questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Create different feelings for us"
},
"options": [
"Create different feelings for us",
"Help us to develop good habits",
"Develop our interest in money",
"Influence natural environments"
],
"question": "According... | We know music is very important in our daily life. Do you notice music playing at any of those places when you go somewhere? Today most stores, stations, restaurants and other places play music. You might even hear music in an office or on a farm.
Scientists believe that music influences the way people behave . They think that the sound of western classical music makes people feel richer. When a restaurant plays classical music, people spend more money on food and drinks. When the restaurant plays modern music, people spend less money. Without music, people spend less.
Scientists also believe that loud, fast music makes people eat faster. Some restaurants play fast music during their busy hours. This makes people eat faster and leave quickly. Restaurants can make more money in this way.
Some scientists think that music makes you think and learn better. They say that music helps students to be more active. It is true that people learn better when they are relaxed. And listening to music can help you relax.[
The next time you hear music somewhere, be careful. It might influence the way you do things.
,. | middle1980.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "We have won."
},
"options": [
"We have won.",
"Good luck",
"Best wishes.",
"That is OK."
],
"question": "What is the meaning of doing the V gesture?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Are you still doing the V for victory sign? It's out. The latest popular hand gesture is to curl both of your hands and put them together to make a heart shape.
Known as "Hand heart", many young stars in the US including Justin Bieber, Blake Lively and Taylor Swift have done the gesture in recent photos.
"The heart hand gesture means something between I love you and thank you." said the country singer Taylor Swift. It's a sweet, easy message which you can send without saying a word."
Taylor Swift often puts her hands above her head in the heart shape at her concerts. And she is believed to be the first to make the gesture popular. Last month during a charity show, Justin Bieber and his superstar friends did the hand heart and put the photo online. They did it to help three kids whose parents were killed in a car accident. The gesture became more popular after that.
"It used to take longer for nonverbal culture to move. But now, with smart phones and the Internet, it's much faster," said Patti Wood, an American language expert .
In our neighbor country--South Korea, the hand heart has been popular for a long time. In a different way, people there like making a "bigger heart" by putting their hands above their heads and making a heart shape with their arms. It means "I love you." | middle7329.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "exciting"
},
"options": [
"cheap",
"exciting",
"good",
"famous"
],
"question": "I like basketball best because it's _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | My favourite sport is basketball because it is very exciting. I like basketball because the NBA stars play very well. Basketball is very cheap and it is a good sport for our health. We can grow taller if we play basketball often. Also it keeps me healthy. I play basketball three times a week. Most often I play it in my school. I often play it with my friends or I may play it myself. I feel very happy when I play basketball at school with my classmates. Sometimes I play basketball in the playground near my home. Basketball is very easy to play. If you play basketball very well, you can join the basketball team . If you win the basketball competition, you will have the prize. You may become a famous basketball star. | middle1028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "English and Maths"
},
"options": [
"Chinese and Maths",
"English and Chinese",
"English and Maths",
"English and Biology"
],
"question": "Alice likes _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"... | Dear Jenny,
How are you? Thanks for your last letter.
I like English and Maths, too. I think they're interesting and useful . Our school is over at 3:40 p. m. every day and I can get home at 4 o'clock, but I don't go home at once .
On Monday afternoon, I have a violin lesson from 4:00 to 5:00. I like sports, and I'm in the school basketball team with our P. E. teacher on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon, I go shopping with my parents. We buy a lot of food and fruits, and I like eating them very much. On Thursday, I often watch TV at home after school. I like Sports World very much
On Saturday we don't have classes. I often sing in an art school. I like singing and I can sing better now. I usually go to the park or have a rest at home on Sunday. I'm busy every day, but I'm very happy because I have fun in my life.
Yours,
Alice | middle6747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Tony"
},
"options": [
"Susan",
"Tony",
"John",
"Bill"
],
"question": "Mary's brother is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "brot... | My name is Mary. This is my family. These are my parents. Their names are Bill and Grace Brown.Those are my grandparents.Their names are Henry and Linda Brown.This is my uncle.His name is John.That boy is my brother. His name is Tony. This is Susan.She is my uncle's daughter. | middle4150.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sad"
},
"options": [
"happy",
"free",
"lucky",
"sad"
],
"question": "Most of the animals in the zoo feel _ according to the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Many people may think that animals in the zoo are happy, free and lucky, but most of them are sad. Do you know why? Animals like tigers, lions, and bears usually live in forests or mountains. They run, jump, play with their children and catch small animals for food. But now they have to stay in cages ,small rooms in the zoo. They don't have to find food by themselves because the zoo keepers feed them. They do nothing but eat, walk and sleep every day. Their life in the zoo is quite different from that in the forest because they are not free. Maybe they miss their mothers and their friends, in fact, they feel lonely. | middle2247.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because he saw so many happy dogs smiling at him."
},
"options": [
"Because he didn't know there were 1,000 mirrors.",
"Because he found that dogs there looked sad.",
"Because he felt sad about everything.",
"Because he... | Long ago in a small village, there was a place. It is famous for the House of 1000 Mirrors.
A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he jumped happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself looking at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the house, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit often."
In the same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly-looking dogs looking back at him, he _ at them and was afraid to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a terrible place. I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet? | middle4636.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "is like themselves"
},
"options": [
"is like themselves",
"has a sense of humor",
"is open-minded",
"lives an exciting life"
],
"question": "From the passage, we know that people prefer sitting by someone who",
... | Have you ever wondered what goes through your mind when you choose where to sit in a new classroom? Or in a waiting room full of strangers? Or on a bus? Researchers have found out some interesting facts.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, we prefer to sit closer to people like ourselves. Girls sit by girls and boys sit by boys. Adults sit together and young people choose another young person to sit near. But it goes further than this. We even choose to sit near someone who looks like us. People with glasses are more likely to sit near other people with glasses. People with long hair sit closer to other people with long hair.
We seem to believe that people with similar habits or hobbies will share similar attitude and we are more likely to be accepted by people like ourselves or even, we think we may be safer with people who look like us. Sometimes that's true but it's a pity if we always stick to the same people, the same group. The danger in always staying in our comfort zone is that we just recycle the same opinions, the same tastes and the same ideas. We lose the chance to learn something new, find out about interesting things, hear funny stories and discover difference.
When we always stick to the same people, how can we ever break down the barriers which prevent us from getting to know people with different ideas? And how can we avoid the ignorance ,which too often leads to prejudice and even fear? If instead you want to live in a society that opens to changes and new things and different opinions, be the cat among the pigeons.
Move out of your comfort zone. Go and sit next to someone different. And don't just sit there in silence. Say hello. Ask a question. Start a conversation. That's how we make friends. That's how we learn about people. That's how we open our minds to new ideas. That's how we live an exciting life. | middle3159.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "rich"
},
"options": [
"valuable",
"rich",
"beautiful",
"All of above"
],
"question": "Taiwan is considered as a _ island.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | We all know that Taiwan is considered as Treasure Island 0f China. The scenery there is very beautiful. Recently we have been connected closely each other.
Several months ago, a group of 19 Taiwanese children flew to Chengdu in order to begin a tour to study pandas. The middle school children were from Chiayi Country in southwest Taiwan and were chosen because of their excellent performance at school.
During the visit, the children saw pandas up close. They were excited to see so many pandas at the same time. The children also traveled to the Mount E'mei scenic area and met local schoolchildren.
At last, they said, "The pandas are very cute, and they are all happy." They also said the children in Chengdu are very friendly to them, and they all like there. They hope to visit Sichuan again. | middle6021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "visit www.worldkids.net"
},
"options": [
"call 88563219",
"visit www.mysportsclub.com",
"call 886766213",
"visit www.worldkids.net"
],
"question": "If you want to know different cultures of the world, you can ... | Model Time
A model is a small copy of a building, vehicle ,machine etc, especially one that can be put together from several parts. If you like models, then this will be the place for you . From model trains, planes and cars to rockets and boats, we've got them all! To find others who can share your interests, and to get more information, please call 88563219.
Sports Club
Sports Club offers you many different ways to keep healthy. You'll never get bored. Our Program & Service Department is always working in new ways to keep you strong and happy . For more of it , visit _
Keypals International Club
KIC is a fun club started by kids, for kids aged 8 to 16. KIC tries to help kids understand different cultures through emails and other activities . KIC has members from 40 different countries. For more of it, visit _
Kids Art Club
Kids Art Club offers drawing and painting classes to children aged 7 to 14. Classes are small and we have to have only six learners each class. All classes are taught by Jim Todd who has worked in the art field for over twenty years. For more information, please call 886766213. | middle1982.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "His mother."
},
"options": [
"His girlfriend.",
"His mother.",
"His wife.",
"A little girl."
],
"question": "Whom did the man go to a flower shop to order flowers for?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | A man stopped his car at the door of a flower shop. He planned to order flowers and asked the shopkeeper to deliver them to his mother, who was far away in the man's hometown.
The man saw a little girl crying on the road when he was about to enter the shop. The man asked her: "Why are you crying?"
"I want to buy a rose for my mother, but I haven't got enough money," said the girl.
The man took the girl's hand and entered the flower shop. He first ordered the bouquet for his mother and bought a rose for the girl.
Walking out of the shop, the man asked the girl if she would like a ride home.
"Will you really drive me home?" she asked.
"Of course," the man replied.
"Then drive me to my mother. But the place where my mother lives is very far."
The man drove along the mountain road and finally came to the cemetery .
The little girl put the flower onto a new grave. In order to present a rose to her mother who had passed away a month before, she had gone on a very long journey.
The man drove the girl to her home and then returned to the flower shop. He cancelled the bouquet and bought a big bunch of fresh flowers instead. He drove directly to his mother's home, a five-hour drive from where he was. He would present the flowers to his mother in person. | middle8018.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "five"
},
"options": [
"five",
"eight",
"seven",
"Four"
],
"question": "Bruce's Noodle House sells _ different kinds of noodles.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | This is Bruce's Noodle House. We have different kinds of noodles. A large bowl of noodles with mutton is only 4 dollars, and 3 dollars for a medium bowl. Each bowl of beef noodles is just 3.5 dollars. And a large bowl of chicken noodles is 2 dollars. Each bowl of pork noodles is just 3.5 dollars. One dollar is for a large bowl of vegetable noodles.
Come and enjoy the delicious noodles here! If you order any meat noodles, fruit is free . If you are too busy to come. Please call us at 2888998, and you will get the food in half an hour. Our Noodle House is open for 24 hours a day, from Monday afternoon to Sunday. | middle2253.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Chicken."
},
"options": [
"Jiaozi.",
"Hamburgers.",
"Bread.",
"Chicken."
],
"question": "What can you find in this restaurant?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Welcome to our restaurant! We have many kinds of food and drinks here. We have fish, chicken, rice, eggs and vegetables for you to eat. We have apple juice, orange juice, milk and beer for you to drink. Many people come here for dinner every day. We have Sichuan food, Shandong food and Guangdong food. All these Chinese food are nice to eat. _ . Would you like to have some? Please come in. Our telephone number is 6821-8301. | middle4622.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Tony"
},
"options": [
"Susan",
"John",
"Tony",
"Linda"
],
"question": "Mary's brother is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "fat... | My name's Mary. This is my family tree. These are my parents. Their names are Bill and Grace Brown. Those are my grandparents. Their names are Hery and Linda Brown. This is my uncle. His name is John. That boy is my brother. His name is Tony. This is Susan. She is my uncle's daughter.
,. (2,10) | middle4144.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "carried heavy shopping bags"
},
"options": [
"walked so fast",
"looked through a rubbish bin",
"felt cold",
"carried heavy shopping bags"
],
"question": "Susan felt a little tired because she _ .",
"quest... | On a cold winter afternoon, Susan was walking home from a supermarket. She was feeling a little tired, as she was carrying her shopping bags. They were so heavy that she decided to have a rest in the park. She walked towards the gate of the park. She noticed a poor man walking out of a restaurant in front of her. The man was holding a paper bag. He walked to a rubbish bin and started looking through it.
Susan suddenly felt sad. She knew this man would take all that he could get, so she went up to him and gave him some fruit. The man looked up in surprise and took what she gave him.
A big smile appeared on his face and she felt very happy. Then he said, "Wow! First someone gave me this sandwich, then the orange juice and now some delicious fruit. This is my daughter's lucky day. Thank you, girl." Then he went away, singing a song.
Just then, Susan understood what the saying "Giving is getting" really meant. Everyone in the world needs help, everyone can offer help and everyone will be helped by showing kindness.
Giving sometimes doesn't cost much, but it means a lot to the people who you help. The man's happiness at that moment comes into Susan's mind every time she has the chance to help others. | middle2535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "without going to school"
},
"options": [
"before she went to school",
"after she finished school",
"without going to school",
"after she played with her friends"
],
"question": "Every morning Napoga went to get ... | Napoga is a 12-year-old girl in Ghana ,Africa.It is hard for her family to get clean water.Every morning,she leaves home at half past five to get clean water for her family from a village far away.It takes her six hours to get enough clean water for daily cooking and drinking.She has no time to go to school or to play with her friends.Millions of people in the world are like Napoga.They can't get enough clean water to keep healthy.
Earth Day is April 22.But on all other days,we must also remember it.The water we use is the most important natural resource on the earth.
Water covers 70% of the earth's surface .But most of that is sea water.We can't use it for many things.Fresh water covers only 1% of the earth's surface.
You probably feel lucky that your life isn't as hard as Napoga's.But that doesn't mean you don't have to worry about water.We all face serious water problems.One of them is water pollution.All kinds of things from cars,factories,farms and homes make our rivers,lakes,and oceans dirty.Polluted water is very bad for people to drink.And dirty water is bad for fish,too.Now,34% of all kinds of fish are dying out.
How do cars and factories make our water dirty?First,they pollute the air.Then,when it rains,the rain water comes down and makes our drinking water dirty.Dirty rain,called acid rain ,is also bad for plants,animals and buildings.
Scientists say that in 30 years,more than half of the people in the world won't have enough clean water.We have to learn how to save more water for ourselves and our children.Here is some advice for saving water:
* Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.You can save as much as 450 liters each month.
* Leaky taps waste a lot of water.Fix them right away!
* You can easily cut your 10-minute showers in half--and you'll be just as clean.
* When you wash dishes,don't let the water run.
* Only wash clothes when you have a lot to wash.If your washing machine isn't full,you're wasting water! | middle5272.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Food is important."
},
"options": [
"Everybody is healthy.",
"We don't want to be healthy.",
"Food is important.",
"There isn't much healthy food."
],
"question": ".Which of these following sentences is true? _... | Everybody wants to be healthy.You know food is very important.There is much healthy food.You can have more bananas,apples,oranges and tomatoes because fruit and vegetables are good for you.But don't eat too much chocolate.It's not healthy food.Healthy food can make you grow and make you strong and happy.Remember there is a saying,"An apple a day keeps a doctor away."Sports can also keep you healthy.Get up early and do some sports every day.Don't be lazy !You will be healthy and happy. | middle1014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "sunglasses and sun-block"
},
"options": [
"some fruit and drink",
"warm clothes and sports shoes",
"sunglasses and sun-block",
"fashionable clothes and a big bag."
],
"question": "If you go to Hainan Island fo... | Some advice on Travel
1. Forget fashion ! Always wear your most comfortable clothes when going on long journeys.
2. Travelling on trains and buses can be boring, so take a good book to read.
3. If you're going somewhere cold, remember to put on your warm clothes!
4. If you are going somewhere sunny, remember to bring your sun-block and sunglasses.
5. Always take a camera with you to _ those special moments.
6. Be careful with your things whenever you go to a busy place, like a train station. There are many thieves there!
7. Most countries have lower prices for students, so if you are a student, take your student card with you.
8. Always leave a room in your bag and buy presents on the way home.
9. Bus tours often stop at expensive shops along the way, save your money by buying presents at local shops.
10. If you travel abroad , remember to take your passport. Whatever you do, don't lose it!
,. | middle7465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how to treat people different from us"
},
"options": [
"what's important for a student",
"what students should do at school",
"how to treat people different from us",
"how to get others to do things in the right way"
... | You may not realize it, but you are doing much more than just studying when you are at school. School is also the place where you learn to get on well with people. But this is not always easy. What can you do if you just don't like one of your classmates?
If you discover that you have problems getting on with your classmates or friends, the most important thing to learn is tolerance. Tolerance is the ability to realize and respect the differences in others. We can not change the way that other people do, so it is important to learn to live happily with them.
Tolerance will make everyone get on better with each other. Getting to know someone may help you understand why they do things differently. Something different does not exactly mean that it is bad. Tolerance teaches us to keep a _ and open mind.
You need to remember an old saying, "Treat others how you want to be treated". If you tolerate something, it does not mean that you have to like it. No one is asking you to change who you are or what you believe in. Tolerance just means that you should respect the differences in others and not try to make them change.
It is important to practice tolerance, because it will make everyone's life easier. Learn to accept people for their different abilities and interests. The world is very different, and practicing tolerance in your own school and city can help make a difference. | middle7303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He sells books."
},
"options": [
"He sells books.",
"He grows flowers.",
"He makes shoes.",
"He works in a hospital."
],
"question": "What does Uncle Wang do?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Uncle Wang works in a book shop in the middle of the city. The shop is not far from his home. It is about one kilometer away. So Uncle Wang seldom goes to work by bus. He usually goes bike there by bike, sometimes on foot .It takes him twenty minutes to get there by bike and forty minutes on foot. Today his bike is broken. He wants to walk there. Now he is having breakfast. He leaves home at 7:50 and he walks to work twenty minutes earlier. His work starts at 8:30 in the morning and finishes at 4:45 in the afternoon. | middle8030.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "On the Internet"
},
"options": [
"At London University",
"In a newspaper",
"On the Internet",
"On TV"
],
"question": "Where did Li Hua see Mrs. Daniels' advertisement?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | An experienced teacher is offering private lessons in English.
Please email me at the address below and tell me:
*Your age
*Reasons for learning English
*Your level of English
*Areas that you need to focus on - grammar, listening, speaking, reading, writing, etc.
Mrs. Daniels( daniels _ m@mail.com)
From: Li _ Hua@gmail.com
To: daniels _ m@mail.com
CC...:
Subject: English Lessons
Dear Mrs. Daniels,
I recently saw your advertisement on the university website offering private English lessons. I'm very interested in your private lessons and would like some more information.
I am a student at Aston College here in Hong Kong studying English, so my language level is already quite good.
However, I feel that I need to improve my listening and speaking skills. This is because I'm planning to study at London University in England next year and I think your lessons will help me to live and study abroad.
Could you send me some more information about the lessons offered, such as where and when they will be held and how much they cost? Also, I would like to know whether you teach students in groups or one-on-one.
I would be glad to supply any further information you might need.
Regards,
Li Hua | middle1772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "3D movie"
},
"options": [
"digital camera",
"digital TV set",
"3D movie",
"4D movie"
],
"question": "According to the passage, Avatar is a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | Have you seen Avatar(<<>> )? It's a popular 3D movie, and you may have to wear 3D glasses to see it. The 3D glasses make the images from the movie look as if they were coming straight towards you.
More and more 3D movies are coming to theaters. Some say that 3D TV sets will come into our homes in the near future. 3D technology can make TV and movies are more exciting. However, people with eye problems may get headaches if they spend too much time watching 3D movies. Why?
When we look at an object , each eye sees it at a different angle . Our eyes send the two images to our brain , and the brain puts them together. 3D technology uses two film projectors . One projects a left-eye-image and the other projects a right-eye-image. 3D glasses allow us to see a different image in each eye. So, when we are watching a 3D movie, our brain can't put together the images sent to our eyes. The brain needs to work harder at "reading" the images. That makes it easier for people with eye problems to get dizzy or have headaches. A famous eye doctor said if your eyes can't focus on the same object at once, you will have trouble watching 3D movies.
. | middle5514.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because she likes eating snacks."
},
"options": [
"Because she doesn't like sports.",
"Because she likes eating vegetables",
"Because she likes eating snacks.",
"Because she likes eating fruit."
],
"question": "... | Wang Yan, a 15-year-old Chinese girl, likes eating snacks very much. She prefers cream biscuits, McDonald's food, KFC chicken. As a result, she has become overweight.
Today in China, there are many children like Wang Yan. Health experts say that children should have healthy eating habits. First, they must eat regular meals and begin with a healthy breakfast. Second, they should have different kinds of foods, such as fruit, vegetables, grain, eggs, milk and meat. Third, children shouldn't eat too much junk food. It's delicious, but eating it often is bad for their health. If children do as the experts say, they won't become overweight. They will be healthier. Students won't become tired at school, and they will have enough energy to study hard. | middle3165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Something even without legs."
},
"options": [
"Something even without legs.",
"Something not popular among people.",
"A person who is neutral.",
"A person who cares about nothing."
],
"question": "How does the w... | I think it is safe to say that snakes are not popular among most people. It would be hard to find a person who is neutral ,or simply doesn't care one way or the other. What I wonder is why something even without legs causes such great fear.
Snakes are quite useful, but that doesn't seem to matter. Snakes help control the population of mice. Without snakes, perhaps we would find mice everywhere. Most of us, however, would rather see a mouse than a snake.
The poison argument is a strong one. Some snakes are poisonous, and this causes people's death. However, the poisonous snakes are only a small number. We can't say all the snakes are bad just because of a few dangerous ones.
And what do we do with the people who really like snakes? They like snakes even more strongly than we dislike them. These people learn about them, find them out, and watch them carefully. Why? The only reason I can think of is that these people are open-minded. They are able to put aside differences and welcome the snake as a friend.
Whatever the reason for our like or dislike, snakes do something good in the circle of life. They would prefer to be left alone, and that is what we should do. If you're lucky, you might not run across more than a few of them in a lifetime. That would be fine with most of us. | middle5500.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By10%."
},
"options": [
"By2%.",
"By8%.",
"By10%.",
"By25%."
],
"question": "How much may the students improve their grades most if they bring water into exams?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | What should you take in with you when you take an exam? Pen, pencil, eraser, ruler..., and don't forget a bottle of water!
According to a study at the British Psychological ( ) Society Annual Conference held in London, students who bring water into exams may improve their grades by up to 10 percent.
Scientists at the University of East London and the University of Westminster, UK, did a study on 447 students. The students were studying for different degrees at the University of East London. Only 25 percent of them entered the exam hall with something to drink.
Scientists then compared their exam results with their normal schoolwork grades. They found that all those who had brought drinks with them got better grades by between 2 and 10 percent.
It is unclear why drinking water improves exam results. But scientists say having enough water in our bodies and not feeling thirsty could have a helpful effect on our brains. Drinking water may also cut down on anxiety ( ), which has a bad effect on exam performances, according to Chris Pawson, PhD, of the University of East London.
"Whatever the explanation, it is clear that students should try hard to stay hydrated with water during exams," he said.
So next time, when you are going to have a big exam, try bringing a bottle of water with you.Who knows - it may help you pass the exam! | middle3171.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "take the second turning on the right"
},
"options": [
"take the second bus on the right",
"must buy something secondly",
"take the second turning on the right",
"go ahead on the right"
],
"question": "\"Take the... | "You are welcome to have dinner with me on Sunday," said John.
"But I don't know where your house is," said Henry.
"It's easy. You get off the bus. Then cross the road, and take the first turning on the left. Walk for five minutes. Then you will see a big tree. Take the second on the right after the tree. Walk about a hundred metres down this road. There is a big red house. Go past the big house about five hundred metres, and you will see a small yellow house beside a little tree. Open the door with your foot. "
"With my foot?" said Henry, "Why?" "Well, you won't come to my house empty-handed will you? " said John. | middle7317.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "if they know they will get food after doing something."
},
"options": [
"if they know they will get food after doing something.",
"because animals are so clever.",
"if they know the work is easy enough",
"because most a... | Can you make animals work for us? Some scientists think that one day we can teach animals to do a lot of things for people. In a film shown on TV, you may see elephants, monkeys, tigers or some other animals are always given a little food to eat after they have done something. Scientists say that people can teach many different animals to do some of the easy work if they know they will get something to eat. We all know elephants can carry large logs ,and dogs can look after houses. And we even teach animals to work in factories. In America, for example, people have used
to help make cars and scientists think that those large monkeys may drive trains one day. Now people are trying to get them to do the same thing that man does. | middle8024.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "designer"
},
"options": [
"designer",
"farmer",
"teacher",
"gardener"
],
"question": "At first Steve Jobs became a _ after he left college.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Steve Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, wasn't smart when he was at school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made trouble with his schoolmates. Then he dropped out . But he was full of new ideas.
After he left college, Steve Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in life.
Steve Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India.
In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple computer with his friend . He chose the name"Apple"just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden.
His Apple computer was such a great success that Steve Jobs soon became famous all over the world.
,. | middle6009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "you should consider others' response before you act assertively"
},
"options": [
"you should consider others' response before you act assertively",
"you should be assertive if you want to get good marks",
"assertiveness is th... | Assertiveness is the ability to confidently express your opinions, feelings,attitudes, and rights, in a way that doesn't infringe the rights of others.
Many of us are taught that it is not nice to consider our own needs above those of others. If someone says or does something that we don't like, we should just be quiet and try to stay away from that person in the future.
Why is Assertiveness important?
If you don't know how to be assertive, you might experience:
*Depression - Anger, a sense of being helpless, hopeless, or of having no control over your life.
*Resentment - Anger at others for taking advantage of you.
*Frustration - Why did I allow that to happen?
Most people find it easier to be assertive in some situations than in others. This makes perfect sense. It's a lot easier to hold your ground with a stranger than with someone you love. But the more important the relationship is to you, the more important it is to be assertive. Assertive behavior leads to increased respect from others!
But before you decide to act assertively, you have to decide if you can live
with the results. Although assertive behavior usually will result in a positive
response ,some people might react differently.
How to be effectively assertive:
*Use "I" statements. Keep the focus on the problem you're having. "I'd like to be able to tell my stories without interruption." instead of "You're always interrupting my stories ! "
*Use facts, not opinions. "Did you know that shirt has a hole?" instead of "You're not going out looking like THAT, are you?"
*Express ownership of your thoughts, feelings, and opinions. "I get angry when he breaks his promises. " instead of "He makes me angry. "
* Make clear and direct requirements. Don't invite the person to say no. "Will you please?" instead of 'Would you mind...?" or "Why don't you...?"
*Keep repeating your point. Use a low level and pleasant voice. Don't try to explain yourself. | middle1766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "big and nice"
},
"options": [
"too small",
"big and nice",
"bright and clean",
"both B and C"
],
"question": "Mary's room is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | Mary has a room. It's a big and nice room. It's bright and clean . There are some pictures on the front wall. On the back wall there is a map of China.
There is a desk and a chair in her room. Her backpack is behind the chair. Some books and her pencil-case are on the desk. There are some color pencils, a pen, a ruler, and a knife in the pencil-case. Mary's bed is near the desk. Her shoes and a volleyball are under the bed.
Mary and her friends are often in her room. They usually listen to music there. Mary likes English and Chinese very much. But she doesn't like math. It's to difficult for her. Mary's Chinese teacher is Mr. Wang. The students all love him, he is very strict, but sometimes very funny. | middle1000.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The swan had beautiful white feathers"
},
"options": [
"His own feathers were as white as snow.",
"The swan did not have black feathers like him",
"The swan had beautiful white feathers",
"The swan lived in the lake wit... | One day, a raven happened to fly past a lake. Looking at the lake, he saw the most beautiful animal he had ever seen. It was a swan and its feathers were as white as snow. The swan was playing with other birds happily, talking and dancing. And it seemed that the other birds all liked to stay with _ When he looked at his own feathers, they were as black as coal. The raven was very angry with the swan. "How can the swan have such wonderful feathers?" said the raven. What should he do with his feathers? He thought it over and over.
Then, the raven decided that he also wanted to have white feathers like the swan's. From that day on, the raven began to live like the swan. He moved his home from the woods to the lake. He also started to eat water plants like the swan. He tried his best to talk and dance with the other birds. The most important was that each day, the raven would wash his feathers, hoping that they would turn white. Even he went to the nearby rivers and ponds to wash his feathers because he thought the water in the lakes was not enough for him to wash them. But no matter how hard he washed his feathers, they remained black.
As he ate only water plants, he soon grew thinner and thinner. Not many days later, the raven died. | middle7471.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "J. K. Rowling"
},
"options": [
"Vincent Van Gogh",
"Ronald Reagan",
"J. K. Rowling",
"Harry Potter"
],
"question": "_ was a teacher before he (she) became famous.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Have you ever thought about what kind of job you would like to have when you grow up? Many people think that we can have only one job in our lifetime. We all know that this is not true, but quite a few people actually think this way. For example, when people choose a major in college, they think that the decisions they make now will decide their jobs for the rest of their lives. However, there are many examples where people became successful after changing their careers later in life.
J. K. Rowling, writer of the famous novel Harry Potter, was a school teacher before she began writing books. In fact, she was out of work before the first Harry Potter book came out.
Former US President Ronald Reagan began as an actor when he was a young man. He later decided that he wanted to do _ work. This kind of passion finally led him to become President of the United States.
The famous 19th century artist Vincent Van Gogh was not a painter from the beginning. He once worked as an art salesman and later became a preacher. It was only 10 years before he died that he decided to become an artist.
Careers are always open to change. The important thing is to find what you are really good at or what you really want to do. Once you find that passion, it's all a matter of how hard you try. | middle3617.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he thought he was ill"
},
"options": [
"he thought he was ill",
"he was too fat and could not walk quickly",
"something was wrong with his foot",
"there was something wrong with his mouth"
],
"question": "The po... | A man went to see a doctor."Open your mouth,"the doctor said.Then the man opened his mouth and the doctor looked in quickly.
"It's clear what's wrong with you.You need more exercise,"the doctor said.
"But,doctor,"the man said,"I don't think..."
"Don't tell me what you think,"the doctor said."I am the doctor,not you.I know what you need.I see hundreds of people like you.None of them get any exercise.They sit in offices all day and in front of the television in the evening.What you need is to walk quickly for at least 20 minutes a day."
"Doctor,you don't understand,"the man said."I..."
"I don't want to hear any excuses,"the doctor said."You must find time for exercise.If you don't,you will get fat and have health problems when you are older."
"But I walk every day,"the man said.
"Oh,yes,and I know what kind of walking that is.You walk a few feet to the train station from your house,a few more feet from the station to your office,and a few more feet from your office to a restaurant for lunch and back.That's not real walking.I'm talking about walking in the park for twenty minutes every day."
"Will you listen to me,doctor?"the man shouted,getting angry with this doctor who thought he knew everything."I'm a postman,"the man went on,"and I walk for seven hours every day."
. | middle5266.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "didn't give up and tried to bring her baby to life"
},
"options": [
"became so sad that she almost became mad",
"didn't give up and tried to bring her baby to life",
"chose to believe the doctor",
"became angry at what ... | A mother in Australia was told by a doctor that her new born son was dead but she helped to bring him back to life by holding the baby against her body. She used a method known as a kangaroo care. The child, named Jamie ,was born after only 27 weeks with his twin sister, Emily, in a hospital in Sydney. Her birth went well ,but his was a different story. The doctor struggled for 20 minutes to save Jamie before announcing him dead.
"His little arms and legs were just falling down away from his body." Kate Ogg said ,"I took off my coat and put him on my chest with his head over my arm." She and her husband, David ,said to the child as she continued to hold him for nearly 2 hours. During that time, the two-pound baby showed the sign of life. She said , "I told my mum ,who was there, that he was still alive. Then he held out his hand and grabbed my finger. "Their tiny baby grew stronger and stronger in his mother's arms, and their final goodbye turned into a hello.
The doctor at first ignored the baby's movements, but when he put the stethoscope to his chest, his mouth was wide open and he said ,"It's my fault, It's a miracle( ).
"The kangaroo care helps the baby keep body warmth" Dr Pinchi Srinivasan said, "It also regulates heartbeat and breathing rates and is believed to help weight gain and improve sleeping habits. Fathers can also use kangaroo care. The key to the method is skin-to-skin contact."
The practice began in less developed nations. It has become a recognized pracitce in helping premature babies. The techniques is good for babies, and is used in many baby care centers. | middle2509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "public schools"
},
"options": [
"English schools",
"high schools",
"public schools",
"colleges"
],
"question": "Most American children go to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | American schools begin in September after the long summer holidays. There are two terms in a school year; the first term is from September to January, and the second is from February to June. Most American children go to public schools.
High school students study only four or five subjects at a time. They usually go to the same classes every day, and they have an assignment for every class. After class they have many activities.
After high school, many students go to college. They can go to a small one or a large one. They usually have to pay a lot of money for college education . But there are scholarships for good students, and many college students work part time in order to get money for their education. | middle3824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "can understand what she is saying"
},
"options": [
"were born",
"are grown-ups",
"go to school",
"can understand what she is saying"
],
"question": "A new mom should teach her children manners when they _ .",... | Dear new moms,
You should teach your children manners as soon as your children can understand what you're saying. When your children do something right, let them know. When your children do something wrong, tell them how they should do it and why.
Here are some basic manners for children:
1. Wait for their turn and don't _ other people when they are speaking. Tell them to wait until someone finishes speaking, and then ask questions.
2. Always greet the people who come over to your house. You can teach your children to shake hands with grown-ups who come over, but it's not necessary to shake hands with other children. Your children should always say "hello" or "hi" when someone comes to your home so that the guest feels welcome.
3. Say "please" and "Thank you" often. And say "You're welcome" to answer others' "Thank you".
4. After playing a game, no matter what the result is, be pleased. If your children win, tell them not to show off , but to be kind. If they lose, tell them not to get mad and tell the other children that they did a good job or speak well of them.
Yours
Dr. Dave | middle4193.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Drives a car."
},
"options": [
"Takes a bus.",
"Drives a car.",
"Drives a bus",
"On foot"
],
"question": "How does Bob go through the countryside?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | One Saturday, Bob decides to take a drive through the countryside. After a few hours, he sees a dog walking behind a man on the side of the road. As the car comes near them, the dog jumps into the road. Of course, the car hits the poor animal and kills it.
Bob stops his car and walks up to the man. "I'm very sorry," he says. "Is there anything I can do? Will $10 help?"
"Oh, but...," says the man.
"I should tell you..."
"Stop! You're right. Maybe $10 isn't enough! That dog was your best friend!"
Bob then takes $30 out of his pocket and gives it to the man. Then he thanks the man and drives away.
After Bob leaves, the man looks down at the dog and says: "I wonder whose dog that is." | middle6784.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "India."
},
"options": [
"America",
"India.",
"England.",
"China."
],
"question": "Where are Amy's pen pals from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Amy is an American student in Des Moines, Iowa. She is nine years old and she is in Grade Four this year. Now she and her friends are pen pals of the students in India.
In their letters, Amy learns that life of Indian children is difficult. And they don't have money to buy desks for school. She is surprised and wants to help them.
She and her friends collect $711. A charity group helps them buy 75 desks. "We have many good things in our country," said Amy. "We should help others." She also hopes to raise money to build a well for them. Then the students can get clean water from it. It may be a good gift for the Indian children. | middle219.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "happy"
},
"options": [
"bored",
"tired",
"sad",
"happy"
],
"question": "Reading can always keep yourself _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"an... | Reading is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons.
First, reading is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if you like reading. You will never feel bored or tired.
Next, you can read a book anywhere-- in a car, on a plane, or even in the bathroom. All you need is a book!
Another good reason for reading is that it is useful. If you read as a hobby, you will get better and better at it. And you will read faster and find it easier to understand what you read. As you reading skills improve, you will probably find your schoolwork becomes much better.
Some people say that reading is out of date . This is not true. You can read on computers, and the better you read, the better your computer skills will be.
Good readers may become writers, too. They always have more things to write about.
Reading is a wonderful hobby. Why not start reading right now? | middle1955.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Parents and children."
},
"options": [
"Teachers and students.",
"Old people.",
"Parents and children.",
"Young people."
],
"question": "Who likes the song?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Your lucky Day
This is a fortune-telling song, It is popular among English Children. Parents use it to teach their young children the days of the week. The song uses the day of the week a child was born on to tell the child's future.
Monday's child has a beautiful face.
Tuesday's child is full of grace.
Wednesday's child fears no foe.
Thursday's child has a long way to go.
Friday's child is happy and loving
Saturday's child works hard to make a living.
But the child is born on Sunday is
Beautiful, happy and good in every day.
Some people think that the year or the month or the day on which we were born is important. They think that these things tell us about our futures, Some people think that we all make our luck in life.
What do you think? | middle2284.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She is warm-hearted and caring."
},
"options": [
"She loves making friends with boys.",
"She is fun-loving and humorous.",
"She is warm-hearted and caring.",
"She often asks for trouble."
],
"question": "What ki... | My 13-year-old daughter Lisa remembers birthdays, makes people cards when they are sick, and sends encouraging notes written in colored pens in her neat, artistic hand.
One day I got a call from her principal, "I called to tell you that in 20 years of teaching I have seen nothing like what Lisa did today", he said
I held my breath again as I thought, my Lisa? My sweet daughter? She must be the wrong kid. What could she have done?
My silence made him go on. "I've never seen a student do anything so nice for anyone who needed it more."
"What did she do?" I asked. He explained to me about the cupcakes .
When Lisa came home from school that afternoon, I told her the principal from her school had phoned me.
"Yeah", she answered, "I got called out of math class to go to his office. Everyone thought I was in trouble, but he just wanted to know what was going on at lunch."
Lisa and Ashley had sat with Jordan, a boy who is in special classes. They talked about birthdays, and Lisa asked Jordan when his birthday was. He told her it was coming up but that he lives in a group home and they don't celebrate birthdays there.
"I remembered his birthday was today, so I made the cupcakes yesterday," Lisa explained. "Ashley bought a two-liter bottle of soda and some birthday cups, plates, and napkins left over from her little brother's party, and we got some other kids together at lunch today to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Jordan."
"The principal wanted to know why they were having a birthday party for Jordan at school. When they told him, he just shook his head, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes," Lisa told me. "Finally, he said he was going to tell my parents that I wasn't in trouble, he was proud of what I did, and I could go back to math class."
How different my daughter was from me. Better, in fact! I wouldn't have ever known how to help out disadvantaged kids like that. But my wise daughter knew how-- all it took was cupcakes and adventurous , independent , kind spirit. | middle4839.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People don't keep the earth well."
},
"options": [
"Some places don't get much rain.",
"Plants don't let the hot sun make the earth even drier.",
"People don't keep the earth well.",
"Scientists haven't learnt enough ab... | Scientists are trying to make the deserts into good land again. They want to bring water to the deserts, so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about the deserts. But more and more of the earth is becoming deserts all the time. Scientists may not be able to change the deserts. Scientists think that people make deserts. People are doing bad things to the earth.
Some places on the earth don't get much rain. But they still don't become deserts. This is because some green plants are growing there. Small green plants and grass are very helpful to dry places. Plants don't let the hot sun make the earth even drier. Plants don't let the wind blow the earth away. When a little bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water. Without plants, the land can become deserts much more easily. | middle2290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "go to live in a foreign country"
},
"options": [
"get married to a foreigner",
"live in a big city",
"go to live in a foreign country",
"meet foreigners in your motherland"
],
"question": "According to the passa... | We may know that there are four basic periods for human beings to pass through when you enter and live in another country. This process helps you deal with culture shock .
Culture shock begins with the "honeymoon period". This is the time when you first arrive in a place where everything about the new cu1ture is strange and exciting. You see new things, hear new sounds and language, eat new kinds of food. This period can last for quite a long time because you feel very happy.
Unluckily, the second period can be more difficu1t. After you have got used to your new life, you can become very tired and begin to miss your motherland, your family, your friends, your pets and so on. Al1 the little prob1ems in life seem to be much bigger and more worrying when you face them in a foreign country. This period can be very difficult and lead to moving backwards quickly.
The third period is called the "adjustment period". This is When you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the new country. Your sense of humor usually becomes stronger and you realize you are becoming stronger by 1earning to take care of yourself in the new place. Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor .
The fourth period can be cal1ed "at ease at last". Now you feel quite comfortable in your new place. You can deal with most problems that you have. You may still have prob1ems with language,but you know you are strong enough to deal with them. At this time, you may feel a little uncomfortable if you go back to your motherland. | middle1799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sleeps much of the time"
},
"options": [
"moves more slowly at night",
"has thousands of feet",
"doesn't move at all",
"sleeps much of the time"
],
"question": "A snail _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_quest... | We've talked about snails and their slow move. But much of the time snails don't move at all. They are in their shells --sleeping.
Hot sun will dry out a snail's body. So at the least sign of hot sun, a snail draws its body into his shell. A snail will die in a heavy rain. So when it rains, a snail does the same thing, too. A snail can sleep for as long as it needs to. It spends all the winter months in its shell, asleep.
In the spring the snail wakes up. Its body, about three inches long, comes out from the shell. When hungry, the snail looks for food. Its eyes, at the end of the top feelers, are very weak. But its sense of smell is very strong. It helps the snail to find food and the new greens.
A snail's mouth is no bigger than the point of a pin. Yet it has 256,000 teeth! The teeth are very small, and you can't see them. If you put a snail in a hard paper box, it will eat its way out! And if a snail wears out its teeth, it will grow new ones. | middle1941.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "eyes and an arm"
},
"options": [
"a hand",
"eyes and a leg",
"an arm",
"eyes and an arm"
],
"question": "A robot will get something for you with _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | The technology is improving every year. We will see some very exciting home robots in the next few years. In the future the robots can do lots of things.
1. Getting things
In a few years, it will be possible to tell your home robot to get a piece of bread for you.
The robot will use its eyes and an arm to get the bread for you.
2. Watering plants
Future robots will carry water to water plants.
3. Telling dangers
A home robot will find out fire, smoke and other dangers easily. Every night the robot will make its rounds to make sure that everything is right.
4. Looking after children
A robot will help us look after our children well while we are not at home. | middle6790.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "no living thing can live alone"
},
"options": [
"every life needs food",
"plants are very important",
"no living thing can live alone",
"1iving things need different food"
],
"question": "Food chains suggest tha... | All living things on the earth need other living things to live.Nothing lives alone.Most animals must live in a group,and even a plant grows close together with others of the same kind.Sometimes one living thing kills another,or one eats and the other is eaten.One kind of life eats another kind of life in order to live,and together they form a food chain .All food chains begin with the sun,and all food chain become broken up if one of them disappears.
All life needs sunlight to live on.But only plants can use sunlight directly.Plants are"factories".They make food from sunlight,water and things in the soil and air.
Plants feed all other living things.Animals can only use the sun's energy after it has been changed into food by plants.Some animals feed directly on plants,and others eat smaller animals.Meat-eating animals are only eating plants indirectly.
What about human beings?We are members of any food chain.We eat rice,vegetables,fruits and so on.We also eat meat.But men often break up the food chain.They kill wild animals.They also make rivers,lakes and seas dirty.When these rivers,lakes and seas are polluted,the fish in them cannot be eaten.If men eat the fish,they will get strange diseases.
Each form of life is linked to all others.Breaking the links puts all life in danger. | middle5299.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "student"
},
"options": [
"teacher",
"student",
"driver",
"doctor"
],
"question": "Jack is a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "... | Jack is a schoolboy. He is from England. He lives in a small town, not far from London. He lives with his grandmother. His parents work in London. They come only on Saturday and Sunday.
Jack has a small bike. He rides to school every day. He likes to study. He listens to the teachers carefully in class. He works very hard at his lessons. After school he often does the shopping for his grandma. He does his homework in the evening. He watches TV only on Sunday evening. Jack is a good boy and his parents like him very much. | middle4187.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "how animals act before an earthquake"
},
"options": [
"how animals act before an earthquake",
"how an earthquake starts",
"how mice leaves their homes",
"when an earthquake begins"
],
"question": "This story is ... | Many animals do strange things before an earthquake . This news may be important. Earthquakes can kill people and knock down homes. The animals may help to save lives.
Some animals make a lot of noise before an earthquake. Farmers have told about this. Dogs that are usually quiet have started to howl . Horses on farms have run around in circles. Mice have left their holes and run away. Cows have given less milk.
In a town in Italy, cats raced down the street in a group. That happened only a few hours before an earthquake. In San Francisco, a man kept tiny pet frogs. One Sunday, the frogs jumped around more than ever. They made loud noises, like bigger frogs. That night, an earthquake struck the city.
People want to know when an earthquake is coming. Then they could get away safely. Right now, there is no sure way to know ahead of time. Maybe the best way is to watch the animals. | middle543.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "weigh and talk to people"
},
"options": [
"tell people what they should eat",
"weigh and talk to people",
"tell people how old they are",
"tell a story"
],
"question": "The nice talking machine could _",
"q... | A man made a nice talking machine. It could weigh people. The man wanted to try the machine before he could make a lot of these kinds of machines.
He put the machine into the waiting room of a station . There were always lots of people in and out there.
The first one began to use the machine. It was an Indian woman. When she stand on the machine, the machine thought for a few minutes to decide which language it should speak. "Good morning, madam," it said in Indian. "Your weight is 72 kilos. That's three kilos more. If you eat more fruit and vegetables, you will be soon all right. Wish you a nice day."
The second one who used the machine was a nice 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 kilos. It's all right for your age and height. Go on to eat what you eat every day. Wish you a nice day."
The third one to use the machine was a very fat American woman. She thought for a long time before standing on the machine. But as soon as she stood on the machine, the machine spoke quickly in English , "Good morning . Will one of you get off?" | middle225.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "14"
},
"options": [
"12",
"14",
"16",
"18"
],
"question": "The writer is _ years old.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "believe ... | I have a lot of friends. My best friend is Mai. She is 16 years old. She is 2 years older than me. We live in the same town and we began to know each other when we were very young. Now we are classmates. Mai is tall and thin, with long black hair. She has an oval face with big eyes, a high nose and a small mouth. Mai is helpful . When her friends have difficulties, she always tries her best to help them. Mai is one of the best students in our class. I like studying with her. She always helps me with my studies. Although we have the same hobbies and interests, we also have some differences. I am sociable and enjoy telling jokes. Mai, however, is serious and quiet. We believe in each other, so we are good friends. I hope we can keep our friendship forever . | middle1969.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "very ordinary people and things"
},
"options": [
"the heaviest fruits and vegetables",
"the smallest people and animals",
"the strangest people and things",
"very ordinary people and things"
],
"question": "We c... | Passage 4
From the world's heaviest apple, the oldest lady to the world's smallest dog, these are all parts of a group of the world's strangest people and things. And they are all in the Guinness Book of Records(<<>> ).
The book is going to celebrate its birthday this August. It began exactly half a century ago. And it's always one of the best selling books in the world.
People now can break over 1000 records every week! Why do so many people want to break the records? Do they want their names in the book or meet more people around the world? "It gives people a chance to show they're the best in the world." said one of the record keepers Stewart Newport.
The book was started by Hugh Beaver from Britain. In 1951, he went shooting birds and talked with his friends about the fastest bird in Europe. Three years later, they were still talking about it. So Beaver believed that people must have different ideas. So, he decided to start a book to record the world's truly greatest people and things in it!
The newest book came out last Tuesday. This book has a lot of interesting records. Here are two:
A British dog, Whitney, is the world's smallest dog. It's only 76mm tall.
An American woman Lee Redmond has the longest fingernails .They grew as long as 600 mm! She made the record in 1971. | middle231.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She spins words into her web."
},
"options": [
"She spins words into her web.",
"She provides food for Wilbur.",
"She asks other friends to help.",
"She makes a house for Wilbur."
],
"question": "What does Charl... | Charlotte's Web is a popular American children's book about the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a spider named Charlotte. The writer, E.B. White, shows that a real friend will help you even though he or she has nothing to get from doing so.
In the book, Charlotte is always helping Wilbur. She spins words into her web to save Wilbur's life, even though spinning the words is tiring and difficult for her. Charlotte is a true friend. She helps Wilbur for only one reason - she cares about him.
Templeton, the rat, on the other hand, is not a real friend to Wilbur. Templeton only helps others when there is something in it for him. When he is asked to help save Wilbur's life, he says "no" at first. Later on, he agrees to help, but only because he wants to keep eating Wilbur's meals. At the end of the book, Wilbur learns the true meaning of friendship. He helps Charlotte to save her babies. He does this not for other reasons, but because he cares about his friend.
Reading this book lets me know how important it is to help others. Being a good friend means being there when you are needed. | middle4805.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "on Mid-Autumn Day"
},
"options": [
"on Mid-Autumn Day",
"the day before Mid-Autumn Day",
"the day after Mid-Autumn Day",
"two days before Mid-Autumn Day"
],
"question": "Last year they became good friends again ... | Grace and I are good friends. We get on very well with each other, though sometimes we fight. I remember last year we didn't talk with each other for a long time before Mid-Autumn Day. But when we met each other that day, we became good friends again.
We both study well. We like talking about the problems in our studies.We also like making up stories.We made one up in English last month. It was called "Magic Sunflower Club". I think this is a wonderful name.
Grace is tall and active. She does better in P.E. than me. She is good at music. She plays the piano so well that sometimes birds come to listen to her.
I'm shorter and quieter than Grace. I know a lot about science. I often have some new ideas. I'm good at math and art. Our teacher says my drawing is getting better and better. If we don't know something very well, we help each other. So we never have any problems. | middle6974.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to find out if they can see colours"
},
"options": [
"to tell them to eat",
"to find out if they can see black and white things",
"for fun",
"to find out if they can see colours"
],
"question": "Scientists show ... | Scientists think that many animals cannot see colours. The world is black and white to them. Scientists want to find out if dogs can see colours. When the scientists give the dogs food, they show them a certain colour every time. The dogs get ready to eat when they see this colour. The scientists then show the dogs another colour. Again the dogs get ready to eat. The colours are all the same to them.
Colours are not all the same to monkeys. For example, if we put food in a red box, and do this every day, a monkey will always go to the red box to get food. If we put food in a blue box, the monkey won't go to it. | middle557.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It's a country musical group."
},
"options": [
"It's a rock musical group.",
"It's a country musical group.",
"It's a small town.",
"It's a piece of music."
],
"question": "What is Little Big Town?",
"questi... | Maybe you've heard of many musical bands, but have you heard of Little Big Town, a country musical group? There are four members in this band, Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet. They had a hard time when they began their band at first, but they didn't give up. Now it becomes very popular.
"We take care of each other and we take care of the music," Karen Fairchild once said after one of their shows. As a fan of this band, I once had a chance to hang out with the members of Little Big Town. We talked about their hard beginning. At that time, they even didn't have their own stage.
Fairchild also told me how the four of them were together when they were in trouble. Not only did they stand together on stage but also in their daily life. For example, they were right there when Phillip Sweet was caring for his daughter for the first time. They encouraged Kimberly Schlapman when they found her husband _ . At that time Kimberly was very sad to lose her husband. "When we have lived such a hard life together, it bonds us tightly," Phillip Sweet said. "We find true happiness is the joy of doing what we do for a living. We love the hard beginning. We also love the wonderful future." | middle6223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "How A Fish Protect Its Young"
},
"options": [
"Staying Away From Danger",
"How A Fish Protect Its Young",
"Laying Eggs",
"A Cat That Swims"
],
"question": "The best title is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | Most animals protect their young until they are old enough to take care of themselves. A fish that swims in the rivers of South America protects its young in a very strange way. This fish, a kind of catfish, uses its mouth to keep its babies from danger .
When this catfish lays its eggs, it carries them in its mouth. From what we know, it does not eat during this time. After the eggs hatch , the fish swims with its young to protect them. It opens its mouth when danger appears , and the tiny fish swim inside. They swim out only when it's safe again.
These catfish may have a _ way to protect their young, but it seems to work. | middle2723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "New York"
},
"options": [
"Canada",
"London",
"Toronto",
"New York"
],
"question": "Mary lived in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_t... | Mary went to Canada on vacation. After a week, she came back to New York. She told lots of interesting things to her best friend, Jack. Jack was very interested in Canada and decided to have a visit there. The next summer vacation, Mary and Jack had a plan to go to Canada together. But her mother was badly ill so she went to the airport to see her friend off.
When they got to the airport, Mary had to got to the washroom. When she came back, she couldn't find Jack because there were so many people at the airport. She looked for him everywhere, but it was hard to find Jack among the people. Suddenly Mary saw Jack and she felt very happy, so she shouted,"Hi, Jack. Here, here." At the same time, Jack waved his arms,"I'm
here."
In 3 minutes, so many policemen came to the front of Jack and caught him, "Please come with me to the police office." After the policemen found out the reason, they let them free. Why? Because the word "hijack" in the English has different meanings. | middle4352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "thirteen"
},
"options": [
"five",
"Twelve",
"fourteen",
"thirteen"
],
"question": "The writer's brother started taking care of his younger brother and mother at the age of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | My father died when I was 5. It was hard on us all. My brother is 8 years older than me, he began to look after my mother and me.
My mother had to do a full-time job. My brother would get me up for school, and cook breakfast for me .When I was eating he would get my clothes and school bags ready and make my bed. As we waited for the school bus, he would play the games my father used to play with me. He did his best to make me happy .
When we arrived home from school , he would help solve the problems in my homework and help Mom to cook .
It was a Saturday in June a few years later. My mother and I were at the store .They were selling Father's Day cards. I stared at them. "My dear, I know this is a hard time for you." Mom said. "No, Mom, that's not it. Why don't they have 'brother's day' cards?"
She smiled and said, "You're right, your brother has certainly been a father to you. Go ahead and choose a card. "
So I did. On Father's Day, my mother and I sat my brother down and gave him the card .As he read it, I saw his eyes watering. I heard the cracking in Mom's voice as she said, "Son , your father is proud of you. You do your best to _ . We love you, and thank you." | middle6545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "download a design and \"print\" one"
},
"options": [
"buy one in a shop",
"ask somebody to make one",
"download a design and \"print\" one",
"design and make one by oneself"
],
"question": "With the help of high... | A new report shows what life might be like in 100 years from now. It describes skyscrapers that are much taller than today's buildings, underwater "bubble" cities and holidays in space. The report is from a company. It asked experts on space and architecture, as well as city planners, to give their ideas on the life in 2116. They said the way we live, work and play will be totally different to how we do these things today. The experts used the Internet as an example. They said that 25 years ago, people could not imagine how the Internet and smartphones would change our lives. The Internet has completely changed the way we communicate, learn and do daily things. The experts said the changes in the next century would be even more unbelievable.
Researchers questioned 2,000 adults about the prediction they thought were most likely to happen in the future. They predicted that in the future, few people will go to an office but will work from home and have work meetings online. People will have highly developed 3-D printers that will let you download a design for furniture or a food recipe and then "print" the sofa, table or pizza at home. There will also be less need for visits to the doctor. We will all have a home health instrument that will tell us what the problem is and give us treatment. We will also be going into space for holidays and to get resources that we have used up on Earth. A prediction that is missing is whether people will still need to study English.
,A, B, C, D,. | middle7883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The netizens."
},
"options": [
"His father.",
"The villagers.",
"His mother.",
"The netizens."
],
"question": "Who gave Zhu Zhiwen the nickname of \"Brother Coat\" ?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | Do you know who is the most popular star on the Internet now? Yes, he is "Brother Coat" Zhu Zhiwen!
A few months ago, Zhu Zhiwen was an unknown farmer. A video of his show has been watched by more than millions of people,now his videos are the most popular. Zhu Zhiwen attracts Chinese netizens' hearts. And he is called "Brother Coat" by them.
In March 2011, he took part in a program called "I'm a Big Star". He walked out onto the stage in a dark green coat. Then he began to sing the song of the TV drama Romance of Three Kingdoms. When the audiences heard rich and powerful voice,all of them stood up and cheered. After that, he became a well-known person.
The judges asked him if he had any professional training. Zhu said no. "When he started, I thought someone played the original tape by mistake. But later on, I got it, " said one of them, "we can't _ ." At last, he won the first prize in the program of "I'm a Big Star".
Zhu Zhiwen was born in a village of Shandong in 1969. He liked listening to the radio. When the music played, he sang it along. Every morning, he would get up early and practiced singing near a river. He keeps doing it for nearly 30 years.
"When I'm working in the fields, "said Zhu Zhiwen, "I often sing for myself, some villagers even think me crazy,but I really love it. I'm not singing for money, I'm singing for ordinary people in China."
Mrs. Sun, a 56-year-old engineer, one of his fans said, "I watched his videos without getting tired of it! It is so amazing, and every time I watch it, I am filled with excitement and his voice is perfect! I am crossing my fingers in hope that he has a bright future." | middle972.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Reading a lot can help us to become good writers."
},
"options": [
"Some children wish to be writers some day.",
"It is good to write something for people to read.",
"Reading a lot can help us to become good writers.",
... | People like to read or listen to stories, especially children. After reading, some children wish to be writers some day. They want to write stories or books for people to read. That's good! It's good to write something for people to read! But they should know that they need to be good readers first before they are really good writers. They should read a lot of books. Instead of watching TV and spending a lot of time playing games when they are free. There is more fun in reading. After you read some good books, you may want to look for more books to read. Before you decide to be a good writer, you should say to yourself. "I must read more and more to become better and better at writing!" | middle6551.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "lonely"
},
"options": [
"rich",
"young",
"a bad student",
"lonely"
],
"question": "Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Jean is a young girl who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has almost everything that money can buy. The problem is that Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. Jean is quite lonely . So she spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous , talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and he lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had the same interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself. He was a tall, good-looking young man with big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him. She wanted to give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of a rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a 70-year-old man named Jim! How disappointed Jean was! | middle7897.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "excited"
},
"options": [
"happy",
"sad",
"excited",
"bored"
],
"question": "When she began to play tennis, Li Na was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}
] | "My dream has come true. I have always wanted to be a Grand Slam champion." These are the words of Chinese tennis player Li Na after she became the first Asian woman to win a Grand Slam final in the French Open on June 4, 2011.
"People were saying I'm getting old. So this is a great success for such an old woman," the 29-year-old girl joked.
Miss Li has a tattoo . She has _ her hair many different colors. And, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she told her fans to "shut up" when they got too noisy in their support.
Li Na was born in Wuhan, she started to play tennis at the age of 6. She once recalled: "As a child, I felt sad because every day I had to wake up early to practice. After school I had to practice more. I didn't have time to play."
Luckily, the strong girl didn't give up, thus making history for Chinese tennis time after time.
Now the new champion is already thinking about winning another Grand Slam title. "When you have one title, surely you will think about another," she says, not hiding her ambition .
"Chinese people are so lacking in confidence on the tennis court. If there is a person like me who can prove we Chinese can do it, the other young players in China will feel the same," she said.
,. | middle2737.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "wants to tell you that she knows Mary is asleep"
},
"options": [
"is afraid to wake up Mary",
"wants to tell you that she knows Mary is asleep",
"knows that Mary wants to sleep at this time",
"wants to know if she can t... | Is there a difference in meaning between "It's too late to telephone. Mary is asleep now." and "It's too late to telephone. Mary will be asleep now."?
Yes. The difference is in the reason given for it being too late to telephone. In the first sentence "Mary is asleep now", the speaker is stating a fact. In the second sentence "Mary will be asleep now", the speaker is saying what Mary usually does. In fact, it's possible that Mary isn't asleep, but she is usually asleep at this time.
So let's take two situations. In the first case, imagine Mary's mother answers the telephone.
You: "May I speak to Mary, please?"
Mother: "No. It's too late. Mary is asleep now."
You: "Are you sure? It's only 10 0'clock."
Mother: "Yes. I went to her room and she was asleep."
The mother knows that Mary is asleep because she went into her room and saw her.
Here is another case. Two friends decide to telephone Mary.
Jack: "Let's telephone Mary. It's 10 0'clock."
Jill: "No. It's too late. She will be asleep now."
Jill knows that Mary always goes to bed before 10 o'clock, so now she'll probably be asleep. But it is also possible that she is staying up late. | middle5058.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was made by 200 Chinese scientists"
},
"options": [
"was made in America",
"was made within two months",
"can do 2,507 trillion calculations in a minute",
"was made by 200 Chinese scientists"
],
"question": "The... | Did you hear of the supercomputer? Recently, China's Tianhe-1 was ranked as the world's fastest supercomputer, according to a new list of world's TOP 500 supercomputers.
It took 200 Chinese scientists two years to build the fastest supercomputer. It can do 2,507 trillion calculations in a second! That means it will take a personal computer 600 years to finish the work that a supercomputer does in a day!
The US now leads the world in the area of supercomputers. It is home to more than half of the world's top 500 supercomputers. Japan also has advanced technology. China is developing its supercomputer technology quickly. But experts say it will take years before China's total computing power can catch up with that of the US.
Supercomputers can work on many different things. They can solve problems in areas like national defense , energy and science. In business, you can also use supercomputers. Oil companies use them to find oil and gas. Banks use them for quick trades. Food companies even use supercomputers to make sure that they put potato chips into cans without breaking them.
To make a supercomputer, scientists first need to link thousands of small computers together. Then they use software to turn them into one supercomputer. In fact, any person with enough knowledge about computers can make a supercomputer. But you need the top technology to make a supercomputer run fast. | middle4346.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "before they could write"
},
"options": [
"two thousand years ago",
"before they could write",
"after they write",
"three thousand years ago"
],
"question": "Chinese made and flew kites _ .",
"question_typ... | Have you ever heard of Weifang, Shangdong Province? What is it known for? There is an international kite festival every April in Weifang that is a modern city with many traditions. People from all over the world compete in the kite flying. There are also competitions for the best kites. The kites in the competition are all made by hand.
Most people have flown a kite. It makes people happy. It's easy to make it. It's made of bamboo and paper. But not so many people know that kites were first made in China thousands of years ago. The ancient Chinese made and flew kites even before they could write.
A long time ago, the Chinese made kites to use in wars. They would fly these war kites in the dark. The kites were fixed and they made strange sounds in wind. Men who were at war against them would hear these sounds and run away. They thought those strange sounds were made by gods in the sky.
The ancient Chinese also flew kites to bring good luck and to make their crops grow rich and tall. Sometimes they tied long strings and hooks to their kites. Then they would fly the kites over water, letting the hooks hang down to catch fish.
The Chinese use sticks, string and paper for their kites. Some of these kites look like animals or trees and others look like houses. | middle4420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She was too afraid of the dark"
},
"options": [
"the bedroom door was locked.",
"She wasn't thirsty anymore",
"her mother wouldn't go with her",
"She was too afraid of the dark"
],
"question": "The girl walked b... | One midnight, a little girl woke up to get water. She got up and down her bed by herself, walked to the bedroom door and opened it. She looked outside and walked back, for it was so dark in the living room that she feared. Her mother told her not to be afraid and take courage.
" What is courage? Do you have courage?" She asked, running to her mother's bed. " Courage is the brave breath . I have it." Her mother answered. The girl held out her little hands and asked her mother to give her. After her mother blew out two mouthfuls of breath into her little cold hands, the little girl clenched her fists nervousely, afraid that the "breath of courage" would run away. Then with her fists clenched, she walked out of the bedroom towards the bathroom with nothing to fear.
Her mother said to herself, " It'll be nice if someone can blow some kind of breath to me. Then I can hold it in my hands too when I feel terrified or lost.
In fact, mostly, what we are terrified of is nothing but the fear in our mind. Who we should deal with is nobody but ourselves. | middle2051.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "made it impossible for him to move freely"
},
"options": [
"made him have fewer friends than others",
"prevented him enjoying an excellent school life",
"left him feeling down all the time in his life",
"made it impossi... | I'm Alfred. I was born with a problem in my backbone and mobility was a big challenge, but thanks to my teachers and friends, my school life was excellent.
My friends and I used to sit together and have lots of fun. Whenever we got a free period, we used to start shouting or play games. I would take part in all competitions, such as poetry writing, story writing and painting and all activities like Teachers' Day or anybody's birthday and had much fun.
My English teacher was very tall. The moment she would enter the class, we would all sit quiet and open the books. She would encourage me by giving me important assignments and also morning news to read during the assembly. She would come down and hear my English debate , which made me participate in all debate competitions.
The same was true of my biology and science teacher. She was very nice and sweet. She would always give me extra information on the biology project. I could not go to the lab for the practicals (lessons or exams in science, cooking etc. in which you have to do or make something yourself rather than write or read about it), so she would bring the lab down and help me with the biology and science practicals and would give me excellent marks.
My friends made me monitor and the naughty boys listen to me. My friends used to help me with my notes if I was absent. My teachers always gave me important project work and I felt proud when they _ after I finished it quickly and correctly.
I was never shouted at or made fun of or scolded by any of my friends and teachers. Today I saw the terrible punishments given to students on television news. I felt very sad.
I really want to express my love and thanks to all my wonderful teachers and friends, without whom my school life would not have been so excellent and unforgettable. I really pray to God that each child in the world is blessed with caring teachers and wants to attend school every day. | middle1558.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Paintings in tree holes."
},
"options": [
"Some colourful trees.",
"Paintings in tree holes.",
"Many posters on destroyed trees.",
"Some ads on both sides of the roads."
],
"question": "What special things can y... | Do you like painting? Have you ever seen a painting in a tree hole? Now you can see many paintings in tree holes on a road in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. What's up?
These paintings are painted by Wang Yue, 23, a college student at Dalian Polytechnic University. Wang describes her tree hole paintings as "a beautiful journey" through which she adds fun to her hometown.
"When I saw that the trees by the roadside had lost all their leaves, the ugly tree holes became obvious ," she said.
"I thought if I could paint some interesting scenes in these holes they might add some color to the city. "
But Wang was worried that the pigments in her watercolors could hurt the trees. After asking environmental specialists and getting permission from city officials, Wang gathered her color palette , brushes and other things to get to work.
"Painting on a tree hole is not as easy as painting on a canvas . I had to think about the shapes and sizes of the tree holes and adjust my designs accordingly," she said. "Before I began, I also had to clean off the dust from the tree holes first."
"I was glad to let people see life's beauty. I hope more artists can join me in painting the tree holes," Wang said. | middle7129.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "growing"
},
"options": [
"not popular",
"growing",
"not possible",
"cheap"
],
"question": "Teleshopping is _ in Europe.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | For several years, Americans have enjoyed teleshopping -- watching TV and buying things by phone. Now teleshopping is starting in Europe. In a number of European countries, people can turn on their TVs and shop for clothes, jewelry, food, toys and many other things.
Teleshopping is becoming popular in Sweden, for example. The biggest Swedish company sells different kinds of things on TV in 15 European countries, and in one year it made$100 million. In France there are two teleshopping channels, and the French spend about$20 million a year to buy things through those channels.
In Germany, until last year teleshopping was only possible on one channel for 1 hour every day. Then the government allowed more teleshopping. Other channels can open for telebusiness, including the largest American teleshopping company and a 24-hour teleshopping company. German businesses are hoping this new teleshopping will help them sell more things.
Some people like teleshopping because it allows them to do their shopping without leaving their homes. With all the problems of traffic in the cities, this is an important reason. But at the same time, other Europeans do not like this new way of shopping. They call teleshopping "junk on the air". Many Europeans usually worry about the quality of the things for sale on TV. Good quality is important to them, and they believe they cannot be sure about the quality of the things on TV.
The need for high quality means that European teleshopping companies will have to be different from the American companies. They will have to be more careful about the quality of the things they sell. They will also have to work harder to sell things that the buyers cannot touch or see in person. | middle3367.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Five.",
"Six.",
"Seven.",
"Eight."
],
"question": "How many kinds of movies do you know from the passage ?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | There are many kinds of movies in the world. For example: comedies, scary movies, documentaries , soap operas, action movies... People love movies. Comedies make people laugh because they are funny. Scary movies make people frightened and cry because they are scary. Documentaries bring people knowledge because they are educational. People like soap operas because they are romantic . People also like action movies a lot because they are exciting. Different people like different kinds of movies. Girls always like soap operas. Boys like action movies and scary movies. But all girls and boys like comedies.
. | middle5716.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "travel"
},
"options": [
"shopping",
"food",
"travel",
"hotels"
],
"question": "The advertisements above are about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,... | Come to Austria
Soll is a village in the mountains in western Austria. And the Post Hotel is clean and not expensive. It is opened by a local family. From the hotel you can see the whole village, the forests and the mountains. Temperatures in summer are usually 20degC to 25degC in the daytime, but much cooler by evening.
Enjoy Thailand
When you visit Bangkok in Thailand, don't miss the early morning river boat trip to the Floating Market outside the city. There you will find many kinds of fruits and vegetables. And you can pay for them when you sit in your boat. Don't forget your hat: the sun can be strong and it may be as hot as 40degC at noon.
Visit Hawaii!
Maybe the most beautiful place in Hawaii is Kauai. You can visit its long, sandy beaches in the south and west of the island, and mountains and forests in the north, but don't be surprised if it rains in the centre of the island. Daytime temperatures there are usually around 24degC to 26degC by the sea, and only a little cooler by late evening. | middle1570.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "About 900 years old."
},
"options": [
"About 800 years old.",
"About 900 years old.",
"About 700 years old.",
"About 600 years old."
],
"question": "How old is the University of Oxford?",
"question_type": "f... | Oxford is a city in the UK. It's in the west of the UK and it's famous for the University of Oxford. It's an old university -- about 900 years old. It has a longer history than Cambridge University. It's the oldest university in the English speaking world.
There are about 20,000 students and they are from all over the world. Many students go to school by bike. There are 38 colleges in the University of Oxford, but Cambridge University has only 31 colleges. There are 104 libraries in the University of Oxford. Bodleian Library is the second largest library in the UK. Stephen Hawking was a student of the University of Oxford. He's a great scientist. Clinton , the 42nd American
was also a student of the University. | middle8232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "An actress."
},
"options": [
"A singer.",
"A musician.",
"A teacher.",
"An actress."
],
"question": "What is Shirley Temple?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | Do you know Shirley Temple? She is an American film and television actress. She was born on April 23, 1928. She is also good at singing and dancing. She becomes a child star in the 1930s.
What does she look like? She has a round face with big eyes. Lost of people like her curly blonde hair very much. She is lovely and smart. At the age of 6, she makes her first film. Before she is 12, she plays over 40 films. She is also the first Award Oscar in the history of children.
Her mother has no job and her father works in a bank. When she is very young, her mother asks her to learn to sing, dance and act. In September 1931, her mother takes her to Meglin's Dance School in Los Angeles. Shirley Temple passes away on February 10, 2014.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt says, "It is a great thing that for just fifteen cents, you can go to the movies and look at the nice face of a girl and forget your problems." | middle7667.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Clock Tower."
},
"options": [
"The Ladies' Street.",
"The Clock Tower.",
"The Monkey Garden.",
"The museum."
],
"question": "Where did the writer and Alice go on the first day?",
"question_type": "factio... | My friend Alice visited my city last week. She arrived on Wednesday morning. She is from Australia. I showed her around the city. We visited the Clock Tower first. The Clock Tower was very tall. We took some photos there. Then we went to City Museum. After that,we saw a good movie. The next day, we visited the Ladies' Street .There were a lot of clothes shops. The clothes were cheap and beautiful. Alice bought some clothes for her parents and friends. Then we went to the Seafood Street. We bought some seafood. We also had seafood in a restaurant. All of us enjoyed the meal. Then we went to a concert in the evening. The music was fantastic!
On the third day,the weather was very hot so we decided to visit the Monkey Garden. We found different kinds of monkeys in the Garden. The monkeys were funny and active. Alice went back to Australia on Friday evening. She enjoyed the trip. She invited me to visit Australia next summer. | middle6579.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "our unique system"
},
"options": [
"our bodies",
"our minds",
"the clock",
"our unique system"
],
"question": "What makes some like to stay up late while others go to bed early?",
"question_type": "factiod_q... | Try this: for a whole day, _ . Eat when you're hungry and sleep when you're tired. What do you think will happen?
You may be surprised to find that your day is much like most other days. You'll probably get hungry when you normally eat and tired when you normally sleep. Even though you don't know what time it is, your body does.
Inside our bodies are several clocklike systems that follow a 24- hour cycle. Everyone is unique, which is why you might like to stay up late while your sister always wants to go to bed early.
Regularly staying up late can make kids do worse on tests and quizzes. And working shifts at night leads to higher rates of heart disease.
"There is a growing sense that when we eat and when we sleep are important parts of how healthy we are," says Steven Shea, Director of the Sleep Disorders Research Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
"During the night, we are prepared to sleep," Shea says. "During the day, we are prepared to eat and move around, If you reverse ( ) what you are doing, everything is out of phase. That can have adverse consequences. | middle782.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to buy something"
},
"options": [
"to buy something",
"to play a joke on someone",
"to look for someone",
"to talk to the girl"
],
"question": "The old woman wanted _ in the clothes shop.",
"question_type... | An old woman walked into a clothes shop. She asked the salesgirl to let her have a look at a new dress on display, but the girl stood still behind the counter, taking no notice of the request.
The old woman spoke to the girl again, raising her voice a bit, but still received no answer. The old woman looked closely at the girl and nodded to her, "I am too old to see well." I can't even tell a plastic model from a real girl."
On hearing this, the salesgirl shouted at the old woman, " What? Did you call me a plastic model?"
The old woman was greatly surprised. "On, dear me," she said. "The model can speak. Then it must be a robot of a new type." | middle1216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "If someone has time and works hard, he can make much money."
},
"options": [
"It is not easy to make money.",
"It takes quite a lot of time to make money.",
"Working hard can bring people health.",
"If someone has time ... | Americans think much about time. From childhood they learn to value time. They are taught to be on time to go to school, to work and to do everything. When they are having a good time, they say that time goes easily. When a person is dying, they say he is living on a borrowed time.
Time is money. Time is knowledge. Time is everything in America. A working American has to work hard for eight hours a day or forty hours a week. This is the working time. In his free time, he also works hard for more money. Even on Saturday and Sunday he also works hard as usual. In the street you can hardly see a man walking slowly. They walk very fast. In fact, they are running.
They love time because time can bring them money and lots of things. But sometimes they also hate time , because they feel they have become servants of the clock . | middle5070.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to look for a man with one leg"
},
"options": [
"to give him some money",
"to bring him some drinks",
"to watch the doctor",
"to look for a man with one leg"
],
"question": "The Captain asked Jim _ .",
"q... | My name is Jim. My story begins when an old sailor came to the inn where I lived with my father. My father was the innkeeper.
"Do many people came here?" the old sailor asked my father.
"No," my father told him. "It is a very quiet place."
"Good," the old sailor said. "Then this is a place for me."
"And what's your name, sir?" my father asked him.
"Just call me 'captain'", the man said.
He put some gold coins on the table. "Tell me when I have spent all these," he said.
Not long after he came to the inn, the captain said to me, "Do you want to earn some money?"
"Yes, please," I answered. I was only a boy at the time and never had any money. "What do you want me to do?"
"Keep watch for a man with one leg." he said, "Tell me as soon as you see him. Do that and I'll give you a coin every week."
At first, the Captain was a very quiet man and did not want to talk to anyone. But there were nights when he drank a lot of _ Then he talked a lot and became very noisy. He told stories about bad men doing bad things, and he sang the same song over and over again at the top of his voice, "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest. Yo-hap-ho! And a bottle of rum."
My father wanted him to leave because some visitors stopped coming to the inn. But, even when the gold was spent, my father didn't dare to tell him to leave.
Then father became ill, and Dr. Livesey came to see him. After giving my father some medicine, the doctor came into the inn. When the doctor waited for a man to bring his horse. The Captain started singing the same song again.
The doctor asked him to be quiet. "There was a sick man here," he said angrily.
The Captain took out his knife and pointed it at the doctor.
"Put that knife down, man," the doctor said. "And if you keep drinking rum, you'll soon be dead."
The Captain was very angry. He began to move toward the doctor.
"Keep away from me. If you do anything bad, you'll be in trouble." said the doctor.
Then the doctor's horse came, and he rode away from the inn. For a few days after this, the Captain was quiet. | middle3401.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Miss Taylor."
},
"options": [
"The grandma.",
"Miss Taylor.",
"Mrs. Taylor.",
"Queen"
],
"question": "Who is the writer of the poem?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | My Favorite Sweater
by Bonnie Highswith Taylor
My favorite sweater grew too small.
I love that sweater best of all.
My grandma made it when I was three.
She made that sweater just for me.
I picked the yarn , a special blue.
The color of bluebells, wet with dew .
When I was three I was very small.
But now I'm five and much too tall.
I have a new jacket now that's green.
So I gave my sweater to our cat Queen.
Queen just had kittens out in the shed .
My favorite sweater is now their bed. | middle3415.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "burn dry leaves"
},
"options": [
"fire any leaves",
"burn anything",
"burn dry leaves",
"keep fires burning"
],
"question": "A spark can _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | long ago people made fires from lightning . But they had to keep the fire burning, for they couldn't start it again if there was no lightning. Later, they found out hitting two piece of stone together could make a spark . The spark could fire dry leaves. In this way they could make the fire again if it went out. Then people also learned to make a fire by rubbing. They made a hole on a big piece of wood and put a smaller stick into the hole. They turned the stick again and again. After a few minutes they got a fire.
As years went by, people learned other ways to make a fire. Sometimes they used the heat from sun. they held a piece of glass in the right way and made a piece of paper on fire.
About two centuries ago, people began to make matches . Matches brought people a quick and easy way to make fire. Today matches are still being used, but people have more new ways to make fires. One of them is to use an electric fire starter. Of course an electric fire starter is much more expensive than a box of matches. But it is more useful. | middle1202.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the USA"
},
"options": [
"England",
"Europe",
"the USA",
"different countries"
],
"question": "Alice , Tom and Jim come from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | Alice is an American girl. She has two good friends. One is Tom, the other is Jim. They come from the same country. They are studying in Beijing now. They are at the same school-- No.2 Middle School. They have a lot of Chinese friends here. They go to school from Monday to Friday. They go to school at seven in the morning. They all go to school by subway. In the evening, they do their homework and learn Chinese. On Saturdays and Sundays they go to their friends' homes. There they learn more Chinese from their Chinese friends and their friends learn English from them.
Sometimes they write to their parents in America. They tell them about China and their life in China. They all like living here . They want their parents to come to China one day. | middle1564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they sometimes said one thing but meant another"
},
"options": [
"we fail to listen carefully when they talk",
"we become angry when we realize what they really mean",
"they sometimes said one thing but meant another",
... | We can make mistakes at any age. Some mistakes we make are about money. But most mistakes are about people.
Why do we go wrong about our friends? Sometimes people hide their real meanings when they say something. And if we don't really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words. Suppose someone tells you, "You're a lucky dog." That's being friendly. But "lucky dog"? There's a bit of envy in those words. Maybe he doesn't see
himself. But "lucky dog" puts you down a little. He may mean you don't deserve your luck.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking. Do his words fit the way he looks? Do his words agree with the tone of voice? His posture ? The look in his eyes? Stop and think. If you spend the minute thinking about the real meaning behind one's words, it may save another mistake. | middle8226.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Less than 8 hours."
},
"options": [
"Less than 6 hours.",
"Less than 7 hours.",
"Less than 8 hours.",
"More than 8 hours."
],
"question": "How many hours do 40% of the Junior 3 students in Beijing sleep each nig... | The weekend is usually a time of rest. But today's Chinese teenagers can't rest during the weekends. According to a survey , 24% of the Junior students in Beijing have classes at the weekend. Over 40% of the Junior 3 students have less than eight hours of sleep each night.
Ji Ping, a Junior student in Guangzhou, has to get up at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. Then she has a whole day of classes. On Sunday she gets to extra classes for Maths and English. But she doesn't complain . She says that all her classmates work hard on Sunday.
Liu Yang is from Dalian. As a Junior 2 student, his weekends are less busy. But he always spends Saturday in school. On Sunday, after finishing homework, he plays basketball. He feels happy because he still has time to do the things he likes.
A few students are lucky. Yang Qing, a Junior 3 student from Zibo, Shangdong, is one of them. At weekends, she usually gets up at 8:00. Then she spends some time doing homework. After that she is free to do what she likes. "Don't push yourself too much. Learning well at school is easy," she said. And she is a top student in her class. | middle7115.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a book"
},
"options": [
"a desk",
"some paper",
"a book",
"a waste-paper basket"
],
"question": "When Einstein began his work in America, he asked for some things except _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_ques... | It is well known that Albert Einstein was one of the greatest scientists of all time and he was also a really great person. Here are some interesting things about him.
When Einstein started to work in America, someone asked him what he needed. He said he needed a desk, some paper and a pencil. He also asked for a big waste-paper basket to hold all of his mistakes. This shows that he knew even the cleverest man in the world can only learn by making mistakes.
Einstein regarded time as very important. He never wore socks and he thought putting on socks was a waste of time as people already wore shoes. He also thought it was a waste of time remembering things that could quickly be found in a book. That's why he never remembered his own phone number, which was in the phone book. He knew what was worth remembering. It is true that if we are going to do great things in our lives, we can not waste our time.
Einstein liked to joke too. Once in an exam a student asked him why all the questions were the same as last year's. Einstein replied the questions were the same but the answers were different!
,A, B, C, D,,. | middle3373.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "didn't want the young woman to hear \"her\" voice"
},
"options": [
"didn't want the young woman to hear \"her\" voice",
"didn't want to trouble the young woman any more",
"was so tired that \"she\" didn't want to talk with he... | A young woman was driving through the lonely countryside. It was dark and rainy. Suddenly she saw an old woman by the side of the road, holding up her hand as if she wanted a lift .
"I can't leave her out in this weather," the young woman said to herself. She stopped the car and opened the door.
"Do you want a lift?" she asked. The old woman nodded and climbed into the car. After a while, she said to the old woman, "Have you been waiting a long time?" The old woman shook her head. "Strange!" thought the woman. She tried again. "Bad weather for the time of year," she said. The old woman nodded. Then the young woman noticed the old woman's hands, which were large and hairy . Suddenly she realized that "she" was a man! She was frightened at first. Then she stopped the car. "I can't see out of the rear screen ,"she said. "Would you mind cleaning it for me?"
"The old woman" nodded and opened the door. As soon as "she" was out of the car, the frightened young woman drove off as fast as she could.
When she got to the next village, she stopped. She noticed "the old woman" had left "her" handbag behind. She picked it up and opened it. Inside was a gun | middle2086.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Confident."
},
"options": [
"Confident.",
"Guilty.",
"Nervous.",
"Worried."
],
"question": "How did Mr.Jones most probably fell that night.?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Mr. Jones opened a shop in Aston to sell writing-paper, pencils and things like that. During the first month, very few people visited his shop. He sold little,and he could see that he was going to lose money.
One night,Mr.Jones sat bay the fire and was worried after another very bad day. Suddenly he got an idea. He found a piece of wood and wrote to the following notice on it in big letters:
"WHAT DO YOU THINK I GIVE AWAY PENCILS AND PAPER AND INK"
He put up the notice in front of the shop window before he went to bed. He slept better than usual that night.
The following day, many people came to the shop. Mr. Jones said good morning to them all with a bright smile and asked the frist woman what she wanted.
She chose some writing paper and a pencil. As soon as he put them on her hands, she turned to leave the shop.
"That will be thirty cents ,please," he said.
"Why?" she asked in surprise.
"That's the price of the paper and the pencil."
"But your notice says it's free," she replied.
"Oh no," he said, "how can I make any money if everything is free?"
She took him outside and showed him the notice "It is wrong,too,"she said. "where is the question mark after the word 'think'?"
"There isn't a question mark,"he said.
"But there should be one ."
"I'm afraid you've made a mistake," Mr.Jones said."You have read my notice in the wrong way."
"Not at all," said the woman. "It is quite easy to read. It says: What do you think? I give away pencils and paper and ink!"
"No," Mr.Jones said. "You should read it like this: _ And the answer to the question is: Certainly not! So you really have to pay me thirty cents, you see." | middle3398.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "About 1282"
},
"options": [
"10",
"18",
"38",
"About 1282"
],
"question": "_ of the 3,375 students use the Internet very often.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | The Internet has become part of teenagers' life. A new report shows that 38 percent (......) of 3,375 students use the Internet often.
Most of the students get useful information for their studies, but some are not using it in a good way. Many students are playing online games too much. Some even visit some unhealthy websites. A teacher from Beijing Yinghua Middle School, Hong Ying warns that something bad can happen if young people spend too much time on the Internet. She said that one of her students used to be good at school. But when he started visiting unhealthy websites,he hurt a girl by cheating online. At last the police caught him and sent him into the prison .
In order to help young people use the Internet safely, some schools in Shanghai find a good way. The schools provide a textbook for the students. The book uses real examples to teach students about good ways of using the Internet. Teachers and parents all think the book is good.
Hong said that the book will help students keep away from the bad behaviors of using computer. The book will teach students how to be a good person in the online world. | middle5931.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "on the Internet"
},
"options": [
"on the Internet",
"in specialty stores",
"from salesmen",
"from retailers"
],
"question": "We can have more choices to get a good deal _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questi... | It's a goal for millions and millions of families every year to keep the Christmas spending within a certain amount of money, but you can still afford the gifts because your loved ones will
enjoy them. This concern is becoming greater and greater theses days. Even so, there are several things that you can do to help.
Hit the sales. No one wants to get up at four o'clock in the morning and fight to get a good deal on Black Friday (the first Friday at Christmas time). It's surely very difficult to pick up the courage and get out there in the cold for a good deal. But sometimes it can be well worth. Many retailers offer _ all through the day. Some even offer online Black Friday specials, so we may still be able to get a great deal on Black Friday.
Read advertisements regularly.Once the Christmas shopping season is coming, retailers will be hungry for business. They will try their best to get us into the store. Please read the weekly advertisements of sales among the major retailers from time to time. We may be lucky enough to find different prices for the same thing in different shops.
Shop online. Some of us don't like running from store to store to get the best price on the perfect gift. Some of us don't like to go out in the cold at all, and then, we can do online shopping. The world of online shopping makes it possible for us to visit all the major retailers and some specialty stores on the Internet. We can find exactly what we are looking for at the best possible price without even having to leave the house. With traditional Christmas shopping, it will always take us a long time to wait if we want to get the perfect gift. | middle6586.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "happy"
},
"options": [
"happy",
"tired",
"bored",
"excited"
],
"question": "Reading can always keep yourself _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Reading is a good hobby for all kinds of reasons. First , reading is fun. You can always keep yourself happy if like reading. You will never feel bored or tired. Next, you can read a book anywhere----in a car, on a plane, or even in the bathroom. All you need is a book! Another good reason for reading is that it is useful. If you read as a hobby, you will get better and better at it. And you will read faster and find it easier to understand what you read. As your reading skills improve, you will probably find your schoolwork becomes much better.
Some people say that reading is out of date . This is not true. You can read on computers, and the better you read, the better your computer skills will be. Good readers may become writers, too. They always have more things to write about.
Reading is a wonderful hobby. Why not start reading ri ght now? | middle7698.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "An office of the US government."
},
"options": [
"A group of doctors in the US.",
"An office of the US government.",
"A report on diseases in the US.",
"An order given by the US President."
],
"question": "What ... | Sometimes people are not clear about what kind of food is healthy, and what kind of food may do harm to our health. The USDA has prepared a food guide to help people learn about which kind of food is the healthiest to eat. The food guide describes six main food groups: meat (like fish and chicken), dairy (like milk and cheese),grains (like bread and rice), fruit and vegetables. The last group is fats and sweets. The USDA also suggests how much of each food group is healthy to eat daily. Though this guide was prepared by the US government, it is very useful for people all over the world.
As a _ of years of study, we know that too much animal fat is bad for our health. For example, Americans eat a lot of meat and only a small amount of grains, fruit and vegetables. Because of the way they eat, they have a high rate of cancer and heart disease. In Japan, people eat large amounts of grains and very little meat. The Japanese also have a very low rate of cancer and heart disease. The Japanese live longer than anyone else in the world. However, when Japanese people move to the US, the rate of heart disease and cancer goes up as their eating habit changes. And as hamburgers, ice creams and other high-fat foods become popular in Japan, the rate of heart disease and cancer is going up there as well. People are also eating more meat and dairy food in other countries, in which the disease rate is going up along with the change of the way people eat. Doctors everywhere suggest people eat more grains, fruit and vegetables and less meat and dairy food.
Eating healthily is important for children as well as their parents. When parents have poor eating habits, their children usually do, too. After all, children eat in the same way as their parents. When parents eat healthy food, the children will learn to enjoy it, too. Then they will develop good eating habits. Doctors suggest parents give their children healthier food such as fruit, vegetables and juice.
Everyone wants to live a long, healthy life. We know that the food we eat affects us in different ways. For example, doctors believe that fruit and vegetables can really protect people from many different diseases. On the other hand, animal fat can cause diseases. We can change our eating habits now and enjoy many years of healthy living. | middle2938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "bread, eggs or hamburgers"
},
"options": [
"noodles and fruit",
"rice and vegetables",
"bread, eggs or hamburgers",
"water or milk"
],
"question": "What do many people have for breakfast according to the passage... | In my city, people have breakfast around seven. We drink warm tea or milk in the morning. Many people have some bread, eggs or hamburgers.
Around noon it is the lunchtime. Many people take their food to schools or their work-places. Some people like going to a restaurant*or having fast food in a McDonald's. But I think these foods are unhealthy. We can have some meat with some vegetables or rice. Healthy fish slowly replaces* beef and pork. It's healthy to drink one glass of water or juice after lunch.
At six or seven in the evening, it's time for dinner. At this time, families usually get together*to have dinner at home. We often have warm food. Sometimes we go to restaurants to eat. | middle4391.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Next Friday, October"
},
"options": [
"This Friday, October",
"This Sunday",
"Next Monday",
"Next Friday, October"
],
"question": "When is Amy's birthday?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Bill has a sister, Amy. Next Friday is Amy's birthday. Bill wants to buy a present for her. However, he doesn't have much money. Now he is in shopping mall.
He spends a lot of time choosing a good and cheap present in a toy shop, but he can't find anything. He goes to the next shop. There are some beautiful hair clips in it. Bill likes them very much. He knows Amy wants to have one all the time. He chooses a blue one. It's not expensive. It costs 7 yuan. He goes back home happily. | middle4385.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a musician"
},
"options": [
"a doctor",
"a nurse",
"a teacher",
"a musician"
],
"question": "This story is talking about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | How many things can you do at the same time? Eating and reading are easy. Reading and playing the violin are difficult. But some people can do many things at the same time. Bob is a one-man _ . In this picture Bob is playing the drums and the guitar with his feet. He is playing the drums and the guitar with his feet. He is playing the cymbals between his knees and the accordion with his hands. He's also playing the bells with his hands. What a talented man Bob is! | middle6592.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a very good team"
},
"options": [
"many football fans",
"a very good team",
"many football player",
"a big playground"
],
"question": "If a country wants to take part in the World Cup ,she must have _",
"qu... | In the world , football is the most popular sport. This is because many countries have wonderful teams for the World Cup. The World Cup is held every four years.
To remember 2002 FIFA World Cup, children from different countries and more than 60 children from Japanese schools came together and drew a big picture called "Dream World Cups "for a few days in Japan .The children drew animals, flowers and people playing soccer under a blue bright sky. They wished each football team good luck by drawing the flags of all the countries that would take part in the World Cup in Japan and South Korea. The picture was put up in a park near a playground in Yokohama .Some football teams would have games there.
Are you a football fan?The World Cup makes more and more people interested in football Teenagers like playing and watching football .Many of them love some football stars so much that they get the pictures of their favourite players on the walls of their rooms. That is the way to show their love for the World Cup as children in Japan. | middle769.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They spent Y=68,000 on a wedding for their pets."
},
"options": [
"They dress their pets up in fashionable clothing.",
"They buy their pets high quality food.",
"They spent Y=68,000 on a wedding for their pets.",
"They ... | Passage 1 Mobile Phone Madness
How much do you love your mobile phone? A Chinese student had to call 110 for help this week after he got his arm stuck in a toilet trying to rescue his mobile phone. After dropping his phone in the toilet, he decided to wrap(,) his arm in newspaper in the hopes of keeping clean. But the newspapers became larger in size in the water, and then even his roommates couldn't help him pull his arm out. So policemen were called and they spent an hour unsticking the stuck student.
Passage 2 Crazy Pet Lovers
How much do you love your pets? Many people in China are famous for how much they love their pets. They dress them up in fashionable clothing and buy them high quality food. But would they spend 7,000 English pounds (68,000 yuan) on a wedding for their pets? And that's what a couple in Brazil spent on a fancy wedding for their pet Yorkshire terriers( a kind of dog).
Passage 3 Oh, rats!
When something goes wrong, you can often hear Westerners cry "Oh, rats". But when it comes to Southern China, "Oh, rats!" can mean it's what you want for dinner. According to a report in China Daily, some restaurants in Guangzhou serve rat meat. But, actually, most of those rats are field mice. What would Mickey Mouse say?
Passage 4 Liar , liar
Here's some news that most women already know. Men tell more lies than women. The London Daily Mail cites a new study that says men tell about three lies a day, while women tell only two lies a day. Men are also less likely to feel guilty about lying, according to this week's survey of 3,000 people by a research organization called One Poll. According to the Poll, lying to our mothers is very popular. But then, so is lying at work. And both men and women will lie when it comes to how much they've drunk. So how easy is it to tell when someone is lying? | middle2092.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "earning money"
},
"options": [
"earning money",
"passing exams",
"helping Project Hope",
"selling books"
],
"question": "The students in Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School had an activity about _ .",
"question... | What is the hottest topic at your school? In Hangzhou Yongjin Middle School, it's money.
The school had an activity called "making a living" recently. About 800 Junior 1 and Junior 2 students were divided into 112 teams. They went out to make money by selling things.
What did they choose to sell? Some sold newspapers; some chose bottled water; some sold environmentally friendly shopping bags and bamboo baskets.
Huqi's team decided to sell educational books in front of the Children Activity Centre. They thought parents would like to buy books for their children. But unfortunately , they came across urban management officers . The officers asked them to leave. "We played hide-and-seek with the officers for the whole morning," said Hu. "Finally we gave up and moved to other place.
Wang Yongyi and her team sold ice cream in a square. They didn't meet any officers. But few people were interested in what they were selling. The team then put up a board saying the money was to help the "Project Hope" for country kids. It worked. More people came to their stall. A foreigner even gave them 100 yuan.
Meng Zhaoxiang and his team were luckier. They sold all their cakes in four hours, spending 39.5 yuan and getting back 80 yuan. "It was not easy to make the money," said Meng. "Some people just looked. Others just tasted but didn't buy. Now I know how hard it is for our parents to earn the money we need to lead happy lives." | middle5925.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"3",
"4",
"5",
"6"
],
"question": "There are _ ways of self -- protection mentioned in the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0... | According to a new survey, students' safety has become a big problem. Now in some cities of China, many schools start a new lesson: self -- protection. Students like this lesson because there are no exams or boring classes. And they can leam how to save lives and know how to stop danger before it happens.
Lin Li, a teacher from Yantai, gives young students some advice on how to deal with danger
If you are in a traffic accident
If a car hits you, you should remember the car number. If you get badly hurt, you should call l20. If it is a bicycle, try to call your parents before you let the rider go. This is because you don't know how seriously you are hurt.
If it is raining hard and there is lightning
Don't stay in high places or turn on the TV. Don't use the phones. Keep away from trees.
When there is a fire
Get away as fast as you can. Put wet things on your body and try to find an exit. Don't take the lift.
If someone is drowning
If you can't swim, don't get into water. Cry out for help.
If you are robbed
Keep calm. If you can not cry for help or run away, give the robber your money. Try remember what the robber looks like and tell the police.
Remember that danger is never as far away as you think. Protect yourself at all times ! | middle2904.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "unusual"
},
"options": [
"natural",
"unusual",
"green",
"movable"
],
"question": "The writer tells us three _ hotels.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1... | The Green Magic Tree House, in India, is the perfect hotel for anybody who likes adventure . Guests must drive for miles through the jungle to find it in the middle of tea and coffeeplantation .
There are two tree houses to choose from, one 30 meters and the other 35 meters above the ground. Both houses have two floors. The bedrooms are above the living area and there are bathrooms and showers. You can get up to rooms and move between floors byusing ladders . You can go from one tree house to the other on a rope bridge. The houses sometimes move about in the wind but the views are fantastic.
Guests can enjoy moving through the jungle, climbing in the mountains, and watching wildlife. There are many unusual plants, birds, and insects in the area.
The Ice Hotel is in Jukkasjarvi, a village in Sweden 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. Every winter, a team of architects , designers and snow builders build the hotel. This year there are 80 rooms.
Everything is made of ice. The walls, the floors, the ceilings , and even the furniture are made of ice. The beds are made of ice, too, but guests sleep on warm deer skins. Outside it can be -37degC, so inside it feels quite comfortable. The hotel has a bar, where guests can drink vodka from glasses made of ice. It's very popular -- because there isn't much else to do.
To spend a night at Jules Underwater Lodge in Florida, guests need to scuba dive seven meters under the sea. They enter a small house through a door at the bottom of the building. Inside, the kitchen is stored with food and there is a fridge and a microwave oven . There is a hot shower and comfortable beds and lots of books, DVDs and video games. Most guests, however, spend their time at one of the large windows watching different fishes swimming by. | middle741.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "both B and C"
},
"options": [
"studied chimpanzees",
"was interested in animals",
"told stories about chimpanzees",
"both B and C"
],
"question": "When Jane was very young, she _ .",
"question_type": "cloz... | Much of the information we have today about chimpanzees comes from the research of Jane Goodall.
From an early age, Jane was interested in animals and animal stories. At the age of 10, she was talking about going to Africa to live among the animals there. At that time, in the early 1940s, _ was a radical idea because women did not go to Africa by themselves.
As a young woman, Jane finished school in London and then worked for filmmaker for a while. When a school friend invited her to visit Kenya, she worked as a waitress until she had earned the fare to travel there by boat. She was 23 years old at that time.
Once in Kenya, she met Dr. Louis Leakey, a famous paleontologist . He was impressed with her knowledge of Africa and its wildlife and hired her to help him and his wife on a fossil-hunting tour. Dr. Leakey soon realized that Jane was the perfect person to complete a study he had been planning for some time. she expressed her interest in the idea of studying animals by living in the wild with them, rather than studying dead animals like fossils . | middle755.txt |
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