questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "detailed examples"
},
"options": [
"detailed examples",
"scientific analysis",
"satisfactory evidence",
"rich imagination"
],
"question": "The author leads in the topic of the passage with _ .",
"question_... | The displays of bad temper are nothing new in kindergarten and first grade, but the behavior of a 6-year-old girl this fall at a school in Fort Worth, Texas, had even the most experienced staff members wanting to run for cover. Asked to put a toy away, the youngster began to scream. Told to calm down, she knocked over her desk and crawled under the teacher's desk, kicking it and throwing out the contents of the drawers. Then things really began to worsen. Still screaming, the child stood up and began casting books at her terrified classmates, who had to be accompanied to safety.
Just a bad day at school? More like a bad season. The desk-throwing incident followed scores of other crazy acts by some of the youngest Fort Worth students at schools across the district, and even the country. There have been an increasing number of kindergartners and first-graders with violent behavior and it has become an alarming trend.
The youngest school kids are acting out in really ridiculous ways and violence is getting younger and younger. Why? Educators and psychologist argue that they are witnessing the result of a number of social trends that have come together in a most unfortunate way. Many mention economic stress, which has parents working longer hours than ever before, kids spending more time in day care and everyone coming home too tired to engage in the kind of relationships that build social skills. In addition, many educators worry about rising academic pressure in kindergarten and first grade as the students have to take the yearly tests demanded by the No Child Left Behind Act. They believe that even more important than early reading is the learning of play skills. Other experts also point out that violent behavior in children has been closely linked to exposure to violence on TV and in movies, video games and other media. They insist schools try to teach kids what they have failed to learn at home, for example, having varieties of anti-violence and character-education programs, instructing children to interact with people who love them and teaching them how to behave. | high7155.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "reduce their bad behavior"
},
"options": [
"make them rest after a day's study",
"punish them for their bad behavior",
"get them to love arts gradually",
"reduce their bad behavior"
],
"question": "Mr. Walker as... | Whether you admit it or not, music improves our daily life and makes us feel easy, especially the music of Beethoven and Mozart. But can you believe that a school in England is using classical music to cut down students' bad behavior?
The head teacher Brian Walker at the West Park School in Derby asks some students to stay behind after school on Fridays. He forces his students to listen to Mozart and other classical music. He also makes them copy his favorite poems and they have to watch educational videos.
Mr. Walker says his main aim is to stop noisy pupils causing trouble in class for students who want to study. He said the students staying behind were "not the smokers or drinkers, the truants or the people who are late for school...It's those who have slowed the learning and teaching in class for everyone". Mr. Walker said this was unacceptable, because it was making the rest of the students fail to focus their attention on their study.
Mr. Walker believes what he does reminds students that education is something to value. "It helps them see they are part of something bigger that will improve their life chances," he said. The head teacher thinks students in fact learn from being kept behind after school. "Hopefully, I open their ears to an experience they don't normally have and don't want to have again, so it's both educational and acts as a warning."
Music has had success elsewhere in reducing bad behavior. In 2004, it reduced crime on London's subway by 25 percent. Researchers from a Belfast university found it helped stop elephants' bad behavior.
However, one West Park student called Kieran said, "An hour of Mr. Walker's music is a real killer." | high8266.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Chinese dishes to have \"official\" English names"
},
"options": [
"An adventure for foreigners who eat in Beijing.",
"Confusing mistranslations of Chinese dishes",
"Chinese dishes to have \"official\" English names",
"... | BELJLNG-Eating at a Beijing restaurant is usually an adventure for foreigners, and particularly when they get the chance to order "chicken without sex life" or "red burned lion head".
Sometimes excited but mostly confused, embarrassed or even terrified, many foreigners have long complained about mistranslations of Chinese dishes. And their complaints are often valid, but such an experience at Beijing's restaurants will apparently soon be history.
Foreign visitors will no longer, hopefully, be confused by oddly worded restaurant menus in the capital if the government's plan to correctly translate 3,000 Chinese dishes is a success and the translations are generally adopted.
The municipal office of foreign affairs has published a book to recommend English translations of Chinese dishes, which aims to help restaurants avoid bizarre translations. It provides the names of main dishes of famous Chinese cuisines in plain English, "an official with the city's Foreign Affairs office said ." Restaurants are encouraged to use the proposed translations, but it will not be compulsory ." It's the city's latest effort to bridge the culture gap for foreign travelers in China.
Coming up with precise translations is a
task, as some Chinese culinary techniques are untranslatable and many Chinese dishes have no English-language equivalent.The translators, after conducting a study of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking countries, divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste and name of a person or a place. For some traditional dishes, pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is used, such as mapo tofu(previously often literally translated as "beancurd made by woman with freckles"), baozi(steamed stuffed bun ) and jiaozi (dumplings) to "reflect the Chinese cuisine culture," according to the book.
"The book is a blessing to tourist guides like me. Having it, I don't have to rack my brains trying to explain Chinese dishes to foreign travellers," said Zheng Xiaodong, a 31- year - old employe with a Beijing- based travel agency.
"I will buy the book as I major in English literature and I'd like to introduce Chinese cuisine culture to more foreign friends," said Han Yang, a postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics.
It is not clear if the book will be introduced to other parts of China. But on Tuesday, this was the most discussed topic on weibo. com, China's most popular microblogging site. | high15412.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "think of others before themselves"
},
"options": [
"come from wheat--growing areas",
"1ive in northern and central China",
"rely more on themselves",
"think of others before themselves"
],
"question": "People wh... | In China,cultural differences arose from growing rice or wheat.Different thinking styles between northern and southern Chinese people can trace their roots to rice fields and wheat fields.
Rice farming promotes a holistic focus on distinguishing relationships among people and objects,and valuing others as much as or more than oneself, say psychologist Thomas Talhelm of the University of Virginia and his colleagues.Holistic thinking among many modem Chinese people partly reflects regional histories of building communal irrigation systems and cooperatively planting and harvesting rice fields over thousands of years.
They draw that conclusion based on studies of college students from regions with different agricultural practices.Students from southern and central China's rice.growing provinces think holistically, even though they have probably never farmed rice,Talhelm's group reports.In contrast,students from northern and central Chinese provinces that have specialized in wheat growing exhibit a preference for abstract analysis and self over others,the scientists find.Wheat is less labor-intensive to grow than rice,SO farmers can plant and harvest crops without much help from neighbors.Analytical,individualistic thinking is not more common among students from richer
Provinces, contrary to the argument that this attitude springs from modernization. "Rice theory might explain why East Asia is so much less individualistic than expected based on its wealth, " Talhelm says.
Talhelm,s team tested 1,162 Chinese students,who Viewed lists of three items,such as a rabbit,a dog and a carrot. For each list,students chose two items that belonged together. Earlier research found that analytical thinkers often group items according to categories,so rabbits and dogs go together.Holistic thinkers tend to 1ook for relationships,such as rabbits eating carrots. Students from rice-growing areas made an average of around seven to nine holistic matches of 10 possible matches,compared with roughly f1ve to seven holistic matches for those from Wheat-growing areas.
Talhelm's team also analyzed national statistics in China from 1 996,2000 and 2010 and found a higher divorce rate and a greater number of successful patents for new inventions in wheat-growing provinces than in rice-growing provinces. That trend is in line with the ides that analytical thinking develops both individualism and creativity. | high9178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "she can't stand being found different from others"
},
"options": [
"she thinks she might be cheated",
"asking for help will cost her money",
"she is normal and independent",
"she can't stand being found different from o... | I'm a blind teenager girl, but I am ashamed of it if it is known. I refuse to use a white stick and hate asking for help, and I couldn't bear people to look at me and think I am not like them. I must be a terrible danger on the roads. Coming across me wandering through the traffic, motorists probably would have to step rapidly on their brakes. Apart from that, there are all sorts of disasters that used to occur on the way to and from work.
One evening, I got off the bus about halfway home where I had to change buses, and as usual I ran into something. "I'm awfully sorry," I said and stepped forward only to run into it again. When it happened a third time, I realized I had been apologizing to a lamppost. This was just one of the stupid things that constantly happened to me. So I carried on and found the bus stop, which was a request stop, where the bus wouldn't stop unless passengers wanted to get on or off. No one else was there and I had to try to guess if the bus had arrived.
Generally in this situation, because I hated showing I was blind by asking for help, I tried to guess at the sound. Sometimes I would stop a big lorry and stand there feeling stupid as it drew away. In the end, I usually managed to swallow my pride and ask someone at the stop for help.
But on this particular evening no one joined me at the stop; it seemed that everyone had suddenly decided not to travel by bus. Of course I heard plenty of buses pass, or I thought I did. But because I had given up stopping them for fear of making a fool of myself, I let them all go by. I stood there alone for half an hour without stopping one. Then I gave up. I decided to walk on to the next stop. | high13063.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Keep them company."
},
"options": [
"Look at them sadly.",
"Touch them gently.",
"Play games with them.",
"Keep them company."
],
"question": "What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?",
"que... | When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called "Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games, Brownie, in return. loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them .We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up one of Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, "Bad girl," she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet, she went everywhere with us .People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. she never barked or tried to get away. Funny thing is she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she lovely everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss days when she was with us. | high1524.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "September 4."
},
"options": [
"June 15.",
"July 19.",
"August 24.",
"September 4."
],
"question": "If you want to enjoy a \"Grotto Concert\", which date suits you best?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"... | Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15-Aug. 24 Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights this season include the Dance Theater of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's "The Lark Ascending", which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22. jacobspillow.org.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug. 29-Sept. 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three "Grotto Concerts", where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25. moabmusicfest.org.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19-28
There's something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an "Indian village" and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money in the world's largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23. cfdrodeo.com.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6-Aug. 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" and Verdi's "King for a Day", in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers .
Tickets start at $26. glimmerglass.org. | high10542.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He made it with the help of his family."
},
"options": [
"He got the right recipe from the growers.",
"He succeeded by planting trees himself.",
"He found the right recipe in a short time.",
"He made it with the help of... | In Sonoma County, California, growers are planting grapevines in a new way. As they plant the vines, they add a package of water called DRiWATER. This method of planting grapevines along with the water supply saves time and work. It gives the plant enough water to keep growing. The workers can go on to other chores.
DRiWATER is a package of jelled water. It melts slowly, watering the plant for two or three months. DRiWATER is a 100% natural, non-poisonous product used for the long-term watering of plants. It was invented by a well-known food chemist who recognized the potential of a filler product he was using to thicken peanut butter. He tested and applied his theory that water could be released over time as naturally occurring microbes in the soil fed on the filler and released the water into the soil.
The inventor, Harold Jensen, tried for a long time to get the right recipe. He and his family worked nights and weekends testing different formulas. Jensen finally found the right formula and patented it.
What are the ingredients in DRiWATER? It is made up of 97.85% water, 2% vegetable gum, and 0.15% aluminum sulfate. When the DRiWATER is planted in the soil, the water is released as bacteria eat the jell.
Buchanan Vineyard Services has bought ten thousand packages of DRiWATER. They will plant the jelled water with their new grapevines.
What about countries like Egypt that have large deserts? Maybe DRiWATER will help grow trees in the desert. Two million trees have been planted near a town in the Sahara Desert. Two quarts were planted with each tree. The tree must live on the water for months until its roots touch ground water. Harold Jensen hopes to see forests spring up in the deserts. This is the reason that he invented DRiWATER. Seedlings, DRiWATER, and desert may be the perfect fit. | high21947.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "19-year-old Zhang was angry because a hacker stole his \"gold\"."
},
"options": [
"Confucius's Analects is like KFC or McDonalds in China now.",
"19-year-old Zhang was angry because a hacker stole his \"gold\".",
"The Trojan ... | Ten Chinese PhD students are demanding that Beijing Normal University Professor Yu Dan be away from her television show on CCTV10. They argue that her on-air explanations of Confucius's Analects (<<>> ) are "incorrect and misleading".
Yu is known for explaining Confucius's Analects to a TV audience. But some complain that her explanations are unfaithful to Chinese tradition.
But Yu doesn't seem to worry too much about her critics, saying, "It's a matter of personal choice. Some like KFC, while others like McDonalds."
STEALING some online gamer's password might seem less harmful than credit card theft. It does keep the victim from wearing himself out all night playing. But it is not all that nice, says 19-year-old Zhang Qiwen, in Shanghai.
Last August, Zhang accidentally downloaded a Trojan while playing Warcraft. The Trojan is a type of virus used by hackers to steal people's passwords. Overnight the Trojan transferred all the "gold" (game credits) from Zhang's private account to an unknown account. Zhang hopes the police will find and punish the thief, who can also pocket some cash since the stolen "gold" can go on sale online.
New England's largest indoor public garden has opened here in a historic park, and officials expect it to become a center for learning about plants as well as a top attraction for visitors.
The glass-walled Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, which opened on March 2, offers a tropical garden, an orchid garden, and a Mediterranean room with a collection of citrus trees. The center also has two classrooms and will offer gardening classes provided by the University of Rhode Island.
Roger Williams Park, named for the city's 17th-century founder, also has a zoo. The park already attracts more than 2 million visitors a year, and Providence Mayor David Cicilline said that he expects the new center will attract more and more visitors to Providence. | high11884.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "animal wastes serve as natural fertilizer"
},
"options": [
"the soil of grasslands is naturally rich",
"animal wastes serve as natural fertilizer",
"rotational grazing can prevent wildfires",
"grasslands are usually in ... | Grasslands need time to rest when cattle and other animals feed on them. Moving animals from one area of pasture to another can provide the time needed for new growth. This is called rotational grazing .
Rotational grazing is good for the land and the animals, and it can save money. This form of grazing can reduce the need for pesticide treatments by reducing the growth of weeds. And it can limit the need for chemical fertilizers by letting animal wastes do the job of natural fertilizer. Rotational grazing can even help prevent wildfires by keeping grasslands in good condition.
Letting animals feed continually and intensively in the same grazing areas can require costly replanting. Animals eat the most desirable growth first. When that keeps happening, the roots do not have enough time to recover. As a result, less desirable plants may replace them. Intensively used grasslands are also harmed as the soil is continually crushed under the weight of heavy animals.
While rotational grazing can save money over time, it also requires planning. And that starts with a good map to mark fences, water supplies and grazing areas.
Changing methods of grazing also requires time. Farmers may want to put up electric fences to enclose grazing areas, called paddocks. The paddocks will need water. Some farmers design a path for animals from different paddocks to drink from a common watering place.
Farmers can start rotational grazing by removing animals from a pasture when the grass is eaten to less that five centimeters. The pasture is then kept empty until the grass grows to more than fifteen centimeters high.
Sheep and goats may require special preparations. They may need stronger fences than other animals. And while they eat the grass, they may need guard animals to protect them from animals that would like to eat them. | high20481.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Gratitude among the Ashes."
},
"options": [
"The Year from Hell.",
"My Generous Friend - Gail.",
"Gratitude among the Ashes.",
"Everything Gone in the Smoke."
],
"question": "Which of the following could be the ... | It was the Year from Hell - the dog died, my marriage of 24 years ended, and my house burned down. I had moved into a new rented house with my youngest son after my husband and I divorced. We'd been in the house just six weeks. I went to a dinner party one night, and as I drove home near, I saw smoke rising into the sky. I wondered whether it was my house. Then I turned the corner, and sure enough, it was my house.
My son and I stayed with a friend for a couple of nights. Then my friend Gail heard about the fire, called me up, and said, "Come and move into my house. I have seven bedrooms and five bathrooms - plenty of space for you and your son." Gail had three kids at home, but there was still plenty of room for me and my son, Sutton. Little did I know that her offer of a temporary place to stay would turn into a living arrangement that lasted two and a half years.
We were two single mothers. Gail and I spent the next couple of years sorting out a lot of things together. After we moved in, I soon began to look for a permanent place to live in. Gail said, "Please don't leave. I've never had so much freedom!" Having me in the house meant someone to help take care of her kids, someone to share cooking and gardening, and someone to share day-to-day life. She loved having me there, and I loved being there. So we stayed.
It was an important chapter in my life. We both needed time to heal from our divorces. It was a time of deeper insight and spiritual growth for both of us. Gail's generosity was more than anyone could expect from a friend. I am eternally grateful to have a friend like Gail. I'm also grateful for the lessons I learned from the fire and the other losses that came so suddenly, so fast. Much to my surprise, I found gratitude among the ashes. I was tested serious trial by fire. But, like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes strong and whole. I would not be the person I am today if not for that Year from Hell. | high19200.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was happy"
},
"options": [
"felt sad",
"was happy",
"was angry",
"couldn't stand"
],
"question": "When the little girl said, \"I'm not a little girl any more.\" , the great man _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | A great man married a woman and they had a little lovely girl.
When the little girl was growing up, the man usually hugged her and said, "I love you, little girl." The Little girl would say, "I'm not a little girl any more." Then the man would laugh, "But to me, you'll always be my little girl."
The little girl later left her home and went into the world. No matter where she was, the man would call her and say, "I love you, little girl."
One day the little girl received an unexpected phone call. The great man became ill. He couldn't talk, smile, walk, hug or dance.
So she went to the side of the great man. He looked at her and tried to speak, but he could not. She sat next to the great man, and drew her arms around his useless shoulders . Her head on his chest , she thought of many good memories. She felt sad as she couldn't hear the words of love that had comforted her.
And then she heard from within the man, the beat of heart. The magic happened. She heard what she wanted to hear. His heart beat out the words that his mouth could no longer say... I love you, little girl... I love you, little girl. | high4474.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Foreign students from beginners to the advanced"
},
"options": [
"Both foreigners and native speakers",
"Only foreign beginners",
"Only foreign advanced students",
"Foreign students from beginners to the advanced"
]... | Sheffield
Lincoln College of English
Classes for foreign students at all levels 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one course open all year.
Small class (maximum 12 students), library, language lab and listening center,
accommodations with selected families 25 minutes from London.
Course fees for English for one year are $1380 with reduction for shorter periods of study. | high16133.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "humans can know more in \"the information age\""
},
"options": [
"humans have to and can know everything strange",
"the missing ships are taken into another world",
"humans can know more in \"the information age\"",
"Go... | We like to consider ourselves the superior race, and we are. It's true that we are getting to know more and more, and we actually live in "the information age". Our human vanity makes us believe that we really have to know everything! Surprisingly, we do not have this ability. The question "what is happening in the Bermuda Triangle" is the very proof.
Where is the Bermuda Triangle located? The mysterious triangle is believed to be situated between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, where too many unusual events have happened.
On December the 5th1945, five U.S. military planes took off from Florida on a clear day only to disappear over Bermuda. Furthermore, some other disappearances took place; in 1947, an American C54 plane simply disappeared at 100 miles from Bermuda; at 80 miles, a Star Tiger plane disappeared in 1948.
Even Columbus had trouble in Bermuda. Some of his journals were about the strange happenings there: "the waters are changing their colors" and "compasses are going wild".
Maybe it's why it is called the Devil's triangle or the Atlantic cemetery.
Many _ were stated in order to explain the strange events. In spite of these attempts, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle remains unsolved.
Some people get to say that maybe aliens are involved in it. Other imaginative scientists relate the happenings in Bermuda to Einstein's theory, saying that the missing ships and planes are translated to another dimension of space and time and taken into another world.
Maybe we will just have to wait to go to Heaven and ask the One who made it. The answer will surely be a satisfying one! | high12355.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A polar bear was to attack the tent."
},
"options": [
"A polar bear was killed by them.",
"A polar bear was to attack the tent.",
"A polar bear was about to enter their life.",
"A polar bear began to escape from the ten... | Something woke me at four in the morning and it's a good thing it did. A polar bear was about to attack the tent right above my head. As claws started to rip the fabric, I kicked and screamed. That woke my brother, Eric, who charged after the bear with a camp shovel. In the chaos I managed to find our shotgun, fire in the air a couple of times, and scare off the bear for good.
Eric and I were attempting the first kite-skiing crossing of the frozen Northwest Passage. We had set off in March 2012 from Tukoyaktuk, in Canada's Northwest Territories and hoped to end on Baffin Island, Nunavut, where we had grown up. Our parents are adventure guides, so we spent weekends on dog-sleds learning to have fun in the cold. As teenagers we took up kite-skiing--catching the strong polar winds with a kite to pull us over the ice and snow. Now we're showing how it can open new routes by moving expeditions quickly over long distances.
On this trip the native Inuit tracked our progress through the radio interviews we did along the way. When we got to a town, they were always waiting for us. After 85 days and 2,050 miles, we pulled into Pond Inlet, on Baffin Island, where people welcomed us with a square dance. There was only one thing for us to do. We took off our skis and joined in.
We believe what we are doing is of meanings: to inspire the youths to get outdoors and get active, promoting a healthy lifestyle and love of nature. | high22296.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Negative"
},
"options": [
"Indifferent",
"Positive",
"Negative",
"Curious"
],
"question": "What attitude of the Mom towards her daughter's suggestion at first?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{... | She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We all waited, some patiently, others irritated, because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always memorized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain." she said.
"What?" Mom asked.
"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit." Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do." Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she pulled her Mom's arm."
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, if God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"
_ No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's lifetime when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just need washing." Mom said. Then off they ran.
We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they ran past the cars . They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked but they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day! | high9150.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "under too much pressure"
},
"options": [
"under too much pressure",
"in an abnormal mental state",
"not well-paid",
"not respected"
],
"question": "The man who worked at Daily Telegraph left this job because he ... | How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many.
This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments.
We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families, always making ourselves believe that this style of life is only a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do. Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly given a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life.
In America they have a saying much laughedat by the English: "Have a nice day." They speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars. I think it is a wonderful phrase, making us remember, in effect, to enjoy the moment: to value this very day.
How often do we say to ourselves "I'll take up horse-riding(or golf, or sailing)as soon as I get a greater job." But only to do none of those things when we do get the higher position.
When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well-paid respectable job at Daily Telegraph to go and work for a small weekly newspaper. At the time I was surprised by his decision: Why was he in this completely abnormal mental state? How could anyone _ Fleet Street in central London for a small area in the countryside? I wanted to know.
Now when I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it. In Fleet Street the man was under continuous pressure. He lived in all unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains to and back from his work. | high14724.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold."
},
"options": [
"It only traps the heat of the sun.",
"It works the same way as greenhouse gases.",
"It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold.",
"It prevents all ... | Global warming is when the earth heats up,the temperature rises.It happens when greenhouse gases--carbon dioxide,water vapor,nitrous oxide ,and methane trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere,which increases the temperature.This is like when heat is trapped in a car.On a very hot day,the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot.This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car,by going through the windows,but it can't get back out.Once the light is inside the car,it is trapped and the heat builds up,just like it does in the earth's atmosphere.This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth.The heat and light can get through the atmosphere,but it can't get out.As a result,the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us.The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on.Without _ ,the earth would be freezing,or on the other hand it would be burning hot.We would not get the sun's heat and light to make the night somewhat warm.During the day,especially during the summer,it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter it,so people,plants,and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it,if there gets to be too many gases,the earth can get unusually warmer,and many plants,animals,and people will die.They would die because there would be less food (plants like corn,wheat,and other vegetables and fruits).This would happen because the plants would not be able to take in the heat.This would cause us to have less food to eat,but it would also limit the food that animals have.Gradually,people,plants,and animals would all die of hunger.
People are doing many things to try to stop global warming.One thing people are doing is carpooling.Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to.This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car.
Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like the television,computer,and the lights.A lot of people are taking time away from the television,and instead,they are spending more time outdoors.This helps our planet out a lot.Now,more people are even riding buses,walking to school,and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.
Planting trees and recycling also help.If you recycle,less trash goes to the dump,and less trash gets burned.As a result,there are fewer greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere.Although adults do many things to help stop global warming,kids can do just as much. | high9636.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "for more exciting and dangerous"
},
"options": [
"man's first step",
"much easier and even more interesting",
"for more exciting and dangerous",
"man's final aim"
],
"question": "Based on the passage, traveling ... | Man has been to the moon. It has been the first step towards future exploration in space. When compared with the distances between Earth and the other planets, the distance between the Moon and Earth is very short indeed. Mars, the nearest planet to Earth is millions of miles away! Traveling to the planets will be man's next step. Such travels will be more challenging than the trip to the moon and certainly more exciting and dangerous. Recently, two American spaceships, Viking 1 and 2, landed on Mars trying to discover whether that planet has any life on it. So far the signs of life on Mars has neither been confirmed nor ruled out . Russians have discovered that the surface of Venus is so hot that it is almost certain that there is no life there. Also the atmosphere of Venus is extremely dense and the pressure is nearly a hundred times greater than that of the Earth's atmosphere. Scientists believe man may find planets which have the same conditions as those we have on Earth, but man should realize Earth will be his only home for a long time and begin to love and care for it. | high14042.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "is part of China's plan to set up a station in space"
},
"options": [
"is appreciated by countries like the USA and Japan",
"will bring trouble to the western countries in space",
"is part of China's plan to set up a station ... | Tiangong -- 1(or.Heavenly Palace)space module is the first step toward China's plan to build a space station around 2020.Its launch by China has upset some countries,which are asking why China did not add on to the International Space Station that has been in place since 1998. After all, the Americans,Russians,Europeans and Japanese are using one platform to experiment in space.
Questions have also been asked about China's final purpose in space and suggestions made that there is something as unpleasant as the theme in a James Bond movie,in which Chinese-looking enemies were at the root of some evil plot to control the world.
Chinese don't see themselves that way, and never in history have they been flag-planting settlers.Most Westerners are educated in the adventures of the great European explorers,headed by Christopher Columbus and James Cook,and followed closely by the groups of culture egotists with a mix of guns,gold and the Bible in their hands.
In comparison,Zheng He,the great Chinese sailing master,took groups of ships to Africa and the Middle East to promote goodwill, with gifts of chinaware and art.No flags claiming possession of distant areas.But this is strange to Western society.
In this century,it is clear that space cannot be claimed by one nation.Yet advantage of technology in space does seem to be on some minds.Former US president Ronald Reagan caused shocks and worries with his Star Wars program.So when China shot down its own satellite as a test in January 2010 there were anxieties in the West about Star Wars 1ike scenario becoming reality in the near future. | high6505.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was never missed by her parents"
},
"options": [
"was seldom missed by her parents",
"was never missed by her parents",
"didn't include her musical performances",
"wasn't noticed by her dad sometimes"
],
"questi... | I am the mother of a five-year-old girl now, but I'll never forget some of the best lessons my mother taught me.
Lesson 1---Always be there for your child
I can't tell you the last time my parents missed a big event in my life; it never happened. Whether it was a play, or even just a practice---my parents were always there for me. As an only child, they _ everything in my life.
Lesson2---Hide in the bathroom
For years I wondered why my mother had made the bathroom her own personal library and would stay there forever. Now I know it's the only place for her to have at least two minutes of peace and quiet. Well, I try to, but that's quite difficult with two cats, a dog, a kid, a husband and only one bathroom.
Lesson3---Get involved
I was lucky in having parents who let me do anything they think was good. Now today, I am fond of being active and involved. Whether it is a sports game or a volunteering group, or just playing with my daughter, I love to be involved.
Lesson4---It's OK to fail
My parents weren't perfect and that was OK. I know I'm not perfect and I hope my daughter knows that's OK. Families love one another no matter what happens. If you fail, you learn from the mistakes and keep right on going.
Parents are so important to a child's growth and development and I'm so glad that I had great parents to follow. | high8528.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Carnivals around the World"
},
"options": [
"Ways of Carnival",
"Carnival Parades",
"Carnivals around the World",
"History of Carnival"
],
"question": "What's the best title for the passage?",
"question_type... | Carnival does not take place only in Louisiana. There are many celebrations around the world.
In Brazil, the celebration is supposed to go on from the Saturday before Mardi Gras to Mardi Gras Day, but in some Brazilian cities the celebration can last seven or eight days. Just like New Orleans, not many important things are decided in Brazil from New Year's Day to Mardi Gras Day because everyone is preparing for or celebrating carnival. Most Brazilian parades have a subject, which could be political or historical. The parades had to have a subject related to Brazil until 1996. Some cities in Brazil do not have a street carnival, but they might have an indoor party.
Bolivia has carnival parades for children and then more parades for adults. The children dress up in costumes and march in the streets. The adults make traditional dance groups and dance in the streets. But the main part of Bolivia's carnival is getting wet. Almost everyone gets wet from water balloons and water buckets. In Oruru, Bolivia, their carnival is held in the last ten days of the carnival season. People there join in dancing, but their main carnival event is a ceremonial parade that lasts for twenty hours and parades for four kilometers. Over 20,000 dancers are involved as well as 10,000 musicians. This parade attracts at least 400,000 people.
The carnival in Venice, Italy is often regarded as the most carefully prepared carnival and lasts ten days before Lent . Many events are held in the canals including shows, concerts, dances and water processions . The official ending to the celebration is the party held in St. Mark's Square. | high926.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because he helped to save many lives."
},
"options": [
"Because he really came from the heaven to help.",
"Because he wore a white suit.",
"Because he helped to save many lives.",
"Because he was good-looking."
],
... | In 1859, prefix = st1 /ItalyandFrancewere at war withAustria, and Henry Dunant, a young Swiss gentleman, came upon one of their battlefields. For the first time in his life, Dunant saw how heartless war would be. Around him were suffering men untended and left to die where they fell.
Henry Dunant went to work at once. Helped by several peasant women, he formed an ambulance service and set up headquarters in a little church. He treated the wounds of Frenchmen, Italians and Austrians alike. When he was asked why he did so, his answer showed a spirit of humanity that was not common in those days. "We are all brothers. A wounded enemy is an enemy no longer." With his band of assistants, Dunant helped to save many lives. The "gentleman in white" (as Dunant was called because he wore a white suit) was looked upon by hundreds of wounded men as an angel.
When Dunant returned toSwitzerland, he could not forget the needless suffering on the battlefield. He thought of a great organization that should be planned to include many nations. It would do its work with the approval of all countries. And it must operate under a sign that all would know: its symbol would be a red cross against a white background.
He wrote a book to make the public see the need for this great organization. In the book he included a truthful account of what he had seen on the battlefield. The consequence was that readers were shocked by what he described.
After Dunant's hard work, in Geneva on October 26, 1863, all the nations of Europe were invited to a meeting at which it was decided a relief society should be formed in each country. Then the Geneva Convention was made the following year. The nations that signed the Geneva Convention chose the red cross as the symbol for the international organization.
Until his death in 1910, Dunant was always ready to look for a noble cause. And when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time in 1901, the honor went to Dunant. No man has deserved it more than the founder of the Red Cross. | high23836.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "with whom you feel it easy to get along well"
},
"options": [
"who have something in common with you",
"when you get into real trouble",
"with whom you feel it easy to get along well",
"from whom you can get necessary a... | Certain people make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you've known them half your life. These people have something in common. And once you know what it is, we can try to do it ourselves.
How is it done? Here are several skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you to put people at their ease, and make friends with them quickly.
First of all, good talkers have asked questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy he is, will answer a question. One well-known businesswoman says, "At business lunches, I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a common question, but it will get things going." From there you can move on to other matters ----sometimes to really personal questions. And how he answers will let you know how far you can go.
Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen for the answers. This point seems clear, but it isn't. Your question should have a point and help to tell what sort of person you are talking to. And to find out, you really have to listen carefully and attentively.
Real listening at least means some things. First it means not to change the subject of conversation. If someone sticks to one topic, you can take it as a fact that he is really interested in it. Real listening also means not just listening to words, but to the tone of voice. If the voice sounds dull, then it's time for you to change the subject.
Finally, good talkers know well how to deal with the occasion of parting. If you're saying goodbye, you may give him a firm shakehand and say, "I've really enjoyed meeting you." If you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know what you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their lives. | high12433.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "much earlier before her visit to the U.S."
},
"options": [
"much earlier before her visit to the U.S.",
"after she became the first lady of China",
"after she accompanied Xi Jinping to the U.S.",
"when she is compared w... | Peng Liyuan, China's first lady, who has accompanied her husband to the United States, is no stranger to being in the spotlight. She has been praised by both mainland and international media for her sense of fashion on earlier state visits.
Following her arrival in the U.S., she is set for a much-anticipated fashion face-off with her fellow, U.S. first lady Michelle Obama later this week. Here we take a look at four key differences between the two fashion icons.
1 Backgrounds
Peng Liyuan
Peng, a Yuncheng county, Shandong native, joined the People's Liberation Army when she was 18. She was one of the first people on the mainland to obtain a master's degree in ethnic music at the China Conservatory of Music. Her vocal talents made her a superstar as an army soprano , and she has given many singing performances at home and abroad.
Michelle Obama
Michelle grew up with her older brother, Craig, in Chicago. Her father was a water plant operator, and her mother was a full-time housewife until her daughter went to high school. She went to state school, and later graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She then attended Harvard Law School in 1988, where she earned a doctorate in law.
2 Professions
Peng Liyuan
Aside from being the first lady of China and a singer, Peng is also the president of the People's Liberation Army's Academy of Art College. She has since stepped down from public performances, but continues with her charity work.
Michelle Obama
After working as a lawyer, Michelle began to work in public service and was the associate dean at the University of Chicago. She then became vice-president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center before her husband's inauguration.
3 Campaigns
Peng Liyuan
The World Health Organization appointed Peng as a goodwill ambassador in its campaign against tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in 2012. In 2014, UNESCO named her as a special envoy to promote education for girls and women. She has also joined Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, in promoting World No Tobacco Day.
Michelle Obama
Michelle launched the"Let's Move!"campaign in 2010 to fight against childhood obesity. She has raised awareness of the need for higher education, and also spoken about empowering young women worldwide through a government initiative called"Let Girls Learn".
4 Styles
Peng Liyuan
China's first lady tends to wear tailored clothing, with clean lines on formal occasions. Internet users have praised her"elegant ensemble"and graceful outfits. The 54-year-old supports home-grown Chinese designers, such as Ma Ke, one of the founders of EXCEPTION de Mixmind, a largely unknown fashion brand until she sparked global headlines by wearing a fancy black overcoat and handbag on her first trip with Xi to Moscow in 2013.
Michelle Obama
Michelle is more experimental with her style -- her clothes range from casual dresses to off-the-shoulder ball gowns, and tailored trouser suits. The 52-year-old wears clothing mostly made by American designers, which include more affordable fashion retailers, such as J. Crew and Target, and the famous designer Alexander McQueen. | high19566.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "are increasing in the past 15 years"
},
"options": [
"are the tallest birds in the world",
"aren't birds at all",
"are increasing in the past 15 years",
"have no team spirit"
],
"question": "We can learn from th... | High in the sky, a group of birds fly past. The 5-foot-tall creatures are whooping cranes, the tallest birds in North America noted for its loud call. The wild animals appear to be following much larger birds. But those aren't birds at all. They are three-wheeled aircraft called trikes , and the pilots flying them are wearing white helmets and white gowns. That plan might sound like a stupid idea, but it's not. The pilots are from an organization called Operation Migration. They are helping the whooping cranes learn to migrate, or move from one area to another when the seasons change. The cranes are endangered. In 1941,the species had dwindled to roughly 20 birds because of hunting and habitat loss. US wildlife officials counted 149 whooping cranes in November 1995,the most since the American government began taking censuses in the 1930s.Today,about 380 remain.
In the fall, whooping cranes are supposed to migrate south. However, many of them don't know how. "With so few birds left, young whooping cranes typically don't have parents around to teach them," explains pilot Joe Duff.
That's where the trikes come in. Each October, pilots dress up as whooping cranes and take to the skies in Wisconsin. The young birds follow them because they think the trikes are big whooping cranes.
It takes about three months to reach south--with plenty of rest stops on the way. The pilots lead the cranes to refuges, or protected areas, in Florida.
This spring, the birds will migrate north by themselves--no trikes needed! "It's nice because you know the birds are going to make it," Duff told WR News. | high16655.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "many years ago"
},
"options": [
"last year",
"a few months ago",
"many years ago",
"over 100 years ago"
],
"question": "The Hungarian moved to Australia _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | In the last fifty years, a lot of people have left Europe and gone to live in Australia. One of them was a Hungarian man. He lived in Australia for quite a long time, and he had a lot of good friends there. He always said to them, "Australia is beautiful, but Hungary is beautiful, too." Then one year he said to his friends, "I'm going to go back to Hungary to visit my home town." All his friends said to him, "We want to go with you, because you often say Hungary is a beautiful country, and we want to visit it." The Hungarian Australian took his friends from Sydney to Rome in a big plane, and then they went from Rome to Budapest in a train as they wanted to see the mountains, and the villages and the towns.
They stayed in Budapest nearly a week, and they liked it very much. One day they went to the zoo in Budapest and saw two kangaroos there.
These Australians were very happy because kangaroos were from their home town. They said to them, "Come here, old friends! Come and see your Australian brothers!" But the kangaroos did not move.
But then the Hungarian Australian spoke to them in Hungarian, "Come here!" he said, and both of the kangaroos ran to him.
The other Australians laughed and said, "Look at that. They're Australians, but they only know Hungarian!" | high18678.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Fans of young adults."
},
"options": [
"Adults.",
"Young adults.",
"Fans of young adults.",
"Parents."
],
"question": "Who would like to read Stay with me most?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | Jennifer Lynn is turning into a master storyteller. She writes about young adults brilliantly. However, I have got to say Stay With Me wasn't my favorite in this series, but I still really enjoyed it and I would absolutely recommend it to fans interested in the world of young adults.
Stay With Me is the third book in Jennifer's Wait For You series, which features a couple that have been in previous books but have their own unique story and can be read as a standalone. I like that about this series. It's nice to be able to pick up a book and read it, finish it and move on to the next, but the Wait For You series has the added bonus of a more deeper character connection, as theyve appeared previously, you have more of a feel for them and you look forward to their story.
Stay With Me is Calla and Jaxs story. Calla has a wreck of a mother, but she is finally coming to the end of college and is looking forward to a career in nursing. She has done pretty well up for herself and now it was her time to shine. Unluckily, it falls through when her mother robbed her of every penny and took her identity. Calla has to go back to her small home town and into the arms of Jax.
Jax is handsome and cheerful! He is a waiter in a bar and knows Calla's mother very well and he agrees to help Calla. He is true alpha, with a sweet side and is very protective of Calla. I loved him, but not as much as Cam, sorry Jax! And that's why Stay with Me isn't as good as Cam's book, Wait for You. Don't get me wrong. Jax is an incredibly great character, well fleshed out and I did care for him, but he just wasn't as lovely as Cam.
As for Calla, I liked her character, and I liked the connection between her and Jax. I loved how he _ and showed her to love herself, despite her unsatisfactory past. There are a lot of intense moments between these two characters and they are so well written. Jennifer's writing is addictive and she wrote the scenes between Jax and Calla beautifully. Calla has never been, what she would call boyfriend material, and so she struggles to see what Jax sees in her and she bats him off and ignores it. There's a lot of push and pull between them, and it's very charming. At times I did get a little annoyed with Calla, especially with her insecurity but Jax soon made up for that!
Overall I really enjoyed Stay with Me. Anyway, they are a wonderful pair together. Despite all the troubles that Calla was going through, their relationship seemed more realistic and was made to last. | high10224.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She missed her family very much."
},
"options": [
"She didn't like her new school.",
"She didn't get along well with her classmates.",
"She missed her family very much.",
"She didn't like her new teacher."
],
"q... | My problems started after I went to a boarding school. I was only 14, and at first I misses my family a lot. I often called them and cried on the phone. But after two weeks, I found I enjoyed being with my classmates at school. I had many friends who were boys. I thought of them as my best friends - but only friends. I never guessed my friendships with boys would become a problem.
Then, three months later, my friends told me that some teachers and girls said I was hanging out with boys all day long in order to get attention from them. Seven months after that, the head teacher Mr. Wang asked the class to choose some students to join the Student Union. I thought I could win for I was doing well in school. I'd already won prizes for the best math and English exams. A week later, the list came out and it didn't include me. I was sad.
Mr. Wang came to me and said, "Don't be sad. I know you're excellent! Maybe you are a little distant from the girls in our class. They don't know much about you, so some of them didn't choose you. It doesn't matter. Do your best to get along well with everyone and I think you'll make it next time." | high2763.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because the man didn't have to be so sad and concerned."
},
"options": [
"Because the man's tears made the Cat really anxious.",
"Because the Cat didn't know what made the man burst into tears.",
"Because the Cat couldn't go ... | The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat's days were numbered. The doctor had said there wasn't anything more that could be done, and that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
A tear rolled down the Man's cheek and landed on the Cat's forehead, The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Why do you cry, Man?" the Cat asked. "Because you can't bear the thought of losing me? Because you think you can never replace me?" The Man nodded "yes".
"Pick up that piece of string from the floor. There, my 'toy'. The Man reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. "Now take each end of the string in one hand," the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
"The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together," the Cat said. The man did so. Then the Cat continued, "You have made a continuous circle. Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string?" The Man inspected the string and then shook his head.
"Close your eyes." the Cat said. "Now lick your hand." The Man widened his eyes in surprise. "Just do it," the Cat said. "Lick your hand, think of me in all my familiar places, and think about all the pieces of string."
Licking his hand, he discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop, and when he didn't, he opened his eyes. The Cat's eyes were closed. The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
One day, not long after, there was a new cat on his lap. She was a lovely white cat. It is very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same. | high3469.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "his register had closed"
},
"options": [
"his register had broken down",
"his register had closed",
"he was busy",
"he had used up his medicine"
],
"question": "The doctor said sorry to the writer because _ .... | The doctor handed me my medicine and said sorry to me because his register had already closed. He asked if I would mind using the register at the front of the store. I told him not to worry and walked up front. One person was in line ahead of me, a little girl no more than seven with a bottle of medicine on the counter . She held a little green and white coin purse closely to her chest .
The purse reminded me of the days when, as a child, I liked dressing myself up in my grandma's clothes. One day, wearing her large clothes and hat, I went out to buy something. I gave a fake dollar to the shop owner, but he handed back some real coins for my purse. "Keep the change!" he told me with a smile.
Now, with both hands shaking, the little girl pulled out a dollar bill and some coins for her medicine. As she tried to count her money, I could see right away that she was about a dollar short. Quickly, I put a dollar bill onto the counter. The child collected her change into her coin purse and ran out.
As I walked to my car, I felt a tug on my shirt. There was the girl, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. She gave me a smile, and put out her little hand. It was full of coins. "Thank you," she said.
"That's OK," I answered, smiling. "Just keep the change!" | high16641.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A young man is driving fast because all his friends do."
},
"options": [
"A teenager tells a small child to stop bothering an animal.",
"A young man is driving fast because all his friends do.",
"Someone runs for monitor of t... | He is a real turtle .
Someone who always moves very slowly.
She is such a sheep.
A follower; someone who can't think for him or herself.
He's being an ostrich .
Someone who hides his/her head in the sand and refuses to face problems or reality.
He's a lamb.
A gentle, patient, understanding person. Nice and considerate.
What a crab he is!
A grouchy person; someone who is often angry and in a bad mood. | high5018.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "know what others think of the product"
},
"options": [
"park your car where you want to",
"buy anything wherever you go",
"touch anything you want to buy",
"know what others think of the product"
],
"question": ... | I Online shopping started not so long ago. Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1990. The first online bank opened in 1994. In 1995, Amazon started operating and is not one of the largest online shopping malls. Then in 1996, eBay started its online shopping site.
By sitting at home you can now buy anything from knives to cars. The worry you may have about traveling and parking can be avoided while you shop online. With online shopping, you need not worry about the weather. Online shops have no holidays, closing times or any other problem. You can shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. Some online shops also keep customers' opinions about each product, so you can easily find out what other customers think about the product before buying it.
When you go for real-world shopping, you can actually touch and feel it, but in online shopping you can only see the pictures. Also if you are shopping online, you have to be careful with your credit cards.
The first step in online shopping is to search for what you want to buy. Once you find the required product, put it in a "shopping cart" and continue shopping. After you have got enough in your "shopping cart", check out the product. You can add or take out the products in your shopping cart. The next step is to log in using a username and a password. Enter the address where you want the product to be sent. Some sites even ask for your email, phone numbers, etc.
Then wait for the confirmation of your order. You can also cancel the order if needed. Online shopping is a different experience and you can make shopping online easy when you get used to it. | high10230.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "foreigners also have a chance to compete in the Nadam Festival"
},
"options": [
"girls are not allowed to take part in horse racing",
"foreigners also have a chance to compete in the Nadam Festival",
"the Nadam Festival is on... | The Nadam Festival, usually held from June 4 to 9(lunar calendar), is one of the most exciting and colorful festivals in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. At the center of the festivities are the fierce horse racing, archery and wrestling competitions, the traditional sports of the Mongolian warriors (the three "manly" sports, though young girls and women participate in the horse racing and archery contests).
In Mongolian, the word "Nadam" means "amusement and entertainment" and the festival began in 1225 AD, when Genghis Khan organized an expedition to the west and got control of Khwarezm. In order to celebrate the victory they held the magnificent Nadam Fari. The Mongolians used this exciting gathering as a big occasion to compete in the horse racing, Mongolian wrestling and archery, which were regarded as the three basic skills of men.
Gradually more and more events were added to the festival, such as marksmanship , chess, reciting epics, polo , film, drama, singing, dancing, track and field competitions and so on.
There are three kinds of Nadam, the big one, the medium one and the small one. The big Nadam requires the participation of 512 wrestlers and 300 horses and usually lasts 7-10 days while the medium Nadam will have the participation of 256 wrestlers and 100-150 horses, lasting 5-7 days. And 64 or 128 wrestlers and 30 or 50 horses will take part in the small Nadam, which lasts 3-5 days. Anyone can apply to compete in Nadam, regardless of his or her ethnic origin and religious belief.
Nadam has become a popular artistic and sports event participated in by people of all ages. Boys and girls can also take the opportunity to show their love, i. e. the so-called "meeting at aobao".
In addition to sports competition, people also make good use of this gathering to hold talks and establish relations in economic trade or to interchange goods. | high2777.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "change lanes frequently"
},
"options": [
"get traffic news before leaving",
"choose back roads",
"avoid rush hours",
"change lanes frequently"
],
"question": "To avoid traffic jams, we are advised to do the foll... | Tips for avoiding traffic jams
The radio has more than just music. Check the local news station for the latest traffic report. Or go online and check traffic cameras before you set out. If there is a jam, you'll be prepared and can try another route.
Take the road less traveled. Although highways may be the most direct route, back roads can be much less crowded, which can save you from the frustration of the stop-and-go traffic.
Rush hour isn't just a lovely nickname. It means the morning and afternoon traffic lasts for several hours, but they are still called "rush hour" for a reason--everyone's on the road and in a hurry to get somewhere. Treat rush hour like bad weather--if you don't have to go anywhere, stay off the roads.
Tips for those unavoidable traffic jams
Don't break the law. You've gone 30 feet in 30 minutes and all of a sudden you see people using the shoulders . Don't behave like them. Not only is this illegal, but also there's a good chance they'll get caught or cause even more problems.
Pay extra attention to zig-zaggers when some people are anxious, they may start changing lanes every 5 seconds or cut you off. Keep checking your windows and mirrors for these lane changers.
Look for an escape. If it is possible to exit the road safely, do it. Use a GPS unit, and you can change your route mid-trip if needed.
Be courteous. Good manners could help you avoid a possible accident. Allow people in from a lane that is ending. Speeding up to keep them out increases your chances of an accident. | high24195.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "people would pay as much attention to a kitemark as they think"
},
"options": [
"social media firms would conduct a survey on the kitemark scheme",
"people would pay as much attention to a kitemark as they think",
"a kitemark... | Enough "meaningless drivel". That's the message from a group of members of the UK government who have been examining how social media firms like LinkedIn gather and use social media data.
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee's report, released last week, has blamed firms for making people sign up to long incomprehensible legal contracts and calls for an international standard or kitemark to identify sites that have clear terms and conditions.
"The term and conditions statement that we all carelessly agree to is meaningless drivel to anyone," says Andrew Miller, the chair of the committee. Instead, he says, firms should provide a plain-English version of their terms. The simplified version would be checked by a third party and awarded a kitemark if it is an accurate reflection of the original.
It is not yet clear who would administer the scheme, but the UK government is looking at introducing it on a voluntary basis. "we need to think through how we make that work in practice," says Miller.
Would we pay any more attention to a kitemark? "I think if you went and did the survey, people would like to think they would," says Nigel Shadbolt at the University of Southampton, UK, who studies open data. "We do know people worry a lot about the inappropriate use of their information." But what would happen in practice is another matter, he says.
Other organisations such as banks ask customers to sign long contracts they may not read or understand, but Miller believes social media requires special attention because it is so new. "We still don't know how significant the long-term impact is going to be of unwise things that kids put on social media that come back and bite them in 20 years' time," he says.
Shadbolt, who gave evidence to the committee, says the problem is that we don't know how companies will use our data because their business models and uses of data are still evolving. Large collections of personal information have become valuable only recently, he says.
The shock and anger when a social media firm does something with data that people don't expect, even if users have apparently permission, show that the current situation isn't working. If properly administered, a kitemark on terms and conditions could help people know what exactly they are signing up to. Although they would still have to actually read them. | high13739.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Lookout."
},
"options": [
"Android.",
"VPN.",
"Lookout.",
"Find My iPhone."
],
"question": "Which of the following can warn you against the insecure network?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Security--for the information on your smart phone, as well as for the phone itself--is a hot topic these days.The truth is that you're packing a lot of sensitive information on your phone, and you should keep it safe.
When it comes to physical security, iPhone users would do well to download Find My iPhone, a free app from Apple that allows you to visit a website and see your (lost, stolen or misplaced) phone on the map.You can then sound an alarm, send a message that will pop up on its screen, lock the phone or erase all your data.
Android does not have an exact equivalent , but there are plenty of alternatives. A free app called Lookout offers the findmyphone feature.The paid version allows you to wipe the data from your phone remotely.
Then there is your coffee shop's WiFi network.Anyone with minimal technical expert skill can snoop on people using shared wireless networks, harvesting passwords and other personal data. Lookout will caution you when you've logged on to an insecure network, but cannot protect you once you're there.
In order to protect yourself on such networks, you can use a virtual private network, or VPN. This turns all your activity into nonsense to anyone trying to read along with you from across Starbucks. It also keeps websites from tracking you and, if you're travelling, allows you to get access to sites that may be blocked in other countries.
If you have an iPhone, the simplest VPN app is probably Hotspot Shield, whose distinguishing feature is said to be that it automatically kicks in each time you start browsing , as opposed to other VPN apps that require you to start them up manually .This matters, because even if you decide you want a VPN app, you want to spend approximately zero time thinking about it. For the most part, _ was true of Hotspot Shield, though occasionally it took a while to connect or temporarily lost connection without warning. I found myself having to turn the app on and off sometimes, which involved setting my phone constantly.
If even reading about the settings on your phone drive you crazy, then it is probably best to stay away from a VPN app. But if you're the type who can't resist checking your bank balance from your corner bar, the hassle may be preferable to the risk. | high14056.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "get a new world started in better ways"
},
"options": [
"get a new world started in better ways",
"turn to others for help to save ourselves",
"sum up the failure and make up for the mistakes",
"bury ourselves in the di... | Some people view a bad situation as a disaster. It's not. It's an opportunity. Once your old world collapses , you can recover and rebuild. Now you have the chance to start fresh and do things more intelligently. I built my business on an unstable structure. I kept it going for years, but the business collapsed last year. I had to leave my office, selling off all the furniture and equipment. I got kicked out of my apartment because I couldn't pay the rent. I couldn't pay my bills or debt. I declared bankruptcy.
For years there was the worry that this might happen if I didn't keep straining to keep the business going. And my worries were right. What I worried about would happen did happen .But you know what? Going through that experience wasn't really so bad. It was interesting. Some of it was actually pretty easy. Throughout most of it, I felt increasing relief and a renewed sense of freedom and possibility. All the old _ was gone. No more office. Fewer possessions. Fewer obligations. No more debt. Most of all , no more straining. Life became a lot easier.
I got a cheaper and smaller apartment. I became debt-free. I learned to live within my means. Those were actually good things. The others were just feelings. The reality wasn't actually painful. After that, I kept going with the same business but completely changed the business model. I avoided the earlier mistakes, and that business recovered just fine and worked great. It was profitable every year from then on. But I had to go through the collapse first to reach that point.
If you've been feeling out of control with your current work or lifestyle, and you're currently straining to keep it going ,consider letting it go. Try allowing the old world to collapse, many or all of your fears and worries might actually come to pass, but that's ok. You don't have to keep the old world alive. If it keeps falling apart on you ,let it collapse. Experiencing the collapse isn't as bad as fearing the collapse | high9622.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "We should create for school children a more peaceful environment."
},
"options": [
"Peaceful music plays an active role in students' learning.",
"Not all noises have a negative impact on children's performance.",
"We should c... | Hacking our senses to boost learning power
Some schools are pumping music, noises and pleasant smells into the classroom to see if it improves exam results. Could it work? Why do songs stick in our heads? What does your school smell like? Is it noisy or peaceful?
It might not seem important, but a growing body of research suggests that smells and sounds can have an impact on learning, performance and creativity. Indeed, some head teachers have recently taken to broadcasting noises and pumping smells into their schools to see whether it can boost grades. Is there anything in it? And if so, what are the implications for the way we work and study?
There is certainly some well-established research to suggest that some noises can have a harmful effect on learning. Numerous studies over the past 15 years have found that children attending schools under the flight paths of large airports fall behind in their exam results. Bridget Shield, a professor of acoustics at London South Bank University, and Julie Dockrell, from the Institute of Education, have been conducting studies on the effects of all sorts of noises, such as traffic and sirens , as well as noise generated by the children themselves. When they recreated those particular sounds in an experimental setting while children completed various learning tasks, they found a significant negative effect on exam scores. "Everything points to a bad impact of the noise on children's performance, in numeracy, in literacy, and in spelling," says Shield. The noise seemed to have an especially harmful effect on children with special needs.
Whether background sounds are beneficial or not seems to depend on what kind of noise it is -- and the volume. In a series of studies published last year, Ravi Mehta from the College of Business at Illinois and his colleagues tested people's creativity while exposed to a soundtrack made up of background noises -- such as coffee-shop chatter and construction-site drilling -- at different volumes. They found that people were more creative when the background noises were played at a medium level than when volume was low. Loud background noise, however, damaged their creativity.
Many teachers all over the world already play music to students in class. Many are inspired by the belief that hearing music can boost IQ in later tasks, the so-called Mozart effect. While the evidence actually suggests it's hard to say classical music boosts brainpower, researchers do think pleasant sounds before a task can sometimes lift your mood and help you perform well, says Perham, who has done his own studies on the phenomenon. The key appears to be that you enjoy what you're hearing. "If you like the music or you like the sound -- even listening to a Stephen King novel -- then you do better. It doesn't matter about the music," he says.
So, it seems that schools that choose to prevent disturbing noises and create positive soundscapes could enhance the learning of their students, so long as they make careful choices. Yet this isn't the only sense being used to affect learning. Special educational needs students at Sydenham high school in London are being encouraged to revise different subjects in the presence of different smells -- grapefruit scents for maths, lavender for French and spearmint for history. | high6511.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "she feels frustrated at teaching"
},
"options": [
"her students often play games in class",
"teaching is not a well-paid job",
"her students feel bored with grammar",
"she feels frustrated at teaching"
],
"quest... | I'm a teacher. But there are days, like today, when I wonder why. The results of an English quiz taken by my fifth-graders were depressing. Despite my best efforts, the world of pronouns remains a mystery to them. How I wish there were a way to make the study of our language as exciting as a computer game, so the glazed looks would not appear in their eyes at the mention of the word "grammar." I remember my husband's words: "Why don't you quit? You'd probably make more money by doing something else, and you wouldn't have papers to grade every night."
Tonight I have a stack of papers to grade, which I promised my students I would return tomorrow. But a friend, whom I haven't seen in a year, is visiting from Belgium, and I told her I would keep this evening free.
Sitting in traffic behind a distant stoplight, it's hard not to replay the day. A voice reports the body of a local youngster, missing for weeks, has been identified.
This missing child has had a deep effect on my students. They wondered, "If it happened to her, could it happen to me?"
My children had found the answer themselves. They got out their pencils, markers and made cards. Cards were written with words of compassion and love for a mother and father they didn't know. Cards were filled with red hearts, golden crosses, flowers and angels. Their cards, intended to comfort others, comforted the children themselves by leading them past the anxiety, back into the world of security that should be theirs.
And then I remember why I'm still teaching. It's the children. They're more important than a lifetime filled with quiet evenings and more valuable than a pocket filled with money. My classroom, a child-filled world of discovery, of kindness and of caring is the real world.
It's time to call my friend. I have promises to keep. She'll understand. After all, she's a teacher. | high15348.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He is blind but very neat."
},
"options": [
"He is blind but very neat.",
"His wife died many years ago.",
"He received a pet from the nurse.",
"His room in the nursing home is big."
],
"question": "What do we k... | Every day I check my e-mail. Most of the time I am simply doing finger exercises, another form of piano practice without the beautiful tones. Sometimes, however, I receive a gift, reminding me of the gifts in my life. The following passage is one of those gifts.
Peter Jones is a 92-year-old, small but proud man. Every morning he is fully dressed by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and his face shaved perfectly, even though he is actually blind. He would move to a nursing home today because his wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the entrance hall of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he moved his walker skillfully to the elevator, the nurse provided a visual description of his tiny room, "I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." Said the nurse.
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I have already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice: I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.
May each of our days continue to be a gift. | high23822.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "many young women chose to study at colleges with both men and women"
},
"options": [
"teaching women is more difficult than teaching men",
"many young women chose to study at colleges with both men and women",
"study with men... | In the United States 84 colleges now accept just women. Most of them were established in the 19th century; they were designed to offer women the education they could not receive anywhere else. At that time major universities and colleges accepted only men. In the past 20 years many young women have chosen to study at colleges that accept both men and women. As a result some women's colleges decided to accept men students too. Others, however, refused to change. Now these schools are popular again
The president of Trinity College in Washington, D. C. said that by the end of the 1980s women began to recognize that studying at the same school with men did not mean women were having an equal chance to learn. The president of Smith College in Massachusetts says a women's college permits women to choose classes and activities freely. For example, she says that in a women's college a higher percentage of students studies mathematics than in a college with both men and women.
Educational experts say men students in the United States usually speak in class more than women students do. In a women's college, women feel free to say what they think. Women's schools also bring out leadership capabilities in many women. Women are represented everywhere. For example, at a women's college every governing office is held by a woman. Recent studies reportedly show this leadership continues after college. The studies show that American women who went to women's colleges are more likely to hold successful jobs later in life. | high12427.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was unlikely to find a job."
},
"options": [
"would expect to work until she died",
"was usually expected to take up paid employment",
"would be healthy enough to take up paid employment.",
"was unlikely to find a job."... | The greatest recent changes have been in the lives of women, during the twentieth century there was an unusual shortening of the time of a woman's life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the 19th century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which custom, chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman's youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty five and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by household appliances and convenience foods.
This important change in women's way of life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity and most of them took a full time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women tend to marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards, return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with both husband and wife accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfaction of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money and running the home, according to the abilities and interest of each them. | high12341.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "she wasn't allowed to attend the examination"
},
"options": [
"she did not tied back her hair as required",
"she couldn't get high mark in the exam",
"she had an unpleasant talk with her mother",
"she wasn't allowed to ... | SHANGHAI, June 7(AP)--A 16-year-old girl's suicide after she was barred from a key exam draw attention to increasing worries over academic pressures, as millions of Chinese students began annual college entrance tests on Wednesday.
The three-day exam, viewed as important to future career and financial success, has a record 9.5 million high school students across prefix = st1 /Chinacompeting for just 2.6 million university places. For kids and parents alike, it's a difficulty that experts say causes extreme emotional distress. "Pressure from study and exams is a top reason for psychological problems among Chinese youth," said Jin Wuguan, director of the Youth Psychological Counseling Center at Shanghai'sRuijinHospital.
In China's increasingly success oriented, pressure-cooker cities, academic stress is seen as a rising cause of youth suicides and even murders of parents by children who are driven crazy by intolerable pressure to perform.
According to her family and newspaper accounts, 16-year-old Wu Wenwen drowned herself after she was stopped at the exam room door because her hair wasn't tied back as her school required. Returning in tied hair, she was then told the end-of-term exam had already started and she was too late to take it. In tears, Wu called her mother, and then disappeared. Her body was found the same night in a nearby lake.
China doesn't keep comprehensive statistics on student suicides, but Jin said health care professionals see the problem worsening, even among elementary students. Most Chinese schools still lack advisers and teachers receive little training in spotting symptoms of emotional distress, Jin said. Parents are little help, often piling on pressure while ignoring their children's emotional development, he said. "It's a basic unwillingness or inability to recognize and deal with with emotional problems," Jin said.
Wang Yufeng, of Peking University's Institute of Mental, estimates the rate of emotional disorders such as depression among Chinese students under age 17 at up to 32 percent , a total of 30 million students.
Others say that figure may be as high as 50 percent. A survey last year by the government's China Youth and ChildrenResearchCentershowed 57.6 percent of students felt highly distressed by academic pressures. | high22282.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "reading a message"
},
"options": [
"doing shopping",
"having a debate",
"reading a message",
"leaving for Wyoming"
],
"question": "The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was _ .",
"ques... | Christmas was coming, I was considering what present I should prepare for my father.My dad never wants anything, for he is a hard person to buy for . I pulled out my phone to read text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father.My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming,and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower,a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky,inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind .The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe;my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming,and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples,twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer,the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood. I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame,I knew I had given the perfect gift. | high14730.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the ways to help children develop ability"
},
"options": [
"the arts to praise children",
"the ways to help children develop ability",
"the ways to evaluate children's ability",
"the proper ways to help children deal wi... | In recent years, our parenting culture began to send the message that competence was important for building self-confidence. However, that same parenting culture made a big mistake by telling parents they should tell their children how competent they were. Children can't be convinced that they are competent. Only your children can build their sense of competence.
However, you can do several things to encourage them to develop their own competence. First, you can give them opportunities to gain a sense of competence. You should allow your children to "get their hands dirty" in the daily life and find out what they are capable of.
These daily experiences allow your children to develop specific competencies that will be helpful to them as they grow up. Also, the more individual competencies children develop, the more they will view themselves as globally competent people.
Second, you can be sure that they gain the most value from their experiences. You can direct their focus to the competences that enabled those successes rather than some generic praise of the accomplishment itself. And you can also praise their accomplishments.
A great difficulty for parents is allowing their children to be wrong or do something poorly in the mistaken belief that these experiences will hurt their sense of competence. In fact, whether they do it well isn't important because success isn't really the goal. Instead, the goal is their willingness to keep trying.
Another mistake that parents make is that, after being unsuccessful when their children first try something, they try to correct them so they will succeed the next time they try. That's not to say that you can't lend a hand when they are struggling. But let them take the lead; if they really want your help, they'll ask for it. | high9144.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She was confident."
},
"options": [
"She was tired.",
"She was busy.",
"She was sorry.",
"She was confident."
],
"question": "Which of the following can't describe the writer's situation before she got her tip?"... | It was the end of my first day as a waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone away, and my feet hurt. The loaded plates I carried seemed to be heavier and heavier. Tired and discouraged, I didn't seem able to do anything right. As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice-cream order a dozen times, I was ready to stop. Then the father smiled at me as he handed me my tip. "Well done," he said, "you've looked after us really well." Suddenly my tiredness disappeared. I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I'd liked my first day, I said, "Fine!" Those few words of praise had changed everything. Praise is like sunlight to human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And yet, most of us are only too ready to apply to others the cold criticism , but are unwilling to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise. Perhaps that is why one word of praise can bring such pleasure.
It's strange how _ we are about praising. Perhaps it's because few of us know how to accept it. It's especially rewarding to give praise in areas in which effort generally goes unnoticed.An artist gets admired for a glorious picture,a cook for a perfect meal.But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are done just right? In fact,to give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort. | high10556.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Steve's important role in Mark's growth stage."
},
"options": [
"The relationship between Mark and Steve.",
"The important lessons Mark learned in school.",
"Steve's important role in Mark's growth stage.",
"Mark and St... | My elder brother Steve, in the absence of my father who died when I was six, gave me important lessons in values that helped me grow into an adult.
Steve taught me to face the results of my behavior. Once when I returned in tears from a Saturday baseball game, it was Steve who asked me what happened. When I explained that my baseball had soared through Mrs. Holt's basement window, breaking the glass with a crash, Steve encouraged me to admit to her. Although my knees knocked as I explained to Mrs. Holt, I offered to pay for the window from my pocket money if she would return my ball.
I also learned from Steve that personal property is a sacred thing. After I found a shiny silver pen in my fifth-grade classroom, I wanted to keep it, but Steve explained that it might be important to someone else in spite of the fact that it had little value. He reminded me of how much I'd hate to lose to someone else the small dog my father made with a piece of cheap wood. I returned the pen to my teacher, Mrs. David, and still remembered the smell of her perfume as she patted me on the shoulder.
Yet of all the instructions Steve gave me, his respect for life is the most unforgetful in my mind. When I was twelve I killed an old brown sparrow in the yard with a BB gun. Excited, I screamed at Steve to come and take a look. I shall never forget the way he stood for a long moment and stared at the bird on the ground. Then in a dead, quiet voice, he asked, "Did it hurt you first, Mark?" I didn't know what to answer. He continued with his eyes firm, "The only time you should even think of hurting a living thing is when it hurts you first, and then you think a long, long time." I really felt terrible then, but that moment stands out as the most important lesson my brother taught me. | high2011.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They consider it is quite good for Li Jing on the condition of not striking her study."
},
"options": [
"They think to be a student journalist is purely a waste of time.",
"They worry that to be a student journalist will affect her... | Interview with a president
While many teenagers may dream of meeting with pop star Jay Chou or NBA hero Yao Ming, Li Jing had a far more powerful person on her mind. The Senior 2 from Beijing No.35 High School dreamt of meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After more than a year of hard work and with a little good luck, Li fulfilled her dream. On October 11, 2004, the 16-year-old girl joined a team of Chinese journalists who went to the Kremlin, in Moscow, to interview Putin.
Li felt nervous before talking with Putin. "But his greeting and warm smile put me at ease," she said.
Li admires Putin very much, because of his strong will and style of leadership. "He looks very cool," Li said. During her interview, Li asked Putin whether he plans to educate his two teenage daughters to be officials in the future. Putin smiled and answered he hopes they can do whatever job suits their interests and personalities.
Although Li would only have several minutes, she started working on her interview questions last August after applying for the opportunity. "Journalists work is by no means easy. You need to do lots of homework on your _ ," she said. She read many books about Putin and Russia in her spare time.
Li's parents encouraged her to be a student journalist. "We fully support her, as long as it does not affect her studies," said her father. Previously in her job for a student magazine, Chinese Young Journalists, she wrote a letter to President Hu Jintao during the SARS epidemic.
Li has learnt a lot from her experience. She said learning to manage her time and developing the confidence to speak with important people were not the things she could learn in class. | high21953.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Highly optimistic."
},
"options": [
"Quite critical.",
"Slightly worried.",
"Highly optimistic.",
"Fully satisfied."
],
"question": "What's Xavier Claramunt's attitude towards the space tourism industry?",
"... | The Barcelonabased architects of the Galactic Suite Space Resort say it will cost $4.4 million for a threenight stay at the hotel. This price also includes an eightweek training course on an island. During their stay, guests would see the sunrise 15 times a day and travel around the world every 80 minutes.
Galactic Suite Ltd's CEO Xavier Claramunt says the project will put his company in a leading position of a new industry with a huge future ahead of it, and forecasts space travel will become common in the future. "It's very normal to think that your children, possibly within 15 years, could spend a weekend in space" he told Reuters Television.
A promising space tourism industry is beginning to take shape with construction in progress in New Mexico of Spaceport America, the world's first facility built specifically for passengers. British industrialist Richard Branson's space tours firm, Virgin Galactic, will use the facility to send tourists to space at a cost of $200,000 a ride.
Galactic Suite Ltd, set up in 2007, hopes to start its project with a single pod in orbit 280 miles above the earth. "It will take a day and a half to reach the pod, and the passengers will join it for three days," Claramunt said. More than 200 people have expressed an interest in traveling to the space hotel and at least 43 people have already reserved it.
The numbers are similar for Virgin Galactic with 300 people already paid or signed up for the trip, but unlike Branson, Galactic Suite says they will use Russian rockets to transport their guests into space from a spaceport to be built on an island in the Caribbean. But critics have questioned the project, saying the length of time that will be used is unreasonable and also where the money is coming from to support the project. | high20495.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "go to the Swedish Consulate website first"
},
"options": [
"have a 12-day trip to both countries first",
"report his impressions of both countries",
"offer his submission after November 20",
"go to the Swedish Consulate... | The two European nations - one known for its chocolate, cheese and watches; the other for Ikea, Volvo and the Seventies pop band ABBA - have often been confused for each other among the Chinese.
The problem largely results from the fact that both nations' names are read similarly in Mandarin Chinese - Ruidian (Sweden) and Ruishi (Switzerland) - which begin with the same symbol.
In an effort to put an end to the mix-up, the Swedish and Swiss consulates in Shanghai have launched a competition on the Swedish Consulate website, asking Chinese people to come up with funny ways to help discriminate the two countries. Submissions can be accepted as a blog post, cartoon, photo, short film or in any other form.
The winner with the best submission will receive a 12-day trip to Sweden and Switzerland and will be expected to report back on their impressions of both countries following the trip, the website states. Entries will be accepted until November 20.
Sweden and Switzerland aren't the only destinations that have caused confusion among travelers. Last month, a British holidaymaker hoped to explore the architecture of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, but instead mistakenly caught a flight across the Atlantic to the Caribbean island of Grenada following a confusing booking mistake. Earlier this summer, two US holidaymakers were flown to the wrong continents after an airline confused two airport names. | high17239.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "How to Measure Success"
},
"options": [
"Frustration Determines Success",
"The Importance of Frustration to Success",
"How to Measure Success",
"Evaluations of a Successful Person"
],
"question": "What's the bes... | One of my main concerns when I am helping people achieve their goals is how they measure success. I see individuals getting frustrated as they struggle hard for success.
One of the main reasons that cause this frustration is that people allow their definition of success to be determined by someone or something else. Another is that they become frustrated at their own apparent lack of success when comparing themselves to other people.
We are individuals with individual wants, skills and experiences. We should look at our own skills to determine what is successful to us. We should look inwards to determine what it would mean for us to be successful in our own mind rather than someone else's.
Evaluating a successful person needs to look at his pathway to success, his actions ,his determination and translate that into his own experience to see how he can improve himself.
You must set your own course of action, and stay on your course. You alone must determine what success means to you. Do what you do to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself. For example, I believe that I am successful but I am not a millionaire! Others may not see me as successful in their eyes but that does not matter. It is how I see myself that is important to me and my life.
Here is the truth. Being a success is doing your best, not being the best. Success is not something you become; it is something you continue being.
When we get to that point, we will experience a lot more joy and a lot less frustration. And that sounds good to us!
Remember the great quote from Napoleon Hill, "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." | high4460.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Form a good relationship with."
},
"options": [
"Sing high praise for.",
"Follow the example of.",
"Leave a good impression on.",
"Form a good relationship with."
],
"question": "How do you understand the phrase... | It's good to get along with your teacher because it makes the time you spend in the classroom more pleasant.
It's also good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it's smart to learn how to relate to the different types of people you'll meet throughout your life.
But really, there's one super-important reason why you should get along with your teacher. When you do, "learning bursts right open," says Evelyn Vuko, a longtime teacher who writes an education column called "Teacher Says" for the Washington Post newspaper.
In fact, kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they're also more comfortable asking questions and getting extra help. This makes it easier to understand new material and do the best on tests. When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to when you have problems, such as problems with learning, school issues, or bullying.
As a kid in elementary or middle school, you're at a wonderful stage in your life. You're like a sponge , able to take in lots of new and exciting information. On top of that, you're able to think about all this information in new ways. Remember teachers are people too, and they feel great if you're open to what they're teaching you. That's why they wanted to be teachers in the first place--to teach!
In every school, kids will say certain teachers are tough. In fact, in most cases, your teacher wants to help you. And a teacher who's called tough may be someone who feels strongly about getting his or her job done -- teaching you what you are supposed to learn. | high19214.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "provide free or subsidezed leisure activities for poorer children."
},
"options": [
"provide free or subsidezed leisure activities for poorer children.",
"provide low-cost leisure activities for all the children.",
"help most... | Children are missing an important part of their education because parents cannot afford their after-school activities. Half of parents in Wales are saying"no"to after-school activities because they cannot afford them according to a poll for Save the Children.
The government said providing free or subsidized leisure activities for children from poorer background is essential to reducing child poverty in the UK. Of those who pay for activities, Save the Children said almost half of parents had to pay more than PS10 per child per week. Many parents were paying more than $20 per week, the survey found.
"What happens after the school gates close at 3:30 pm is just as _ as what goes on in the school day,"said Sally Copley at Save the Children. "Children who do after-school activities have more confidence, see the world in different ways and have a stronger sense of identity . All this finally translates into doing better in exams and getting a better career."
Half of parents in Wales of 4-to-18-year-olds said their child did some form of sporting activity, the most popular pastime . Other popular choices included drama/dance (26%), Brownies/Scouts (18%)and music lessons(13%). Almost a third of parents said activities they would like their child to take part in were located more than six miles from where they lived.
Save the Children said its research highlighted that children from poorer backgrounds did not have the same chances as their better-off friends. Many local governments have offered a wide range of after-young people in their area. The Welsh Assembly Government's community-focused schools programme supports local education authorities to develop a range of out-of-school-hours learning opportunities and childcare for children and young people. | high21204.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They are caring and thoughtful."
},
"options": [
"They are caring and thoughtful.",
"They are worried and upset.",
"They are impatient and annoyed.",
"They are excited and curious."
],
"question": "Which of the ... | Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day's work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station(ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to _ the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email , internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy . Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters . And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS , giving astronauts the chance to do some "web surfing "in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth's vast land mass and oceans. | high3680.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "No one knows for sure where and when it began."
},
"options": [
"Everyone is sure of where it began.",
"No one knows for sure where and when it began.",
"It began in New England.",
"It has been put into use recently."
... | Nobody is sure where and when the expression "apple-pie order" began. Some say that Scottish and English writers used the expression a long time ago. Others say it was first used in the northeastern American states known as New England. The housewives of New England cut their apples in even slices. Then they filled pie pans with them in an organized way, row upon row. As one writer said, the women of New England loved to have everything in its place. This perhaps explains why it generally is believed that the expression "apple-pie order" began in New England.
Another old expression, "apple of discord", comes from ancient mythology ,however. The myth says that all the gods and goddesses were sitting around the table tocelebrate the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. One of the goddesses-Discord-was a troublemaker.
She threw away a golden apple on the table to be given as a prize to the most beautiful goddess.
At one time, the tomato was called a love apple. That was a mistake. This is how the mistake happened: In the sixteenth century, Spain brought the tomato from South America after Spanish explorers had landed there. Spain then sold the tomato to Morocco. Italian traders carried it on to Italy. The Italian name for the tomato was "pomo di Moro"-apple of the Moors. When French growers brought it in from Italy, they thought "di Moro" meant"d'amour"-the French word for love. And so "pomo di Moro" became the apple of love.
People believe many things about the apple. One belief is that it has great power of keeping people healthy. A very common expression is "an apple a day keeps the doctor away. "
Another belief is based on fact. The expression is "one rotten apple spoils the barrel. "When an apple begins to go bad, it ruins all the other apples around it in the container. The expression has come to mean that one bad person in a group can cause everyone to act bad. | high19943.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "appearance"
},
"options": [
"color1",
"taste",
"appearance",
"value"
],
"question": "Eggplant got its name because of its _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | What's delicious to eat and comes in a variety of color1s? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg.It can be steamed, fried, and baked.It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables.
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century BC. Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia.Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe. At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today.Instead, it resembled a white egg. Due to this egg-like appearance, eggplant got its name.In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a "mad apple." This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health. People actually thought eggplant could cause insanity and cancer.
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer.In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer.In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable.Since it's high in fiber, eggplant can improve digestion.
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today.Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow-white.And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber.Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious.
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival.The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes.There is plenty more to do and see, though.Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all "egg-cite" festival-goers.Most people at the festival would agree--eggplant is an "egg-cellent" vegetable. | high18485.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Basically \" the people rule\", and it's very important in American history."
},
"options": [
"People couldn't have a voice in a government.",
"In America, elections are held every four years for members of Congress.",
"Democ... | Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history.
Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in American history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government.
An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law.
In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes.
Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English.
In November, Americans will again elect those who will represent them in government. Although some citizens aren't even registered to vote--and some registered voters don't bother to go to the polls--most Americans exercise their right to vote. They realize that their future is wrapped up in a special package--the ballot box. It's a package that must definitely be "handled with care." | high3858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "0.5%"
},
"options": [
"0.5%",
"7.4%",
"7.9%",
"0.7%"
],
"question": "China's economy growth in the final three months of 2012 is _ more than that in the previous quarter.",
"question_type": "cloze_question... | China's economy, the world's second largest,is showing signs of a rebound that could help it emerge from its worst economic period in l3 years.
According to the latest government figures,growth picked up to 7.9%in the final three months of 2012.from 7.4%in the previous quarter.This was driven by state investment in infrastructure(,)projects and efforts to get consumers and companies to spend.
Economic stability is seen as vital for China as its new leaders take over
"It is obvious that the slowdown in the Chinese economy has _ for the moment."said Fraser Howie,an economist and co-author of Red Capitalism. "But one has to be mindful that any recovery will be limited in its scope,because of the various difficult and unexpected problems that China is facing,"he added. "The new leaders,who take charge in March,will now have to find the right balance between trying to prevent the formation of a property bubble and keeping a healthy growth rate going."
That may prove tricky, especially because China's economic growth has slowed significantly from the highs of previous years,and analysts warn that state stimulus measures may decrease.
On Friday,the statistical office reported that GDP...the Gross Domestic Product, the main measure of growth.increased by 7.8%in 2012, down from 9.3%in 2011.That was the slowest annual rate of growth since l 999.But it is still way above the weak growth rates experienced by most other major economies last year.Figures for the US,the world's largest economy,and Japan,the third largest.are expected to show growth of about 2%.The l7 members of the euro zone are collectively expected to contract by about 0.4% | high23413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "introduce some of the world's most amazing cliff views"
},
"options": [
"introduce some of the world's most amazing cliff views",
"advise people to climb rocks in their free time",
"ask people to explore why the cliffs are so... | * Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Stretching for five miles along Ireland5s western coast, the Cliffs of Moher are a sight more than 300 million years in the making. At their highest, the cliffs soar an impressive 702 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, offering the million visitors who visit each year incredible views sure to leave hearts racing both from the beauty and the height.
* White Cliffs of Dover,UK
These famous cliffs along England's south-eastern coast are as rich in history as they are in beauty. They stand tall along the Strait of Dover, separating England from France and continental Europe. During World War I, the first bomb to hit the UK fell in Dover, and it served as a prominent location during WWII as well. And nowadays, the city is the best known for the beauty of its chalky white cliffs.
* Mount Thor, Canada
The name Mount Thor may inspire fear or respect -- as well it should, considering this is the steepest, tallest cliff in the world. Thor reaches an astonishing 4?101 feet above sea level, and the utter greatness of its vertical incline kept it from being successfully gone up until 1965. Today,it remains a challenging and popular place for rock climbers. '
* Cliffs of Etretat,France
Located along France's Alabaster Coast, these cliffs offer more than just steep walls. Climb to the top and you'll have views of arched rock formations, as well as scenery that inspired the famous painter Claude Monet. At various points along the cliffs580-mile stretch, you can spot natural sculptures that are said to resemble an elephant, among other things. | high12816.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because he was not able to adjust the microscope properly"
},
"options": [
"Because he had poor eyesight",
"Because the microscope didn't work properly",
"Because he was not able to adjust the microscope properly",
"Bec... | I passed all the other courses that I took at my university, but I could have never passed botany. This was because all botany students had to spend several hours a week in a laboratory looking through a microscope at plant cells, and I could never once see a cell through a microscope. This used to make my professor angry. He would wander around the laboratory pleased with the progress all the students were making in drawing the structure of flower cells, until he came to me. I would just be standing there. "I can't see anything,"I would say. He would begin patiently enough, explaining how anybody can see through a microscope, but he would always end up angrily, claiming that I could too see through a microscope but just pretended that I couldn't. "It takes away from the beauty of flowers anyway."I used to tell him."We are not concerned with beauty in this course,"he would say."We are concerned with the structure of flowers." "Well," I'd say."I can't see anything." "Try it just once again," he'd say, and I would put my eye to the microscope and see nothing at all, except now and again something unclear and milky. "You were supposed to see a clear, moving plant cells shaped like clocks." "I see what looks like a lot of milk." I would tell him. This, he claimed, was the result of my not having adjusted the microscope properly, so he would readjust it for me, or rather, for himself. And I would look again and see milk.
I failed to pass botany that year, and had to wait a year and try again, or I couldn't graduate. The next term the same professor was eager to explain cell-structure again to his classes. "Well,"he said to me, happily, "we're going to see cells this time, aren't we?" "Yes,sir," I said. Students to the right of me and to the left of me and in front of me were seeing cells; what's more, they were . Of course, I didn't see anything.
So the professor and I tried with every adjustment of the microscope known to man. With only once did I see anything but blackness or the familiar milk, and that time I saw, to my pleasure and amazement, something like stars. These I hurriedly drew. The professor, noting my activity, came to me, a smile on his lips and _ He looked at my cell drawing. "What's that?"he asked."That's what I saw,"I said."You didn't, you didn't, you didn't!"he screamed, losing control of himself immediately, and he bent over and looked into the microscope. He raised his head suddenly. "That's your eye!"he shouted."You've adjusted the microscope so that it reflects!You're drawn your eye!" | high1097.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sea turtles are more adaptable to life at sea."
},
"options": [
"They don't use teeth to eat.",
"They have a good sense of smell.",
"Sea turtles are more adaptable to life at sea.",
"Different species have different she... | Sea turtles come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. The shell of each sea turtle species is different in length, color, shape and the arrangement of the scales .
Sea turtles do not have teeth but use their jaws to eat. Their sense of smell is excellent. Their eyesight underwater is good, but they have _ out of water. Their special bodies make them adapt to life at sea. However, sea turtles maintain close ties to land.
Female sea turtles have to go to the seaside to lay their eggs in the sand; therefore, all baby sea turtles begin their lives on land. Most research on sea turtles has been focused on female turtles nesting and the baby sea turtles in the nest, largely because they can be found most easily. After decades of studying sea turtles, much has been learned about. However, many mysteries still remain.
Researchers do not yet know how long baby turtles spend in the open sea, or exactly where they go. People believe they spend their earliest years floating in the sea, where they do little more than eat and grow. Once turtles reach dinner-plate size, they appear at feeding grounds in waters near the shore. They grow slowly and take between 15 and 50 years to grow old enough to bear baby sea turtles, depending on the species. There is no way to know the age of a sea turtle from its physical appearance. It is believed that some species can live for over 100 years. | high503.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "discuss something about inflation"
},
"options": [
"list major economic",
"discuss something about inflation",
"explain why bread prices increase",
"state the types of inflation"
],
"question": "The passage main... | One of the major problems in our economy is inflation , a situation in which prices are going up faster than salary . Thus, a person has to work more hours to pay for the same thing.
For example, let's say that this year a loaf of bread costs $1.00 and average salary in the United Sates is $10.00 per hour. That means a person could earn enough money to buy a loaf of bread in one-tenth of an hour, or six minutes. Then, halfway through the year, the price of the bread goes up to $1.25, while salary stay the same. That means that a person now has to work one-eighth of an hour--seven and a half minutes to buy the same loaf of bread.
Now let's say that at the end of the year, salary go up to $11.00 per hour, but the price of bread goes up to $1.50. Now a person has to work more than one-seventh of an hour--over eight minutes--to buy loaves of bread, employees will have less money left over to buy other things, Inflation means that the same money buys fewer things and everybody's standard of living goes down, even if salaries are going up.
Some kinds of inflation are worse than others. Moderate inflation does not distort relative prices or incomes seriously. Galloping inflation happens rapidly, say at a rate of 100percent or more within a year. And then there's hyperinflation--inflation so serious that people try to get rid of their currency before prices rise further and make the money worthless. Times of hyperinflation are usually characterized by social and political disorder. | high6920.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A grandmother."
},
"options": [
"A grandmother.",
"A grandfather.",
"A father.",
"A mother."
],
"question": "Who wrote the letter?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I'd know better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.
My cherished boys, I hope you learn humility by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you'll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.
I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract in your head.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole . I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don't care if you try beer once, but I hope you won't like it.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.
I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor's window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you--tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. | high1929.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "just wanted to express it freely"
},
"options": [
"couldn't go on",
"had to put aside",
"just wanted to express it freely",
"lost it"
],
"question": "After Wang An finished the first part of his story, he _ .... | Most students hate their endless homework. The students from Class 2, Senior 2 of the High School Affiliated to Peking University certainly did so before they published their own collection of English novels at home.
Their small book contains stories about a holy war, the happy life of a self-taught artist and the story of a laid-off worker who devoted his last breath to playing his beloved accordion . The book becomes an instant hit on campus. About 3,000 copies have been sold and the class is already working on the second volume.
"We're up to our ears in homework. Exercises and exams make us out of breath. But to do something creative and full of imagination is such a great achievement," said Yu Xiaoxiao, 16. "I took the writing as an ordinary homework at the beginning, but after I finished the first part of my story, I could not help but let it flow," said Wang An, who wrote "Accordion".
Inspired by "Lord of the Rings", Jiang Lu wrote his story about magic wins between angels from the light and the dark side. "The main message of the story was to look at the balance of the world. Both dark and light angels fight with love as their weapons. I want to tell people that selfish love might bring hate," Jiang said.
"I was shocked by their work and felt so proud to be the editor of my students' book," said Nathaniel Timmermann, the oral English teacher at the school. Liu Xiuqin, an English teacher, started the project by asking students to write whatever was in their mind every week. "They have performed beyond expectation," Liu said. "They wrote interesting stories and their English has improved after they started to express their real minds."
"We never imagined that our homework would be so popular and profitable . We sell the novels at five yuan, but many teachers pay more to encourage us," said Yuan Mengyao. | high7380.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Sending birthday cards."
},
"options": [
"Putting many things on the floor.",
"Wearing a new kimono.",
"Dancing a waltz.",
"Sending birthday cards."
],
"question": "Which of the following birthday traditions can... | The tradition of birthday parties started a long time ago. There are some traditions that you can find almost anywhere, anytime, such as sending birthday cards, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake and singing the 'Happy Birthday' song. Others are only found for certain ages and in certain countries.
In China, on a child's second birthday, family members put many things on the floor around the child. According to Chinese tradition, the first thing that the child picks up tells you what profession the child will choose later in life.
For Japanese children, the third, fifth and seventh birthdays are especially important. At this age, there is a special celebrationShichi-Go-San (seven, five, three in Japanese) when children go to the temple wearing a newkimono . Thepriest gives them special sweets, and the parents usually organize a party for their friends in their home.
In Argentina, Mexico and several other Latin American countries, girls have a special birthday celebration when they reach the age of fifteen. After a special ceremony , the girls dance a waltz with their father and other boys.
Eighteen is the traditional "coming of age"-- the age when (in many countries) you have the right tovote , join the army and (in Britain) drink alcohol or buy a house.
In many English-speaking countries, a twenty-first birthday cake often has a key on top, or the cake itself is sometimes in the shape of a key. The key means that the young person is now old enough to leave and enter the family home at any time they want to! | high265.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Spanish"
},
"options": [
"English",
"German",
"French",
"Spanish"
],
"question": "Profe was a teacher of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"an... | I was late on my first day of high school. My next class, Spanish, scared me. As the second bell rang in the hallway, I ran to the door of the classroom.
At the door, a hand reached out and shook mine firmly. I looked up. A man smiled and introduced himself as Profe, which means teacher or professor in Spanish. Right away, his warm smile and welcoming words eased my fears. I enjoyed his classes a great deal because I learned more than just Spanish.
I admit I only speak a little Spanish. But I try to live out the life lessons I learned from Profe every day.
"Everyone is worth your time. "
Profe stood outside his classroom door every day before and after class. During lunch, his room was always filled with students. He would stay after school to listen to and chat with students. He taught me that every person is special.
"Don't fear the difficulties."
One time, I ran into his class crying. My friends had _ me, and I wasn't even sure why they always left me alone. Profe told me, "Linda, life gives you ashes . But learning its lessons will turn those ashes to jewels. The hard stuff will help you become a better person." I learned to look at my troubles differently because I know I'll grow in difficult times.
A year ago. I visited my old high school hoping to see Profe. But he had retired. My high school helped me contact him. Now we stay in touch through e-mail. The author William Arthur Ward wrote: "The ordinary teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher shows. The great teacher inspires. " Thank you, Profe, for inspiring me. | high23375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Four years."
},
"options": [
"One years",
"Two years.",
"Three years.",
"Four years."
],
"question": "How long has the writer lived in the house according to the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors' house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon.
Several months later, I found I couldn't see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, "Why doesn't she clean her window? It looks terrible!"
One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt _ for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days!
The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging others. | high4851.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "fly in the morning"
},
"options": [
"sit in the back",
"fly in the morning",
"fly with major airlines",
"avoid flying in bad weather"
],
"question": "Jerry Johnson advises nervous fliers to _ .",
"questio... | Things Your Pilot Won't Tell You
You may not be getting the airline you paid for.
You may go to an airline website and buy a ticket, and get onto an airplane that has a similar name painted on it, but half the time, you're really on a regional airline.The regionals aren't held to the same safety standards as the majors: their pilots aren't required to have as much training and experience, and the public doesn't know that.
--Captain at a major airline
If you're a nervous flier, book a morning flight.
The heating of the ground later causes bumpier air, and it's much more likely to thunderstorm in the afternoon.
--Jerry Johnson , pilot, Los Angeles
The smoothest place to sit is often over or near the wing.
The bumpiest place to sit is in the back.If you're in the middle, you don't move as much.
--Patrick Smith, pilot, and author of Cockpit Confidential
Sit in the front if you want fresher air.
The general flow of air in any airplane is from front to back.So if you're really concerned about breathing the freshest possible air or not getting too hot, sit as close to the front as you can.Planes are generally warmest in the back.
--Tech pilot at a regional airline, Texas
You never know where the safest seat is.
There is no safest place to sit.In one accident, the people in the back are dead; in the next, it's the people up front.
--John Nance, aviation safety analyst and retired airline captain, Seattle
I've been struck by lightning twice.
Most pilots have.Airplanes are built to take it.You hear a big boom and see a big flash and that's it.You're not going to fall out of the sky.
--Charlotte, pilot for a regional earner,.North Carolina
People don't understand why they can't use their cell phones.
Well, what can happen is 12 people will decide to call someone just before landing, and I can get a false reading on my instruments saying that we are higher than we ideally are.
--Jim Tilmon, retired American Airlines pilot, Phoenix | high10967.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "inform readers of Polly Pocket toys' recall"
},
"options": [
"criticize Mattel Inc.for their bad products",
"inform readers of Polly Pocket toys' recall",
"warn readers the danger of swallowing magnets",
"suggest some w... | Mattel Inc.is recalling 4.4 million Polly Pocket toys with magnets after some of them caused serious injuries to children who swallowed magnets that fell off.Tiny magnets inside the toys may fall off without being noticed by parents and babysitters.The magnets can be swallowed or placed in children' s noses or ears.When more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestine perforations which can be deadly.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission received 170 reports of the magnets coming out of these recalled toys.There were three reports of serious injuries to children who swallowed more than one magnet.All three suffered intestine perforations that required operations.A 2-year-old child stayed in hospital for 7 days and a 7-year-old child was hospitalized for 12 days.
The recalled Polly Pocket toys contain plastic dolls and accessories that have small magnets.The magnets measure one-eighth inch in diameter and are fixed in the hands and feet of the dolls, and even in the plastic clothing, hairpieces and other accessories to help the pieces stay on the dolls or the dolls' houses.
The model number is printed on the bottom of the largest pieces on the toys.Contact Mattel if you cannot find a model number on your product to determine if it is part of the recall.Polly Pocket magnetic toys currently sold in stores are not included in this recall.The model numbers included in the recall are: B2632, B3158, B7118, G8605, H1537 and H3211.The toys were on sales in department stores and toy stores from May 2006 through September 2009.
Consumers should immediately take these recalled toys away from children and contact Mattel for the return of the toys.For more information contact Mattel at 888 597-6597 anytime or visit the company' s website. | high21562.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "None of the online grocery supermarkets has made a profit."
},
"options": [
"The online grocery shopping is making our life easier.",
"Just-easy Fresh Produce is a pioneer of the online retail grocery business.",
"Conventiona... | Online grocery shopping was counted as the next great innovation to make our lives easier. In China more than 3,000 websites offer the service, but none have turned a profit.
Xiang Nian has had a hard day at the office but at least she can skip the trip to the grocery store. A text message on her phone lets her know the order she placed earlier in the day has been delivered to a locker outside her apartment.
"It's really convenient for an office worker like me. My fresh products are waiting for me when I get home and can start cooking. No need to go to the supermarket any more," Xiang says.
One of the largest online supermarkets in Wuhan is Just-easy Fresh Produce. Over the past 3 years, the company has developed its online retail grocery business by guaranteeing fresh produce and an innovative delivery system. They've installed thousands of lockers in communitieshttp:// / around downtown Wuhan.
"We get an average of 8,000 orders per day. That's the most in China, I'm proud of it. We have placed over 20 thousand lockers in more than half of the communities in Wuhan and we plan to expand to all of them. Many e-commerce giants, like Taobao, are talking about cooperation with us," Jie Xiaofeng, manager of Wuhan Just-easy Agricultural Science & Technology Co., says.
While Just-easy may have thousands of customers, a staff of almost 300 and 40 delivery trucks, _ .
"There are over 3,000 companies selling fresh products online in China. But none is making a profit. It will take them at least 3 years before they make a profit. The major challenge is the cost of delivery. But they do have many advantages. The price of their goods is lower than the supermarkets," professor He Dehua at Huazhong Agricultural University, says.
A number of China's e-commerce giants are making moves into online grocery sales, with Taobao opening an online platform it calls "Cainiao". And traditional retailers including Wal-Mart and Carrefour are also looking to start selling their produce online.
Many big B2C e-commerce players usually take fresh farm produce as the last category to add to their offerings. But now more and more large businesses have set their eyes on the industry. They want to prove the fresh food market is definitely suited to online sales. | high5583.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Five"
},
"options": [
"Two",
"Three",
"Four",
"Five"
],
"question": "How many emotions can the sensors tell?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"an... | How to Tell If Someone Is Happy or Sad on the Phone
Scientists have come up with some researches on what makes different types of people"tick".
The scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed new mobile phone technology called Emotion Sense that can tell if a caller is happy, angry or sad.
Scientists hope to fit the speech recognition system to standard mobile phones and use it to determine emotions--it will also use a GPS tracking system to log where the call is made.
_
The results from the pilot scheme make interesting scientific reading. Among the key revelations (=facts) are that callers feel happier at home and sadder at work.
To break it down, scientifically, it shows 45 percent of all emotions produced at home are "happy"and 54 percent of emotions at work are "sad".
Meanwhile, people show more "intense"(=nervous) emotions in the evening than they do in the morning.
Of course, this could just be because most people feel too tired in the morning to get overly "intense". Eating breakfast and getting to work on time is usually enough of an achievement.
Anyway, the Emotion Sense technology has been developed by psychologists and computer scientists who say it uses speech recognition software and phone sensors attached to standard smart phones to judge how callers' emotions are changed by everyday factors.
The sensors analyze voice samples and these are then divided into five categories: happiness, sadness, fearfulness, anger or neutral---boredom or passivity would fit into this last category. | high4845.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "optimistic"
},
"options": [
"critical",
"doubtful",
"indifferent",
"optimistic"
],
"question": "Bridget Boyle's attitude towards her daughter's musical talent can be described as _ .",
"question_type": "cl... | In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow toaudition forMy Kind of people, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn't perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Boyle was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.
Boyle suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death. Boyle put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan's possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. "She was the one who said I should enterBritain's Got Talent. We used to watch it together." Susan later told reporters. "She thought I would win."
In 1999, Boyle used all of her savings to pay for a professionaldemo tape. which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Boyle began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O'Neil.
In 2007, Boyle's mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter "wouldn't come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone." She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O'Neil urged her to try out forBritain's Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Boyle auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sangI Dreamed A Dreamin the first round of the show, which was aired on 11 April 2009.
The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharpcontrast to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final ofBritain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first albumI Dreamed A Dreamhas sold over five million copies. | high10973.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "take buses or subways"
},
"options": [
"take buses or subways",
"take a taxi",
"drive the car quickly",
"park his car in a place which asks for no fees"
],
"question": "In the coming years, if a man beyond the F... | Beijing plans to build huge free or low-cost parking lots beyond the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads to encourage more car owners to take buses or subways to the downtown area.
The plan is just one of the many measures the city plans to take to reduce its traffic jams. Low or no parking fees would be used as economic leverage to reduce growing parking demands from urban areas.
Car owners living in the suburbs will be encouraged to park their cars beyond the Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads and take buses or subways to the downtown area. Statistics show that nearly one quarter of the city's traffic flow is concentrated in the 62-square-kilometre downtown area within the Second Ring Road, which makes up only 12 percent of the city's total area.
The Beijing Traffic Management Bureau receives between 400 and 500 calls reporting traffic jams every day and more than 90 percent of the roads are filled to capacity during rush hour every morning and evening. Part of the problem is the lack of easy links between bus routes, subways and cars.
According to the communication commission, half of the city's investment in transportation will go towards public transit construction in the next few years, making a jump from the current only 20 percent. Moreover, Beijing plans to change its layout by building new city centers, such as at Yizhuang, Tongzhou, Shunyi and Changping, in a bid to reduce the traffic flow to the downtown.
The current layout of Beijing-expanded ring roads around the same center of the Forbidden City, is seen as the root cause of the endless traffic jams. The downtown area is crowded with three business centers and one financial centre, as well as nearly 400 government organs and institutions.
Traffic experts say building more urban centers around Beijing may reduce the number of residents living in the suburbs and traveling long distances to work downtown every day, thus reducing traffic flow. | high21576.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the reason why men need to sleep"
},
"options": [
"the differences between robots and men",
"the reason why men need to sleep",
"about the need for robots to save power",
"about the danger of men working at night"
]... | Suppose we built a robot to explore the planet Mars. We provide the robot with seeing detectors to keep it away from danger. It is powered entirely by the sun. Should we program the robot to be equally active at all times? No, the robot would be using up energy at a time when it was not receiving any. So we would probably program it to stop its activity at night and to wake up at dawn the next morning.
According to evolutionary theory of sleep, evolution equipped us with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking for the same reason. The theory does not deny that sleep provides some important restorative functions. It merely says that evolution has programmed us to perform those functions at a time when activity would be inefficient and possibly dangerous. However, sleep protects us only from the sort of trouble we might walk into; it does not protect us from trouble that comes looking for us. So we sleep well when we are in a familiar, safe place, but we sleep lightly, if at all, when we fear that bears will nose into the tent.
The evolutionary theory explain the differences in sleep among creatures. Why do cats, for instance, sleep so much, while horses sleep so little? Surely cats do not need five times as much repair and restoration as horses do. But cats can afford to have long periods of inactivity because they spend little time eating and are unlikely to be attacked while they sleep. Horses must spend almost all their waking hours eating, because what they eat is very low in energy value. Moreover, they cannot afford to sleep too long or too deeply, because their survival depends on their ability to run away from attackers. | high7394.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a newspaper"
},
"options": [
"a letter",
"an advertisement",
"a personal diary",
"a newspaper"
],
"question": "This passage is most probably taken from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child's development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. All can be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may he damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training. | high271.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "you should not buy souvenirs at the beginning of the trip"
},
"options": [
"you should not buy things for the kids from Disney stores",
"you should not buy souvenirs at the beginning of the trip",
"you should not make a trip ... | Every time you visit Disney World, there's something new to see. What began in 1971 as theprefix = st1 /MagicKingdomnow includes the high-tech, movie-mad Disney and Animal Kingdom. Each time the park expands, so do your chances to spend money. How can you save? As a family guide to Disney World, I've been to the park more than 25 times with my kids, and I've developed a few money-saving plans.
* Buy the five-day All-in-One Hopper Pass . Even if you're visiting for fewer days, it's a deal (the pass costs $ 229 for visitors ages 10 and up, $ 183 for kids ages three to nine and is free for kids under age three). Without the pass, you'll have to pay separately for PleasureIslandand the water parks. A single trip toBlizzardBeach, for example, would cost a family of four $ 100.
* Dine out at lunch. The prices at some of the nicer restaurants, especially those in Epcot's World Showcase, are much lower at noontime than at dinner. It's wise to make reservations before you leave home. Call 407-W-DISNEY.
* Become a Gold Card Member. For $65, you can get a Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card (call 1-800-56-DISNEY). Card-holders get up to 20 percent off Disney hotel rooms, plus price breaks on character breakfasts, theme park tickets and goods from Disney stores.
* Don't pay extra to see a character. Character-theme dinner shows are expensive, costing a family of four about $ 140, and even a character breakfast, where Mickey or Donald Duck joins you for cakes, can _ $ 50. If your budget is tight, try to meet the characters inside the theme parks and at free in-park shows. You can watch the Diamond Horseshoe show, for example, in theMagicKingdomfor no additional cost, while the similarly themed Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue requires expensive tickets.
* Wait until the end of your trip to buy souvenirs. By then, the kids will really know what they want, and you won't waste money on expensive things. | high23361.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "reading a message"
},
"options": [
"doing shopping",
"writing a poem",
"reading a message",
"leaving for Wyoming"
],
"question": "The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was _ .",
"quest... | What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift cover? Or is it the look on the receiver's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was thinking what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that I already created my gift. I sent the photo of the cream-color1ed flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; my dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was mainly about dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The picture was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper color1ing with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly like.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he opened those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame , I knew I had given the perfect gift. | high23407.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Kind and optimistic."
},
"options": [
"Patient and funny.",
"Strong and serious.",
"Busy and hard-working.",
"Kind and optimistic."
],
"question": "Which words best describe the writer's father?",
"question_... | My father suffered a disease once, but he was an optimist .He wanted to dosomething to keep himself busy, so he became a volunteer at a children's h}pital. Sometimes oneor two kids would die. At this time he would tell the heart-broken parents of the children that hewould be with their children in heaven and that he would look after them there.
There was a girl with a disease that paralyzed her from the neck down. She couldn'tdo anything. My dad decided to help her with his true love. He started visiting her, bringingpaints, brushes and paper. He began to put the paintbrush in his mouth to paint. He didn't usehis hands. He would visit her whenever he could and paint for her. "You can do anything onceyou make up your mind to do it,"he said. Finally, she began to paint using her mouth, too.
Later, my dad recovered and returned to work. He worked at the volunteer counter in thehospital. One day, he noticed the front door open. In came the little girl who had been paralyzed.
She was walking! She hugged my dad tightly and gave him a picture she had done using herhands. At the bottom it read: "Thank you for helping me walk again!"
After that my father often said love was more powerful than doctors. | high12802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "visiting an exhibition"
},
"options": [
"doing a medical experiment",
"solving a math problem",
"visiting an exhibition",
"doing scientific reasoning"
],
"question": "According to the passage, passive learning m... | We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively . We achieve it actively by direct experience, by testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.
We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive. Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it's not surprising that we depend on _ in our everyday communication with friends and co-workers*
Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even when it is little more than hearsay and rumor .
Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn't show it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared Typically, the original message has changed.
That's what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a story, trying to improve on it, stamping it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it think they know.
This process is also found among scholars and authors:A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the interpretation he placed upon those facts. | high517.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A horse."
},
"options": [
"A nurse.",
"A horse.",
"A banker.",
"A lawyer."
],
"question": "What did the girl really want to be when she grew up?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | A mother of a cheerful five-year-old just returned from a meeting of the National Organization for Women. Inspired by exciting dreams for the possibilities of womanhood, she asked her daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. Little Lisa quickly answered, "A nurse."
There was a time when nursing was thought of as a woman's job and the answer somehow seemed not to be satisfied. She had, after all, just returned from a new meeting.
"You can be anything you want to be," she reminded her daughter. "You can be a lawyer, a doctor, a banker, president of the country -- you can be anything."
"Anything?" Lisa asked.
"Anything!" her mother smiled.
"I know," Lisa said. "I want to be a horse!"
Lisa's dream may need some improvement, but there is plenty of time for that. When do we give up dreaming about the future? When do we resign ourselves to simply replaying dreams from the past?
Maybe her dream needs to mature a bit, but would you rather have the optimism of a five-year-old girl who wants to be a horse, or the pessimism of an adult who says in despair, "I can't be anything at all"?
Teddy Roosevelt said, _ believe that is the way to make those dreams come true. It begins with looking up and dreaming of something beautiful. | high6934.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "radio announcers"
},
"options": [
"English learners",
"radio announcers",
"both radio announcers and English learners",
"both radio announcers and public speakers"
],
"question": "Mr. Shafer records mistakes mad... | People who are learning a foreign language should not feel embarrassed because they sometimes use the wrong word. From time to time we all have difficulty even with our own language.
If people think that these mistakes are funny, they may laugh; but they do not mean to be rude. The important thing is that they admire people who try to speak their language.
Every public speaker knows that mistakes can happen. Even radio announcers will sometimes use the wrong word or call somebody by the wrong name. This happens so often, in fact, that a man in New York is able to make a living by listening to the radio and recording all the mistakes that he hears.
Kermit Shafter calls these mistakes "bloopers". In his home, Mr. Shafter has many radios turned to different stations to record every mistake that is made. He puts the funniest ones on records and in books, which have become very popular wherever English is spoken.
If Mr. Shafer took his tape recorder into a school where students are learning to speak English, he would very soon have enough bloopers for another book. Mistakes can be fun if we are not easily embarrassed. They also remind us to say something correctly the next time. | high22719.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Clear-headed."
},
"options": [
"Clear-headed.",
"Frightened.",
"Regretful.",
"Thoughtful."
],
"question": "Which of the following best describes Pieter when he fought with the crocodile?",
"question_type": n... | Pieter has a reasonable excuse for his lost wedding ring: a crocodile ate it, along with part of his left arm. " It took my wedding ring. I think it ate the ring up. " He told a newspaper by telephone from his hospital as he recalled his struggle with a man-eating animal.
" I took my horse for an evening swim in one of the farm dams. There are lots of crocodiles and hippos in the area and they move around all the time,from dam to dam and into the river and out again. I was on the lookout for hippos and didn't see any. It slipped my mind that there might be crocodiles," he said.
He was standing in the water about 5 metres away from the shore when he felt a biting jolt in his left hip. He thought it was a hippo but quickly realized it was a crocodile.
" I started to fight immediately. I hit the crocodile with my left arm and then it went for ray left forearm. It pulled me under the water for a few seconds. I realized if I didn't stand up my wife would never find me again. What I didn't realize at the time was that the crocodile let me go because it had taken part of my left arm off,'' said Pieter.
With his right arm,Pieter then grabbed the rope of his horse, which took him to safety. He walked 200 metres to his house and his wife took him to the nearest hospital.
" I'm lucky I didn't lose too much blood. The biggest problem with a crocodile bite is that it can be septic .Crocodiles never brush their teeth," said Pieter. | high21210.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "You are who your friends are"
},
"options": [
"A friend in need is a friend indeed",
"How to make friendship last for ever",
"You are who your friends are",
"Friends are the most important in one's success"
],
"... | The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
" I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can't even understand a bit of music."
" I'm never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us."
But a younger musician said, "There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I'm trying to find other places to play. I'm also looking to book a few summer festivals this year."
I've heard that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.
Attitudes are important. Whether they are positive or negative ,they are _ . If you are around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame others, and you play the role of victim , chances are you will start as well. So it's time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
This is an easy exercise: make a list of the people who you hand out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don't become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you're looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path." | high3694.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they like to be treated equally"
},
"options": [
"they think sitting is harmful for health.",
"they prefer to stand rather than sit",
"they like to be treated equally",
"they don't need men's favor"
],
"question... | Body Language in the United States
Most people shake hands and make eye contact when they meet people for the first time. Among very good friends, a woman may give another woman a little hug, and a man may kiss a woman quickly on the cheek. Males don't hug one another, which, however, is changing. Men usually shake hands with the right hand. Sometimes they use the left hand to either cover the handshake or lightly hold the other person's arm. This shows greater warmth and friendship. Most people wave hello or good -bye by extending the arm palm facing outward, and twisting the hand at the wrist. Another way is to raise the arm, palm outward, and move the whole arm and hand back and forth. This is important to know because in many other countries, the same movements mean "no".
When people are waiting in a public place, such as the post office, they usually form lines. Some people get angry and complain if someone pushes their way into a line or jumps ahead of other people. Moreover, many women like men to open doors for them. They also like men to give up their seats on public transportation. However, some women do not like this type of behavior. They feel that men and women should be treated in the same way.
In the United States, it's important to make direct eye contact in business and social situations. If you don't make eye contact, people will probably think that you are bored or not interested. If there is silence in these situations, people usually try to make conservation. Periods of silence make many people uncomfortable. People in the United States usually stand about one arm's length away from each other while talking or standing together. This space is called "the comfort zone".
In the United States, mothers sometimes show that they are angry with children by shaking an index finger at them. People may show that they like children by patting them on the top of the head. | high18491.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "UVA&UVB"
},
"options": [
"UV",
"UVA",
"UVB",
"UVA&UVB"
],
"question": "What rays can cause skin cancer according to the text?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | Sunscreens can offer protection from two types of ultraviolet (UV) rays : UVB, which according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, are the chief cause of sunburn and play a key role in the development of skin cancer, and UVA, which get through the skin more deeply and are largely responsible for skin aging and wrinkling, as well as skin cancer risk. The SPF measurement on sunscreens refers to the UVB protection level -- and the number may not mean what you think it does. SPF 15 doesn't protect you from 15% of UVB rays, just as SPF 100 doesn't protect you from 100% of the rays. In fact, as you get into the higher numbered SPF sunscreens (think: 50 and above), the difference in UVB protection is actually pretty small.
Theoretically, though the increase in UVB protection with a super-high SPF sunscreen may be not worth considering, it may help, and certainly can't hurt, to use it -- that is, as long as you do so correctly. "The only _ is whether you're giving yourself a sense of false security," Dr. Gohara says.
Indeed, as Dr. Wang also pointed out, when people choose increased SPFs, they may actually feel so protected by the product that they finally ignore proper sun protection. "When people use really high SPF products, they tend not to reuse, they tend to stay out in the sun much longer, and they don't use other protective measures such as clothing and hats," he says. Regardless of any increase in protection that a high SPF may or may not offer, one thing is certain: It doesn't give your body a free pass from sunburns, aging, or cancers, and it doesn't protect you from those things for any greater length of time than the lower SPF options. Both Dr. Wang and Dr. Gohara emphasized that, no matter what the SPF is, it's important to reapply your sunscreen every two hours. | high14283.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She wanted to test Lillian"
},
"options": [
"She was not satisfied with Lillian.",
"She found Lillian was too young.",
"She wanted to let the girl be quiet.",
"She wanted to test Lillian"
],
"question": "Why did... | Lillian was a young girl who grew up in a village. At the age of 16, her father forced her to drop out of school and find a job to help the family.
With limited education, skills and hope, she would take the bus into the big cities of Windsor and Detroit, walk aimlessly about and then return home every day. She couldn't even bring herself to knock on a door.
As the days passed, Lillian knew she would soon have to knock on a door. On one of her trips, Lillian saw a sign at Carhartt Overall Company, saying, "Help Wanted, Secretarial. Apply Within."
She walked up to the office and was met by the office manager, who sat her down at a typewriter and said, "Let's see how good you really are."
She directed Lillian to type a single letter and then left. Lillian looked at the clock: 11:40 am. She figured that she could run away in the crowd then. But she knew she should at least try the letter.
On her first try, she got through one line. It had five words and she made four mistakes. The clock read 11:45. "At noon," she said to herself, " _ ." On her second try, Lillian got through a full paragraph, but still made many mistakes. Again she pulled out the paper. At last she completed the letter with some mistakes.
Just then, the door opened and the office manager walked in. She came directly over to Lillian, read the letter, paused and then said, "Lillian, you've done a good job." | high8931.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she had a problem with her health"
},
"options": [
"she had had a heart attack",
"she was unhappy about her weight",
"she had a problem with her health",
"she couldn't sleep well"
],
"question": "Mrs Ellen Parke... | Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She couldn't walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs,she was soon out of breath.
"I suppose I had better go to the doctor," she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
"I'm not at all surprised," he said. "It's clear what your problem is."
He examined her and then gave her some advice. "If you don't do what I say,Mrs Parker," he said,"then you will have a heart attack. It could kill you. "
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor's.
She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and that it would take time.
The next day she went shopping.The first shop she went into was a butcher's shop.
"I'd like ten pounds of steak,please," she said.
"Certainly,madam," the butcher replied and went into the cold storage room and found a large piece of steak.
He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale .
"That's just under ten pounds," he said.
The butcher worked out the price.
"At $4.99 a pound that will be $45.50 please. Shall I cut it up into small pieces for you?"
"Oh,I don't want to buy the meat," Mrs Parker said.
"If you don't want to buy it," the butcher replied,"why did you ask me to get it for you?"
"I just wanted to see what 10 pounds of meat looked like. " | high22731.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Going to a bar with friends."
},
"options": [
"Buying some clothes.",
"Going to a bar with friends.",
"Purchasing a table.",
"Moving from the city to the suburbs."
],
"question": "Which one is an example of spen... | Researchers may tell us that spending money on experiences produces more happiness than spending money on things. Going to a bar with friends is always pleasurable in slightly different ways. However, on the other hand, a table may also give us lots of positive experiences sometimes.
I just moved from New York City to suburban Pennsylvania, It's been quite a change of pace, with some positives and negatives, One of the best parts is that I'm spending more time outside. I quite enjoy staying outside, especially eating outside. I had a goal to eat outside as often as possible this summer, so one of my first purchases for the new house was a table and a set of chairs for the yard.
Is my yard table a thing or an experience? It's clearly a thing and yet it enables the experience of eating outside. I love eating outside, and so my yard table is one of my favorite purchases, ever. Therefore I find the dividing line between things and experiences is more nuanced than at first glance. However, to be happy, the most important thing is what kind of purchases you have made.
Sometimes we may all have purchases that seem like a waste of money like probably half the clothes in our closets, but how does this happen?'
There are many reasons for why this happens. The biggest is that we spend a lot of our time working to earn money to buy things. The problem is that we buy a lot of stuff that we don't actually need. There's nothing worse than looking in your closet and realizing how many hours you spent laboring to buy things you never wear. But how about a table that lets you enjoy being outside in the summer? That's worth every minute and penny and from it you will also get more happiness. | high21238.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "can avoid being attacked"
},
"options": [
"are too lazy to do anything",
"can avoid being attacked",
"can relax by doing so",
"are very shy"
],
"question": "Ostriches bury their heads in the sand because they ... | The largest bird that cannot fly also happens to be the largest living bird in the world. This is the huge North African ostrich . When the male is fully grown, he reaches a height of nearly eight feet and many weigh close to three hundred pounds. His wings are very small and the wing feathers are very soft, and therefore he does not fly.
You have probably heard the old saying about "the foolish ostrich burying his head in the sand". Well, the ostrich is not nearly as foolish as he is said to be. In the daytime, when the hen is sitting on the eggs, she does not want to be seen; instead of sticking her long neck up into the air, she bends her neck and head down. That way, she can best protect the eggs and herself.
Because the ostrich cannot fly up into the air to escape from danger on the ground, he has to remain alert at all times. Luckily, he has very good eyesight and hearing, so he can stop danger in time to run away. The ostrich can run so fast that it almost seems as if he is flying.
Sometimes, when a person has a small appetite , we say that he "eats like a bird". Of course, that bird is not the ostrich! An ostrich will eat anything under the sun. When an ostrich died in a zoo, scientists cut it open to see what he had eaten. Here are some of the things found in its stomach: three pieces of wood, part of a film roll, a French coin, four pennies, and so on. | high17952.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To show more on-campus students are taking online courses."
},
"options": [
"To introduce Steele to us, who prefers online courses.",
"To tell us about the development of campus courses.",
"To show the differences between cam... | Andy Steele lives just a few blocks from the campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D., so commuting to class isn't the problem. But he doesn't like lectures much, isn't a morning person, and wants time during the day to restore motorcycles.
So Steele, a full-time senior business major, has been taking as many classes as he can from the South Dakota State system's online offerings. He gets better grades and learns more, he says, and insists he isn't missing out on the college experience.
"I still know a lot of people from my first two years living on campus, and I still meet a lot of people," he says. But now, he sets his own schedule.
At least 2.3 million people took some kind of online courses, according to a recent survey by The Sloan Consortium, an online education group, and two-thirds of colleges offering "face-to-face" courses also offer online ones. But what were once two different types of classes are looking more and more alike and often falling into the same pool of students.
At some schools, online courses originally intended for non-traditional students living far from campus have proved surprisingly popular with on-campus students. A recent study found 42 percent of the students enrolled in its distance education courses were located on campus at the university that was hosting the online courses.
Numbers vary depending on the policies of particular colleges, but other schools also have students mixing and matching online and "face-to-face" credits. Motives range from lifestyle to adapting a job schedule to getting into high--demand courses.
Washington State had about 325 on-campus undergraduates taking one or more distance courses last year. As many as 9,000 students took both distance and in-person classes at Arizona State last year.
"Business is really about providing choices to their customers, and that's really what we want to do," said Sheila Aaker, extended services coordinator at Black Hills State.
Many schools, such as Washington State and Arizona State, let departments and academic units decide who can take an online course. They say students with legitimate academic needs a conflict with another class, a course they need to graduate that isfull--oftenget permission, though they still must take some key classes in person. | high20126.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He did not have a happy life when he was young."
},
"options": [
"He died of cancer in 1998 and left nothing.",
"Later on, he took up drawing as his career.",
"Within a decade, he had became a young media tycoon in the world.... | A French billionaire used to have a rough time when he was young. Later he carved out a career for himself in the field of drawing sales. Within ten years, he had become a young media tycoon in France. He died of cancer in 1998.
A French newspaper published his will after his death, in which he claimed:"I was a poor guy. Before I reach the threshold of heaven, I leave my secret of how to become rich to the world. Anyone who can answer the question 'What is the most absent for the poor? ' will have discovered my secret of becoming rich. He will have my congratulations. My deposit of one million francs in the private safe of my bank will be the prize for his wisdom in uncovering the riddle of poverty."
Many people responded to the publicized will. The answers, as one might imagine, were various. The majority of them thought the most absent for the poor was money. Some stated that what the poor most needed was opportunity. Still others thought that the poor needed skills to make money. The rest of the answers claimed that poverty could be attributed to the absence of help, love, attractiveness, name-brand clothes, and even a presidency of a state.
On the first anniversary of the billionaire's passing, his lawyer and representative opened his private safe in the bank; the secret of getting rich was unfolded. The billionaire believed that the most absent of the poor was the ambition of getting rich.
It was a nine-year-old girl who _ . Why did she regard "ambition" as the most absent for the poor? The day she was officially awarded the one million francs, she said: "Every time my elder sister brought her boyfriend home, she always warned me not to be ambitious. Not to be ambitious! So, I thought perhaps ambition was something that brought what you wanted." | high20898.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Seven."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Five.",
"Seven.",
"Eight."
],
"question": "How many artists' paintings are on show at the special exhibition?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | New picture
The National Gallery now has a fine _ by the 18th century Dutch painter Jan van Os.This large picture (89.1 cm x 71cm) of flowers and fruit is painted in light bright colours on wood.It is one of the first pictures of this type in the Gallery.The picture is signed and dated 1777 and 1778.It is not unusual for a picture to be dated two years: the artist waited for particular flowers to come out in their different seasons in order to paint them.This picture was given to the Gallery by Miss Violet Churchman in memory of her sister Ida Nancy. It is now on show in Room 25.
Special exhibition
The exhibition "Painting in Spain During the Late 18th Century" opened in the Sunley Room on 15 March.Recently the Gallery has bought works by three Spanish painters of this period--Paret, Melendez and Francisco Bayeu, who are the focus of the exhibition.These three artists are also joined by Francisco's brother Ramon, by Antonio Gonzalez and two Italians who worked in Spain during these years--Corrado Giaquinto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.The exhibition runs until 31 May.
Lecture news Lectures will be given along with the special exhibition every Wednesday.On 8 April, Lizzie Barker will discuss the work of Melendez, while on 15 April, Sarah Symmons will lecture on Luis Patter.On 22 and 29 April, Juliet Wilson will talk about Francisco Bayeu.On 25 April, a Saturday, Erika Langmuir will explain how artists often "tell a story" through their pictures. | high1915.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Friends can provide us with support."
},
"options": [
"Friendship is not important in our life.",
"Friends have nothing to do with our health and energy.",
"Friends can provide us with support.",
"Relatives can not beco... | Friendship continues to remain central to our lives. Friends often affect our health and energy. More and more people are increasingly turning towards their friends for support and sharing rather than just communicating with their s. We may have a very unclear understanding of what makes a friend but we all want to have a good number of friends around us. There are certain things you do to help you make friends or at least help you get close to people whom you want to make friends with.
The first step to make friends with people is to make them like you. If they don't like you in the first place, it is unlikely that they'll be eager to become your friends. To let someone know that you are interested in him, simple _ s like a little smile and calling him by his name can help. To make the other person feel important, you need to be a good listener and to encourage him to talk. Give your honest and sincere opinion, but do not make fun of him.
The second step is to develop trust in each other. You need to share opinions with this person and it is necessary for you to develop a habit of seeing things from his point of view. To become the best of friends, you must show concern and consideration for your friends' desires and opinions.
The third and final step is to show your support and encouragement towards your friend. Moreover, you also need to be very clear about your expectations from your friend. If what you expect from the person you want to be a friend matches with what that person can and wants to do in friendship, the developing friendship between you and your friend is sure to be easy and successful. | high22057.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The rou jia mo has a history of more than 2200 years."
},
"options": [
"The mo people eat today is baked in a clay oven.",
"The world's first hamburger which was originated in the Shanxi Province of China is popular around the worl... | The world's first hamburger doesn't come from where you think it comes from. It wasn't invented in the United States, and it didn't originate in Germany. No, the world's first hamburger comes from China.
If you're scratching your head right now, you're not alone. But Chinese hamburgers are very real and they definitely predate the hamburgers we call our own in the U.S. Known as rou jia mo, which translates to "meat burger" or "meat sandwich", they consist of chopped meat inside a pita-like _ , and they've been around since the Qin Dynasty, from about 221 BC to 207 BC. Despite the differences between this Chinese street food and our American-style burgers, the rou jia mo has been called the world's first hamburger.
The rou jia mo originated in the Shanxi Province of China, and is now eaten all over the country. It's typically prepared and eaten on the street. The dough for the bun, or mo, consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and maybe yeast. Of course recipes may vary, but this basic equation makes for a chewy and subtle pillow for the delicious filling. While the mo is traditionally baked in a clay oven, today it's often fried in a pan. They may look a little like Chinese steamed buns or baozi, but the dough for those are, of course, steamed, not baked or fried.
The meat filling might consist of chopped pork, beef, lamb or chicken that has been stewed with a variety of spices, like ginger, cloves, coriander and star anise. You might also find herbs like cilantro or greens like lettuce garnishing the sandwich. | high12194.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they are very alike"
},
"options": [
"they are dressed in the same clothes",
"they are dressed in the same color",
"they are very alike",
"they are standing side by side"
],
"question": "It is difficult to tell ... | There are two types of twins; identical and non-identical twins. Identical twins are formed from a single egg in mother's body which divides to from two separate babies. Identical twins look the same, and are often dressed by their parents in clothes of the same colors. It is often difficult to tell identical twins from each other, even when they are standing side by side. Non-identical twins come into being when the mother produces two separated eggs a the same time, both of which grow to form babies. In this case the twins look like normal brothers and sisters and are easy to tell one from the other.
In the 1970s and 1980s a scientist did some research into twins. He invited many pairs of identical twins to university and asked them to take part in a week of tests. He was particularly interested in adopted twins who had been separated at birth. He would give the twins different kinds of tests to study their speed of thinking, their speech, their memory, the ways they saw and heard different things, and so on. Time and time again he found separated twins who preferred clothes of the same color, used the same kind of shaving soap, wore the same shaped square glasses and the same colored socks.
There is a third type of twins, but it is a very unusual one. Twins which are joined together at birth are known in western countries as Siamese twins. | high15823.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"4",
"5",
"6",
"3"
],
"question": "The writer offered _ examples to support his argument.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"... | The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is plagues that flesh receives. The most widespread fallacy of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches , cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp , naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter?Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors such as aspirin, but all they do is relieve the symptoms. | high259.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "taking scheduled flights instead of helicopters"
},
"options": [
"taking private jets that are not carbon-heavy",
"taking helicopters instead of private jets",
"taking trains instead of scheduled flights",
"taking sched... | Prince Charles yesterday pledged to reduce the royal impact on the environment through sweeping changes to his personal lifestyle and official schedule. The prince will replace carbon-heavy private jets and helicopters with scheduled flights and train services.
The move came as Prince Charles urged business leaders to publish the environmental pact of their activities. He said, "Few accountants and business decision-makers ask, 'How much of our critical natural resource is left? How many miles of polar ice cap has our business helped melt this year? By how many inches have we raised sea levels? How many species have we put at risk? How many homes will be flooded , how many people will die of thirst or starvation because of our activities?' These are not comfortable questions, but, by God, they need to be asked. "
He added, "At the moment these costs do not appear in anyone's books...Yet they are real, they are incurred now and in a ly short time, the damage being caused may be beyond remedy. "He said the world was "running up _ in history, but with little or no thought for how the bill will ever be paid. ''
Flanked by the prime minister and business and community leaders at St James's Palace, the prince said his new"accounting for sustainability" project would give consumers the power to choose products that caused less damage to the planet*
Duchy Originals, the prince's food company, is taking steps to work out how much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas are emitted in growing, processing and distributing its products. The changes to the prince's travel arrangements announced yesterday are part of a wider review of the carbon footprint associated with activities at all three of his residences:Clarence House in London, Highgrove and Birkhall on the Balmorals estate, as well as the activities of his 21 personal and 1 0 5 full-time staff . Measures include a review of electricity use, commuter and other staff travel and are intended to identify further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. The review will report in June, when Clarence House will announce annual targets to reduce carbon emissions. | high23349.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Nationality Cultural Palace Theatre"
},
"options": [
"Capital Paradise",
"Dongchuang Theatre",
"Capital Gymnasium",
"Nationality Cultural Palace Theatre"
],
"question": "If you are a music lover you can go to ... | What's onOscar Film Themes Symphony Concert
Film highlights accompanied by live performances of movie theme music by the China Opera and Dance Drama Theatre Symphony Orchestra, which has recorded the music for many films. Familiar tunes will come from such flicks as Titanic, Jurassic Park and Waterloo Bridge.
Where: Nationality Cultural Palace Theatre
When: March 8, 7:30 pm
Admission:80-380 yuan
Tel:6528 7674 ext 508
Fantastic View All the Way
The mountains in this area are not very high, but the vistas are excellent. This walk is gentle and very interesting, going through valleys, over passes, along a ridge and through a few little tranquil villages that are located in amazing places. Many sites along the walk offer panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.
Where: Pinggu, northeast of Beijing
When: March 9, meet 8:30 a.m. outside Starbucks at Lido Hotel, or 9 am at Capital Paradise front gate, return 5 p.m.
Admission: adults 150 yuan, children 100 yuan
Tel: 13701003694 Email: fjhikers @ yahoo. com..uk
Spring Greetings
Paintings in bold colors in a traditional Chinese style by young artist Tian Xifeng are displayed to welcome the spring. Tian is a student of famous bird-and-flower painting artist Wang Qing. He has won several prizes at various national painting exhibitions and developed a style emphasizing vivid close-ups of natural scenes.
Where: Melodic Gallery, 14 Jianwai Dajie, opposite Friendship Store
When:till March 31, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Admission: free
Tel: 65188123
Cala, My Dog
Directed by Lu Xuechang, starring Ge You. The story is about a middle- aged working man, known as Lao Er, whose chief source of stability and comfort in life is his dog, Cala . One day, when his wife is out walking Cala, a policeman confiscates the unregistered canine. As Lao Er endeavors to recover his dog , the difficult circumstances of his life are revealed. Chinese with English subtitle .
Where: Dongchuang Theatre, 3 Xinzhongjie, Dongzhimenwai
When: March 13 and 20, 8: 30 p.m.
Admission: 20 yuan
Tel: 64169253 | high9391.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "gets along well with here parents"
},
"options": [
"is always in trouble",
"has few friends",
"gets along well with here parents",
"relies too much on her parents"
],
"question": "We can infer that Sophia _ .... | Sophia Richardson: Both my parents are really important to me. My parents are really more than friends. They're the people I can open up and talk to. Talking to them is like talking to one of my friends. They've been there for me and given me good advice on a lot of my problems.
Stacey Avnes: My Jewish big sister is important to me. Her name is Lauren. We've been together for two years. My mom is a single and she is very busy. Lauren is someone who helps me deal with all this stuff because she's someone I can talk to. She's like a second mom to me and also a best friend. If I have any problem, I can call her and she'll come and pick me up and we'll go to the park and talk.
Jean Park: It's my uncle who is important to me. When I'm with him, I'm grateful for the small things--- being alive and healthy; having a good family and friends. He's also very grateful for the small things and gives back to his community.
Melaku Shierfaw: My father is important to me. He came here from a rich family in Africa. But when he came, he didn't take any money and started fresh. He showed that he could do everything by himself without the help of others and he's successful. It shows that I can do anything as long as I try.
Kalin Scott- Wright: My great grandmother is in charge of our whole family. She was born in 1920. I know she went through a lot in her life. She was a very strong woman and she raised my mom and took her in. She had a kind spirit and loved me and my brother. She'll always be there for me although she's not alive any longer. | high22043.txt |
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