the luckiest person in the world.He became greedy and wasted all his money on everything he could get his hands on.
One day, he made it to the front page of the newspaper again.But this time, it was a different story.He had been killed because of his riches.
If you attain good luck, you can never be too secure about it.Hope for protection and guidance.Life is so unpredictable.You never know what will happen next.
Live one day at a time.we sometimes subject ourselves to unnecessary emotional trouble.We ask ourselves: "What if I don't get this done in time?" or "What if my family leaves me and I've got no one else to turn to?"
Live for the moment.Do what must be done for the present and the future will turn out just fine. Believe me.And believe in yourself.As Captain Planet always says: "The power is yours!" | high737.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "an island not far from Iceland"
},
"options": [
"an island not far from Iceland",
"a captain",
"a fishing boat",
"a place in Iceland"
],
"question": "Surtsey is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | Surtsey was born in 1963. Scientists saw the birth of this island. It began at 7.30 a.m. on 14th November. A fishing boat was near Iceland. The boat moved under the captain's feet. He noticed a strange smell. He saw some black smoke. A volcano was breaking out. Red-hotrocks, fire and smoke were rushing up from the bottom of the sea. The island grew quickly. It was 10 meters high the next day and 60 meters high on 18th November.
Scientists flew there to watch it. It was exciting. Smoke and fire were still rushing up. Pieces of red-hot rock were flying into the air and falling into the sea. The sea was boiling and there was a strange light in the sky.
Surtsey grew and grew. Then it stopped in June 1967. It was 175 metres high and 2 kilometres long. And life was already coming to Surtsey. Plants grew. Birds came Some scientists built a house. They want to learn about this young island. A new island is like a new world. | high24148.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "badly wounded"
},
"options": [
"badly ill",
"very dangerous",
"dead",
"badly wounded"
],
"question": "When the baby elephant was saved by the team, she was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{... | The baby elephant Ishanga was lying in the bushes, scared, starving, and struggling to breathe. Until just a few days before, she had been with her mother, walking through the sweeping grasslands of Tsavo National Park in the African country of Kenya.
The baby's mother was killed, most likely by a poacher. On Wednesday, November 17,2010, an anti-poaching team was removing the deadly wire traps that poachers set throughout the park. Luckily, a member of the team spotted the baby and rushed to help her.
Suddenly, a lion sprang from the bushes and clamped its mouth around her neck. One person managed to pull out his gun and fire shots in the air. The shocked lion released the baby and backed away.
Now the weakened baby had a grave wound on her neck. About 300 miles north of Tsavo is a place that helps baby elephants. Over the years, the orphanage has raised 130 elephants and successfully released them back into the wild.
After a tense wait and a plane ride, the baby's rescuers made it to the orphanage. The medical staff worked frantically to treat her wound. She was scared and wild. She screamed, and wouldn't let any humans get near her, refusing to eat or drink.
After two hours of intense medical care, Ishanga awoke and slowly struggled to her feet. Two keepers and a veterinarian had been with her all night. They were relieved that she seemed to be recovering.
The next day, though Ishanga remained weak, her keepers introduced her to some of the other 14 young elephants living at the orphanage. The keepers stood back as the other elephants extended their trunk in friendly greetings. The older elephants led Ishanga around, giving her a tour of her new home.
Over the past year, Ishanga's wounds have healed. She has made many friends. It'll be up to Ishanga to decide when she's ready to leave the orphanage. Returning to the wild is a long process that can take more than 10 years. For now, she is in no rush to leave this extraordinary community of elephants and humans. Ishanga has a long, happy life ahead of her. | high23627.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They don't really understand life."
},
"options": [
"They lack imagination.",
"They don't really understand life.",
"They don't like Turkish costume.",
"They show no tolerance towards children."
],
"question": "... | But that did not really surprise me much. I knew very well that in addition to the great planets-- such as the Earth, Jupiter, Mars, Venus-- to which we have given names, there are also hundreds of others, some of which are so small that one has a hard time seeing them through the telescope. When an astronomer discovers one of these he does not give it a name, but only a number. He might call it, for example, "Asteroid 325."
I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B-612. This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope. That was by a Turkish astronomer, in 1909. On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration . But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said.
Grown-ups are like that...
Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612, a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects should change to European costume under pain of death .So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance. And this time everybody accepted his report.
If I have told you these details about the asteroid, and made a note of its number for you, it is for the grown-ups and their ways. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much money does his father make?"
If you were to say to the grown-ups: "I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof," they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: "I saw a house that cost $20,000." Then they would cry out: "Oh, what a pretty house that is!"
_ , if you say to them: "The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep." And what good would it do to tell them that? They would shrug their shoulders, and treat you like a child. But if you said to them: "The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612," then they would be convinced, and leave you free from their questions.
They are like that. One must not hold it against them. Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people. But certainly, for us who understand life, figures are a matter of indifference . | high17582.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Educators say reading is useful in improving people's language skills."
},
"options": [
"Educators say reading is useful in improving people's language skills.",
"Xing Mingyan,a senior student,especially likes Japanese funny book... | In this age of media technology where the Internet is playing a more and more important role in our lives,how do you usually get information? For many students and office workers,their first Interact stop is the search engine Google:For any information they want,they's imply type in a keyword, click "enter",and within seconds relevant web pages appear out.
So are people still reading books? The answer is surely yes.It's simply not realistic to use acomputer to read a novel But reading habits in China,and other countries,are changing.Mr Li,a businessman,says his purpose in reading is to get practical knowledge."I like stories of successful people and books that give advice on how people become successful.Besides,I read books with basic knowledge,"said Li.
"I like funny books,especially Japanese funny books,"said Xing Mingyan,a junior student,who reads purely for entertainment.
"I like to read cook books,"said Miss Zhang,an office worker,who usually reads magazines.
"And I usually buy fashion magazines."
It seems that the purposes of reading have changed a lot.People don't tend to read for entertainment as much.They usually read to learn.Books that teach people how to be more successful,wealthier or more beautiful stay on the best--seller charts for a long time.People are also interested in buying funny books and magazines.Just remember how the funny novels of Jimmy Liao took China and other countries by storm.
But educators say reading is important to teach people and also to develop their imaginations and language skills.No matter what you like to read,why not turn off the computer and television and read a good book,make yourself comfortable and open the door to another world? | high16844.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Being tired with much housework."
},
"options": [
"Being tired with much housework.",
"Lacking their own interests and hobbies.",
"Looking after their children all the time.",
"Spending little time enjoying themselves."... | The struggle to "have it all" leaves many mothers giving up their health and hobbies. But dads have more time to spare according to a research, with just 55 per cent saying they lose sleep and regular exercise compared with 71 percent of mums. Twice as many mothers as fathers complained that they did not spend enough time relaxing, with almost half of mums spending less than two hours a week with friends. And more than a third miss out on hobbies and interests because they are too busy.
In spite of changing roles in the family, women are still responsible for most of the child care. Nearly a third spend more than 10 hours a week caring for their children, compared with just one in ten fathers. More mums than dads also say housework and tiredness stop them achieving their goals.
But the research also shows mums gain a sense of achievement from finishing the housework, getting their children to school on time or sitting down to a family dinner. The research underlines the fact that women feel under pressure to succeed in all areas of their lives.
As Nick Booth, a marketing director put, "They are pushing themselves too hard and are in danger of burning out. We'd encourage anyone to take time out for themselves. Having your own interests and hobbies and ensuring you get enough sleep is hugely important. Other parts of your life, including work and family life, improve as a result."
The Olympian and mother Jo Pavey admitted balancing career, family and personal time can be a struggle. Jo, 41, became the oldest female gold medalist at the European Championship last year - but regards her children as her biggest achievement. The mum of two said,"When I was younger,I'd have probably said it wasn't possible to have a sporting career and be mum. But actually it is all about striking a balance and looking after yourself." | high18869.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Watson's worries."
},
"options": [
"Watson' s interests.",
"Watson's intention.",
"Watson's success.",
"Watson's worries."
],
"question": "Which of the following topics is not mentioned in the passage.'?",
"... | While she may be best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson would rather be known for something else in her mind.
The 18-year-old British actress intends to stop her acting career for the moment to pursue higher studies at a university after she finished the films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Watson, whose parents are both Oxford graduates, is now on a gap year before starting university.
Earlier this month, Watson applied to two of the top universities in the United States -- Harvard and Yale. She admitted that Harry Potter series has brought her fame and financial security . She has made more than $10 million so far, but now she "has a need to study".
"I think the entertainment business is such a _ one. One minute you' re up there and the next -- nothing," she said.
Watson is growing up in front of millions of viewers ( ). She was only nine years old when she started playing the role of Hermione. And the way she figured out how to deal with media attention is "try not to read too much of what is said and try to distance myself a bit from _ ".
Watson has other interests. These include, interestingly, fishing and she has helped raise money for the Wild Trout Trust. | high21030.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "found the secret of happiness at last"
},
"options": [
"was not happy because of his wealth and success",
"wasn't popular with people of his neighbors",
"would regret for what he had done",
"found the secret of happines... | There once was a very wealthy man who had made great achievement. He had more money than he could ever spend, and he was admired and looked up to by his neighbors. Still,he knew that something was missing in his life. He wasn't happy. All his life he had been striving for happiness, but he had never been able to find it.
Then one day, he heard about a hidden temple in Nepal that had a special room that contained the secret of happiness. He immediately sold all that he owned and set out to find this hidden temple. After many years of searching and countless hardships he arrived there. He was tired and penniless, but he knew that none of that was important now because he had found the temple. He asked a wise, smiling monk if he could enter the special room. The monk agreed and showed him the stairs leading to the room. He climbed them with legs shaking with expectation and slowly opened the door. He stared into the room with sunlight streaming through the window and saw what he had come so far to find. There hanging on the wall was the secret of happiness. The man gazed at himself in the mirror and laughed.
It is time that we all realized that we were the secret of our own happiness. Happiness is a choice that we can make. Don't spend the rest of your life searching the world for happiness then. Just look in the mirror and laugh. Just let the happiness flow from your heart, mind, and soul until it fills your life and the lives of all those around you. | high17596.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "was out of control"
},
"options": [
"was blind",
"was an orphan",
"was out of control",
"became mad"
],
"question": "Annie was locked up in the basement because she_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | Dr Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when he met all elderly floor maid .Having known that the elderly woman had worked there for many years,he asked her to tell him about the history of this place.
"I don't think I can tell you anything.but I could show you something."She took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building."That's where they used to keep Annie."
"Who was Annie?"
"Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because nobody could do anything with her.She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people.The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her.I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think.I surely would hate to be locked up like that.I wanted to help her,but I didn't have any idea what I could do.So I just baked her some brownies one night after work.The next day I brought them in.I walked carefully to her cage and I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me.But she didn't.She actually took the brownies and ate them.After that,she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around.And sometimes I'd talk to her.Once,I even got her laughing.One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor.They asked me if l'd help them with Annie.I said I would if I could.I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand,which is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind."
...
When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize,she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan." But Annie said,"No Helen.The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute." | high16850.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the job title is one of the most important factors in an advertisement"
},
"options": [
"nowadays, restaurants prefer male to female workers",
"the traditional view that a nurse should be female is wrong.",
"the job title is ... | It is unlawful for an employer to publish a discriminatory advertisement.
How to identify a discriminatory advertisement:
* It must be read as a whole, and account must be taken not only of the words, but also of the pictures that it uses.
* Job titles that have sexual connotations mean an intention to discriminate on the grounds of sex.
Example 1
A notice in a restaurant window states: "Waiters required". The word "waiters" has a male, not a female, connotation. The advertisement does not contain an equal opportunities statement and does not specify that the jobs are open to men and women.
Example2
A medical clinic places an advertisement for a nurse with a photograph of a female nurse. Nursing is an occupation that is traditionally associated with women. The advertisement does not contain an equal opportunities statement.
Good practice checklist:
* Advertise widely so that as many suitably qualified people as possible have an opportunity to apply.
* Do not publish job advertisements in locations or publications where they are likely to be read wholly or mainly by people who share a particular community background, sex, race, disability, or age.
* Use language which is clear and simple and do not use abstract words. For example, when describing the working environment or the characteristics of desirable employees, do not use words like young, mature or energetic.
* Where possible, do not use job titles which have a male or female connotation. For example, do not use the following words---
waiter/waitress salesman/ salesgirl postman manageress foreman
storeman matron chairman/ chairwoman head master/ mistress
Instead, where possible, use job titles that have gender-neutral connotation, For example, the following words are appropriate---
waiting staff sales assistant postal worker manager stores person supervisor chairperson nurse manager head teacher | high16688.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "get away from the crowds"
},
"options": [
"take a rest",
"watch the woman beggar",
"get away from the crowds",
"avoid meeting the beggar"
],
"question": "The author went to a quiet canal-side cafe to _ .",
... | My conscience was pricked again on a tour of Venice in 2010. I had taken refuge from the crowds in a quiet canal-side cafe. Outside the cafe was an old woman kneeling on the ancient cobbled stones, begging. Steady streams of tourists were walking past her. A lone young back-packer stood away from the throng drinking something, but I noticed he was also observing the woman.
A tourist group glanced at the woman and walked on. Another group of tourists arrived and, again, walked past her. The backpacker watched. Then, as I prepared to leave, I stopped at the sight of the backpacker stepping forward and placing some money in the woman's cup. He did this rather ostentatiously , just before the arrival of another tourist group. I watched as the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and added more coins to the woman's cup.
The young backpacker repeated this process in front of the next tour party going past. Once again, the subtle peer pressure worked on the tourists, who all added coins to the cup. His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar woman, patted her shoulder and said, "I hope that helps a bit."
I don't know if the woman understood his English or realized what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman's cup and continued my travels, light-hearted after witnessing such an astute act of caring. | high21024.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She had a traffic accident on the way to work."
},
"options": [
"She got up late in the morning.",
"She changed her purse and other little things.",
"One of her shoe heels broke.",
"She had a traffic accident on the way... | I woke up late and had breakfast in a hurry.I had never been late and didn't want my boss to be unsatisfied.
However,it seemed that the day wasn't a lucky one for me from the very second I left my flat.The moment I wanted to rush downstairs,one of my stiletto heels broke.I had to return to change my red shoes.I also had to change my purse and other little things that I had tried to match with the shoes.I was sure I would be late for work.
On my way to work I had to wait for over half an hour because of an accident.I had no choice but to wait.I phoned my boss and he told me that it was no problem,but he needed me for the meeting with the Japanese clients that morning.
Finally,I arrived at the office one hour later.I had to keep calm and be fresh for the meeting to make the clients sure that our plan was the best for their future business project.However,I left the plan I had made the night before at home and was going to make a presentation about it to the clients.I was about to get angry when I realised that I had a copy of it in my office.
At last,the meeting came to an end and it turned out to be a success.But I have to say that I had a terrible day,full of incidents. | high13928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "some pets are taken as children."
},
"options": [
"pets have the right to inherit money.",
"money can give pets happiness.",
"it's the best way to spend money.",
"some pets are taken as children."
],
"questi... | In America, when people say "man's best friend", they don't mean another person. Instead, they are talking about a lovely animal:A dog! These words show the friendship between people and animals. Dogs and other pets can give happiness to people's lives. Some people think of their pets as their children. A few even leave all their money to their pets when they die!
Animals can help people, too. Dogs can be taught to become the "eyes"for a blind person or "ears"for a deaf people. Scientists have found that pets help people live longer! They make people happier, too. Because of that, animals are brought into hospitals for "visit".
Americans hold "Be---Kind-to-Animals Week"in the first week of May.
Pets shows are held during the week. Even if you don't live in America, you, too, can do this. How? First, think about how animals make your life richer. If you have a pet, take more time this week to play with it. Remember to give it delicious food. Also, be sure to keep your pet from those unwanted babies.
If you don't have a pet, be kind to animals around you. For example, if you see a street dog, don't kick it or throw things at it. Instead, just leave it alone, or beter yet, make friends with it. If others around you do bad things to an animal, try to shop them. As people, we must protect animals who can't speak for themselves. | high723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Problems of international travel in the future."
},
"options": [
"Wealthy people's wish for travel.",
"Middle class people in different countries.",
"Problems of international travel in the future.",
"The wasy to search... | International travel is no longer the only right of the rich. Over the next several decades, hundreds of millions of millions of new entrants to the middle class will want not only the things but also the experiences --that money can buy.
Indian call-center employers, Russian engineers, Chinese middle managers, and Brazilian salespeople are already searching the web for information on trips. They want to see Paris from the Eiffel Tower, relax in the Maldives, and play blackjack in Las Vegas. According to the United NATIONS World Tourism Organization, international tourist visits are expected to double soon, from roughly 800 million in 2008 to 1.6 billion by 2020. However, only so many people can visit a particular building or beach in a given year. Where will all the other tourists go? This skyrocketing demand for travel will lead to a " _ of place" and to three market problems.
First, most tourism-related prices, such as hotel room rates in popular cities, wil continue to rise as demand becomes larger than supply. Second, people's waiting to visit certain places will become commoplace. Finally, surprising prices and decade-long waiting lists will cause the creation and expansion of tourist attractions in both developed and developing countries. | high23155.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "What we eat seems more important than what we learn in terms of memory."
},
"options": [
"Two percent of our brain is still active when we are sleeping or relaxing.",
"What we eat seems more important than what we learn in terms of... | Do you always forget where you placed your keys or your purse? What was the name of the movie you saw last week? The major cause of your forgetfulness may be linked to what you store in your body, not in your short-term memory bank.
Tests continue to show that people with enough Vitamin B-2 do well in memory exams. The "B" could stand for "brain", if you're one of many with limited instant recall. And the number one source of that vitamin is sunflower seeds.
Even when you're sleeping or relaxing, your brain is still at work. Although it makes up just two percent of your total body weight, it uses up to 30 % of the calories you take in each day. For it to work properly, it must be fed. Even if you're not a breakfast eater, that meal is the best way to prepare your brain for the day. A quick and easy English _ with peanut and butter in it, a glass of milk, and an orange, might be what your brain may be asking you the first thing in the morning when you feel your head is in a fog. Having sunflower seeds and fruit between meals adds more muscle to that hungry, demanding organ. Vitamin B-1 also helps the memory, and that is found in eggs, meats and nuts. In Chinese culture, walnuts are known as the fruit for a long life because it is believed that they feed both the kidneys and the brain. And according to Chinese culture, if you keep those two important organs in good working order, you'll live longer.
However forgetful you are, just keep in mind the letter "B", which will help you to "bear in mind almost everything" even on those days when life's challenges are sending you in a billion directions. | high13096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a lack of small talk"
},
"options": [
"unusual hours and low pay",
"a lack of small talk",
"no chance for advancement",
"an absence of serious conversation"
],
"question": "The author attributes the unhappiness ... | Security guard, truck driver, salesperson--year after year, these jobs appear on lists of the unhappiest careers. Although many factors can make a job unhappy, unusual hours, low pay, nochance for advancement -- these three gigs stand out for another reason: a lack of small talk.
Psychologists have long said that connecting with others is central to well-being, but just how much conversation we require is under investigation. In one study, researchers eavesdropped on undergraduates for four days, then cataloged each overheard conversation as either small talk (What do you have there? Popcorn?(Yummy!) or serious (So did they get divorced soon after?). They found that the second type related with happiness--the happiest students had roughly twice as many serious talks as the unhappiest ones. Small talk, meanwhile, made up only 10 percent of their conversation, versus almost 30 percent of conversation among the least content students.
However, don't just consider chat worthless yet. Scientists believe that small talk could promote linking. Chatting with strangers could brighten your morning. In a series of experiments, psychologists gave Chicago travelers varying directions about whether to talk with fellow train passengers something they typically avoided. Those told to chat with others reported a more pleasant journey than those told to enjoy your being alone or to do whatever they normally would. None of the chatters reported being rejected. And the results held for introverts and extroverts alike which makes sense, since acting extroverted has a positive effect on introverts.
Small talk can also help us feel connected to our surroundings. People who smiled at, made eye contact with, and briefly spoke with their Starbucks reported a greater sense of belonging than those who rushed through the business. Similarly, one not yet published paper found that when volunteers broke the silence of the Tate Modern to chat with gallery goers, the visitors felt happier and more connected to the exhibit than those who were not approached.
So go ahead, pry. Chitchat needn't be idle. And nosiness isn't all bad. | high14921.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "three people in all eventually survived the shipwreck"
},
"options": [
"the boat was named Mignonette",
"the ship sank after the cabin boy's death",
"three people in all eventually survived the shipwreck",
"Richard Park... | Coincidences happen all the time to ordinary people, but the following events are perhaps some of the strangest of them all.
1. In the 19thcentury, the famous writer, Edgar Allan Poe, wrote a book called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. It was about four survivors of a shipwreck who were in an open boat for many days before three of them decided to kill and eat the cabin boy whose name was Richard Parker. Some years later, in 1884, the boat Mignonette sank, and only four survivors were left in an open boat for many days. Finally the three older members killed and ate the cabin boy. The name of the cabin boy was Richard Parker.
2. In Monza, Italy, King Umberto I went to a small restaurant for dinner. When the owner took King Umberto I's order, the King noticed that he and the restaurant owner were doubles, in face and in build. Both men began discussing the resemblance between each other and found many more similarities. Both men were born in the same place, on the same day, of the same year (March 14, 1844, Turin, Italy). On the day that the King married Queen Margherita, the restaurant owner had married a lady named Margherita. The restaurant owner opened his restaurant on the same day that King Umberto I was crowned King of Italy. On July 29, 1900, King Umberto I was informed that the restaurant owner had died that day in a shooting accident, and as he expressed his regret, someone in the crowd killed him!
3. Mark Twain was a popular American author who wrote famous books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it." | high12388.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the first impression is very important in an interview"
},
"options": [
"the first impression is very important in an interview",
"you should stand still with respect before the employer",
"employers understand and like emplo... | The impression you make at the beginning of an interview is very important. Employers often decide to hire someone in the first three minutes of the interview. They judge you by your appearance, attitude and manners.
A friendly smile when you walk into the room is important. A smile shows a confident and positive attitude.
When you introduce yourself, make eye contact with the interviewer. Some interviewers offer a handshake. Others don't.
Try to be as natural as possible. But pay attention to your body language. The way you sit, walk, gesture, use your voice and show feelings on your face is all part of your body language. It makes the interviewer know how you feel about yourself and the situation you are in. Are you feeling positively about yourself? Your abilities? Your interest in the job?
Speak clearly and loudly enough. Show interest and enthusiasm in your voice. When you speak, look at the interviewer. Also, don't say negative things about yourself, or former employer.
Listen to questions carefully. If you don't understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat or explain politely.
Almost everyone is nervous in a job interview. Interviewers know that. They don't expect you to be totally calm and relaxed. But they expect you to try to control your nervousness. They expect you to show confidence in your ability to do the job.
At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for her or his time.
It's a good idea to send a short thank-you letter right after the interview, or deliver it by hand.
Phone the company if you have not heard anything after one week. Ask if they have made a decision about the job.
Good luck! | high8293.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "children"
},
"options": [
"teachers",
"children",
"adults",
"parents"
],
"question": "The four books can mostly satisfy_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0... | Basic Study Manual (Hardcover): $37.50...... Here are the answers to the questions most often asked by students. Read this book and learn:
*What the three barriers to study are and what to do about them
* What to do if you get tired of a subject you are studying
*Twenty-six simple drills to help you learn how to study easily, rapidly and with full understanding
Buy and read the Basic Study Manual and use it to dramatically improve your ability to study.
Study Skills for Life (Hardcover): $31.99
L. Ron Hubbard's study technology for teenagers opens the door to their future success by giving them advice on how to study and learn. Fully illustrated for easy comprehension.
Learning How to Learn (Hardcover):$24.99
The basics of effective study for 8 to 12-year-olds, fully illustrated. Children who read and apply the materials in this book can regain their liking for study. Get this book for a child you want to see win at his studies!
How to Use a Dictionary Picture Book for Children (Hardcover):$34.90
In spite of billions of dollars spent on "educational research", children are not taught the most basic skills of learning: how to use a dictionary. Written for children 8 to 12-year-old, this fully illustrated book will teach your children:
*How to find words in a dictionary
*The different ways that words are used
*How to use a dictionary to correctly pronounce words
At last, you'll just pay 50% for these books before May 1, 2007. (260 words) | high11681.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The camp at the U.S Space &Rocket Center and Circus Smirkus"
},
"options": [
"The camp at the U.S Space &Rocket Center and Circus Smirkus",
"The Power Chord Academy and Film Camp",
"The camp at the U.S Space & Rocked Center a... | Are you looking for something different this summer? We've lined up a list of some unusual camps.
Learn to fly a jet
This is the real training that all fighter and test pilots have . Learn the cockpit and how to put your plane through its paces . Finally, you fight a _ battle with your teammates.
It's held at the U.S . Space &Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alaska. There are both weekend and summer camps for anyone 9 and up. Kids 7 to 12 also can pair with a parent. The cost is $749 for kids-only camps and $349 each for parent /child camp.
Be Steven Spielberg
At Film Camp, you will get to write, direct, shoot and edit your own movie.
Run by the New York Film Academy, you can choose from a variety of camp locations: New York, Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, Universal Studios in Los Angeles, Harvard University, Paris or Florence, Italy.
Everyone helps one another by working behind the camera. Tuition for a one--week camp is$1,500, while a four or six week training run $5,900 to $6,900.
Join the circus
At Circus Smirkus you can learn how to ride a unicycle, and throw a pie in someone's face .
Kids 8 to 16 can choose between one--or two-week sessions, with the two-week camp ending in a circus show for the families.
The camp is located in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. The cost is $825 for one week ($300 extra with a parent ) and $1,500 for two weeks ( $ 500 extra with a parent).
Live the ultimate summer fantasy
Learn to ride the waves this summer and tour one of the world's only sea turtle hospitals at Surf Camp. The week long camp also includes trips to local islands.
Surf Camp is located at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. The cost is $475 per week for kids 8 to 12, $595 per week for teens 12 to 18. Check it out at wbsurfcamp. Com.
Strike a chord
At Power Chord Academy, teens 12 to 18 will be placed in a band that best meets their age, experience and style. You will lead the life of a band member: recording in a studio, playing a concert and making a video. | high11859.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the writer had been wandering in the park for a long time"
},
"options": [
"it had been very hot by then",
"the writer had been standing lost for a long time",
"the writer had been completely lost",
"the writer had been... | The sun had gone behind a cloud. I was very tired and wanted nothing in the world so much as to be at home. At last I got to the gate of Hide Park. But this was worse than ever; there were buses there--high and terribly red cars, taxis and still more buses in an endless line. Everywhere there were people hurrying past or waiting to get into the buses, while I stood lost in the middle of them.
I was ready to cry. In despair, I crossed the street on to an "island", where I found a policeman. I took my last bit of courage in both hands and said, "Please, sir, where is Addison Road?" He began to explain, but when he saw that I couldn't understand he became helpless, too. "Are you French at school?" A few minutes later, he smiled and raised his hand. How wonderful! The traffic stopped. Even the red buses stood still and waited until I had crossed the road. | high6296.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Redtory, Guangzhou."
},
"options": [
"Tank Loft, Chongqing.",
"Redtory, Guangzhou.",
"M50, Shanghai.",
"798 Art Zone, Beijing."
],
"question": "If you are going to visit an art zone at 7pm, which one can you go ... | Discover Artistic Talents across the Country
Tank Loft, Chongqing
This 12,000-square-meter art center was established on the site of a used military tank warehouse . It is the largest contemporary art base in western China, featuring modern exhibition, galleries, design studios and art bookstores. The art zone is located on the campus of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and was created by the school in the early 2000s.
Where: No. 108 Huangjueping Center Street, Jiulongpo District, Chongqing
Opening hours: 9 am--5 pm (closed Mondays)
Redtory, Guangzhou
Redtory, established in 2009, is a spacious art district often referred to as Guangzhou's 798. Made up of more than 30 old halls, mostly buildings of red brick, the place was originally built in 1956 as Chinese largest can factory. Some of the rusty machines from the old factory have been kept as art equipment, giving the zone an old charm.
Where:No. 128 Yuancun Siheng Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
Opening hours:Mon.-Sun. 10:30 am-9 pm
M50, Shanghai
M50, also known as 50 Moganshan Road, is the center of Shanghai's contemporary art scene, with more than 100 artists whose studios are open to the public. This district, on the bank of Suzhou Creek, was previously a textile factory until it seized production in 1999. Xue Song, a Shanghai artist, was the first to establish a studio there in 2002.
Where: No. 50 Moganshan Road, Pudong District, Shanghai
Opening hours: 10 am-5 pm (closed Mondays)
798 Art Zone, Beijing
Attracted by ordered designing, convenient traffic and unique style of Bauhaus architecture, art organizations and artists have crowded in the vacant plants and transformed them since 2001, gradually forming a district gathered galleries, art studios, cultural companies, fashion shops etc. As the earliest area where the organizations and artists moved in located in the original area of 798 factory, this place was named as Beijing 798 Art Zone.
Where: No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
Opening hours: 10 am-6 pm | high14909.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Driving cars too much"
},
"options": [
"Walking too much",
"Traveling too much",
"Driving cars too much",
"Climbing stairs too much."
],
"question": "What is the national sickness?",
"question_type": "factio... | People aren't walking any more---if they can figure out a way to avoid it..
I felt superior about this matter until the other day I took my car to mail a small parcel. The journey is a matter of 281 steps. But I used the car. And I wasn't in any hurry, either. I had merely become one more victim of a national sickness: motorosis.
It is an illness to which I had thought myself immune, for I was bred in the tradition of going to places on my own two legs. At that time, we regarded 25 miles as good day's walk and the ability to cover such a distance in ten hours as sign of strength and skill. It did not occur to us that walking was a hardship. And the effect was lasting. When I was 45 years old I raced -and beat--a teenage football player the 168 steps up the Stature of Liberty.
Such enterprises today are regarded by many middle-aged persons as bad for the heart. But a well-known British physician, Sir Adolphe Abrahams, pointed out recently that hearts and bodies need proper exercise. A person who avoids exercise is more likely to have illnesses than one who exercises regularly. And walking is an ideal form of exercise--- the most familiar and natural of all.
It was Henry Thoreau who showed mankind the richness of going on foot. The man walking can learn the trees, flower, insects, birds and animals, the significance of seasons, the very feel of himself as a living creature in a living world. He cannot learn in a car.
The car is a convenient means of transport, but we have made it our way of life. Many people don't dare to approach Nature any more; to them the world they were born to enjoy is all threat. To them security is _ r thundering on a concrete road. And much of their thinking takes place while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
I say that the green of forests is the mind's best light. And none but the man on foot can evaluate what is basic and everlasting. | high7188.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are both for children."
},
"options": [
"One for children and the other for parents.",
"They are both for parents.",
"They are both for children.",
"They are for people who have pets."
],
"question": "Who a... | Pepito the Brave By Scott Beck, Dutton, ISBN 0-525-46524-3, $12.99
Ah, the time in life when one has to leave home. No one seems to have as hard a time with it as Pepito. Pepito is a little bird who needs to leave the nest, but the problems is, he's afraid of heights. This makes flying away a bit of a problem, so like most people (or birds in this case) he avoids it, when he finds himself in a new situation, someone happens to give him some advice. A fox suggests he run to where he's going (I got nervous when he came across a fox, _ , a frog tells him to hop, a gopher to burrow . After his various attempts not to fly, he makes it to his brothers' and sister's new tree, and realizes that what he's done is much harder than actually trying to fly. It's a charming story with a good message--often facing up to our fears is much easier than running from them.
The Stray Dog By Marc Simont, HarperCollins, ISBN 0-06-028933-3, $15.95
As someone who has taken in his share of stray animals, I can totally relate to the family in The Stray Dog. While picnicking one day, they befriend a dog that wanders by. Everyone immediately falls in love, but they leave him behind, figuring he belongs to someone else. But as the week goes by, none of them can get the dog, which they've named Willy, off their mind. So naturally the next Saturday they go back to that same place to see if Willy's still there. They find that not only does he not have an owner, but they've arrived just in time to prevent a catastrophe. Kids who love animals will definitely _ in the action, and even those who don't will appreciate the quick thinking children who save the day. | high22263.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "an argument about the research on the pill"
},
"options": [
"a new medical invention",
"a new research on the pill",
"a way of wiping out painful memories",
"an argument about the research on the pill"
],
"quest... | NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people's memories are affected.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war.
They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people's memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist. | high4481.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He admired its attitude toward work."
},
"options": [
"He admired its attitude toward work.",
"He was amazed at its tireless efforts.",
"He showed sympathy for the little ant.",
"He was content to have it as a companion... | Alone in the wilderness. Nothing but jungle. A world of shadow with the rays of light falling like blonde hair from the crowns of the giant trees. Jungle in the midday sun. Everything motionless. Not a sound from sky or earth. Complete silence. Only some coconuts falling, at long intervals, very far away. The world reduced to the soft touch of cool grass along my naked back, and a sweet smell of rich soil and vegetation. Stretched out with closed eyes beside my heavy burden of fruit and firewood, I enjoyed the feeling of fresh blood streaming through every part of my body and fresh jungle air filling every corner of my lungs.
Resting motionless, I could see the sun through my closed eyelids, alone in the sky, as lonely as I, and as motionless and silent as everything else. The earth had surely stopped turning and somewhere on this planet there was supposed to be roaring traffic in busy streets. What a crazy, unbelievable thought!
Another coconut fell, to make the world come to a complete standstill. I had to roll over onto my stomach to feel that at least I could move and make noises. Then I found company. A little brown ant was struggling to find its way with a bit of dry straw through the jungle of leaves and grass below my nose. I wondered if I could give the little fellow a lift with its burden, but it showed not the slightest sign of tiredness and struggled on with all six legs, head first or head last, waving its feelers energetically as if the trip had just started. Who ever saw a tired ant? Tiredness, disagreeable tiredness, is restricted to hunted animals, slaves and modern man. It is as great an effort for an office clerk to walk five blocks with a loaded brief-case as it is for a jungle-dweller to cross a valley with a goat on his back. It is as hard to get up and climb or run when you have been seated for years as it is to get up and walk when you have been in bed for months. The body is strange. Spare it, and you get really tired for almost nothing; use it, and almost nothing makes you really tired.
I rose to my feet. I had heard a horse neighing down in the valley. Above me, on the open highland plains, there were wild horses. But down in the valley there was never a horse unless there was a man on it. Somebody was making his way up the valley and my wife was alone. | high5947.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Olympic Games have to be made smaller and less costly"
},
"options": [
"The Olympic Games have to be made smaller and less costly",
"The Olympic Games have to increase the number of sports.",
"The Olympic games have to in... | Athens will welcome the 2004 Olympic Games with open arms. Not only will the Games be returning to their birthplace, but they'll also be entering a new period of Olympic history.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been looking for ways to make the world's largest sporting event a bit smaller and easier for cities to host. Mexico is the only Latin American nation to have hosted the Olympics. And the games have never been held in Africa.
It costs well over$4 billion to host the Olympic Games. And this is stopping many poorer countries from trying to win the bid. Cities in Africa and Latin America, with great social and money problems, cannot even begin to make the bid.
So, the IOC has suggested 117 ways to make the Games smaller and easier for cities across the world. These ideas are to be put into practice soon---maybe in time for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The IOC wants to save up to $400 million.
The suggestions include limiting the number of sports to 28 and the number of athletes to 10,500.
"Imagine a bus with 28 seats and some sports need to get off to give their places to other sports,"said an IOC official. Sports that might not appear in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games included baseball, softball and the modern pentathlon (shooting, fencing, horse, jumping, swimming and running).
"We think that the Olympic Games have to be made smaller, and the less costly so that they can be organized by all continents and subcontinents ,"said IOC president Jacques Rogge. "Our dream is that a continent such as Africa will be able to organize the Olympic Games." | high20474.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Her discovery of artemisinin has helped to cut Malaria death rate"
},
"options": [
"Tu worked home and abroad to conduct her research",
"Tu got the Nobel Prize for her anti-roundworm treatment",
"The Nobel Prize is the first ... | Chinese female scientist Tu Youyou won the 2015 Nobel Prize in medicine on October 5 for her discoveries concerning a novel treatment against Malaria . This is the first Nobel Prize given to a Chinese scientist for work carried out within ChinA.
Tu shared the prize with Irish-born William Campbell and Satoshi Omura of Japan, who were honored for their revolutionary anti-roundworm treatment. 84-year-old Tu is awarded this prize for her contribution to cutting the death rate of malaria, reducing patients' suffering and promoting mankind's health. Although she received several medical awards in the past, the 2015 Nobel Prize is definitely the most privilege reward that recognizes Tu's dedication and perseverance in discovering artemisinin , the key drug that battles malaria-friendly parasites .
However, her route to the honor has been anything but traditional. She won the Nobel Prize for medicine, but she doesn't have a medical degree or a Phd. In China, she is even being called the "three-noes" winner: no medical degree, no doctorate, and she's never worked overseas. No wonder her success has stirred China's national pride and helped promote confidence of native Chinese scientists.
The fact that Tu has none of these three backgrounds reminds us that science should be more accessible to all. One shall be able to become a scientist no matter what kind of background he or she comes from, as long as one dives into scientific research. There have been discussions on people who really love science but are never able to achieve much during their whole life. Their contributions can never be ignored. They work so hard to prove the wrong way so that the future researchers will be closer to the right one.
As the first Chinese mainland Nobel Prize Winner of natural science award, Tu's record-breaking winning also serves as a reminder to those who are too eager for instant success. Science is never about instant success. Tu spent decades on scientific research before its value is officially acknowledged. There is no way to measure how much one devotes to science and compare it with how much reward he or she may get. | high11871.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because it is time - consuming."
},
"options": [
"Because it has to be done by one person.",
"Because it must be handled skillfully.",
"Because it involves careful planning.",
"Because it is time - consuming."
],
... | Everyone knows how the story of Cinderella ends, but did you ever really think about how she spent her days before she met the prince? Her daily routine was not fascinating.She did everything from sweeping the floor to cooking the meals.If someone had asked Cinderella, "Are there any kinds of household work that you particularly hate?" she probably would have answered, "Why, none, of course.Housework is my duty!" In the real world, however, most people have definite dislikes for certain sorts of household work.Two of these tasks are ironing clothes and washing dishes.
Ironing clothes is most hated because it is not a task that can be completed quickly or thoughtlessly. Each piece of clothing must be handled individually, so ironing a basket of laundry can take hours! After ironing a piece of clothing with great caution, which-requires smoothing out the fabric, and following the seams ,you need to place it on a hanger as soon as possible.If you do not follow these directions carefully, it might become wrinkled and you have to start over.Perhaps that is why ironing is not a favorite thing to do.It calls for extreme attention to detail from beginning to end.
Another household job that many people dislike is washing dishes.Of course, some people claim that this work is no longer a problem because we have dishwashers now! However, no one would argue that dishes, silverware, and especially pots and pans washed in a dishwasher don't come out as clean as they do when washed by hand.For this reason, many of us continues to wash our dishes by hand, but we are not necessarily happy doing it.Cleaning dishes is a job that not only takes a lot of energy but also requires the patience to wash and dry them.In addition, unlike ironing clothes, washing dishes is a thing that usually must be done every day.I don't know how Cinderella felt about this particular task, but I believe that most people hate it as much as I do. | high20312.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "vegetarians can eat meat from the new trees"
},
"options": [
"vegetarians like to make a cake and enjoy it later",
"the idea of Meat Trees came from a science fiction movie",
"vegetarians can eat meat from the new trees",
... | MANCHESTER, England -- Here's some good news that vegetarians can really sink their teeth into: Researchers in UMA Group have developed genetically engineered fruit trees that produce real meat!
Fruit from the new Meat Trees, developed by British scientists using the gene technology, is closely like ordinary grape-fruit. But when you cut the fruit open, inside is fresh beef!
"Our trees may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but it's really true," declares Dr. Vincent, director of the UMA Group, which created the amazing trees. "Vegetarians have been complaining for years that in spite of their firm belief against eating meat, they still desire the taste of meat once in a while. Now they can have their cake and eat it too."
Although it's taken 12 years to develop the trees, the idea is simple. "We take the genes from cattle and put them into the cells of grape-fruit trees," Dr. Vincent says. "When the seeds grow into trees, they produce meat instead of ordinary fruit. You get the taste -- even the smell."
Those who've tried the meat agree it tastes like the real thing. "I was a bit unwilling to believe at first when I sank my teeth into a hamburger after they told me it grew on a tree," says Londoner Mark, who took part in a taste-test. "But it was juicy and delicious - nothing leafy about it at all."
Meat Tree products could be on the market in Great Britain by the end of next year. Some vegetarians insist they should never eat meat -- even if it grew on a tree. Others love the idea. "My mouth is watering already," says a devoted vegetarian of 20 years. | high16878.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He studied in France."
},
"options": [
"He once flew over the world's highest waterfalls.",
"He took dancing lessons in Ghana.",
"He learned about cultures in Caracas, Venezuela.",
"He studied in France."
],
"qu... | Have you dreamed of traveling to cool places, meeting different people, and maybe picking up a language or two? No matter which country you live in, you can fly over the world's highest waterfalls in Venezuela, study in France or take dancing lessons in Ghana. Besides the excitement of traveling, there is another reason to study abroad. "Obviously, I learned the language and am now fluent, but perhaps what's more important was how much I learned about cultures, people, and myself." said Andrew, who studied in France.
Christina studied in Caracas, Venezuela, a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35,000! Christina said she learned how to better speak for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that?
Living away from home can also help you become adapted to the transition to college and adulthood. Matthew said that he returned from studying in Australia with confidence, and a real interest in international affairs. "After having gone abroad in high school, _ -- moving 560 miles from home didn't seem difficult at all after having lived thousands of miles away. "
Speaking of college, improving your language skills might help you get into ideal colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that needs much communication. Most of all, it's fun! You won't suffer from the general boredom while you're studying in a different learning environment. | high3488.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Our self-appreciation."
},
"options": [
"Our self-appreciation.",
"Our courage to fight.",
"Our natural existence.",
"Our strength and shortage."
],
"question": "Where does our self-confidence come from?",
"... | Throughout your life, you spend the most time being with or dealing with yourself, but it is exactly yourself that you have the least understanding of. When you are going upwards in life, you tend to think too highly of yourself. When you are going downhill, you tend to have too low an opinion of yourself. It's likely that you think it wise for yourself to know your place and keep yourself from lacking courage to face whatever problem you meet with, in which case your energy and creativity would remain far from enough for your age.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself and be a clear-minded realistic person-knowing both one's strength and shortage. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for dreams can never be fully realized. You may be brave to meet challenges, but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you hold yourself as a big tree or a thin piece of grass, whether you think you are a high mountain or a small stone, you show a state of nature that has its own reason of existence. If you really admire yourself, you'll have a real sense of self-appreciation which will give you self-confidence. As soon as you gain full confidence in yourself, you'll be enabled to fight and defeat any trouble that will otherwise defeat you.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires that you show yourself loving concern about your health and daily life. Unless you know perfectly well when and how to do yourself a favor, you won't be confident and ready enough even to resist the attack of illness.
Therefore, just do yourself a favor whenever it's needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving an exit to it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by the anger itself; in time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a sad mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep or some other relaxation.
All in all, to get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full control one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color1, pleasure and achievement. | high18855.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Dissatisfied."
},
"options": [
"Hopeful.",
"Thankful.",
"Dissatisfied.",
"Uninterested."
],
"question": "How did Sarah's mom feel about her school three months ago?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
}... | This is an interview between the reporter and Sarah, a girl who created a website for her school.
Reporter: Why did you start this new website for Alcott Middle School?
Sarah: Three months ago, my mom was complaining about how she never hears about the days our school ends early until after the fact. She works late and sometimes she has to ask our neighbor at the last minute to pick me up after school. It happened several times, and she was frustrated that there wasn't better notification from the school.
Reporter: Didn't your school already have a website with that information?
Sarah: We had a website. But there wasn't much information on it, and nobody was _ keeping it up-to-date . I asked my teacher if our class could update the school calendar. That seemed pretty easy.
Reporter: Was it?
Sarah: Yeah, and it was kind of fun. So then we asked the principal if we could redo the whole site. He said okay, so we went to work. We discovered websites that taught us how to make our site look better and added more hot links that people could click to get more information about a subject. We posted photos from basketball games. Our class even started a blog about what's going on at school. Then we persuaded the teachers to create their own pages.
Reporter: So what's next?
Sarah: A few friends and I started a small Web design business. We're asking other schools if they'll employ us to set up a site like the one we created.
Reporter: Wow! That's pretty enterprising for a 13-year-old.
Sarah: I guess so. But it doesn't seem like work when you're doing something you enjoy. | high13900.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "diligent and understanding"
},
"options": [
"selfish and stubborn",
"thoughtful and helpful",
"determined and brave",
"diligent and understanding"
],
"question": "Which of the following can best describe Wanda a... | Wanda, the neighborhood witch, was a good witch and had been one for about 221 years. Her fondest dream was to become a fairy godmother. She had been going to the Fairy Godmother Academy for 103 years, learning fairy godmother magic: how to turn pumpkins into coaches, how to make things vanish in clouds of smoke, even how to change mice into horses and footmen.
Just that very morning the principal of the Academy had said Wanda was ready for her final test. She was to change the first animal she met into something else. The animal was to be so happy at becoming whatever it became that it would say, "Oh, happy day! I'm a..." If it did, Wanda would pass the test. She would become a fairy godmother, with a sparkling pink dress, a golden crown, and a magic wand tipped with a shining star.
However, if she failed, she would have to start school all over again--all 103 years of it.
"Good luck," the principal said as Wanda left the Academy.
The very first animal Wanda bumped into was Charley, a little green frog who sat in a pond by the side of the road catching bugs with his long, sticky tongue and croaking "Baroomp! Baroomp!"
When Charley saw Wanda he jumped onto a lily pad. "Hi," he cried. "Witch way are you going? Ha, ha. That's a joke, Wanda. 'Witch way are you going?' Get it?"
"I get it, Charley," replied Wanda, "but it's not much of a joke. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I have a surprise for you. You'll be so happy." Then, without even an "if you please," Wanda waved her wand, said a magic word, and poof ! Charley, the little green frog, turned into a prince!
He was a handsome prince but a wet one. The lily pad had collapsed under his weight and dumped him into the water. Charley-turned-prince stood up and looked at his reflection in the water. "Hey!" he cried. "You turned me into a prince! It's a surprise all right, but I don't want to be a prince. I want to be a frog! Change me back right now!"
"Oh, dear," Wanda said. "You know I don't like to be yelled at, Charley. Now you've made me forget the reverse spell. But who wouldn't rather be a prince than a frog?"
"I wouldn't!" cried Charley. "I want to be a frog!" He stuck out his tongue, missing a bug flying by the end of his nose. "Look at that, Wanda! I was such a good fly catcher. And I had eyes on top of my head, too. I could see forward and backward and sideways all at once, but look at me now. With my eyes in front of my face, I can only see one direction at a time. I don't even have a castle, Wanda. What kind of prince is that? I'd really rather be a frog. Please change me back!"
"I can't, Charley. But you'll learn to be happy as a prince. As for a castle, I can take care of that." She waved her wand, and suddenly a castle appeared by the banks of the pond. It had stone walls, oaken doors, and pennants waving from its turrets. "Your very own palace, Charley! You'll have servants, eat fancy foods and ice cream."
"Bah!" Charley interrupted. "Who wants servants, or ice cream and fancy foods? I want bugs!" He stuck out his tongue and looked down his nose at it, cross-eyed. "This tongue is no good--it's too short!" he cried. "I can't even see it."
Again Wanda waved her wand. "Look, Charley, musicians," she said. Out of the castle marched dozens of musicians blowing trumpets, tootling flutes, and banging drums. "See? Your own band. They'll play music, and you can sing and dance and snap your fingers to your heart's content."
"I don't want to sing and dance!" Charley cried. "And why would I do something as silly as snapping my fingers?"
"Snapping fingers!" exclaimed Wanda. "That's it, Charley. That's what I forgot!" She snapped her fingers, cried "Upsi-doodle!" and poof! The castle and musicians disappeared and the prince became a little green frog.
Charley hopped onto a lily pad. He looked at himself in the water. "You did it, Wanda. Oh, happy day! I'm a frog."
Wanda smiled and thought to herself, "So I have to go back to school for another 103 years. Who cares? Charley's happy, and that's what really counts."
Well, it wasn't exactly 'Oh, happy day! I'm a prince,' but the principal of the Fairy Godmother Academy decided that 'Oh, happy day! I'm a frog' was close enough. Wanda hadn't thought about herself. She had only wanted to make Charley happy. Thinking about others was the most important thing fairy godmothers had to do.
The principal waved her magic wand. Look! Wanda the Witch became Wanda the Fairy Godmother...sparkling pink dress, magic wand with a star, and all. | high22505.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Bad weather like floods, drought, and landslides happen in some countries."
},
"options": [
"Temperatures are rising all over the world.",
"Bad weather like floods, drought, and landslides happen in some countries.",
"More an... | prefix = st1 /Indonesiais known as the country of islands. It has 17,508. But in recent years, the popular tourist destination has lost some of its shine.
Due to rising sea levels caused by global warming, 24 Indonesian islands have gone under the sea. Scientists say 2,000 more will disappear before 2030. In the past three years, the southeast Asian nation also witnessed its islands destroyed by a tsunami and typhoons.
"If no measures are taken to fight climate change, the beautiful islands will go forever." scientists told environmental ministers from about 190 countries at a UN climate change meeting.
This week they are meeting in Bali, an Indonesian islands. They are trying to reach a deal to cut the world's emissions of CO2, which makes the earth warmer.
Indonesia is not alone. This year has been more _ hit the world.Canadaand US suffered heavy storms and typhoons, While Australians were caught in the heaviest drought in a century.
In China, the average temperature this year went up by 1.2degC from last year, reaching the highest on record since 1951. From Jiangxi and Hunan in the south to Heilongjiang andJilinin the northeast , one -third of farmland has suffered from a drought.
However, other parts of the country got too much rain. More than 700 people were killed in floods, landslides and storms. "These weather extreme are the more obvious effects of global warming," said Song Lianchun, a climate expert.
Scientists say time is running out. To escape from the worst effects, global CO2 emissions need to be cut from the levels they were at in 2000 by 50 to 85 percent by 2050.
But in recent years climate change talks have been bogged down by arguments over who will pay the bill for cleaner technology. Developing countries are worried that the cut in emissions will slow their economic development.
"Chinawill play a responsible and constructive role in the meeting," said Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The nation is now the world's second largest greenhouse gas emitter ."However, developed nations should help developing nations deal with the global issue." | high24174.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Atlacomulco."
},
"options": [
"El Puente.",
"The cane huts.",
"Atlacomulco.",
"An Indian Village."
],
"question": "Where did we travel to?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | It was four o'clock when we left Micatlan,and we traveled quickly until it became almost completely dark.It was our intention to return to our general quarters in Atlacomulco that night.We had a long journey ahead of us,especially because it had been decided there was no way we would try to cross the ravines again at night,since they were considered far too dangerous.Futhermore,an eclipse of the moon was expected,and,in fact,while we were crossing an open field,the moon appeared on the horizon,half in shadow,a rare and beautiful sight.
After a few hours of riding,we suddenly realized that we had lost our way,and worse still,had no way of finding it again.Night had fallen and there was not a single hut in sight,only great plains and mountains and the lowing of distant bulls all around us.We continued on ahead,trusting in luck,though it was difficult to say where she had brought us.By good fortune,our advance riders ran into two Indians,a man and a boy,who agreed to guide us their village and no further.
After an interminable and exhausting road,which we traveled at a brisk trot,the barking of several dogs announced an Indian village.In the dying light,we could just make out cane huts,firmly situated between the banana trees,with fenced gardens in front of each one.Our convoy stopped in front of one particular hut,a kind of inn or shop for alcohol,where a naked goblin-like figure,the ideal husband for a witch,was serving cheap brandy to the Indians,most of whom were already drunk.
We dismounted and threw ourselves to the ground,too tired to even think.Someone found us,God knows how,a cup of dreadful hot chocolate.We began to realize that we were completely lost,and so it was agreed to give up our attempt to reach Atlacomulco that night.Instead,we should head for the village of "E1 Puente",where our guides know a Spanish family,made up of several unmarried brothers,who,without any doubt,would be delighted to offer us a safe refuge for the rest of the night.We remounted and began our journey,a little restored after the pause in our journey and the dreadful hot chocolate. | high7836.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A contagious computer program."
},
"options": [
"An easily spread disease.",
"A contagious computer program.",
"An extremely small organism which causes disease.",
"A parasite in computer."
],
"question"... | In today's world, we rely on computers as never before.They are used for everything from ordering a pizza to running hospitals and military defense systems.Banking and credit card information is stored and accessed by computers.So what happens when a computer gets infected with a virus? One effect is that people's access to their e-mail accounts is cut off.A more serious possible consequence is that billions of dollars could be lost.
A virus is a computer program that copies itself onto other programs and infects them. Similar to an easily spread disease, a computer virus goes from computer to computer, either adding to or changing the tasks a program is designed to do.
The first computer viruses were created in the mid '80s and had varying effects.Some caused files to be deleted, or made the letters on the screen appear to fall off.Others displayed a specific message once the computer was turned on.
Viruses today are much more widespread and dangerous than ever before.Perhaps the most damaging to date has been the "I Love You" virus."I Love You" appeared in May 2000 and has possibly been the most destructive virus in terms of monetary loss.
The virus is released when an attachment to a fake e-mail message is opened.By changing the names of files on computers, "I Love You" makes them difficult to access.It also searches for important personal information, including passwords, which it sends to a web site for others to see.
It is estimated that more than 45 million people in 20 countries have had their computers infected by the "I Love You" virus.Some say the cost of repair and lost business has been more than US$10 billion.
If you own a computer, it is important to keep it in good health by installing an anti-virus program.If updated frequently, it will protect your e-mail access-not to mention your wallet. | high22511.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She wanted to attend a dance party."
},
"options": [
"She wanted to hold a dance party.",
"She wanted to attend a dance party.",
"She wanted to know more women in the town.",
"She wanted to get prepared for visiting the... | There was once a traveling reporter who was doing a story on the small towns in the Midwest of America. She was particularly interested in the social structures, how men and women got along, and what happened at these large dance parties. She got into a town a few days early, knowing that people would be coming in from all the nearby towns to take part in a fantastic dance party.
The night of the dance came, and she did the best that she could go unnoticed, because a good reporter didn't want people to know she was doing a story. She was watching, moving around to different tables and places, and she noticed that as the evening went on, a certain phenomenon was taking place.
She noticed that the ladies often got together at the end of a dance and that they talked about the "idiot" who asked them to dance. They complained about this, that and the other and talked about how nobody knew anything, just making cruel remarks and gossiping about the men and the event.
But she noticed there was one woman. Even though she was sitting amongst the other women, she was not doing anything like that. She had a pleasant manner. She had a bright smile on her face, and she was not saying anything negative about for any reason at all.
She decided she needed to talk to this lady so she walked up and introduced herself. She said, "I've noticed that unlike everyone else at this dance, you just seem to be having a good time. I was just wondering why it is that you're able to sit here and do what you do."
The young woman looked at her and said, "I only dance with the partners I want to dance with. If somebody comes up and I don't want to dance with them, I just say I want to have a rest. Enjoying yourself is not difficult." | high24160.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "giving some specific examples"
},
"options": [
"showing an interesting discussion",
"comparing several sport events",
"explaining some game rules",
"giving some specific examples"
],
"question": "The author intr... | If you're into sports, you've seen it happen. You've probably even experienced it: basketball players shaking hands after four quarters of knocking each other around, tennis players leaping over the net to shake hands with their opponents after a hard-fought match, soccer players exchanging sport shirts after an intense 90 minutes, even boxers touching gloves at the beginning of each round, then hugging each other after beating each other into a pulp for 12 rounds. It seems like competitors in every event, from spelling bees to hockey, behave this way. What's going on?
It's all part of sportsmanship, a great tradition in sports and competition that means playing clean and handling both victory and defeat with grace, style, and dignity.
What is sportsmanship? Sportsmanship is defined as: playing fair, following the rules of the game, respecting the judgment of referees and officials, treating opponents with respect.
Some people define good sportsmanship as the "golden rule" of sports --- in other words, treating the people you play with and against as you'd like to be treated yourself. You demonstrate good sportsmanship when you show respect for yourself, your teammates, and your opponents, for the coaches on both sides, and for the referees, judges, and other officials.
But sportsmanship isn't just reserved for the people on the field. Cheerleaders and fans also need to be aware of how they behave during competition. Sportsmanship is a style and an attitude; and it can have a positive influence on everyone around you.
Learning good sportsmanship means finding that the positive attitude learned on the field carries over into other areas of life. At school, for example, you're able to appreciate the contributions made by classmates and know how to work as part of a team to complete a project. You may enjoy more success at work as well, because a big part of learning good sportsmanship is learning to be respectful of others, including customers and co-workers. | high20306.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because it had been kept for years."
},
"options": [
"Because it smelt terrible.",
"Because it had been kept for years.",
"Because it was mixed with something else.",
"Because his father drank too much that night."
... | I remember a day when I was a little kid. I was making a sandwich in the kitchen when I noticed the date on one of the wine bottles.
" Dad, dad!" I cried. "This wine is too old to drink."
" Son, hold on," he said.
" No, you can't drink this tonight! This bottle of wine was made 10 years ago."
" Wait, let me tell you..."
" Would you like me to throw it away fro you?" I asked.
" Son, wait a second," he said. "Son, some wines get better over time. The longer you wait to drink it, the better it will be. Although this may seem strange, it is true."
When I was young, I didn't have any understanding of what this meant, but now, this would have been very helpful to remember as I went through my teenage years.
In our society, we forget this simple rule: The longer you want for certain things, the better they will be. But we want the best job as quickly as possible; we want to graduate from college in as few years as possible; we even speed through our homework just to chat with friends. When we do this, we lose something of great importance.
We all want to get to the next step so quickly that perhaps we don't get ready enough to get there. This has a negative effect on our society. When trying to go to the right college, we will do anything to get in and when we rush through our class-work, we may not study enough for the test, and end up failing. We need to be ready for whatever comes, ready for the unexpected. Wine gets better over time, so do the things in our paths of life. | high2782.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "lies east of Sweden"
},
"options": [
"lies inside the Arctic Circle",
"is next to the countries of northern Europe",
"lies east of Sweden",
"is entirely covered with forests and lakes"
],
"question": "From the p... | Finland is perhaps the most beautiful and mysterious of the countries of northern Europe. Two-thirds of its surface is covered with thick forests and among them lie lakes, connected with rivers and canals. The northern part of this country is inside the Arctic Circle , where almost no trees can grow because of its cold weather and the people use their deer for transport, clothing and food.
Then Finish history began in the Middle Ages. In about 1155,prefix = st1 /Finlandwas conquered by its western neighbouringSweden. After a period of rule byDenmarkin the 14thcentury, the Swedes won back independence and power in 1523 under their brave king. During the Napoleonic Wars (1814-1818)Finlandwas passed finally fromSwedentoRussia. The opportunity came in 1917, when the Russian Revolution brought foreign rule ofFinlandto an end. Shortly after Soviet Russia made peace withGermany, 1919 saw the founding of theFinnishRepublic.
The years between the First and Second World War were years of progress and growing development. Finland has no coal or oil, and the nation's wealth lies in the timber from its forests, which supplies material for paper and furniture making, and in the electric power from its water. | high18841.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Reasons Why You're Not Making Money Blogging"
},
"options": [
"Reasons Why You're Making Money BIogging",
"Reasons Why You're Not Making Money Blogging",
"Skills That You Can Depend on to Improve Your Blogs",
"It's Easy... | The most frequent reason why people don't make any money blogging is quite obvious: They do not work enough for it. Lots of people tend to think they just have to put some content online, fill it with Adsense ads and wait until they make money. Seriously, if it were that easy, everyone will have at least one website. Blogging is a job, and often a full- time job. If you want to make money online, you'll have to work with passion.
This is unfair, but true. When a website is young (i. e. less than one year old), it is harder to rank high on search engines and to get people's attention. If you own a young website and work a lot, don't worry. Money will come later.
Some people work a lot and with passion, but their blog posts suck . When you're a beginner, it is normal to make some mistakes. But if your blog exists since about one year, if you work a lot but do not see good effect, you'll have to improve your skills. In order to write better blog posts, pick the leader blog and study how it succeeds, how many posts the author writes per week, how the author improves the blog, etc.
Blogging is one thing, and blog benefit is another. You can be a very good writer with had marketing skills. In that case, do not expect to make a lot of money with your blog, even if you have the _ I recommend you to read this article if you'd like to improve your blog benefit skills. | high21018.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She just does that out of a strong desire."
},
"options": [
"She just does that out of a strong desire.",
"She can find pleasure in telling a lie.",
"She is afraid to admit her mistakes.",
"She likes to play tricks on o... | It was the middle of third grade and I was not sure what had got into me. I lied about many things -- I lied that I had eaten all my dinner, when in fact I buried it in the trash can. I lied that I had made my bed, when clearly I had not. My lies were not hurting anyone, but for some reason I felt the need to tell lies on an impulse that didn't feel like my own. I was labeled a liar.
One day my sisters and I were invited to spend the weekend with my aunt. We all loved it. She spoiled us with her time.And she was an amazing artist. She had cool pencils, erasers and other supplies that any young girl would love to get her hands on. Then it happened...someone took one of Aunt Kim's good art erasers and rubbed it across the entire top of the TV. The eraser ruined the shiny finish on the TV's casing. All the three of us were called into the TV room and asked to admit. Nobody did! Aunt Kim told us how disappointed she was.
The next thing I knew was that she was on the phone with my parents and they were on their way to picking me up. It had to be me! I was the liar. I argued, but no one listened. And then before dinner there was a knock at the front door! Aunt Kim was standing there. It turned out my younger sister finally felt guilty! She admitted that she was the one who rubbed the eraser on the TV. I was invited back!
A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future. No matter how big or small your lies are, once you are labeled a liar, earning trust takes a lot of work and time. | high19587.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are attaching more importance to their overseas business"
},
"options": [
"are eager to work overseas",
"have to get familiar with modern technology",
"are gaining more economic benefits from domestic operations",
"are ... | New technology links the world as never before. Our planet has shrunk. It's now a "global village" where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link. And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly increased by foreign language skills.
Deeply involved with this new technology is a kind of modern businesspeople who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad. In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic business efforts.
Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive ranks. The executive stationed in another country no longer need fear being "out of sight and out of mind." He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company's plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad. If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to manage back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more common.
Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets.
English is still the international language of business. But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language. A second language isn't generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal.
The employee posted abroad who speaks the country's language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly. The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign customers over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious asset to the firm. | high4495.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "inform us that Zhang's illegal birth case will be dealt with by the government"
},
"options": [
"claim that Zhang Yimou remarried and fathered a total of seven children",
"inform us that Zhang's illegal birth case will be dealt wit... | BEIJING--Family planning officers will handle the illegal birth case of film director Zhang Yimou by following legal procedures, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.
When asked to comment on Zhang's case at a press conference, Yao Hongwen, spokesman for the National Health and Family Planning Commission(NHFPC), said "Every citizen is equal before the law and nobody is allowed to have privileges to give birth to more children than allowed."
Yao's comment came after media stories claimed that Zhang had remarried and fathered a total of seven children: one with his former wife, three with his present wife, Chen Ting, and another three from two lovers.
"The NHFPC's attitude towards citizens' birth violations is consistent and clear...Every Chinese citizen should obey and safeguard the seriousness of laws and regulations." NHFPC spokesman Yao Hongwen said.
China's family planning policy, introduced in the late 1970s to slow down the country's growing population, limits most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two. The policy was recently relaxed, allowing couples to have two children if one of them is an only child.
Those who break the policy face severe fines. The amount of the fine is generally several times the yearly annual income of the two spouses . Some media calculations put the fine that Zhang may face at as much as 160 million yuan(over $26 million).
Zhang's birth case has caused criticism online about famous people who have more children than the policy allows.
In an open letter on December 1, Zhang admitted that the couple has two sons and daughter and they are willing to accept investigation and punishment according to China's laws and regulations. He apologized to the public.
However, the letter denied that Zhang had lovers and was father to as many as seven children from various mothers.
Zhang, one of the "fifth generation" of Chinese filmmakers, made his first directorial work in 1987 with "Red Sorghum" and has won a number of award worldwide. He was chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games. | high5953.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the power of belief"
},
"options": [
"the power of confidence",
"the responses of humans and animals to dangers",
"the difference between humans and animals",
"the power of belief"
],
"question": "By comparing a... | Have you heard of the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proves it wrong in 1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when people, who do not know how to swim, fall in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learned swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal does not.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops of children to learn how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes were slippery, slimy and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change. | high11865.txt |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.