questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "winter"
},
"options": [
"spring",
"summer",
"autumn",
"winter"
],
"question": "According to the passage, many people think _ is the best time to visit Quebec.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Canada is famous for its winter lifestyle, for the season lasts half the year there. A great example of this is the Quebec Winter Carnival . Quebec is an old city with beautiful historic building, and many agree that winter is the best time to visit. The city comes alive in the snow, especially during the winter festival. People who visit the cold city can find tons of things to do that will make winter seem perfect.
The Carnival has a magical ice palace made with 9,000 tons of snow, a boat race on the St. Lawrence River, and two night parades with funny people and colorful cars. Other interesting things include a 122-meter ice slide, and a large football game. There is also an exciting dogsled race that runs through six kilometers of the city's streets. With more than 20 teams in the game, the dogsled race is noisy, fun and full of great cheer. Even better, artists from around the world come to enter the snow sculpture competition. It is amazing how these artists can bring snow to life. The Quebec Winter Carnival has everything for the whole family and more. It is surely a great way to experience winter at its fullest.
Another famous winter festival is on the other side of the world in China. Known as the City of Ice, Harbin is the capital city of Heilongjiang Province, which is next to Siberia. In the winter, it is very cold, and temperatures there can drop to 30degC below zero. Even so, the cold weather makes the city the right place for the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. The festival is held every year. | middle3174.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "northeast"
},
"options": [
"southeast",
"northwest",
"northeast",
"southwest"
],
"question": "Alcott grew up in the _ of the US.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Today we tell about Louisa May Alcott. She wrote
.
In 1868, an American publisher asked Louisa May Alcott to write a book for girls. At first, she was not sure if she wanted to do it. She said she didn't like girls.
However, she decided to write the book finally. She told about her experiences growing up in the northeast of the United States. The book was quite interesting.
became one of the most popular children's books in American literature. It was published in more than 50 languages.
Alcott was born in Pennsylvania in 1832. The Alcotts did not have much money. She tried teaching, sewing and taking care of children. She did not like any of these jobs.
At the age of 16, she wrote her first book,
. Her stories were exciting, but unreal. She sold them to newspapers and magazines for money.
The first volume of
came out in 1868. It made Alcott famous and get a lot of money. She continued writing other popular books for young people. These books included
,
and
.
Alcott wrote many exciting stories about love. But she was single all her life. She continued to help her family during the last years of her life. | middle8021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Canada"
},
"options": [
"China",
"Canada",
"Korea",
"Japan"
],
"question": "_ celebrates the Thanksgiving Day like the U.S.A. .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | In the United States, every year, Thanks-giving Day is on the fourth Thursday in November. Because Canada is on the north of the United States, and is colder, the harvest comes earlier in the year. In Canada, people have Thanksgiving Day on the second Monday in October.
The harvest brings a lot of food to the people. On Thanksgiving Day people in Canada and America like to have a big meal with their friends and family just like Chinese people do at Mid-autumn festival. Many Canadians and Americans put flowers, vegetables and fruits around their homes to say "Thank you" for the harvest. At a Thanksgiving Day dinner, many Canadians and Americans will eat turkey, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. These are food like the food of many years ago. They are saying "Thank you" for the harvest that comes every year. | middle1763.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the afternoon"
},
"options": [
"in the morning",
"in the afternoon",
"in the evening",
"at night"
],
"question": "Jim and Peter meet _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Jim: Good afternoon, Peter!
Peter: Good afternoon, Jim!
Jim: Do you like computer games?
Peter: Yes, I do.
Jim: Let's play computer games.
Peter: That sounds good, but I don't have a computer. Do you have one?
Jim: No, I don't. But I have a TV. What about watching TV?
Peter: No, it's boring. Let's play tennis. I have two tennis rackets and a ball.
Jim: OK. Where are they?
Peter: On the sofa.
Jim: Get the ball and rackets. Let's go and play.
Peter: OK. Let's go. | middle2242.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A simple act of care will bring more happiness than you can imagine."
},
"options": [
"Few people don't know that a simple act of care will bring a lot of happiness.",
"A simple act of care will bring more happiness than you can im... | The weather was perfect. We were just out for a picnic. When lunch time came, we decided to go and get something to eat, and meet back on the grass.
Susan and I headed for a hot dog stand . We watched the seller put together the hot dog. But when Susan took out her money, the man surprised us. "It looks a little overdone," he said, "so you don't have to pay me. " We said our thanks,joined our friends, and began to enjoy our food. But as we talked and ate, I noticed a man sitting alone, in dirty clothes. I could tell that he hadn't had a bath for days. Another homeless person, I thought.
We finished eating but when Susan and I went to throw away the lunch bag, I heard a voice ask, "there isn't any food in that bag, is there?"
It was the homeless man. I didn't know what to say. "No, I ate it already. " "Oh, really? " was his only answer. He was obviously very hungry.
I felt bad for him, but I didn't know what to do. Suddenly Susan said, "I'll be right back. Please wait for me a minute. " I watched curiously as she went across to the hot dog stand. Then I realized what she was doing. She bought a hot dog, crossed back, and gave the man the food.
When she came back to us, Susan said simply, "I was just passing on the kindness that someone gave to me. "
That day I learned how _ can go farther than the person you give to. By giving, you teach others how to give also. You never know what happiness a simple act of care will bring. | middle4633.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "there is no man"
},
"options": [
"there is a man",
"there is a woman",
"there are a lot of people",
"there is no man"
],
"question": "On the moon _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"ans... | When we look at the moon through a telescope , we can see lines and circles . People used to think that this was the moon's face and that there was a man in the moon! This is not true. There is no man in the moon.
What do we know about the moon? First of all, the moon is much smaller than the earth. Days and nights on the moon are very long. One day on the moon is as long as two weeks on the earth. One night is also as long as two weeks on the earth. In the daytime the moon is very hot and at night is very cold. | middle8009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a student"
},
"options": [
"a teacher",
"14",
"a student",
"an actor"
],
"question": "Joan is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text... | My name is Joan. I'm a student. I'm fifteen. My dad and mom are teachers. I have a sister. Her name is Lily. She is sixteen.She is a student,too.We are from Canada, but we are in Beijing now. Look! The man in a white coat is my dad. The woman in a red dress is my mom.The girl in a pink skirt is Lily and I'm in a yellow skirt. Are we cool?
,. | middle6024.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Four."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many ways of traveling are mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Traveling is very interesting. Many people love traveling. There are many ways to travel: by plane, by train, by ship or by car. Everyone has their favorite way.
Greg:My favorite way of traveling is by car. I can bring my pet dog along. I can travel three hundred miles or only fifty miles a day. I can stop at a good restaurant to enjoy a good meal or at a hotel to spend the night.
Eliza:I love traveling by train best! It's very exciting. I traveled most of Europe in 5 months by train. It's the best way to talk with the local people and make new friends on the way. Trains make even the longest trip enjoyable. The train ride to me is just like a big moving party.
I also like traveling by ship. It is a very great way to spend a vacation. I can go to parties and movies on the ship, and enjoy the blue sky and water.
Danny:Planes are my favorite. It's the fastest way of traveling. I can quickly get to another country. Planes have very comfortable seats. I can have something to drink and to eat. I can also read some free magazines and newspapers.
. | middle6742.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "May is"
},
"options": [
"May is",
"Dick is",
"May is as old as Dick",
"Dick's brother is."
],
"question": "Which child is younger? _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Dick is seven years old, and his sister May is five. One day, their mother takes them to their aunt' s house to play and she goes to the town to buy some new clothes. The children play for an hour, then at half past four their aunt takes Dick into the kitchen. She gives him a nice cake and a knife and says to him, "Now here is a knife, Dick. Cut this cake in half and give one of the pieces to your sister, but remember to do it like a gentleman ."
"Like a gentleman?" Dick asks. "How do gentlemen do it?" "They always give the bigger piece to the other person," answers his aunt. "Oh," says Dick. He thinks about this for a few seconds . Then he takes the cake to his sister and says to her, "Cut this cake in half, May." | middle4155.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because they tried to keep themselves from the rain."
},
"options": [
"Because the daughter loved the place.",
"Because they liked walking there so much.",
"Because they tried to keep themselves from the rain.",
"Becaus... | We went into a secondhand shop to get out of the rain. I took my 6-year-old daughter's hand and we started to walk around. Suddenly she reached out her hand to touch a pair of shiny black shoes.
"Buy for me?" she asked.
"Oh, Sweetie, they are tap dancing shoes. You aren't taking tap dance."
"Buy for me?" she repeated.
"Well, let's try them on."
She sat on the floor and took off her bright pink rain boots. When she stood up we heard "click". She took a step, "click, click, click."
The sun came out and we went on our way. Our next stop was the grocery store. "Click, click, click..." people turned to look as we entered the store. People would never allow their daughter to wear tap dancing shoes to the grocery store.
"Excuse me, dear. Why would you allow your daughter to wear tap dancing shoes here? They make such a noise."
"Isn't it wonderful?"
"Wonderful? My dear, this is not the place to wear those shoes."
"You don't understand. When she was a baby, doctors told us that she would never walk or talk. It has taken a lot of hard work and patience, but she asked for the shoes and the 'click, click, click' says that she can walk," I said.
My daughter is 18 now and will graduate from grade 12 in June. It has not always been easy, but it has all been worthwhile . She has taught me that it doesn't matter what others think. _ | middle2524.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "nothing"
},
"options": [
"anything",
"nothing",
"gold coins",
"some anthills"
],
"question": "The man might get _ from the field before he found the snake.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Once upon a time, there was a poor man. One day, after working for hours, he had a rest under a tree in the middle of the field. Just then, he saw a terrible snake coming out of an anthill . The man thought that the snake might be the god of the field. He did not give it anything, so he could not get anything from the field.
At once he went to bring a bowl of milk and offered the milk to the snake. "God of the field! I didn't know that you live here. That's why I never gave you anything. Please _ me. " Then he went home.
The next day, when the man came, he found a gold coin in the bowl near the anthill. From then on, the man gave milk to the snake and found gold coins.
One day the man was so busy that he couldn't send milk to the snake. So he asked his son to take care of the snake. The son brought milk to the anthill and gave it to the snake. The next day, when he came back, he found a gold coin in the bowl. After taking the gold coin, he thought, "This anthill must be full of gold coins. I would kill the snake and take them all."
The next day, the son came to the field with milk and a stick. He gave the milk to the snake and hit it with the stick. The snake escaped the stick and bit the boy to death. | middle4141.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "bought a box of chocolates"
},
"options": [
"bought some stamps",
"bought a box of chocolates",
"had a good meal",
"bought a ticket to a film"
],
"question": "Tom _ with the two pounds.",
"question_type":... | Children always did not do what their parents wanted them to do. They did the things in their own ways. But they always made their parents very happy. Old Mr. Brown had a little son named Tom. He was ten years old. He was very happy when his father wanted him to buy something for him. One day at five o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Brown gave him two pounds and let him buy some stamps in the post office. Tom was very excited, because for a long time he did not have so much money. Mr. Brown told him clearly where the post office was. He expected(,) that he would come back in twenty minutes. But nearly two hours passed, Tom did not return. Mr. Brown was surprised . "He lost his way?" he thought to himself.
At seven in the evening, Tom came back with a box. He was very tired. When he saw his father, he said, happily, "Daddy, I ran out all of your money to buy a box of chocolates. It was very sweet , but didn't you think a box of chocolates was quite heavy for a little boy?" | middle2530.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "5."
},
"options": [
"1.",
"3.",
"5.",
"4."
],
"question": "How many Disney theme parks were there in the world at the end of 2005?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Hong Kong Disneyland opened its door to the public on September 12, 2005. It's the first Disneyland in China as well as the cheapest on in the world.
Ticket prices have also been set for Hong Kong Disneyland, the fifth theme park in the world. On weekdays, adults will pay 295 HK dollars, children aged between 3 and 11 will pay 210 HK dollars and old people aged 65 or above will pay only 170 HK dollars. At weekends, public holidays and golden week holidays, adults will pay 350 HK dollars, 250 HK dollars for children and 200 HK dollars for the old. Children under the age of three will get in for free.
The famous action movie star Jacky Chen has been named spokesperson for Hong Kong Disneyland. He got it not only because of his great influence in Hong Kong and across Asia, but mainly because of his love for his family and his love to help others. | middle6756.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Anhui and hubei"
},
"options": [
"Anhui and hubei",
"Beijing and Anhui",
"the history book",
"the literature and novls"
],
"question": ".Beijing Opera's singing is from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_quest... | Beijing Opera is also called Peking Opera.. It came into being after 1790 when the famous four Anhui opera troupe came to Beijing. Its music and singing came from Xipi and Er-huang in Anhui and Hubei. Its costtumes are all fascinating and artistic.It is the highest expression of the Chinese culture. It's full of famous stories , beautiful facial paintings, and wonderful gestures and fighting. This kind of opera is very popular with Chinese people.
There are four main roles in Beijing Opera: Sheng ,Dan, Jing and Chou. Sheng is the leading male actor. For example , a Wusheng is a soldier or fighter .A Xiaosheng is a young man . A Laosheng is the comedy actor or clown.Dan is the female role . Jing,mostly male , is the face-painted role and Chou is the comedy actor or clown.
Stories in Beijing Opera are very intetesting . Some of them are from the history book ,but most of them are from the literature , especially famous novels . The people in the story usually have some disagreements. They become angry and uhappy . They are sad and lonely . Sometimes they are nervous and worried. Then they find a way to make peace . The stories usually end with happiness and lunghter and people are all happy in the end. | middle1039.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because it was full of memories with his wife."
},
"options": [
"Because it was very expensive.",
"Because it was full of memories with his wife.",
"Because it was a gift from his first child.",
"Because it had been wit... | Joe was an old man. The 75-year-old lived very happily in a village and had a beautiful family. Joe had four grandchildren, and they visited him during their holidays.
During one vacation, Joe was preparing his home for the kids: cleaning and buying their favorite foods. After he finished working, he realized he lost his favorite watch. The watch was a gift from his wife when their first child was born. Joe loved the watch very much, especially after his wife's death. He was very upset about losing it.
Once his grandchildren came, they promised him they would find the watch.
One granddaughter asked: "Grandpa, do you remember when you saw the watch last before it went missing?"
"I guess when I was cleaning the barn !" Joe replied.
The children looked for more than two hours with Joe, but they could not find it. The kids were now also sad, but they tried to comfort their grandfather.
One grandson went back to the barn to search again. Joe asked why he was going there a second time. But the little boy just asked the others not to follow him and to remain silent.
He was there for about fifteen minutes and then rushed to his grandfather. He found the watch and happily gave it to Joe.
Joe was surprised and asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied: "I sat there without making a noise, and the barn was so silent. After a few minutes, I heard the 'tick, tick' sound and found the watch."
Joe hugged and thanked the little boy. | middle7448.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a newspaper"
},
"options": [
"a newspaper",
"a story",
"a science book",
"a guide book"
],
"question": "The above job ads are probably from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | Are you working hard? Do you like to Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to
meet people? If your answer is "Yes", then we write stories? If you want to work for our
have a job for you as a waiter. magazine as a reporter, please call Karen at
Call AL Hotel at 556779 558366
(3)HELP WANTED (4)CLEANER WANTED
Do you like babies? Can you look after one Can you make a large house clean and
baby for two days? If you are sure to take good tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $20
care of it, call us at 766588. once a week, call us this evening.
$ 80 0rmore 8: 00-20: 20
Today Hurry Tell: 833800 | middle1987.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She is eleven."
},
"options": [
"She is eleven.",
"She is twelve.",
"She is ten.",
"She is nine."
],
"question": "How old is Wang Fang?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Look at the girl. She is eleven. Her name is Wang Fang. I am eleven, too. My name is Kate. Wang Fang and I are good friends. She is in Class 1, Grade 7. She is Number 8 in Row 5. I am in Class 1, Grade 7, too. I am Number 9 in Row 6. We are at school today. | middle6030.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In 2002"
},
"options": [
"In 2000",
"In 2001",
"In 2002",
"In 2003"
],
"question": "When was Wang xiaojun born?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Wang Xiaojun is twelve years old.He lives in the country in Hubei.Today is his birthday.His parents prepare a nice dinner for him, but the boy says,"I won't have the dinner , today is over, and my parents are going to Shenzhen tomorrow.I don't want to let them go.
Wang Xiaojun has the birthday with his parents for the first time in the past three years.Three years ago, his parents went to Shenzhen to work in 2011.They stayed and worked there for three years.Tomorrow they have to go back to Shenahen.
Wang is not the only stay-at-home child .In the country of China ,there are many children staying at home without their parents.Stay-at-home children have a lot of problems.Most of them stay with their grandparents.Some of them don't study well because their parents can't help them with their study.
The Chinese government now is trying to solve their problems. | middle5539.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he was a football fan"
},
"options": [
"he was easy to get ill",
"he was a football fan",
"his father was a football player",
"his mother was worried about him"
],
"question": "The writer played football in the ... | When I was a boy, I was a football fan. I played football with some other boys in the backyard all the time. My mom was worried that I would get ill in the hot summer.
One day my brother gave me a new football. I came into the yard and played it excitedly. But suddenly, the ball flew through the window and nearly hit my dad. Dad said nothing. He took my football and cut it in half.
I didn't cry because I knew how terrible my mistake was. I didn't expect to get another football. But to my surprise, Dad bought me another one the next month and told me to be more careful. I was really thankful for my father's forgiveness . He showed me that even when I made a mistake, he still loved me and gave me another chance.
Parents always give us their unconditional love and forgiveness. We should always give our love and forgiveness to them, too. | middle2256.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "at the end of the term"
},
"options": [
"at the end of the term",
"in the middle of the term",
"at the beginning of the term",
"at the beginning of the school year"
],
"question": "This story most probably took ... | A teacher stood in front of his history class of twenty students just before handing out the final exam. His students sat quietly and waited for him to speak. "It's been a pleasure teaching you this term," he said. "You've all worked very hard, so I have a pleasant surprise for you. Everyone who chooses not to take the final exam will get a "B" for the course." Most of the students jumped out of their seats. They thanked the teacher happily, and walked out of the classroom. Only a few students stayed. The teacher looked at them. "This is your last chance," he said. "Does anyone else want to leave?" All the students there stayed in their seats and took out their pencils. The teacher smiled. "Congratulations ," he said. "I'm glad to see you believe in yourselves. You all get 'A's." | middle3148.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "exercise"
},
"options": [
"drink",
"sleep",
"exercise",
"have mind"
],
"question": "In the passage, the writer tells us that we all need to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | All the people know that exercise is important. We all need to exercise. Doctors say it is good for us. It makes your heart and body strong. Children who often exercise are more alert . It is healthy for the mind and the body. This means they do better in tests and schoolwork than those who don't exercise.
There are many ways to do exercise. You can walk, run, swim, skate, or play ball games. Make sure you exercise in the following ways:
1. You have to like what you're doing.
2. Exercise enough, but not too much. It's best to exercise twice each week. Thirty minutes each time is enough.
3. Try all kinds of things until you find one, two or even three sports _ for you.
Lots of people choose to exercise at fitness centers . Why? Because there are a lot of sports equipment there. The equipment will help exercise your arms, legs and other parts of your body to make you healthy. Some people buy sports equipment for their homes. But it is very expensive.
Exercising can be fun. Friends can exercise together at a fitness center, or they can play sports together outside. How do you exercise? | middle4627.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He is an English teacher."
},
"options": [
"He is Mr. Black's friend.",
"He is Linda's husband.",
"He is an English teacher.",
"He has a daughter and a son."
],
"question": "What is Bill Jones?",
"question_t... | I am Bill Jones. I am a teacher of English. My wife is Linda Jones. She is a nurse. We have a daughter and a son. We have many friends.
Look! These are my friends. This is Mr. Black. He is a worker. He works in a shoe factory He makes shoes there. That's Mrs. Black. She is a worker on a farm near here. The girl is their daughter. She is a student. She is thirteen. The boy is their son. He is a young soldier . His name is Carl Black. | middle220.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Bob's teacher"
},
"options": [
"Bob's teacher",
"Bob's friends",
"Bob's father",
"Bob's mother"
],
"question": "Who taught Bob new words in the school?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"an... | Bob is six years old.He is old enough to go to school. On the first day,his teacher taught him three words,"I,you,he".Then the teacher said,"I am your teacher.You are my student.He is your student. He is your classmate."When school was over,Bob went home. His mother asked him,"What has your teacher taught you today?"Bob said with a smile,"Listen,Mum and Dad,I am your teacher.You are my student.He is your classmate."His mother said,"No,dear.You're wrong."Then she said,"I am your mother.You're my son.He's your father."The next day,Bob's teacher asked Bob to make sentences with "I,you and he".
Bob stood up and said,"I'm your mother.You're my son.He is your father."All the students in Bob's class laughed. | middle234.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "taking photos"
},
"options": [
"shopping",
"having food",
"drinking juice",
"taking photos"
],
"question": "Girls can do the following things in the first Barbie shop in Shanghai except _ .",
"question_t... | Fifty-five years ago Barbie Millicent Roberts first came out in the world of toys. Since then, Barbie doll, as everyone called her, has become the most famous toy doll in history. Her parent, the Mattel Company, said that 90% of all American girls between 3 and 10 have at least one Barbie at home.
However, Barbie is facing some trouble at present, There are many similar dolls on the market in competition with her. Another doll named Bratz, for example, came to life fifteen years ago. She looks more like today's pop stars with heavy makeup and miniskirts.
It seems that Barbie has lost her magic among older girls. "For young girls, playing with a Barbie is much fun. But when you get older, you want something smarter and more modern," Says Vera Shepherd, a shopkeeper in a New York toy shop.
It is good news that on the international market Barbie is still No. 1. Although Mattel is selling fewer Barbies in the United States these years, sales in other countries are still going up. In January 2009, Mattel opened its first Barbie store in Shanghai, where girls can shop, eat, drink or even become _ for their own Barbies.
Mattel is planning big celebrations for Barbie's 55th birthday. Fashion designers from all over the world will make new dresses for Barbie. How long will Barbie stay popular in the world of toy dolls? It is hard to say, but 55 is surely not the age to retire . | middle4800.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She takes her grades much too seriously."
},
"options": [
"She sets herself a goal too high to reach.",
"She should be more polite to her parents.",
"She is hard-working but not very bright.",
"She takes her grades much... | Reading Oliver James'Affluenza, I thought about what often happens at home. My 12-year-old daughter is in tears."I have so take a test tomorrow. I don't understand any of it," she cries out. After shouting and shutting her door, she calms down enough to go through her notes. The following dry I ask her how the test went and the just says "OK,I got a nine".
"Wow. well done!" I say, before she finishes with "But I never get a ten!"
According to James, this _ with getting top marks has been a bad development, which encourages people to think of education in terms of work and money. To test this, I asked my daughter why she was so worried about her tests. She looked at me as if I was thick. "Well, if I don't get good grades, I won't be able to afford nice things like a car and stuff."
I was quite surprised, because I don't consider myself a pushy parent. But James suggests and it leaves students feeling failures even if they are very bright. He points to the Danish system of education as a better model. Creating happy citizens who have good social skills is seen as more important than high achievements at school or the needs of business.
For me, I cannot remember the last time I had to work out the area of a circle, recite a Shakespeare poem or grammar rules, yet I have lived a happy life. What I really needed to learn at school was how to make polite conversations, or how to avoid getting into debt or how to develop good personality.
This is in fact similar to what Oliver James really has in mind. And he is looking for schools where students are encouraged to find and follow their own interests, something more like Tongjon. Tongjon has been developed in some Korean private schools. It is quite different from the more rigid system of learning things by heart that is used in Korea, and indeed in many other school systems around the world.
As the Russian poet Pushkin said," Inspiration is needed in geometry just as much as in poetry ",and inspiration does not come from endlessly revising for tests or getting worried about them . | middle1788.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "having fun"
},
"options": [
"food",
"having fun",
"playing games",
"swimming"
],
"question": "The writer's town is the best place of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | My Town the Best Place to Be!
My town is a great place to live in . It's the best place to enjoy your free time. There are three movie theaters in the town. They are all good, but the one nearest my house is the best. Shopping is also easy, There are many shops and most of them are trendy. They sell very fashionable clothes. The prices are also cheaper than in other cities, so students love to shop here. There are also a lot of video and music stores. These are very popular with students. I go to the music store every week to buy a new CD. The most crowded place for students to hang out is the park . Everyone goes there ,so it's really interesting.
Sometimes there are even street performers. Some students think they are boring ,but I think they are the most creative people. I want to be a street performer, too . | middle1950.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "lifelong learning becoming more common."
},
"options": [
"Rachel Lopez's studying and working experience.",
"the education in the United States",
"people's life in New York.",
"lifelong learning becoming more common."
... | Five years ago, Rachel Lopez graduated from college with a degree in history. Today she works for a large software company. Now twenty-seven, Rachel takes classes twice a week after work. She is learning to use the computer program PowerPoint. "I enjoyed college, but my job doesn't use information I learned when I was doing my degree," Rachel says," This course is helping me to do my job better. In the future, I might go back to school and got an MBA. "
In the past, when students graduated from college and got a job, they usually stopped studying. Today, lifelong learning is becoming more common. In the United Stated, people can return to school in their late twenties, thirties, or older to get a higher degree, such as a master's or Ph. D. Like Rachel many more are taking training courses to improve their workplace skills. With many classes now available through the Internet, it is easier for people to get degrees or training by distance learning.
Mayumi Hosoya, who is forty, teaches Japanese at a community college in New York. "Next term, I'll be teaching some of my classes using the Internet. This is new for me," says Mayumi, "At the moment, I am taking a course to learn how to teach this way. " At the same time, Mayumi's seventy-year-old mother and father are taking a distance learning course in Art History. "We love the subject," says Mayumi's father, "and now we can study with people from all over the world. I never thought learning could be this much fun. " | middle4828.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "see a film"
},
"options": [
"see a film",
"buy tickets",
"meet his friends",
"sell tickets"
],
"question": "Tommy goes to the cinema to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Tommy buys a ticket and goes in. But after two or three minutes he comes out. He buys a second ticket and goes in again. After a few minutes he comes out again and buys a third ticket. Two or three minutes after that, he comes out a third time and asks for another ticket. Then the girl selling tickets says to him, "Why are you buying all these? Are you meeting friends in the cinema all the time?"
"No, I'm not doing that." the small boy says, "But a big woman always stops me at the door and tears my tickets up." | middle2281.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he met his wife there"
},
"options": [
"it has many water ways",
"he met his wife there",
"he likes its beauty",
"it has lots of cafes"
],
"question": "The writer likes Guilin best mainly because _ .",
"q... | Guilin is my favorite city in China because of its beauty, its waterways, its cafes, and most of all because I met my wife there. It is her hometown and we will both retire there in a few years.
Not only is Guilin a fascinating city, but there are many interesting places to visit within a short drive from there.
The Ling Canal is the oldest canal in the world. It was built about 2,200 years ago and connects two major river systems, the Yangtze and the Pearl River.
The Longsheng Rice Terraces is another manmade wonder that was built around 650 years ago.I have some photos of both of these places in my China Daily homepage Albums.
The Gudong Waterfall Park is another attraction that is worth visiting. The hike to the top of all these waterfalls isn't very difficult and if you want, you can take a ride to the bottom on a personal rail car that you control the speed with a _
If you want, you can also climb up some of the waterfalls with the help of chains that are placed for the convenience of amateur climbers .
I have only been in Guilin during the winter and spring, but my wife tells me it gets pretty hot in the summer time. That's OK because I grew up in the Midwest of the US where it gets very hot and humid during the summer months.
But in Guilin almost everything is within walking distance and if you need to go further the buses come by every 5 minutes on the busy streets and every 10-15 minutes just about everywhere else. There are plenty of taxis, too, and most trips are only 6 yuan. It's a perfect place to retire. | middle6781.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "3%"
},
"options": [
"3%",
"10%",
"11%",
"15%"
],
"question": "The Chinese government will put a tax of _ on online sales.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | Now QQ coins are popular among Chinese teenagers. People use real money to buy Web money. Then they buy clothes for their online characters or services for their online pets with it. And these fancy things will cost QQ fans more in the future.
The government will put a tax of 3% on online sales. For example, if QQ users pay 100 yuan for 110 QQ coins, they will have to spend 103 yuan in the future. The extra three yuan is tax.
Beijing was the first city to carry out the policy. Online games have to pay the tax, too. A number of players make money by spending a lot of time on the games to gain powers , and then selling them.
Experts said that online trade grow fast. There is more than 10 billion yuan of real money in online trade a year in China.
However, the government's new move has become a hot topic among Internet users around the country. In a survey by sina.com more than 70% of about 3,000 surveyed were against it. They said that the tax is too much.
But supporters said the government's better management of the Internet would help it become healthier. They believe the new move would help stop online identity theft . | middle3835.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Sarah."
},
"options": [
"Sarah.",
"Jane.",
"Peter.",
"Mary."
],
"question": "Who likes walking?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "... | Sarah is a keen walker. She lives in a big city. When she goes on holiday she likes to walk in the hills. She is looking for new places to go.
Jane is keen on music. She also likes reading about the personal life of famous people to find out what they are really like.
Peter is going to France next week on business. And he has a free weekend so he plans to spend it in Paris. He would like to find out what is happening there for fun and entertainment.
Mary likes clothes but hasn't got much money so she is looking for ways of dressing smartly without spending too much.
Paul likes singing. He is also interested in history and likes reading about famous explorers from the past. | middle2295.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "7"
},
"options": [
"5",
"6",
"7",
"8"
],
"question": "How many people are there in Mike's family?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He is reading... | My name is Mike. I have a big family. It's Saturday morning. My grandfather is sitting on the sofa near the window. He is reading the newspaper. My grandmother is taking photos of some flowers in the garden near the house. My father is watching sports games on TV in his bedroom. Basketball games are his favorite but he can't play basketball. Where are my two sisters? Oh, look! Lily is over there. She is listening to music. She likes music very much. Lucy is in her room. There is a computer in her room. She is surfing the Internet . She is writing an e-mail to her friend. What am I doing? I am doing my homework. Do you know who is cooking? | middle208.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "2"
},
"options": [
"2",
"4",
"6",
"8"
],
"question": "Dr Bethune work in China for about _ years.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text... | Norman Bethune Born in 1890 in Canada. A doctor Came to China in 1937. Died in 1939 in China.
Thomas Edison Born in 1847, Kentucky, USA Made over 1,000 inventions .Died in 1931.
Celine Dion Born in Quebec, Canada In 1997, sang the song My Heart Will Go On for the film Titanic A singer.
Bill Gates Born in 1955 in USA Wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought Owns Microsoft Company.
Mark Twain Born in 1835 in USA A Writer Died in 1910 Wrote Tom Sawyer | middle1944.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "His ship had an accident at sea."
},
"options": [
"He tried to test his skills to live there.",
"His ship had an accident at sea.",
"He liked the beauty of this island.",
"His friends left him on this island."
],
... | Once a man was shipwrecked on a small, lonely island. There was no one living on this island, so he hoped that someone could come to save him. Every day he watched the sea, but no ships ever appeared.
He thought he should do something to save himself. He built a little house out of wood. But one day, he arrived home to find his little house on fire. The smoke rose to the sky. He cried,"God, how could you do this to me?"
Early the next day, however, a ship was coming to the island. It came to save him.
"How did you know I was here?"The man asked these people."We saw your smoke signal ,"they answered.
It is easy to get _ when things are going badly. But we shouldn't lose heart, because hope is at work in our lives. Remember, next time your little house is burning to the ground, it just may bring you better luck. | middle7662.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "30th"
},
"options": [
"27th",
"28th",
"29th",
"30th"
],
"question": "The 2012 London Olympic Games is the _ Olympic Games.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | London has held two Olympic Games , in 1908 and 1948, with a third one in 2012. The thirtieth Olympic Games will make London the first city to have held the modern Games of three Olympics and it's the only city in the United Kingdom to have ever held the Olympics.
The Games will start on 27 July local time, which is 28 July Beijing time. And it will end on 12 August. Athletes from different countries and areas will take part in 300 events and have a good time.
When talking about London Olympic Games, "London Bowl" is often mentioned . It is not the bowl that Londoners use to eat during the Olympics, but the main place where athletes take part in the games.
Do you still remember "You and Me", the theme song of the Beijing Olympic Games ? For the London Olympic Games, you will hear another song called "Passion" .
The Olympic Games will begin in 2 months, but the ticket price is still unknown. It's said that half of the tickets will be less than 20 pounds each. So would you like to go? | middle787.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a music club"
},
"options": [
"a big school",
"Miller's shop",
"a music club",
"a bus stop"
],
"question": "Mrs Brown's son works in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Mrs Brown goes to see her son in London . Her son works in a music club there . Mrs Brown doesn't know London well . And she can't find her way .
She sees a man at a bus stop . She wants to ask the man the way . "Excuse me , but can you help me . please ?Which bus goes to Miller's shop ?" Mrs Brown asked .
The man is very friendly . He smiles . But he can't speak English .He can speak French . He is new in London . He puts his hand into his coat and takes out a small book . He opens it and reads something on it . " I'm sorry , I can't speak English ." | middle5075.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Common people"
},
"options": [
"City cleaners",
"Haze producers",
"Local governments",
"Common people"
],
"question": "Which does the writer think should play an important rode in reducing haze?",
"question_... | These days haze is around us here and there. In fact,everyone has the power to change their living habits to help reduce it. Many local governments call on their people to take action to make the air cleaner.
Transport is one of the biggest contributors to haze. When,where,how,why and what you drive all affect air quality. When one drives to work for one year,he uses as much energy as a bus rider uses in 10 years. So walk or ride your bicycle to work or school whenever possible. If it is necessary,you can use public transport instead of your car. Each person using public transport for a year instead of a car can save nearly a tonne of pollutants,including CO2,from going into the atmosphere.
Carpooling is another way to reduce carbon emissions .Carpooling is the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car. It immediately reduces your car's emissions by half.
What you do inside your living space can have a big effect on the air quality outside it. You can do a lot of things inside and around your home that will help you pollute less and save some money.
A large amount of our energy supply comes from burning coal,another contributor to haze. By cutting down your electricity use,you are cutting down on haze. So you may try to reduce your use of electricity by turning off lights,using your air conditioner wisely during the summer months,or updating some of your electrical appliances to low-energy models. For example,you can use energy-saving lamps that require less energy and last 10 times longer than common bulbs. | middle3404.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They quickly ran back into their house and locked the door."
},
"options": [
"They fought with the creatures by throwing rocks at them.",
"They ran into the woods and hid there for several hours.",
"They made a big fire to fr... | One day in 1924, five men who were camping in the Cascade Mountains saw a group of huge apelike creatures coming out of the woods. They hurried back to their wooden house and locked themselves inside. While they were in, the creatures threw rocks against the house. Several hours later these strange hairy giants went back into the woods.
After the men returned to the town and told the people about their adventure, _ . These were the people who remembered hearing tales about footprints of an animal that walked like a human being.
The five men, however, were not the first to have seen these creatures called Bigfoot. Long before their experience, the local Native Americans were certain that a group of apelike animals had been living in the _ mountain for centuries.
In 1958, some workers, who were building a road through the jungles of Northern California, often found huge footprints in the earth around their camp. Then in 1967, Roger Patterson, a man who was interested in finding Bigfoot, went into the same jungles with a friend. While riding, they were suddenly thrown off from their horses. Patterson saw a tall apelike animal standing not far away. He managed to take photos of the hairy creature before it disappeared in the jungles. When Patterson's photos were shown to the public, not many people believed his story.
Richard Brown, an experienced hunter, discovered a similar creature. He saw the animal clearly through the telescopic lens of his rifle . He said the creature looked more like a human being than an animal.
Later many other people also found deep footprints in the same area. In spite of regular reports of sightings and footprints, most experts still do not believe that Bigfoot really exists . | middle3362.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "25th December"
},
"options": [
"7th January",
"8th August",
"25th December",
"1st April"
],
"question": "Leeds Castle is closed on _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Leeds Castle
One of the most popular places of interest in Britain
Opening times
Open all year round except 7th and 8th November and Christmas Day(25th December)2014.
1 April to 30 September 2014
Open:10:30 am--5:30 pm; Gates close at 6pm
1 October 2014 to 31 March 2015
Open:10:30 am--4 pm ; Gates close at 5pm
Prices
Adults:PS16.50
Students:PS9.50
Children under 4:free | middle5713.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in1949"
},
"options": [
"in1949",
"in1965",
"in1975",
"in2014"
],
"question": "The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Have you ever returned a book late to the library before?If so,you may pay a small fine .How much would you have to pay if the book is returned 65years late?
A high school in Washington,Us had to deal with such a problem recently.A copy of Gone with the Wind was finally returned to its library 65years late.
However,the school said that it would not ask Wayne to pay the fine,though that would be about 475.
The book was borrowed out of the library of the high school in 1949,and disappeared until it was found in Maine,Us by Wayne.Wayne found the book in his father'sbasement and then offered to send it back to the school.
"I feel very sorry about that,"Wayne said.
"We're very pleased to have the book back.Wayne did the right thing,"LoriWyborney,headmaster of the school said. | middle7104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Soviet Union sent a total of 9 space stations into space in the 1970s and 1980s."
},
"options": [
"Astronauts can never have a chance to eat fresh food when they live in space station.",
"The Soviet Union sent a total of 9 spac... | Space travel is nothing new. The first spacecraft with a human was sent up into space in 1961. Since then, people have not only traveled to space, but also many of them have lived there in space stations for some time.
The Soviet Union sent the first space station into space in 1971. This space station was called Salyut 1. Salyut 1 was designed as a place where people could live while they _ space and did experiments. The first group of astronauts lived there for 23 days. The Soviet Union went on to make seven more Salyut space stations. At about the same time, the United States built its own space station, called Skylab.
Astronauts visited and often lived in these space stations for a short time. However, it wasn't until the late 1980s when The Soviet Union sent the Mir space station that people began to live in space for a longer time. Mir stayed in space from 1989 until 2001, when it was decided that the space station was too old and no longer safe to live in.
Living in space stations seems to be fun, but astronauts face many problems. One of them is food. All the meals on space station are put together on Earth and sent there by space shuttle. Because the food has to last a long time (sometimes up to three months), a lot of it has to be stored in cans. The space station does not have a fridge, but it has a cool room to keep fruit and vegetables fresh. Astronauts also eat many other foods such as dried meat that do not need special care.
Without the help of gravity, sitting down to eat can be tough. Astronauts sometimes have to fix themselves to the wall while eating. They also have to be very careful to that food does not float away. | middle1561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a rich man"
},
"options": [
"a driver",
"a teacher",
"a blind man",
"a rich man"
],
"question": "Ann's grandpa was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | Ann's grandpa was very rich and he had some shops. The old man began to learn drawing when he was sixty, and he loved it very much. For twelve years he drew a lot and there were many pictures in his workroom. He was pleased with them and kept them well. One
day, the old man was ill. He had to stay in hospital. Before he died, he said to Ann, "I want to give my pictures to a school as presents. Then the students can remember me forever. But I don't know which school I'm going to give them to. Can you help me? " "Well," said the little girl, "you'd better give them to a blind(,) school. "
,. (5) | middle8223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "hip-hop music"
},
"options": [
"hip-hop music",
"country music",
"American singers",
"dancing"
],
"question": "Many basketball players in NBA like _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"an... | Basketball stars become hip-hop singers. It's true. In NBA, hip-hop music is very popular. Many of the players, like Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers, write rap words when they travel on planes from one city to another. Some of them even have rap radio shows and others perform in music video.
When some of the younger stars play basketball, they even try to look like hip-hop singers. "Hip-hop is just part of their culture," says one player. "All of us grew up listening to rap and playing
basketball, and rappers grew up doing the same thing."
Master P. is a famous rap star who wants to become a basketball player. Two NBA teams have invited
him to join them. They enjoy listening to his music. An NBA player has become a rapper. He has made four successful rap albums .
NBA has a closer connection to hip-hop than any other sports league. | middle7110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "chat with each other"
},
"options": [
"sell their things",
"make money",
"chat with each other",
"set up their own website"
],
"question": "Wechat is used by people can _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questi... | When we talk about instant messaging tool, which will be the first one jump into your mind? If your answer is QQ or MSN, I must say you're a bit old fashioned. Today, Wechat is becoming the most popular text and voice messaging tool all over the world. It has had 700 million registered users all over the world up to now. It has a Chinese name Weixin, it is necessary for the young people in China to have the communication tool. Actually, it is also a new product from Tencent ,so we can call it QQ's little brother.
You can log in to Wechat with your Facebook account or _ with your phone number, and then add your friends' number in your contact list , by which you can chat with your family of friends in a brand new way by using your phone no matter when and where you are. It's just like using a walkie talkie (two way radio).But you don't need to worry about other things, such as basic fees. It won't cost you extra money to make conversations.
You can also only need three steps to finish calling others through Wechat. It is free for ten minutes. If you want to make a phone call again, you need to pay for it through a credit card. Someone thinks the sound in the phone is not clear. There is some noise in it. It is not safe for the user. So you should pay attention to your personal information and not share it to others. | middle4419.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The expression \"play cat and mouse\" usually means \"play tricks on others\"."
},
"options": [
"The expression \"a fat cat\" is used to describe someone who is very fat.",
"The expression \"play cat and mouse\" usually means \"pla... | Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are a lot of expressions about cats. Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries . If someone looks very proud and satisfied with himself, we say "he looks like the cat that ate the canary."
Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you "play cat and mouse" with someone, it means that you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a girl might offer something sweet to her little brother and then take it away when he reaches for it.
Americans might say that something is "the cat's miaow" or "the cat's pajamas " to describe something that is the best or finest. "A copycat" is someone who acts just like someone else or copies another person's work. "A fat cat" is a person with a lot of money.
If you tell about something that is supposed to be a secret, we say you "let the cat out of the bag". If you are not able to speak or answer a question, someone might ask you if "the cat has got your tongue "
Have you ever watched children in a classroom when their teacher leaves for a few minutes? "When the cat's away, the mice will play" means people sometimes act badly when there is no supervision .
You may have heard the expression "curiosity killed the cat". This means caring too much about things that are not your business might cause problems.
If you have ever had cats as pets, you know it is difficult to train them or to get them to do something. Cats are not like Sheep or cows that can be moved in a group. So we say a difficult or impossible job is like "herding cats " | middle2068.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sally."
},
"options": [
"Hand.",
"Sally.",
"Sally Hand.",
"Hand Sally."
],
"question": "What's the girl's first name?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | Hello! I'm Sally Hand. I'm an English girl. I'm in EEC Middle School. Here's a picture of my room.
A bed, a desk and a chair are in it. They are green. A computer is on the desk. Next to the computer is my telephone. It's red. My phone number is 523-6851. I always call my cousin in the evening. He is in China. Can you see a ring? It's on the desk, too. What's that under the chair? It's my dog. It's Kelly. Kelly is always under the chair. Can you see a tape player on the bed? It's mine. Some tapes are on the bed, too. | middle5707.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he may hurt her"
},
"options": [
"he may hurt her",
"he was n't going to stop",
"he could n't help her",
"she did n't have enough money"
],
"question": "When the lady saw Bryan,she was worried because she though... | One day a man saw an old lady standing by her expensive car,clearly in need of help.So
he stopped his old truck and got out.Although he was smiling,the old lady was worried.Was he going to hurt her ?He didn't look safe.
The man could see that she was frightened,so in his friendliest voice he said," I'm here to help you,madam.Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm ?By the way,my name is Bryan Anderson."Bryan quickly fixed the car and the lady thanked him.Then she asked how Much she should pay him.
But Bryan wanted no money.He was just giving a hand to someone in trouble.This was normal for him.He said,"If you really want to repay me,next time you see someone in need ,help them and think of me."
After saying goodbye,the lady continued down the road until she reached a small care where she decided to stop for something to eat.As the pretty waitress took her order,the lady noticed she was nearly eight months pregnant .Although the waitress looked tired,she was very kind.As the lady was going to pay the$1 0 bill she remembered Bryan's words.
She paid with a hundred--dollar bill.But when the waitress returned with the change,the lady was gone.On the table she saw a small note.There.were tears in her eyes when she read it:"Somebody once helped me the way I'm helping you.If you want to pay me back,continue being kind to others."Under the note were nine more$1 00 bills.
Was the old lady an angel ?The waitress was so excited that she called her husband to tell him the news."Bryan***Bryan Anderson my dear***you're not going to believe what just happened..." | middle5061.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Customers had to pay for things in full."
},
"options": [
"They could be used everywhere.",
"Customers had to pay for things in full.",
"They were very popular before the 1920s.",
"Everyone could get this kind of credit... | How do you pay for things? Do you usually use cash , or do you like to pay by credit card ? If you are like a lot of people, you probably have at least one credit card. Also, you might use it more often than you probably should.
Credit cards first became popular in the 1920s, At that time, businesses, such as hotels and companies, gave credit cards to their best customers . Unlike today's credit cards, customers could only use these cards at the Store or business that gave out the card. Customers had to pay for things in full. They couldn't pay for something a little at a time.
In 1950, a businessman named McNamara started a credit card company -- Diners Club. Unlike earlier credit cards, this card could be used by customers at many restaurants. Customers liked the card because they didn't have to carry a lot of cash with them. Restaurant owners liked the card, too. Why? They found out that customers usually spent more money when they could pay by credit card.
In its first year of business, Diners Club _ 200 cards, The customers who got the cards from the Diners Club could use them at 27 different restaurants. Today, Diners Club has about 8 million customers, and they can use their cards in over 7. 6 million businesses in more than 200 countries. | middle3410.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Her son drew pictures on the white clean wall."
},
"options": [
"Her children fought with each other at home.",
"Her daughter didn't look after her son well.",
"Her son drew pictures on the white clean wall.",
"Her husb... | As soon as the woman got into the house, her eight-year-old daughter told her that her younger brother drew so many pictures on the clean wall of his bedroom and left the white wall in a mess.
When the woman heard this, she was angry. "Where's your brother now?"
"He's hiding himself in the cupboard in his bedroom." The little girl answered.
The woman got even angrier. She complained about her son when she went towards her son's bedroom.
The six-year-old boy was staying with fear in the cupboard when he heard what his mother said. He knew she got really angry this time.
The woman pushed the door open with a loud noise. But when she saw the words and pictures on the wall, her anger soon disappeared. "I love you, mum!" covered the whole wall, with so many hearts around them, and so many stars in the sky.
The mother's eyes were full of happy tears. She opened the door of the cupboard, and hugged her son tightly. The boy said "I love you, Mum!" to her mother in a low voice when he was in his mother's arms.
It's the most expensive present from her son -- "Love on the wall". Eight years later, the boy suddenly died of heart disease. The mother had kept the wall tidy with great care for nearly fifty years until she was dead.
In the mother's heart, it seemed that her son was alive, and always looking at her in the sky with many shining stars around him. | middle7676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "early and get up early"
},
"options": [
"late and get up early",
"early and get up late",
"early and get up early",
"late and get up late"
],
"question": "If we want to be healthy and clever, we must go to bed ... | Everyone must go to bed early and get up early, or we won't be healthy and clever.Is this true? Maybe it is.The body must have enough sleep.Children of your age need ten hours'sleep every day.If you don't go to bed early, you won't have enough sleep .Then you can't think properly and can't do your work properly.You will not be clever.Some people go to bed late and get up late.This is not good for them.We must go to bed at night when it is dark.The dark helps us to sleep soundly.When the daytime comes, we must get up.This is the time for exercise.If you lack exercise, you will become weak.Exercise keeps a strong body.Exercise helps the blood flow around inside the body.This is very important.Blood takes food to all parts of our body.The brain also needs blood, we think with our blood.If we keep our body healthy and take exercise, we can think better. | middle1207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "67538293"
},
"options": [
"67538293",
"63875629",
"64639818",
"63986423"
],
"question": "If you want to enjoy the sunshine with your friends at the seaside, you can call _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_ques... | Trip 1 One week in the Mountains
Bring your strong shoes and warm clothes for this walk in a beautiful area of the Green Mountains. You may go hiking or have a try of rock climbing. This is also a protection area for wild animals. You can find many kinds of animals living in this area.
Time: May 8--May 14 Tel: 64639818 Adult: $110
Trip 2 Three days in the country
There are many beautiful gardens. Take your camera and enjoy the wonderful sight in Hunter Valley. It is a good place for fishing and horse riding. Bird lovers can also enjoy a great walk.
Time: May 20--May 22 Tel: 63986423 Adult: $50 Child: $25
Trip 3 Flashlight adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a torch, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. It's a trip full of adventure. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the plants you will see on this trip can only be seen at night.
Time: May 16--May 18 Tel: 63875629 Adult: $30 Not for children
Trip 4 Five days by the sea
Wear your sun hat and enjoy wonderful sunshine all the time from morning to evening. Our hotel is next to the sea. We have our own boats, too. You can swim in the sea or in the swimming pool. Every day our boat will take you to different places for swimming.
Time: May 23--May 27 Tel: 67538293 Adult: $80 Child: $40 | middle793.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "$4.50."
},
"options": [
"$ 1.00.",
"50cents.",
"30cents.",
"$4.50."
],
"question": "How much is the cookbook ?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"... | Harrison School Spring Fundraisers
From the zoo to the art museum, Harrison students look forward to spring field trips. Please take part in these school fundraisers to help make these exciting experiences possible.
Share a Harrison Recipe
What is your favorite food? Share your recipe in the Harrison community.
*Ask relatives and friends for a recipe for the school cookbook
*Bring the recipe to Mrs. Voltz in the front. Office either before or after school by February15.
*We will announce the beginning of the sale when the cookbooks arrive. Buy a cookbook for $4.50 to see your friend's recipes. Your family will surely enjoy these delicious dishes.
Try Your Luck in a Raffle
Teddy bears, posters, games and pencils are just some of the prizes for the lucky winners.
*Buy a raffle ticket at the front office for $1.00
*The winners will be announced at the end of the day on March21.
Good luck!
Celebrate at the school Fair
Saturday, May2
10:00a.m.~3:30p.m
Join family and friends on the field behind the playground for a fun-filled day . Race down the huge slide,
Jump or test your skills at one of the many exciting games. Don't forget to stop by one of the food stands for delicious snacks and drinks. Tickets for food and rides will sell for 50 cents each.
With everyone's help , we can make the Harrison fundraisers and field trips successful ! | middle6568.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In 1919."
},
"options": [
"In 1919.",
"In 1941.",
"In 1951.",
"In 1964."
],
"question": "When was Shakespeare and Company first opened?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | If you enjoy reading, don't miss Shakespeare and Company when you visit the city of Paris. It is a famous English-language bookstore on the left bank of the river Seine. The first Shakespeare and Company in history was opened in 1919 by an American, Sylvia Beach. Ms. Beach did more than sell books. Her bookstore was also a library, and she even prepared beds for writers visiting there. Ms. Beach was not only kind to people but also good at choosing books, so her bookstore was often visited by writers like Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce. But in 1941, after the Germans took power in Paris, Ms. Beach was told to close her bookstore.
In 1951, another American, George Whitman, opened in Paris another English-language bookstore, Librairie Mistral. Since then, just as Ms. Beach did, Mr. Whitman has also made his bookstore a library for people to borrow books, and a free hotel for writers to stay in. To remember Ms. Beach, Mr. Whitman changed the name of his bookstore to Shakespeare and Company in 1964, two years after Ms. Beach died.
Next time when you are in Paris, don't forget to visit this friendly bookstore, and see if you can spend a night there! | middle5049.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "blue"
},
"options": [
"yellow",
"blue",
"nice",
"big"
],
"question": "My bag is_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "bag"
},
... | Look at this. It's a blue bag. It is my bag. What's in it? Look, this is my English book. It's blue, too. My Chinese book is also in my bag. It is yellow. This is my pencil case. It's big and nice. I like English and Chinese. My bag is my good friend.
. | middle2726.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "mow the lawn"
},
"options": [
"read books",
"travel",
"mow the lawn",
"watch TV"
],
"question": "In order to do something different, Jessie decide to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Jessie felt her life so boring one summer day. She was tired of watching TV, she read all her books, and her friends were on vacation. She wanted something different to do. Suddenly, she saw the lawn mower sitting in the yard.
"Mom," she shouted, ''I think I will mow the lawn." Her mom ran into the yard and said,"Oh no, you don't. You're too young to mow the lawn."
"I'm fourteen years old and know how to do it," Jessie said. "Besides, it would help Dad out, and he won't have to worry about it over the weekend."
Mom thought for a while and then decided to let Jessie give it a try. After all, she was home and would _ her. Jessie already knew how to start the lawn mower from watching her dad. Jessie checked the gas to make sure it was full, and put on her gardening gloves to protect her hands. Mom watched from the kitchen window. Jessie really does know how to mow the lawn. She was very careful around the flowers and trees. When she finished, she felt so good, but she was so hot. Mom brought her some ice tea and said, "You really did a great job. Dad will be very surprised."
Later that day, Dad came home and said to Jessie's mom, "You didn't have to mow the lawn. I was going to do it on Saturday. It looks great. Thanks."
"I didn't mow it. Jessie did."
"Wow, our little girl is growing up!" Dad told Jessie what a great job she had done.
"It was fun, and I will do it again next week," said Jessie.
The neighbor next door came by and asked Jessie if she wanted to mow his lawn and make some money. "Sure!" said Jessie. Jessie began mowing his lawn. Two other neighbors asked so, then another three. Jessie was now mowing lawns for them all and making some money. She was no longer bored! "I won't have time to spend my money," she laughed to herself. | middle3438.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "population"
},
"options": [
"pollution",
"population",
"flood",
"hunger"
],
"question": "The passage tells us that the whole world is suffering from(......) the _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | The one-child policy in our country has made most families much smaller than before. That is to say, there are fewer children in a family. But the population of China is still growing faster. Why? In fact, it's a serious problem not only in China, but also in the whole world. It's reported that the world population is _ to reach 9,200,000,000 by 2050. There are two important reasons. First, there are still more and more babies born every year. Next, people in the world can live much longer than before.
The earth is too tired, but it has to burden more in the future. Who can save her?
,. | middle963.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Behind the park."
},
"options": [
"Across from the river.",
"Behind the school.",
"In front of the park",
"Behind the park."
],
"question": "Where is the hill?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{... | There is a park near our school. We can see many trees and flowers there. We can see a hill behind the park, too. At the foot of the hill we can see a river. There are some boats on it. It is Sunday today. There are many Young Pioneers in the park. Some are walking and singing. Some are dancing or playing games. Ann and her sister Kate are flying a kite. Tom and his brother Sam are throwing a frisbee . Their parents are sitting under a tree. All the family are having a good time. | middle1549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "30 minutes."
},
"options": [
"2 hours.",
"90 minutes.",
"1 hour.",
"30 minutes."
],
"question": "How much time did the Singaporean children spend outdoors on average every day in the research?",
"question_ty... | Spending two or three hours playing outdoors each day can reduce a child's chance of becoming short-sighted, a research shows. It challenges the belief that short-sightedness is caused by computer use, watching TV or reading in weak light.
The Australian government researchers believe that sunlight is good for people's eyes. They compared the vision and habits of 100 seven-year-old children in Singapore and Australia. In all, 30% of the Singaporean children were short-sighted--this rate was ten times higher than Australian children.
Both groups spent a similar amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games. However, the Australian children spent an average of two hours a day outdoors--90 minutes more than the Singaporean children.
Professor Ian Morgan, from the Australian Research Council's Vision Centre, said, "Humans are naturally long-sighted, but when people begin to go to school and spend little or no time outdoors, the number of short-sighted people gets larger. We're also seeing more and more short-sighted children in cities all around the world--and the main reason may be that city children spend less time outdoors."
Daylight can be hundreds of times brighter than indoor light. But why does playing outside prevent us from becoming short-sighted? Scientists believe that natural light has a special chemical which stops the eyeball from growing out of shape and prevents people becoming short-sighted.
So be outdoors. It doesn't matter if that time is spent having a picnic or playing sports. | middle7138.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "in the USA"
},
"options": [
"in winter",
"for breakfast",
"in England",
"in the USA"
],
"question": "Iced tea is popular _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.
In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in teahouses. They prefer their tea plain, with nothing else in it.
Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony . It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.
Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is "teatime". Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.
In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea -- "iced tea". Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.
,. | middle4431.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "sunny"
},
"options": [
"sunny",
"cloudy",
"rainy",
"windy"
],
"question": "The weather is _ today",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text... | Today is Sunday, March 20. We, sixteen boys and seventeen girls, go to school early, but we have no lessons. Our teacher takes us to the zoo. We are very excited about the trip. We get on a bus, it goes fast and at half past nine we get there. How beautiful the zoo is! There're a lot of trees, some hills, and a big lake. The sun is shining and the flowers are coming out. There are all kinds of animals in it, elephants, monkeys, birds, fishes and many other animals. The birds are singing in the trees and the fishes are swimming in the lake. We like to watch monkeys. They are playing on the hill or having oranges, apples and bananas. There are many rules in the zoo. We mustn't do this and we mustn't do that. But we all have a good time. At one in the afternoon we leave the zoo. | middle2040.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "about Picasso's different styles of painting"
},
"options": [
"about Picasso's different styles of painting",
"Picasso was always strange",
"about some pictures of different style",
"it is not easy for a painter to find... | Most painters discover a style of painting that suits them and stick to that, especially if people admire their pictures. As artist grows older his picture may alter , but not very much. But Picasso, the great Spanish painter, was like a man who had not yet found his own particular style of painting. He kept on struggling to find the perfect expression till his death in 1973.
Some of Picasso's paintings are rich, soft colored and beautiful. Others are ugly and cruel and strange. But such paintings allow us to imagine things for ourselves. They force us to say to ourselves, "What does he see that makes him paint like that?" And we begin to look beneath the surface of the things we see.
Picasso painted thousands of pictures in different styles. Sometimes he painted the natural look of things. _ He showed us what the mind knows as well as what the eye sees. At the age of 90 he remained as _ about the world as he had been when he was young. That is why people have called him "the youngest painter in the world". | middle4425.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the sun"
},
"options": [
"the moon",
"the sun",
"the stars",
"the Earth"
],
"question": "When the moon goes between the Earth and the sun, we have night in the day, we call it the eclipse of",
"question_typ... | Our nearest neighbor is the moon. In the sky, the moon and the sun seem to be of the same size because the moon is much nearer.
The moon makes the tides--the changes in the level of the sea. The moon and the sun together pull the sea. In some parts of the world, the difference between * high tide' (when the sea is very near to the land) and ' low tide' (when the sea is far away from the land) is very big. This is very important for ships.
The moon is very different from the Earth. Gravity on the moon is six times weaker than that on the Earth. There isn't any air. During the day, it is very, very hot but at night it is very, very cold. Nothing can live on the moon.
If the moon goes between the Earth and the sun, we have an eclipse of the sun . The moon stops the light from the sun and we have night in the day.
If the Earth goes between the moon and the sun, we have an eclipse of the moon. The moon goes into the shadow( ) of the Earth and it disappears for a few minutes. | middle2054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because the price of the things is high in shops."
},
"options": [
"Because the writer likes it.",
"Because the writer's friends all do that.",
"Because the price of the things is high in shops.",
"Because it is easy to... | This year I am very busy doing my Christmas shopping. I really never find what I want, and many things my daughter wants are not in shops or their price is too high. You know children don't think about the price much. So I have to buy some online . I never think about online shopping before now. I have a few friends and they do online present shopping every year. So I ask them for help. First, they tell me to start shopping early. And then you need to be careful with the delivery charge because they can be very different. My friends also tell me that online shopping is easy, but I should get into good _ . And last but important, they tell me that if I feel good about a site, there may be a good reason. So they say I need find the reason before I buy things on it. | middle6232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They stop using them."
},
"options": [
"They repair them.",
"They sell them.",
"They send them to others.",
"They stop using them."
],
"question": "What do many people do with old computers?",
"question_type... | What do people do with their old, out-of-date but still useful computers? Most people don't know what to do with them. Many old computers are put away in homes. Many more are simply thrown out with the rubbish.
Finally, some companies are thinking of ways to bring down the number of old computers. Sony has agreed to help recycle old Sony products . Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other companies now also take back some old computers.
In some countries, laws are being passed, too. Computer companies will have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay the cost. That will encourage them to make computers that are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade .
Yet while many people are throwing away good computers, others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations are working to solve this problem. They collect and repair old computers. Some also teach others how to repair computers.
The computers then go to schools, charities and people who need them. Giving a used computer to one of these organizations can turn one person's rubbish into someone else's useful things--and cut down on waste, too. | middle977.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The writer had a good time with her father yesterday."
},
"options": [
"The writer didn't like swimming at all.",
"The writer' s father bought a new truck this morning.",
"The writer's father lived in another town.",
"T... | Yesterday, Dad and I made a big snowman. I was very cold, so Dad made some delicious soup and bread. When I got sleepy, Dad carried me to my bedroom and said, "Good night, Pumpkin ."
This morning, there was a truck in front of our house. A truck is not a bad thing unless it' s carrying your dad's things to the other side of town.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Jzzie," Dad said, giving me a kiss,
I said "bye" and ran to my bedroom. I got a stomachache again. I' ve had lots of stomachaches since Mom and Dad told me about the divorce because I can't get used to _ .
When Mom told me it was time for dinner, I told her. I was not leaving my room.
Mom led me downstairs anyway. Dad's chair was empty. We didn't talk. We didn't eat.
The phone rang.
"Hi, Izzie. My new apartment building has an indoor pool, so bring your swimsuit tomorrow, OK?"
"I don 't want to go swimming, Daddy. "
"Well, think about it," he said. "It could be fun."
But I didn't want to have fun. In fact, I thought I would probably never have fun again.
I waited for him to say "Good night, Pumpkin." But all he said was "See you tomorrow."
When. I lay in bed, I found something under my pillow . It was an envelope. I opened it and pulled out a picture of a pumpkin. It was not even close to Halloween. I turned the picture over and saw the words "Good night". I held the picture to my face and thought of Dad. Then I opened my top drawer, pulled out my favorite swimsuit and put it on my desk.
. | middle7892.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the roles in Peking Opera"
},
"options": [
"the roles in Peking Opera",
"the changes of dramas",
"the forms of dramas",
"the positions of dramas"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .",
"question... | Peking Opera (Beijing Opera), is one of the oldest forms of dramas in the world. The roles in it were Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou, Wuhang, and Longtao during its early age. But with the change of Peking Opera, there are four main roles in it today: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou.
Sheng----Men Roles
Sheng are the men roles in Peking Opera, which can be divided into Laosheng, Wusheng, Xiaosheng and Wawasheng.
Laosheng are middle-aged or older men who are honest. Hongsheng,a type of Laosheng, have a red face. There are only two roles famous as Hongsheng. One is Guan Gong and the other is Zhao Kuangyin. Wusheng are young generals who are good at martial arts . Xiaosheng are clean-shaven and handsome. Wawasheng are children's parts.
Dan----women Roles
Dan are women roles that can be divided into different types----Laodan, Qingyi, Huadan, Wudan and Caidan.
Laodan play old and clever women. Qingyi are the main women roles. Huashan, a type of Qingyi, was created by Mei Lanfang, who played an important role in shaping Peking Opera. Huadan are lively and unmarried women roles. Wudan characters are women, good at martial arts. Caidan are clowns in funny plays.
Jing----Painted Face Men Roles
A Jing role is an important man character with striking looks and high social position. The main types of Jing are Tongchui, good at singing and usually a general; Jiazi, good at acting with less singing; and Wujing, a martial arts and acrobatics role.
Chou----Comedy Roles
Chou are comedy roles in Peking Opera. There are Wenchou who speak, act and sing, and Wuchou who both speak and fight. What makes this type of role special is a small patch of white chalk around the nose. One of the famous roles is the Monkey King, who has a special position in the hearts of all who are interested in Chinese opera. | middle6554.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "different"
},
"options": [
"hard",
"difficult",
"same",
"different"
],
"question": "The call in English is _ from the one in Chinese.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Can you make a telephone call? Of course you make it in Chinese. But the call in English is quite different from the one in Chinese. If you want to ask somebody to answer the telephone, you cannot say, " Please ask Mr/Mrs/Miss... to answer the telephone." Instead, you must say, " May I speak to Mr/Mrs/Miss..., please?" If you want to ask who is answering the telephone, you should say " Who is that?" or " Is that ...( somebody ) speaking?" instead of " Who are you ?". If you want to tell the other one who you are, you should say, " This is ...( somebody ) speaking." | middle4343.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She was just a little girl."
},
"options": [
"She was just a little girl.",
"She was the 2002 champion.",
"She was from Germany.",
"She remembered more words."
],
"question": "Why was Lara's success special?",
... | Give this memory test a try. Mix up 52 playing cards. Now look at the top seven for a second. Can you remember them in order?
Players at the World Memory Championships can. In fact, the 2002 champion , Andi, memorized the order of 1196 cards after looking at them for only an hour! And a German girl, Lara, only ten years old, memorized 75 faces and names in fifteen minutes!
In 1987, a Japanese man, Mr. Tomoyori, wanted to prove that his memory was the best in the world by remembering by heart pi (p), a number in math which starts 3.14159...This number never repeats itself or ends. He recited pi to 40,000 decimal places . It took the fifty-five-year-old man more than twelve hours to say the numbers, but he did it without making a mistake!
To remember pi, Mr. Tomoyori connected each number with a sound. He then made up stories to help him remember the words he made from the sounds. In an interview after his achievement, he said, "I decided to go ahead and memorize the value of pi up to one thousand places. But it wasn't easy - in fact, it took me three years. To get to 40,000 decimal places it took me about ten years."
Unluckily for Mr. Tomoyori, his record was broken in 1995, when another Japanese man, Mr. Goto, memorized pi to 42,195 places. | middle2901.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an American"
},
"options": [
"an English",
"a Chinese",
"an American",
"a Japanese"
],
"question": "Einstein was _ scientist.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | One day Einstein was walking in the street in New York. His friend met him and said to him, "Einstein, you should buy a new coat. Look, how old your coat is!" But Einstein answered, "It doesn't matter. Nobody knows me here."
After a few years Einstein became a famous scientist. But he still wore the old coat.
His friend met him again and asked him to buy a new one. But Einstein said, "I needn't buy a new one. Everyone knows me here." | middle744.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He wants to know something about English people."
},
"options": [
"He wants to know the girl's name.",
"He wants to know the girl.",
"He wants to know something about English people.",
"He wants to know something about ... | Li Ping is going to England. He wants to know something about English people. One day he sees an English girl in the street. Then he comes up to her.
"Excuse me, may I ask you some questions?"
"Of course you may."answers the girl politely.
"I'll go to London. What should I notice when I'm talking with English people in London? "asks Li Ping.
"Well, don't ask a woman how old she is and..."
"But how old are you? "Li Ping stops the girl and asks suddenly.
"I..."The girl gets angry.
"Why do you get so angry?"asks Li Ping. "Now we are in China, not in England, you see" | middle7879.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a mysterious island"
},
"options": [
"a strange light",
"a blue whale",
"a mysterious island",
"a mountain"
],
"question": "After the earthquake, what did people see in the sea?",
"question_type": "factiod_q... | The shock of the recent earthquake in Pakistan has brought another shock: the rise of a small, mysterious island, coming out from the water.
In the aftershock of the earthquake, people living in Gawadar, near the southwest coast, began to see a strange sight. They looked out into the Arabian Sea and saw a mountain-like shape coming out of the water. "I could see this gray, dome-shaped body in the distance, like a giant whale," Bahram Baloch, a local journalist, told the BBC. "Hundreds of people had gathered to watch it in disbelief ."
So what happened? The earthquake measured 7.7 in magnitude . The force was so strong that it moved the sea floor, releasing gas. This gas pushed the seabed, mostly rock and sand, upward and out of the water. This is how mud volcanoes are formed. The island that measures about 20 meters high, 30 meters long and 90 meters wide is actually the tip of the mud volcano.
Is it safe? Although people have visited this new island, scientists have found dangerous gas coming from the newly formed island. "Our team found bubbles rising from the surface of the island, which caught fire when a match was lit," said Mohammad Danish, a scientist, to Universe Today.
These mud volcanoes are not rare. But it's striking because this one has popped up in a populated area, and not far out in the sea. However, it's not expected to last very long. Most of these mud volcanoes are swept back under the sea within one year. | middle5908.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Henry."
},
"options": [
"Annie.",
"Henry.",
"Lucy.",
"We don't know."
],
"question": "Who is the letter from?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "s... | Dear Annie,
Thank you for your letter. I'm glad you like your school.
I go to school from Monday to Friday. We have four classes in the morning and two classes in the afternoon. We have many things to do after class. On Monday and Wednesday afternoon we do sports. On Tuesday afternoon some of us have a singing class and on Thursday afternoon some have a drawing class. On Friday afternoon, we practice speaking English. My Chinese friends like to talk with me in English. They think I am like an English teacher. Isn't it great?
On Saturdays and Sundays I don't go to school. Very often I go to the parks and have a good time with my family there.
Yours,
Henry | middle988.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Flat B"
},
"options": [
"Flat A",
"Flat B",
"Flat C",
"None"
],
"question": "If you are a student of University of Greenwich, which flat would you better rent?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{... | Flat A:Lovely double bedroom with own store space in the house, garden, garage and parking space. 5 minutes to the library,18 minutes to the bank. TV broadband available.
115 pounds per week including all the bills. Four weeks rent ,four weeks deposit required.
Tel:07912100237
Flat B:A double room available to rent atPS420 per month in a 2-bedroom new apartment located in London. It's ideal for students (5 minutes to University of Greenwich, Avery Hill campus) and professional people for short term. 2 minutes walk to the train station and local town centre. There are fast trains to London Bridge(15 minutes)and Cambridge Cross Station(20 minutes)in London.
There are public buses to Cambridge, Greenwich etc.
Features: entrance hall, modem kitchen and bathroom, living room and parking space.
Tel: 17912100273
Flat C:Shared flats available for rent, weeklyPS80 including breakfast and dinner;dailyPS20 including breakfast. Wireless Internet is provided for free. Central location in London, ideal for holiday makers and students.
Tel: 0791 2305237 | middle2915.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Germany"
},
"options": [
"Australia",
"Germany",
"England",
"Indonesia"
],
"question": "Siggi Siebold is from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | International students in Christine Rhodes' English class in Australia share theirimpressions of places they have visited in Australia.
Canberra, the nicest city in Australia
I went for a short holiday to Canberra. My uncle lives there. It's the nicest city in Australia, a little bit similar to Cairns. There're lots of big rivers and trees around the city.
Siggi Siebold from Germany
The small city of Mount Isa
I went to Mount Isa six months ago. It's a long way from Brisbane -- about 2,000 km. It's a small city, with a population of 21,000, but it has all the basic _ such as a base hospital, six schools and supermarkets. Here the weather is hot and gets very little rain. There're two big lakes to keep rainwater for people in the city to drink.
Indra Ekanayake
Lake Moondarra and amine
In Mount Isa, there's adam called Lake Moondarra. At weekends you can go there with your friends, and it is beautiful. On the lake, there is water skiing. Also, people can go fishing there.
There's a big mine in Mount Isa. Many people go to work in the mine and earn a lot of money. Mount Isa isn't a beautiful green place, but many people love it.
Ida Robb from Indonesia | middle778.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a dog"
},
"options": [
"a tiger",
"the boy's name",
"a dog",
"the girl's name"
],
"question": "Tiger is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"an... | I love to tell the story about how I met my best friend-Tiger. We met at the school fair . Each year, all the fourth-grade classes hold a school fair. Everyone in the fourth grade works at the fair. Some sell ice cream, drinks and snacks, others take care of the little children who ride the horses. I got the second job and I've never forgotten it, because that's where I met Tiger.
My job was to help little children get on the back of a little horse. I kept telling the children to wait their turn and holding ice cream for them while they rode about. It's clear that I was growing older and should be more responsible.
Suddenly, a boy came to the horse. He took the little horse's reins ! The horse stopped, and the girl on its back started to fall. I was trying to reach the girl when I saw Tiger go by my legs. It held the horse's reins and pulled the horse away from my legs. I caught the girl just before we both hit the ground. The girl sat on top of me. She was laughing at the ice cream on my face. The horse's reins were in Tiger's mouth!
Thanks to Tiger's fast action, I saved the little girl. We were both heroes. And Tiger, the fastest dog I've ever known became my new best friend. | middle6583.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Shanghai"
},
"options": [
"Shanghai",
"Xi'an",
"Tianjin",
"Chongqing"
],
"question": "Some buildings in _ are taller than in Beijing.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | If you go to Beijing and Shanghai, you can see the same and the different _ between them. In some ways they look the same, in some ways they look different. Both of them have tall buildings and wide streets, although some buildings in Shanghai are taller than in Beijing. They are both important in China. Beijing is the capital of China, there are more places of interest there, but Shanghai is the biggest city in China. Now they are becoming more and more important in China. | middle5934.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because they thought no meals would be served late in the evening."
},
"options": [
"Because it's a 5-star hotel.",
"Because they thought no meals would be served late in the evening.",
"Because they were very tired after the... | Mr. and Mrs. Harris had always spent their summer holidays in a small hotel at the seaside near their hometown. One year, however, Mr. Harris made a lot of money in his factory, so they decided to go to a foreign country and stay at a really good hotel.
They flew to Paris, and arrived at a 5-star hotel late in the evening. They thought they would have to go to bed hungry, because in that small hotel where they used to stay in the past, no meals were served after seven in the evening. They were surprised to be told that the hotel served dinner until ten.
"Then what are the times of meals?" asked Mrs. Harris.
"Well, Madam, we serve breakfast from seven to eleven, lunch from twelve to three, tea from four to five, and dinner from six to ten."
"But that hardly leaves any time for us to see the city!" said Mrs. Harris. | middle2097.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Spainruledtheislandfor300years."
},
"options": [
"Spainruledtheislandfor300years.",
"Twonationssharedtheisland.",
"TheDominicanRepublicjoinedtheisland",
"ThenameofHaitibegantouse."
],
"question": "What happened ... | South of Florida, many islands dot the ocean. One of them is Hispaniola. Its name points to the fact that Christopher Columbus visited the island in 1492. As a result, Spain ruled theisland for th e next 300 years. Two nations now share the island. Haiti makes up the western third. The Dominican Republic makes up the eastern two-thirds.
The Dominican Republic's area is about 18,000 square miles with the population of 8 million.
Most people live close to the island's coast. Like many other tropical islands, the Dominican Republic regards tourism as a key industry. The coastal citie s, especially, depend on tourists to fill their hotels and restaurants. The natural beauty of the beaches and of the forests draw Dominicans and tourists alike. When you're ready for something else,walk into town.Music,dancing,and people in Colourful masks will greet you at nearly every street corner. Whether you go to join them or get away from them, there will be a place for you in the Dominican Republic. | middle3389.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "watching TV"
},
"options": [
"studying",
"playing card games",
"watching TV",
"helping their parents"
],
"question": "Some children spend eight hours or more _ on the weekend.",
"question_type": "cloze_que... | American boys and girls love watching television. Some children spend six hours a day in school and four to six hours a day in front of the television set. Some even watch television for eight hours or more on the weekend.
Televisions are like books or films. A child can learn both bad things and good things from them. Some programs help children to understand the news, and others show people and places from other countries or other time in history. With television, a child does not have to go to the zoo to see animals or to the ocean to see a ship. Boys and girls can see a play, a concert or a game at home.
Television brings many places and events into our homes. Some programs show crime and other things that are bad for children, so parents sometimes help them find other interesting things to do. | middle5920.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "swimming"
},
"options": [
"football",
"basketball",
"running",
"swimming"
],
"question": "Both Li Ping and Zhao Hui like _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | Hi, I'm Li Ping. I am 15 years old. I am pretty healthy. I like doing all kinds of sports, such as football, basketball, running and swimming. Every morning, I get up early and do exercise. I play basketball on Wednesdays and Saturdays with my friends every week. I do my homework every day. I like watching TV, but I can't watch it every day on school nights. I only watch it on Saturday evening. I am neither fat nor thin. My eating habits are very good. I try to eat a little meat and lots of vegetables and fruit. And I never eat junk food.
Do you know me? I'm Zhao Hui, a 14-year-old student. I am a little fat. I like eating meat. I eat meat three or four times a week. I especially like eating junk food. I want to eat it every day, but my parents don't allow me to eat it every day. I only eat it once or twice a week. I don't like exercise at all. Sometimes, I swim with my friends because I like it. I know exercise is good for my health. From now on, I have to exercise every day. | middle4380.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "good"
},
"options": [
"bad",
"good",
"polite",
"poor"
],
"question": "We know John is a _ child from the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | John is five years old now. He is a good boy. He is very clever and can read very well. But he can't tell the right time by clock. He doesn't say eight o'clock in the morning, twelve o'clock or four o'clock in the afternoon. He always says "breakfast time" for eight o'clock, "lunch time" for twelve o'clock and "tea-time" for four o'clock in the afternoon. His mother wants to teach him to know the time by clock.
"Can you count, John?" his mother asks him. "Yes. Let me count for you. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve..." "That's good, John. Now let me tell you to say the time. Now, look! I put the long hand on twelve and the short hand on one. That is one o'clock. If I put the short on two, that's two o'clock. Do you know?"
"Yes, I do." John tells his mother. "Good. If I put the short hand on four, what's that?" his mother asks and really puts the short one on four. "Tea-time, Mum. And I am hungry." | middle7851.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He was on his way to his workplace."
},
"options": [
"He was cleaning the windows.",
"He was up to visit his friend.",
"He was on his way to his workplace.",
"He was cleaning the lift."
],
"question": "What was ... | Jan was a window cleaner. One morning, Jan was in a lift of a high building with his window cleaning tools when the building was on fire.
There were five other passengers in the lift. All of a sudden the lift stopped. Although they didn't know what had happened outside, they had only 100 minutes to get out of the building before it would fall into the dust.
Soon smoke began coming into the lift. The men knew that something was wrong. They tried to open the door but found a wall in front of them. The wall had the number 15 on it and they knew they were on the 15th floor. But their lift usually didn't stop there, so there was no opening for them to escape. Jan decided they would have to make their own.
Knowing that the wall was made of a material that could be cut through, Jan took out his window cleaning tools, and began knocking a hole through the wall. When he felt tired, others helped.
Starting with one small hole, they cut through the three-inch-thick wall. Then they kicked hard at the wall. The wall cracked apart. They saw before them a tile wall! Refusing to give up, they knocked a hole through the tile, then made the opening big enough to get through. Surprisingly, the fire-fighters were outside the hole, they took Jan and his partners to the nearest stairs and they ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. By 10:23, Jan and the others ran out of the building. Five minutes later, the building burned down. | middle6597.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He is the CEO and founder of Facebook."
},
"options": [
"He is a billionaire who wouldn't like to help charities.",
"He is the CEO and founder of Facebook.",
"He promised to give away all of his money to charities.",
"H... | If you had billions of dollars,would you give away almost all of it to charity ?Well that's what Mark Zuckerberg,CEO and founder of Facebook,just said he would do.Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan promised to give 99 percent of their money to society.Right now that is about $45 billion(289 billion yuan),and they plan to give away the money to things like science and education.
Many billionaires have done similar things,for example,Bill Gates.But giving back and helping others isn't just for big billionaires.People like Zuckerberg and Gates may have more to give,but people with less are doing it too.Especially around the holidays,people want to do their part and give back to people who are less lucky than them.Schools may have food collections where people bring some food and together they can give away some other things to places like homeless centers.
People also host special events like concerts or runs to be creative while raising money.Common people give away whatever they can to US charities like the United Way and the American Red Cross.
Then these charities are able to help the poor in different ways like education,health and improving their lives.These things come together to make a big difference. | middle7689.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "1961"
},
"options": [
"1965",
"1961",
"1969",
"1975"
],
"question": "The boy was born in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He... | It is 1965, a 1ittle boy is on the beach with his parents. He is four years old. The boy plays near the water. He walks into the water. His parents aren't watching him. The water is over the boy's head! A woman sees the boy. She _ the boy and carries him to his parents. The woman's name is Mrs. Blaise.
It is 1975, ten years 1ater.The boy is on the same beach. He is 14 years old now. He is big and strong. He is a good swimmer. A man is in the water. The man can't swim. "Help! Help!" the[:]man cries.The boy runs into the water. He swims to the man and pulls the man to the beach. "Thank you." says the man. Who is the man? His name is Mr Blaise. He is Mrs Blaise's husband | middle6408.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "three"
},
"options": [
"one",
"two",
"three",
"four"
],
"question": "There are _ people in Yang Yang's family.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | There are three people in Yang Yang's family. They like different kinds of food. Yang Yang likes rice a lot. But she doesn't like chicken at all. Her father is from Shanxi. He doesn't like rice at all. He likes chicken and bread very much. Her mother is from Dalian. She doesn't like rice or bread at all. But she likes fish and vegetables a lot. They love each other and help each other. | middle7716.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Red."
},
"options": [
"Green.",
"Red.",
"Black.",
"blue"
],
"question": "What's Grace's favorite color?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_... | Here are three girls. They are talking about their favorite clothes and colors.
"I like skirts very much. I have many skirts in my wardrobe . Red is my favorite color. I have a red skirt, and it's my favorite skirt. My mother buys it for me. It's$168," Grace says.
"My mom often buys new skirts for me. All my skirts are nice. I have skirts in all colors. My favorite one is a yellow skirt. It's nice. And yellow is my favorite color," Emily says.
"I don't like skirts. T-shirts and shorts are my favorite. Black and white are my favorite colors. People often say I look like a boy." Kelly says.
,. | middle3570.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "have teaching experience"
},
"options": [
"have rich knowledge",
"have teaching methods",
"have teaching experience",
"are healthy"
],
"question": "According to the passage, those who _ are likely to be welc... | At EF--English First, we provide the best English language training program available, and teachers are at the heart of our learning center. EF has over 120 schools in 50 cities, and is a very popular name in China. EF is looking for native English speakers with teaching experience to help Chinese people learn English well. While teaching English with EF, you will continue to develop as a teaching profession while experiencing life in this great nation.
As soon as you walk into an EF school, you will understand why creating a welcoming learning environment is important for us to teach English. Our schools have modern well-equipped classrooms, computer labs, and teaching preparation areas. Our teachers receive a complete modern teaching program to prepare themselves to teach our high standards. And they've got high salary.
EF was set up a year before 1965 with the duty to "break down barriers in language, culture and geography". It has helped over 15 million students to learn a new language and travel abroad. | middle5101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "nobody would like to listen to him"
},
"options": [
"he lived in a poor village",
"nobody would like to listen to him",
"the spells didn't work",
"he had a lot of things to do"
],
"question": "Jim was sad becaus... | There was once a boy called Jim in a village .Whenever Jim asked people to do things,no one would listen to him.He was sad.So Jim asked a wizard to solve the problem by using magic.The old wizard tried a lot of spells,but didn't work..
A young man heard about the problem .He went to Jim and said that he knew the solution .He gave Jim two small pieces of paper."These are two spells ,my boy.Use the first before you ask others to do something,and use the second when they have done it.A smile is also necessary,"the young man said.Jim was happy and tried to use the spells.When he asked people to do something.he said "Please"before his words and "Thank you"after they had done it.People were very surprised that Jim could be polite .Soon ,they became happy to do what Jim asked them to do.The wizard was surprised ,and asked the young man about the spells."It's not magic.When I was a child,my teacher told me that with good manners you could get anything you want.And he was right.Jim only needed good mannersto get what he wanted." | middle5667.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "boring"
},
"options": [
"interesting",
"boring",
"exciting",
"surprising"
],
"question": "Mary thinks sitcoms are _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,... | Most people like watching TV.So does Mary.She doesn't mind soap operas or talk shows.But she can't stand sitcoms,for they are too boring.Sports shows are her favorite programs.She likes sports very much,and she likes watching football matches on TV.
Mary likes women's volleyball,too.She often watches matches on TV,sometimes on the Internet.Her favorite team is the Chinese team.She thinks all the members are _ .
Mary enjoys volleyball,but she isn't good at it.She is good at table tennis.She often plays it with her best friend after school.They are both on the school table tennis team.Sometimes they play with teams from other schools.They have a lot of fun with it. | middle2108.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in your high school years"
},
"options": [
"in your high school years",
"at the beginning of your high school years",
"before your high school begins",
"after finish your high school"
],
"question": "The writer ... | You are going to high school, aren't you? Maybe you don't know what to do. Well, here's a list of the top six things to do when you are in high school. These things will give you ideas of what your high school life could be like. Here you go!
1 Find your passion and what kind of person you are: Whether it's dance, basketball, or drawing, the important thing is that you have found something you are interested in.
2 Talk to people you wouldn't usually talk to: meet new people, find new friends and even talk to people you don't like. It will show what a great person you are. You never know what will happen after high school.
3 Take part in at least one contest : This will give you tears of laughter, happiness and memories.
4 Get a job: This will help you see what it's like to have responsibility . It can also help you make a little money to spend on yourself.
5 Take a trip with your friends: It doesn't matter where you go or what you do, the memories will happen on the way and go on till the final place.
6 Do your best at school: Don't ever get lazy; working hard now will help you in the future. | middle3216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "24th June,1947"
},
"options": [
"11th June,1947",
"24th June,1947",
"11th October,1973",
"11th October,1983"
],
"question": "When did Kenneth Arnold see something strange as he was flying?",
"question_type":... | People have talked about whether aliens are real or not for thousands of years.Some ancient drawings over 50,000 years ago are thought to be the first pictures of spacecrafts.Alien spacecrafts are often called flying saucers .The first person to use this name was an Amerlean,Kenneth Arnold.On 24th June,1947,he was flying a small plane in Washington State in the USA when he saw something strange."I was looking out of the window,"Arnold said,"when I saw nine saucer-like things in front of me."
Two other Americans,Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker,said that aliens took them into a flying saucer! They were fishing on the Mississippi River in the USA on the night of 11th October,l973.It was a dark night.The two men were sitting in their fishing boat when they saw a bright light.It was hanging in the air over the water and it looked like a flying saucer and brought Hickson and Parker into their spacecraft.In the spacecraft the aliens looked at the two men very carefully and then took them back to their boat."The aliens were in a pale colour and had very small eyes." Hiekson said."But they didn't hurt us."
In l983,Pioneer 10,an American spacecraft,went into space.On the outside of the spacecraft are 13 pictures of men and women,and a map of space.If aliens find Pioneer 10,they will know how to get to the Earth! | middle7070.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Six"
},
"options": [
"Five",
"Seven",
"Six",
"Eight"
],
"question": "How old is Todd?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "8:30"
... | It was a Saturday in May. When Mrs. Black opened the door and looked out, she smiled and said,"It's going to be a beautiful day." She woke her little son up at eight thirty and said to him,"Get up, Todd. We're going to the zoo today. Wash your hands and face, brush your teeth and have breakfast quickly. We are going to New York by train.
Todd was six years old. He was very happy because he liked going to the zoo very much, and he also liked going by train. He said,"I dreamed about the zoo last night, Mum."
His mother was in a hurry, but she stopped and smiled at her little son,"What did you do in the zoo in your dream?" Todd laughed and answered,"You know. You were there in my dream, too." | middle7064.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "chocolates"
},
"options": [
"reading books",
"eating",
"chocolates",
"God"
],
"question": "John likes _ very much.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | John is an American boy. His family is in China now. John likes chocolates very much. But his mother doesn't give him any. She thinks they are not good for him. But John has a very nice grandfather. The old man loves him very much, and sometimes he buys John some chocolates. Then his mother lets John eat them. She wants to make the old man happy. One Sunday evening John says in his room, "Please, God . Make them give me a big box of chocolates tomorrow. It's my eighth birthday. " His mother says,"God can't hear you, my boy. " "I know, but my grandfather is in the next room. He can hear. " | middle1415.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Three"
},
"options": [
"Two.",
"Three",
"Four.",
"Five."
],
"question": "How many basic questions do the students often ask?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | Many students ask for advice about improving their English. There are three basic questions.
The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, "I enjoy watching English films and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?"
This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or song with your friends, and guess the meaning of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!
The second question is about speaking. Sam, from Suzhou wrote. "Our school has a foreign teacher. But I'm shy and can't speak to her. What should I do?"
When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, "Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?" These are good questions to start a talk. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, take a deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.
The third question is about vocabulary. Oliver, from Anhui wrote, "I want to remember all the new words. I write them down, but I forget them quickly. What should I do?"
Try to remember eight or ten words a day. Write them on pieces of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day. And when you're shopping, how about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see? | middle181.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Art Institute of Chicago has a mixture of traditional and modern art."
},
"options": [
"There are a lot of interactive parts in waxwork museums.",
"Art Institute of Chicago has a mixture of traditional and modern art.",
"You'... | Some people love going to museums,while others absolutely hate it and would rather stay at home,enjoying their favorite TV shows.Increasingly,museums are being seen as outdated and boring by today's youngsters.
I have just returned to the UK after travelling around the USA.While there,I visited lots of museums I must say,museums are typically educational, either to develop knowledge gained at school in particular subjects,or to enhance knowledge of other cultures
In Chicago,we visited the world-famous Art Institute of Chicago.It was filled with paintings,drawings and sculptures by a huge variety of artists,such as Picasso,Monet,Matisse and Dali.There was a mixture of traditional and modern art,including colorful stained glass windows and abstract art.
When we were in Washington D.C.,we visited a few of the Smithsonian museums. These are all free to visit-which is great if you just want to see a few things,and not spend all day inside.The Air and Space Museum was particularly good:it had lots of aircrafts and rockets on display,interesting information and also some interactive parts.We also went to the National U. S. Holocaust )Memorial Museum. Naturally,it was sad to read about the horrors of this tragedy which affected so many people in World War II .However,it was also incredibly interesting to read the stories of those who survived the Holocaust,as well as those who helped others.
Last but not least,I also found the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to be of great interest. This museum is dedicated to those who lost their lives,as well as their families,when the Twin Towers in New York City were attacked by terrorists in 2001 .It tells you how the terrorists planned the attack,how they hijacked the planes,and ultimately what happened as a result of their actions.Surviving pieces of the towers are shown in the museum,alongside damaged fire engines. It was a truly thought-provoking visit,which made me value my own life that little bit more.
I think museums play an important role in preserving artifacts of historical importance for future generations.Whatever your interests,there is likely to be a museum for you. You can visit waxwork museums to see models of your favorite celebrities(and get photos with the Queen!),science museums for a more hands-on,interactive visit and so much more!Best of all,if you're ever in the UK,many of them are free! | middle5673.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It means a lot for a whole country."
},
"options": [
"It means a lot for a whole country.",
"It proves how excellent the winners are.",
"It helps the country out of natural disasters.",
"It brings the winners satisfacti... | Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move, acting as a team member------these are all "game" ideas that you will have throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Some games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they _ that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and teamwork.
Many children's games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as adults. For example, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. It can be very helpful to exercise their hands and eyes, which is needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in the friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for a whole country, not just the athlete who has got _ . For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that brings people together. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it------some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He set up an organization which can provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a hopeful future.
Next time, when you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in your life. | middle3202.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Smart."
},
"options": [
"Funny.",
"Silly.",
"Smart.",
"Careless."
],
"question": "What do you think of the fox?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": ... | farmer had a faithful horse which had grown old and could do no more work, so his master no longer wanted to give him anything to eat and said, "I can certainly make no more use of you, but if you prove yourself still strong enough to bring me a lion here, I will keep you. " And with that he chased him into the open field.
The horse was sad. There the fox met him and said, "Why do you hang your head, and go about all alone?"
"Alas," replied the horse, " My master has forgotten what services I have done for him for so many years, and because I can no longer plow well, he will give me no more food, and has driven me out. "
" Without giving you a chance?" asked the fox.
" The chance was a bad one. He said , if I were still strong enough to bring him a lion , he would keep me , but he knows that I cannot do that. "
The fox said, "I will help you. Just lie down, _ as if you were dead. " The horse did as the fox asked, and then the fox went to the lion, and said, "A dead horse is lying out there. Just come with me, and you can have a rich meal. "
The lion went with him, and when they were both standing by the horse, the fox said, "After all, it is not very comfortable for you here--l tell you what--l will fasten it to you by the tail, and then you can pull it into your cave and eat it in peace. "
The advice pleased the lion. He positioned himself in order that the fox might tie the horse fast to him, and he kept completely quiet. But the fox tied the lion's legs together with the horse's tail. When he had finished his work , he tapped the horse on the shoulder and said, "Pull, white horse, pull! "
Then up sprang the horse at once, and pulled the lion away with him. The lion began to roar so that all the birds in the forest flew up in fear, but the horse let him roar, and drew him and pulled him across the field to his master's door. When the master saw the lion, he was moved, and said to the horse, " You shall stay with me and I will treat you well. " And he gave him plenty to eat until he died.
,. | middle3564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The bathroom was fight above the kitchen."
},
"options": [
"Mrs.Woolf's bedroom door opened on to the garden.",
"The kitchen window looked out over fields.",
"The breakfast room was upstairs.",
"The bathroom was fight a... | There was one thing that I found rather strange on my first day as housekeeper at Monk'S House.The floors in the house were very thin.The bathroom was right above the kitchen,and when Mrs.Woolf was having her bath before breakfast,I could hear her talking to herself.on and on she went,talk,talk,and talk,asking questions and giving herself the answers.I thought there must be two or three people there with her.When Mr.Woolf saw that I looked surprised,he told me that Mrs.Woolf always said out loud the sentences that she had written during the night.She needed to know if they sounded fight and the bath was a good place for trying them out*
I was not allowed to make coffee at Monk'S House--Mr.and Mrs.Woolf were very particular
about coffee and always made it themselves--so Mr.Woolf came into the kitchen at eight o'clock every morning to make it.When we carried the breakfast to Mrs.Woolf's room,I noticed that she had always been working during the night.There were pencil and paper beside her bed so that when she woke up,she could work,and sometimes it seemed as though she had had very little sleep.
Mrs.Woolf's bedroom was outside the house in the garden.I used to think how inconvenient it must be to have to go out in the rain to go to bed.Her bedroom had been connected to the back of the house:the door faced the garden and a window at the side opened out on to a field.Because the writing-room was small,Mr.Woolf had built a large one for her at the end of the garden against the church wall.
I can always remember her coming to the house each day from the writing-room when I rang the bell for lunch at One O'clock.She used to come in,smoking one of her favourite cigarettes,which were bought by Mr.Woolf for her in London.She was tall and thin and very pretty.She had large eyes and a wide mouth.She wore long skirts-usually blue or brown-in the fashion of the day ,and silk jackets of the same colour Mrs.Woolf wore clothes that suited for her well.I ironed them for her and did any sewing that was necessary-She was not able to sew ,although sometimes she liked to try.There was one thing in the kitchen that Mrs.Woolf was very good at doing:she could make beautiful bread. | middle5115.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "England"
},
"options": [
"England",
"New York",
"Paris",
"USA"
],
"question": "Jane lives in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": ... | Jane is a nice girl. She lives in London. She studies in a middle school, she gets up at six every day. She likes learning English. She's a clever girl. She draws pictures well. After school, she often reads newspapers with her grandmother. At seven o'clock in the evening. Jane has supper at home. Every day at eight she does her homework and goes to bed at nine. | middle1373.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Call an ambulance for her baby."
},
"options": [
"Call an ambulance for her baby.",
"Take care of her baby al home.",
"Help her to find her cell phone.",
"Play football in from of her house."
],
"question": "Wha... | Rocky Hurt and Ethan Wilson were playing football in their front yard in Marietta. Suddenly a woman they had never met ran out of her house shouting to them to call an ambulance. That woman was Susanna Rohm. Her 12-week-old baby seemed to stop breathing. She was so scared that she couldn't find her cell phone. so she had decided to rush outside to ask for help.
After getting their parents to make the call, the two boys followed their mother to see if they could do anything to help. And help they did! As Susanna was trying to do CPR on her baby. Young Rocky came in and told her she was doing it all wrong. Instead he asked her to use two fingers, push on the chest 5-10 times. tilt( ) the baby's head. plug the nose and then do a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation ( ) by breathing into the baby's mouth.
Luckily for him and the baby. Susanna accepted his advice for even a second and came a loud cry from the baby. Soon the doctors came and the baby was sent to hospital.
The most amazing part of this story is that neither boy has attended a CPR class. Instead. They learned it all by carefully reading the posters on the walk of their school hall. And, while they are now being called as heroes and even interviewed on national television .neither really cares. They are just glad to have saved the baby's life! "Thanks to the posters on the walls, they could save the kid! "Their teacher said to the reporter proudly. | middle7702.txt |
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