questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Three"
},
"options": [
"One",
"Two",
"Three",
"Five"
],
"question": "Animals have ways to stay alive. How many of them are mentioned in the passage ?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Many animals hide to stay alive. They hide in many ways. Some animals hide in leaves; some animals hide in snow. Usually their colors or shapes help protect them. It's hard to see an Arctic bear in snow. Its white fur helps protect it. Chameleons can hide by changing colors. Their skin turns the same color as what is around them. Some chameleons can change colors in five minutes.
Many animals try to look bigger than they are to stay alive. Some animals can make other animals think they are very big. If they look very big, animals that are looking for food will run away. Bears can walk on two legs. They look very, very scary. Some animals will run away from them.
Many animals try to stay around other animals. This helps them stay alive. Zebras stay close together so that they can help each other look out of danger. Seeing many stripes at once can also confuse animals that want to eat them. Some birds stay in a circle, each toward a different direction. In this way they can also help each other stay alive by looking around for animals that many want to eat one of them. | middle2492.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "six to 17 years old"
},
"options": [
"seven to 17 years old",
"six to 17 years old",
"17 years old",
"six years old"
],
"question": "Nearly 50% of all \"heavy games \" are _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | Computer games are more and more popular with teenagers. Games are fun. After hours of homework it's great to relax by playing a game. But do games ever do kidsany harm? And are there any ways parents can help kids stay away from bad games? US researches are trying to find answers to these questions.
One problem found that parents are not taking enough notice of their kids'games -playinghabits. Many games sells output controls on the games to help parents make sure that children don't play things unsuitable for them, said David Walsh, president of the national Institute on media and the Family. Parents need to watch the games kids are playing and how much time they are spending playing them.
The study found that playing games too long can affect kids' health as well as their schoolwork. Almost half of all " heavy games" are six to 17 years old. These kids are more likely to have weight and eyesight problems than other kids. Playing too many games also affects(v)how children do in school.
Kids can ask their parents to set a time limit for playing games and remind them when the time is up. Don't forget to tell your parents about it. | middle4975.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "tea cups"
},
"options": [
"toothbrushes",
"tea cups",
"shampoo",
"paper slippers."
],
"question": "Which of the following may still be provided in Beijing hotels after June?",
"question_type": null
},
{... | Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotel often provide guests with things like disposable toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers. Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But ,if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things. Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposables. They want to ask people to use fewer disposable things.
Many disposable things are made of plastic. People throw them away after only using them once. It is a waste of natural resources and is very bad for the environment. Do you know that one Chinese person makes as much as as 400kg of waste a year? Most of that waste comes from disposable things. In Beijing, people throw away about 19,000 tons of plastic bags and 1,320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year! Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to bread down. So wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again.
Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life: use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones. After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then you can use it over and over again. Do not use paper cups. At your school canteen . use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of disposable ones. | middle341.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "12"
},
"options": [
"1",
"11",
"12",
"13"
],
"question": "How many people did Jennifer invite?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "C... | Not long ago, I opened an interesting e-mail from Jennifer, a friend of mine. "I've realized I want to be around people who make me happy," she wrote, "I've been seeing how I feel after communicating with different people and making a mental list of who I feel good about. And you're on my list."
Then she invited me -- and 11 other women-- to a "Movie Night" to be held every six weeks at her house. We'd chat, eat, and watch feel-good movies. She made it clear in her invitation that there was no stress to show up to all or any movie nights. Wonderful! I e-mailed her back immediately. I was in.
Later, Jennifer told me she had some puzzled reactions to her invitation. Though all the women were willing to join, some said they didn't see themselves as cheerful people. "I've told them they didn't have to be cheerful around me all the time. I invited them because they made me feel happy," she says.
Research shows that gatherings such as Jennifer's _ . In a US study, researchers measured the happiness of 4739 people at regular intervals over 20 years. The study found that a person's happiness depends on the happiness of people they connect with. Amazingly, it also found that happiness spreads not only between direct friends, but also among friends of your friends' friends! And those good feelings seem to be the most contagious among friends of the same sex.
"People with more supportive friends are less likely to develop sadness," says Dr Toupey Luft, a psychologist in Penticyon, British Columbia. "Though you can't choose your family or workmates, you do have control over friendships." With a little effort, you can add more positive relationships to your social circle. Here's how... | middle355.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Australian"
},
"options": [
"American",
"Russian",
"Australian",
"Chinese"
],
"question": "Mr Evans is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answ... | Mr Evans works in Sydney. Last week he had a two-week holiday, but he didn't know where to go. He said to his friend Robert, "I hate the hot weather here, but I can't think of a cool place in Australia. Where shall I take my holiday?"
"That's easy," said Robert, "You can go to Moscow. Snow and ice are covering the ground there now."
Mr Evans agreed with his friend. He bought a plane ticket and soon arrived in Moscow. He was having a good time there, but one day he got into trouble . After lunch, he went to a park outside the city. He noticed a dog following him when he was walking past a house. It was hungry and wanted some food to eat. But Mr Evans had no food in his pockets. He tried to shoo it away, but it began to bark at him. Just at that moment, he saw a stone on the ground. He tried to pick it up, but he couldn't.
"How strange these Russians are!" Mr Evans said to himself, "They do not tie up their dogs, but firmly tie down the stones!" | middle1819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Before he graduated from college."
},
"options": [
"After he applied for the job in a store.",
"Before he graduated from college.",
"After he came back from Chicago.",
"Before he was a football player."
],
"ques... | "Everything happens for the best,"my mother said whenever I faced disappointment ."If you carry on,one day something good will happen."
Mother was right,as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932,I had decided to try for a job in radio,then work my way up to a sports announcer.I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station and got _ every time.In one studio,a kind lady told me that big stations couldn't risk hiring an inexperienced person."Go out in the sticks and find a small station that'll give you a chance,"she said.I thumbed home to Dixon,Illinois.
While there were no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon,my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local sportsman to manage its sports department .Since Dixon was where I had played high school football,I applied.The job sounded just right for me.But I wasn't hired.My mother noticed my disappointment."Everything happens for the best."Mom reminded me.Dad offered me the car to hunt a job.I tried WOC Radio in Davenport,Iowa.The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter Mac Arthur told me they had already hired an announcer.
As I left his office,I asked aloud,"How can a guy get to be a sports announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?"I was waiting for the lift when I heard Mac Arthur calling,"What did you mean about sports? Do you know anything about football?'' Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to cover an imaginary game.Last autumn,my team had won a game in the last 20 seconds with a 65-yard run.I did a 15-minute build-up to that play, and Peter told me I would cover Saturday's game! On my way home,I thought of my mother's words:"If you carry on,one day something good will happen."
I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I had gotten the job at Montgomery Ward. | middle4961.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the patterns of behavior we learn"
},
"options": [
"book language of behavior we learn",
"the patterns of behavior we learn",
"traditional ideas",
"people's habits"
],
"question": "When we talk about \"culture\"... | Do animals have a culture? What do we mean by "culture"? Lately social scientists have begun to ask if culture is found just in humans, or if some animals have a culture too. When we speak of culture, we mean a way of life a group of people have in common. Culture includes the beliefs and attitudes we learn. It is the patterns of behavior that help people to live together. It is also the patterns of behavior that make one group of people different from another group.
Our culture lets us make up for having lost out strength, claws, long teeth, and other defenses. Instead we use tools, cooperate with one another, and communicate with language. But these aspects of human behavior, or "culture", can also be found in the lives of certain animals. Animals can make tools, for example. We used to think that the ability to use tools was the dividing line between human beings and other animals. Lately, however, we have found that this is not the case. Chimpanzees can not only use tools but actually make tools themselves. Animals can also share knowledge with each other and use their own language to communicate. So it may be important for us to know that the line dividing us from animals is not as clear as we used to think. | middle3968.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "three"
},
"options": [
"two",
"three",
"four",
"five"
],
"question": "The writer tells us the influence of music on children from _ aspects .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Why is music so important to children? Here are some of my ideas.
Music has a positive influence on children's intelligence !
New research shows that music can offer children an interesting environment. It has a good influence on children's intelligence. Children can learn, understand and think in a logical way if they study music at an early age.
Playing music with others gives children a feeling of belonging to the group!
Some children might have trouble _ activities with others because they are shy, they have limited language ability or they don't like doing sports, but they usually feel relaxed when they take part in a music activity. Playing music with others gives children a wonderful feeling of belonging to the group.
Music makes children happy!
Children seem to experience much pleasure in music. Whether they are listening to music, singing along with a song, playing an instrument or dancing to music, they seem totally absorbed(......) in music. | middle6810.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Bill"
},
"options": [
"Dave",
"Bill",
"Jack",
"Frank"
],
"question": "Who is the eldest brother?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": ... | Bill, Frank and Dave were three brothers. Every year they sent their mother expensive gifts on her birthday,. They liked to show her how rich they were.
The eldest brother. Bill, had a lot of money and he wanted his mother to have the most expensive gifts, but he didn't know what to buy. So he put an ad in the newspaper. "Wanted-the greatest gift for my mother."
About a week before his mother's birthday a man came to his office. He brought a big bird.
"This bird." the man said, "can speak ten languages and sing some pop songs."
"Really? I'd like to listen to it," Bill said.
The man made the bird talk in French and tell a joke in Japanese. Then the bird sang a beautiful song. Bill was very happy and paid nine thousand dollars for the bird. The next day Bill sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother's birthday he called his mother. "Well, mother" he asked, "What do you think of the bird?"
"Oh, it's very delicious, dear." said his mother. | middle433.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "how animals act before an earthquake"
},
"options": [
"how animals act before an earthquake",
"how an earthquake starts",
"how mice leave their homes",
"when an earthquake begins"
],
"question": "This story is m... | Many animals do strange things before an earthquake.This news may be important.
Earthquakes can kill people and knock down houses.Animals may help to save lives.
Some animals make a lot of noise before an earthquake.Farmers know about this.Dogs that are usually quiet start to bark.Horses on farms run around in circles.Mice leave their holes and run away.Cows give less milk.
In a town in Italy, cats raced down the street in a group.That happened only a few hours before an earthquake.In San Francisco.a man kept tiny pet frogs.One Sunday, the frogs jumped around more than ever.They made loud noise.That night, an earthquake struck the city.People want to know when an earthquake is coming.Then they could get away safely.Right now, there is no sure way to know ahead of time.Maybe the best way is to watch the animals. | middle6623.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a teacher"
},
"options": [
"a worker",
"a teacher",
"a doctor",
"a driver"
],
"question": "What's Jim's father? ----He is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | This is a teacher's family. The father's name is Lake Smith. He's forty - four. The mother's name is Kate Green. She's forty - two. The Smiths have a son, Jim, and a daughter, Ann. Jim is fourteen, and Ann is twelve. The son looks like his father, and the daughter looks like her mother. They are all in No.4 Middle School. But the Smiths are teachers; the son and daughter are students. | middle3983.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It's big and nice."
},
"options": [
"It's small but nice.",
"It's big and nice.",
"It's big but not nice.",
"It's small and not nice."
],
"question": "What's the reading room like?",
"question_type": "factio... | This is a reading room in Kate's school. It is big and very nice. There is a lot of furniture in it. There are twenty desks, eighty chairs and twenty computers. There're some pictures on the wall. They are all of famous people. Some students are in the reading room. They like reading books here. Kate is here too. Her mother is an English teacher at the school and her father is a doctor in the school hospital. They like reading books in the reading room too. | middle4752.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because it was easy for them to get jobs there."
},
"options": [
"Because it was easy for them to get jobs there.",
"Because Limhouse had been almost destroyed during the war.",
"Because many British people enjoyed Chinese fo... | London's Chinese community dates back to the 18thcentury, when a small number of Chinese sailors moved to the city to work in Limhouse, east London. As time went on, other Chinese people came to this area and Limhouse began to be known as "Chinatown". However London's Chinese community remained very small for many years: at the start of the 20thcentury, there were just 545 Chinese people in Britain.
After the Second World War, many farmers in Hong Kong lost their jobs and came to London. As Limhouse had been almost destroyed during the war, they settled in different area--a part of central London near Leicester Square. This area is now what Londoners call Chinatown.
At first, the new immigrants found it difficult to get jobs. In the 1950s, however, a small Chinese restaurant opened in London. Many British people visited it and said that Chinese food was wonderful! Suddenly, Chinese restaurants and take-aways started opening in every part of the city. Instead of too little work, the new Chinese immigrants now found that they had too much! They worked as cooks, managers or waiters. Most of them enjoyed their lives and arranged their friends and relatives to join them from overseas.
As time went by, London's Chinese community became more and more successful. The sons and daughters of the original restaurant workers studied and worked very hard. And most went on to get highly paid jobs. Many Chinese families left Chinatown and moved to the more expensive _ . Chinatown, however, is still as lively as ever. | middle6151.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "An Amazing Career"
},
"options": [
"An Amazing Career",
"The World's Oldest Tennis Player",
"Agassi's life",
"Great Championship Matches"
],
"question": "What is the best title of this passage?",
"question_t... | When thirty-two-year-old tennis player Andre Agassi made to the final of the U.S. Clay Court Championship in April 2003, he set a new world record: he became the oldest player ever to be number one in the world's tennis rankings. It was one of the greatest achievements in Agassi's long and successful career.
Andre Agassi turned professional in 1986 at the age of sixteen. His career soon took off, and in 1990, Agassi was famous around the world, though never having won an important tennis championship. Many people thought he was famous more for his long blond hair and colorful tennis shirts than for his tennis skills. They wondered if he could really win an important tournament.
In 1992, Agassi proved _ wrong by winning one of the greatest prizes in world tennis--the Wimbledon singles final. His first attempt to win this tournament had been in 1987, but he lost his opening game. He then refused to take part in Wimbledon for the next three years. He said his reason for not playing was that the officials refused to allow him to wear his colorful shirts, but some people said it was because he was afraid to lose.
After several more championship victories, Agassi's luck began to run out. By 1997, the year of his marriage to a movie actress--- Brooke Shields, Agassi's ranking had dropped to 141stin the world. Many people thought his career was over.
Agassi and Shields divorced two years later, and Agassi made a comeback with a new trainer, a new hairstyle, and new determination. In 1999, he won both the French Open and the U.S. Open and ended the year back as the world's number one. By 2003, he had earned more than $27 million in prize money, making him one of the most successful tennis players of all times. | middle5458.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Lazy Sheep"
},
"options": [
"Lazy Sheep",
"Force Sheep",
"Warm Sheep",
"Happy Sheep"
],
"question": "_ doesn't like sports.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | Hello, my dear friends, today here's a funny cartoon for you! It is a Chinese cartoon. Its name is Happy Sheep and Big Big Wolf.
In this cartoon, there are some sheep and three wolves. Happy Sheep is the leading role. He likes playing football and running. He runs faster than the other sheep. Pretty Sheep likes making clothes and growing flowers. She is very beautiful. Lazy Sheep is clever. But he doesn't like doing sports. He likes sleeping best. Force Sheep is stronger than the other sheep. Warm Sheep is the class monitor at school. Slow Sheep is 68 years old. He is old. He is the village head. Every sheep has a lovely pet. Big Big Wolf wants to eat sheep. Red Wolf is Big Big Wolf's wife. She is very bad. Banana Wolf is nice. He is the friend of the sheep. He likes eating bananas very much. | middle2337.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Nobody"
},
"options": [
"Somebody",
"Nobody",
"Anybody",
"Everybody"
],
"question": "_ saw the snake climb into the plane.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index"... | When the plane was waiting at the airport,a big snake climbed up the steps and into the plane. It went to sleep under the pilot's seat. Nobody noticed. Soon the passengers get on the plane and it took off. A little girl called Mary took out a whistle and began playing. But none of the passengers liked the music. They got the stewardess to ask the girl to stop.
The sound of the plane's engines woke up the snake. It put its head out and looked around the captain's room. When the captain saw the snake, he was so frightened that he could hardly breath. He was so afraid that he could not control the plane. The plane began to swing from side to side. The stewardess told the passengers what was happening and ask them to calm down. Mary was not afraid. She ran to the captain's room with her whistle and began to play the slow tune . At once the snake followed her. The girl returned to her seat and the snake lay on the floor beside her. Dancing to the music.
When the plane landed the airport the snake was taken in a net to a zoo near Mary's house. She often went to visit the snake. | middle3029.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "but he was still not good at it"
},
"options": [
"but he was still not good at it",
"and then he could read English articles very quickly",
"so his pronunciation was quite good",
"and then he invented an effective way t... | I started learning English when I was 6 years old. For 8 years I have learned English in the way everybody else did--by going to English classes. It was useless. I did everything that the teachers told me to do. But I didn't get any results. I mean, I was always one of the best students in class. However, it took me a long time to read English texts. I made lots of mistakes when writing, and my pronunciation was bad, and I could only speak English very slowly. After my eight years of studying hard, these were the results.
In 2003, I went to the best high school in Wroclaw. It was a special school with a lot of English classes. I owe a lot to the people I met there, both students and teachers. My first two years in high school were very important for my English. My English teacher, Mr Janusz Laskosz, gave me a lot of good advice, especially on pronunciation and vocabulary. My talented friends, Wojtek and Michael Ryszard, who are my partners now, were both fantastic English learners. What's more, every time I heard them speak, they seemed to have a bigger vocabulary . I wanted to be as good as them, so I studied harder. And my English improved. Wojtek and Michael also introduced me to SuperMemo, which has been very important in my life. And, of course, I could discuss the English language with them, which was a great thing. | middle4746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "For a meeting."
},
"options": [
"For a meeting.",
"For a trip.",
"For a holiday.",
"To see his friend."
],
"question": "Why does the writer go to Australia?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | I go to Australia for a meeting with my workmate, Chris. We decide to drive across the country after the meeting. The drive will take four days and most of it was across the desert .
The first day is a lot of fun because we are happy to hear each other's jokes . But on the third day, we begin to get _ . We are quite quiet for some hours when Chris sees some kangaroos .We are both excited and decide to take a closer look. Chris drives very quickly to catch up with them. We got closer and closer. Suddenly , we hear a loud BANG!
Chris stops the car and we get out. Beside the car is a large kangaroo lying on the ground. Chris goes over to it and puts his cap on its head. He takes off his sunglasses and puts them on the kangaroo and does the same with his jacket. Then he puts his arm around the kangaroo and tells me to take a photo of them together. I take out my camera. When I am focusing the camera, I sees the kangaroo move . It suddenly wakes up, and runs away before we can do anything.
I start laughing but Chris looks worried. He says his wallet is in the jacket. I start laughing even louder . I stop laughing when he says that our car keys are also in the jacket. | middle2451.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the same school"
},
"options": [
"American",
"in the same school",
"girls",
"boys"
],
"question": "Jim and I are _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | Jim is my good friend. We are in the same school. He is an American. We are good friends. This is Jim's bedroom. It's not big, but new. A black desk is in the room. Some English books are on the desk. Jim's backpack is on it. The backpack is yellow, but old. What's under the red chair? It's a white cat. It's a Chinese cat. Its name is Mimi. Jim's father is in the living room. He is about fifty years old. Where is his mother? She is in the bedroom. She is a teacher. | middle1158.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Difficult"
},
"options": [
"Easy",
"Possible",
"Simple",
"Difficult"
],
"question": "How was it for the writer to agree the hospital's use of her mother's corneas?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},... | I'll never forget that summer day in 1965 when my mother suddenly died of an unexplained illness at the age of 36. Later that afternoon, a police officer stopped by to ask my father if the hospital could use Mother's corneas . I was shocked. "The doctors want to _ Mum and give her away to other people!" I thought as I ran into the house in tears.
"How can you let them do that to her?" I screamed at my father. "My mum came into this world in one piece and that is how she should go out."
"Linda," Father said quietly, putting his arm around me, "the greatest gift you can give is a part of yourself. Your mother and I decided long ago that if we can make a difference in just one person's life after we die, our death will have meaning." He went on to explain they had both decided to donate their organs .
The lesson my father taught me that day became one of the most important in my life.
Years passed. I married and had a family of my own. In 1980, my father became seriously ill and moved in with us. He cheerfully told me that when he died, he wanted me to donate his eyes. "Sight is one of the greatest gifts a person can give," he said.
I told Wendy what her grandpa had said, and with tears in her eyes, she went into her grandpa's room and gave him a big hug. She was only fourteen years old------the same age at which I was introduced to such a thing. What a difference!
My father died on April 11,1986, and we donated his eyes as he had wanted. Three days later, Wendy said, "Mum, I'm so proud of you for what did for Grandpa."
At that moment, I realized that my father gave much more than his eyes. | middle7529.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "New York"
},
"options": [
"Cambridge",
"Paris",
"New York",
"London"
],
"question": "The Millie's home town is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Hi, my name is Millie. I'm from New York but I'm living in a small town in England now. There is one wide road in this town and there is no train. You can see a shop, a restaurant and a pub along the road. There is a church near the shop. We usually go to the church on Sunday mornings. There is a lake to the east of the town. Many people like to have a picnic near the lake.
My house is not very big but it is very beautiful. I have a garden in front of my house and I often grow some flowers in it. There is a table and some chairs in the garden, too. I often read books and drink tea there. Sometimes my friends come to visit me and we like to talk in my garden. My life here is comfortable so I am very happy.
,. | middle4008.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "America"
},
"options": [
"America",
"China",
"England",
"France"
],
"question": "Mr and Mrs Smith are from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Mr and Mrs Smith come from America. They teach English in Yangzhou. They like their jobs. They have a son, Tom and a daughter, Mary. They are all in China now. Mr Smith can speak Chinese. He likes swimming and singing. Mrs Smith likes swimming and running. Tom and Mary like playing chess. They often play games with Chinese boys and girls.
Mr and Mrs Smith like Chinese food very much, but Tom and Mary don't like it. They like French fries and hamburgers. Mrs Smith wants them to eat more vegetables and fruit. One day, Mrs Smith cooks some vegetables for them. Tom sees them and says, " I am full ." And Mary says, "I have something to do." And she runs away. | middle3767.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because many people are too busy."
},
"options": [
"Because they haven't many things to do.",
"Because many people are too busy.",
"Because people don't like home cooking.",
"Because they are too tired to cook."
],
... | Many people are so busy these days that they have no time to cook at home. This becomes a problem because most families love home cooking! The food tastes good and a family meal can bring everyone together. In some families, meals are often the only chance everyone gets to see each other at the same time during the day.
Another reason people enjoy home cooking is that it is a way of showing love. A parent who makes some cookies is not just satisfying a child's sweet tooth. He or she is sending a message . The message says, "I care about you enough to spend an hour making cookies that you will eat up in 15 minutes if I let you." There is also something about the smell of home cooking. The smell of cooking makes people happy. It makes most of us feel good and loved--even if we're the ones doing the cooking! Next time you smell a cake making, stop for a moment and pay attention to your mood (,). | middle2479.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "by subway"
},
"options": [
"by bus",
"by bike",
"on foot",
"by subway"
],
"question": "Bill gets to school _ every morning.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | My name is Bill. I come from China. Now I am in Grade Eight. I have to get up very early in the morning , because my home is very far from the school. After breakfast, I take the subway to get to school.
This term, I have a new subject . It's physics. I like it best. I think it is very easy and interesting. I have physics classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. They are all my favorite days.
Mr.White is my physics teacher. He is now forty years old . Now he is in front of the blackboard. What's he doing now ? "Where is my physics book ? I am looking for it ." My deskmate , Mike , stands up and says , "Sir , it's in your hand ." We all laugh . Mr. White is very forgetful .
,. | middle5316.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "on foot"
},
"options": [
"on foot",
"by bus",
"by bike",
"in a car"
],
"question": "Tom passed the shop _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"ans... | Today is Tom's birthday. After school he walks past the shop on the street corner. He looks at the window. That pair of trainers is still there. He really wants to have them very much.
He was very sad and walks away. He knows his mother can give him anything he likes if she can. But he also knows she has no money and the trainers are too expensive. He doesn't go home at once because his mother could notice his worry. So he goes to the park and sits on the grass. Then he sees a boy in a wheel chair . He finds that the boy moves the wheel with his hands. Tom looks at him carefully and is surprised to see that the boy has no feet. He looks at his own feet. "It's much better to be without shoes than without feet." he thinks. There is no reason for him to feel so sorry and sad. He smiles and thinks he is happier. | middle1170.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "On a mountain road"
},
"options": [
"In the river",
"On a mountain road",
"Under the water",
"In a big city"
],
"question": "Where did the trouble start?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"... | The trouble started when Mrs. Cady lost control of her car on a mountain road. The car fell down thirty feet from the road into the water. It rolled over once and landed right side up in the rushing water. All three people, Mrs. Cady, and her two daughters, were wearing their seatbelts. Luckily, nobody was hurt; however, they couldn't leave the car.
The rescue started almost at once. Another driver told the police about the trouble. The police called rescue workers and a truck to pull the car out. The driver of the truck, Paul, arrived first. Immediatedly he took a rope from his truck and began to walk through the rushing water to the car. Then he got caught in the ropes. He went under the water. Mrs. Cady saw him and pulled as hard as she could and brought him to the car door.
Next the other rescue workers arrived. They put on special suits to keep warm. They brought safety ropes, life jackets, and warm blankets . First they pulled the people out of the back window onto the top of the car. Then they swam with each person to the shore . They saved Paul, Mrs. Cady, and the little girls. | middle7501.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a dinner party"
},
"options": [
"a birthday party",
"a dinner party",
"an English party",
"a movie"
],
"question": "One day, Mr. Smith went to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | One day, Mr. Smith went to a dinner party. He was wearing very old clothes. He came into the room. But people in the room didn't look at him. They didn't ask him to sit at the table. He wasn't happy. But he said nothing.
Mr. Smith went home quickly and put on his best clothes. He went back to the party. Everyone in the room stood up and looked at him. They gave him good food to eat. Mr. Smith took off his coat, and put it on the food and said, "Eat, coat!" The other people were surprised and asked, "What are you doing? Why do you do that?" Mr. Smith answered, "I am asking my coat to eat food. When I wore old clothes, you didn't look at me. You didn't ask me to sit down. Now I am wearing these nice clothes. And you give me good food. Now I see, you give the food to my coat, not to me." | middle7267.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "sleep"
},
"options": [
"drink",
"dreams",
"sleep",
"bananas"
],
"question": "A British scientist found out that _ could improve our memories.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | How do you remember the way to your house? Where do dreams come from? It is your brain that does these things. A British scientist showed that "sleep can improve one's memory." It's not a dream for students to study when they sleep. In fact, your brain is working day and night. If you learn words before bed, a certain part of the brain may help you to remember the words while you sleep. What's more, another scientist in the USA found that there was a "talent button " in the human brain. It might make a person more talented.
There are more interesting things about the brain. Your brain uses less energy than a fridge light. Just two bananas can give the brain enough energy to work for a whole day. According to some scientists, yawning keeps our brains "cool", which makes us think quicker.
Here are some pieces of advice to keep a good brain:
Eat healthy food.
Get a lot of playtime or exercise.
Don't drink or smoke.
Use your brain a lot. | middle1616.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They will have less stress and anxiety."
},
"options": [
"They will have a successful life.",
"They will have less stress and anxiety.",
"They will work better.",
"They will grow up better."
],
"question": "If c... | If babies are given more love and feelings by their mothers, they will deal better with stress and anxiety when they grow up , research has shown.
The study of eight-month-old children shows even the very earliest life experiences can influence our happiness.
Lots of mother love makes children form a safe bond with their mothers , so they are able to feel safe in relationships when they grow up ,and they will have better social skills and deal with life's difficulties.
The researchers, led by Dr.Joanna Maselko of Duke University in North Carolina, studied the relationships of 482 eight--month - old babies with their mothers during daily development.
They studied how well the mother had dealt with her child's developmental text and how she had responded child's performance.Mental health was then assessed when the babies had grown up - at the average of 34.
The more feelings and attention a mother gave to her child, the better her child would be. This kind of child had the lowest levels of anxiety, hostility and general difficulties. | middle382.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because of the growth in the industry and the improvement of living standards."
},
"options": [
"Because Chinese people want to see more of the world.",
"Because taking the plane is more and more popular around the world.",
"... | Have you heard of "Kong Nao"? A new word appears on the Internet recently. In fact, it refers to some passengers who behave badly by plane and could endanger flight safety. On December 11, on the airline flight from Bangkok Thailand to Nanjing, two tourists conflicted with an _ The male tourist poured garbage in the aisle and said something bad to the flight attendant. The female tourist threw a whole cup of hot water over the flight attendant. At last the plane was forced to turn back. On January 10, 2015, a passenger on Flight MU2036 opened an emergency exit without permission because of dissatisfaction with the flight delay. At last the plane was forced to turn back.
These things not only affect the normal order of flight but also have a bad international influence.
The improvement of living standards means more Chinese can take a plane. But many of them don't behave well in public. A report by Living Social website in March 2012 even listed Chinese as the world's second worst tourists after Americans.
If you want to change those bad behaviors and become a civilized passenger, remember to avoid the followings:
*Don't spit in public or throw away trashes here and there.
*Never cut in line or snatch bus seats.
*Don't laugh or speak loudly.
*Don't take off shoes or smoke in public.
*Say something polite and do something civilized.
Whenever and wherever you are, you need to respect others. In this way, you'll win compliments for yourself. | middle5470.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"4",
"5",
"6",
"3"
],
"question": "How many ways of becoming a good student are mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"a... | Maybe you are an average student. You probably think you will never be a top student. This is not necessarily so. Anyone can become a good student if he or she wants to. Here's how you can be a good student.
Plan your time carefully. When planning your week, you should make a list of things that you have to do. After making this list, you should make a plan of your time. First, your time for eating, sleeping, dressing... Then decide a good, regular time for studying. Don't forget to set enough time for entertainment. A weekly plan may not work out all your problems, but it will push you to realize what is happening to your time.
Find a good place to study. Look around the house for a good study place. Keep this space which may be a desk or simply a corner of your room, free of everything but study materials. No game, radio, or TV! When you sit down to study, concentrate on your subjects.
Make good use of your time. Listen to everything the teacher says. Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.
Study regularly. When you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points that your teacher has mentioned in class. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss the next day, read that material. This will help you understand the next class. If you do these things regularly, the material will become more meaningful, and you will remember it longer.
Develop a good attitude to tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. It helps you remember your new knowledge. The world won't end if you don't pass a test, so don't be worried.
There are other ideas that might help you with your study. You will probably find many others after you have tried these. | middle5464.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "share all the money they make"
},
"options": [
"learn the basics of economics",
"learn how to invest money",
"get a chance to make money",
"share all the money they make"
],
"question": "At Bills' school, studen... | Eighth-grader Victoria Bills is talking about money with her classmates. She is worried that a company's stock price could fall. It may be an unusual topic of conversation for a 13-year-old. But at Bills' school in Chicago, US, you hear it all the time.
The Chicago school's 420 students learn about economic . They also get a chance to make money. Each 1stgrade and 5thgrade, students learn the basics of economics and investing .
Then in 6thgrade, they put what they've learned to work. Students join a junior group that manages the $20,000. The group, made up of 12 to 14 students, decides which stocks to buy.
After graduating, students pass on $20,000 to the next 1stgrade class. They keep half of the rest of the money; the other half goes toward improving the school. They can choose to put their money in a college-savings program or take the cash.
In 2007, Bills suggested that her class buy the stock of the Apple computer company. This was just before the iPhone came out. "We bought stock just at the right time," she says. The kids bought Google stock as it reached $400 a share. It is now worth over $500. "It was a good buy," says Myles Gate, 13. He hopes to be a banker one day.
The school's two graduating classes of 2005 and 2006 have each earned about $10,000 in profits . | middle3015.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "All of the above."
},
"options": [
"Sleep badly.",
"Heart beats faster.",
"Feel sick.",
"All of the above."
],
"question": "What happens when you feel stressed?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | When you get worried or stressed out about something, your heart beats faster, your stomach feels tight or you feel sick. Sometimes it is hard to get to sleep. Everything seems to go wrong at once. What should you do if you feel stressed? Here is some advice.
1Think about what it is that's making you feel bad.
2Talk over your problem with a friend or a trusted adult .
3Get help to do something with the problem if you need it.
4Plan your work if you are getting behind. Plan your time well so that you can fit everything in.
5Set yourself some goals to work your way through the problem.
6Make sure that you are getting enough exercise.
7Don't take on too much work. You don't have to do everything at once.
8Don't say "yes" when you'd like to say"no", and then you won't be worrying.
9Learn to relax. Soft, calming music can help you relax. Reading a book is a good way to relax, too. | middle8140.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Exciting and dangerous"
},
"options": [
"Tiring and boring",
"Exciting and dangerous",
"Relaxing and colorful",
"Peaceful and comfortable"
],
"question": "What may MSF's work be like?",
"question_type": "fac... | .Chris is not a traditional explorer --he usually works in an office for a large organization. However, Chris' job can be just as exciting and dangerous as being an explorer.
Chris works for MSF, an organization also known as Doctors Without Border . Since 1971, MFS has sent trained doctors all over the world to help people who have suffered from disasters, such as wars and illnesses. Chris is a doctor from France who has traveled to many places to organize programs that help people.
At the moment, over 27,000 trained doctors have taken part in MSF projects. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. All kinds of doctors can volunteer for MSF. They need to be ready to go almost anywhere in the world and, of course, they should face difficulties. Most of MSF's work is in Africa. When MSF chooses a doctor for a task, they have to go for at least six months. When doctors have completed a few tasks, they might be sent on an emergency task following a disaster, such as an earthquake.
But why would doctors leave a comfortable life and a good pay to join MSF? According to Chris, the experience they have is a great help in their life. What's more, just like the explorers of the past, they need to keep an open mind and learn to get on well with the people they meet. One thing that they can say at the end of any task is that they have made a real difference to people's lives. | middle396.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "whether the first cow was responsible"
},
"options": [
"whether the first cow was responsible",
"whether the owner of the first cow was responsible",
"whether both cows were responsible",
"whether both the owners were r... | A judge was working in his room one day when a neighbour ran in and said, "If one man's cow kills another's, is the owner of the first cow responsible?"
"It depends," answered the judge.
"Well," said the man, your cow has killed mine.
"Oh," answered the judge. "Everyone knows that a cow cannot think like a man, so a cow is not responsible, and that means that its owner is not responsible either."
"I am sorry, Judge," said the man. "I made a mistake. I meant that my cow killed yours."
The judge thought for a few seconds and then said," When I think about it more carefully, this case is not as easy as I thought at first. "And then he turned to his clerk and said, "Please bring me that big black book from the shelf behind you." | middle1164.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Glasses with small round frames."
},
"options": [
"Glasses with heavy black frames.",
"Long and yellow glasses.",
"Glasses with bright red frames.",
"Glasses with small round frames."
],
"question": "What kind o... | My father is tall and has short gray hair. He wears glasses with heavy black frames . Today I find a picture of him in 1986. What a surprise! In the picture, he's 15 years old. He's short and he has glasses with small round frames. He has long black hair and it's really straight. He's wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt with the word "love". I'm 15 years old now. I'm of medium height and I have short hair. My hair isn't black, it's brown. My dad thinks it's _ , but my friends think it's great. I wear glasses, but my glasses have square , red frames. They are so cool. I never wear blue jeans. I like big, baggy pants and long T-shirts. Most of my T-shirts have pictures of my favorite actors or singers on them. | middle7515.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In a hospital"
},
"options": [
"In a bank",
"In a hospital",
"In a bookstore",
"In a supermarket"
],
"question": "Where does the writer possibly work?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"ans... | I think it's really very good to be a doctor. On the one hand, you can save people; on the other hand, they share their experiences of life with you.
I've been a doctor in Los Angeles. To be frank, my work is terribly busy but interesting. I can always meet patients in different conditions. One 'of my patients is a successful businessman. Cancer has changed his _ on life. " Happiness is like a cookie in a boy's hand, " he said. "If a young kid gets the cookie, everything will be good. With no cookie, life loses its color. When a boy becomes a man, the cookie may turn into money, a new car, or a beautiful house. "
"It took me many years to understand that the cookie never makes you happy for long. If the cookie is in front of you, you may care for it. But sometimes you may not get a chance to eat it, and then you are busy trying not to lose it. Having the cookie is not what life is about. After having cancer, for me, the cookie starts to lose its meaning. It is the most important that you can live a happy life with or without the cookie, " he said.
,. | middle3773.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "half past twelve"
},
"options": [
"twelve",
"eleven thirty",
"half past twelve",
"twelve fifteen"
],
"question": "Every morning,Mr.Brown often comes home at _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Mr.Brown is 80 years old.Every morning he goes for a walk in the park.And he comes home at twelve thirty for lunch.But today a car stops at his house.At twelve,two policemen help him get out.One of them says to Mr.Brown's daughter,"The old man can't find his way in the park.He asks us to take him home by car."The daughter thanks the policemen and they leave.Then she asks her father,"Dad,you go to that park every day.But today,you can't find the way.What's wrong with you?"The old man smiles like a child and says,"I can find my way.I don't want to walk home." | middle5302.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a newspaper"
},
"options": [
"a TV station",
"a school",
"a student",
"a newspaper"
],
"question": "Acronym is the name of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | The Acronym, our student newspaper, reports that many students go to sleep at 1:30 a. m. _ Scientists say teens should sleep nine hours each night. But that's hard to do.
Some even _ . In the morning they don't look good. One of my classmates did a survey on this problem. She found that most kids pull all-nighters to finish homework, but some do it for other reasons, such as playing computer games.
I usually go to bed around midnight. If I stay up past l:30 a. m., I won't get any work done. I'll fall asleep at my computer. My classes begin at 7:30 a. m. I am partly awake in my first class. By midday, I am finally wide-awake. But by 3:00 p. m. I am slowing down again. Yet I get more sleep than the Acronym's many students.
Most American high schools seem to have a similar problem with sleepy students. High school classes start at 7:30 a. m., so students have to wake up one and a half hours before that to get ready and catch the bus. It's believed that lack of sleep can damage both grades and health. | middle4593.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because the vegetables wanted more light."
},
"options": [
"Because the vegetables wanted more light.",
"Because the tree drank almost all the water.",
"Because the vegetables weren't the pride of the gardener.",
"Becau... | There was a lovely vegetable patch . A large tree grew there. Both the patch and the tree gave the place a wonderful look, and they were the pride of the gardener. But no one know that the vegetables and the tree couldn't stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree's shadow , because it left them only just enough light to live. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water, leaving him just enough to live.
Their problem became so serious that the vegetables decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would die. The tree answered back by not protecting the vegetables from the hot sun, so they began to dry up. Soon the vegetables were really weak, and the tree was drying up.
The gardener wondered why and stopped watering them. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables found that it was better to help each other. They learned how to live _ with those around them. So they decided to work together, using both the shade and the water to grow well. After seeing how well they were doing, the gardener gave the best care to the vegetable patch, watering and fertilizing it better than any other patch for miles around. | middle5855.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "ten"
},
"options": [
"five",
"ten",
"fifteen",
"twenty"
],
"question": "Jack has been a taxi driver for _ years.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | My friend Jack is a taxi driver. He has done this job for ten years. It's a nice job most of the time. He can meet a lot of people every day. He always works late into the night because there are lots of people calling his taxi during the night. He usually goes home after two o'clock in the morning. There are some very strange things, which often happen at night.
One day Jack was taking a young lady back home from a party at three o'clock in the morning. She had her little dog with her. When they got to her house, she found that she had lost her key. So Jack waited in the taxi with the dog while she climbed into her house through the window. Jack waited for about half an hour outside, but the young lady didn't show up . So he decided to find out what was going on. He tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window.
At that moment some policeman came. They thought Jack was a thief who wanted to get into the house to steal things. Luckily, the young lady came downstairs. She must have gone to sleep and forgotten about my friend and the dog. | middle6384.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in space"
},
"options": [
"in space",
"in the atmosphere",
"above the ground",
"above space"
],
"question": "Satellites travel _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Now satellites are helping to forecast the weather. They are in space and they can reach any part of the world. The satellites take pictures of the atmosphere , because this is where the weather forms . They send these pictures to the weather station. So meteorologists can see the weather of any part of the world. From the pictures, the scientists can often say how the weather will change.
Today, nearly five hundred weather stations in sixty countries receive satellite pictures. When they receive new pictures, the meteorologists compare them with earlier ones. Perhaps they may find that the clouds have changed during the last few hours .This may mean the weather on the ground may soon change, too. In their next weather forecast, the meteorologists can say this.
So the weather satellites are a great help to the meteorologists. Before satellites were invented, the scientists could forecast the weather for about 24 or 48 hours. Now they can make good forecasts for 3 or 5 days. Soon, perhaps , they may forecast the weather for a week or more ahead | middle619.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Mr. and Mrs. Green"
},
"options": [
"Mr. and Mrs. Bush",
"Mr. and Mrs. Green",
"Mr. and Mrs.",
"Mr. and Mrs. Brown"
],
"question": "Wan Li and his friends live with _ in London.",
"question_type": "clo... | When people travel in another city or country ,they sometimes stay in the homes of the local people. This is called _ . It is a great experience because you can meet people from a different country or city and learn something new about that place . I am Wan Li from China. I came to the UK with my friends for a short visit . we are living with an English couple ,Mr. and Mrs.Green ,in the west of London. They have a wonderful four -bedroom house . This is a new house . It has two bathrooms and a garden with many beautiful flowers. I have a bedroom of my own .
There are some shopping centres and restaurants near the house, and the house is close to an underground station. It takes about thirty minutes to get to the centre of London.
I think a homestay may be a good choice for you if it is your first time to visit abroad . The local people are friendly and willing to help. If you happen to celebrate the holidays with them, you will get to know more about western culture and customs. | middle81.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "weekdays"
},
"options": [
"Thursdays",
"Wednesdays",
"weekdays",
"weekends"
],
"question": "On _ ,Paula usually gets up at 7:10a.m.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Paula Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
get up 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m. 7:10a.m.
morning school school school school school
lunch pizza rice rice rice rice
afternoon Yo--yo Table tennis Table tennis Table tennis football
evening homework homework television homework clothes
Go to sleep 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. 10:15p.m. | middle2684.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "sings and moves along to the music"
},
"options": [
"sings and moves along to the music",
"laughs at others at the traffic lights",
"pretends to be serious",
"watches his favourite movies"
],
"question": "While ... | We all, at one time or another , were like a rock star, singing and dancing along to our favourite song. Most of us have done this in our own room when we were kids or even when we grew up. Me? I love to do that when I drive! I turn on the radio, find a song that I can sing along, and soon my arms are in the air. I am moving along to the music. Most of the time, I do this on my way to work.
Yes, that is true. I will be in my nice work clothes in my car. Someone may look at me strangely or even laugh at me when I stopped at a traffic light. Personally I love to get lost in the music. That can lead me to share with you the importance of being silly!
The meaning of the word silly, according to the dictionary is : stupid, foolish and nonsensical. I know many people do not want to look foolish. So they are always serious in their life, but in fact that is really stupid.
No one is perfect, I repeat: no one is perfect. I don't care how educated, how thin, how beautiful, how simple, how frugal , how rich, and so on ... No one is perfect! So why pretend to be something you are not?
Life is so short... _ , so why waste a single second on being so "perfect"?
When we were kids, we had no idea of fear and we had no care in the world so we could do things without worrying about how we appeared to others. However, as we grew up, we lost that kind of feeling.
So don't be afraid to be silly. The next time you feel down, go and turn on your favourite song , sing and dance along just like there is no tomorrow. Or watch something that makes you laugh. Trust me, you will feel a whole lot better, and who doesn't want to feel good. | middle2848.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "provide protection against colds"
},
"options": [
"make them catch a cold easily",
"provide protection against colds",
"make them cleverer",
"prevent all illnesses"
],
"question": "Most people believe that takin... | The days are getting shorter and shorter, and temperatures are dropping. Winter is coming and it is easy for people to catch flu. Many people have started taking vitamin C pills as a precautionary way. But a research has shown that vitamin C pills do not provide as much protection as they think. They are even not as good as other ways, like often washing your hands. Some German scientists have given people information and a test on the subject helping to stop incorrect ways.
Whether it is caused by cold or flu , a runny nose and sore throat are signs of catching a cold. Many people overestimate the advantages of vitamin C and other pills. For years it was believed that taking vitamin C pills not only provided protection against colds but also against cancers, helping people to live longer. But the result of the research showed disagreement on these beliefs . The result has now come out on the website wwww.informedhealthonline.org. "Some pills may not help people live longer. Some pills may even lead to earlier death," says Professor Peter Sawicki. Scientists also say that the best way to get vitamins is through food instead of having vitamin pills. That is to say, we disagree with the way of taking vitamin C pills.
There are many simple but useful ways to lower the risk of catching a cold. These include often washing your hands with normal soap and water and not touching your face with your hands. People who have already had a cold can stop it from spreading by throwing away tissues at once after using them and not shaking hands with other people. | middle1399.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "there is less smoke near the floor"
},
"options": [
"you won't get burnt.",
"the floor is cleaner",
"there is less smoke near the floor",
"you won't breathe any smoke"
],
"question": "In a room filled with smoke... | The worst danger is a house on fire when people are asleep. Always be ready to leave through a window into the garden by making sure you can open it if necessary. If you should be on holiday in a tall building or hotel, make sure you know where the fire escape is . When you can't find any way out, try to find pieces of cloth and make a rope to get out of a window to safety. If you smell burning in your home, get out right away. If you can't breathe properly because of smoke on your way out, crawl on your hands and knees because smoke rises and the air will be cleaner near the floor. Smoke is a killer and more people have died from breathing it in than actually being burnt.
Fire in a cinema, hall or public place often means people pushing to reach a door. Keep your head up with arms up in front of your chest .This protects your chest and gives you the best chance to breathe. Above all, don't get frightened! | middle7930.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He likes it very much"
},
"options": [
"He hates it",
"He likes it very much",
"He feels it too tiresome",
"He doesn't like it at all."
],
"question": "What does the writer of the passage think of his job?",
... | I am a writer. My job is to write something for the newspaper. I work very hard. Every morning I get up at seven. I take some exercise and then have a light breakfast. Then I drive to my office. It takes me thirty minutes, so I usually get there earlier than others.
I am very busy. I think every minute counts, so I plan my work very carefully. I keep a diary to help me remember things. I meet and talk with many people. I make lots of telephone calls. I often go out and visit many people. I come back home at seven. I often watch TV at supper time. Then I begin to write down what I know. I like being busy. | middle95.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it's famous for its boating and nightlife"
},
"options": [
"it's made up of two cities",
"there are good beaches along Danube",
"it's the capital of Hungary",
"it's famous for its boating and nightlife"
],
"ques... | Have you ever been to some big cities in the world? The information below will be helpful to you.
Budapest For many centuries, Budapest was two cities, with Buda on the west side of the river Danube and Pest on the east side. Budapest became one city in 1872, and it has been the capital city of Hungary for about eighty years.
The population of Budapest is about three million, and the city is a very popular place for tourists. Visitors like to take boat rides along the Danube. Budapest is also known for its exciting nightlife. The best time to visit is summer since Budapest is very cold in winter.
Los Angeles Los Angeles was founded in 1781. With 3.5 million people it is now the biggest city in California and the second largest city in the United States. It is famous for its modern highways, its movie stars, and its smog. When the city is really smoggy, you can't see the near-by Mountains. The weather is usually dry and warm. Visitors like to go to the film studios and to drive along Hollywood Street. There are many good beaches near the city, and Los Angeles is also close to Disneyland.
Taipei Since the founding of Taipei in the 18th century, the city has grown to a population of 2.3 million. Taipei is an exciting city, but the weather is humid and not always pleasant. It's also a very busy city, and the streets are always full of people. There is an excellent museum that many people visit. Taipei is quite an expensive city, but not more expensive than some neighboring cities such as Hong Kong and Tokyo. So more and more travelers go to Taipei to shop. | middle6390.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She got along well with the other animals and had a lot of friends."
},
"options": [
"She was strong enough to face all the dangers.",
"She was friendly and all animals loved to help her.",
"She was ready to help the other an... | A hare was very popular with the other animals who all said they were her friends. But one day she heard the hounds getting close and hoped to escape them with the help of her many friends. So, she went to the horse, and asked him to carry her away from the hounds on his back. But he refused, because he had important work to do for his master. He felt sure that all her other friends would come to help her.
She then came to the bull, and hoped that he would _ the hounds with his horns .The bull replied," I am very sorry, but I have an appointment with a lady; but I feel sure that our friend , the goat, will do what you want." The goat, however, feared that his back might do her some harm if he took her upon it, The sheep, she felt sure, was the proper friend to ask for help.
So she went to the sheep and told him the situation. The sheep replied, "Another time , my dear friend. I do not like to have anything to do with it , as hounds have been known for eating sheep as well as hares."
The hare then went, as a last hope, to the calf ,who regretted that be was unable to help her , as did not like to take the responsibility upon himself. By this time the hounds were quite near, and the hare started to run and luckily escaped. | middle5699.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Five"
},
"options": [
"Seven",
"Six",
"Four",
"Five"
],
"question": "How many people are there in the family?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"a... | Mr. and Mrs White have a son and two daughters. They have a cat and a big house. In front of the house there are some trees and two cars. On weekends they go to the beach . Mr. White works from Tuesday to Friday. Mrs. White works from Tuesday to Saturday. They are teachers. Their students like them very much. There is a gym near their house. They often go there to watch soccer games because their son's favorite sport is football. Mr. White's favorite sport is table tennis. Their daughters don't like sports. They like to see movies. Their family are very happy. | middle4587.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "meat"
},
"options": [
"fruit",
"meat",
"vegetables",
"rice"
],
"question": "Tigers and lions like eating _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"... | There are also two big elephants and a baby. Children like to ride on one of them. The elephants are very kind and friendly. They eat much grass and bananas.
In the zoo, we can see different kinds of bears, brown bears, black bears and white bears. They are all slow and clumsy . They stand on their back legs and lift their front legs to ask for food . They like cakes very much.
Do you like pandas? There's only one in the zoo . Her name is LIngling. She is very cute. She likes eating bamboo a lot . She is kind of shy. She's very interesting. | middle5841.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Their different ways of doing business."
},
"options": [
"Their different ways of doing business.",
"Their different lifestyles.",
"The fact that the Japanese never say \"No\".",
"The fact that the Japanese are slow to ... | Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often _ and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners.
The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means "Yes" or "No". This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society , Which make it difficult for a Japanese to say "No" directly.
In the USA, it is easy to say "No" to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say "No". To refuse an invitation or a request with "No" is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying "No" directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid saying "No". These can help them avoid hurting other people's feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow. | middle143.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "have dinner with her"
},
"options": [
"have dinner with her",
"go to a big red house",
"go to the cinema together",
"go shopping together"
],
"question": "Nancy asks Sheila to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | Nancy and Sheila are in the same class. They are friends. Nancy wants to invite Sheila to dinner on Sunday. But Sheila doesn't know the way. Now Nancy is telling her.
"It's easy. You can take No. 4 bus. After you get off at Red Road. cross it and take the first turning on the left. Walk along the road for about five minutes. and then you'll see a big tree. Go straight on for about a hundred meters. and you will see a big red house. This is not my home. Go past the big house about four hundred meters. and you'll see a small yellow house beside a little tree. Then you can open the door with your foot."
"With my foot?" asks Sheila. "Why?"
"Well. you won't come to my house empty-handed , will you?" answers Nancy. | middle2860.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "loved beautiful paintings"
},
"options": [
"loved beautiful paintings",
"did very well in painting",
"was good at painting roosters",
"Was very kind to the painter."
],
"question": "According to the writer, the ... | In ancient times, there was a painter. He was good at painting flowers and birds. But he never stopped practicing until he became very famous.
An emperor of China also loved paintings,especially roosters . So he asked the famous painter to paint a rooster for him. He wanted the rooster to be the best among all his collections.
The painter promised to do so. The emperor waited and waited for one year.,but he didn't get the picture. He couldn't waited to see the painter. He became angry and wanted to kill him. So the painter hurried into the palace with paper,paint and a brush. In five minutes, a perfect rooster was on the paper.
After seeing this,the emperor became much angrier. "Since you can paint a rooster in five minutes, why did you keep me waiting for over a year?"he asked.
"Your Majesty ,"said the artist. "I will let you know why.But you'll have to come with me. " he invited the emperor to his house. There, there were piles and piles of paper. On every piece of paper was a painting of a rooster.
"Your Majesty ,"said the painter. "It took me more than one year to improve my painting skill in order to paint a perfect rooster for you. | middle2874.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to conserve the world"
},
"options": [
"to conserve the world",
"to change the world",
"to develop the world",
"to destroy the world"
],
"question": "The United Nations hoped something could be done _ .",
... | 1970 was World Conservation Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world was in danger. They hoped something could be done.
Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 kinds of plants, trees and flowers in Holland ,but now only 866 are left. The others have been destroyed by modern people and their science. We are polluting earth, air, water and everything around us. We can't live without these things. If things go on like this, we shall destroy ourselves.
What will happen in the future? Perhaps it's more important to ask "What must we do?" More and more young people have known this. Many of them are helping to save our earth. For example, they plant trees. In a small town in the United States, a large group of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conversation through a song called "No one's going to change our world". It was made by Cliff Gichard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve tigers, elephants and pandas on the earth. | middle6347.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "watching TV"
},
"options": [
"studying",
"playing games",
"watching TV",
"helping their parents"
],
"question": "In America, some children spend eight hours or more _ on Saturday .",
"question_type": "cl... | American boys and girls like watching TV. Some children spend six hours a day at school and four to six hours a day in front of the TV sets. Some children even watch TV for eight hours or more on Saturday.
Television is like books and films . A child can learn good things and bad things from it. Some TV _ help children to understand the news, the people and places from other countries. With TV, children do not have to go out to see films, they can hear interesting music or watch a game at home. But some programs are bad for children, so parents sometimes help them to find other interesting and useful things to do. | middle1428.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in front of"
},
"options": [
"next to",
"behind",
"in front of",
"in"
],
"question": "The small garden is _ the house.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | Hi! Let me tell you something about my beautiful house. There is a small garden in front of it. There are many beautiful flowers in the garden. Behind my house there is a big tree. Some birds always sing in it early in the morning. Near the tree, you can see a _ . Our new car is in it now.
My house is a two-storey building. On the first floor, there is a large living room, a dining room, a kitchen and a bathroom. I like watching TV in the living room. On the second floor, there is a small study and two bedrooms. I love to play computer games in my study.
It's a nice house. I like it a lot. | middle4550.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "student"
},
"options": [
"worker",
"student",
"nurse",
"policeman"
],
"question": "The writer is a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_... | Most people go to school or go to work by car or by bus. They think it's convenient . But I usually ride a bike to go to school. Here are some reasons :
It's healthy. Riding a bike is good exercise for us. It makes us feel good.
It's green. Riding a bike is green. It causes very _ , so if more people ride bikes, the open air will be cleaner.
It's cheap. After spending 60 yuan on an old bike, you can ride and go to interesting places.
It's interesting. It's very interesting to ride a bike if you want to have a trip with friends. You can stop if you like to see the beautiful things. You can also talk and sing happily and feel relaxed . | middle5896.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Relaxed."
},
"options": [
"Hungry.",
"Nervous.",
"Angry.",
"Relaxed."
],
"question": "How does the colour green make the students feel?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Many scientists find that colours can change people's feelings. It's very interesting. Some colours can make people feel relaxed,and some colours can make people feel nervous. Now,this kind of knowledge is being used in many places. For example, school walls are always painted green because green makes students feel relaxed. It is also good for the students' eyes. Some books are also green or light blue for the same reason. Restaurant owners not only have to know how to make food,but also have to know how to make money. Here are some things they've learned from scientific studies. The colour red makes people hungry. Many fast food restaurants have red furniture or walls. Soft colours like pink and light blue make people feel relaxed,so they spend more time eating. Loud music may be nice at first,but it soon makes people want to leave. Hard seats also make customers want to eat quickly and leave. Many restaurants,especially fast food restaurants,use this knowledge to make customers eat faster. | middle2121.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Parents encourage them to live a free and wealthy life."
},
"options": [
"Young people want to take a break from studying.",
"Young people want to be sure about what to study.",
"Parents encourage them to be brave and indepen... | In Western society, especially in the English-speaking world, the chance for young people to see the other countries and experience life is considered important. Many young people, when they finish school at the age of 18, take a gap year before they go to university.
Parents often want their children to grow up a little and see what the real world is like when they finish school. Although they are worried about their safety, many think that the advantages of independence and experience are worth the worries. Children are encouraged to be brave, independent and to explore the world on their own or with friends.
Young people also want to experience freedom and see what life is like on the other side. This other side could be the other side of the world or just the other side of life. For example, if they have a rich life, they may want to see how people in poor areas live.
A gap year after school is also an important chance for young people to spend time thinking about what they want to do with their lives. A little bit of growing up and experience will help them make their important career decisions, especially when they are unsure about what they want to study.
Another reason for going straight after school is to get a break from studying before they start the next few years of university. So anywhere you travel in the world, you will meet young European people exploring the world.
So much of the world has been travelled and explored. The young people are now looking for more worthy experiences. Some of them work as volunteers to do something for the country they are visiting. Many gap year volunteers are now spending a few months teaching English in Thailand, helping feed giant pandas in China or building a well in a village in Africa.
These young people's wish to explore the world is an expression of the values of the societies that they are part of. Both discovering the world and making a positive difference in it are important parts of the Western mind. | middle5128.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Nick; Kate"
},
"options": [
"Kate; Nick",
"Bob; Nick",
"Nick; Kate",
"Sue; Bob"
],
"question": "The e-mail is from _ to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Dear Kate,
You are in New York, but I am in Beijing now. China is a great country and Beijing is a big city in China. It's very beautiful. I like it very much. There are twenty-four girls and nineteen boys in our class. One of the boys is from England. His name is Bob. He likes swimming. Sue and I come from America.
Sue likes playing the piano, but I like playing volleyball. I have many Chinese friends here now. They teach me Chinese and I teach them English. Chinese is not easy, but I like it.
Yours
Nick | middle2647.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "we have a fight with our classmates"
},
"options": [
"we get good grades",
"everything goes well",
"someone is proud of us",
"we have a fight with our classmates"
],
"question": "We feel unhappy when _",
"q... | Sometimes we feel good, such as when we get good grades or when something good happens. Sometimes we feel bad, such as when we argue with our classmates or when the teachers criticize us. Both kinds of feelings are common. Of course, we all enjoy good feelings, but when we feel unhappy, sometimes we don't know what to do about it. Here is a plan that will help you when your feelings are bothering you.
1. ACCEPT your feelings. Say to yourself, "I am sad. " "I am scared. " "I am angry. " "I am embarrassed. " It's all right to have these feelings.
2. RELAX and have a rest before you act. Take slow deep breaths and relax your body. Imagine that you are in a safe place. You can listen to some music or sing a beautiful song !
3. THINK about ways to help yourself. Thinking helps you do something smart instead of hurting yourself or making things worse.
4. DO something to help yourself. Maybe you can talk to someone, or do something you enjoy. _ , go back to Step 3. | middle3559.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "I don't know."
},
"options": [
"Yes, there is.",
"There is a bed.",
"There is a computer.",
"I don't know."
],
"question": "Is there only one room in Kate's house?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},... | This is a room in Kate's house. There is a big bed, a table, a computer and some chairs in it. There's a glass and some books on the table. There is a picture on the wall. Kate is in the room. She is looking at the picture. Her father and mother are in the school. They work hard. | middle4236.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "On dry wood"
},
"options": [
"On dry wood",
"In places full of water",
"On living trees",
"Behind houses"
],
"question": "Where does Fungi not grow? _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | When we talk of plants, most of us will think of things that grow from the ground and have green leaves, but there are plants that do not look or act like other plants. Some of these belong to a special class of plants called fungi.
Fungi may appear almost everywhere. They commonly grow in wet places where they call get food and water easily. Because fungi do not have green leaves to make their own food, but fungi must take their food from animals, other plants or water. Some fungi live on dead or rotting wood, while others grow on living trees or in dirt or moss . Mushrooms are the best-known fungi.
There are many kinds of mushrooms appearing in all shapes and sizes. For example, cauliflower mushrooms are found in forests from July to October.They can grow to be as heavy as fifty pounds! They grow at the foot of trees Squirrel's bread is another kind of wild mushroom Its appearance and use Call explain its name. These fungi look like small golden cakes Squirrels can easily eat them or carry them off to their hole to eat later.
The mushrooms found in food stores are carefully grown by people who know they are safe to eat. People are warned never to touch of taste wild mushrooms because some of them are deadly. Even less dangerous ones cart still make a person very sick.. | middle802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Ninety."
},
"options": [
"Sixty.",
"Seventy.",
"Eighty.",
"Ninety."
],
"question": "How many classrooms are there in the teaching building?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | I have an American friend.Her name is Lily.This is a picture of her new school.Look! There are six floors in the teaching building.There are fifteen classrooms on every floor.In the school,there are 3,200 students and 300 teachers.The teachers' offices are behind the classrooms.The dining hall is next to the teaching building.Lily often has lunch there.After lunch she often has a talk with her friends.In front of the dining hall is a library.It's a good place to read books.
Lily gets to school at 7:40 a.m.The first class begins at 8:00 a.m.She has four lessons in the morning and two in the afternoon.There is a big gym behind the dining hall.After school,Lily likes going swimming there.
The school is big and nice,and Lily likes it very much. | middle42.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "early"
},
"options": [
"late",
"early",
"at 6:30",
"at 7:00"
],
"question": "Rose gets up _ every morning.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"a... | Rose usually wakes up early in the morning. She always has her breakfast at half past six. She leaves home at about seven o'clock.. She is never late for school.
She has many classes in the morning. At about twelve fifteen, she comes back for lunch. In the afternoon, she isn't so busy. After school she does her homework and plays with other children.
In the evening, her parents come back from the factory. The family has supper together. After that, they usually read newspaper or listen to the radio for a little time. Sometimes, they watch TV. Rose goes to bed at half past nine. But her father often works late at night. | middle56.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Four."
},
"options": [
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five."
],
"question": "How many musicians do they want?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answ... | Musicians wanted
We want four good musicians for our rock band. Are you a musician? Can you sing? Can you play the piano, the guitar or the drums? Do you want to be the best musician? If you want to join us, please send an e-mail. Our e-mail address is rockband2009@pep. corn.cn. Or you can call Mr. Liu at 790 -4566.
Teachers needed
Are you an art teacher? Can you paint( ) or draw well? Are you good with children? We need two teachers for our art club. Please find Mrs. Wang for more information or call 628 -1183. | middle2653.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "history class"
},
"options": [
"history class",
"Chinese class",
"science class",
"music class"
],
"question": "Jane has a _ on Wednesday morning.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Dear Susan,
Today is Wednesday. I'm very happy because I have a history class in the morning. Our history teacher, Mr. Meng, always tells us some history stories. I think they're quite interesting.
But my good friend, Chen Kun, doesn't like Wednesday. He doesn't like history. He thinks it's difficult. He can't understand our history teacher. He loves Chinese because he can read his favourite novels in this class.
Lin Xiao's favourite day is Thursday. She likes music. She can sing and dance in the class. She loves the music teacher, Miss Zhang, because her class is quite relaxing . She thinks Miss Zhang is very beautiful.
Yours,
Jane | middle4222.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To keep swimmers safe."
},
"options": [
"To keep swimmers running.",
"To keep swimmers swimming.",
"To keep swimmers safe.",
"To keep sharks swimming."
],
"question": "Why do people put nets around some beaches?... | Sharks are the most frightening animals in the sea. Sometimes we can see sharks swimming in the sea around Hong Kong. People put nets around some beaches to protect swimmers. When there is a "shark's flag", people must slay on the beach. It will be too late if a shark can swim sixty kilometers an hour to you.
There are 30 kinds of sharks and 25 kinds of them are dangerous. The whale sharks are very big. They can grow to 18 meters long, but they are not dangerous to people. The jaws and the tiger sharks are the most dangerous kinds of sharks.
Do you know all sharks must keep swimming, or they will go down? All sharks can feel everything that happens around them. We must keep _ and don't make any noise when a shark is swimming near you.
If a shark loses a tooth, a new one will grow out very quickly. So sharks always have many sharp teeth. | middle4544.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the smallest school that was closed down"
},
"options": [
"the smallest school that was closed down",
"the only pupil in the smallest school",
"the new teacher and her teaching",
"the old teacher who just retired"
]... | Britain's smallest school was closed down because its only pupil failed to turn up for class, a famous Britain newspaper reported in May.
The newspaper said the six-year-old girl's parents were unhappy with a teacher who just got the new job to teach the only pupil.
The school had been closed for the last nine months after its former teacher retired and the only other pupil moved on to a secondary school. The new teacher, Ms. Puckey was to start teaching the girl and reopen the school.
But the girl's mother is keeping her daughter at home.
"I was not pleased with the new teacher,"the mother said. "I had told the old teacher as far back as last September that if Ms. Puckey got the job, my child would not be going to school."
The school lies on an island off the northeast of Scotland. Although there was only one pupil, the school is very good in many ways and has a headmaster, three computers, a television, and an art room as well as a school house with three bedrooms. | middle4.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Playing basketball."
},
"options": [
"Music.",
"Playing basketball.",
"Drawing.",
"Playing football."
],
"question": "What does peter think is cool?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Some children are talking about their favourite subjects and activities at school.
Lucy: I think music is my favourite. I like listening to many beautiful English songs. I need to _ after a day's work, so I often listen to music after supper.
Kate: I like music, too. But I only listen to Chinese songs, especially Jay Chow's songs. I also like drawing. I want to be a great painter. I also like reading. Reading makes me clever.
Peter: I don't like music or drawing. I like playing basketball. I am a good basketball player. Don't you think it's cool?
Jacky: I am not a good basketball player, but I play football well. It makes me strong. I feel great when I am on the football field. I play football for half an hour every day.
Andy: I am not like many other boys I don't like sports. I think reading is my favourite. I can learn a lot from books. I read books for an hour every day. | middle5882.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "friends"
},
"options": [
"parents",
"friends",
"family members",
"brothers and sisters"
],
"question": "Many teenagers think _ are the most important people in their lives.",
"question_type": "cloze_quest... | Who do you think are the most important people in your life, your parents, your sisters or your brothers, or your friends? I think your answer must be "my friends". Some teenagers often say their parents don't understand them. In large families, brothers and sisters often argue with each other. So most of us think friends are the most important people in our lives.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. As for the reason, it may be because we can discuss some private things with friends. Of course we won't tell these thi ngs to our family members.
However, parents often try to choose friends for us. They may even stop us from meeting some of our best friends. In fact, they do it just because they care for us too much. But they often neglect our real feeling. How can you solve this problem? I think the best way is to find a right time to talk with parents about our real feelings. | middle6353.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Three.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many times did the young man try before the bird flapped its wings?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | One day, a young man visited a small farm in the countryside. As he got closer to the farm, he saw many chickens and an eagle playing together.
He then went up to the farm house and talked to the farmer, "Sir, I was just passing by and I saw that you have many chickens and an eagle." The farmer smiled and said, "That's not an eagle. It's a chicken." The young man kept saying that it was an eagle. He said to the farmer, "Sir, that is an eagle! I can proveit to you." The farmer laughed, "Sure, go ahead."
The young man then pulled that big bird out and climbed a high mountain. He held the bird in his hands and said, "You are an eagle, fly!" But the bird failed. The young man tried the second time. He said to the bird, "I don't care you have been _ as a chicken for those years. But I know what you were created to be. You are an eagle, now fly!" After the young man tried another three times, the bird began to flap its wings. Finally, it flew high and began to fly around the farm.
It is true to us. Some people around us have continued to keep us down by lying to us. Over all of those years, we were told to be a failure, not to be good enough and to accept the "reality". They are wrong. We should try our best to reach our highest potential to prove that we are eagles. | middle3203.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "read an article"
},
"options": [
"read an article",
"meet Marlo",
"write a poem",
"take photos"
],
"question": "One evening my mother asked me to _ ,",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | I was the typical"I can't"child-whatever my mother told or asked me to do was immediately followed by my cry,"I can't."As a result,very few tasks or goals that I set out to achieve were ever completed.
One evening,my mother called me into the family room."I want you to read this article,"Mother began."It's about Marlo Thomas.She tells how a simple poem that she was forced to learn by her father changed her life*She went from saying'I can't'to'I can'*According to this article,she was able to reorganize her life and her career by learning the principles in the poem."
I took the small magazine from Mother and looked down at the pages.There was Marlo-my idol. Beside her photo was the poem my mother had spoken of,a simple poem entitled,"I Can"."I want you to memorize that poem,"Mother said firmly."Mama," _ ."I can't learn that poem.It's too long."
"It's not too long and you can learn it.1 want you to know it perfectly by this time tomorrow,"said my mother. Unwillingly,I went back to my bedroom with the magazine.With a heavy heart,I threw myself into the bed and began my task.
"Can't is a word that is the enemy to ambition,"I began.I repeated the line.I repeated it again and again."An enemy ambush to shatter your will..."I continued the process until I proudly recited the poem the following evening. It has now become my principle.Marlo 1 homas did not know me,but her story forever changed my life.
Saying "I can" helped me to get through the worst moments of my life: Saying "I can" encouraged me to complete things I would have otherwise seen as out of my reach. A simple poem learned at seven is a poem that will support me to seventy-seven,maybe even longer. | middle5672.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he had to support his family in Boston."
},
"options": [
"hehad lost his job and wanted to find a new one.",
"he had to support his family in Boston.",
"his wife had recently died of a heart attack.",
"his daughter need... | I was being interviewed by a senior manager for a major insurance company. I told him honestly why I wanted the job----I needed to keep my family in Boston. My wife recently died of a heart attack. A job in Boston would help me reduce some of the extreme trauma and pain of the loss for my 16-year-old daughter. It was important for me to keep her in her high school. I could still hardly talk about the loss of my wife.
Bruce, the interviewer, was politely empathetic, but he didn't probe any further. He admitted my loss and with great respect, moved on to another subject. After the next round of the interview, Bruce took me to lunch with another person. Then he asked me to take a walk with him. He told me that he, too, had lost his wife. And, like me, he had also been married 20 years and had three children.
In his sharing, I realized that he had experienced the same pain as I had -----a pain that was almost impossible to explain to someone who had not lost a beloved one. He offered his business card and home phone number and suggested that, if I need help or just want someone to talk to, I should feel free to give him a call.
Whether I got the job or not, he wanted me to know that he was there if I ever needed help. When he had no idea if we would ever see each other again, he helped our family deal with one of the greatest losses. He turned the normally cold business interview into a caring support for another person in need. | middle180.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an online shopping site"
},
"options": [
"a shopping mall",
"an online shopper",
"an online shopping site",
"a person"
],
"question": "Taobao is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Today more and more people like to go shopping online . Wang Xing is one of them. Wang Xing is a writer in Beijing. She likes shopping online. She often shops on Taobao.
Do you know Taobao? If you like shopping online, I am sure you know it. Taobao is China's biggest online shopping site . Taobao means "looking for treasure". People can find almost everything on Taobao, from clothes to books, from mobile phones to computers.
Wang Xing says" My friends and I often go shopping online. First, because we don't like to go out very often. Second, because there are many goods on Taobao, and you can find everything you want to buy. Third, because the goods on Taobao are cheaper than those in the shopping malls." | middle1414.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many tips does the writer give us to order healthy food at fast food restaurant?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Now many people like fast food. We all know that fast food is notverygood for our health. So more and more fast food restaurants are serving healthier food and you can make healthier choices. Here are some tips for ordering healthy food at fast food restaurants.
*Don't order the biggest size. The biggest size seems cheaper, but it is not good for your health. The biggest size has the most fat, sugar and so on. A smaller size is probably enough for you.
*Some drinks are full of sugar. So when you are thirsty, you should choose milk or water.
*Usually fried food is not the best choice. You should choose baked food. It is healthier.
*Go for the kids menu, because the sizes of kids food are usually smaller. You can eat less.
*Today, more and more fast food restaurants are starting to serve healthier food. You can order the food with words like "healthy'' or" _ "on the menu.
By making smart choices, eating at fast food restaurants can be not that bad.
,. | middle7065.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "farmers"
},
"options": [
"workers",
"teachers",
"officers",
"farmers"
],
"question": "From the passage, we know that Li Xin's parents used to be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | With more and more farmers working in big cities, their children go into the cities, too.However, problems appear. One of these problems is that is difficult for these children to receive education in cities.
Luckily, there are some free schools for them, but they are not enough. Ten-year-old Li Xin is one of the lucky girls who get a chance to study in one of these schools. She is very happy. She studies in a school specially for migrant workers' children. For children like Li Xin who don't have enough money, these free schools are their best choice, because they have free classes, textbooks, uniforms and meals in the schools.
But there is a long way to go. The free schools for children from migrant workers' families are not enough because to _ such a school is not easy and needs lots of money. A school officer said they needed at least one million yuan to run the school. "Luckily, some people and companies donate money, used books and a lot of other things to help us. There are also some volunteers teachers," he added.
Anyhow, we must try to give these children an equal chance to get better education so that we can make our society harmonious . | middle1372.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To find out the cause of death."
},
"options": [
"To help the poor family.",
"To do a research on death.",
"To find out the cause of death.",
"To ask questions about the person."
],
"question": "What is the purp... | When someone who is in good health dies suddenly ,there is usually an inquest .A coroner will do it.His job is to find out exactly how a person died.
If there is nothing suspicious about the death,he will decide that the person died from
natural causes or an accident.if, however ,he is suspicious,he may decide that the person's death was caused by a person or persons unknown.
One day the coroner was trying to find out exactly what had caused the death of a local businessman,Henry Watson.
The man's wife was explaining something.She was very sad and had to stop from time to time.The coroner did not want to make her sadder than necessary ,but he had to find out the truth.There were questions he had to ask.
"Mrs.Watson,I know this is painful for you,"he said,"but i want you to think very carefully and then answer my questions.You and your husband were having dinner at home.Is that correct? "
"Yes."
''Suddenly he fell to the floor? "
"Yes."
"You stood up and hurried to him ?You knelt beside him ?His stomach was in great pain? "
"Yes."
"Did he say anything? "
The wife kept her head down.
"Please,Mrs.Watson,you must answer the question.What were his last words? "
The wife took a deep breath and then spoke."He said,"She replied in a very low voice,"I'm not surprised that seafood we had for dinner cost you only 50 cents," | middle5114.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To send instant messages , people usually have to download the app first"
},
"options": [
"people sent 19 billion SMS texts every day in 2012",
"All the messages sent on mobile phones and computers are free",
"Picture message... | If you hear the sound of a handset beeping in a bag or pocket, you could be forgiven for thinking that someone has received a text message. But nowadays there are so many different ways of messaging someone that it could spell the death of the traditional text as we know it.
Text messaging, or texting, is the art of sending a short, electronic message between two mobile phones or tablets . Users pay a certain amount to send messages via SMS--short message service. But in the last few years, messaging in this way has been on the decline .
The rise of smartphones and tablets has seen an increase in the use of instant messaging apps , which take the place of traditional texts. Using wireless Internet connections, people can send limitless numbers of IMs to their friends for very little cost. Unlike traditional mobile texts, the user usually only has to pay to download the app once, after which each message they send is free.
Web developers soon _ . Instant messaging apps have become popular all over the world. WhatsApp in America and Europe, WeChat in China and Kakao Talk in South Korea are but a few which have attracted hundreds of millions of people, who use the apps to chat to their friends in real time. These apps allow people to send picture messages for free--something which previously was quite costly.
Research company Informa said that almost 19 billion messages were sent per day using chat apps in 2012, compared with 17. 6 billion SMS texts. And it expects the chat app market to grow t0 50 billion per day by 2014. So does this really mean the end for communication by text?
Pamela Clark--Dickson from Informa doesn't think so. She says that there are a large number of people who use normal mobile phones, particularly in developing countries, who prefer the SMS messaging tool. There is an awfully big base of mobile phone users who are still going to find that SMS is the best messaging experience for them for a while.
,. | middle3565.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They are friends."
},
"options": [
"They are friends.",
"They are relatives.",
"They are brothers.",
"They are neighbors."
],
"question": "What the relationship between Bill and Paul?",
"question_type": "fac... | There are two mice. They are called Bill and Paul. They are good friends. One mouse lives in the country; the other mouse lives in the city. On a sunny day they meet in the street.
Paul: Hi, Bill! Have a look at my house in the country. I'm sure you can enjoy yourself.
Bill: I'd love to. But I hear that the food is not delicious, and your house is not good. Is it so?
Paul: No, that's not true. Go and see!
Then Bill goes to the countryside with Paul.
Bill: Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have better food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city.
Paul: Thanks! Maybe you are right. I'll visit your house one day.
_ days later Paul goes to Bill's house in the city. The house is big and beautiful. They are sitting in the sitting-room, having a big dinner comfortably. Suddenly, there a great noise.
Bill: Run! Run! The cat is coming!
Paul: Oh, no! It's terrible! Both the house and the food are nice, but I do not like living in the city. I enjoy living in my hole in the field, for it is nice to be poor but happy than to be rich but afraid. | middle5100.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "is needed in every country"
},
"options": [
"is needed in many countries",
"is needed in every country",
"can be used in many ways",
"is very important for factories"
],
"question": "From the passage we know tha... | Many places in the world need more fresh water. Every country is trying to find ways to turn salt water into fresh. Why aren't there many factories like the Symi factory?
In some places the sun is not hot enough. Or it does not shine every day.
In such places other ways of heating sea water can be used. These ways cost more money, but they work faster than the sun. By boiling sea water with high heat a lot of fresh water can be made quickly.
But heating is not the only way to get fresh water from salt water. Other ways are tried.
One way is freezing. The fresh part of salt water freezes first. To get fresh water, the bits of ice are taken out.
Which way is the best? The one that gives the most water for the least money. It may be a different way for each place.
Symi's way seems very good for small, hot places. It does not make much water at a time. But the factory is easy to build and costs little.
That is why people in many dry places talk about Symi. | middle3571.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The famous buildings."
},
"options": [
"The parks.",
"The people.",
"The famous buildings.",
"The animals"
],
"question": "What do people from the world come to London to see?",
"question_type": "factiod_que... | There are about 7,000,000 people in London. London is one of the big cities in the world. London is famous for many things. People from all over the world come to see the famous buildings. There is a famous clock called Big Ben, too.
Like many big cities, the _ is very busy in London. When the work hours begin, over 1,000,000 people use the London underground , but there are still too many buses and cars on the streets. The air isn't clean.
For me, the best things about London are the parks. There are five in the middle of the city. But my children's favorite is playing in Hamleys, the biggest toy shop in the world.
,,. | middle7717.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Bicycles'returming"
},
"options": [
"Motorcycle ban.",
"Bicycles'returming",
"Convenience of riding a bicycle",
"Problems brought by bicycles"
],
"question": "What is the min topic of the passage?",
"questio... | Bicycles, a long-forgotten vehicle that seems to belong to the last century, are returning to the streets of Guangzhou, as the city starts to ban the running of motorcycle in urban Guangzhou.
"Business has never been so good for my shop," said Chen Yongwu, a bicycle shop owner at the city's Donghua West Road, "I have to work 12 hours a day to meet the demand of my customers. "
"Even my wife and brother-in-law have to give me a hand lately. "
Chen originally ran a motorcycle repair shop. He grasped the opportunity of the motorcycle ban, and started his bicycle business soon after hearing about the banning.
"I sold 23 bicycles on January 2 alone. " Said Chen.
Bicycle is more convenient and healthier
"My home is one kilometer from the metro station," said a middle-aged man who is waiting for his bicycle at Chen's shop, "it is too tiresome to walk to the station, but taking a bus for such a short distance is a waste of money. "
"So I decided to buy a bicycle. "
The bicycle costs around 600 yuan, which is equal to the bus fare of half a year.
"Besides, riding a bicycle to work is much healthier than riding a bus. "
The bicycle buyers can be categorized into two groups. One group of buyers buy the bicycles for the transportation of small commodities; the other ride the bicycles to work.
Arising problems
Riding a bicycle to work may be healthy, but it is not without problems.
The lack of bicycle lanes has posed a big threat to the safety of the bicycle riders in Guangzhou.
"I was riding my bicycle on Huifu West Road on day," said Mr. Zhang, "then suddenly the bus pulled over besides me near the bus station. "
"I was so frightened at the time, because the bus nearly hit me. "
The sideways in Guangzhou are usually crowded with foot passengers, so citizens also could not use the sideways.
"It is worse than walking. "
Besides, finding a place a park the bicycles could be very difficult, much more difficult then finding a place to park your car. | middle1366.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "some children under the age of ten"
},
"options": [
"some officials",
"some of Sadli's friends",
"some children under the age of ten",
"some of Lelana's workmates"
],
"question": "According to the passage, _ ... | Do you still remember the disaster several years ago? In Indonesia thousands of people were killed by the tsunami that washed people out to sea and pulled children out of their parents' arms. "The weather was fine with no clouds .There was no warning and suddenly the sea water just hit the city. In some parts the water was as high as two meters." a man in the city said. "Sadli, an official at the hospital, said many of the dead in the city were children under the age of ten." "Maybe the children were being carried by their hold but they fell over in the water and couldn't hold on to their children .All the dead children drawed." said Sadli. Officials said hundreds of houses had been swept away the force of five -meter -high waves across Aceh, which lies on the northern tip of Sumatra Island . "Tens of people saw the rushing water and didn't run to high ground .Instead, they kept watching it .Several of my workmates are missing." Lelana said by telephone. | middle194.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "thought of his family as his all"
},
"options": [
"liked to paint houses",
"had no friends around him",
"was not healthy in his youth",
"thought of his family as his all"
],
"question": "We know from the reading... | I never saw my father home from work late or ill, nor did I ever see my father take a "night out with the boys". He had no bobbies but just took care of his family.
For 22 years, since I left home for college, my father called me every Sunday at 9:00 am. He was always interested in my life-how my family was doing. The calls even came when he and my mother were in Australia, England or Florida.
Nine years ago when I bought me first house, my father, 67 years old, spent eight hours a day for three days, painting my house. He would not allow me to pay someone to have it done. All he asked, was a glass of iced tea, and that I hold a paintbrush for him and talk to him. But I was too busy, for I had a law practice to run, and I could not take the time to hold the paintbrush, or talk to my father.
Five years ago, my 71-year-old father spent five hours putting together a swing set for my daughter. Again, all he asked was that I get him a glass of iced tea, and talk to him, But again, I had laundry to do, and the house to clean.
The morning on Sunday, January 16, 1995, my father telephoned me as usual, this time he had seemed to have forgotten some things we had discussed the week before. I had to get to church, and I cut the conversation short.
The call came at 4:40 am. That day my father was sent to hospital in Florida. I got on a plane immediately, and I vowed that when I arrived, I would make up for the lost time, and have a nice long talk with him ad really _ .
I arrived in Florida at 1:00 am, but my father had passed away at 9:12 pm. This time it was he who did not have time to talk, or time to wait for me.
In the years since his death I have learnt much about my father, and even more about every single day. | middle3217.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Red."
},
"options": [
"Green.",
"Blue.",
"Red.",
"Yellow."
],
"question": "What color is Alice's jacket?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer... | Good afternoon! I'm Alice. My last name is Smith. I'm in a red jacket. I'm in Xingfu Middle School. My phone number is 569-2679. This is Cindy Brown. She is my good friend. She is in a yellow jacket. She is in Xingfu Middle School, too. What's her phone number? It's 865-2397. | middle5666.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "WarmPlacesforReading"
},
"options": [
"BuyingBooksinBookstores",
"WarmPlacesforReading",
"ANewBookstoreinChina",
"GreatBookstoresOnline"
],
"question": "The best title to explain the main idea of the text is \... | "On a spring night, we offer book lovers a desk and a light. You can stay here as long as you want to." This is the slogan of Sanlian Taofen Bookstore in Beijing. Earlier this month, Sanlian Taofen Bookstore became the first 24-hour bookstore in the city.
It hopes to encourage more people to read books. Bookstores are the brain of a city. Although many people can now buy books online, many readers still like the feeling in bookstores. They can touch the books and smell the print In China, most cities are home to at least one bookstore. Some have special themes . Popular Holdings ( ) in Shanghai is a film-themed bookstore. There are film books and posters inside. Other bookstores have colorful activities. Eslite Bookstore in Taiwan has activities like talks with famous writers as well as holding gallery shows . People come here not only for reading but also to communicate with others. | middle3388.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to help the travelers carry their luggage"
},
"options": [
"to stand in the railway station",
"to answer the traveler's question",
"to help the travelers carry their luggage",
"to ask the travelers to help him"
],
... | An old porter had worked for the railway for a very long time. One morning he was standing in one of the big railway stations and waiting for travelers to ask him to help them with their luggage, when he saw a small man running toward the trains with a big bag in his hand.
The porter watched the man for a few seconds, and the man saw the porter.
At once the small man ran up the porter and said, "Can I catch the 10:35 train to London, porter?" He was breathing very fast, and he seemed worried.
The old porter looked at him for a moment and then said with a smile, "Well, sir, I'd like to help you, but I can't answer your question because I don't know how fast you can run along rails. You see," he explained, "the 10:35 train to London left five minutes ago." | middle2096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six",
"Seven."
],
"question": "How many countries are mentioned in the article?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | White bread is thought to have a long history.In ancient Egypt, people discovered white bread about 8,000 years ago.
There is something interesting about white bread.In the old times,many cities in ancient Greece said they owned the best quality.In the middle ages,bakers in England carefully _ their secrets of making bread.Anyone who hoped to learn the art of making bread must spend seven years on it.In times of war and disasters ,bread and wheat were the first things to bekept closely.
However,in the mid-1800s,an engineer from Switzerland invented a new kind mill to produce more white bread at a faster speed.Soon bread making became widely popular all over Europe.In 1928,America had the first company to produce and sell mountains of white bread. | middle7688.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "radiation sickness"
},
"options": [
"your fingers to turn blue",
"radiation sickness",
"your parents to think you're smart",
"your games scores to go down"
],
"question": "Sitting to close to your computer for t... | If the only sports you do are dancing your fingers across your keyboard, you could be in serious danger of more than just becoming overweight and out of shape.
Do you often feel sleepy, like something is weighing down on your head? Do you feel forgetful? Do you sometimes feel uncomfortable up and down your neck and lower back, and you can't explain why? Do you get sick often? It could be radiation from your computer causing it. If you spend three hours or more a day in front of a computer (and at this point, who doesn't?), you are more easily harmed by the _ .
We have got so used to using computers that we often neglect to think of them as dangerous sources of harmful radiation. A safe amount of radiation is 25 V/m (Volts/meter). Do you want to guess how much our personal computers give off?
Keyboard: 1000 V/m
Mouse: 450 V/m
Monitor: 218V/m
CPU: 170V/m
Notebook computers: 2,500 V/m
Ways of Protect Yourself from Harmful Computer Radiation
1. Decorate your desk with cactus plants, they take in radiation.
2. Drink two to three cups of green tea a day and eat an orange daily. The vitamins in tea leaves and oranges protect us from radiation and keep our eyes healthy as well.
3. Use a screen filter for your monitor.
4. Avoid having metal objects nearby on your desk.
5. Put the back of the computer to the wall. Most of the radiation comes off the back.
6. Keep your monitor at least 50cm away from your face.
7. Keep your computer rooms ventilated .
8. Eat healthily-----especially fruits and vegetables.
9. Don't fall asleep on your computer. Turn it off if you have to rest nearby.
The ways above are useful, why not have a try at once? | middle6596.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "middle school"
},
"options": [
"primary school",
"middle school",
"university",
"college"
],
"question": "Jane is a school girl in a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Jane is a school girl. She is twelve. She studies at a middle school. She is in Grade Seven. She is a good girl. Jane gets up at seven in the morning. Then she has her breakfast. For breakfast she has eggs and a cup of milk. She doesn't have tea for breakfast.
After breakfast Jane goes to school. At twelve she comes home from school. She has lunch with her mother. For lunch she has hamburgers and salad. She likes salad, but she doesn't like hamburgers.
At seven she has supper with her father and mother. They have chicken and vegetables. Her father likes chicken, but Jane doesn't. | middle7850.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it can help us a lot"
},
"options": [
"our country asks us to learn it",
"it can help us a lot",
"we can use it to play games",
"it can help us to find jobs"
],
"question": "Why do we say the computer is a usefu... | Computers are useful machines. They can help people a lot in their life. For example, they can help people save much time, and they can help people do hard work.
Today more and more families have computers. Parents buy computers for their children. They hope computers can help their children improve their studies. But many of the children use computers to play games, watch movies or chat, instead of studying. Many teachers and parents _ that computers make children fall behind. So many parents don't allow their children to play computers again.
In some other countries, even some scientists hate computers. They say computers let some people lose their jobs or bring them a lot of trouble.
Will computers really bring trouble to people or can they bring people happiness? It will be up to people themselves. | middle4381.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "prefers going to a game to a friend's wedding"
},
"options": [
"goes to a game without caring for work",
"prefers going to a game to a friend's wedding",
"suffers from more depression than ordinary people",
"is not will... | San Russell is not your average baseball fan. He is a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan. He has a season ticket and he arranges his work schedule so he does not miss a game. San also attends game dressed in their uniform, and his car is red. He has even lost some friends by choosing to watch the Red Sox instead of going to their weddings. Is this healthy behavior?
Although Russell's case is extreme, being a sports fan can be healthy for you. According to a study at the University of Kansan in the USA, sports fans suffer from depression less than people who are not interested in sports, fans also experience other effects from watching their team play. When their team wins a game, their own confidence and happiness increase, just like the athletes. Losing, on the other hand, always leads to some sense of disappointment.
What about die-hard fans whose team always loses? The team spirit keeps those fans from losing hope. Knowing that other fans are probably feeling the same way also helps them. In addition, there is always the hope that their team will win the next game. Russell has lost some friends because of his love for baseball and although you may think that would make him unhappy, he has made many more new friends because of his team spirit.
For Sam Russell, supporting the Red Sox is not just a hobby; it is a way of life and the secret of his happiness. | middle2928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Two of them fell into a hole"
},
"options": [
"Two of them died",
"Two of them lost their way",
"Someone caught two of them",
"Two of them fell into a hole"
],
"question": "What happened when a group of frogs we... | A group of frogs were travelling through the bush when two of them fell into a deep hole. The other frogs tried to help them. When they saw how deep the hole was, they told the two frogs that they could not be saved and that they were almost dead. The two frogs didn't listen to their words and tried their best to jump out of the hole. But the other frogs kept telling them to stop. Finally, one of the frogs listened to what the other frogs were saying and gave up. He fell down and died.
The other frog, however, continued to jump as hard as he could. Once again, the crowd of frogs shouted at him to give up and wait for death. He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs asked, "Didn't you hear us?" The frog explained that he had poor hearing. He thought they were encouraging him the whole time.
Words have the power of life and death. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through their difficulties. A destructive word to someone who is down can be _ . So always be careful of what you say. | middle6582.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "football"
},
"options": [
"tennis",
"football",
"baseball",
"swimming"
],
"question": "The park offered people all of these EXCEPT _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. was the first African-American player to take part in the international sport of tennis at the highest level of the game. He was born on July 10, 1943.
When Arthur was 6, his mother died. Arthur, with his father and his brother, lived near a large park in Richmond, Virginia. His father was the manager of the park. He took care of the park and made sure everything was right.
Arthur was allowed to play in the park when he was seven years old. He was quite energetic. A swimming pool, tennis courts, and baseball diamonds were in the park. Arthur spent a lot of time playing there. He did well in sports, but he had never tried to play tennis.
He often watched the tennis players. Sometimes there were tennis lessons, and Arthur would watch even more carefully. The young man teaching the lessons noticed Arthur. His name was Ronald Charity.
Mr. Charity asked Arthur if he wanted to learn to play tennis. Arthur was excited and agreed. Arthur learned very quickly. Mr. Charity found Arthur would grow up to be a good tennis player. By the time he was ten, Arthur won atournament . Many older and bigger players came to the park trying to win the prize, but Arthur beat them. He became known as "the kid who could play tennis".
Arthur grew up to be one of the first successful African-American tennis players. He played and won all over the world. | middle779.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "15 years old."
},
"options": [
"11 years old.",
"13 years old.",
"15 years old.",
"17 years old."
],
"question": "How old was the writer when he wrote the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answe... | Four years ago when I was a boy of 11, I got into the biggest trouble as a kid. It was a Saturday morning. Both my parents were out, leaving me and my 10-month-old sister home alone. Anyway, my sister was still asleep in her room. In fact I had the house to myself. I decided to do some drawing. Soon I gave up. Nothing was on TV, so I felt bored and touched the candles on the shelf ...I had an idea! What would happen if I set fire to some kitchen paper? Well, of course it went on fire, but it wasn't the tiny flame I'd expected, and I couldn't blow it out. I threw it on the floor, and then luckily got my dad's boots and _ it _ .
I thought I was safe until there was a huge hole in my room. When my mum came home later, she smelt the smoke immediately. She dropped the shopping bag, luckily for me, over the hole. I thought this meant she would never see it. However, after running round the house checking for a fire, she of course picked up the bag and saw the hole. Next I was grounded and in trouble for months. Even worse, the hole was still there, reminding me of what I did.
. | middle7844.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Tired"
},
"options": [
"Worried",
"Happy",
"Angry",
"Tired"
],
"question": "How does Mr Black usually feel when he gets back home?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Mr Black works in an office. He's very busy and he has no time to rest. Every evening, When he comes back from his office, he always feels tired and wants to go to bed early, but his wife often has something interesting to tell him after supper. She keeps talking until it's too late. But Mr Black has to get up early in the morning.
One day Mr Black felt terrible and couldn't go to work. He went to see a doctor with Mrs Black. Before he said what the matter was him, his wife told the doctor all. The doctor got the reason and said to Mrs Black, "Here is a bottle of medicine for your husband and some pills for you."
"For me?" the woman said in surprise, "I'm fine. I don't need any medicine!"
"I don't think, madam," said the doctor, "They're sleeping pills . Your husband will soon be all right if you take them!" | middle5935.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because she wanted to be looked after there."
},
"options": [
"Because she needed another operation.",
"Because she had been used to living there.",
"Because she waited for the writer to come.",
"Because she wanted to b... | Yesterday I went to the nursing home to visit my grandma. She just got out of the hospital recently where she had some serious operations. I wanted to surprise her after work, so I stopped by for a quick visit.
When I got there, she was happy to see me. We hugged, kissed and exchanged greetings. Then I heard a woman crying. It was my grandma's roommate. The curtain was drawn so I could not see her. She started calling out a name that wasn't mine but she was certainly talking to me, begging me to go to her side of the room.
I ignored her at first and continued visiting with my grandma. Then she started begging and saying, "Please, come to see me!" So I went to see her.
When I drew the curtain back, she looked so old but flashed me the biggest smile! She opened her arms wide for me to hug her so I bent low and gave her a hug. I sat on her bed and talked with her for a few minutes. She kept calling me by the other name but I did not correct her. She told me stories as if I had been there when they happened.
Finally I went back to visit with my grandma. Then the woman started crying again, saying, "Please, come back." She finally slept.
I stopped by the nurse's station and the nurse told me that the lady suffers from Alzheimer's. I mentioned the name she had called me. The nurse told me it was the lady's daughter's name. Then I understood why she wanted me to go to visit her.
We will all get old some day. Some of us will have broken minds like he lady and some of us will have broken bodies like my grandma. As I was leaving I promised I would go back and visit the lady, even after my grandma moves back to her home. | middle2914.txt |
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