questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Spring Festival"
},
"options": [
"The Mid-Autumn Festival",
"The Spring Festival",
"Children's Day",
"May Day"
],
"question": "Which is the most important festival in China?",
"question_type": null
},
... | Every year people celebrate the Spring Festival in China.Usually it is in January or February.It's the most important festival in China.So before it comes,everyone buys many things,and they often make a special kind of food called dumplings-It means"come together".Parents always buy new clothes for their children and children also buy presents for their parents.On the Spring Festival eve ,all the family members come back home. They sing, dance and play cards.When they enjoy the meal,they give each other the best wishes for the coming year.They all have a good time. | middle804.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She thought the poem was well written."
},
"options": [
"She was so moved that she cried.",
"She thought the poem was well written.",
"She considered Buddy had no talent for poetry.",
"She believed Buddy needed advice f... | When I was nine years old, I wrote my first poem. My mother read the little poem and cried. "Buddy, it's a beautiful, beautiful poem!" My mother poured out her praise.
"What time will Father be home?" I asked. I could hardly wait to show him my poem. My father had begun his movie career as a writer. He would be able to appreciate my poem even more than my mother. I confidently put the poem right on my father's plate on the dining table.
My mother said he would be home around 7. But My father got home an hour later than expected. He sat down at the table and noticed his plate. "What is this?" I heard him say.
"Ben, Buddy has written his first poem. And it's beautiful, so amazing!" Mother said.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to decide that for myself," Father said.
I kept my face lowered to my plate. It was only 10 lines long. But it seemed to take hours. "I think it's bad," my father said. I couldn't look up. My eyes were getting wet.
"Ben, sometimes I don't understand you," my mother was saying. "This is just a little boy. He needs encouragement."
"I don't know why," _ "Isn't there enough bad poetry in the world already? No law says Buddy has to become a poet."
I ran from the dining room, threw myself on the bed and cried.
A few months later, I read that first poem. It was a bad poem. I worked up the courage to show him a short story. My father thought it was not good but hopeful. I was learning to rewrite.
As I worked my way into other books and plays and films, I realized how lucky I was to have a mother who said, "Buddy, it's wonderful!" and a father who shook his head "I think it's bad." Both are love that forces me to improve. In fact, all of us in life need both loving force. | middle6427.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Ireland"
},
"options": [
"America",
"China",
"Ireland",
"Germany"
],
"question": "Westlife is from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_... | Have you ever heard of the group Westlife? Maybe you have, but I'm sure many of you don't know very much about it.
Westlife is an Irish boy band group, which was made up of 6 boys in the beginning and called IOU. The group quickly became popular with young people thanks to their song Swear It Again, which was at the top of the UK charts in April 1999.
Chinese fans got their first chance to see Westlife on March 6th, 2006 in Beijing. Although the four-member group has been singing pop for seven years, the young boys have all since grown up and their songs are still very popular. When they performed in Beijing, Westlife released their new album Face to Face in China. Face to Face has been at the top of the British charts for a long time. The album's most popular song You Raise Me Up mixes traditional Irish music with pop music.
Although hip-hop is quite popular among the young, Westlife has no plans to change. They said, "Hip-hop is for the young, but pop can be enjoyed by moms who are busy cooking meals and raising the kids. | middle44.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "win a silver cup for growing a rose of a new color"
},
"options": [
"build glass-houses in his spare time",
"grow the rose in a glass-house",
"win a silver cup for growing a rose of a new color",
"grow a rose with the l... | There was once a man called Mr. Flowers, and flowers were his only joy in life. He spent all his spare time in one of his four glass-houses and grew flowers of every color, with long and difficult names, for competitions, he tried to grow a rose of a new color to win the silver cup for the Rose of the Year.
Mr. Flowers' glass-houses were very close to a middle school. Boys of around thirteen years of age were often tempted to throw a stone or two at one of Mr. Flowers' glass-houses. So Mr. Flower did his best to be in or close by his glass-houses at the beginning and end of the school day.
But it was not always possible to be on watch at those times. Mr. Flowers had tried in many ways to protect his glass, but nothing had been useful. He had been to report to the headmaster, but this bad not done any good. He had tried to drive away the boys when they threw stones. He had even picked up all the stones around his garden, so that the boys would have nothing to throw, but they soon found others.
At last Mr. Flowers had a good idea. He put up a large notice. It was made of good, strong wood. It was some meters away from the glass-houses. On it he had written the words: DO NOT THROW STONES AT THIS NOTICE. After that, Mr Flowers had no further trouble: The boys were much more attempted to throw stoned at the notice than at the glass-houses. | middle1348.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "England"
},
"options": [
"China",
"America",
"England",
"Canada"
],
"question": "The story happened in _ last Saturday night.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | Last Saturday night Jenny was walking through a mall in London , texting on her phone. She wasn't watching where she was going , so she fell into a sewer and got trapped. Luckily she didn't hurt badly. She quickly climbed out and walked away. But her accident was caught on a mall camera. Then someone posted it on YouTube. The video was viewed almost 2 million times and received national attention. Jenny was angry with this, but she learned a deep lesson: Texting while walking is dangerous. This time I just fell into a sewer. Next time I didn't know what would happen. Maybe I would be knocked down by a car or something else. It was horrible.
Jenny may be famous for her mistake. After that, she was laughed at by her friends and workmates. She _ what she had done. But it was too late. However, she wasn't the only one who got into trouble while texting on the phone. In 2008, more than 1000 Englishmen visited hospital for similar reasons. They were walking and texting or talking on the phone. Suddenly a wall appeared! Or a hole or something like that got in the way. There were cuts, bumps, broken bones and even worse result happened on them.
So we must be careful when we are walking. Don't send messages or talk with somebody on the phone while walking. Or you may hurt yourself and become another Jenny in the future. | middle2906.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "kites are good examples to those who want to get freedom"
},
"options": [
"without restrictions and rules we can make endless progress",
"kites are good examples to those who want to get freedom",
"restrictions are necessary ... | One windy spring day, I noticed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Colorful creations of different shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds flying and dancing. As the strong winds blew against the kites, a string kept them in control.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they rose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in control, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled against the string, they seemed to say, "Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!" They rose beautifully even when they fought the _ of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose . "Free at last," it seemed to say. "Free to fly with the wind."
Yet freedom simply put it in the control of an unkind wind. It fell down to the ground and landed in a mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. "Free at last", free to lie powerlessly in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to stop lifelessly against the first obstacle .
How much like kites we sometimes are. The Heaven gives us adversity and rules, rules to follow from which we can grow and get strength. Some of us break away from the rules so hard that we never reach the heights we might get to. We keep part of the rules and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, knowing that some of the rules that we may be angry about are in fact the strong force that helps us achieve. | middle2912.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the dresses they would wear at the party"
},
"options": [
"the dance at the party",
"the teacher at the party",
"the dresses they would wear at the party",
"the boys at the party"
],
"question": "Before the scho... | There would be a school party on Friday evening. The girls were talking about what they were going to wear.
"I'm going to wear a black dress, so everybody will notice me," said Emily. "How about you, Linda?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe jeans, an old shirt, and a hat. People will notice me more than you!" Linda said.
"What are we going to do about the boys?" asked Jane. "Do you remember the last school party, last year? They just stood there, and we girls had to dance by ourselves!"
"I hear that some of the boys learned how to dance this summer. Maybe it'll be better
this time," said Mary.
The party was held on Friday evening. Groups of students arrived. The music began. The girls stood in a line on one side, and the boys on another side. Mr. Green, their teacher, tried to get them together, but failed. After a while, Tim said, "I don't want to stand here the whole time. The party is only for two hours. It'll be over soon." He started to dance. All the others watched him. Then David asked Emily if she wanted to dance. Then Jack and Linda. Then, all began to dance. Soon there were more dancers than watchers. | middle757.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "common"
},
"options": [
"funny",
"common",
"strange",
"careless"
],
"question": "The word \"typical\" probably means \" _ \".",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | Does this ever happen to you? Someone introduces you to a friend, you hear his or her name, and then two minutes later, you forget it. Or you go to the same restaurant every day and the owner always says "Hello" to you but you can never remember her name. If this happens, you are _ -- actually most people have the problem remembering names.
Here are some ways that can help people remember names.
* Repeat the person's name loud at least three times while you talk together. For example, instead of saying "Nice to meet you." say "Nice to meet you, Jack." Instead of saying "Where do you live?" you can say "Where do you live, Jack?"
*Introduce the person by name to someone else right away.
* Write the name down as soon as possible.
There are other ways which may seem a little strange. However, try them.
* Think of a story using the person's name. For example, think to yourself, "Jack has a nice jacket." Imagine Jack in a nice jacket.
* Think of a rhyme for the person's name. For example, think to yourself, "Jack would look nice in black." Imagine Jack wearing black clothes.
All these ways have one thing in common. You must pay attention to the people you meet. You can't just meet someone, nod your head, say hello, and walk away. Remembering names takes work and practice. | middle6584.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Excited."
},
"options": [
"Unhappy.",
"Excited.",
"Nervous.",
"Confident."
],
"question": "How did Phil feel when he was going home?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Something caught my eyes when I was walking down the street. Two silver coins were shining in a melting snow bank, so I dug through the snow looking for more. Of course, I just ended up with really cold hands. I slipped the two coins into my pocket and went home, colder but richer. I began to think about how to spend the money...
Two days later, Mary and her little sister were searching the snow banks. "Finders are keepers" was my first thought. I didn't want to hand them out even though Susy was already crying. " I dropped them right here," she said between tears. Her hands were cold and red for digging in the snow. Maybe they slid down the street with the melting snow. Let's dig over here." Mary's voice sounded confident.
"They'll never know" was my second thought, and I walked past them. " Phil, have you seen
two sliver coins?" asked Mary. Susy looked up from digging. _ .
"Tell a lie" was my third thought. "As a matter of fact," I hesitated ,"I dug two coins out of that snow bank just a few days ago. I wondered who might have lost them." Susy hugged me with a big smile, "Oh, thank you, thank you." | middle5933.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Robert."
},
"options": [
"Nathaniel.",
"Robert.",
"Black.",
"Green."
],
"question": "What's the writer's name?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"... | Ever since I was a child, my mouth has caused me trouble. I'm not a bad person; I have a hard time learning when to keep my mouth closed. My mom has told me again and again, "Robert, your constant bad words are hurting me. If you continue to be this rude, you will get into big trouble."It's been a problem at school several times too when teachers have told me something I didn't want to hear. I used to feel it was my duty to stand up for myself. One day in English class I began working on my homework until I heard a classmate talking behind me. It was Nathaniel, talking to himself as usual. I said ever so nicely, "Nathaniel, would you be quiet?" Nathaniel continued talking to himself. I quickly shouted "Nathaniel, shut up!" For the next five minutes, we threw hurtful words back and forth at each other. "At least I don't have an ugly lazy eye like you!" I shouted.I knew this would upset him deep inside. It would hurt his feelings and shut him up. What I said filled him with anger. He tried to reach over my seat and grab me as he shouted, "That's it! That's it!" Surprised at his reaction, I sat back in my seat. Never had I seen Nathaniel act like this before. Later on, we were taken to the principal's office. There, Mr. Black, the principal, told us to discuss the matter. It wasn't until then that I finally found that when I hurt someone physically, the wounds eventually heal. But when I hurt them with my words, sometimes the pain never goes away. At the end of the discussion, I said sorry to Nathaniel. When I headed back to my room, I spent some time praying. I began to think about how often what I said hurt others. But I believe that as I keep praying and asking God to help me, he'll tell me when to keep my mouth closed. | middle5927.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Angel was thinking of an idea to help the animals"
},
"options": [
"Angel wanted to cook the animals for food",
"Angel was cooking a meal for the animals",
"Angel wanted to help the animals to run away",
"Angel was thin... | "The zoo has money problem," Grandmother Sandy said.
Angel listened. She heard that Fresno's Chaffee Zoo didn't have enough money to take care of its animals.
Angel loved animals. She planned to study them when she grew up. Angel's family had four cats. Angel took good care of them and made sure that they always had food and water.
Angel felt sorry for the zoo animals. While the others in the family were cooking dinner, Angel was cooking up a way to help the animals. She decided to write a letter to show how she felt. At the end of the letter, she wrote: "Give a dollar, help an animal." She sent the letter and a dollar to The Fresno Bee, a local newspaper.
A few days after that, Angel's letter was published. Almost immediately, people began sending in money. Angel's letter was having effect!
At school, Angel went to each classroom to read the letter that appeared on the newspaper. She asked students in her school to give money to the zoo. Next, Angel was asked to appear on television. She was invited to be on a popular talk show.
The workers in the zoo were very happy. Ray Navarro is the person most responsible for the animals. "Angel opened the eyes of Fresno," said Ray. "She made us see that people can make a difference." | middle1599.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A tall building."
},
"options": [
"A large lake.",
"A big city.",
"A high mountain.",
"A tall building."
],
"question": "What is \"Taipei 101\" in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": ... | Taiwan island, the biggest island of China, is between the South and East China Seas. Almost two-thirds of the island is covered by mountains.
Traveling in Taiwan, you can do lots of things. In Taipei, you can taste all kinds of delicious food . Standing at the top of Taipei 101, the world's tallest building until now, you can get a view of the whole city.
Taiwan has nice natural _ as well. Sun and Moon Lake is a beautiful lake. On one side of the island it looks like the sun, on the other side it looks like the moon. That is why people call the lake the Sun and Moon Lake. Ali Mountain is the nearest mountain around Sun and Moon Lake. You can enjoy a nice experience with Gaoshan people. It's a wonderful place to see a very beautiful sunrise. If you enjoy swimming, fishing, boating and eating delicious fruit and fresh fish, Peng Lake must be a good place to visit. Everywehere in Taiwan, you can see mountains, valleys , and hot springs, together with fields of rice, oranges and tea. | middle7856.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Beijing"
},
"options": [
"Beijing",
"Qinhuangdao",
"Sanya",
"Taiyuan"
],
"question": "If you want to go on a trip on Saturday and Sunday, you can choose a trip to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions... | A Two-day Trip to Beijing
If you want to know about China. Please come to Beijing. You can visit the Great Wall and other places of interest and enjoy Beijing Duck.
Time: May 6~May 7
Price: 480 yuan per person Tel: 78456895
A Four- day Trip to Qinhuangdao
If you like warm weather and clean city, Qinhuangdao is a good place for you. You can climb mountains, enjoy beautiful beaches and go to the zoo.
Time: May 1~May 4 Tel: 56478445
Adult: 780 yuan per person
Child: 550 yuan per person
E-mail: 126yc@sina.com
A Seven-day Trip to Sanya
There are many beautiful places in Sanya. You can walk along the beaches, go fishing and go boating.
Time: May 10~May 17
Price:
1 person: 650 yuan per person
2-5 persons: 600 yuan per person
6-9 persons: 550 yuan per person
Call us at 800-820-8199. | middle6590.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "communication methods"
},
"options": [
"eating habits",
"living places",
"learning activities",
"communication methods"
],
"question": "\"Dolphin Intelligence\" is probably a story about dolphins' _ .",
"... | GEOGRAPHICNews Video Photogaphy The Magazine Environment Travel Adventure Television
Main Stories
Controlling the Mekong
The 5000km long Mekong River provides China with fresh when it flows and electricity when it's dammed.
Dolphin Intelligence
300 of these social animals have been studied for over 30 years by Dr. Denise Herzing.Find out what she discovered about dolphin communication and what dolphins say.
A Day In New York
It was once a city that people scared. Now tourists are visiting New York each year. Join Robert Jones as he explores just what the Big Apple has to offer and what interesting activities can be done in a day.
Photography
The Magic of Night Markets
All around the world, street markets come to life at night.While people can shop for T-shirts and toys, the real attraction is the different kinds of food that somehow become even more delicious after dark.
Visions of Earth
Look through visions of the world as seen through photographers' eyes.
Amazing Amazon
Incredible images of the wildlife of the Amazon rainforest.
Most Read This Week
1.Top Danger for Lions-Hunting
2.A Day in New York
3.Photo of the Day Best of May
4.Making the Picture You Want
5.Photos That Take You to Mexico
6.The Week's Best Space Picture
Special Offer. Order Today!
Print and Electronic Delivery. Just $25 a year for 12 copies.Orders outside the USA must add 20% | middle5099.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Black"
},
"options": [
"White",
"Brown",
"Black",
"Green"
],
"question": "_ is the girl's last name.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_tex... | Look at the picture. Who is the girl? She is my friend. Her name is Alice Black. She is an English girl.
Alice has a big family. Her grandparents have two daughters and one son -- her father. Alice lives with her grandparents, parents, two brothers and one sister. Alice has two dogs -- Bobby and Tony. Bobby is black and Tony is white. Alice likes them very much. Alice is a middle school student. She has a good friend at school. Her name is Helen. They are cousins, too. | middle4387.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "don't understand friendship"
},
"options": [
"don't understand friendship",
"make wrong friends",
"don't treasure friendship",
"blame their friends"
],
"question": "The writer feels sad because some people _ .... | Today the word friendship has been used so often that it has lost its meaning. Some jokingly or seriously say that friends are made to be used. It makes me very sad.
True friendship doesn't mean that when you need your friend's help,you will treat him to dinner,and when you have to protect yourself,you will put your friends in a difficult situation.
In fact,true friendship is the communication and understanding of the hearts .
True friendship is like water. Compared wish decent wine,water is tasteless,but is of great help when we are thirsty. True friends don't need to be with each other every day,but are connected in heart every minute.
True friendship is like medicine. Though it is bitter,it cures your illness. True friends give you some suggestions even if they know you would not take. They criticize you when others have a good word for you,not because of envy but worrying that you may lose your cool head.
True friendship has nothing to do with fame,power or money. True friends would often watch you silently far away when you are _ ,but come to you whenever you need their help. You're not his stepping-stone to success,but are his crutch to live through difficulties.
True friends make you complete. Many persons go along with you through your life-your parents,your spouse,and your children,who take care of you and make your life happy. However,you still need someone who understands your thoughts and souls. Without them,you are likely to be unhealthy in spirit.
True friends stay in your heart,rather than at your side;they know you more than yourself,and try to better you.
Once you have found such a true friend,do treasure him. If your true friend disappears,how can you make the sound of your heart understood? | middle3403.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a singer"
},
"options": [
"a singer",
"a teacher",
"a doctor",
"a swimmer"
],
"question": "Justin Biber is a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | A video is very popular on the Internet these days. It's South Korean star PSY's Gangnam style <<style>> video. He stands above Justin Bieber and becomes the most popular singer on YouTube.
In fact, the video sets the Guinness World Record in YouTube history. Gangnam Style was put onto the Internet on July 15,2012.What's catching the eyes in Gangnam style is PSY's special dance moves, funny horse riding poses and dancing in a towel. Many people may not understand the Korean language, they are still interested in the video
The video also has many different versions now. The song has topped the iTunes charts in 31 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
The song tells us the rich people's lifestyle in today's Gangnam Block, South Korea. Psy looks at here as Seoul's Beverly Hills. | middle1214.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they make him or her think of special feelings"
},
"options": [
"they are very interesting",
"they are not about real life",
"they make him or her think of special feelings",
"they often have a happy ending"
],
... | Although I'm not in my childhood, I still prefer reading fairy tales. They often make me think of some special experiences and feelings. This summer I've reviewed this kind of tales, The Little Prince. It was published in 1940. It's the world-famous fairy tale by the French author Antoine.
"I", the narrator of the story, is a pilot. His plane has something wrong and lands in the Sahara. The little prince lives on a small planet, and he grows a flower called ROSE there. One day they have a quarrel , so the little prince runs away. On his all-alone journey, he meets different kinds of people. From these people he gets a conclusion that grown-ups are strange. And with the help of the man he meets, he descends in the Sahara.
This book moved me a lot. It is not only a fairy tale for children and teenagers, but also for grown-ups.
,. | middle958.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many students are described in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"an... | There is a student from China in our class. He is very good at his lessons, but he is also very shy. He doesn't talk too much with us because he thinks that there are so many differences. When he came into our classroom for the first time, he was so frightened that he cried out.
That's because of our appearances. For example, his hair is short, black and straight, but ours are all different from his. Jim's hair is yellow and much longer than his. Dave's hair is curly and brown. Kitty's hair is blonde. Our builds and clothes seem to be strange in his eyes,too. Peter is a boy. He is tall and thin, but he wears a colorful T-shirt. | middle7665.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in the morning"
},
"options": [
"in the evening",
"at night",
"in the morning",
"on weekends"
],
"question": "The old man went to meet his wife _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"ans... | It was a morning, about 8:30 am, when an old man in his 80's reached my hospital to take care of his finger. He said he was in a hurry because he had an appointment at 9 am.
While taking care of his finger I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The old man told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to have breakfast with his wife. I asked if she would be unhappy if he was a bit late. He replied that there was something wrong with his wife's mind and she hadn't known who he was since five years ago.
I was surprised, and asked him, "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"
He smiled to me and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is." | middle8230.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "HGH is not allowed to be produced in many countries."
},
"options": [
"HGH is a natural substance.",
"HGH is needed to help bones and muscles grow.",
"HGH is used as medicine for children.",
"HGH is not allowed to be pr... | HIGH (Human Growth Hormone) could be the favorite drug at the next athletic world championships, and we might never know it. It is a natural substance produced by the human body, and it helps children's bones and muscles to grow. Scientists are allowed to make the drug and it is also legal to take HGH in most countries. HGH is considered a wonder drug for children. It helps many children with growth problems every year.
However, some athletes are now taking the drug. HGH helps add muscle in adults and recent research by the World Anti-Doping Agency shows that HGH may improve the sportsman's time by 5% when he takes part in short, fast races. Some athletes say that HGH surely makes them stronger. It also helps them to recover more quickly from injuries.
Although it is _ by most professional sports, HGH is almost impossible to test for. The drug is completely natural and it will only show in tests for around 24 hours after taking it. Testing is usually done only during competitions, but athletes use HGH during training, so it is very difficult to know who has used the drug. This makes it very attractive for some athletes. Scientists are developing a new test which will find the drug in the body for up to two weeks. But it isn't going to be easy. Everybody has different levels of natural HGH in their body.
For this reason, scientists are warning athletes of the possible problems with the drug. Research shows that HGH increase the risk of cancer. But is this enough to stop athletes from taking it? Scientists don't think so. Some athletes will do all they can to win, and worry about their health later. | middle7103.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Voice of China."
},
"options": [
"The Voice of China.",
"Sports News.",
"Football.",
"Animal World."
],
"question": "Which was the most popular TV show last summer?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"... | Last year The Voice of China, the most popular TV talent show became a popular topic in people's chatting and media information from both home and abroad. It began on July 13, 2012 and ended on September 30, 2012. Liang Bo, a handsome boy from Changchun, Jilin was the champion of The Voice of China in 2012. Before the competition Liang Bo was just an ordinary college student studying music. He captured the hearts of audience with his passionate rock'n'roll performance at the show.
Fans described Liang's voice as "natural, clear and touching''. Although he seemed cool on stage, he could quickly turn on the power once he started singing. "His performances make you imagine things. When I listen to his singing, I see pictures and think of stories." said Na Ying, one of the four judges on the show. She was also Liang's tutor for the competition.
Liang Bo, like many young Chinese, he fell in love with music through playing the guitar. Liang got his first guitar as a birthday gift when he was in middle school. He would spend days and nights practicing. " I can't live without my guitar." he said.
" I don't like talking much but I carry great passion inside me," Liang said. " There is no better way to let it out than through music like rock'n'roll. Many people compare Liang to famous Chinese rockers including Xu Wei, Wang Feng and Zheng Jun. But the young man doesn't want to stand in others' shadow. " I respect those rockers, but I'm not going to copy them. I will be who I am," he said. | middle1572.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because she wanted his fishing rod"
},
"options": [
"Because she didn't like fish.",
"Because she wanted his fishing rod",
"Because the old man had few fish.",
"Because she wanted to learn fishing skills"
],
"qu... | An old man was fishing on the bank of a river. A child came to see him fishing. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn't take long for him to catch a full basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was very cute, and he wanted to give her a whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head. The old man was surprised and asked, "Why don't you want the fish?" The child replied, "I want the fishing rod in your hands." The old man asked, "Why do you want the rod?"
"It doesn't take long to eat all the fish in a basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won't be afraid of not having any more fish to eat."
I think you will certainly say that the child is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn't know how to fish, she cannot have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It's useless to only have a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.
Too many people think that if they have a "fishing rod" in their life, they will no longer fear the wind and rain. They are just like the child, who thought that if sh e had a fishing rod, she would have fish to eat. | middle5714.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "parents"
},
"options": [
"teachers",
"friends",
"parents",
"classmates"
],
"question": "According to the passage, _ help children most.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Most people want their children to be successful in school and a parent's role in that success must be very important. Parents should help children to build their confidence and achievements. Parents should also play the role of a friend as well as a teacher in children's education.
Learning about math or reading isn't the only problem we face in school. Maybe we are having problems with teachers, classmates or other people. At this time we really need a person who is ready to hear what we are thinking. And the person should be you---my dear parents. If we have nobody to talk with, we will have more stress in our school life. Please listen to our worries. It's good for our study and health.
On the other hand, parents can't leave all the problems to the teachers. Although it's their job, even the best and brightest teachers can not take care of every child. We still need personal attention, so the role the parents is to make sure we can get _ . Stay in touch with our homework and the tests. Connect with our teachers regularly to talk about how things are going in our classroom. If we need more help, be active in getting it and work with us.
Nothing helps a child succeed more than a parent. A little willingness from a parent can play a very important role in the children's studies. The more attention parents pay, the more achievements children will make. | middle3365.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To do business."
},
"options": [
"To relax.",
"To buy oil.",
"To go shopping.",
"To do business."
],
"question": "Why did people stop in Dubai in the early 20th century?",
"question_type": "factiod_question... | Dubai is a city of big business, expensive hotels , skyscrapers ,and shopping malls, In the early 20th century, Dubai was a successful trading port. People from the world stopped in Dubai to do business, But it was still a small city, and most people lived as fishermen and businessmen. Then in 1966, oil was discovered. This brought a lot of money into the area, and soon Dubai began to change.
Today Dubai is one of the world's most important business centers. In fact , each year the city gets its money mainly from business, not oil.
Recently Dubai has attracted more and more visitors from abroad, They come to relax on its beaches, and every year, millions visit just to go shopping!
Dubai is also one of the world's fastest growing cities. Many tall buildings are built in months. The city also has many man-made islands.One of these, the Palm Jumeirah, is like a palm tree and is very beautiful.
The city is still an amazing mix of people from different countries . The people from 150 countries live and work in Dubai , and foreigners now _ Dubai natives by eight to one!
Many people welcome the city's growth. But an increasing number of Dubai natives worry about the speed of change As a Dubai native says, " _ ." | middle5700.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "14"
},
"options": [
"14",
"12",
"16",
"13"
],
"question": "How many toes did a horse have millions of years ago?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Have you ever seen a horse with toes ?Millions of years ago, horses had many toes. They had four toes on each front foot. They had three toes on each back foot. The horses were no bigger than the cats.These small horses lived in the forest. The toes helped the horses run on the soft, wet ground.
At first, it was very hot in the forest. But the weather changed. It became very cold. Many trees could not live in cold weather. The trees died and fell. Open fields took the place of forests. The sun made the ground dry and hard.
Horsed began to change, too. They began to get bigger. This took a long time. On the dry, hard land, horses needed only their middle toes for running. Their middle toes became hard. After a long time, horses had only one hard toe on each foot. Now we call this hard toe a | middle8224.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "pandas"
},
"options": [
"penguins",
"koalas",
"elephants",
"pandas"
],
"question": "Han Dan likes _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_t... | Han Dan comes from China, she is a clever and beautiful girl. She studies in a middle school. She has four pen pals. They are from different countries and like different animals. Linda is from America. Her favorite animal is the penguin. The penguin likes ice very much. Lily comes from Australia .The koala is her favorite animal. The koala likes to eat leaves. And it sleeps all day, but it gets up at night. Bob is from India. His favorite animal is the elephant. Grass is the elephant's favorite food. Tom is a Canadian boy. He likes the tiger best. The tiger likes to eat meat. What is Han Dan's favorite animal? It is the panda. Bamboo is panda's favorite. | middle7117.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Beijing Chaoyang Foreign Language School."
},
"options": [
"Mashan School.",
"Beijing Chaoyang Foreign Language School.",
"Project School.",
"Training School."
],
"question": "Which school does Peng Xianzhe stud... | One day Peng Xianzhe learned he would go to the Mashan School in Guizhou. The 16-year-old boy tried to imagine how serious the drought was for the students at that school. However, he realized it was more serious than he had imagined when he saw the sign "DON'T wash clothes with water,or you will be punished . "
Because of drought, the school has been short of water for a long time. Each student has only one bottle of water every day for washing and drinking. The drought has made the poor students much poorer.
Peng is a student from Beijing Chaoyang Foreign Language School. He took part in the school's Rain & Bow Project from April 2 to 10.
The project idea came from Peng's principal . One day, she heard a sad story about Li Guoxian, a poor girl in the Mashan School,who stopped going to school because of drought. The principal started this project to help the school. In one day, 3,000 students made over 10,000 donations of water,books and clothes.
Peng and other four students went to the Mashan School and gave the donations with five teachers. They visited poor families, made surveys and had classes at the school.
Ding Zhentao,16,was worried about the school's poor learning environment. "The blackboards and playground are too _ to use,"Ding said. "Besides, there really aren't enough teachers. A teacher has to teach both history and English, and even the cook is a class teacher. "
Although life isn't easy, students at the school have a positive attitude towards life and they are quite willing to learn. That's what moved 16-year-old Chen Shi most.
"They sang their songs together as usual before class every afternoon. After class, the students asked us to tell them things about Beijing and our studies," Chen said. "You can see the passion in them. I believe it will make a difference. Their futures will be bright. "
,. | middle6209.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "when he was a pupil"
},
"options": [
"when he was a pupil",
"when he became a writer",
"when he taught at a school",
"when he was beaten by his father"
],
"question": "Mark Twain earned his first money _ .",
... | Mark Twain's First Money
Mark Twain was asked one day if he could remember the first money he ever earned.
He thought a long time and then said , "Yes, it was at school.I can remember everything about it .School boys in those days did not take good care of their chairs and desks.There was a rule in our school that if anyone damaged his desk or chair, he would have to pay five dollars or the teacher would beat him in front of the whole school."
"One day I damaged my desk in some way, I had to pay five dollars or be beaten before the whole school.My father said it would be too bad to have our family disgraced in front of the whole school.He agreed to give me five dollars to hand over the teacher.But before he gave me the money, he took me upstairs and gave me a beating."
"But as I had one beating and I decided I would take another beating at school and keep the five dollars.So that's what I did.That was the first money I ever earned." | middle1566.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "by train"
},
"options": [
"by bus",
"by train",
"by plane",
"by ship"
],
"question": "Tom went to see his grandparents with his father _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Tom went to see his grandparents with his father. In the train Tom often put his head out of the window. His father said, "Tom, don't put your head out of the window." But Tom went on putting his head out of the window.
His father took Tom's hat quietly and hid it behind his back and said to Tom, "You see your hat is gone." Tom was afraid. His father said, "Well, whistle once. Maybe your hat will come back." Tom whistled. His father put his hat on Tom's head quickly. "Oh! It's wonderful!" Tom laughed and said. He quickly took his father's hat and threw it out of the window. "Now it's your turn to whistle, Dad!" he said happily. | middle794.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Not big but beautiful."
},
"options": [
"Big and beautiful.",
"Big but not beautiful.",
"Very beautiful.",
"Not big but beautiful."
],
"question": "How is the school?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | My school is not big but beautiful. There is a garden in the school. There are
many flowers in the garden. The flowers are colorful-they are all kinds of colours. In the center of the garden, there is a pool. The fish are swimming in it. They look very happy and free.
There are two teaching buildings around the garden. There are 18 classrooms in it. And there are also many other rooms in it -- music room, reading room, language lab and library. There are all kinds of books in the library, such as storybooks, cartoon books and magazines. You can read them after class.
The playground is behind the teaching building. We do morning exercises on the playground every day. On the playground, you can play sports--running, playing basketball and playing badminton.
I like my school very much. | middle1200.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A, B and C"
},
"options": [
"go to different kinds of museums",
"see all kinds of plays and films",
"buy things from all over the world",
"A, B and C"
],
"question": "In big cities people can _ .",
"quest... | Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other big cities are great places to live in. There are many interesting things to see and do. You can go to different kinds of museums, see all kinds of plays and films. You can also buy things from all over the world.
But there are serious problems in big cities, too. It's expensive to live there, and there are too many people in some places of big cities. Every student can study at good schools and receive good medical care . But sometimes these people can't find work or good places to live in. Also it is hard to keep the cities safe and clean.
Some people enjoy living in big cities, others do not. Before they move to a big city, they should think about the problems living there. | middle7671.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "getting the secret of happiness"
},
"options": [
"helping the wise man carry the oil",
"becoming famous",
"getting the secret of happiness",
"going sightseeing in the palace"
],
"question": "The boy visited the ... | Once a boy went to a palace to ask a wise man what the secret of happiness is. After talking with the boy, the wise man asked the boy to look around the palace and return in two hours. "And , I want to ask you to do something,"said the wise man ."As you look around, carry this spoon with you without making the oil spill ."
The boy began walking up and down the stairs of the palace, and he kept his eyes on the spoon all the time. After two hours, he returned. "Well," asked the wise man, "what did you see in my palace?" The boy said that he had seen nothing.
"Then go back and enjoy my wonderful world," said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and began to look around the palace again. This time, he saw many beautiful things in the palace. When he returned, the wise man asked, "but where are the drops of oil I give you?" The boy saw that the oil was gone.
"There is only one piece of advice I can give you," said the wise man. "The secret of happiness is to see all wonders of the world and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."
,A, B, C, D,, . | middle3417.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Australia"
},
"options": [
"America",
"Canada",
"Australia",
"China"
],
"question": "Where are Jim and Sue from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Mr. and Mrs. Smith come from Sydney . They teach English in a middle school in China. They like their work. They have a son and a daughter, Jim and Sue. They are all in China now. Mr. Smith can speak Chinese. He likes swimming and reading. Mrs. Smith likes swimming in the afternoon and cooking . Jim and Sue like playing chess. They often play games with Chinese boys and girls.
Jim's uncle, Green, works on a farm near Sydney.
He likes swimming, too. He wants to work in China. But he can't speak Chinese. So he is still there and goes to Chinese classes every week. | middle4378.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the poor"
},
"options": [
"the poor",
"the officials",
"the rich",
"the old"
],
"question": "If the college entrance exam were called off, it would be unfair for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Why do you study? Many students would simply reply: "To get good result in the college entrance examination ." For several years, many have spoken out against the exams. Some say they have turned children into studying machines. Others think that one exam cannot possibly _ a student's true level of knowledge. So, should the exams be canceled?
Minister of Education Yuan Guiren doesn't think so. "Officials and the rich might take advantage if the college entrance examination were called off . And life would be more difficult for poor children. However, we do need to change the exams," Yuan said on March 7. He has put an exam reforms at the center of his fourth year in office. "I think the exam is a fair way to choose talented people. But it should pay more attention to all-around personal qualities, not just grades," said Cui Shangyu, a Senior 3 student in Sichuan. The college entrance examination was restored in 1977. From then to 2007, 46.85 million people have entered higher education through the exam. According to survey by the Ministry of Education, 90 percent of people who participate believed the college entrance examination could in some way change a person's life, especially for poor students in the countryside. The college entrance examination is not the only way to become a successful person. However, the process of preparing for the exam is a good experience, said Shen Hui, a Math teacher at Gaoyou Middle School in Jiangsu.
"Through it students can learn many things, such as how to deal with stress and how to arrange a learning plan." Shen said. | middle5066.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It is helpful to our bodies."
},
"options": [
"It is a kind of special food.",
"It makes us worried by affecting our brains.",
"It is helpful to our bodies.",
"It is in the sunlight."
],
"question": "Which of th... | Scientists are trying to find out how things affect our feelings. How you feel is controlled by many things, such as your personality , the actions of others. Maybe you don't know the weather can affect your feelings as well.
People often say they feel good when the sun is shining and sad when it is cloudy. In fact, sunlight makes us feel good. When sunlight hits our skins, our bodies makes vitamin D(D). Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical . This special chemical affects our brains and makes us feel happy. For example, there are long, dark winters of little sunlight in Sweden and Norway, so many people in these countries often feel sad. To help the people in these countries feel better, scientists build special "sunrooms" for people to go there and get "sunlight" for an hour or two!
The weather can also affect people's feelings in other ways. Hot weather can make people angry because people don't feel comfortable when they are hot. In the same way, rain can make people angry because being wet can be unhappy. As you can see, the weather can have an effect on the chemicals which control our _ . Through these ways, the weather can affect our feelings in these ways. Sadly, while the weather can change us, we cannot change the weather. | middle2709.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "telephone number"
},
"options": [
"school name",
"e-mail address",
"year of birth",
"telephone number"
],
"question": "All the information about the writer must be included except his / her _ .",
"questio... | Articles wanted
School life
Articles should be typewritten and double spaced, using only side of the page.
Your name, year of birth, school name (and English teacher), home address and e-mail address must be included.
For photos, place the information on the back of each envelope: PLEASE DON'T FOLD.
Please keep copies of your text, pictures or photos.
The sentence MUST BE WRITTEN with your name on each work, "I promise the above work is completely original ."
If your article is chosen, you will receive a copy of School Life and a special gift.
SEND IT ALL SUMMER!
For more information, please contact us!
Tel: (02) 92136116(02) 92674363
E-mail: schoollife@acpmagazines.com,au
Mail: School Life. Box 5252, Sydney, NSW 200 | middle7881.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a house but not big"
},
"options": [
"a small country",
"London city",
"a house but not big",
"a small town"
],
"question": "Mr. Black and his wife live in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Mr. and Mrs Black live in a small house near London with their children. Usually Mr Black comes back from work very late. At that time, his wife and the children are sleeping. So he opens the front door of his house with his keys and comes into the house quietly.
One night he comes home very late. It is 11:00 p.m. But he can't find his keys. He rings the bell . Nothing happens . He rings it again. Again nothing happens. No one can hear it. Mr. Black knocks on the bedroom window. He calls his wife's name. He shouts but his wife doesn't wake up. At last he stops and thinks for a few minutes. Then he begins to speak like a small child. "Mother," he says. "I want to go to WC." Mrs Black wakes up at once . Then he speaks to her, and she opens the door for him. | middle1228.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "red"
},
"options": [
"red",
"yellow",
"white",
"green"
],
"question": "Mike's hat is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Bill's... | There are four hats. They are red, yellow, green and white. They are Mike's, Bill's, Tom's and John's. Tom's hat is not yellow, green or red. John's hat is not green. And Mike's hat is not yellow or green. What color are their hats?
,. | middle6547.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "get some water to drink"
},
"options": [
"make the lake clear",
"drive away the cow in the lake",
"get some water to drink",
"get some water to wash his face"
],
"question": "One day the teacher asked his studen... | One day a famous teacher was walking with his student. On the way, they saw a lake. They stopped and the teacher told the student, "I'm thirsty. Get me some water from that lake."
Just when the student reached the lake, a cow was walking in the lake. So the water became very dirty. He thought "I can't give the dirty water to my teacher!"
He came back and told the teacher, "The water is very dirty. We can't drink it." After about half an hour, the teacher asked the student to get some water again. So he went back to the lake.
But the lake was still dirty. So he told the teacher the same thing. After some time, the teacher asked him to go back again. But this time, he found the water was clear. The mud in the water came to the bottom. So he got some water.
The teacher looked at the water and said to him, "You did nothing to make the water clear. You just let it be. Your mind is also like that! When it is bothered , just let it be. Give it some time." | middle7659.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He'nan"
},
"options": [
"Beijing",
"Liaoning",
"He'nan",
"Xingzhi"
],
"question": "Li Beibei came from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"ans... | How much pocket money do you get from your parents every month? Maybe 200 yuan? But for Li Beibei, 30 yuan each month is enough. The only thing she buys is lunch--1.5 yuan each day. "Meat is too expensive for me," said Li.
Li, 14, is a Junior 1 student at Beijing's Xingzhi Experimental School. Her parents are migrant workers . They came to Beijing from a village in Luohe, He'nan two years ago. Her father now works as a cleaner and gets 500 yuan every month. Her mother has no job.
Li Beibei has 460 friends at Xingzhi. Every day, Li gets up at 5:30 am and rides her bike for 20 minutes to get to school. Like many teens, Li has a lot of homework--usually at least one hour every day. But that is not all her work. During the weekdays she helps her mum cook. On weekends, she helps wash clothes. "I could cook when I was eight. Dad said sometimes I cook better than Mum!"
Li said she wanted to be a doctor. "I watch TV and find out there are many people with AIDS in He'nan. Some are kids. They need help," said Li.
But she is afraid to leave school. "I hope I will always be in school," said Li. "Dad works hard to get money. I promise him I will study hard to be a good student and a good doctor in the future." | middle964.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He uses slang words and has a strange appearance"
},
"options": [
"He wears pretty clothes",
"He uses slang words and has a strange appearance",
"He speaks strange English .",
"He played the guitar in a rock band ."
... | My English teacher is very funny . He has really long hair and wears earring in one ear . He likes to wear purple shirts and orange pants . He also uses all kinds of slang words from 1970s. When he likes something , he'll say it's really " groovy ". I think he played the guitar in a rock band when he was young .
The other day , he walked into class and noticed that there was a new student . He asked him , "Hey ,man ,what's happening ?" The student was very confused ,but we all laughed because we knew that the teacher was just saying hello . "You're new ,aren't you ?" The teacher asked . The student was surprised , and said to himself , "Is this the teacher ? He looks strange( )." Then he explained to all us , "Sorry .Maybe I'm in the wrong classroom ." | middle2721.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "72"
},
"options": [
"72",
"71",
"35",
"36"
],
"question": "There are _ desks in Class 8.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "good"... | I study in the No.5 Middle school. It is a big and nice school. In the school there are more than one hundred teachers and about 2000 students. They all walk very hard.
I am in Class 8,Grade One. There are 35 girls and 36 boys in my class. Our classroom is very big and bright. There are four windows in the wall of the classroom. They are very big. On the back wall there is a map of China. On the front wall there is a map of China. In the front of the blackboard there is a big desk. It's for our teachers. In the classroom there are seventy-one desks and chairs. All the desks and chairs in it are new.
We go to school at seven in the morning. Classes begin at half past seven. We have eight lessons a day. We study Chinese, English ,maths and other lessons. All of us like English very much. Some are very good at it. In the afternoon we have sports. At six o'clock we go home. In the evening we often do our homework. Sometimes we watch TV. | middle5728.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Warm and sunny."
},
"options": [
"Cold and snowy.",
"Windy and rainy.",
"Warm and sunny.",
"Cloudy and foggy."
],
"question": "What's the weather in Ken Libbrecht's hometown usually like?",
"question_type": ... | Snowflakes! You can catch them on your tongue or use them to make a perfect snowball. But have you ever thought about taking pictures of them? Ken Libbrecht did. He is a physics professor from California. Although the weather in California is usually warm and sunny, Ken's hobby is taking pictures of snowflakes. He travels to cold areas like Alaska and Canada to find snowstorms and take pictures of the snowflakes. "They are often beautiful, and every snowfall brings new surprises," says Ken.
Ken takes pictures of snowflakes with a high-quality digital camera. He uses a microscope to make the tiny snowflakes larger. To get the best images, Ken built a special photo-microscope just for snowflakes. He collects flakes by letting them fall onto a piece of foam board .
The pictures must be taken outdoors, so Ken wears lots of clothes to stay warm. But his fingers often get cold, because it's difficult for him to take pictures of a tiny snowflake with gloves.
Each snowflake has shapes and patterns that make it as unique as a person's fingerprint. The hobby of snowflake photography is also unique. Next time a snowstorm blows through your town, take a closer look at the flakes before you gather them into a snowball. See if you can notice their unique patterns. Millions of snowflakes are waiting for you!
,. | middle3359.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "go shopping"
},
"options": [
"go to a movie",
"go shopping",
"see a doctor",
"have fast food"
],
"question": "If you live in Jinjiang Hotel, you can _ easily.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Have you ever heard of Jinjiang Hotel? It is on our busiest street. It's the best place to live in if you travel here. The hotel is only 0.5 kilometer from the biggest supermarket and the subway.
It has three kinds of rooms for different people to use. The first kind is standard room, that is two beds with a bathroom. It offers you the air conditioner, the television and the telephone. Second is the single room, that has only one bed. Though it has only one bed, you can enjoy yourself, for the bed is really comfortable and the environment is really good. The last one we call commercial room. That is served for businessmen. The commercial room has the best quality. It also provides 24-hour hot water. You can have free tea in the afternoon. Imagine how nice as you drink tea as talking about your business with your partners. If you want to eat something, please just call 123, the food will arrive in ten minutes.
One great thing is that it is very safe here because we have a few strong guards working day and night, so I'm sure you will have a great time living here. | middle6221.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "500"
},
"options": [
"500",
"250",
"100",
"10"
],
"question": "The owner of the shop asked _ dollars for the watch.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2... | A rich American went into a shop in London. He wanted very much to buy a nice looking watch, but the owner of the shop asked five hundred dollars for it. Suddenly a young man came into the shop, took the watch out of the owner's hands and ran out with it. It all happened in a few seconds. When the owner ran out into the street, the young man was already lost among the people.
The American went on. At the next corner, he saw the young man with the watch in his hand. "Do you want to buy a fine watch, sir?" he asked in a low voice. "It's only a hundred dollars." "The young man doesn't know I saw him stealing the watch," he thought. The American paid at once and went back to his room with the watch. He told his friend about the fine watch.
His friend took a look at the watch and started laughing. He said, "You are a fool. This watch isn't worth even ten dollars. I'm sure the shop owner and the young man planned this together." | middle8218.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "there is danger everywhere"
},
"options": [
"they can easily find food this way",
"there is danger everywhere",
"they can get warm at night",
"they will not feel lonely"
],
"question": "Many birds travel in larg... | Animals do many different, amazing things to get through the winter. Some of them migrate .Many birds migrate in autumn. Because the trip can be dangerous, some travel in large groups. For example, geese fly in noisy, "V"-shaped groups. Other kinds of birds fly alone.
Some animals stay active in winter. They must change themselves as weather changes. For example, a kind of rabbits grow white fur to help them hide in the snow.
It's hard to find food in winter for animals. Some animals, like mice, collect lots of food in autumn. Some animals eat different kinds of food as the seasons change. The red fox eats fruit and insects
in spring, summer and autumn. In winter, it cannot find these things, so it eats small animals instead. Some animals hibernate for part or all of the winter. This is a special, very deep sleep. The animal uses very little energy. In autumn, these animals get ready for winter by eating much more food than in summer and storing it as body fat. Squirrels store food like nuts to eat later in winter. Bears and some bats hibernate. Cold-blooded animals like fish, frogs and snakes have no way to keep warm during the winter. Snakes find protection in holes, and spend the winter without moving during the whole season. | middle6235.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "all of the above"
},
"options": [
"learn English and send e-mails",
"get more information",
"play computer games",
"all of the above"
],
"question": "Many of us like going online because it can help us _ .",
... | Good morning, boys and girls. Today I'll talk about going online.
We know that there are too many net bars around us. The Internet can make our lives interesting and enjoyable. Many of us like going online very much because we can learn how to use the computer and can get more information from the Internet. We can learn English. We can read some good newspapers and magazines. It can make us clever in playing computer games. We can send e-mails to our friends quickly. We can chat freely online with our friends. It can help us to get in touch with people from all over the world.
But every coin has two sides. Net bars also bring us a lot of trouble. For example, some students spend too much time in playing computer games and some stay in the net bars all day and all night. Some girls even get to have boyfriends or some boys get to have girlfriends online. They write too many letters to each other. It takes them too much time to chat online, so they do worse and worse in their lessons and they don't study well any more. I think we mustn't get online when it is time for us to study. We can do it in summer or winter holidays or at the weekend.
At the same time, if we have lots of free time, we can do some out-of-class activities at school. We usually have activities from4' 50 to 5- 50 in the afternoon. We can play basketball or football on Monday or Thursday afternoon. We can join some interests groups in school, such as drawing or reading on Tuesday afternoon, or singing and dancing on Wednesday afternoon. We can go to the English Corner on Friday afternoon. We hope we can spend more time on our subjects or on such activities. | middle2053.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Li Junzhe"
},
"options": [
"Dong Xu",
"Nobody",
"Zhu Hangjian",
"Li Junzhe"
],
"question": "Who has the experience of travelling alone?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Will you be excited when you finally get to relax? Here, three of the studetns tell us what they plan to do after the big exam.
Li Junzhe, 15, Huaihua, Hunan Province My friends and I will travel to Beijing right after the exam. We planned to go by ourselves but were turned down by our parents. They said we were too young to travel alone. They said they would go with us. I'm okay with it because I've already traveled by myself.
Zhu Hangian, 15, Dexing, Jiangxi Province What am I going to do this summer? Of course I'll go to see the Great Wall! But before that, I will watch movies. Because of the big exam, I haven't seen any movies for a long time. I will watch whatever is in the cinema! As for the Great Wall, I can't wait to see the beautiful views.
Dong Xu, 14, Dalian, Liaoning Province I will, no doubt, play computer games for days after the big exam. My mother never let me during the past few years. I can't imagine how exciting it will be. Also my friends and I will go to see the Great Wall. | middle4422.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in Rome"
},
"options": [
"in Rome",
"in Europe",
"in America",
"in Africa"
],
"question": "The topiary gardening first began _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | Is it a tree? Is it a bear? If you're looking at a tree in the shape of a bear, it's a topiary . A topiary is a tree or bush that is trained into a shape. Growing a topiary garden takes both time and skills.
A topiary gardener should make a drawing first. The drawing shows the final shape that the gardener likes. The gardener then chooses a bush for the topiary. It may be one that just planted or one that is already in place.
In June of the plant's first year, the gardener looks for new leaves. When the leaves grow, it's time to shape the bottom of the bush. It needs about five years. The top is not _ during this time. In the fifth year, the bush grows tall enough for shaping. Then the gardener begins to shape the whole bush.
Once a topiary has been started, it needs care all year. In the summer it must be cut many times to keep its shape. This cutting also helps the bush grow. In the winter the bushes don't grow. The gardeners have to brush snow off the plants, or snow may hurt some parts of them.
Topiary gardening is a very old art. The Romans did it in the first century. In the sixteenth century, people in Europe liked topiaries too. By the late 1600s, topiaries were also grown in America. Today it's popular in many parts of the world. | middle4344.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "his invention could stop wars in the world"
},
"options": [
"he would become the richest person of the world",
"his invention could stop wars in the world",
"the Nobel Prizes could be world - famous",
"no one could use ... | Alfred Nobel, a Swedish - born chemist, who died in 1896, at one time believed that his invention of explosives could bring wars to an end, But later he found he was wrong.
Nobel was born in Sweden in 1833. With only one year of formal schooling, he became a chemist and inventor by age of 16.
He was also a _ , speaking English, Russian, German and French besides Swedish. He wrote poetry . He began his work with producing liquid nitroglycerin for use in mining and construction. He then discovered that liquid nitroglycerin could be dried. He called it dynamite, after the Greek word dynamis, meaning "power". Then he became rich. When he died, his estate was worth about 89 million.
Nobel never married, and he left most of his estate to those who have been known as Nobel Prizes. The money is invested and the interest is given out as yearly prizes for persons who have done something special for mankind in the fields of physics, chemistry, physiology, medicine, literature, and peace.
Prizes were first awarded in 1901. Over the years, many great people such as Albert Einstein in physics, Marie Curie in chemistry, Martin Luther King, Jr. for peace and Mo yan for literature got the awards. | middle2735.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a skirt"
},
"options": [
"a hat",
"a shirt",
"a skirt",
"a sweater"
],
"question": "A kilt is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text"... | Not only women wear skirts. Men can wear them, too. In Scotland , men wear a kilt - a kind of skirt. The kilt is their national dress.
The kilt has checks and different colors, like red or blue. Each family in Scotland has its own colors. How did the Scotsmen start to wear kilts. There is a story about it. Rawlinson had some workers from Scotland in his office and he thought their clothing _ their work. So he cut their clothes into a shorter skirt.
Today, they usually only wear them at weddings or big dinners. Only a few men wear a kilt every day. Scotsmen also wear kilts in big parties. The policemen still have skills as the dress uniforms, but they don't wear them to catch the thieves. | middle7895.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It's worse than it used to be"
},
"options": [
"It's as good as it used to be.",
"It's worse than it used to be",
"It's better than it used to be.",
"It's the same as it used to be."
],
"question": "What does Mr... | My neighbor Mr. Black is seventy years old. He always complains about how fast things have changed, and he often says that life was better in the past than today. Now cities are full of cars. Some families even have two or more cars, so parking is becoming a big problem. The traffic in some cities is very bad. Some car drivers drive too fast, so there are more traffic accidents. Yesterday Mr. Black's old friend died because a car hit him. He is very sad now.
Most families own computers now. Now more and more children use the Internet now. The number of children using the Internet is becoming bigger and bigger. Mr. Black's grandson is a high school student. He often plays computer games on the Internet till midnight. He feels tired in the early hours of the morning and spends less time doing homework. His English teacher told Mr. Black that his grandson failed another test. Mr. Black got very angry with his grandson.
Families aren't what they used to be. A lot of families have broken up. If the husband and wife have problems with their marriage, they will _ . And mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now parents are both busy working. No one has time to look after children at home.
And people talk less to each other than before. They are too busy to talk, too busy to eat, too busy to think. Mr. Black thinks that life was simple and happy, but now it has changed a lot. | middle6553.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A natural park."
},
"options": [
"A hotel.",
"A natural park.",
"A hospital.",
"A cafe."
],
"question": "What kind of place is the Yorkshire Moors?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer... | Hello Sandy,
We have just returned from our holiday. We went with our friends Edward Smith and his wife Tina to the Yorkshire Moors. This is a beautiful place. It is a natural park. There are lots of places to walk on the tops of the hills, miles of grassland with no people, just sheep and birds.
Edward, who had just come out of hospital, could not walk as far as be used to. However this meant that we walked in the mornings, and then stopped at a cafe for lunch each day, before returning to the place we live. Edward and I slept in front of the fire all afternoon, while the ladies went for another walk. Very pleasant!
I have taken lots of photos from the place we live, across the valley below us, of the morning sunrise, and the mist in the valley. Also, in England, the old steam powered trains are very popular. I have taken many photos of the train and from it.
Yesterday we had the first snow of this winter. It is very early (we usually expect snow in January). It rained all day, then snowed in the evening. Today we have bright sunshine!
Both Jenny and I are well I don't know if I told you, in the last e-mail, that Jenny is now working in a hotel. Although she has to work hard, people there are nice and she is enjoying the work.
Please write to us to tell us your news.
Yours,
Victor | middle970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He fell down with the branch of the tree. Then he took the nuts and ate them."
},
"options": [
"He climbed up the tree and ate the nuts there.",
"He shook the apples off a tree and ate them.",
"He picked up the nuts on the gr... | It was getting late. There was no noise in the forest. We could only hear the birds singing. And then, a bear--a big brown bear--came into the forest.
The bear stopped under a tall tree. He was very hungry. He looked up into the tree. There in the nut tree was his supper--a supper of nice nuts. But the nuts were high up in the tree. The hungry bear could not reach them. But he knew how to get his supper. He climbed up the tree.
Up and up he climbed. He climbed onto a big branch of the tree. He sat there and then shook the branch again and again. At last the branch broke. The brown bear fell down with the branch and nuts.
The bear sat up and looked around. With his big paws he picked up the nuts and ate them up. | middle541.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In Mrs. Windsor's house."
},
"options": [
"In her school.",
"In Mrs. Windsor's house.",
"In a music club.",
"In Pasha's house."
],
"question": "Where did Jenny have her piano lessons?",
"question_type": "fac... | The Piano Lesson
Jenny wasn't interested in playing the piano. She liked writing stories and acting them out with her friends. But Mrs. Windsor gave her piano lessons for free, so she felt she should have a try. Every Sunday she had her piano lessons in Mrs. Windsor's house.
One Sunday morning, Jenny walked into Mrs. Windsor's music room and sat down on the piano bench as usual.
"Hello," Jenny heard a voice behind her. She turned around and saw a young girl.
"What's your name?" The girl asked.
Before Jenny could answer, Mrs. Windsor walked in and said, "Jenny, this is my niece , Pasha. Pasha, this is Jenny. I need to go to hospital, so Pasha will give you your lesson today."
Pasha sat beside Jenny on the piano bench and asked, "What piece do you like best?"
"I don't know." Jenny said. "They're all the same to me."
"You mean you don't have a favorite?" Pasha was surprised.
"No, not really." Jenny said.
Pasha opened Jenny's music book and asked Jenny to play.
After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of Jenny's. Jenny stopped. Then Pasha said, "Jenny, what are you hearing in the music?" Jenny looked at Pasha strangely.
"I don't know." Jenny said.
"Let me try and you listen," Pasha said. "All you have to do is learn to hear the stories in the music."
"I've never thought of it that way." Jenny said.
"Let's try together, shall we?" Pasha smiled. Together they played that afternoon and tried to find the story in the music. That day Jenny found playing the piano was not that difficult. | middle6962.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because his paws were full of honey."
},
"options": [
"Because his paws were full of honey.",
"Because there was something wrong with his legs.",
"Because he liked walking like that.",
"Because he wanted to get more hon... | It was a nice day, an old man decided to go fishing. But he got nothing.Finally, he gave up and went back home. He found the door open when he got home. He walked into his house and saw a big bear. The bear poured his honey all over the floor. His paws were full of(...) honey.
The old man was very angry, so he shouted to the bear. The bear ran out of the door strangely. And the old man ran after him.
The bear ran to the riverside. Standing on his back legs, he walked into the water. Soon many flies were on his paws. A big fish jumped out of the water and tried to eat the flies. The bear gave a swat to the fish and the fish flew to the riverside. Then another one... Soon
there were lots of fish on the riverside.
After a while, the bear went back to the riverside and ate lots of fish.He looked through the trees where the old man was, and then walked away.The old man came out the trees and found the bear had left six large fish for him. | middle555.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It's sunny and warm."
},
"options": [
"It's snowy.",
"It's windy.",
"It's Saturday.",
"It's sunny and warm."
],
"question": "How's the weather today?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Today is Saturday. It's sunny and warm. Many children from No. 1 Middle School are at the Old People's Home. Now, they're helping the old people.
Look! Li Min and Zhan Ran are cleaning the windows. Ma Lan and Liu Qian are washing clothes.
What's Li Na doing over there? Many old people are clapping their hands for her. Oh, she's singing for them. Her song is really beautiful. And where's the American boy, Tom? He likes helping others and he often comes here. Listen! Who's speaking English? It's Tom. He's teaching two old people to speak English.
All the children and the old people are very happy. "We are happy when we help others, " says Tom. | middle233.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a science magazine"
},
"options": [
"an advertisement of a typhoon",
"a travel record",
"a weather report",
"a science magazine"
],
"question": "This passage is most probably from _ .",
"question_type": "c... | Maybe you know floods, earthquakes, sandstorms and so on. But have you heard of typhoons?
Typhoons are some of the worst storms, usually around the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. Most happen in July, August and September.
How does a typhoon happen? When lots of sea water gets hot in the summer sun, it evaporates into the air. This makes the air hotter. When the air gets warm enough, it starts to move higher up into sky. Then cooler air around it rushes in. It fills the space that is left. After the air gets warmer, it starts to move quickly, making wind. The wind goes in circles and it keeps moving higher in the sky. The warmer the air gets, the quicker the wind moves. And when the wind moves faster than 30 metres a second, a typhoon begins.
A typhoon has two parts, one is called the "eye". In the eye, the wind does not move so fast. The other part is the wall of clouds around the eye. Here are the strongest winds and hardest rains.
Typhoons are very dangerous. In November this year, Typhoon Haiyan killed 5500 people in Philippines. More people are missing.
What to do when a typhoon hits?
Stay inside. Close all the windows and stay away from them.
Try to bring all of your things inside. Strong winds could even blow away your bikes!
Listen to the radio or TV for important information.
If you're told to go to a safer place, do it right now. | middle2286.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"2",
"3",
"4",
"5"
],
"question": "In fact, how many people are mentioned in the story? _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | A little boy went to a telephone booth at the cash counter of a store and made a phone call. The store owner looked at him and listened to the conversation.
Boy: "Lady, can you give me the job of cutting your lawn ?"
Woman (at the other end of the phone line): "No, thank you. I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman: "I'm very satisfied with the person who cuts my lawn."
Boy (with more perseverance ) : "Lady, I'll even sweep the floor and the stairs of your house for free."[:Zxxk.Com]
Woman: "No, thank you."
With a smile on his face, the little boy hung up the phone. The store owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store owner: "Son... I like your attitude . I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy: "No, thanks."
Store owner: "But you were really asking for one."
Boy: "No, Sir. I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to." | middle3198.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Five"
},
"options": [
"Three",
"Four",
"Five",
"Six"
],
"question": "How many people are there in Michaels's group?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Michael Jackson was one of the world's best singers. He was born in the middle west of the city of Gary, Indiana,in 1958. He began singing with his four brothers. They called the group, "The Jackson Five". The group became very popular after appearing on a television program. In 1970 the group made their their first record with the name of I Want You Back. It was very popular. One of their hit records was Never Say Goodbye.
Michael was good at dancing as well as singing, for example, his dance moves and moon walking. He was asked to act in a film in 1978 for the first time, and in the same year he made a record on his own, which was sold eight million _ all over the world.
Michael nearly didn't go out because he was too famous. Once his fans went off in a faint when they saw him at the concert. No one can do it by now. He lived in a large house and kept lots of animals. He never ate meat. He often raised money for charity. This made him win the Guinness world Records in 2006. He died on June 25th, 2009, but he would live in our hearts forever. | middle6786.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he won't get to see his daughter grow up"
},
"options": [
"he is badly ill and in pain",
"he argues with his wife at times",
"he won't get to see his daughter grow up",
"his daughter is not willing to take his advice"
... | Darling Kelli,
I'm so sorry I will not get to see you grow up as I so want to. Please don't blame people or the world for this. A lot of life is simply luck and mine is running out.
I wish I had the words to make you feel better. I wish you didn't have to see me in pain as you often do now. I wish so many things were different but they are not.
But while your old dad is still around, I thought I'd try to give you some life advice in one go. I hope it gives you some comfort. I hope cancer never returns so that your life is long, fulfilled and happy.
Everyone will say it's of great importance to work hard at school. I hope you'll always do your best. I did well at school but did it do me much good in life? Not really. Schoolwork is important, but make sure you have fun too.
You and your mom will argue at times, especially when you're a teenager. Please remember she loves you and wants the best for you. Give Mommy a hug when she is feeling sad. When you're a teenager you might think your friends are right and your mom is wrong. But she has to make hard decisions for you. Treat her well.
You'll have boyfriends when you're older, so here's some advice. It's very hard to describe how it feels to really be in love. You might remember seeing your mom and I laughing together and cuddling on the sofa, and once the love hearts and flowers fade that's what real love looks like. Have fun finding it.
Most important of all: Your laugh takes over your whole body. I hope you never lose that. There is no point in asking you not to be sad when I go. I know you will be, princess. And I wish I could be there to hug you until you smile again.
And finally, thank you for being you, Kelli. Enjoy your life. Don't rush through it. All my love, always, goes to you, princess. | middle7498.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "different from"
},
"options": [
"different from",
"the same as",
"more difficult than",
"as easy as"
],
"question": "According to the writer, textbook English is _ daily English.",
"question_type": "cloze_... | Do you want to know about my staying in America? It was really an eye-opening experience. In China, I had English classes five times a week. However, I didn't know how different textbook English was from daily English until I went to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say "I'm fine" when people say "How are you?" But in America, I found that people said "I'm good" or "I'm tired." One day, someone greeted me with "What's up?" It made me _ . I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn't know what to say.
To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun. However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin whiter. I'm also surprised by how hard-working American students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard. But in America, a good student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music. | middle4191.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "take Uncle Wu to the factory"
},
"options": [
"go to school",
"run",
"take Uncle Wu to the factory",
"cook"
],
"question": "On weekdays, Zhang Lin gets up early to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Zhang Lin is a middle school student. He is a good boy. Uncle Wu lives next to him. Uncle Wu has no child and can't see anything. He works in the factory near Zhang Lin's school. He goes to work at 7:30 in the morning and comes home at 4:30 in the afternoon. Zhang Lin walks to school at 8:00 in the morning and comes home at the same time as Uncle Wu in the afternoon. On weekdays Zhang Lin gets up early to take Uncle Wu to the factory. After school he takes him home. On Sundays Zhang Lin helps Uncle Wu clean the house and do some cooking. Uncle Wu thanks Zhang Lin very much. He says, "Zhang Lin is a good boy. He is like my son." | middle3826.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "His car broke down."
},
"options": [
"He lost his way.",
"His car broke down.",
"He was in danger.",
"He missed the bus"
],
"question": "What happened to Sam one evening this May?",
"question_type": null
}... | My name is Sam. I joined a club called "Passing help" last month. Now let me tell you why I joined it.
One evening this May, on my way home my old car broke down. It was 25 miles from my home. I wanted to _ in somebody else's car, but it was dark and there was no car. It was also hard to take a taxi. I decided to take a bus home. I went to a bus stop nearby.
After a while, a bus came ,but it did not go to my town. The bus driver was a young woman. She was kind and she told me which bus I should take. I waited there for about thirty minutes, but no bus came . At last a car came to me and a woman came out of the car. She was just the bus driver.
" When I reached the bus station. I got to know that the bus to your town couldn't come, so I returned here. I just can't leave you here," she said ."Get in my car and I will take you back to your home."
"It is a long way," I said.
"Come on, sir," she said."Let's go."
On the way she told me a story. A few days ago. There wasn't gas in her car. An old man drove her up to a gas station and then back to her car.
When we got to my home ,I wanted to give her some money to thank her, but she didn't accept it. " I only want to help others and do something nice for somebody. Pass it along." She said. | middle4185.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "do his mother's job"
},
"options": [
"look after her",
"do the housework",
"do his mother's job",
"do his father's job"
],
"question": "Chaplin used to _ when his mother was ill.",
"question_type": "cloze_... | "Charles Chaplin was horn in London on April 16,1889.His parents were music ball actors. The Chaplin family were very poor,and life was difficult in London. Charlie,as his job was an actor. What he did was to do silly things to make called, used to do his mother's job in the theatre when she was ill.
When he was only 17 years old,Chaplin got his first real job as an actor. What he did was to do silly things to make people laugh in the theatre.Seven years later he went to the USA. And over the next four years,he formed his own way of art. He developed the character of a homeless gentleman which became very popular.
From the 1920s to the 19S0s.Chaplin made his most famous films. The film Modern Times(1936) shows his care about the modern industry workers. Many of his films describe the poor life and hard time of the working people during that period.
Although Charlie Chaplin was British, he lived in the USA until 1953. But he never got US nationality. Then Chaplin ,his wife and his five children had to move to Switzerland where he lived until he died. When he was 83 years old,he won his only Oscar for the music he wrote for the film . He was named Sir Charles Chaplin at the age of 85. Charlie Chaplin died in Switzerland on December 25th,1975. | middle3832.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Four."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many people are there in Mr Brown's family?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | This is Mr Brown's family. In his family there are four people:Mr Brown, Mrs Brown, their son Tony and their daughter Sally.
Mr Brown is sitting in a chair. He is reading a newspaper. Mrs Brown is sitting at the desk. She is writing a letter. Tony is lying in the bed. He is reading a storybook. Sally is sitting on the floor. She is playing with her toy car. There is a cat under the desk. What is the cat doing? It is sleeping. | middle6792.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "E-mail English shouldn't be used in school writing."
},
"options": [
"Parents will have to learn some e-mail English.",
"E-mail English will develop our everyday writing.",
"E-mail English can't be used among schoolmates.",
... | Do you speak English? Do you speak e-mail English? Maybe you don't. E-mail English is a new kind of English that many people use to save time. A lot of e-mail English words come from a computer program called QQ, which means I seek you. Ian Lancashire, a Canadian teacher, likes QQ, "People can use QQ to talk with each other using computer. But, you have to be able to type quickly or the other person will be bored. So e-mail English can give some help."
A message in e-mail English mostly uses two kinds of new words. The first kind is made up of the first letters of the words. These are called acronyms. The second kind is homophones,letter combination , symbols that sound like other words.
Acronyms in an e-mail save space and time. It takes a long time to writeby the way. BTW is much faster. Other acronyms are F2F which stands forface to face, CSL forcan't stop laughingand DBEYR fordon't believe everything you read!Some of the acronyms look like strange words, such as SWAK. But this one meanssealed with a kiss.
Homophones often use letters and numbers that sound like words or parts of words. For example, 8 sound like--eatingreat, to save time, people write gr8. Another example is CU forsee youor sometimes CU l8r (see you later)
The number 2 is used fortoortoo and the number 4 is used instead offor.
Another part of e-mail is emotive symbols which make faces when you look at them sideways. The most common emotive, is the happy face :). A comma is often used to help add other parts of the face and show different expressions.
E-mail English is fun. An e-mail message with lots of e-mail English starts to look like secret code . Your best friend will probably understand it, but your parents and teachers may not. In fact, many teachers don't like e-mail English. It's not just because they can't _ what it means. It's because students start to use e-mail English in their everyday writing. E-mail English is great for writing quickly. But most teachers say that e-mail English should only be used in e-mails to one's friends. | middle569.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "weigh and talk to people"
},
"options": [
"weigh and talk to people",
"tell people what they should eat",
"speak all kinds of languages",
"make people laugh"
],
"question": "The machine in this passage could_.",... | A man made a nice talking machine .It could weigh people's weight .The man wanted to try the machine before he could make a lot of machines. He put the machine into the waiting room of a station .There were always lots of people in and out .
The first one who used the machine was an Indian woman. She stood on the machine, the machine thought for a few seconds to decide which language to speak .
"Good morning ,Madam ."it said in Indian . "Your weight is 72 kilograms .That's three kilograms more .If you eat more fruit and vegetables ,you will be soon all right .Please have a nice day ."
The second one to use the machine was a Chinese girl .She stood on the machine and waited to hear her weight.
" Good morning ,Miss ."the machine said in Chinese ."Your weight is 45 kilograms .It's all right for your age. Keep eating what you eat every day .Please have a nice day."
The third one to use the machine was a very fat American woman. She thought for a long time to stand on the machine.
The machine spoke quickly in English "Good morning .Will one of you get off?" | middle1943.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "dream and hold fast to them"
},
"options": [
"find a way to dream",
"dream and hold fast to them",
"get the meaning of life",
"have very good school results"
],
"question": "People who _ could probably reali... | Even in early time, people could realize the important of dreams and knew that dreams gave meaning to life. Every great achievement has been the result of years of dreaming. If a person has a dream and holds fast to it, he or she will find a way to bring it into reality .
Children do not have much experience or knowledge. However, they are natural dreamers. We should not laugh at them for being _ . Many great men were dreamers when they were children. One such dreamer was Thomas Edison. He used to be ostracized when he was in primary school, but his achievements were greater than everyone else's in his time.
Teenagers and young people should also be encouraged to dream. The world is full of successful teenagers and young people. They dreamt big and their dreams changed their lives and even the world. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are the good examples. They have developed technology and brought great progress to human besides making money for themselves.
Older people should believe that it is never too late to dream and that human mind is never too old to make dreams turn into reality. Colonel Saunders realized his dreams at the age of 67 and set up the biggest fried chicken company (KFC) in the world.
To dream is a wonderful ability which can lead to wonderful results. Olympic records were broken by players who were brave enough to dream. No one is too young or too old to dream and to make dreams come true. | middle3167.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They want to have more chance to look for better jobs"
},
"options": [
"They are old enough to live all by themselves",
"The parents are too busy to look after their children",
"They want to have more chance to look for bet... | Most American families are smaller than those in other countries. Usually there are one or two parents and one or two children in each American family.
Children in the USA will leave their parents when they grow up. They want to find better jobs, so they usually live far away from their parents. They often write to their parents or call them. And they go to visit their parents during their holidays.
Parents will ask their children to do some work around their house. In many families children will get money for doing some housework so that they can learn to make money for their own. Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think that for young people it is important to decide on their lives by themselves. | middle4608.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because she thought she should be modest."
},
"options": [
"Because she thought she should be proud.",
"Because she thought she should be confident.",
"Because she thought she should be modest.",
"Because she thought sh... | One day, I heard an American boy said to a Chinese girl student, "You speak very good English. " But the girl answered, " No, no. My English is very poor. " The foreigner was quite surprised at the answer. Thinking he had not made himself understood or the girl had not heard him clearly, he said, " Yes, indeed, you speak very well. " But the girl still kept saying, "No. " In the end, the American boy could not understand and didn't know what to say.
What's wrong with the girl's answer? She didn't accept a compliment in the same way as the American people do. She should answer, "Thank you" instead of "No". She really understood what the American boy had said, but she thought she should be modest. In the west, people will feel proud and confident when they are praised. So if someone says the dishes you have cooked are very delicious, you should say, "Thank you."
In our country, we think being modest is a virtue and being proud is a bad thing, but in my opinion, being confident does not mean being proud, so sometimes you should be confident instead of being modest.
If you are modest and say, "No, I'm afraid I can't do it well", while working in a western country, the others may think that you really cannot do it. If you often say, "No", you will certainly be _ by others. When asking for a job, if one says something like''Yes,I can certainly do it"instead of "let me have a try",he or she will expect to get it. So in the west, you should be brave to show your self-confidence. | middle5516.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "in their drama classes"
},
"options": [
"in a theatre",
"in a television studio",
"in a radio station",
"in their drama classes"
],
"question": "The students make TV programmes and films _ .",
"question_t... | In this school, most students come from rich families and some of them have famous parents. People from Hollywood sometimes go to Beverly Hills High School to look for future actors.
School life
There are lots of good things about going to this school: There are two theatres, a television studio and a radio station. The students make TV programmes and films in their drama classes. The biggest activity of the school year is the school dance.
Travelling to school
In California, children can learn to drive three months before their sixteenth birthday. Lots of students in Beverly Hills High School have their own cars, but they have to pay a lot of money to park their cars in the school parking area.
What the children think
Most children enjoy going to Beverly Hills High School because it is fun and there is much to do. But some children do not like the school if their parents don't have enough money to buy them a fast car or expensive clothes. | middle2279.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He asked to sit next to her."
},
"options": [
"He walked past her.",
"He asked to sit next to her.",
"He spoke angrily to her.",
"He spoke to her dog."
],
"question": "What did Jack do when he saw the woman?",
... | One day when Jack was walking inthe park, he saw a woman he knew sitting on a bench with a dog beside her. The dog was looking up at the woman.
Jack walked up to the woman and said, "Hello. Sue, how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a while?"
"Of course, please sit down,"Sue said.
Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together.
The dog continued to look up at Sue, as if waiting to be fed.
"That's a nice dog"Jack said, pointing at the animal.
"Yes, he's handsome. He's a bit of a mixture but that's not a bad thing.
He's strong and healthy"
"And hungry," Jack said. "He hasn't taken his eyes off you. He thinks you've got
some food for him."
"That's true,"Sue said, But I haven't."
The two friends laughed and then Jack said, "Does your dog bite?"
"No," Sue said. "He's never bitten anyone. He's always gentle and good-tempered
."
Hearing this, Jack decided to _ the dog. He put out his hand and touched the
animal's head. Immediately it jumped up and bit him.
"Hey!" Jack shouted. "You said he didn't bite."
"No, I didn't,"Sue replied. "You asked,if my dog bit, and I said no. | middle1770.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "kitchen"
},
"options": [
"kitchen",
"store",
"bedroom",
"garden"
],
"question": "The boy handed the piece of paper to his mother in the _ one evening.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | Our little boy came up to his mother one evening while she was cooking supper, and handed her a piece of paper with some words written on. And this is what it said:
For cutting the grass in the garden $5.00
For cleaning up my bedroom this week $1. 00
For going to the store for you $0. 50
For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $2. 25
For taking out the rubbish $1. 00
For getting a good report card $5. 00
Total owed : $14.75
After reading, his mother thought for a while. Then she picked up the pen, turned over the paper and wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me--free
For the nights and days I worried about you--free
For the toys, clothes, food--free
For all the love I've given you--free
Then with tears in his eyes, our son looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I love you. " And he took the pen and wrote: "PAID IN FULL". | middle7467.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "At 6:30 a. m."
},
"options": [
"At 6:00 a. m.",
"At 6:30 a. m.",
"At 7:00 a. m.",
"At 7:15 a. m."
],
"question": "What time does Judie usually get up?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"ans... | Judie is a good student. She usually gets up at half past six in the morning. She does morning exercises for half an hour. Then she reads English from 7:00 a. m. to 7:30 a. m. She has breakfast at home. She goes to school at 7:45 a. m. She has four classes in the morning. She usually has lunch at school, but on Sundays she has lunch at home with her family. She has three classes in the afternoon. She goes home at 5:00 p.m. She usually has dinner at about 6:00 p.m. Then she does her homework from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. She doesn't like watching TV in the evening. | middle6779.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the eighteenth century"
},
"options": [
"the eighteenth century",
"the eighteen century",
"eighteenth centuries",
"eighteen centuries"
],
"question": "Tea and coffee were first introducd to Europe in _ .",
... | When tea and coffee were first introduced to Europe in the 18th century, people had different ideas about their use.Some said that tea and coffee were harmful to humans and they could cause people to die.
In Sweden , King Gustaf III decided to find out whether or not this was true.It happened that there were two brothers in prison at that time.They were twins and were almost alike in every way.They had both been sentenced to death .The King decided to let them live if one of the men agreed to drink several cups of tea each day and the other several cups of coffee.
Both brothers lived many years without problems of any kind.At last,the brother who had drunk tea every day died at the age of 83,the other died a few years later.
Because of the experiment , tea and coffee got accepted and became popular as drink in Sweden, and it is one of the many countries of the world where much tea and coffee is drunk today. | middle1016.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Reading"
},
"options": [
"Dancing",
"Reading",
"Drawing",
"Singing"
],
"question": "What does Helen like doing ?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Our school life is very interesting! My friends and I study hard at school. And we are good at our lessons. We are very happy. We have lots of time for our hobbies. My classmates all want to go to different clubs. Helen wants to join the Reading Club. She loves reading books. The Reading Club meets every Wednesday at three thirty. Lily enjoys dancing. She wants to join the Dancing Club. It meets on Mondays at four thirty. There's also an Art Club. It meets on Fridays at four o'clock. Nick doesn't want to join the Art Club. He doesn't like drawing. He thinks it is too difficult for him . Nick likes playing computer games. He wants to join the Computer Club. It meets every Thursday at three forty-five. Mike loves sports. He wants to join the football team. They play football every Monday at three thirty. I want to join the Music Club. I like listening to music with my friends. The Music Club meets on Tuesday at three fifteen.
,: | middle3601.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Act."
},
"options": [
"Play the guitar.",
"Write stories.",
"Play the violin.",
"Act."
],
"question": "What can't Tom do?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | My name is Tom.I want to join a club in my school.I'm not famous now,but maybe I can be famous someday.I can't sing or dance or act,but I can do many other things.I can play three kinds of instruments:the guitar,the violin and the drums.I think I can be in the music club.Maybe I can be a famous musician.I like to read storybooks and I can write stories.Maybe I can be a famous writer.I like sports,too,but I am not good at it,so I don't join the sports club. | middle5264.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "sometimes kind to each other"
},
"options": [
"always kind to each other",
"sometimes kind to each other",
"dear brothers",
"friends of different school"
],
"question": "Tom and Mike were _",
"question_type... | Tom and Mike were good friends. Sometimes they were kind to each other, sometimes they were not. But all of their classmates said they were like brothers.
One day they went out for a walk together. At noon they were very hungry and they went into a restaurant to have lunch. The waiter came up to them and asked,"What can I do for you?"
"Please bring us two apples first." said Tom.
When the waiter put two apples on the table, Mike took the bigger one at once. Tom got angry,
"You are impolite,Mike. Why don't you take the smaller one?" Tom said.
"But I am right."said Mike with a smile,"if I let you take first, which one will you choose?"
"Of course I'11 take the smaller one. "said Tom.
"Yes."Mike said,"If you take the smaller one,the bigger one will still be mine. Don't you think so?"
"Oh!"Tom couldn't answer. | middle3615.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Most people spend about 20 minutes making three calls a day."
},
"options": [
"Most people spend nearly two hours texting a day.",
"Most people spend about 20 minutes making three calls a day.",
"Most people spend mosttime of... | A study found most people use their smart phones for an hour and 52 minutes a day. Most of this time is taken up with texting, emails and surfing the web, but only around 20 minutes is spent making three calls.
The survey of 2,000 people found that social media apps, calculators , calendars and cameras were
also seen as particularly important functions. Navigation apps such as Google Maps were popular too - with one in six people admitting they would feel unable to travel around an unfamiliar city without _ . The study also found checking Facebook and taking pictures of others are carried out more frequently than making calls. Also on the list were the calendar to remember appointments and birthdays, mobile banking and the news are apps that make day-to-day life a little easier.
Tom Barr said: 'The functions on a mobile phone have developed and improved drastically over the past 10 years. With so many ways to keep in touch nowadays, people are using the functions that are convenient for them. As we get less and less time to ourselves, we need more convenience in our lives and less difficulty. While calling can be more personal, it doesn't always save your time.'
Scientists at Rice University wanted to see if the latest mobile technology would be used by the students to
improve their learning. But a year later, the researchers concluded that it's not enough to give students the right
technology, but said they need guidance about how to use it. | middle7473.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "China"
},
"options": [
"France",
"Japan",
"Korea",
"China"
],
"question": "Harry came to London from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answe... | Dear Fang,
How are you these days? I have been in England for two months. It's not a long time for a newcomer, and there are still a lot of things to do. Sorry for not being able to write to you soon.
London is an old but beautiful city. There are lots of places of interest to visit. Last weekend I went along Thames River with some friends from Japan, Korea and some other countries. The modern skyscrapers among the old buildings impressed(...) us deeply. The classes started two weeks after I arrived here alone. Besides the language, I'm trying to learn about the culture as well. British people are quite different from the Chinese. Do you know the people here do not shake hands as much as we do in China? And it's never a good habit to make noise when you eat. They think it's impolite.
There is so much to say, but I have to stop.
I will write to you soon again.
Love,
Harry | middle1002.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Thursday evening"
},
"options": [
"Thursday evening",
"Friday evening",
"Friday morning",
"Thursday morning"
],
"question": "When do Nancy and Peter listen to the weather report?",
"question_type": "factiod_... | Nancy and Peter like sports. In summer they swim and in winter they ski. They are planning a ski trip for this weekend, but they don't know about the weather. It's 7:30 now, and they are listening to the weather report on the radio. The weatherman is giving the weather for the weekend.
"Friday is going to be cold and cloudy, but it's not going to rain. It's going to snow on Friday night and maybe Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are going to be cold and sunny." Now Nancy and Peter are excited. The weather is going to be good for a ski trip. They are going to have a wonderful weekend in the mountains. | middle596.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Three ."
},
"options": [
"Three .",
"Four .",
"Five .",
"Six ."
],
"question": "How many family members will Mai hajui Baihetiya buy presents for? _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Summer holiday is coming , what do you like to do ?here are four students telling us what they will do in the coming summer holiday.
Mai hajui Baihetiya, 14 .
I am from Xinjiang . I am studying at Tianjin No.2 Middle School now. I will go on a trip to Beijing . I am going to the Great Wall , the Summer Palace and the Palace Museum . I will go to Wangfujing Street to buy a sweater for my mother, a scarf for my father and a T- shirt for my brother.
Wu Jun, 13.
I come from Shanghai . My favourite season is summer . I like going swimming with my friends in the swimming pool. It is very exciting .
Mike ,13 .
I am studying at Nanjing No. 5 Middle School . I miss my parents very much . I will go back to America to see my family . Summer is a good season to go out . I will have a picnic with my friends in the countryside . I can also play football and baseball with my friends . How happy we will be .
Liu Shuyi, 14,
I am from Shanghai . I like summer best because I can eat ice cream and wear a dress. I am not good at English . I will join an English club to learn English . | middle1764.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "75 percent"
},
"options": [
"100 percent",
"75 percent",
"50 percent",
"25 percent"
],
"question": "According to the passage, _ of people might fear to speak in public.",
"question_type": "cloze_question... | Many people have a fear of public speaking. According to a study, it has an influence on 3 in every 4 people. This fact is surprising and worrying, as most jobs require some speaking ability. The following will help you to make a speech better.
Write note cards. Write main ideas on your cards. Don't write details. Put in some fun facts, questions, and other activities on the cards to share with the class. Don't look at your note cards for a long time while speaking. If necessary, you're only going to want to have a quick look at the card for information, not read every last word.
Smile at your class. When it comes time to speak, there's nothing that draws your class into your speech than a good old-fashioned smile. Be happy, because you're about to teach your class something they didn't know before. Studies have shown that _ . That means once you smile, it's hard for everyone else not to smile. So if you want your speech to go off well, smile. That'll make everyone smile and maybe those smiles will make you actually smile.
Make eye contact. Nothing is more boring than listening to a speaker who looks at the floor or at note cards. Relax. Your class is made up of your friends and you talk to them all the time. Talk the same way now. have a look at every person in the classroom at least once. That way, everyone will feel like you're communicating with them. Also, you'll look like you know what you're talking about.
Use hand motions. Move your hands along as you talk, using them to express your key points and keep the class interested. It will also lead your nervous energy into a better place. | middle3173.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Eight"
},
"options": [
"Seven",
"Eight",
"Nine",
"Ten"
],
"question": "How many people are there in Mo's Bow's Company?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3... | So far, there have been so many successful men and women in the world. And it's no surprise for many of us to dream of doing business when we grow up. However, Moziah Bridge tells us quite different story.
Moziah Bridges is now the CEO of his Mo's Bow's company. He has already earned $200,000 by selling bow ties and other men's fashion accessories . The boy designs all the bow ties together with seven other workers in the company, including his mother and grandmother.
"Mo is the CEO of the company, but I am the CEO of Mo," Bridges' grandma said.
About four years ago, when Bridges went shopping for bow ties, he found they were in ugly" black and red. He wanted a change. So he asked his grandma to teach him to sew and finally he developed the talent of creating bow ties. Though his very first bow tie didn't look nice, the young sewer kept on practicing. He used colorful cloth with different pictures. Then his parents and friends started to like his works.
At first he tried to sell them online to several stores in the south. Soon Mo's bow ties became popular. With the help of Dayond John, CEO of the famous US clothes brand FUBU, Bridges built his own company. Not only did Daymond John provide money for him, but also produced Bridges to the circle of fashion and business industries.
Now the 13-year-old's business has developed rapidly. So you can just start now! You don't have to wait till you're older. If you have a dream, go for it! | middle5502.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It was bright blue."
},
"options": [
"It had four legs.",
"It was bright blue.",
"It was six feet long.",
"It died when caught."
],
"question": "Which is TRUE about the first coelacanth in the passage?",
"qu... | In 1938, a fishing boat off the coast of Africa pulled up its nets. One net held a very strange fish, five feet long and bright blue. Strangest of all, it had fins that looked like legs!
In the nets, only this fish stayed alive for several hours. Before the fish began to rot ( ), a young woman made a drawing of it. She sent her drawing to a scientist on sea life, Professor J. B. Smith.
Upon seeing her drawing of the fish, Smith couldn't believe his eyes. Could it be true? It just didn't seem possible, but there it was. It could be only one thing, a coelacanth, a fish people believe having died out fifty million years ago. How could the fish be swimming about only a few days before?
If we found one, there must be others. The professor put up posters offering a reward for catching such a fish. Other scientists laughed at Smith. They thought the search was a waste of time. Years passed. It seemed the other scientists were right. But Smith never gave up hope. One day, fourteen years later, the professor received a telegram. Afish had been caught that looked like the one in the poster. Would the scientist fly to the region and check the fish? Smith did.
With shaking fingers the professor raised the cloth around the fish. It was exactly like the one in the young woman's drawing. It was a coelacanth,a missing link with the past!
After the discovery of the coelacanth, scientists began to wonder. Is it possible that an even stranger creature will someday be discovered? | middle4634.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "seabird"
},
"options": [
"fish",
"land-bird",
"seabird",
"animal"
],
"question": "The seagull is a kind of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | There are seabirds as well as land-birds. The most ordinary seabird is the seagull. It has a white body, a white head and a yellow beak. There is a very, very spot of red at the very end of the beak, underneath. All gulls have very strong wings so that they can fly far out to sea. If a gull flies out too far, so that it is too tired to fly back to the shore , it does not get frightened, for it can sit and rest upon the waves . A seagull's wings do not get wet because all its feathers have a kind of oil over them, so that when the water gets on to the feathers, it just runs off again. Gulls can even sleep upon the waves.
Sailors know a lot about seagulls and they never kill them. When the gulls fly a long way out to sea, sailors say that it means fine weather is coming. When the gulls stay near the shore, sailors say they there will be much wind and rain, and perhaps a storm, for the gulls know more about the weather than sailors do. | middle2245.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "wait for the train"
},
"options": [
"want to stay for night",
"want to meet friends",
"wait for the train",
"want to buy train tickets"
],
"question": "The persons who come to the restaurant are those who _",
... | A man and his wife had a small restaurant near a train station. The restaurant often stayed open until after midnight, because people came to drink and have meals while they were waiting for trains.
At two o'clock one morning, a farmer was still sitting at a table there. He was asleep. The wife of the owner of the restaurant was very sleepy and wanted to go to bed. She looked at the farmer several times and waited for him to wake up and go, but each time she looked, the farmer was still there sleeping. Then at last she went to her husband and said to him, "You have woken him six times now, but why haven't you sent him away? It's very late."
"Oh, no, I don't want to _ " answered her husband with a smile. "You see, whenever I wake him up, he asks for his bill , and when I give him the bill, he pays it and then goes to sleep again." | middle4152.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many kinds of things did Peter have in his plastic bag?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | On Thursday a new boy came into the classroom. He didn't have any uniform on. Just trousers, a jacket and a shirt. Tom could see that the boy wasn't quite comfortable. He had a plastic bag with exercise books, pens, pencils, rulers and erasers in it. The boy stood at the blackboard. Mrs. Brown talked to the boy, and then she said, "Boys and girls, this is Peter. He is your new classmate. Peter is your age. I hope you'll get on well with each other. Peter will spend a lot of time together with you."Mrs Brown asked Peter to sit next to Tom at the desk near the window.
The students had math after that and Tom could see that Peter was not bad at it. He counted well. It was not difficult for him at all. Then Mrs. Brown said," It is half past twelve. It's time to have lunch. "Peter joined Tom and went to wash his hands. Then the boys sat down on the floor and started to open their lunch bags. Tom opened his bag and put his hand in it. He took out an old brown apple, some old cheese and some fish from dinner."Oh, no!" cried Tom." This is rubbish. I have the wrong bag. I took the rubbish bag and left my lunch bag at home. I have only rubbish for lunch today." The other children laughed and laughed. Then Peter said," I have two eggs. Why don't you have one? I don't need two. And would you like some bread?" Tom smiled," Thanks. It's very kind of you." | middle6745.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "collecting stamps"
},
"options": [
"keeping pets",
"rising flowers",
"collecting stamps",
"building model ships"
],
"question": "Jack likes _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | We all know that different people have different hobbies. Some like planting flowers, some like exercising and others like building model ships. I am Jack and I like collecting stamps.
There are four people in my family and they are my parents, my brother and I. My father works in a big company. He usually goes abroad three or four times a year. Two years ago when he was working abroad, he sent home a letter with a beautiful stamp on the envelope. The stamp was very beautiful and I like it very much. Since then, when my father goes abroad, I always ask him to send me different stamps from different countries.
My brother went to college last year and he often wrote me letters instead of chatting with me or sending e-mail to me, so that I could see the beautiful stamps on the envelopes and I always took them down and put them in my box. Now I have more than a thousand stamps. From these stamps I can learn a lot of knowledge like the history persons. Whenever I look through the beautiful stamps, I will feel relaxed and happy. They are like my "good and nice friends." | middle6989.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He cared little about the teacher's emphasis"
},
"options": [
"English idioms were too difficult to master",
"He cared little about the teacher's emphasis",
"His teacher didn't emphasize the importance",
"He had no inte... | A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an _ experience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished, gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, saying , "You don't say!" I was puzzled, I thought, perhaps this is not a proper topic. "Well, I'd better change the topic" So I said to him, "Well shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?" "Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent." He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide, "The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world, We are very proud of it." Soon I was interrupted again by his order "You don't say!"I couldn't help asking, "Why do you ask me not to talk about is?" "Well, I didn't request you to do so," he answered, greatly surprised .I said , "Didn't you say you don't say?" Hearing this, the Englishman laughed into tears .He began to explain, "You don't say actually means really? It is an expression of surprise .Perhaps you don't pay attention to English idioms."
Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions | middle6751.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "go to bed early and have a good rest"
},
"options": [
"study hard and sleep less",
"get up early and do a lot of reading",
"go to bed early and have a good rest",
"go to bed late and get up late"
],
"question": ... | A good way to pass an examination is to work hard everyday in the year. You may fail in the examination if you are lazy for most of the year and then work hard only a few days before the examination.
If you are taking an English examination, you shouldn't only learn the rules of grammar. Try to read stories in English and speak in English whenever you can. Several days before examination you should start going to bed early. Do not stay up late at night studying and learning things. Before you start the examination, read carefully over the examination paper. Try to understand the exact meaning ofeach question before you pick up your pen to write. When you have finished your examination At last ,read your answers, correct any mistakes that you see and make sure that you have not _ anything _
,. | middle2537.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because they are very dangerous."
},
"options": [
"Because they are very dangerous.",
"Because they are very friendly",
"Because they need to be free.",
"Because they like to be in cages."
],
"question": "Why do... | There is a zoo named Zhongshan in our city. There are many animals. Some animals are very friendly. But some other animals are not. Tigers, lions and some snakes are dangerous . That's why they must be in cages . But I don't think it's good for animals to be in cages. They need to be free. The animals in cages cannot be happy.
Tigers usually live in forests and mountains . They are strong and can run very fast . They run after and eat small animals like rabbits and deer , but now they are in small cages. They have nothing to do every day. So they walk around in the cages, and they want to come out. When they are tired, they sleep. I am kind of sorry for them. | middle5258.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "eraser"
},
"options": [
"pen",
"book",
"ruler",
"eraser"
],
"question": "Simon found a (n) _ in the classroom.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | Dear Betty,
I'm your eraser Jill .This afternoon you lost me in your classroom. Simon found me and gave me to your English teacher Ms White. Now Ms White's three keys and I are in Ms. White's bag. The bag is yellow. It's on Ms White's desk. Please call Ms White at 718-0167 and ask her for me .You can come to the library, too. Ms White is in the library now.
Jill | middle4146.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "special"
},
"options": [
"special",
"popular",
"expensive",
"store-bought"
],
"question": "According to the passage, _ gifts are the best.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Giving a gift can mean a lot. It can be a way to deepen a friendship. Before you get a gift for someone, spend time really thinking about what makes him or her special. Think about their interests, hobbies, needs and happiest moments. For example, friends and families with children might love a special calendar that contains everyone's birthday and other special dates and events.
For music fans, a CD filled with their favourite music always makes a special gift.
Spending time with loved ones is also a way to give them a gift. You might take that special person out for a birthday dinner at your favourite restaurant.
Making a gift for someone using your own skills is very special. It is much more meaningful than a store-bought gift and shows how much you care!
Writing your feelings in a greeting card can be a simple way to make a keepsake that will be remembered for years. | middle3629.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "author's mother-in-law"
},
"options": [
"author's mother",
"Author's father",
"author's mother-in-law",
"author's father-in-law"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the jelly maker is the _ .",
"que... | OUR children grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The right jelly makes them very happy, and homemade is the only choice.
I wasn't the jelly maker in this family. My mother-in-law was. She didn't provide a wide range of flavors , either. It was either grape or blackberry. And since we liked both flavors, we usually picked whatever jar was at the front of the pantry .
It was always there. Jelly making was just a way of life for her. She always did it, following the same habits ---from picking the fruit to setting the finished jelly on the homemade shelves.
This past December, my mother-in-law passed away. Among the things in the house to be divided up were the remaining canned goods. Each of us chose from the many jars of tomato juice, green beans and jelly.
The other day I reached in there to get jelly for a quick sandwich, and there it was. Sitting all alone on the far side of the shelf was a small jar of grape jelly. Written on the lid with a black marker was "GR" for grape and the year the jelly had been made.
As I picked up the jar, I suddenly realized something that I had failed to see earlier. This was the last jar we would ever have from my mother-in-law's patient, loving hands. Our children had never known a day without their grandmother's jelly. It seems like such a small thing, but it was a great treasure.
Holding that last jar in my hand, my heart traveled back to meeting my mother-in-law for the first time. I saw her crying on our wedding day, and later, kissing and loving our children. I saw her walking in the woods or riding the wagon . I saw her surrounded by loving children at her funeral.
I put the jelly back on the shelf. No longer was it just a jar of jelly. I guess I believed that as long as it was there, my mother-in-law would always live on. | middle4620.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "money"
},
"options": [
"pleasure",
"money",
"Love",
"friends"
],
"question": "The young man played the violin for _ at the entrance of the subway station.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | On a Friday night,a poor young violinist was playing his violin at the entrance of the subway station. The music was so great that people slowed down to listen and put some money into his hat.
The next day,the violinist came to the entrance again. He put down his hat as usual. Beside the hat was a piece of paper with some words on it. It said,"A George Sang has put an important thing into my hat by mistake. Welcome to claim it."Soon the people were all attracted by the words and wondered what it could be. After a while a man rushed through the crowd,took the violinist's shoulders and said,"I knew you would certainly come here."The violinist asked,"Did you lose something?""Lottery ."The violinist took out a lottery ticket with Sang's name on it. Sang took it and danced happily.
Sang was an office worker. He bought the lottery and won a prize of$500,000.But when he gave$50 to the violinist for his wonderful music,the lottery ticket was thrown in, too. The violinist was a college student. That morning,he was going to fly to Vienna for high education. However,when he found the ticket,he cancelled the flight and returned to the entrance.
Later someone asked the violinist why he didn't take the lottery ticket to pay the tuition fee .He said"Although I don't have much money,I live happily. If I lose honesty ,I won't be happy forever." | middle2251.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "in America"
},
"options": [
"in Canada",
"in Australia",
"in England",
"in America"
],
"question": "Mrs. Black lived _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | Mrs. Black was a poor old woman and she lived in a small village. Her husband died ten years ago. But she had a 24-year-old daughter. Her name was Alice. She worked in New York and lived there. It was far away from her mother's village, and she was not happy about this. One day Alice said to her mother, "I've found a good job in Boston, and I can make a lot of money there, so I will go to work in Boston next week. But don't worry, Mum. I'll send you some money every week. "
A month later, Mrs. Black was very angry. She decided to go to see her daughter in Boston on a train. When she saw her daughter, she said, "Alice, why do you never call me?"
Alice laughed, "But mother," she said, "you haven't got a telephone."
"No", she answered, "I haven't, but you have got one. " | middle1758.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it was a gift from his wife"
},
"options": [
"it was beautiful",
"it was a gift from his wife",
"it was very expensive",
"it was a gift from his first child"
],
"question": "Joe felt upset when he found the watc... | Joe, 75, lived very happily and had a beautiful family. He had four grandchildren, and they all visited him during their holidays.
But while he was working, he lost his favorite watch. Before they came to visit, Joe was preparing his home for the kids: cleaning the house and buying their favorite foods.
The watch was a gift from his deceased wife when their first child was born, Joe loved the watch very much. He was very upset .
When his grandchildren came, they promised him they would find the watch.
One granddaughter asked: "Grandpa, do you remember when you saw the watch last before it went missing?"
Joe answered: "I guess when I was cleaning the barn ! "
The children looked for more than two hours but could not find it.
One grandson went to search the barn again, and he asked the others not to follow him and to keep silent .
He was there for about 15 minutes and then rushed to his grandfather. He found the watch!
Joe was surprised and asked how he was able to find it. The little boy said: ;'I sat there without making a noise, and the barn was so silent. After a few minutes, I heard the 'tick, tick' sound and found the watch."
Joe hugged him and thanked the little boy.
This shows the power of silence. If we stay calm, we are better able to find a solution ! | middle6037.txt |
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