questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "All the above."
},
"options": [
"The salary.",
"The number of the teaching hours",
"The free accommodation provided.",
"All the above."
],
"question": "What does \"package\" in the advertisement refer to ?",
... | Summer Posts
Once again we require 10 excellent TEFL Teachers for our summer program. Large thriving Arels- Felco school offers special package to qualified, TEFL experienced teachers.$1,500 and free accommodation for 200 hours teaching from 2 July-24August. Overtime available. Good Possibility of longer term and permanent posts. Shorter contracts available. Letters of application and C.V. to Teacher Recruitment (Dept. E),prefix = st1 /ChurchillHouseSchool,40-42 Spencer Square,Ramsgate,KentCT11 9LD.
Fax: (0843)584827.
Established 20 years. Recognized by the British Council. | high24227.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a chapter"
},
"options": [
"the beginning",
"the introduction",
"a summary",
"a chapter"
],
"question": "This passage is most probably _ of a love story.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | A month went by in this manner, but a month was all I could bear.
The memory of Marguerite accompanied me wherever I went. I had loved that woman -- still loved her -- too much for her suddenly to mean nothing to me. Whatever feelings I might have for her now, I had to see her again. At once.
...
I knew Marguerite. Meeting me so unexpectedly must have thrown her into a state of great confusion. Probably, she had heard of my departure which had set her mind at rest as to the consequences of our sudden parting. But, seeing me back and coming face to face with me, weak as I was, she had sensed that my return had a purpose, and must have wondered what was going to happen.
If, when I saw her again, Marguerite had been unhappy; if, in taking my revenge , there had also been some way of helping her then I might well have forgiven her, and would certainly never have dreamed of doing her any harm. But when I saw her again, she was happy, at least on the surface. Another man had ensured her the wealthy life in which I had been unable to keep her. She brought shame both to my pride and my love; she was going to have to pay for what I had suffered.
I could not remain cold to what she did now. It followed that the thing that would hurt her most would be exactly for me to show coldness. Coldness, therefore, was the feeling which I now needed to pretend, not only in her presence but in the eyes of others.
I tried to put a smile on my face, and I went to call on Prudence with whom Marguerite was staying.
...
Prudence saw me to the door, and I returned to my apartment with tears of anger in my eyes and thirst for revenge in my heart and thought only of finding a way to make the poor creature suffer. | high8856.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Telling stories about past events."
},
"options": [
"Sightseeing in the park.",
"A picnic on the school playground.",
"Telling stories about past events.",
"Graduates' reports in the old building."
],
"question"... | Barditch High School decided to an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hand to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans when Ms.Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
"I can't tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven't seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven't appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination."
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
"It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path."
"There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart."
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. Tee clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar . Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown. | high458.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Using electric drills."
},
"options": [
"Using electric drills.",
"Listening to light music.",
"Laughing happily",
"Playing the piano"
],
"question": "According to the passage, what will most probably cause nois... | Pollution is anything that harms or disturbs the natural environment. Just as chemicals in a river or litter in the park are pollution, so unwanted noise can pollute too. Some people cause noise pollution by playing their radios too loud, but the main problems in many areas are aircraft and traffic noise. In science, a noise is a mixture of vibrations without any smooth, regular pattern, for example, the sound of an electric drill or a radio tuning from one station to another.
Noise can be reduced by soundproofing. You have probably noticed the difference between the sound in a empty room and a furnished one. Some materials are very effective at _ sounds. They are often made up of fibres or foam, because these trap layers or bubbles of air. Sounds do not travel well through air. Most of the curtains, carpets and upholstery in your home are good sound absorbers and will stop sound travelling through windows, walls and floors.
A lot of noise pollution can be avoided if a machine is designed properly. Modern cars contain different materials to reduce the amount of noise coming from the engine and other moving parts, as well as noise produced by the car as it moves through the air. Have a look around next time you are in a car. What soundproofing can you see? By replacing metal parts in cars and other machines with parts made of plastics and foams, there is now far less noise than there used to be. | high23548.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the author did not understand the importance of giving until he was in late thirties"
},
"options": [
"the author did not understand the importance of giving until he was in late thirties",
"the author was like most people who were... | Like most people, I was brought up to look upon life as a process of getting. It was not until in my late thirties that I made this important discovery: giving-away makes life so much more exciting. You need not worry if you lack money.
This is how I experimented with giving-away. If an idea for improving the window display of a neighborhood store flashes to me, I step in and make the suggestion to the storekeeper. One discovery I made about giving-away is that it is almost impossible to give away anything in this world without getting something back, though the return often comes in all unexpected form.
One Sunday morning, the local post office delivered an important special delivery letter to my home, though it was addressed to me at my office. I wrote the postmaster a note of appreciation. More than a year later I needed a post-office box for a new business I was starting. I was told at the window that there were no boxes left, and that my name would have to go on a long waiting list. As I was about to leave, the postmaster appeared in the doorway. He had overheard our conversation. "Wasn't it you that wrote us that letter a year ago about delivering a special delivery to your home?" I said yes. "Well, you certainly are going to have a box in this post office if we have to make one for you. You don't know what a letter like that means to us. We usually get nothing but complaints." | high9590.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the siblings' reunion"
},
"options": [
"an accidental meeting on the Internet",
"a humorous story",
"the Holocaust in Romania",
"the siblings' reunion"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .",
"q... | A brother and sister have been reunited sixty years after the Holocaust because of a website set up in Israel.
Simon Glasberg, who lives in prefix = st1 /Canada, and Hilda Schilk, who lives inIsrael, long thought each other dead, but finally found each other following the efforts of Schilk's grandchildren who had been searching the "Central Database of Victims" Names' website inIsraeland discovered a page in memory of their grandmother. The page had been made by Schilk's brother, who believed she had been killed during the Holocaust.
Using the website, the grandchildren were then able to look for their grandmother's remaining siblings . After flying into IsraelfromCanada, Glasberg spoke about the tearful reunion with his sister. "I looked and looked and I couldn't find her. My parents also used to cry whenever they remembered her."
Simon landed in the airport, came out, and then stood there, not knowing where to continue. Then his nephew said, "Simon, this is your sister." And suddenly he cried. They haven't left each other since then; they talk in _ , laugh, cry, and tell a lot of stories.
Schilk was born in 1934 and the family lived inRomaniaduring the Holocaust years, before traveling intoPolandandUkraine. Though they were both inIsraelat the same time, Simon and his parents and siblings didn't know his younger sister was alive.
Another elder brother, also inCanada, was too ill to make the trip toIsrael, but the reunited family is planning to visit him inCanadasoon. | high22656.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "deserves the attention of other cities"
},
"options": [
"is due to its education",
"is the steadiest in the USA",
"attracts well-educated people",
"deserves the attention of other cities"
],
"question": "William... | Census Bureau data released Thursday show that 48 of the 50 most populous U.S. cities have grown since 2010, compared with only 40 of the top 50 in the first two years after the 2000 Census. Of the top 100, 93 have grown since 2010, compared with just 72 a decade ago.
Many of the biggest, such as New York, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas, are outpacing the nation's 1.7% growth rate since 2010.
"Urban America is recovering faster than more remote places," said Robert Lang, a professor of urban affairs.
Only two big cities - Detroit and Cleveland - lost population between 2010 and 2012.
The urban recovery is led by mid-sized cities including Austin and Fort Worth and Charlotte. Austin grew 6.6% in two years, becoming the USA's 11th-largest city. In 2000, it was No. 17.
Other trends:
* New York City grew 2%, adding about 161,500 people since 2010. By far it is the USA's most populous city.
* The population of New Orleans continues to grow. In 2005 a terrible natural disaster happened to the city, causing the population to decrease. Now it has a population of three hundred and sixty-nine thousand. The number has grown by 7.4% since 2010.
* Government budget crunches have put state capitals in difficulty. Half are behind the growth rate of their regions.
Perhaps the biggest exception to the capital crunch is Austin. It has grown more than 26% since 2000. Population expert William Frey says Austin enjoys a number of qualities that make it attractive. It's a high-tech city with a state university. And it's in Texas, an attractive place for newcomers. "In some ways it's a model of what other cities would like to become," he says.
Frey notes that Charlotte, which grew 5.4% since 2010 has grown into a high-tech and financial center whose industries do business not just with those in other U.S. cities but with the rest of the world. | high12795.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Adrian."
},
"options": [
"Charley.",
"Adrian.",
"Jeanne.",
"Frances."
],
"question": "Which of the following is the 2005 first hurricane?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index"... | Although hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1, a Pacific storm has already struck. El Salvador, which was ruined by a Caribbean storm in 1995, was hit by Hurricane Adrian on Friday. This is the first Pacific-born hurricane to ever reach land in this Central American country.
Some 14,000 people left from the western coast of El Salvador. The storm weakened as it crossed land, heading east. Heavy rains created deadly flooding problems in the hurricane' s wake.
Adrian is the first Pacific storm of the season. It reported maximum continuous winds of 75 miles per hour, the minimum strength of a hurricane. A Category 3 hurricane, Adrian also caused damage and flooding in Honduras. It is expected to break up before reaching the Caribbean Sea on the eastern coast of Central America.
Hurricane season typically begins June 1 and lasts through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted seven to nine hurricanes for the 2005 season.
"It is difficult to make any kind of an exact prediction of how many of these will strike land," NOAA administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said. He predicts two to three hurricanes will strike the U.S. this season.
Last year, six of nine hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher. Four of those hit Florida within a six-week period. Altogether, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne caused more than $40 billion in damage in the Sunshine State.
This year' s forecast is based on ocean temperatures. Warmer temperatures produce more tropical storms, which can then turn into hurricanes.
"The issue, really, this year is the unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic," said Frank Lepore of the National Hurricane Center. | high20041.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Computer"
},
"options": [
"Computer",
"Computer scientists",
"The Future World",
"Talk with Computers"
],
"question": "The best title for this passage is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{... | The computer is fast, and never makes a mistake, while people are too slow, and full of mistakes sometimes. That's what people often say when they talk about computers. For over a quarter of a century, scientists have been making better and better computers. Now a computer can do a lot of everyday jobs wonderfully. It is widely used in factories, hospitals, post offices and airports. A computer can report, decide and control in almost every field. Many computer scientists are now thinking of making the computer "think" like a man. With the help of a person, a computer can draw pictures, write music, talk with people, play chess, recognize voices, translate languages and so on. Perhaps computers will one day really think and feel. Do you think the people will be afraid when they find that the computer is too clever to listen to and serve the people? | high22131.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "is an ideal destination for couples"
},
"options": [
"is part of Madagascar",
"is an ideal destination for couples",
"is in central Indian Ocean",
"is most famous for its good service"
],
"question": "We learn f... | Prague is an ancient European city, featuring one of the most magnificent Old Towns in Europe, along with delicious food, inexpensive shopping and friendly people. Prague is also famous as being home to one of the most famous 20th century writers, Franz Kafka. The famous Czech beer is also one of the reasons to visit Prague.
The narrow streets of the older parts of the town are appealing the visitors to take nice long walk and settle in some of the many restaurants, which offer top-quality foods at a low price. The buildings there are mostly tower-shaped,and so Prague is called "city of a hundred
."
Mauritius
Also known as the Paradise on Earth, Mauritius lies about 560 miles (900 km) east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. It is a place of magnificent natural beauty coupled with excellent customer service, which makes for an unforgettable romantic experience at the edge of the world's warmest ocean.
There are lots to see and do in Mauritius: the coral reefs surrounding the island offer stunning beauty and great underwater adventures to those who want to dive into the precious waters. The nature of Mauritius mostly resembles that of Paradise, allowing every couple visiting this island to feel like Adam and Eve. That is an experience nobody would want to miss!
Cyprus
The very name Cyprus, it has been said, glitters with an age-old myth. Today, history and hedonism are comfortably mixed on the island. Some five-star resorts within walking distance of well-preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer the convenience the modern traveler has come to expect.
Cyprus features a romantic history, as it was Anthony's gift to his beloved Cleopatra during the glorious days of the Roman Empire. Maybe that is why you feel always a little special once you set foot on Cyprus.
For more information about many other most romantic places in the world, just log on at http://www.jurgita.com. | high16294.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is behind the times."
},
"options": [
"It is behind the times.",
"It has regular customers.",
"It is located on a quiet street.",
"It follows family traditions well."
],
"question": "What do we learn about\"C... | The Come-back Coffeehouse
The sign in the window read"Carl's Coffee Shoppe,"spelled the old-fashioned way.Hallie shook her head and wondered how many times she had suggested an alternative.She entered the shop and saw only one person.
"I could help with the books,Dad",Hallie offered,"There's not much you could do."Her father signed."How about if you clean the counters instead?"His statement made her feel like a little girl instead of a senior in high school.Hallie sprayed some cleanser and ran a cloth over the worn countertops,After she had washed a few of the old eggshell-color1ed cups,she began her homework.At closing time,Hallie's parents sat beside her."You know the shop has not been profitable lately,"Mr.Rhodes began."We need to decide if it is even worth keeping it open.""We're going to visit Uncle Harold over spring vacation."Mrs,Rhodes continued."He can look over the books and tell us what our options are.You and Aunt Tess will run the shop for the week."
By spring vacation Hallie was ready for an adventure.Hllie's parents gave some instructions,and said good-bye.Hallie stared absently out the window at the passersby:young people on their way to work,and kids on their school vacation.They were not the same people that her grandpa Carl had served.Suddenly Hallie had an idea.She confided in Aunt Tess,who approved.The two eagerly set to work.
At the end of the week,Hallie was coming out from the kitchen when she saw her parents standing in the shop,confused.She smiled as her parents staredat the teens around the counter and the young families seated at the tables.
"Welcome back!"Hallie swept her arms to present the restaurant'scheerful new decoration.Bright,attractive coverings spread over the tables,and modern posters hung on the walls,while,color1ful mismatched dishes contributed to the pleasant atmosphere."
I brought board games from home,"Hallie added excitedly,"and the bookstore down the street donated the posters.When we talked to our friendsabout what we were doing,they were happy to give us some dishes."Hallieheld her breath as she waited for her parents'reaction.
"Everyone certainly seems to like the changes,"noted Mrs.Rhodes.
"Speaking of changes,"Mr.Rhodes said,"I see our name has changed,too."
"Do you mind?I changed our name to'Come-Back Coffeehouse'to make the shop sound welcoming,as in'Please come back again'..."
A smile spread across her father's face."The new name is fitting."Thanks to you,this place certainly has made a comeback!" | high19819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Nicholas would not feel good for earning too much more than others."
},
"options": [
"He did not have the right to make such a big pay offer.",
"he did not want Nicholas to earn more than he did.",
"Nicholas was not experienc... | After having worked in the University of Maryland for three years, I got a job offer from another university---Lynn University. I left my letter of offer on my present boss's desk, turned around, and closed the door quietly. I was expecting a call from my boss saying congratulations, which would show her approval of my leaving.
In the afternoon, my boss called me, saying, "Can we meet tomorrow? " _ . The next day, I met with my boss. She said, 'Nicholas, we want you. What do you want?" I said, "Boss, I deserve a significant pay raise this year due to my outstanding performance. I think I need a 10% pay raise next year as a condition for me to stay here." My boss said, "No problem.''
When I left her office, I called Lynn University and told them that I was going to get a 10% pay raise. They had to give me 10% more than their original pay offer in order for me to accept the job. The new boss told me that he was willing to give me more, but I would feel very bad working at this university with such a high pay. I would win a battle, but I would lose a war. He said, "The problem is that your colleague will earn less than you, so you will feel guilty and uncomfortable. But, I can still give you 5% more than the original offer."
I delivered this massage to my present boss, and she told me that she would give me another 5% pay raise if I promised to refuse this new job offer. On top of that, she would strongly support my early promotion from assistant professor to associate professor. According to the university policy, you must take at least 6 years to get promoted. That was my third year of employment at this university. After refusing the new job offer, I finally enjoyed both a pay raise and early promotion. | high10183.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "on the Internet"
},
"options": [
"in a university",
"in a park",
"in an office",
"on the Internet"
],
"question": "NBC Universal holds Green Week activities _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | In November of 2007, NBC Universal launched its first official Green Week. Throughout the week, NBC Universal presented over 150 hours of environmentally themed content through multiple platforms .
Now, NBC Universal is proud to present Green Week 2012. With a new theme and message of "Green Your Routine", NBC and NBC.com presents green-themed tips in several of our daytime life, among several other features here on the "Green Your Routine" site.
Fashion & Beauty
Throw a clothes exchange party! Are you dying for that sweater your friend wore the other day? Well, maybe she'll trade for that old T-shirt you have. Here's a website that helps you organize an exchange party (www.swapstyle.com), or just plan your own!
Go natural with organic make-up. Applying unnatural products on your skin wasn't exactly that nature intended. Try switching to a line of organic make-up and cosmetics for a different way to bring out your natural beauty.
Home
Drop a brick in your toilet tank! Literally! According to the EPA, flushing makes up 30 percent of a household's water use (about three to six gallons per flush). By placing a brick in your toilet tank, you can help to conserve the amount of water used during each flush.
Work
Print smarter. Printing and copying can be one of the most costly operations in any office. To save on ink and paper costs, print double-sided and try to fit more than one page on a sheet. More printing tips can be found here: lifehacker.com
Turn off your computer. Do you leave your computer on over night? If so, you're using up a good amount of electricity. If you can, try turning off your computer and the power strip it's connected to. If you can't, shut off your monitor at least.
Transportation
Organize a car pool . There are many benefits to carpooling. You save on gas and you get to ride in the HOV lines. Get connected with your neighbors and co-workers to start sharing rides and check out this website for more tips: www.erideshare.com.
Lose the car and get a bike. If you live close to where you work, try taking a bike instead of driving. You'll keep in shape and save on gas!
Every small step and efforts makes a difference! Be sure to GREEN YOUR ROUTINE! | high3902.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To study 200 boys in the slums between 12 to 16 and predict their future."
},
"options": [
"To research into the living conditions of the poor citizens.",
"To foretell what the future might have in store for poor kids.",
"To ... | Years ago a John Hopkin's professor gave a group of graduate students this task: Go to the slums . Take 200 boys, between the ages of 12 and 16, and research into their background and environment. Then predict their chances for the future.
The students, after consulting social statistics, talking to the boys, and compiling much data, concluded that 90 percent of the boys would spend some time in prison.
Twentyfive years later another group of graduate students was given the job of testing the prediction. They went back to the same area. Some of the boys--by then men--were still there, a few had died, some had moved away, but they got in touch with 180 of the original 200. They found that only four of the group had ever been sent to prison.
Why was it that these men, who had lived in a breeding place of crime, had such a surprisingly good record? The researchers were continually told: "Well, there was a teacher..."
They pressed further, and found that in 75 percent of the cases it was the same woman. The researchers went to this teacher, now living in a home for retired teachers. How had she exerted this remarkable influence over that group of children? Could she give them any reason why these boys should have remembered her?
"No," she said, "no I really couldn't." And then, thinking back over the years, she said amusingly, more to herself than to her questioners: "I loved those boys." | high17834.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was popular at an early age"
},
"options": [
"was a healthy boy",
"was popular at an early age",
"sang the song with his sister",
"worked in his father's company"
],
"question": "We can learn from the text that ... | Sam Allred suffers from a rare and incurable kidney disease. One day, when his sister was playing a song repeatedly, Sam sang along. His sister thought it was funny so she recorded it and posted the video online. The video -- and Sam -- became a hit. Only 8 years old at the time, he couldn't have expected the response.
"(The television show) The Doctors called and wanted me on their show so they paid for me to go to California," says Sam, now 13, "and we got to stay in a hotel where all the movie stars stayed."
During that visit to California, Angie Allred, Sam's mother, had an idea about Sam writing a children's book. Together, she and Sam wrote Opening Hearts, which tells Sam's experience of living with a chronic illness.
"I wrote the book to teach people to be kinder to people," Sam says.
Moreover, Sam wanted to send pillows to sick children staying in hospitals around the country to make their stay more comfortable, an idea that came from a time when he was in the hospital.
"A few kind boys came in with pillows and they gave me one and it meant a lot to me that someone cared about kids in the hospital," says Sam.
Angie thought of starting a nonprofit organization to provide a way for people to contribute money to realize Sam's ideas. She named the nonprofit Kindness for Kids.
Since then, Sam has taken pillows to children staying at Providence Hospital in Anchorage.
Sam's father, Scott Allred, owns a small business that contracts shipping services with FedEx Ground. He asked the company for help.
"FedEx Ground learned about Sam's pillow project," says Erin Truxal, manager of public relations for FedEx Ground. "We thought, 'What a perfect way for us to get involved.'"
The company provided shipping services for Sam to ship about 5,000 pillows to hospitals.
Sam wants to send more pillows to all of the children's hospitals in every state. His goal is simple: "Kids in the hospital as happy as they were before they got sick," he says. | high12794.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"2",
"3",
"4",
"5"
],
"question": "How many factors are mentioned in this passage that lead to the increase of unemployment?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | There is a group of people whose numbers the British Government desperately wants to see dropping. They're mostly in their early 20s, without jobs and not at university. They often wander the streets and are seen as a threat.
The Office for National Statistics reported on Dec, 11, 2006 that the number of young people who are not in school and not working or in training inprefix = st1 /Britainhas risen sharply since 1997.
Britainnow has 1.24 million people aged 15 to 24 who have nothing to do. That's a 15 percent increase over 1997. One in six people in this age group is _ .
These people are most likely to be from lower-income families and be supported by their families or the government. Those over 18 can get a weekly job seeker's allowance ofPS46 (690 yuan) from the government. This is only enough to cover the basic cost of living.
Housing benefits are also available. But for single people under 25, these only cover rent for very cheap accommodation, such as a shared room. So most unemployed young people choose to live with their parents, where they can have a room of their own.
Some charities or local governments offer free housing for homeless young people as well. Nightstop UK, for example, offers help to young people aged 16--25. However, the housing is often only short-term.
British politician Iain Duncan-Smith blames the breakdown of traditional families on the increasing number of unemployed or untrained young people.
InBritaintoday, about one in 10 families are headed by a cohabiting couple. Cohabiting parents are twice as likely to break up as married parents, according to a Conservative Party report. Family breakdown is likely to lead to ignoring a child's education.
Poor post-school vocational training programmes are also being criticized. Independent research suggests that some training programmes are a waste of time.
The New Deal, a major programme to help the unemployed young, is one example. In 1998, 61 per cent of those leaving the programme could find jobs. That number is now down to 35 per cent.
"It shows a failure of government policy. Even if you put in a large amount of money, if you haven't got the basic policies right, you won't get the results," said politician David Willetts. | high22657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "When male mice make special sounds to females they can't control the sounds."
},
"options": [
"The frequency of mice's voice is so high that it's impossible for humans to hear it.",
"When male mice make special sounds to females th... | In many romantic movies or TV shows one scene always appears. It involves a handsome man standing outside a young woman's window, singing a love song to her to win her over. However, trying to woo a female with songs is not just something that humans do. A few animals sing love songs as well. Birds and elephants are romantic but the latest animal to _ a female might surprise you--it is the humble mouse.
You may find it odd to find out that mice sing. We do not hear them because the frequency of their voice is so high. In fact, scientists have known for some time that male mice make special sounds to females, but it has always been assumed that the sounds are produced instinctively and randomly, with little thought going into the process. But new research suggests otherwise. When male mice with different voices were put in a cage together, scientists found that they would gradually change their pitches to sound like one another. But when a female mouse was put in the cage with two males, one male would change his pitch to match the other. "It was usually the smaller animal changing the pitch to match the larger animal," professor Erich Jarvis, leader of the study, from Duke University, US, told BBC News. This ability, known as vocal learning, is rare in the natural world. It had been thought to be limited to some birds, such as parrots--as well as whales and dolphins. The latest findings challenge the long-held opinion that mice cannot learn to adapt their voices.
Scientists also found the part of the brain that controls the mice's singing ability. In the experiment, they damaged the cells in this part of the mice's brain and found that the animals couldn't keep their songs in pitch or repeat them any more. This also happened when the mice became deaf. Jarvis said that this finding had changed his understanding of the way mice make sound. "In mice we find that the pathways that are at least modulating these vocalizations are in the forebrain, in places where you actually find them in humans," he said. "If we're not wrong, these findings will be a big boost to scientists studying diseases like autism and anxiety disorders." | high23549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To become more awake."
},
"options": [
"To become more awake.",
"To become more healthy.",
"To become more happy.",
"To become more clever."
],
"question": "What is the purpose of drinking coffee?",
"questio... | Coffee is one of the most popular drinks throughout the world today. In fact, according to some estimates, over 30% of all adults in the world drink coffee at least once a day on the average. Coffee contains a kind of drug called caffeine. Caffeine is a chemical that stimulates the nerves of the body. Drinking coffee tends to make people a little bit more awake--at least for a short time--because of this stimulating effect on the nervous system. A cup of coffee has, on the average, about 3% caffeine in it.
One story of the discovery of the coffee plant relates to this effect of caffeine. According to the story, coffee was discovered in East Africa. The story says that coffee was first found by a goat farmer named Kaldi. This was about the year 850. Kaldi was leading his animals through the mountains and the goats were stopping repeatedly to eat the plants near the path. Suddenly, some of the goats started jumping up and down in a very strange way. Kaldi figured out that the goats were acting this way because of the plants they were eating. Kaldi himself tried eating some of the green beans that the goats had been eating. He, too, felt the stimulating effect of the beans. Kaldi wanted to prove what had happened, so he picked some of the beans and took them back to the village, where he told his story.
The green bean got the name "Kaffa" and later "coffee" because the beans were discovered in a place called Kaffa in Africa. Then for years, people used to eat a few of the green Kaffa beans when they were in the mountains and needed extra energy to do their work. It was later found that the coffee beans could be picked and then dried until they turned brown, and then they could be stored. If the beans were dried and stored, they could be used at any time. | high9591.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the jailer was moved by what I said about my family and kids"
},
"options": [
"when I was smiling to the jailer, he didn't smile",
"the jailer was moved by what I said about my family and kids",
"the jailer set me out of the ... | I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I felt in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had escaped their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could hardly get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those. I looked through the bars at my jailer . He did not make eye contact with me. I called out to him "Have you got a light?" He looked at me and came over to light my cigarette. As he came close and lit the cigarette, his eyes absently locked with mine. At that moment, I smiled. I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very hard not to smile. Anyway, I smiled. I know he didn't want to, but my smile went through the bars and generated a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near, looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.
I kept smiling at him, now considering him as a person and not just a jailer. "Do you have kids?" he asked. "Yes, here, here." I took out my wallet and nervously felt the pictures of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes were filled with tears. I said that I was scared that I'd never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too. Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out and set me free.
"My life was saved by a smile." Yes, the smile--the unaffected, unplanned, natural relation between people. I really believed that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn't be enemies. We couldn't have hate or scare. | high8857.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The use of new technologies in teaching."
},
"options": [
"The absence of blackboard in classroom.",
"The use of new technologies in teaching.",
"The lack of practice in handwriting.",
"The popular use of smartphones."
... | The practice of students endlessly copying letters and sentences from a blackboard is a thing of the past. With the coming of new technologies like computers and smartphone, writing by hand has become something of nostalgic skill. However, while today's educators are using more and more technology in their teaching, many believe basic handwriting skills are still necessary for students to be successful---both in school and in life.
Virginia Berninger, professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, says it's important to continue teaching handwriting and help children acquire the skill of writing by hand.
Berninger and her colleagues conducted a study that looked at the ability of students to complete various writing tasks---both on a computer and by hand. The study, published in 2009, found that when writing with a pen and paper, participants wrote longer essays and more complete sentences and had a faster word production rate.
In a more recent study, Berninger looked at what role spelling plays in a student's writing skills and found that how well children spell is tied to know well they can write. "Spelling makes some of the thinking parts of the brain active which helps us access our vocabulary, word meaning and concepts. It is allowing our written language to connect with ideas." Berninger said.
Spelling helps students translate ideas into words in their mind first and then to transcribe "those words in the mind written symbols on paper or keyboard and screen," the study said. Seeing the words in the "mind's eye" helps children not only to turn their ideas into words, says Berninger, but also to spot spelling mistakes when they write the words down and to correct then over time.
"In our computer age, some people believe that we don't have to teach spelling because we have spell checks," she said. "But until a child has a functional spelling ability of about a fifth grade level, they won't have the knowledge to choose the correct spelling among the options given by the computer." | high459.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Letter of suicide"
},
"options": [
"letter of resignation",
"Letter of condolence",
"Letter of suicide",
"Letters of Apologies ;"
],
"question": "what is form of The main body?",
"question_type": null
},
... | Brief Introduction
(Adeline) Virginia Woolf (nee Stephen; 25 January 1882 - 28 March 1941) was an English novelist and essayist, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927) and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929), with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."Main body
My dear,
'Dearest, I feel certain I am going mad again. I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shan't recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and I can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness. You have been in every way all that anyone could be. I don't think two people could have been happier till this terrible disease came. I can't fight any longer. I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work. And you will I know. You see I can't even write this properly. I can't read. What I want to say is I owe all the happiness of my life to you. You have been entirely patient with me and incredibly good. I want to say that - everybody knows it. If anybody could have saved me it would have been you. Everything has gone from me but the certainty of your goodness. I can't go on spoiling your life any longer.
I don't think two people could have been happier than we have been
...........................form the last letter of virginia woolf | high24226.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "finish the course"
},
"options": [
"show basic ability",
"finish the course",
"have sold three stories",
"have passed the test"
],
"question": "You are promised to publish one manuscript when you _ .",
"... | Dear Friend ,
The recent success of children's books has made the general public aware that there's a huge market out there .
And there's a growing need for new writers trained to create the $3 billion worth of children's books bought each year ... plus stories and articles needed by over 650 publishers of magazines for children and teenagers .
Who are these needed writers ? They're ordinary folks like you and me .
But am I good enough ?
I was once where you might be now . My thoughts of writing had been pushed down by self-doubt , and I didn't know where to turn for help .
Then , I accepted a free offer from the Institute to test my writing ability , and it turned out to be the inspiration I needed .
The promise that paid off
The Institute made the same promise to me that they will make to you , if you show basic writing ability :
You will complete at least one manuscript suitable to hand in to a publisher by the time you finish our course .
I really didn't expect any publication before I finished the course , but that happened . I sold three stories . And I soon discovered that was not unusual at the Institute .
Since graduation , I have authored 34 nationally published children's books and over 300 stories and articles .
Free test and brochure
We offer a free ability test and will send you a copy of our brochure describing our recognized home-study courses on the basis of one-on-one training .
Realize your writing dream today . There's nothing sadder than a dream delayed until it fades forever .
Sincerely ,
Kristi Hill , Instructor
Institute of Children's Literature | high12780.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he admired the author very much"
},
"options": [
"he admired the author very much",
"he wished to take part in theOlympics",
"he hoped to make friends with the author",
"he enjoyed going in for weighting lifting"
],... | Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.
He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain. He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.
When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you."
Last summer I got the news that Matthew had passed away and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before:
Dear Rick,
My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don't have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can.
I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I'll never make it. But I know I'm a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you.
Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Matthew | high22643.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It changes the colors so that color-blind people can see them."
},
"options": [
"It puts LED and other lights on electronic gadgets.",
"It shows common representations of points in the RGB color model",
"It checks color-blind... | When Jeff Sparkman draws his cartoon superheroes with colored pencils, he often has to ask other people to tell him what color his masked men turned out to be because he's color-blind. Now, a new smart phone application (app) can help him figure out what colors he's using and how the picture looks to most everyone else.
The DanKam app, available for iPhone and Android for $2.99, is an application that turns the vague colors that one percent of the population with color-blindness sees into the "true" colors as everyone else sees them. In America, an estimated 32 million color-blind Americans--95% are males--can soon have their life improved.
"DanKam takes the stream of data coming in through the phone's camera and changes the colors slightly so they fall within the range that people who are color-blind see,"developer Dan Kaminsky told CNET. He came up with the idea after watching the 2009 film Star Trek with a color-blind friend.
It was then that he got to know more about colorblindness like its varying types and degrees. A vast majority, for instance, have trouble seeing red or green due to a genetic defect . Blue-yellow colorblindness, however, is rarer and develops later in life because of aging, illness or head injuries, etc. He started experimenting with one of the most common representations of points in the RGB color model. What the DanKam app attempts to do is to clean up the color space of the image or video signal so that colors can be _ to those suffering from viewing problems. "You can adjust the app to fit your needs. There is a range and not everyone who is color-blind sees things the same." Says Kaminsky.
Sparkman, a copy editor at CNET, tried out the app and was pleased with the results. "It would be useful for dressing for a job interview," he said. But using it for his art is "the most practical application." It worked well on LED and other lights on electronic gadgets, which means Sparkman can now identify the power light on his computer display as green. | high9585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They will sing the song Little Apple at the 2014 American Music Awards"
},
"options": [
"They will sing the song Little Apple on the Internet",
"They will take part in an American music talent show",
"They will sing the song ... | Chopsticks Brothers, China's Internet singing stars, will sing their hit Little Apple at the 2014 American Music Awards. Chopsticks Brothers are known as director Xiao Yang and musician Wang Taili. They played a middle-aged singing group in the film Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon. In the film, they sang Little Apple when they took part in an American music talent show and they succeeded.
Now, life is following art. Chopsticks Brothers will really go to America to sing their song. They will join well-known singers including Taylor Swift. "I did not expect the _ in our film to come true in real life," Xiao Yang said during an interview. "It doesn't seem real. This is another story of dreams coming true for 'old boys'," said Wang Taili.
This is the first time a Chinese Internet song will be on the international stage. Little Apple has been more and more popular on China's Internet. Its MP3 received 579 million hits. And people have watched the music videos 823 million times on China's Internet. The song has had at least 500 million listeners around the world.
China's famous singer and songwriter Liu Huan said he liked Little Apple during an interview. "Everybody's singing and dancing with Little Apple and I think that's a good phenomenon . And I'm glad I can see Taylor Swift and Chinese singers sing on the same stage." | high12958.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They quarrel a lot with other family members."
},
"options": [
"They worry about school.",
"They quarrel a lot with other family members.",
"They have to be locked in to avoid troubles.",
"They dislike living with their... | The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on well with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.
An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it had ever been in the past. "We were surprised by just how positive today's young people seem to be about their families," said one number of the research team. "They're expected to be rebellious and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There's more negotiation and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don't want to rock the boat."
So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. "My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me," says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. "I always tell them when I'm going out clubbing. As long as they know what I'm doing, they're fine with me." Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. "Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I'd done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that."
Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, "Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change. " | high8843.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "students don't need to have courses or lectures any more"
},
"options": [
"students don't have to go to the classrooms according to the timetable",
"it provides people with more chances to get higher education",
"students don... | "In the online world you don't need to fill buildings or lecture theatres with people and you don't need to be trapped into a lecture timetable," says Peter Scott, director of the Open University's Knowledge Media Institute.
The Open University, the UK's open access university, which allows people to study from home in their own time, has been an international pioneer of degree courses online.
The university, with more than 263,000 students in 23 countries, has become a record breaker on the iTunes U service, which provides a digital library of materials for university students and staff.Instead of music or movies, Apple's iTunes U provides a download service for lectures and resources from universities around the world.Top universities from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard in the US to Oxford and Cambridge in the UK have been making their materials available, with no charge to the users.
There have been 31 million downloads of OU materials, more than any other university, representing roughly 10% of all iTunes U downloads.Nearly 90% of these users are from outside the UK.In this online era, the OU student is also getting younger.A quarter of students are aged under-25 and only 10% are aged 50 or over.That change can only be accelerated as the cost of going to university increases in many countries.The prospect of learning from Harvard from your own bedroom is getting closer.
"We have a belief that a degree and an opportunity are rights for all citizens.And we have got to enable the population of students attending higher education to scale up.What I am most excited about is that the privilege of going for higher education is not something only for the wealthy or for the smartest or for the most well-equipped students in the future," an American educator says.Online education will be a way of opening up more choices and getting beyond the big brand names of the most exclusive universities.
At the Open University, Peter Scott says they are trying to develop services that give students exactly what they want, from face-to-face learning to the fully online experience."We can produce brilliant televisual material and get it to you on YouTube, on iTunes U or even on the web. | high24232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Its carbon filament was special."
},
"options": [
"It was seldom switched off.",
"It was made of high quality.",
"Its carbon filament was special.",
"Its seal was perfect."
],
"question": "Which of the following... | Fire Station No.6 in Livermore,California,houses a celebrity--a 107-year-old light bulb that has been on for over a million hours,earning the title of the"World's longest continuously burning bulb"by Ripley's Believe It Or Not!The bulb also holds the Guinness World Record.
Nobody knows why this bulb has stayed alive for so many years.Most people believe that it is due to two reasons--it has almost never been turned off and it is really well made.Its perfect seal lets no air in.keeping its carbon filament from burning out.
The bulb was first installed at the fire department hose cart house on L Street in 1901.In 1903 it was moved to the new Station 1 on First and McLeod,and survived the renovation of the Firehouse in 1937.when it was off for about a week.The last time the bulb was switched off was in July l976,when it was moved to Fire Station No.6.Thousands of people watched as the electrician tried to re-attach the bulb at its new location.At first nothing happened and people thought the bulb had finally died.However,a slight touch of its switch and then,the bulb came on and has been on since.Nobody at the station dares to touch it,even to clean it.
A local reporter first discovered the bulb's significance in 1972.He recommended his readers to go visit it if they ever went to Livermore.All of a sudden thousands of people came to Fire Station No.6 and the bulb became famous.
Needless to say,the bulb is now a big source of pride and joy for the city of Livermore.So when some folks offered to buy it,the answer from the city was"NO!" | high10197.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "tell us about some famous British playwrights and their works"
},
"options": [
"advise us to spend more time enjoying plays",
"explain why England has so many wonderful plays",
"tell us about some famous British playwrights a... | England has been the birthplace of most of the great English-language theater written throughout history. Most of the plays in England that are truly famous have something in common. They usually come from a playwright with several famous plays.
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is considered the most famous British playwright. Shakespeare has a large catalog of tragedies, comedies and history plays, and each category is home to some of the most famous plays ever written. _ are all tragedies and performed in theaters around the world every year. Famous comedies include A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. In the history category, Richard III and Henry V are very famous.
Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw
Several hundred years after Shakespeare, English people began to enjoy the works of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. Wilde's plays are still popular now, and The Importance of Being Earnest is both performed and studied extremely frequently. A Woman of No Importance and An Ideal Husband are among his other famous works. Shaw and Wilde were born within a few years of each other, but Shaw was a much more productive writer. His most famous plays include Pygmalion and Candida. Shaw's plays are loved so much that an entire theater company is devoted to performing his work in Niagara-on-the-Lake in southern Ontario.
Harold Pinter
The plays of Harold Pinter certainly have an international presence. His writing was so widely recognized for its importance that he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005. Pinter is especially known for his style of writing. Many of his plays such as Betrayal, The Dumb Waiter and his first play, The Room, are extremely well known. | high3916.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "wild fields"
},
"options": [
"battle fields",
"operation room",
"people's houses",
"wild fields"
],
"question": "The robots are mentioned to do some specific jobs EXCEPT in_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questi... | Robots have proved to be valuable tools for soldiers,surgeons and homeowners hoping to keep the carpet clean. But in each case,they are designed and built specifically for the job. Now there is a movement under way to build multipurpose machines-robots that can move about in changing environments such as offices or living rooms and work with their hands.
All-purpose robots are not,of course,a new idea."It's been five or 10 years from happening for about 50 years,"says Eric Berger,co-director of the Personal Robotics Program at Willow Garage,a Silicon Valley organization. The delay is in part because even simple tasks require a huge set of capabilities. For a robot to fetch a mug,for example,it needs to make sense of data gathered by a variety of sensors-laser scanners identifying potential blocking objects,cameras searching for the target,force feedback in the fingers that grasp the mug,and more. Yet Berger and other experts are confident that real progress could be made in the next decade.
The problem,according to Willow Garage,is the lack of a common platform for all that computational effort. Instead of enlarging the capabilities of a single machine,everyone is designing robots and the software to control them,from the ground up. To help change this,Willow Garage is currently producing 25 copies of its model PR2 (for"Personal Robot 2"),a two-armed,wheeled machine that can switch off the electricity,open doors and move through a room. Ten of the robots will stay in-house,but 10 more will go t o outside research groups,and everyone will share their advances. This way,Berger says,if you want to build the robotic equivalent of a Twitter ,you won't start by constructing a computer."You build the thing that's new." | high20054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "offer 3D printing classes and services"
},
"options": [
"sell 3D printers and different kinds of tools",
"produce all types of printing machines",
"offer 3D printing classes and services",
"design different types of 3D ... | Imagine having an idea, drawing it on paper, bringing it to a store and seeing it turned into a physical object.This is now possible with the help of 3D printers.Such machines were once used just by universities and big companies.But now, stores with 3D printing services are appearing around the United States.
Bryan Jaycox and his wife opened The Build Shop LLC in Los Angeles two years ago.The store is filled with tools like a laser cutter, an industrial sewing machine and 3D printers.Bryan Jaycox requires $ 15 an hour to print an object.He also charges a fee depending on the size of the object and up to $ 50 an hour for design and labor services.
The Jaycoxs also offer 3D printing classes for anyone who is interested.One of the students in a recent class was Ki Chong Tran.He plans to open a 3D printing business in Cambodia."The demand has been amazing.It's been much more than I would have imagined," said Ki Chong Tran.
"I think 3D printing is going to be huge. It's going to make a huge impact on society as a whole," he added.
Mr Jaycox predicts that within five years, 3D printing technology could become
more consumer friendly.
But Ki Chong Tran says even current technology can make a difference in a developing country like Cambodia."With 3D printing you can give them tools, and you put it in their hands so they are responsible more for their own development.
They learn skills beyond just learning English and becoming a tour guide or something like that or working at a bank.You can actually create things that give value to the world," said Ki Chong Tran.
He says it's not just Cambodia but anywhere where there is a 3D printer, it can turn a good idea into reality. | high11289.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "worried"
},
"options": [
"natural",
"strange",
"worried",
"pitiful"
],
"question": "When Julia heard many girls say something like \"I hate my hair\", she felt _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | "I feel fat." "I hate my hair." "I wish I were taller." Julia Bluhm, 14, was sick of hearing comments like these. Many girls she knew seemed to worry too much about their appearance -- their weight, skin, hair, even the shape of their faces.
So Julia decided to do something about it. Her target? Seventeen, a popular girls' magazine. "I look at the pictures, and they just don't look like girls I see walking down the street," the eighth-grader from Maine told The New York Times.
Of course they don't. Magazines use programs like Photoshop to remove zits , add shine to hair, and slim waistlines. Often, girls are made to look like Barbie dolls.
Julia fears that these impossible standards of beauty make teens feel terrible about their own appearances. After all, even the models aren't as perfect as they look in print!
So Julia launched an online petition asking Seventeen to put at least one unaltered photo in each issue. "I want to see regular girls that look like me in a magazine that's supposed to be for me," she wrote.
Days later, her petition had thousands of signatures. Julia and her mom traveled to New York City and joined a demonstration in front of Seventeen' s offices. Then they were invited to meet with Seventeen's editor-in-chief, Ann Shoket.
A few months later, Shoket announced that the staff of Seventeen had signed a "Body Peace Treaty." They promised to "never change girls' body or face shapes" and only use photos of "real girls and models who are healthy." In addition, they promised to be more open about the ways in which images are changed before publication.
Julia's fight against teen self-hate is far from over, but for now it seems she's winning -- and she's thrilled. "This is a huge victory," she wrote in a message on her petition page. "I'm so unbelievably happy." | high17820.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Careful."
},
"options": [
"Tough.",
"Humorous.",
"Compassionate.",
"Careful."
],
"question": "According to the passage, which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Mrs. Pathak?",
"question_type": n... | If there is one person who has left a deep impression on me, it's my teacher Mrs. Pathak who was my class teacher for three years. In my childhood, how I wished I had a mother or a sister like her. One moment she could be tough and strict, another moment caring and compassionate .
She always encouraged us to tell the truth. For instance, if one had not done the homework, he need not lie. She allowed us to make mistakes, saying we couldn't be perfect all the time, but we should try.
Another thing she taught me early on was punctuality. She set a good example with her own behaviour. She was always on time, so we students tried our best to be on time.
She surprised us with her sense of humour. Her classroom teaching was always humorous. After class, she talked to us and told us jokes.
We really felt free to ask questions and Mrs. Pathak would give the answers. If she did not know -- there had been some occasions -- she would say _ We all then tried to find out the answers. Whoever came up with the answer was appreciated and given the due credit . Now I sometimes wonder whether Mrs. Pathak was pretending just to encourage us to explore and find answers by ourselves. | high10829.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The state of Victoria is playing a leading role in greywater use."
},
"options": [
"The state of Victoria is playing a leading role in greywater use.",
"More water has been used in Australia with the growing population.",
"Th... | Australians have evidently realized the fact that water means life and we need to he more thoughtful in our use of this rather precious resource.Since the year 2000, Australians have managed to reduce their use of water by 14% . In the most populous city, Sydney, they've managed to use less water in 2007 than in 1974, even though the city grew by l. 2 million souls in this period.
Across the country nearly 20% of all households have water tanks.That would probably be due, in large part, to the various state governments offering generous
. In NSW, for example, where 24,000 households have taken up the offer, you can get $1,500 AUD back if you fix a 7,000 + litre tank and have it attached into your toilet and washing machine.
Creywater use has taken off too. The Australian Bureau of Statistics suggest that it's now the second most common source of water in Australia, with over half of the country's homes reusing water from their washing machines, showers and baths. The state of Victoria leads with 70% using greywater, and Queensland, coming close behind with 63%.
Up in the northern state of.Queensland, some of their dams have been below 20%. Sydney's main dam is only at 56% of its potential capacity.
The country's ongoing drought has seen more than 95% of the length of the Murray- Darling Basin ( the two major river systems that supply the nation's 'food basket' ) regarded as ' degraded', Supply of water has become such an issue that hydro-electric power output has dropped 7% in a recent 9 year period for the states of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.Not good for promoting our uptake understanding of renewable energy in these climate changing times.But at least the message is getting through about making every drop count. | high16280.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "show us his mother's love"
},
"options": [
"show us he was independent",
"show us his mother's love",
"tell us mothers should always follow their children",
"tell us he was an active student in senior high school"
]... | I am a senior in high school. For four years I have been a member of the marching band at my school---four years of commitment to an organization of 150 kids, four teachers and 100 parents working from August to June of every school year. For four years, my mom has been there for me---never complaining and never receiving a "Thanks, mom." My mom is pretty much a supermom and, unfortunately, it took me some seventeen years to realize it.
"Driver" is probably a more appropriate name for her. Every concert, every competition, every football game, my mom was there with a smile, and always stayed to watch. When she couldn't be there, she would be waiting for me when the bus pulled in to the school's parking lot.
She actually enjoyed arriving at the school at 10:30 at night just for me to tell her that I was going out with my friends and that I needed twenty dollars instead of a ride home. Now that I'm a senior, I have my own car and drive myself to my football games and concerts. My mother still comes to watch me. Recently, my band was invited to play for a celebration. When the bus pulled up to the flagpole in front of my high school, I had the strangest feeling. Something was missing. I found myself nervously searching for my mom in the parking lot. I needed to tell her I didn't need a ride home; I was going out. I then realized my mother was at home and probably in bed. I never realized how much I took her for granted until she wasn't there.
When I got home that night, I woke her up and told her I loved her and I missed her. I told my mom that I really appreciated all the times she had driven me back and forth. I told her I was glad she embarrassed me all those times, because I knew that it just meant she loved me, too. My mom looked back at me with tears and a big smile. | high20732.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Supportive."
},
"options": [
"Critical.",
"Uninterested.",
"Supportive.",
"Neutral."
],
"question": "What's the author's attitude towards persuasion?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | What does it mean to day that we live in world of persuasion? It means that we live among competing interests. Your roommate's need to study for an exam take priority over pizza. Your instructor may have good reasons not to change your grade. And the object of your romantic interest may have other choices.
In such a world, persuasion is the art of getting others to give fair and favorable consideration to our points of view. When we persuade, we want to influence what others believe and how they behave. We may not always prevail --other points of view may be more persuasive, depending on the listener, the situation, and the merits of the case. But when we practice the art of persuasion, we try to ensure that our position receives the attention it deserves.
Some people, however, object to the very idea of persuasion. They may regard it as an unwelcome approach to their lives or as a control. In contrast, we believe that persuasion is inevitable--to live is to persuade. Persuasion may be moral or immoral, selfless or selfish, inspiring or discouraging. Persuaders may enlighten our minds or make us hurt. Moral persuasion, however, calls on sound reasoning and is sensitive to the feelings and needs of listeners. Such persuasion can help us apply the wisdom of the past to the decisions we now must make. Therefore, an essential part of education is learning to resist the one kind of persuasion and to encourage and practice the other.
Beyond its personal importance to us, persuasion is a need to society. The right to persuade and be persuaded is the basic principle of the American political system. | high15951.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "report the findings of new research into fast food"
},
"options": [
"tell readers that fast food can heighten their awareness of time efficiency",
"report the findings of new research into fast food",
"analyze the bad effects... | Many of us know that fast food is not good for us: it makes us fat and has twice the amount of salt an adult should eat.
Moreover, you may not be aware that fast food may have a subliminal effect on behavior, making people impatient even when they are not short of time, according to a new study published in the journal Psychological Science. "The unconscious goal of saving time embedded in fast food may have the unexpected consequence of inducing haste and impatience," the researchers claim.
More strikingly, they found that the mere exposure to fast food symbols "reduced people's willingness to save and led them to prefer immediate gain over greater future return".
In the study, student volunteers were shown in rapid succession logos from fast-food chains including McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and Subway. Participants preferred time-saving products like three-in-one skincare treatments rather than separate versions after seeing the logos.
When asked whether they would accept a small sum of money immediately or a larger amount in a week's time, they again chose an instant reward after being exposed to the brands. "Fast food represents a culture of time efficiency and instant gratification ," said researcher Sanford DeVoe, professor of organizational behavior at Canada's Toronto University. "It is promoting a general sense of haste whether time is a relevant factor in the context or not." | high22125.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "learn more than extroverts"
},
"options": [
"have a strong will",
"talk less and show off less",
"learn more than extroverts",
"have a good attitude to learning"
],
"question": "According to the author, introver... | It is true that shyness can be a disadvantage socially for those who suffer from it seriously. I mean real shyness, not somebody who is simply quiet. Quiet people could be shy, but on the other hand, they may just be observing because they are unsure of you or others in your company. They may be capable of being extrovert and sociable, but on some particular occasions, they are quiet.
I have learnt from my experience that those who observe and listen more and talk less can gain a position of strength. This means that even a very shy person, the type who is reluctant to talk in company , especially new company, can become a strong person in just about anything they choose. Remember, knowledge is power, and a shy introvert is in a better position to gain knowledge than an extrovert. Introverted people can give great attention to learning, and as good listeners they can take in an enormous amount from others. Over time, people can come to respect them far more than the extrovert who speaks a lot. Usually about themselves.
What does it take , then for a very shy person to be that successful person they have always wanted to be ? They may only need one more thing to push themselves on their way. They need to dare themselves to take the leap; and when they do , they will probably find all the knowledge they have gained over the years will help them on their way to the top in their chosen field. | high15789.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Putting your jewels in your wallet."
},
"options": [
"Putting your money in different wallets.",
"Putting your jewels in your wallet.",
"Carrying a mini backpack purse.",
"Using cash instead of credit card."
],
... | Traveling should be easy and enjoyable, and one of the ways to make sure your trip remains fun is to know exactly how to keep your valuables safe.
If you are traveling alone, distribute your money through your luggage. Place most of it in your main suitcase or bag. Make a rough estimate of how much money you will spend on the journey, till you reach your destination. Place this money in a different wallet and carry this in your pocket. Spend from this pocket till you get to your destination. If you are travelling with someone, distribute the money among yourselves.
Instead of wearing your jewels, you can put your jewels at the bottom of your suitcase or bag. DO NOT carry in your purse, just in case it is stolen; or in case you misplace your purse. In addition, if you are going to be frequently opening your purse for things like tickets and phone numbers, what if you accidently just drop them.
Have you ever seen a mini backpack purse? It looks really fashionable and is very smart. Plus, It's really convenient to use. The best thing to do is to hang the mini backpack purse in the front, like a baby carrier. There are two big advantages to do this; one, your hands remain free to carry your luggage and other things; and two, your purse is always monitored, and is just under your nose!
Credit cards are very useful in many ways. But if you misplace your credit card, it is quite easy for someone else to find it and use it to his/ her maximum benefit before you even realize you have lost it! If you lose cash, you lose only that much cash as you are carrying. But a lost credit card means the money in your bank account is lost. So always try to use cash instead of credit card while traveling | high10801.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "enjoy the sunshine"
},
"options": [
"look at an old lady",
"enjoy some flowers",
"enjoy the sunshine",
"clean the house nearby"
],
"question": "The writer came out of the house to _ .",
"question_type": "... | That warm day was the only day of the week without rain.I opened the door,took a seat and began to enjoy the wonderful sunshine.Suddenly,I noticed that the house near mine had been sold.An elderly lady was in front of the door,with some beautiful flowers beside her.I walked to her.She looked to be in her early eighties and had the prettiest white hair.
"Hi!My name is Karmen,"I said smiling brightly at the old lady.She smiled back and said,"Hello,Karmen.I 'm Henrietta."Her voice was very strong for someone at her age.Later,I learned she was alone and had no family or relatives to help her.From that day on,I often visited her and helped her with her housework and sometimes she gave me some delicious food.A year passed,and I considered Henrietta to be one of my best friends.
One day,I walked over for my morning visit and knocked on the door,but there was no answer.I knocked again,and she still didn't _ .So I let myself in,using the key she had given me.I checked her living room and then her kitchen.I finally went into her bedroom,and she was lying peacefully on her bed.Beside her there were two notes.One was her will ,which said all that she had would be given to me.The other was a thank-you note.I went to her bedside and cried sadly.
Though several years have gone by,I still miss her deeply.Whenever I look at the beautiful flowers in front of her house,I remember the wonderful friendship we had. | high4937.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Ice-free summer around the Arctic."
},
"options": [
"Shorter and shorter summertime.",
"Ice-free summer around the Arctic.",
"Lower sea levels.",
"More rainy skies."
],
"question": "Which of the following is lik... | Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themselves cut off from home by a sea of mud. There are also reports of sea ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather abstract idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having great effect--if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon become almost ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects are likely to include more warming, cloudier skies and higher sea levels. Scientists are increasingly eager to find out what's going on in the Arctic.
For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in unsteady balance with one of the toughest environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct danger to their way of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outsider experts tell them what's happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are trying hard to guard their hard-won autonomy in the country's newest land, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itself.
The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that's covered with snow for most of the year. Adventure into this area and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers few pickings. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by taking advantage of sea first. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the settlers were successful; sometimes they failed and disappeared. But around a thousand years ago, one group appeared that was uniquely well adapted to deal with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing dogs, iron tools and the like. They are the ancestors of today's Inuit people. | high15979.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the ALDH2 deficiency may be passed on from generation to generation"
},
"options": [
"the ALDH2 deficiency may be passed on from generation to generation",
"about 36 percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans are heavy drinkers",
... | Why do some people _ when they drink alcohol? This effect is a common reaction to alcohol among East Asians. It affects about 36 percent of Japanese, Chinese and Koreans.
For many, even a small amount of alcohol can cause unpleasant effects. Most commonly, their face, neck and sometimes their whole body turn red. People might also feel uncomfortable and sick to their stomach. They might experience a burning sensation, increased heart rate, shortness of breath and headaches.
The cause is a genetic difference that they are born with called an ALDH2 deficiency . It prevents their bodies from treating alcohol the way other people do. But the effects might be more serious than just a red face. Researchers warn of a link between this condition and an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus from drinking alcohol.
The more alcohol people with this deficiency drink, the greater their risk is. In Japan and South Korea, for example, many people have the deficiency but still drink heavily. Researchers found that these drinkers develop a form of esophageal cancer six to ten times more often than those without the deficiency.
Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It can be treated when found early, but once it grows the chances of survival drop sharply. The researchers estimate that at least five hundred forty million people have the deficiency, about eight percent of the world's population.
Philip Brooks is a researcher at the National Institute in the United States. He says it is important to educate people about the link between the alcohol flushing effect and esophageal cancer. He says doctors should ask East Asian patients about their experiences with facial flushing after drinking alcohol. Those with a history of it should be advised to limit their alcohol use. They should also be warned that cigarette smoking works with the alcohol in a way that further increases the risk of esophageal cancer. | high303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because people can sense the light from colors."
},
"options": [
"Because people can sense the light from colors.",
"Because we can smell colors with our noses.",
"Because every color has its own sweet smell.",
"Becau... | There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? I think you'll say "no". But I am afraid you are wrong. If you don't believe, you may do a small experiment.
First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the box. Third, wrap one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. OK. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.
Why do you think so? A scientist found that different colors have different weights in a man's mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind and their order is the same. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, yellow and white.
The scientist told us that colors also have smell. Can you smell the color? Of course not. Then why did the scientist say so? That is because every color stands for a kind of light with a certain wavelength . It reaches our brain through sense organs .
According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the colors they like, and refuse the colors they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you'll be nervous or ill. For example, if you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture for two hours, you'll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you'll feel you have been there for only an hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change with different colors. | high1697.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because her kids got bored with toys quickly."
},
"options": [
"Because she got bored with her toys quickly.",
"Because she wanted to make money.",
"Because she was interested in starting a web business.",
"Because her ... | Most kids get bored with their toys quickly, even the newest ones.
The service of renting toys can save parents from buying lots of new toys for their kids.
The new web-based company, Baby Plays, was invented by Lori Pope, a mother of twin boys. When her kids' toys started taking over all the floor space in her house, she thought that maybe she didn't need to buy so many toys. What's more, her kids seemed to lose interest in each new toy very quickly. Finally she realized that she needed a special service. She wanted to borrow one toy at a time. When her kids didn't like it any more she could send the toy back. But she couldn't find any service like that, so she decided to create her own.
Pope owned a company before. She poured a lot of money into Baby Plays to buy all the best toys. These toys are for children aged from 0 to 5. Under her plan, customers can rent six toys each month. The price for renting a new toy is less than most costs of buying a new toy. Generally, families will keep each toy for one month. This period is plenty for most kids to get tired of playing with it. If the kids are really interested in a particular toy, they can keep it till they are attracted to a new one.
Kids are not good at keeping their toys in perfect condition, but Pope doesn't mind a little wear and tear. She thinks that even if the kids don't care about their toys' condition, the parents do. And she will not ever rent anyone a low-quality toy. | high23213.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The famous director--Billy Wilder."
},
"options": [
"The history of American movies.",
"The famous director--Billy Wilder.",
"The famous movies by Billy Wilder.",
"Billy Wilder and his friends."
],
"question": "... | Many expels say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies.He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had.
He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment and adult sexual situations.Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.
Between the middle 1930s and the 1980s,Billy Wilder made almost fifty movies.During that time he received more than twenty nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.He won six of the Oscar awards.Wilder made famous movies like"Sunset Boulevard".and"Double Indemnity."He also directed"The Lost Weekend",and"The Seven Year Itch."
Wilder was born in 1906 in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.He started law school in Vienna,Austria at the beginning.Then he decided to abandon the major.By the 1920s,he was writing movies in Germany.However,the Nazis had risen to power in the nation.Wilder was Jewish,and he recognized that he had no future in Nazi Germany.Then he left Europe for America.
Billy Wilder had only eleven dollars when he arrived to settle in the United States in 1934.He formed a writing team with Charles Brackett.The two writers created many films together.
Wilder and Brackett wrote several successful movies.Wilder always praised this man as a friend and teacher whose humor and expert direction greatly influenced his work.
In his love stories.Billy Wilder did not follow the Hollywood tradition of sweet boy-meets-girl situations.He had an unusual way of showing relations between men and women.For example,one of his most successful films was"Hold Back the Dawn."In 1944,Billy Wilder made a film called"Double Indemnity."Some critics said this movie established him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors.Billy Wilder died in Los Angeles in 2002 after battling health problems. | high12970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "China Daily iPaper"
},
"options": [
"China Daily iPaper",
"China Daily Digest",
"China Daily News",
"China Daily Video"
],
"question": "If you want to enjoy full-content papers, you should choose _ .",
"q... | China Daily, the national English-language newspaper of China, keeps you in touch with China and the world with our mobile solutions. Now anyone can read our exclusive reports anywhere. Download your favorites!
China Daily iPaper
Want to read China Daily with your iPhone or iPad? Then look no further than China Daily iPaper. With China Daily iPaper, all sections are presented as full-content digital replicas , in their original layout . The application is free, and you can download your favourite news reports wherever you are.
China Daily Digest
Since the China Daily Digest application is now available on the iPad App Store, iPad users can read and download China Daily Digest's in-depth news reports, website exclusives and analysis , which will give you unique views on China's economy, society and culture.
China Daily News
A bridge connecting China and the world, the China Daily iPhone application lets you get the latest information and photos of China wherever you go. Specifically designed to use the characteristics and navigation of the iPhone, this application downloads the latest news of China directly to the device.
China Daily Video
China Daily Video iPhone application is a window to China, letting you get video products covering all of China's cultural heritages , natural wonders, interviews with famous people and major news events. | high23575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she felt nervous on the stage."
},
"options": [
"she felt nervous on the stage.",
"she lost her interest in that role.",
"she preferred the role of the narrator",
"she had difficulty memorizing her words"
],
"qu... | When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard. It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds," she said. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden." "But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions!" My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added. When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the fact. "But you will be a beautiful narrator," she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her. Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. "Your mother asked me to give this to you," she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed. | high465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The discount applies to the third sibling from the same family."
},
"options": [
"The camp will last more than one month.",
"The discount applies to the third sibling from the same family.",
"Kids can learn more about differe... | Still seeking a destination for your long summer holidays? There is a good place which may be your favorite option.
Arts of Hope is an overnight performing arts summer camp in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the USA for kids aged 10 and older from around the world. More than just a performing arts camp, Arts of Hope offers participants a unique opportunity to live with kids from other cultures while learning and performing music from many countries.
Each summer, up to 75 children venture to Minnesota from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US. They arrive as strangers but soon become friends as they learn popular songs and dances from each other's cultures. The lessons learned during these six weeks are profound. The friendships are enduring. And the stories are inspirational. Taking part in the Arts of Hope camp is a life-changing experience.
DATES
The Arts of Hope 2013 session will run from June 17 to July 30. Because Arts of Hope is a global camp, it is impossible for us to schedule the program to fit all the school schedules of all the schools in the world. Therefore, we understand that some participants may need to arrive late or leave early. Don't let that stop you from applying! We are happy to make special arrangements as needed. Just send us an email to explain your scheduling challenges. We are happy to arrange a special study room for late arrivals to make up for the missed lessons.
PARTICIPANT FEE
For the 2013 summer, the fee for new, first-time participants is $2,950, subject to the special discounts offered below.
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS
If you apply before February 28, you can get a special fee reduction of $100. Also, there is a 20% fee discount for additional participants from your family if you have a brother or sister who is a Arts of Hope participant. The discount applies to the second, third, and any other additional siblings attending in the same year from the same family.
Apply early to assure your place! Please sign up now! | high5397.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The crocuses bloomed each spring before her father died."
},
"options": [
"The author usually felt depressed in the season of winter.",
"The author's father planted the crocuses to lift her low spirits.",
"The author often th... | It was an autumn morning shortly after my husband and I moved into our first house. Our children were upstairs unpacking,and I was looking out of the window at my father moving around mysteriously on the front lawn. "What are you doing out there?" I called to him.
He looked up, smiling. "I'm making you a surprise.'' I thought it could be just about anything. When we were kids, he always created something surprising for us. Today, however, Dad would say no more ,and caught up in the business of our new life ,I eventually forgot about his surprise.
Until one gloomy day the next March when I glanced out of the window,I saw a dot of blue across the yard. I headed outside for a closer look. They were crocuses throughout the front lawn blue, yellow and my favorite pink ,with little faces moving up and down in the cold wind. I remembered the things Dad secretly planted last autumn. He knew how the darkness and dullness of winter always got me down. What could have been more perfectly timely to my needs?
My father's crocuses bloomed each spring for the next five seasons, always bringing the same assurance: Hard times are almost over. Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon.
Then a spring came with only half the usual blooms and the next spring there were none. I missed the crocuses ,so I would ask Dad to come over and plant new bulbs. But I never did. He died suddenly one October day. My family were in deep sorrow, leaning on our faith.
On a spring afternoon four years later, I was driving back when I felt depressed. It was Dad's birthday, and I found myself thinking about him. This was not unusual -- my family often talked about him, remembering how he lived up to his faith. Suddenly I slowed as I turned into our driveway. I stopped and stared at the lawn. There on the muddy grass with small piles of melting snow ,bravely waving in the wind, was one pink crocus.
How could a flower bloom from a bulb more than 18 years ago, one that hadn't bloomed in over a decade? But there was the crocus. Tears filled my eyes as I realized its significance.
Hold on, keep going, and light is coming soon. The pink crocus bloomed for only a day, but it built my faith for a lifetime. | high4089.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the queen's home"
},
"options": [
"a playing ground",
"the queen's home",
"a post office",
"a rose garden"
],
"question": "Windsor Castle is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | A fouryearold boy has become pen pals with Britain's Queen Elizabeth.Tom Stancombe started exchanging letters with the queen after he set free a balloon,carrying his name and address,at a school party and it landed in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The queen spotted the balloon and asked her personal assistant,Angela Kelly,to write a letter on her behalf.
She wrote,"The queen was delighted to find that your balloon had traveled all the way to the gardens at Windsor Castle."
Tom,who proudly put the letter on his wall,wrote back to say that his great,great grandfather,the artist Petrus Johannes Arundzen,had been commissioned to copy Dutch masters' on display at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
Angela at once replied that she would contact the Royal Collection to find out what had happened to the art works.She kept her word and two weeks later wrote to Tom to tell him what had happened to the _ ,explaining they now form part of the print collection in the Print Library.
Angela then asked a favor of Tom,writing,"Would you be able to ask your Mummy and Daddy for me if they know anything more about your great,great grandfather.Royal Collection would love to know more about him."
Along with his parents,Tom wrote back to fill in all the gaps about Petrus Johannes Arundzen.
Although Tom's parents don't think there will be any more letters exchanged between the pair,they were touched that she had taken time to contact them.
Tom's father said,"I don't expect we'll get another one,but I think it's incredible they bothered replying at all." | high20068.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "tends to work long hours"
},
"options": [
"tends to work long hours",
"behaves in a strange way",
"has to do many social jobs",
"holds high social positions"
],
"question": "A workaholic is a person who _ .",
... | In some urban centers, workaholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual.They accept the lifestyle as normal.Government workers in Washington D.C., for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week.They do this because they have to; they do it because they want to.
Workaholism can be a serious problem.Because true workaholics would rather work than do anything else, they probably don't know
how to relax; that is, they might not enjoy movies, sports, or other
types of entertainment.Most of all, they hate to sit and do nothing.The lives of workaholics are usually stressful, and this tension and worry can cause health problems such as heart attacks or stomach ulcers.In addition, typical workaholics don't pay much attention to their
families.They spend little time with their children, and their marriages may end in divorce.
Is workaholism always dangerous? Perhaps not.There are, certainly, people who work well under stress.Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life.Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy.For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing.Their jobs provide them with a challenge; this keeps them busy and creative.
Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work.It provides people with paychecks, and this is important.But it offers more than financial security It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they have produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say," I made that." Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity; by working, they get a sense of self and individualism.In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. | high5383.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They are quite self-centered."
},
"options": [
"They are quite self-centered.",
"They like to live in fairy tales.",
"They waste a lot of money on gifts.",
"They can't keep their interest in gifts."
],
"question... | Parents are creating an "I want it now" generation by satisfying children's every demand at Christmas, say experts. Youngsters in Britain are becoming increasingly selfish, claim the education analysts.
Behavioral consultant Chris Calland said: "Parents want to make Christmas into magical fairytale for their kids. "There's nothing wrong with that. The problem arises when it means always giving into all our children's demands--- even if they are beyond our price range or not age-appropriate."
Ms Calland, who runs "Santa Says No" style sessions with colleague Nicky Hutchinson, added: "Many of us go into so much debt providing the gifts our children want that we spend the rest of the year paying off the bills. But so often the gifts we've carefully wrapped, once opened, are just pushed away because the very thing our little boy or girl was once so desperate for, they have now lost interest in."
Ms Calland and Ms Hutchinson have drawn up a list of guidelines to help parents manage their offspring's Christmas lists this year. They say that adults can actually improve their relationships with their children by resisting "pester power".
Ms Calland said: "All too often we say yes because we want an easier life when the fact is that we're only building up problems for the future. We are helping create a generation of youngsters who are blind to the needs of others and the necessity of hard work.
"Children learn fast--- if we sometimes change our mind, they quickly realize it might be worth lying on the floor and screaming for it. Make sure you and your partner are working together on this. Be consistent. And try not to get caught up in competition with other families or friends. | high21376.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it is a tradition of the school"
},
"options": [
"this is an independent school",
"it is a tradition of the school",
"it helps children lose weight",
"children enjoy watching sports"
],
"question": "Sports day i... | One afternoon last week, I saw three tearful children from my son's school being comforted by teachers. That morning, my 11-year-old had stomach pains, retching into a bowl. Talking to other mothers later, I heard about other children with stomachache or difficult sleeping the night before.
What caused so much pain? Sports day. Sports day might be necessary at a highly-competitive independent school, but not at a village primary school. For the children who can fly like the wind, sports day cause no problem. For those who are overweight or just not good at sport, it is nightmare . Even for those who enjoy running but fall halfway down the track in front of the entire school and their parents, it can prove a disease.
Why do we put our children through this annual suffering? Some may say competition is character building; or it's taking part, not winning, that's important; or that's a tradition of school life. I just felt great pity for those children in tears or in pain.
Team games at the end of sports day produced some close races, wild enthusiasm, lots of shouting -- and were fun to watch. More importantly, the children who were not so fast or quick at passing the ball were hidden a little from everyone's eyes. Some of them also had the thrill of being on the winning side.
I wish that sports day could be abandoned and replaced with some other less competitive event. Perhaps an afternoon of team games, with a few races for those who want them, would be less stressful for the children and a lot more fun to watch. | high6852.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "pretending to be injured"
},
"options": [
"getting closer to its young",
"driving away the adult predator",
"leaving its young in another nest",
"pretending to be injured"
],
"question": "A plover protects its y... | Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can't talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior?
Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.
Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the "hurt" adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don't make nests. Instead, they get into other birds' nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
_ After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner's hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as
bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don't hear them, and they don't need to share their food.
As children, many of us learn the saying "You can't fool Mother Nature." But maybe you can't trust her, either. | high7594.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Nicole and her husband had an agreement on how to name the children."
},
"options": [
"Nicole and her husband had an agreement on how to name the children.",
"Jeff will remain in Japan as his wife is not used to Mexican life.",
... | A group of foreign residents married to Japanese talked about their children's names.
Nicole Despres
Students services manager, 40 (American)
We have no intention to live outside Japan so it made sense for the kids to take my Japanese husband's family name. However, we did want to have a Western name too, so all three of them now have both a Western and Japanese name. We agreed there would be no strange names, spelling or unusual kanji(Chinese characters in the Japanese language). All names had to be easy to say and familiar in both Japanese and English.
John McCracken
Company general manager, 27(American)
My son's name is Aiden. In part because my wife and I met in university and as she was studying Irish history and I have some links to Scotland and Ireland, I wanted a unique Gaelic name. We settled for Aiden as we found kanji that can be used in Japan that means "legendary hero"
Paula Murakami
College women's Association of Japan, 53(American)
My husband was very excited about choosing names, so I decided to let him choose. He wanted their first names to be Japanese and camp up with names that included the kanji character in his own name. Our boys, Hiroki and Kenta, never had any problems while living on the U.S. West Coast with Japanese names, and I think both as children and as adults, they love their names.
Jeff Ruiz
Recording engineer, 42(Mexican)
My son's name is Lenny. My wife chose it together with me as we were looking for a name that works in both worlds -- mine in Mexico, and hers in Japan -- and the name Lenny is common everywhere. In Japanese we write the name in katakana as that is easy for Japanese people who seem to like names in two or three characters. | high12964.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The great Irish poet Yeats."
},
"options": [
"The Indian holy man.",
"The great Irish poet Yeats.",
"Advertisers.",
"The buyers and sellers at the happiness-market."
],
"question": "Who shares the same idea of h... | The right to pursue happiness is issued to us all with our birth, but no one seems quite sure what it is.
A holy man in India may think that happiness is in himself. It is in needing nothing from outside himself. In wanting nothing, he lacks nothing. We westerners, however, are taught that the more we have from outside ourselves, the happier we will be, and then we are made to want. We are even told it is our duty to want. Advertising, one of our major industries, exists not to satisfy these desires but to create them--and to create them faster than any man's money in his pocket can satisfy them. Here, obviously someone is trying to buy the dream of happiness and spending millions upon millions every year in the attempt. Clearly the happiness-market is not running out of customers.
I doubt the holy man's idea of happiness, and I doubt the dreams of the happiness-market, too. Whatever happiness may be, I believe, it is neither in having nothing nor in having more, but in changing--in changing the world and mankind into pure states.
To change is to make efforts to deal with difficulties. As Yeats, a great Irish poet once put it, happiness we get for a lifetime depends on how high we choose our difficulties. Robert Frost, a great American poet, was thinking in almost the stone terms when he spoke of "the pleasure of taking pains."
It is easy to understand. We even demand difficulty for the fun in our games. We demand it because without difficulty there can be no game. And a game is a way of making something hard for the fun of it. The rules of the game are man-made difficulties. When the player ruins the fun, he always does so by refusing to play by the roles. It is easier to win at chess if you are free, at your pleasure, to cast away all the rules, but the fun is in winning within the rules.
The same is true to happiness. The buyers and sellers at the happiness-market seem to have lost their sense of the pleasure of difficulty. Heaven knows what they are playing, but it seems a dull game. And the Indian holy man seems dull to us, I suppose, because he seems to be refusing to play anything at all.
The western weakness may be in the dreams that happiness can be bought while the eastern weakness may be in the idea that there is such a thing as perfect happiness in man himself. Both of them forget a basic fact: no difficulty, no happiness. | high23561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Muscle Translators can translate what you think into speech if you just move your mouth."
},
"options": [
"The spontaneous translators will help us a lot.",
"There is no Muscle Translator in the world now.",
"Muscle Translato... | In a few years,you might be able to speak Chinese,Korean,Japanese,French,and English-and all at the same time. This sounds incredible,but Alex Waibel,a computer science professor at US's Car-negie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany's University of Karlsruhe,announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.
One application,called Lecture Translation,can easily translate a speech from one language into an-other. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Us-ers also have to be trained how to use the programme.
Another machine can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what languagethey speak. "It is like having a s _ translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you,"Waibel said
Prefer to read? So- called Translation Glasses transcribe the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal display(LCD) screen.
Then there's the Muscle Translator. Electrodes capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech.The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted in a person's face,according to research-ers.
During a demonstration held last Thursday in CMU's Pittsburgh campus,a Chinese student named Sang Jun had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks,neck and throat. Then he mouthed-without speaking aloud- a few words in Mandarin to the audience. A few seconds later,the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: "Let me introduce our new prototype."
This particular instrument,when fully developed,might allow anyone to speak in any number of lan-guages or,as Waibel put it,"to switch your mouth to a foreign language". "The idea behind the universi-ty's prototypes is to create'good enough' bridges for cross- cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world,"Waibel said.
With spontaneous translators,foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio; tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people;leaders of different coun-tries could have secret talks without any interpreters there. | high471.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "breakfast is not as important as we thought before"
},
"options": [
"breakfast has nothing to do with people's health",
"a good breakfast used to be important to us",
"breakfast is not as important to us as gasoline to a car"... | Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one's life. Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip.
But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure. So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast. Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained, the number of people who didn't have breakfast increased by 33%--from 8.8 million to 11.7 million--according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America.
For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news. Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting breakfast. "Going without breakfast does not affect work," said Arnold E. Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, "nor does giving people breakfast improve work."
Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not grown-ups. "The literature," says one researcher, Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, "is poor." | high1683.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he was exploring the concert hall"
},
"options": [
"he was encouraged to explore",
"his mother forced him to have a look",
"he was invited by the pianist",
"he was exploring the concert hall"
],
"question": "The... | Wishing to encourage her young son to make more progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually found his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking outTwinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
At that moment, the great pianist made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing." Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a melody. Together, the old master and the young beginner transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was amazed and, as it finished, they cheered.
That's the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But when we put our trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life's work can be truly beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, and keep playing." | high317.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Worried"
},
"options": [
"Proud",
"Worried",
"Disappointed",
"Happy"
],
"question": "What feeling did the author's mother express in her reply ?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my daddy back ." Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate ,must have touched every heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars in the sky.When those whom we love depart from us , we cannot see the stars for a while .
But Lucien , the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone , you will see them again. And in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too , in you mind and in your heart .I find that my parents , long dead now , still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive . I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself ,that I couldn't wait to cable my parents . The reply was a long time in coming , but when it did , all Mother said was"I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!" I haven't forgotten .The values of my parents still live on .
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care .Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors , and to lay down my life for those in my care ? How many people would want me back for Christmas ? It's a serious thought , one to give me pause .
I pray silently , something , in the dead of night , that ancient cry of a poet " _ ), and my darling form the power of the dog ."Yet I know that death comes to us all , and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan not to live forever , but live as if we will die tomorrow. We live on, I'm sure, in the lives of those we loved , and therefore we ought to have to care for what they will remember and what they will treasure . If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true , there might be fewer knives on our streets today . | high22119.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Skyscraper Museum"
},
"options": [
"Skyscraper Museum",
"Bass Museum of Art",
"World Art Museum",
"Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum"
],
"question": "If you are into how to build a house, you may go to _ .",
"qu... | Museums
Skyscraper Museum
Wednesday - Sunday: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Adults: $5
305-756-2385
Interested in tall buildings? Design? Then this museum is for you!!! Check the historical buildings and their special design right in lower Manhattan.
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
Sunday - Thursday: 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Adults: $29 Students: $13
305-532-9623
The students in Manhattan had an exciting experience at Madame Tussaud's! They met hundreds of famous people at a discounted price! This museum is your chance to meet your idols and have a picture taken with them.
Bass Museum of Art
Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Adults: $8 The old / Students: $6
305-673-7530 http://www.bassmuseum.org
Enjoy European paintings, and sculptures. It also includes exhibitions of modern artists from different parts of the world. You will also enjoy visiting its beautiful museum shop and media center.
World Art Museum
Daily: 11:00 AM - Midnight (including holidays)
Cost: $15
305-532-9336 http://www.weam.com
Located in the heart of the South Beach Art Deco district, this museum shouldn't be missed! It is currently one of South Florida's hottest new attractions. | high3094.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The researchers are trying to produce more palms with the fruit, Tenera."
},
"options": [
"The plantation of oil palms has decreased in recent years.",
"The Dura produces less oil than other two types of palm fruit.",
"It tak... | The oil from palms has a wide variety of uses and is found in food, soaps and shampoos. An international team found a gene that made some of the trees produce more oil than others.
Dr Rajinder Singh, from government agency the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, said, "The oil palm has three fruit forms: a thick-shelled type --the Dura; those that don't have any shell--the Pisifera; a third form produced as a cross between the thick shell and the one without the shell--the Tenera, which are more of the fleshy fruit to produce the oil," and the researchers identified the gene producing this trait.
While oil palm growers attempt to grow only the thin-shelled Tenera variety, up to 10% of the seeds can be contaminated , and turn out to be the other less oily plants. Prof. Martienssen, from the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, said, "We can now use that gene in genetic testing, which will allow growers as well as producers to know exactly what sort of tree they are planting before it produces fruit. It takes a long time for these trees to produce fruit, but by being able to predict exactly what sort of fruit that trees will produce, it will greatly assist growers."
The researchers say this could offer a more sustainable form of agriculture. Prof. Martienssen said, "This finding gives us huge hope. We hope to maximize land usage and produce a lot more on the same amount of land, because we do not want to destroy the rainforest any more."
However, the environmental group WWF-UK said that the global demand for oil palm was growing rapidly, making the expansion of plantations inevitable.
Adam Harrison, the organization's food and agriculture policy officer, said, "In a sense it does not matter if a 'good' variety replaces forest or a 'bad' one, the wildlife and communities that need access to that land will suffer. So for palm oil to be sustainable, the process of allocating land needs to be controlled. There is an abundance of low-carbon, low-wildlife and conflict-free land available and there is no more need for forest areas to be changed." | high18291.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Mr Lee did the operation according to his wish"
},
"options": [
"Mr Lee was very kind and friendly to him",
"Mr Lee came to see him early in the morning",
"Mr Lee did the operation according to his wish",
"Mr Lee saved ... | Two good friends, Sam and Jason, met with a car accident on their way home one night. The next morning, Sam woke up blind. His legs were broken. The doctor, Mr Lee was standing by his bed, looking at him with a thoughtful expression. When he saw Sam awake, he asked, "How are you feeling, Sam?" Sam smiled and said, "Not bad, Doctor. Thank you for doing the operation ." Mr Lee was moved by Sam. When he was leaving, Sam said, "Please don't tell Jason about it." "... OK." Mr Lee replied.
Months later when Jason's wounds _ , Sam was still very sick. Neither could he see or walk. What he could do was just stay in his wheelchair all day long. At first, Jason stayed with him for a few days. But days later, Jason felt very discouraged and embarrassed to spend time staying with a disabled man like Sam. So he went to see Sam less and less. He made new friends. From then on, he didn't go to visit Sam any more. Sam didn't have any family or friends other than Jason. He felt very sad.
Things went from bad to worse. Sam died a year later. When Jason came, Mr Lee gave a letter to him. It was from Sam. In the letter Sam said, "Dear Jason, I am disabled. But I want you to be a healthy man. So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man. Now you have new friends. I'm glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual. I'm glad you live a happy life. You are always my best friend ... ... Sam". When he finished reading the letter Mr Lee said, "I have promised that I will keep this a secret until Sam is gone. Now you know it." Jason stood there. Tears ran down his face. | high4923.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A kind of toy."
},
"options": [
"Some CDs.",
"An iPod.",
"A kind of toy.",
"A book"
],
"question": "What did the author receive for his fifth birthday?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | When asked what they want for a gift, most teens would say a CD player, or maybe an iPod, but I want Lego. I received my first set for my fifth birthday, a tiny pizzeria with an umbrella and a delivery truck. Since then my collection has expanded rapidly and I have built skyscrapers, constructed spaceships and designed submarines.
There is a small area in my house designated as The Lego Room. Beyond its door, I fantasize and govern my own small world of castles, modem cities, and thousands of Lego people. Each time I enter The Lego Room, a new story is created. Once, a friend asked to tour this room.
Amazed by my Star Wars models, he reached for a ship and accidentally knocked over a restaurant, breaking it to pieces! This disaster became an opportunity to rebuild and I fashioned a two-story food court with a McDonald's, pizzeria, and drive-thru. It was better than the original!
Ideas for new constructions fill my head and I write them down in a sketchbook. Lego represents a creative consistency in my life, much as an artist has his canvas and a musician, his violin. Lego has taught me to be an architect, engineer, governor, economist and so on.
Lego has provided the building blocks of my future, developing my math skills and ability to follow complex directions. As I build new worlds, brick by brick, I imagine my own possibilities and opportunities. Through the "lives" of my Lego friends, I have been able to act out all kinds of experiences. They have served as a link between my childhood and manhood. My friends say I'm childlike and there is truth to that, but perhaps we should all find a way to keep in touch with our childhood. Lego is mine. | high17149.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Symptoms of hoarding can't be easily noticed since it progresses quietly."
},
"options": [
"Hoarders' houses are not always out of order.",
"Hoarding is regarded as a disorder by psychologists.",
"Symptoms of hoarding can't b... | A hoarder is someone who is unable or unwilling to throw items away, and the disposal of items causes them considerable pain. When people hoard a massive amount of objects, it takes over the inhabitable spaces of their home. As the collection grows, they are unable to do simple , _ activities such as cooking a meal or watch TV. Sometimes the hoarding is so severe that parts of their homes become inaccessible.
But among the many problems that such behavior brings about, the most significant are the health risks. Once hallways and windows are blocked, hoarders are at the risk of dying in a fire, since they no longer have a clear path of evacuation . Things that are piled up high can fall on top of the homeowner, or a person trying to climb over a pile of objects can experience a fall. There is also the problem of sanitation . Areas where food can't be properly cleaned begin to attract insects, and bathrooms that are full of many possessions can no longer be washed.
Unfortunately, the serious effect of the problem can become worse for two reasons. One is that since the behavior progress behind closed doors, people can accumulate collections of objects for years before friends or family members become aware of the problem. A second reason is that hoarders often don't recognize that they have a problem, and will continue to live in denial until they get professional help.
When attempting to make a diagnosis, psychologists don't regard hoarding as a disorder in itself. Instead, it's often seen as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder , depression, or anxiety. The mental health community has only recently begun an intensive study of boarding, and more research is needed in order to understand its causes and find effective treatment. | high10626.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "through their natural abilities"
},
"options": [
"by saying numbers",
"with the help of parents",
"on personal preference",
"through their natural abilities"
],
"question": "Babies choose the larger amount of fo... | Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.
Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants are able to quantify substances --like sand or water--as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.
With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.
"Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don't seem to count things like water or sand," vanMarle said. "What we're saying is that they can quantify substances; The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one."
This information further refutes the long-held idea that babies "know nothing of the world," vanMarle said.
"Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we've discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there's somebody there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development," vanMarle said.
In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child's progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as "Baby Einstein," still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study. | high2361.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It is difficult to judge the distance, with few milestones."
},
"options": [
"They were put so far away.",
"They lie across the Chihuahuan Desert.",
"It is difficult to judge the distance, with few milestones.",
"One li... | Crossing Texas and Mexico, the Big Bend region is high in biodiversity . It's a place so _ that if something doesn't bite, stick, or sting, it's probably a rock.
You know you have arrived in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert when it feels as if you have fallen off the edge of the earth and into the rabbit hole. Nothing is as it appears. Moths are the size of birds. Are those twin pillars of black rock (a landmark known as Mule Ear Peaks) ten miles (16 kilometers) away or fifty (80 kilometers)? Visibility reaches more than a hundred miles on a clear day, and since there are few roads or buildings to use as milestones, distance is difficult to judge.
This is a place where water runs uphill, where rainbows have to wait for rain. The line between myth and reality is unclear. Stare long enough at the Chisos Mountains or the Sierra del Carmen, the two mountain ranges, known as sky islands, which lie on the land, and they rise and float above the plain.
The vast Chihuahuan Desert is a land of no people. There is always the chance you'll die of thirst. The "You Can Die"possibilities are endless, and keep some visitors -- 350,000 a year to Big Bend National Park, built in 1944 -- from coming back. Those who do return are left to think of the remarkable courage of the brave few who have managed to survive in this terrible environment. | high11538.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the bedroom with two beds"
},
"options": [
"in the kitchen with a bottle of gas",
"in the bedroom with two beds",
"in a dining room with cupboards",
"in the study full of bookshelves"
],
"question": "One is a... | Earthquakes are common in nature and make sounds below the Earth's surface thousands of times a day. But most are too weak to feel and big earthquakes are less common. Here are some things to do to prepare for an earthquake and what to do once the ground starts shaking.
Preparation Tips
* Have a plan for an earthquake.
*Consult a professional to learn how to make your home sturdier, such as fixing bookcases to the wall, using strong locks on cupboards , and fixing the water heater to the war firmly.
*Locate a place in each room of the house that you can go to if an earthquake happens. It should be a place where nothing is likely to fall on you.
*Keep some canned food, an up-to-date first aid box, 3 gallons(11.4 liters) of water per person.
* Know how to turn off your gas and water mains.
If Shaking Begins
*Drop down; take cover under a desk or table and hold on.
*Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you are sure it's safe to leave.
*Stay away from bookcases or furniture that can fall on you.
*Stay away from windows.
*If you are in bed, hold on and stay there, protecting your head with a pillow.
* If you are outdoors, find a clear place away from buildings, trees, and power lines. Drop to the ground.
* If you are in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place. Stay in the car until the shaking stops. | high19164.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "how to deal with stress in life"
},
"options": [
"doing exercise is good for you health",
"how to deal with stress in life",
"comparing yourself with others is wrong",
"how to lead a happy life in daily life"
],
... | When you get tense about something that happens in your life, you are experiencing stress. Too much stress can cause anger, depression and other related symptoms, which you need to seriously look into.
The following are simple ways that can be used to deal with stress.
Be Gentle with Yourself
There are times when you are not fair to yourself. Often you are harder on yourself than you are of other people. If you can learn to accept yourself just the way you are, especially unconditionally, this would reduce the pressure you apply to yourself.
Exercise
Go for a walk. Go to the shops. You can join a local walk, swim or jog team. If you are tired out from doing housework and haven`t left your workstation, have a stretch. Change your environment for an hour or so.
Stop Comparing Yourself with Others
Often you don`t realize that a great deal of unhappiness is caused by constant comparisons you make. You says, "if only I had a big house like she was...", "if only my husband were as rich as hers..." The comparison is endless. The only comparison that counts is the comparison between where you were and where you are now . By all means, admire others, congratulate them and be proud of their achievements, but remind yourself that only you can decide the standard you want to set for yourself.
Talk the Stress Out
Sometimes it helps to share or talk about your stress to close friends or family members. The other person`s active listening can help. | high7219.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because the @ symbol sounds something like \"ai ta\", which means \"love him\" in Chinese."
},
"options": [
"Because they wanted their baby to have a special name.",
"Because they wanted their baby to have an international name.",
... | A Chinese couple tried to name their baby "@", saying the character best represents their love for the child, according to an official trying to standardize the national language. The unusual name stands out especially in Mandarin, which has no alphabet and instead uses tens of thousands of multistroke characters to represent words. "The whole world uses it to write emails, and translated into Chinese it means 'love him'," the father explained, according to the deputy chief of the State Language Commission Li Yuming.
While the @ symbol is familiar to Chinese email users, they often use the English word "at" to sound it out. With a drawnout "t", this sounds something like "ai ta", or "love him", to Mandarin speakers. Li says the name is an extreme example of people's increasingly adventurous approach to Mandarin, as commercialization and the Internet break down conventions .
Another couple tried to give their child a name that in English sounds like "King Osrina".
Li did not say if officials accepted the "@" name. But earlier this year the government announced a ban on names using Arabic numerals and foreign languages. Sixty million Chinese face the problem that their names use ancient characters so uncommon that computers cannot recognize them _ , said Li, according to a report on the government website. One of them is the former Premier Zhu Rongji, whose name has a rare "rong" character that gives newspaper editors headaches. | high12031.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "turns to primitive ways for support"
},
"options": [
"stops regular news services",
"turns to primitive ways for support",
"distrusts his fellow man",
"loses complete control of himself"
],
"question": "The auth... | Rumor is the most primitive way of spreading stories--- by passing them on from mouth to mouth, but civilized countries in normal times have better sources of news than rumor. They have radio, television, and newspapers. In times of confusion ( ), however, rumor appears and becomes widespread. At such times the different kinds of news are in competition: the press, television, and radio against the
.
Especially do rumors spread when war requires control on many important matters. The normal news sources no longer give out enough information. Since the people can not learn through legal channels all that they are anxious to learn, they pick up "news" wherever they can and when this happens, rumor grows.
Rumors are often repeated even by those who do not believe the tales. There is an interest about them. The reason is that the cleverly designed rumor gives expression to something deep in the hearts of the victims -- the fears, doubts, forbidden hopes, or daydreams which they hesitate to voice directly. Pessimistic rumors about defeat and disasters show that the people who repeat them are worried and anxious. Optimistic rumors about record production or peace soon come point to self- satisfaction or confidence--and often to over-confidence. | high15986.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "8"
},
"options": [
"8",
"21",
"27",
"35"
],
"question": "Dekalb Walcott III determined to become a firefighter at the age of _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | When Dekalb Walcott III was just 8 years old, his father, a Chicago fire chief, let him _ on a call. Dekalb says a lot of kids idolized basketball player Michael Jordan when he was growing up in Chicago in the 1990s. Not him.
"I wanted to be like Dekalb Walcott Jr.," he says of his father.
So when his dad asked if he wanted to go on that call with him when he was 8, Dekalb was excited. "I'm jumping up and down, saying, "Mom, can I go? Can I go?' "
The experience changed Dekalb's life, he tells his dad on a visit to StoryCorps. "My eyes got big from the moment the alarm went off." the younger Dekalb says. " This is the life that I want to live someday. "
Now 27, the younger Dekalb is living that life. He became a firefighter at 21 and went to work alongside his dad at the Chicago Fire Department. Before his father retired, the pair even went out on a call together -- father supervising son.
"You know, it's everything for me to watch you grow," his father says. But he also recalls worrying about one particular fire that his son faced.
"I received a phone call that night. And they said, 'Well, your son was at this fire.' I said, 'OK, which way is this conversation going to go?' " Dekalb Walcott Jr. recalls.
"And they said, 'But he's OK. And he put it out all by himself. Everybody here was proud of him.'
"And the word went around, 'Who was out there managing that fire? Oh, that's Walcott! That's Walcott up there!' So, you know, moments like that, it's heaven on Earth for a dad."
Dekalb Walcott Jr. retired in 2009. The younger Dekalb says he's proud of being a second-generation firefighter. "You know, it makes me look forward to fatherhood as well, because I'm definitely looking forward to passing that torch down to my son." | high9234.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Trying new things and food."
},
"options": [
"Trying new things and food.",
"Traveling.",
"Walking.",
"Shopping."
],
"question": "What does the writer like most in life?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions... | "Just ate chicken feet for lunch. " These were the words I wrote on my blog yesterday. By the next day there were hundreds of comments from my friends. They ranged from "OH MY GOD! That is so disgusting! " to "What were they like?" to "Why can't you eat sandwiches like everyone else?"
To Chinese people, chicken feet are a normal snack. To my friends in Britain, the thought of eating a chicken's foot is----well, weird . As weird, in fact, as eating a bullfrog, scorpion , snake, or turtle.
But if there are two things I love more than anything else in life, they are: trying new things and food.
I arrived in Beijing five months ago. Since then, I've searched for the "weirdest" foods so I can try them, then treat my friends to some "virtual eating" on my blog.
One weekend, I went to Wangfujing, Beijing's "snack street". The trip gave me tons of blog material.
"I chose a stick with three live, wriggling scorpions on it," I wrote. "And it was pretty good. The scorpion was warm and crispy. The legs did have a tendency to get stuck between one's teeth, however. What's more, I am sure scorpion number two stung me with its tail in revenge ."
Next came snake: "A bit like a cross between fish and chicken, with a slightly rubbery texture and meaty taste."
Some people were actually angry when I ate turtle soup----especially when I posted pictures showing the poor little guy's head staring sadly up at us from the bowl. "I am never speaking to you again," wrote one (former) friend.
Still, I will continue my culinary quest.
Next on my list is starfish, though I feel I should have some vegetables too----algae, maybe.
So what am I eating, tonight, you may ask. Pizza. Well, a girl's gotta have a break sometimes. | high14440.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Americans spend more on installment buying than British people do."
},
"options": [
"British families just use the installment plan to buy furniture.",
"More than 10 precent American families buy things on installment.",
"Ame... | In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century. Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments .In the U.S., the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan.
The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash. There is a charge for interest. The buyers pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him. He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up. The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made.
Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages. It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping, It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment. There is ,however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse. This may result in a great increase in unemployment. If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments. If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money. If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression. This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan. | high9552.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the American people have more or less the same income."
},
"options": [
"the American people get up and go to work at the same time.",
"the American people spend their holidays in the same pattern.",
"the American people buy ... | Although the U.S. is so big and its people have so many different ethnic (racial) backgrounds, it is in some ways less varied than Europe. The English language is used almost everywhere in its American form. The American way of speaking has developed independently of England and is on the whole closer to what can be heard in Ireland.
American instance of uniformity is in habits and ways of living. From Boston to Los Angeles it is as far as from France to Central Asia, and from east to west there are five time zones; but everywhere people get up and go to bed at about the same time, eat the same kind of food, buy in the same kind of shops, work and rest at the same times of the day and have the same pattern of holidays. In _ that matter there is less difference between rich people and ordinary people, or between town and country, than in any single European nation.
Although the United States covers so much land and the land produces far more food than the present population needs, its people are by now almost entirely an urban society. Less than a tenth of the people are engaged in agriculture, and most of the rest live in or around towns, large and small. Here the traditional picture is changing; most Americans do not live in small towns any more. Half the population now live in some thirty metropolitan areas.
The fact that the United states has always been a single economic unit has contributed to uniformity. Modern industry favors large organizations, and it is no accident that the world's biggest commercial firms are American. The people can choose between the products of competing manufacturers, but the products are all much alike. | high6661.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Cancer industry is very profitable."
},
"options": [
"Cancer death rates are dropping.",
"Cancer industry is very profitable.",
"Traditional cancer treatments are effective.",
"Cancer medicine was invented 80 years ago.... | "You have cancer" are the three words you never want to hear. Unfortunately, over 5, 000 people in North America do hear those words--every single day. Even worse, cancer has become the second leading cause of death for Americans. America's health practitioner , David Brownstein, M. D., has spent much of his medical career studying cancer, and learning the best ways to avoid becoming its victim.
And Dr. Brownstein does not shy away from _ Statistics demonstrate we are not winning the war on cancer. Far from it. In fact, cancer death rates have remained nearly unchanged over the last 80 years. Plus, traditional cancer treatments have been a terrible failure. Because the only big winner in the cancer treatment story to date has been the cancer industry's multibillion-dollar profits, Dr. Brownstein has just released a free video documentary revealing some of his startling findings.
In this video, you'll discover five specific signs that you will be diagnosed with cancer during your lifetime. Even more important, you'll see:
*Seven simple but smart steps to prevent cancer from taking over your body.
*How to help your body naturally kill cancer cells.
*Easiest ways to avoid known cancer-causing factors.
*The little-known relationship between iodine and cancer.
*And much, much more...
According to Dr. Brownstein, nearly all of us have cancer cells in our bodies at various times during our lives. The trick is to avoid letting those cells increase and defeat the body's natural defenses.
The good news is that you and your loved ones do not need to become cancer victims. With the simple methods revealed in Dr. Brownstein's eye-opening video, you can take steps to prevent this deadly disease.
Newsman Health managed to bring it directly to you free of charge. Click here to start watching this powerful video about preventing cancer immediately. With so many people dying needlessly, there's no time to waste. | high8894.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Two boys came in and they smelled bad."
},
"options": [
"They had finished their meals",
"They thought the food was terrible.",
"Two boys came in and they smelled bad.",
"There wasn't enough food in the restaurant."
... | One day Robin went with his family to eat in a restaurant. They were sitting at a table and waiting for their meal. Suddenly, everyone around them started to cover their noses. Some of them even left their tables and went away.
When Robin's family turned around to see what had caused this, they saw two homeless boys. The boys looked dirty and smelled bad. But both boys were smiling and had beautiful blue eyes. They were looking for someone kind. One of the boys went to the counter and he counted the coins he had. The other boy looked sick and he stood quietly.
The young lady at the counter asked the boy what they wanted. He said, "We only want a cup of coffee. " That was all they could afford. They wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up. It was really cold outside. But to sit inside the restaurant, they had to buy something.
When Robin's mother saw this, she wanted to help the boys. She ordered some more food. Then she went to the two boy's table. She put the food on the table. The boys looked up at her and said, "Thank you. " When Robin saw what his mother did, he understood what the unconditional( ) love was. His mother treated those boys kindly. She did not expect anything in return. Now Robin saves his own pocket money and helps homeless people whenever he can. | high13449.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The Easter Egg Roll"
},
"options": [
"Walk for the Woods",
"Teddy Bears' Picnic",
"The Easter Egg Roll",
"The Oral History Training Day"
],
"question": "Which of the following will be on 9thApril?",
"questio... | Warley Woods Community Trust
Welcome to our third newsletter of the year!
Our main activity for March is our Walk for the Woods fundraising events on Saturday,17thMarch,starting any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. We will be walking the distance between Warley Woods and Tipperary. It is indeed a long way-80 miles. The more people that you can get sponsor you,the more money we can raise to help look after our beautiful woodland. More information is available at our website.
The Sunday volunteers planted two beeches and on oak last week. This was thanks to the money fro the Big Tree Plant and to Lisa and Gordon Whitiker,whose friends gave money for the big trees instead of for their wedding presents. Thanks to everyone who took part.
There were 15 volunteers at the Oral History Training Day which was led by vey ably by Julia Letts. The group will be meeting again and will start to interview the local people who have offered to tell their stories. We are happy to hear from others who would like to be interviewed about their memories of the Woods for the project. If you or anyone you know is interested,please call Viv Cole at the office. This project is financed by Heritage Lottery Fund.
There was a huge response to the Forest Schools activities held at half term. These will be held again during the Easter holidays on the following dates: 4thApril from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for over 8s. On 12th April form 10 a.m. to 12 noon,there will be a Teddy Bears' Picnic for the under 8s. All these must be booked in advance.
Finally,don't forget the Easter Egg Roll on Bank Holiday,9th April,staring at 11 a.m. Bring your own hard-boiled and decorated egg to roll down the hill in the woods. The first past the finishing line will win a large chocolate egg! This year,due to popular demand,there will also be an Adults' Easter Egg Roll following the children's competition.
We look forward to seeing you all soon,at one of our many events. | high12757.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "enjoy more freedom and choices"
},
"options": [
"enjoy more freedom and choices",
"support the company's practice",
"clock up the miles while driving",
"receive customers reviews directly"
],
"question": "Compar... | When Taking an Uber-Should You Tip or Not?
Taking an Uber car may no longer be a direct driver-passenger and guilt-free experience. The ride-sharing experience is about to get awkward.
With the wide application of the Internet, Uber, a new approach to your destination instead of taking an ordinary taxi, has become more popular recently. However, benefits won't come without its fair share of drawbacks.
Uber drivers are a part of the so-called sharing economy: They use their own vehicles, receive customer reviews via the app's five-star rating system and make their own hours. Unlike other services, Uber claimed that drivers all over the country could clearly alert customers that tipping is not included. Those drivers that expect to be tipped can make their wishes known. But the company is holding to its official no-tip-required line, according to its website. "Once you arrive at your destination, your fare is automatically charged to your credit card on file--There's no need to tip." Although drivers value their independence--the freedom to push a button rather than punch a clock, lack of a clear policy, however, leaves Uber drivers in a vulnerable position: If they ask a customer for a tip or put up a sign, that customer could give the driver a low star-rating, and the driver could finally be _ from the app.
But has the company done a good job working with customers? Some observers say that this new grey area for tipping will create awkwardness about whether they should tip or not--something most Uber customers have not had to deal with until now. Uber did not respond to customers' comment, just leaving their rating in the air(ignoring it).
Providing an option to tip on an app sends a clear message to customers to reach into their pockets. Nearly 30% people would be more likely to leave a tip if they were presented with a "no tip" button, according to Guinn's 2015 survey of roughly 500 people. When people are presented with three tip choices--20%, 25% or 30%--they're more likely to choose the middle option even if it's more than the traditional 20%, according to a separate 2014 analysis of 13 million New York City taxi rides.
If the service is twice as expensive during a rain storm or public transport delay, the customer has the right not to tip. However, if the driver is extra helpful or avoids traffic to reach your destination in a more timely manner, you could give an extra tip, says Uber, who will leave tipping options in the hands of the consumer rather than the app. | high15038.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They're likely to cause cancer."
},
"options": [
"High-end consumers prefer them.",
"They have little effect on heart diseases.",
"They're a kind of organic food.",
"They're likely to cause cancer."
],
"question... | Data on British buying habits in 2015 reveals a move away from products such as sausages and bacon in favour of fish and poultry .
The move may be because high-end consumers are noticing growing warnings about their impact on health. That was reinforced by an assessment by the World Health Organization in October that placed cured and processed meats in the same category as asbestos, alcohol, arsenic and tobacco as major causes of cancer.
Sales of sausages and bacon were down 14.4% last year compared with 2014 and sales of red meat fell by 8.1%. In contrast, sales of poultry and fish rose by 13.1% and 25.1% respectively.
The sustained interest in organic food is driven by an increase in young and socially conscious"millennials"(born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) with strong social, ethical and environmental values. They are prepared to pay extra for healthier options and shifting shopping patterns away from"the big weekly shop"in favour of"a few and often".
At Tesco sales of organic fruit and vegetables have risen by more than 18% over the last year -- double the market average. Tesco fruit commercial manager Gareth Wilcock said,"The revival of organic foods has been gathering pace over the last few years, with lower prices and better availability both playing a major part in that."
George Scott, food and grocery analyst with Verdict Retail, said,"Organic food is no longer niche and I think this upward sales trend is here to stay. It is very significant that we have acute consumers who are prepared to trade up to the foods where they want the best quality and assurances of provenance." | high19602.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because they are convienent and inexpensive."
},
"options": [
"Because they are traditinal and safe.",
"Because they are convienent and inexpensive.",
"Because they are colourful and available.",
"Because they are fast ... | China is a land of bicycles.At least it was back in 1992 when I travelled the country.Back then everyone seemed to be riding a bicycle.Millions of them,all black.Cars were rare.Yet since my arrival in Beijing last year,I've found the opposite is true.There were millions of cars.However,people still use their bicycles to get around.For many,it's the easiest and cheappiest way to travel today. Bicycles also come in different colours---silver,green,red,blue,yellow,whatever you want.
It's fun watching people biking. They rush quickly through crossroads,move skillfully through traffic,and ride even on sidewalks . Bicycles allow people the freedom to move about that cars just can't provide.
Eager to be part of this aspect of Chinese culture, I decided to buy a bicycle. Great weather accompanied my great buy. I immediately jumped up on my bicycle seat and started to ride.
My first ride home was orderly .To be safe,I stayed with a "pack"of bikers while cars on the streets came running swiftly out of nowhere at times. I didn't want to get hit.So I took the ride carefully.
Crossing the streets was the biggest problem. It was a lot like crossing a major highway back in the United States. The streets here were wide,so crossing took time,skill and a little bit of luck.
I finally made it home. The feeling on the bicycle was amazing. The air hitting my face and going through my air was wonderful. I was sitting on top of the world as I passed by places and people.Biking made me feel alive. | high4076.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "In a basement of two shops."
},
"options": [
"Next to a clothes shop.",
"Above a potato shop.",
"In Open Days week.",
"In a basement of two shops."
],
"question": "Where is the Roman Baths --- Chester?",
"qu... | There is more to tourism in Britain than you might think.
When you think of tourist sites in Britain, what do you think of? Big Ben and the Tower of London? Lock Ness? Shakespeare's birthplace at Strafford-upon-Avon? There are many famous tourist attractions in the UK and they attract millions of visitors each year. But along with the famous names there are thousands of other interesting places that are only open to the public for a few days each year. Heritage Open Days takes place each September and lets the public visit places that would normally be out of bounds. Among the thousands of historic sites there are castles and factories, town halls and churches. Here we look at some of the places that most tourists might not know about.
Roman Baths --- Chester
These Roman baths are almost two thousand years old and a fascinating insight into the history of the city but they aren't often open to visitors because they are under a clothes shop and a shop that sells baked potatoes! In Open Days week, visitors can go downstairs to the basement of the shops and find a little piece of history.
Tennis Club --- Birmingham
Edgbaston Tennis Club opened in 1860 and is the oldest tennis club in the world. Visitors can see the club's collection of tennis clothes and equipment and learn about the game's rich history.
Ardman Animation --- Bristol
The studios that produced the famous Wallace and Gromit animated films open its doors to the public to let people find out more about how the films are made.
Paddock Wood --- Kent
A family house where some of the rooms are unchanged since the 1920s. The home's owner, Sarah Hamilton, is happy to open her doors to the public, saying "I'm passionate about history and I love taking to people."
These are just a few of the thousands of places to visit each year. If you're visiting Britain in September ---- look out for Open Days! | high3719.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "make a wish"
},
"options": [
"wear beautiful clothes",
"make a wish",
"invite friends",
"eat birthday cake"
],
"question": "On one's birthday, before blowing out the candles, he or she will _ .",
"question... | In the southern part of America, when somebody has a birthday, often family or friends, or both, will arrange a party. The party could be elaborate and include a meal or may be simple with a birthday cake and drinks. One does not plan, nor give, one's own birthday as is the custom in some cultures. At a party there is usually a decorated cake, often with the words "Happy Birthday" and with the name of the person written on the top of the cake. Sometimes there is also one candle for each year of the person celebrating the birthday before the cake is cut. While blowing out the candles, the person makes a wish for something pleasant.
Usually those invited to a birthday party will bring a gift for the person honored. Gifts given by friends do not have to be expensive, but the family of the birthday person will spend whatever they can afford on a gift.
Christmas parties also are very popular in the South. Often this is the only time during the year that some people see acquaintances . These parties can be elaborate or simple, ranging from a buffet to a reception called "open house ". If you are invited to one of these, you don't need to take a Christmas gift, as it is not customary to take the hostess a gift every time you are invited to a party or a meal. However, if you wish to take a gift, it should only be something useful and inexpensive and should be given to the hostess at the door as you enter the party. Usually gifts of Christmas food treats are the most appreciated. | high10140.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "An experience at sea."
},
"options": [
"An experience at sea.",
"An exciting experience when swimming.",
"The changeable weather at the seaside.",
"It is dangerous to boat at sea."
],
"question": "What does the ... | When I was in medical college, I went camping with some of my friends. The season was summer; therefore, we chose to go to the seaside. After arriving there, we rent a room and left our luggage there. We finished lunch and then decided to rent a boat because the sea and the weather were beautiful.
We started to row, but about one mile out, the weather suddenly changed. Although the weather was not good, we didn't want to give up, but finally my friends and I agreed that we should go back. We tried to change the boat's direction, but as soon as we changed it, the oarlock broke. Therefore, we were unable to turn back. We had to wait for help because we couldn't do anything.
After seeing the change of weather, we shouldn't have continued to row, but it was too late. We regretted it. The sea changed a lot, the waves got very high, and the boat began to shake like a cradle . One of my friends started to cry; another started to vomit . Three hours passed, and nobody came to help us. We were just praying.
Fortunately, after five long hours of waiting, two big boats came to rescue us and we escaped. If they hadn't come to get us, we would have crossed the border between Turkey and Greece because the border was very close.
This story is the most exciting story of my life because we could have died, but luck was with us and we escaped. | high2407.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Frequently asked questions."
},
"options": [
"Fully accepted qualities.",
"Fantastic African qualities.",
"Face - to - face associated quotations.",
"Frequently asked questions."
],
"question": "What does the wo... | AFRICAN MANGO FAQs
Q : How do I use AFRICAN MANGO?
A : It's simple... Just take one rapid - release capsule , 3 times daily before meals (i.e., 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.)
Q : Is it safe?
A : Yes. Unlike other diet pills, Pure African Mango Extract (lrvingia gabonensis) does not contain any natural or artificial stimulants. Clinical studies have shown this nutrient to be both safe and well-tolerated. It's easy on your system and helps you lose body fat naturally.
Q : Who uses AFRICAN MANGO?
A : Everybody from A-List Hollywood movie stars to everyday men and women who want to lose pounds and inches of excess body fat. It's currently popular in Hollywood today because many of today's movie scripts call for actors and actresses to be in their absolute best shape.
Q : Do I have to exercise and diet in order to see results?
A : Research shows 100% Pure African Mango Extract helped people lose weight and belly fat without additional diet or exercise. However, in order to achieve your best weight-loss results, we highly recommend incorporating fun lifestyle exercises (like walking, tennis, etc.) and replacing high-calorie foods with healthy nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and lean proteins. Also, drinking more water daily speeds weight loss, according to a new study from Viginia Tech University.
Q : When I place my order, it's a one-time-only transaction , right?
A : Yes. Rest assured. When you shop with us, you can shop with confidence and peace of mind. Every order placed with us is 100% safe and secure. Our site is scanned and tested daily by McAfee SECURE. "The McAfee SECURE" trust mark (see the upper-left corner of our website) only appears when the website has passed their intensive, daily security scan.
What's more, our customers never have to worry about being enrolled in auto-reship or auto-rebilling scams . Each and every order placed with us is a one-time-only transaction.
CONSUMER TIP: Beware of sites that offer "free trials", which claim to charge only a small fee for shipping. However, more often than not, these "free trials" websites will continue to charge your card for regular monthly shipments if you don't return your "free trials" within 10 to 14 days.
As the Official Website of African Mango, we offer only the purest, most effective African Mango available. What's more, as an accredited business, we do not engage in auto-rebilling, auto-reshipping, or any other business practices that are considered morally unacceptable. Your results, and your satisfaction, are 100% guaranteed. | high5368.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "International official papers are programmed as its major sources."
},
"options": [
"Linguists guide the computer translation on Google.",
"International official papers are programmed as its major sources.",
"Rules and dicti... | In Google's vision of the future, people will be able to translate documents instantly into the world's main languages with machine logic, not expert linguists, leading the way.
Google's approach, called statistical machine translation, differs from past efforts in which it does without language experts who program grammatical rules and dictionaries into computers. Instead, they feed documents humans have already translated into two languages and then rely on computers to decide patterns for future translations.
Though the quality is not perfect, it is an improvement on previous efforts at machine translation, said Franz Och, 35, a German who heads Google's translation effort at its Mountain View headquarters south of San Francisco. "Some people who have been in machine translations for a long time see our Arabic-English output, and then they say, that's amazing; that's a breakthrough ." Said Och. "And then other people who have never seen what machine translation was read through the sentence and they say, the first mistake here in Line Five-it doesn't seem to work because there is a mistake there."
But for some tasks, a mostly correct translation may be good enough. Speaking over lunch this week in a Google cafeteria famed for offering free, healthy food, Och showed a translation of an Arabic Web news site into easily digestible English.
Two Google workers speaking Russian at a nearby table said, however, that a translation of a news site from English into their native tongue was understandable but a bit awkward. Och, who speaks German, English and some Italian, feeds hundreds of millions of words from parallel texts such as Arabic and English into the computer, using United Nations and European Union documents as key sources.
Languages without considerable translated texts, such as some African languages, face greater obstacles. "The more data we feed into the system, the better it gets." said Och, who moved to the United States from Germany in 2002.
The program applies statistical analysis, an approach he hopes will avoid diplomatic embarrassing mistakes in diplomatic situations, such as when Russian leader Putin's translator annoyed then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder by calling him the German "Fuhrer ("leader" in English)," which is forbidden in that context because of its association with Adolf Hitler.
"I would hope that the language model would say, well, Schroeder is...very rare but Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schroeder is probably 100 times more frequent than Fuhrer and then it would make the right decision." Och said. | high21389.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "spared more time to stay with the mother"
},
"options": [
"took turns to look after the author",
"tried to spend more time on their work",
"spared more time to stay with the mother",
"asked the doctors to operate on the... | When I was seven years old my mom was diagnosed with cancer. For this type of cancer the survival rate was low. My family was extremely upset and shocked. I was too young to understand. I had no idea that everyday with my mom had to be the absolute best because we didn't know if it would be our last. I didn't understand why everyone was suddenly taking time out of their busy lives to come over and sit on our couch.
The doctors told us my mom might survive with surgery . But it could also kill her. She agreed to have it. The surgery was scheduled for the day after the Columbus Day. The day before the surgery I had off from school, and my mom planned the best day of my life. The day began with her waking me up saying, "Kate, I have a surprise for you. Come see." The surprise was a doll I had wanted for the longest time. Throughout the day, she told me everything that she thought I would need to know to grow up and be a good person; she told me to be the best I could be and that I would always make her proud. The day was filled with laughter. For the first time in a long time I could see she was happy. Really happy.
The day passed and the next day, it was time for the surgery. There were no tears; I think I understood that I could lose my mom, because they did tell me she could die. We waited all day for news from the doctor. Everyone jumped when a door opened or anyone walked into the waiting room. Finally the doctor came in, and the news was what we had prayed for.
I will never forget that day together, and how her illness pulled our family closer. I understand now how lucky we were. I truly appreciate life and honor my mom for being so strong. | high16525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the economic recession has had a big effect on teens' work, life and study"
},
"options": [
"the economic recession has had a big effect on teens' work, life and study",
"teenagers are now having difficulty in deciding which colleg... | Teens' lives hit by economy
Some teenagers are crossing their dream colleges off their lists. Others are thinking of skipping their senior trips or reducing prom costs. Many are finding their work hours cut while their expenses rise.
So, who exactly is punishing them?Is it their parents, teachers or employers?No, it's the economy .
If you are like most teenagers, you probably don't understand what "recession", "negative economic growth" and "subprime mortgage crisis "actually mean. And you probably don't spend your days watching the ups and downs of the stock market.
It's safe to say that most teens don't know much about the economy except for one thing:it's bad. But just how exactly is the economy affecting teens?
"The single largest thing I have noticed is the recession's ability to affect my college choice, "said Heather Richars from Downey High School in California, US. "With the economic situation the way it is, I have thought less about going to a private or out-of-state university, and more about public schools in California, mainly because of the price of tuition, "said Richars. "I had been a fan of attending a private school up until this year."
The economy cuts into other areas of teenagers' lives, too.
Joey Camarda, a student at Modesto High School in California, who works at an ice cream store, said," Probably due to the economy, I have been getting less hours at my job, and because of that, I am not getting enough money to help pay for college."
Tara Mooney, a senior at Beyer High School, has also begun to notice that money is tight.
"Things are getting expensive," she said. "When it comes to applying for colleges and wanting to go on senior trips, I have to pick and choose instead of doing it all." | high2413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To show his artwork to her"
},
"options": [
"To introduce Stephanie to her.",
"To show his artwork to her",
"To put the materials back in the yard.",
". To prevent her from seeing his painting."
],
"question": "... | When you are little, the whole world feels like a big playground. I was living in Conyers, Georgia the summer it all happened. I was a second grader, but my best friend Stephanie was only in the first grade. Both of our parents were at work and most of the time they let us go our own way.
It was a hot afternoon and we decided to have an adventure in Stephanie's basement. As I opened the basement door, before us lay the biggest room, full of amazing things like guns, dolls, and old clothes. I ran downstairs, and spotted red steel can. It was paint. I looked beyond it and there lay even more paint in bright color1s like purple, orange, blue and green.
"Stephanie, I just found us a project for the day. Get some paintbrushes. We are fixing to paint." She screamed with excitement as I told her of my secret plans and immediately we got to work. We gathered all the brushes we could find and moved all of our materials to my yard. There on the road in front of my house, we painted bit stripes of color1s across the pavement . Stripe by stripe, our color1s turned into a beautiful rainbow. It was fantastic!
The sun was starting to sink. I saw a car in the distance and jumped up as I recognized the car. It was my mother. I couldn't wait to show her my masterpiece. The car pulled slowly into the driveway and from the look on my mother's face, I could tell that I was in deep trouble.
My mother shut the car door and walked towards me. Her eyes glaring, she shouted, "What in the world were you thinking? I understood when you made castles out of leaves, and climbed the neighbors' trees, but this! Come inside right now!" I stood there glaring hack at her for a minute, angry because she had insulted my art.
"Now go clean it up!" Mother and I began cleaning the road. Tears ran down my cheeks as I saw my beautiful rainbow turn into black cement.
Though years have now passed, I still wonder where my rainbow has gone. I wonder if, maybe when I get older, I can find my rainbow and never have to brush it away. I guess we all need sort of rainbow to brighten our lives from time to time and to keep our hopes and dreams color1ful. | high18508.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an imaginary race"
},
"options": [
"an animal game",
"a physiology class",
"an imaginary race",
"a school sports meeting"
],
"question": "The author shows his research by describing a scene of _ .",
"ques... | One of the strangest races in history is about to begin. The judge raises the starting gun and says,"On your marks, get set...'' BANG! Who will win this 40-yard race? Will it be the ostrich with its long legs? Or will it be the highly trained football player? Could the squirrel rush past them all?
Don't worry. It's not a real race. Last week, Scientific American magazine asked professor Peter Weyand who would win an imaginary race between an ostrich, a football player, a pig, a squirrel, and an elephant. Weyand teaches physiology. He studies the way animals move.
According to his knowledge of how animals _ , here's how the race might go:
The ostrich runs out of the starting gate neck and neck with the football player in second, the gray squirrel running third, and the pretty pink pig in fourth.
Forty yards later, at the finish line, the heavily feathered bird beats the speeding human! The competition isn't terribly close between the ostrich and the football player, but in a surprise move, the pig moves fast and manages to beat the squirrel by a nose. Pigs don't look like they're built for speed, so its third-place finish is a bit of a shock.
How does Weyand explain the Animal Kingdom's speedy match?
"The easiest way to explain why the ostrich is fast is that it has long legs,'' he says. Most of the ostrich's leg muscles are high up on its short thighbones. Its long, light legs allow the bird to go faster and keep speed easily. When running, an ostrich's highest speed is about 35 mph. Elephants and squirrels actually run at the same pace. But because squirrels can accelerate quickly, the huge elephant would lose. Pigs can't speed up as fast as squirrels, but they can run faster. Pigs that live in the wild can run close to 16 mph, and squirrels can run at about 14 mph. | high20097.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it would see us just as material"
},
"options": [
"it is much cleverer than us",
"it would take over the world",
"it would see us just as material",
"it has the strong feeling of destroying us"
],
"question": "A... | Robots make me nervous--especially the ones which seem to think for themselves. I was embarrassed to admit this till I heard that Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, felt the same way.
Gates said in an interview with the social networking and news website Reddit: "I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence. First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent.That should be positive if we manage well. A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern."
Well, maybe I don't have to worry about my computer and kitchen equipment yet. After I use them I can always pull the plug. But in the future, machines might find a way to prevent us from switching them off. There's a terrible thought!
Maybe the problem with computers too clever for us is not that they are evil like some we've seen in sci-fi movies. What could put us in danger is that they might be too efficient. That's what philosopher Nick Bostrom from Oxford University believes. He says that machines are indifferent to humans and in pursuit of their own goals,the destruction of people might be just additional damage. Bostrom gives us an example: A machine which might have as its only goal to produce as many paperclips as possible might look at human bodies as extra material for paperclips and go after you. Because it is, well, a machine, it would not take pity on you.
It's a good thing that American writer Isaac Asimov thought about how far robots can go and left us his three rules of robotics. They state that a robot may not hurt a human being or allow the human being to come to harm.
I'm glad my machines at home are "dumb". All my cleaner wants to take over is the carpet in my living room. Let's hope they don't create an appliance which wants to take over the world!. | high14332.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "your beliefs"
},
"options": [
"your environment where you live",
"your experiences",
"your knowledge and opportunities",
"your beliefs"
],
"question": "In the author's opinion, your life depends on _ .",
"... | Your beliefs are very powerful and have the power to create or to destroy your life. In most cases, whatever you believe is what you will become. If you believe that you are a loser, that you never get a breakthrough in life, and that you can't accomplish(succeed in doing) anything, these things will be your reality. Believe that you are unlimited, that you can do anything you hope to do and when you do, your accomplishments will know no bounds. You control your beliefs, and that is how you finally control your life. This is a very important point. So how do you develop beliefs that will empower you?
Many of our beliefs come from our environment, the world we live in on a daily basis. If your environment is limiting your beliefs, then work very hard on changing it. If you are constantly around people who are negative and limiting, find other people to hang out with and get around positive, successful people.
Beliefs also come from past experiences. That is why it is so important to experience success on a regular basis. Set small achievable goals, and then try your best to reach them. "I will finish this project by early afternoon." "I will make six calls on the phone in the next hour." "I will exercise 20 minutes tonight." When you start to experience success, then you start to believe in success, and that leads to more and bigger successes.
Beliefs come from knowledge. The more you learn, the more things you will possibly know.
Always take the advantage of opportunities to learn something new. It will bring new possibilities into your beliefs and your life.
Most importantly, you can develop new beliefs by setting and visualizing goals for
your life. Define your goals clearly. Then in your mind, see yourself achieving them in all of their sensory details. Mentally live the experience, see the sights, hear the sounds, smell the aroma, and feel the feelings. The beliefs formed in this way will lead you to their reality. | high6675.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "had a hard time in Nash"
},
"options": [
"had the first child unexpectedly",
"liked Missourivery much",
"had a hard time in Nash",
"had to shop a great deal"
],
"question": "From the passage we can learn that th... | I was born when my father and mother were on their way to Nash, a lonely place where they were to meet with hardship and difficulties. They both liked this land very much, which might have best explained why they moved from Missouri to such a town in western prefix = st1 /Kansas. They did most of their shopping in Nash, but before Nash was built, they shopped at the little town ofMoran, where there was a small grocery store.
I remember when the railroad came to Nash, when the first telephones came, and the first cars. We lived six miles from town so we missed out meeting the trains. My mother was sick when I was small, so I did a lot of the household chores, even doing the laundry, as I was the oldest, but I never worked outside with my five brothers. I remember going to school with my brothers. When we played basketball, we played outside, and the girls wore skirts and bloomers, and got along fine. I liked spelling matches, and we competed with other schools once or twice a month.
I married Herm Messenger, a farmer in 1971. eleven children were born to us, four boys and seven girls, four dead at birth. One pair of twins, Paul and Pauline, however Pauline died when she was nineteen months old. My first washing machine was operated by hand, pushing the handle back and forth. Later, I got a machine with an electric motor. My first machine with a wringer was a kind of a joke, as herm took it to the church, and put it on the Christmas tree for me. That might not be exciting to a housewife today, but I thought it was! | high22858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "David Guetta is the head of the experiment"
},
"options": [
"The research was carried out by Brighton-based Mind lab International.",
"When listening to music, ninety percent of the people performed better.",
"Music has a pos... | A new study suggests that listening to music in the office improves the speed and accuracy of tasks such as data entry, proof reading and problem solving.
In an office-based experiment, 88 per cent of participants were found to produce their most accurate work when listening to music. The study also found that 81 per cent completed their fastest work when music was played.
And it matters what type of music you listen to. For instance, if you're doing your tax returns, then classical music is the most effective as it improves maths skills.
Listening to Jessie Jor Justin Bieber could also improve your speed, with 58 per cent of participants completing data entry tasks faster while listening to pop songs.
During proof-reading, dance music, such as David Guetta, had the biggest positive impact with participants increasing their speed by 20 per cent compared to tests undertaken with no music at all. Dance music also had a positive effect on spell-checking with a 75 per cent pass rate compared to 68 per cent when no music was played at all.
The research, undertaken by Brighton-based Mind lab International, suggests that silent offices may be the least productive.
'The Music Works experiment revealed a positive _ between music and productivity - overall it showed that when listening to music, nine out of 10 people performed better,' said Dr David Lewis, chairman of Mind lab International. | high8658.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To ask him to give her some advice."
},
"options": [
"To show off her excellent work.",
"To have him type it on the computer.",
"To ask him to make some changes from all details.",
"To ask him to give her some advice."
... | I wrote a business plan the other day. I gave it to my husband for suggestions. After reading it, he said, "I don't think this is up to your usual standards." I said, "I need more information. What doesn't work?" He said he wasn't sure. I then took the letter and reread it.
He asked, "How about if I look at it again and make notes between the space?" I agreed. A half hour later I looked at his notes and told him he didn't understand the situation and what I really wanted to express. He shrugged and said OK. I took the letter and went back to my computer and again revised. As I was writing, I could see my letter improving based on his suggestions. When I finished, I proudly handed the letter back to my husband. He read it for the third time and said, "It's still not right but I couldn't exactly say." I was a little annoyed and then told him I was the writer and I had seen some goofy letters he sent out. But I picked up my letter and went back to the computer.
After an hour of revisions, I went back to my husband apologetically with letter in hand. I told him I was sorry for what I'd said and asked if he would please read the letter again because I did value his contribution. Being a very patient and kind-hearted fellow, he once again read my letter and declared that it was fine.
This all leads me to the following: When you ask for advice on a project, be appreciative and grateful. Understand that the advice and suggestions you get may be negative. Understand that it may mean more work for you. And keep in mind that the final responsibility for the project is still yours. So be modest and thankful even if he or she has noted some problems. | high14454.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "famous actress"
},
"options": [
"popular writer",
"famous actress",
"school teacher",
"pretty singer"
],
"question": "Kareena Kapoor is most probably a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | "Today we had a discussion in class about heroes," said Ayesha to her father. "The teacher asked us to name our favorite heroes."
"What did you say?" asked her father curiously.
"I said Kareena Kapoor," said Ayesha proudly.
"Why do you like Kareena?" asked her father.
"She is so pretty, Daddy!" shouted Ayesha. "So I want to look like her!"
"But how do you plan to do that?"
"I don't know, but I want to look like her."
"When I see you, I see a very pretty girl. You may not be Kareena, but you are just as fine as Ayesha," said her father seriously. "Adopting film actors as our heroes and heroines is part of being young, but in the process don't put yourself down," he added. "But if you are trying so hard to be Kareena, you will stop being Ayesha." Ayesha began to look interested. Her father added, "Each of us is unique, We have come down to the earth to develop our own beautiful gifts. You are such a fine singer, for example. Can you see how this might be your own wonderful gift to the world? Focus on being yourself, child, and you will achieve great things in life.
"OK, Dad," she said. "I love the way Kareena looks but I am now going to focus on being the best Ayesha I can be."
"That's my girl," said her father, giving her a big hug. | high6113.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a company that rents cell phones to Americans going abroad"
},
"options": [
"an organization that offers some free services",
"a person who offers some advice to foreign tourists",
"a company that rents cell phones to America... | Whether you're headed to another country for business or pleasure, it is likely that you need to keep in touch with family or business partners in the United States. But if you plan to do that using your cell phone, you could have an unwelcome surprise. U,S. cell phones don't work abroad. U.S. companies use different forms of technology, not like most of the international community, including Europe.
However, there is an easy, cost-effective solution to staying in touch while you're traveling, You can rent a phone that is guaranteed to work in the countries you're visiting. Roadpost offers a 30-day cell phone rental plan that includes call waiting services, free incoming calls and free voicemail.
The service is convenient and simple. You can place your order online and your phone will be shipped to arrive on the date you want. If an unexpected business trip comes up, Roadpost can provide next-day delivery for most cities. In addition to the phone, Roadpost provides a spare battery, travel Charger and a leather carrying case.
When your phone is shipped from Roadpost, you receive an e-mail confirmation that contains your international cell phone number so you can leave it with family members and business partners: Roadpost even provides business cards preprinted with your international phone number.
Those who don't want to be without e-mail while traveling can rent an international BlackBerry. It can be hard to stay in touch by e-mail when traveling. With an international BlackBerry, you can email as much as you like, without worrying about an expensive bill.
If you're traveling to very remote areas, you may want to consider renting a satellite phone. Because they receive their signals from satellites, these phones work anywhere the planet, including oceans and mountains. When you return, simply ship the phone BlackBerry back to Roadpost using the return kit the company provides. | high2375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she wouldn't do that until she got his email"
},
"options": [
"their professional relationship had ended",
"she didn't want to keep in touch with him",
"she wouldn't do that until she got his email",
"they had joined di... | Reached My Destination
"Ego has an enormous appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets."
--Nathaniel Bronner Jr.
It has been two years, we have not met. Last time was when we were departing at Rome Airport as a procedure of joining different competitive firms. We exchanged our personal email IDs and I never realized my email ID was one with an error.
We had been in six years of professional relationship that ended with a small misunderstanding. We never realized that we might not get a chance to clear it. We both had tough ego levels to shed off.
In these two years work has always kept me busy. There have been instances where I wanted to write to him for his expertise advice but my ego always stopped me. And then one day flying to London for a conference was taking away my peace of mind. I knew he would be there as a part of the event from his firm.
I thought to ignore him and behave professionally as an employee. Finally, I entered the conference hall. I was quick enough to realize that he would take over participants' attention with his confidence, and all I would do sitting there would be appreciating him, nodding my head as "Yes to Yes" and "No to No".
Finally, he approached the stage.
The very first line that fell into my ears was my name as he continued, "I am proud to be here with 8 years of experience and I would like to share my best practices with all of you. This is a journey I completed with one of my best colleagues and my best friend 'my name' who supported me through day and night with the toughest projects and killing deadlines".
For a moment I fell numbed and completely lost. All I could remember were my thoughts for him before entering the room and his greatness to acknowledge my presence. Finally, the conference ended and we all left for refreshment. I was struggling hard to face him.
I saw him coming towards me with a gift.
I asked him, "Why this gift?"
He was very humble to answer, 'This is a small symbol of friendship to tell how much I missed my friend when I wanted her the most. A small token to represent that even when you were not with me, your teachings helped me to work on difficult projects."
I asked curiously, "But you never wrote to me, if I was so important and helpful."
He replied, "You left me with an email ID that is not reachable, maybe you missed a letter. I had no number to call you either but when I read your name in the list, I did all these arrangements. We never know when we meet again in life, so this gift is for you my friend."
Finally, we again departed to our respective destinations but this time with a smile. | high20929.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the capital of Argentina"
},
"options": [
"Belly dances",
"American soldiers",
"Spanish city",
"the capital of Argentina"
],
"question": "The origin of the tango is associated with _ .",
"question_type": ... | Argentina in the late nineteenth century was an exciting place. Around 1870,it was experiencing an economic boom, and the capital, Buenos Aires, attracted many people. Farmers, as well as a flood of foreigners from Spain and Italy, came to Buenos Aires seeking jobs. These jobs didn't pay well, and the people felt lonely and disappointed with their new life in the city. As the unhappy newcomers mixed together in the poor parts of the city, the dance known an the tango came into being.
At the beginning the tango was a dance of the lower classes. It was danced in the bars and streets. At that time there many fewer women the men, so if a man didn't want to be left out, his only choice was to dance with another man so that he could attract the attention of the few available women. Gradually, the dance spread into the upper classes of Argentinean society and became more respectable.
In Europe at this time, strong interest in dance from around the world was beginning. This interest in international dance was especially evident in Paris. Every kind of dance from ballet to belly dancing could be found on the stages of the Paris theaters of the Paris theaters. After tango dances from Argentina arrive in Europe, they began to draw the interest of the public as they performed their exciting dance in cafes. Though not everyone approved of the new dance, saying it was a little too shocking, the dance did find enough supporters to make it popular.
The popularity of the tango continued to grow in many other parts of the world. Soldiers who returned to the United States from World War I brought the tango to North America. It reached Japan in 1926, and in 2003 the Argentinean embassy in Seoul hired a local tango dancer to act an a kind of dance ambassador, and promote tango dancing throughout South Korea. | high4704.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "gave children ten photos of occupations to choose from"
},
"options": [
"involved thirty-seven girls and boys in all",
"was designed for children under four years old",
"gave children ten photos of occupations to choose from"... | Girls who play with Barbie dolls tend to see fewer career options available to them, compared with the options available to boys, according to a new study by researchers at Oregon State University and the University of California (UC), Santa Cruz.
The study's authors, psychology professors, Aurora Sherman of Oregon State University and Eileen Zurbriggen at UC Santa Cruz, describe their findings as significant. "This is one of the first studies to investigate how playing with sexualized dolls affects young girls, and also one of the first to look at the impact of such play on achievement or career aspirations , rather than body image," said Zurbriggen. Sherman suggests that Barbie and similar dolls are part of the burden of early and inappropriate sexuality placed on girls.
Sherman and Zurbriggen used girls' doll play to study the impact of gender role socialization, a process through which children learn to follow cultural norms and which encourages gender stereotypical behavior.
Thirty-seven girls from the age of four to seven from an Oregon college town were randomly arranged to play for five minutes with either a sexualized Doctor Barbie or Fashion Barbie doll, or with a more neutral Mrs. Potato Head doll. The girls were then shown photographs of ten occupations and asked how many they themselves or boys could do in the future.
The girls who played with a Barbie doll saw themselves in fewer occupations, compared with boys. Those girls who played with Mrs. Potato Head reported nearly as many career options available for themselves as for boys.
The two Barbie dolls were the same except for clothing, with unrealistic bodies, extremely youthful and attractive faces, and long full hair. The researchers believe that the doll itself has more of an effect on girls than the role or career aspirations suggested by its costume.
"It's significant that a few minutes of play with a Barbie doll had an immediate impact on the number of careers that girls saw as possible for themselves," Zurbriggen said. | high19170.txt |
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