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A group of Filipinos were yelling at us . Guess what , they were my cousins officemate from Toronto ! I thought we were lucky to have called Trusted Tours and Attractions for the wonderful sightseeing tours experience we had in New York . | What may be the reason for them yelling at him ? | To get his attention . | ['To embarrass him .', 'None of the above choices .', 'To make him mad .'] |
Jayne Fisher watched anxiously as her 17-year-old daughter Katie pulled her lamb into the Madison County Junior Livestock for sale.
Katie was battling cancer. This was her first chance in months to be outdoors having fun, away from hospitals and treatments, and she had come with high hopes for earning some money for her treatment. She had _ a little on her decision to part with the lamb, but with lamb averaging two dollars a pound, Katie was looking forward to it. So the bidding(began.
That's when Roger Wilson, the auctioneer , had a sudden inspiration that brought some unexpected results. "We sort of let everybody here know that Katie had a situation that wasn't too pleasant," is how he tells it. He hoped that his introduction would push the bidding up, at least a little bit.
Well, the lamb sold for $11.50 a pound, but things didn't stop there. The buyer paid up, then decided to give the lamb back so that it could be sold again.
That started a chain reaction, with families buying the animal and giving it back, over and over again. When local businesses started buying and returning, the earnings really began to pile up. The first sale is the only one Katie's mom remembers. After that, she was crying too hard as the crowd kept shouting, "Resell! Resell! "
Katie's lamb was sold 36 times that day, and the last buyer gave it back for good. Katie ended up with more than $16,000 to pay her medical expenses----and she still got to keep her famous lamb. | Katie sold her lamb in order to _ . | earn an amount of money to cover her medical expenses | ['help her mother support their family and keep more lambs', 'show her lamb was a famous one and raise some money', 'get some unexpected results from a chain reaction'] |
DEAR AMY: We recently had to put our cat down. It came out of the blue. We had no idea that he had health problems, and we woke up early one morning to the cat crying out painfully. We immediately rushed him to the vet's where the vet said that at best treatment might lengthen his life by two to three months. We did not want to see him suffer, so we chose to kill the cat in a painless way.
I am having a rough time! I cry when I am alone. I cry when I see pet commercials on television. I put away everything that reminds me of the cat. But the last sight of seeing the cat in pain plays over and over in my head. My kids seem alright with what has happened, but why am I struggling?
It has only been one week since his passing, so I hope things will get better. Do you have any suggestions?
Yours,
Sad
DEAR SAD: There is no loss quite like the loss of a pet; these animals keep us company through important life passages and are beloved witnesses to our human lives.
I understand your instinct to put away all of your cat's things, but it may help you now to memorialize your pet by using these things. Each family member can write down favorite things about him or memories of him; read their memories aloud and put the papers inside his bowl. The idea is to replace those painful last memories with much more lively memories taking place over the most of the animal's life.
Time will then do its job, which is to affect your feelings. And then, when you're ready, I hope you will adopt another animal and give it the opportunity to share your life.
Yours,
Amy | The author cried when seeing pet commercials on television because . | she thought of her lovely cat | ['she was alone at home', "she didn't like to see the things of the cat", "her children showed no feeling over the cat's death"] |
If you walk slowly through downtown Helsinki during the day, taking in the splendid 19thcentury buildings, white boats and noise of passing trams , you will start to understand why it is called a city of two colors: white and blue.
The sea is always present in Helsinki. When you take a walk over the great open space of the central square, you will hear seabirds screaming. When you take the tram ,suddenly and unexpectedly, you are faced with a calm, shining blue sea. You may notice that people in Helsinki do not rush about as in other cities. Instead ,they walk along the roads, politely letting other people by.
An usual way to see Helsinki for the first time is to start out by the boats. You will walk by the elderly women selling fish and vegetables in the market square and find yourself in front of a beautiful park. You may enjoy a pleasant walk in the park for a few hours and then take the tram. Trams are the perfect way to get around in Helsinki. Watching the old houses, parks, theatres, churches, shops, restaurants and people in the streets, you may have a slightly sad film feeling to it.
The pale summer nights are another wonder in the city. Following the waterfront of the city after sunset, you couldn't help stopping and listening to the sweet silence, interrupted only by the screaming seabirds and leaving fishing boats.
However, in some way. Helsinki is also the most modern city in northern Europe. You will surely want to visit the white Glass Palace, the modern art museum, and all those extremely popular cafes and design stores. | Helsinki is called a city of two colors mainly because of the colors of its _ | old buildings, boats and the sea | ['19th century buildings, boats and parks', '19th century buildings, boats and seabirds', 'old houses, parks and trams'] |
The U.S. Supreme Court plunged into the politically messy issue of redrawing congressional and legislative districts Tuesday, in a case that could have profound implications for both major political parties for years to come.
The high court heard oral arguments in a case brought by Democratic voters in Wisconsin. They argued that a Republican redistricting plan for the state assembly was so overtly partisan that it violated constitutional protections of freedom of speech and equal protection under the law for Wisconsin voters.
A lower federal court sided with the challengers last year and against Republican state officials in Wisconsin. Officials argued Tuesday that they had not violated any constitutional rights when they drew up new boundaries for state assembly districts. "Our legislature followed traditional redistricting criteria, which is what they have been required to do and we think they followed that and that the justices will agree," Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel told reporters in front of the court following the oral arguments.
The process of state legislatures redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries has been enmeshed in politics for two centuries. Early on, the process was referred to as “gerrymandering,” where one party or the other tries to gain an electoral advantage by redrawing district boundaries to maximize their voting clout.
Republicans have had success in several states in redrawing congressional and legislative voting districts and that has helped them maintain their majority in the House of Representatives. Democrats have come under fire as well for partisan maps in states where they control the legislature, like Maryland and Massachusetts.
During Tuesday’s oral arguments, the more liberal high court justices seemed open to the case brought by Democratic voters. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said a ruling in favor of the Republican districting plan in Wisconsin would encourage others to stack the deck against their political opponents. “What becomes of the precious right to vote?” Ginsburg asked during the one-hour session. | Who is the a leading liberal judge on the Supreme Court | Ruth Bader Ginsberg | ['not enough information', 'Sonia Sotomayer', 'Ellen Kagan'] |
Harvard student Julie Zauzmer turned 20 on January 22, and her birthday couldn't have been better: She got to working the overnight shift at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter.
That might seem an extraordinary act of selflessness for someone turning 20. But there's increasing evidence that commitment to community service is becoming much more ordinary to today's young adults.
"Young adults are doing more volunteer service than in any point in history,'' said Scott Seider, an assistant professor of education at Boston University who studies the civic development of young adults.
At Harvard, the Winthrop Street Homeless Shelter is one of 86 social service programs associated with the Phillips Brooks House Association, which is a student-run nonprofit organization. Students can work with deaf children, bring pets to nursing homes, and prepare Chinese students to become US citizens, and so on.
Volunteerism develops well outside of colleges, too. Applications to AmeriCorps have risen to a very high level, jumping from 91,399 in 2008 to 258,829 in 2010. City Year, which puts young people in high-poverty schools as tutors and mentors for at-risk students, has had a 140 percent increase in applications since its 2007-2008 service year. Citizen Schools, which uses volunteers to work with students in middle schools, has had a 28 percent jump in applicants between 2008 and 2009.
"Most of my friends know it's their duty to give back before they settle down,'' said Samantha Wolf, a 23-year-old Boston University graduate serving with City Year in a Mattapan school.
City Year corps member Antonio Gutierrez, 22, graduated last year from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and is applying for admission to law schools, but this year he is tutoring and mentoring students at the Blackstone Elementary School in the South End.
"I grew up in similar circumstances,'' said Gutierrez, who said he was a weak student until enrichment programs changed his academic trajectory . Raised by a single mother in low-income housing across the street from City Year's South End Headquarters, he used to watch the red-jacketed corps members come and go, and decided to become one someday. | What would be the best title for the text? | College students learn to give back | ['Volunteering spirit has disappeared', 'How to become a college student', 'The real life of young adults today'] |
You do something about twenty times a minute without even thinking about it--you breathe! In fact, every day you take about twenty-thousand breaths. The organs of your body that allow you to breathe are called your lungs. You have two of them that work together, located in your chest inside the rib cage.
The main purpose of your lungs is to breathe in good air and breathe out bad air. The good air contains oxygen, which your body needs. The bad air is a gas called carbon dioxide, which your body cannot use. When you breathe in through your nose or mouth, air travels down the back of your throat. It passes through your voice box and into your trachea, or windpipe. Your trachea is divided into two air passage tubes. One leads to your left lung. The other leads to your right lung. Inside your lungs, oxygen is removed from the air you breathe and pumped into blood cells. Your lungs also get rid of harmful carbon dioxide from these cells. This process takes place inside hundreds of millions of tiny air sacs.
Each adult lung is about the size of a football. When they are healthy, your lungs feel a little like a sponge and are pinkish-gray. When lungs are damaged by smoking, they can appear gray or have black spots on them.One disease that is very common in children involves the lungs. It's asthma. Asthma narrows the breathing tubes, making it harder to breathe.
You probably already know that your lungs are important when you swim. But you may not know this--your lungs are the only part of your body that can float on water! | What do lungs look like when they've been damaged from smoking? | They may look gray or have black spots on them. | ['They look like a sponge.', 'They are like footballs.', 'They are pinkish-gray.'] |
I stopped watching for a while because the Africa storylines got a bit repetitive , and Carter kept moaning all the time , but when I started again for a little while , he and Gates were being all competitive and great ove Neela . Then he was in that accident and I thought he 'd died , and so was immensely happy when Neela found him in that hospital , alive . It was a total * GASP * moment when he was pushed into view and he just ... had no legs . Poor Ray . | How did he push into view ? | With the help of nurses . | ['None of the above choices .', 'On a gurney .', 'With his arms .'] |
About 90 percent of Chinese believe the polarization between the rich and poor is "serious" in China, according to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily. And more than 80 percent of the respondents surveyed said something must be done to narrow the expanding gap between the rich and poor, while 14.1 percent said it was necessary.
The polarization has aroused wide concern among the public in recent years. The State Development and Reform Commission said the _ had reached 0.47 for China, up from o.29 two decades ago. Usually, a country with a number above 0.4 is warned to pay attention to the income inequality problem.
To find out the people's view, the survey covered 10,250 respondents, between the ages of 20 and 30 with a college education and a monthly salary between 1,000 and 3,000 yuan. Surprisingly, most disagreed with the view of experts who claim the urban-rural difference is causing the widening gap. More than 70 percent of the respondents believed that " the group of special interests" is the prime reason for the polarization, followed by "people in power" 68 percent, and "bosses" 50 percent.
Another unexpected finding is that almost all agreed that a good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth. About 95 percent said rich people are not necessarily those who are able to speak English or have a college education.
Today in China, rich people , accounting for 10 percent of the population, control 45 percent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 percent of the population, only control 1.5 percent, according to an investigation published by the National Bureau of Statistics last June. | What's the best title of the passage? | Rich-Poor Divide Serious, Study Finds | ['Close the Gap between the Rich and Poor', 'Surveys conducted by China Youth Daily', 'Higher education, Higher pay'] |
When you turn on the radio, you hear an advertisement. When you watch television, you hear and see
an advertisement. If you turn the pages of a newspaper or magazine, again you find an advertisement. If
you walk down the street, you see one advertising board after another. All day, every day, people who
want to sell you something compete to catch your attention. As a result, advertisements are almost
everywhere.
In the West, advertisements are the fuel that makes mass media work. Many TV stations, newspapers, magazines, radio stations are privately owned. The government does not give them money. So where does
the money come from? From advertisements. Without advertisements, there would not be these private
businesses.
Have you ever asked yourself what advertising is? Through the years, people have given different
answers to the question. For some time it was felt that advertising was a means of "keeping your name
before the public." And some people thought that advertising was "truth well told." Now more and more
people describe it in this way: Advertising is the paid, non-personal, and usually persuasive description of
goods, services and ideas by identified sponsors through various media.
First, advertising is usually paid for. Various sponsors pay for the advertisements we see, read, and
hear over the various media. Second, advertising is non-personal. It is not face to face communication.
Although you may feel that a message in a certain advertisement is aimed directly at you, in reality, it is
directed at large groups of people. Third, advertising is usually persuasive. Directly or indirectly it tells
people to do something. All advertisements try to make people believe that the product, idea, or service
advertised can do good to them. Fourth, the sponsor of the advertisement must be identified. From the
advertisement, we can see if the sponsor is a company, or an organization, or an individual. Fifth,
advertising reaches us through traditional and nontraditional mass media. Included in the traditional
media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and films. Nontraditional media include the mail,
matchbox covers, and billboards. | According to the passage, who are most probably paying for the advertisements? | All of the above. | ['Companies.', 'Organizations.', 'Individuals.'] |
Houseplants clean the air and brighten a room. Occasionally, they drive us mad as we wonder how exactly we managed to kill yet another "unkillable" houseplant. (In that way, they provide great lessons in perseverance as well!) But it looks like there's one more great reason to grow houseplants: their presence in your workspace might actually make you smarter.
According to a recent study published in The Journal of Environmental Psychology, just having plants in your work space is enough to increase your attention span. An increase in attention span means that we're able to remember more of what we read. To test the hypotheses, the study's authors gave subjects a Reading Span Task, which requires reading sentences aloud, then remembering the last word in each sentence. This requires reading, memorization, and recall abilities, and switching between the three.
The researchers had their entire test pool complete Reading Span Tasks to get a baseline reading. Then they moved some of the people to a room with no plants, and others to a room that had four plants around the desk. They were all asked to repeat the Reading Span Tasks, and the people who worked near a plant improved overall, while those without plants stayed roughly the same.
Beauty, fresh air, the joy of caring for another living thing -- all great reasons to have a few houseplants around. If they help increase attention spans, all the better! | People in the study were asked to_. | change between the three abilities | ['read sentences slowly', 'recall all the information', 'memorize each sentence correctly'] |
This was start of his downward spiral . Shorty ( my friend ) shows up at the bar , I make introductions , and HM and B continue to talk while Shorty and I pass the tine . Suddenly , HM is intent on leaving , NOW , and walking across rhe street to a country bar . I m like , ccool , whatever , th ats dine , and Shorty moves to come along with us . | Why did they decide to leave ? | One of them urgently wanted to go . | ['B decided he wanted to go NOW .', 'The bar they were in closed .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
I grew up thinking I was dirt poor , because my mother constantly complained about everything . Little did I know , it was because she was a spendthrift and was financially retarded . I must want my Mother 's money . Why else would I deprive her of 3 week vacations in Maui every January ? She 's lived so long , she deserves to pamper herself .... | What state may i have taken our vacations ? | Hawaii | ['Texas', 'None of the above choices .', 'California'] |
First , he is not my doctor . He was one I saw when my PCM was not available when I could n't see my PCM ( he is in the group ) . Well , I was a little attracted , but thought nothing about it , until I recently left a message for him . He said that he had been thinking about me that week , and asked me how I was feeling . | What happened when I could n't see my PCM ? | I became attracted to another doctor . | ['None of the above choices .', 'I left my PCM for another one .', 'My doctor left a message for me .'] |
I thought I might get some good ideas if I went down to the hospital.
I always have stayed away from hospitals. People died or were born. But now I thought I might get some idea if I went down to where it was all happening, the being born and the dying. Mostly the dying. It was the dying that interested me.
I sat on a bench in a sort of waiting room. I wanted to call it a green room; it wasn't a place where the patients would wait to be called by the doctor; it was a place where the relatives would wait while the patient was in their room. It had a coffee bar, and comfortable couches, with trendy, muted colors on the walls and floor. Everything was clean and modern without being cold, a homogenized balancing act designed to keep everyone calm during their stressful time. It was a green room; patients were "guests"; their families were "guests" as well. Here was where the families would sit and be feted while they waited to be called out to perform, to smile and encourage or to don faces of appropriate mournfulness. The old ones would put on smiles, the young ones would look sad.
I think I went there because it seemed to me that it was the place richest in emotional impact. It reeked of spent emotions, and the emotions were made all the stronger, here in the green room, by the efforts at suppression--the muted walls and gourmet coffees and scones, the overstuffed loveseats and couches, as if those in grief should not be permitted to sit on benches or folding chairs. It absolutely reeked of hush and hidden feeling. It was worse than a church. It was worse than a highschool hallway. It was more universal, more basic, something even the children could comprehend. | Who did the author mention would smile in the waiting room? | The old ones | ['not enough information', 'The doctors', 'The young ones'] |
Herta Muller, the Romanian-born German writer, has won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Literature.The award was announced in Stockholm on Thursday.
Ms.Muller, 56, immigrated to Germany from Romania in 1987.She is the first German writer to win the Nobel in literature since Gunter Grass in 1999 and the 13th winner writing in German since the prize was first given in 1901.She is the 12th woman to win the literature prize.But unlike previous winners like Doris Lessing and V.S.Naipaul, Ms.Muller is ly unknown outside of literary circles in Germany.
"I am very surprised and still cannot believe it," Ms.Muller said in a statement delivered by her publisher in Germany."I can't say anything more at the moment."
She has written some 20 books, but just 5 have been translated into English, including the novels "The Land of Green Plums" and "The Appointment."
At the news conference on Thursday at the German Publishers & Booksellers Association in Berlin, where she lives, Ms.Muller, wearing all black and sitting on a leopard-print chair, appeared nervous with all the cameras flashing on her.
When asked what it meant that her name would now be mentioned in the same breath as German greats like Thomas Mann and Heinrich Boll, Ms.Muller remained philosophical."I am now nothing better and I'm nothing worse," she said, adding: "My inner thing is writing.That's what I can hold on to."
Earlier in the day, at a news conference in Stockholm, Peter England, secretary of the Swedish Academy, said Ms.Muller was honored for her "very, very distinct special language" and because "she has really a story to tell about cruelty and repression in a village much like the one Muller grew up in."
The awards ceremony is planned for Dec.10 in Stockholm.As the winner, Ms.Muller will receive about $1.4 million. | Ms.Muller was surprised at the news about her winning the award because _ . | she thought she was just an unknown writer in this field | ['she was born a Romanian and became a famous German writer', 'she had missed a lot of chances to win the prize', 'she had expected to win the prize eagerly for long'] |
Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.
"I don't sing." said the man.
But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!"
The waiter shouted across the room, " Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!"
So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the songMona Lisa sung so beautifully!
He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent. | The lady asked the player to sing a song because _ . | she wanted to have a change | ['she had paid him for this', 'she knew him very well', 'she enjoyed his singsing'] |
We are much happier in our new house because it has a large garden, and you know how enthusiastic we both are about gardening. When we moved in a month ago, Mary wanted to get a dog to keep out burglars. However, we finally decided that it would be cheaper to put an iron grille in front of the door and get a burglar alarm.
Last week, I went to a shop and bought an alarm for just over PS200. It consists of a control unit with three smaller units. I put the control unit in the lounge and put the other units in place by the front door, back door and lounge windows.
That night I soon fell asleep because I was confident that no one could get into our house undetected. At about 1:50 a.m. I woke up suddenly and heard the siren. It was like an ambulance driving right through our bedroom. I couldn't leave the siren on all night. I went downstairs in the dark. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I switched on the light and looked around. Oh my gosh. The back door was unlocked. I rushed to lock it and it was just at that exact moment that the 'burglar' disappeared behind a curtain. Guess what? It was an ordinary house lizard .Apparently the alarm system had been made for American or European homes in which lizards are never seen. I switched the alarm off and sat down to watch. A few moments later, a lizard ran across a wall, right in front of one of the alarm units.
I won't bother to finish this story but if you'd like a burglar alarm system free of charge, just let us know. | How does the author sound when telling the story? | Humorous. | ['Curious.', 'Anxious.', 'Cautious.'] |
It is the mingling of classes that does this sort of mischief , I am convinced . The divisions of society ought always to be respected ; every one should know his place . Do not you remember the verse , " The rich man in his castle , the poor man at his gate , God made them high and lowly , and ordered their estate " ? Surely you have heard that in Church on innumerable Sundays ... unless , can it be ? | Does it state that people must stay in their class ? | It says God has ordered it | ['It says God made them all high', 'It says God made a different order', 'It says the poor man stays by his castle'] |
People travel for a lot of reasons.Some travelers go to see battlefields or religious shrines.Others are looking for culture,or simply want to have their photos taken in front of famous places.But most Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it.Residents of cities like London,Copenhagen,and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short and much of the rest of the year is in the rain.Every summer,more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation.They all come for the same reason: sun.
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries.Italy's 30,000 hotels are booked every summer.And 13 million people camp out on French Beaches,parks,and roadsides.Spain's long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else.37 million tourists visit yearly,or one tourist for every person living in Spain.
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can handle.The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth.And with increased tourism,it's getting worse.The French can't figure out what to do with all the garbage left by campers around St.Tropez.And in many places,swimming is dangerous because of pollution.
None of this,however,is damaging anyone's fun.The Mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists.Obviously,they don't go there for clean water.They stand traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches.They don't even mind the pollution.No matter how dirty the water is,the coastline still looks beautiful.And as long as the sun shines,it's still better than sitting in the cold rain in Berlin,London,or else. | According to the passage,which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the others? | Spain | ['Italy', 'France', 'Greece'] |
Brigid has her right wrist in a splint . Her arm may be fractured ; the Xrays were unclear . She was playing in the hallway , hooting to herself and playing with her echo . She was quite pleased with herself at being allowed to play where she is normally forbidden . We were all enjoying watching her play so happily . Until there was a thump , followed by her cries . The door off Gabrielle 's closet was removed , since it did n't work right , and kept getting stuck . It was layed down , leaning against the hallway wall . | Why does Brigid seem to be in so much pain ? | A part of her appendage may be hurt . | ['She hurt her ankle .', 'None of the above choices .', 'She hurt her fear .'] |
A few years ago, my younger sister and I were the first to board our flight for Norfolk, Virginia. Just as we were about to board the plane, a mechanic came out of the aircraft and blocked the door with his arms. He turned to the flight attendant and hurriedly stated, "We got problems!"
I thought to myself, "Why did I have to be the one to hear that? Why couldn't I have been at the back of the line? I didn't need to know that!" Very soon we were back in the terminal, waiting, and then finally back on the plane. I waited for the pilot to give an explanation. Pilots take courses to ease passengers' mind, right? They know what to say to calm nerves.
Unfortunately, I didn't think this pilot took that course. Soon his voice thundered throughout the plane, "Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. We had no power on the plane. We have a generator on the ground right now, and we're going to jump-start the engines. Once we get them going, we'll get up in the air and head to Norfolk, and see what happens."
See what happens? We were going to get up in the air, and see what happens? Couldn't we have another plan, one that's been worked out just a little better?
At this point, all I could do was to laugh nervously. One woman started yelling, "Oh no! We're going to crash!" There were sighs of desperation and anxiety spreading throughout the cabin. Finally, we got up in the air thirty minutes later, and what happened? Nothing ---other than thrust and lift. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched the ground than a round of applause burst out, as everyone throughout the airplane simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
Although, I did sincerely like to have a plan better than "see what happens" worked out when flying --- it really isn't such a bad life strategy. Success will never be guaranteed. The best thing you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens. Sometimes adjustments would be made in the air, or shall we say, in the middle of the process. | The purpose of the text is to _ . | tell readers a life strategy | ['introduce a frightening flight experience', 'prove that taking a plane is dangerous', 'show a strategy of making plans'] |
"He who can have patience can have what he wants," said Benjamin Franklin. They say patience is a virtue seldom found in women and never in men. This may or may not be true, but it's fair to say that there is nobody on the earth who couldn't benefit from more patience.
Patience is necessary for success.
It is said that "all good things come to those who wait". Many of the great scientists have remarked that their scientific discoveries came only through patient perseverance . Edison said, "Genius was 99% perspiration and only 1% inspiration." Patience teaches us to value the effort and not just the success. It is a mistake to think that happiness can only be obtained through achievements.
Patience brings peace of mind.
When we desire certain outcomes , we'll have no peace of mind. Even if one desire is filled, the nature of desire is that more will appear in its place. There is no end to human desires. Patience means we will work with an attitude of detachment .
Patience can transform suffering into joy.
Throughout life we suffer injustice; the best healer is patience. Through being patient and accepting our situation, it's quite possible for our suffering to be transformed.
Sri Chinmoy said, "If failure has the strength to turn your life into bitterness itself, then patience has the strength to turn your life into the sweetest joy." | Whose saying supports the idea that patience makes a person joyful? | Chinmoy's | ["Franklin's", "Edison's", "Einstein's"] |
( Just for the record , I have had a crush on Matt since the 7th grade . Unfortunately for me , his partner , Andy , won his heart . So , instead we sat on a ship to the Bahamas together last weekend and evaluated the hot guys . | What would Matt and the author be doing if it were n't for Andy ? | They would be making out . | ['They would be fishing .', 'They would be sunbathing .', 'They would be hitting on girls .'] |
Geiser has denied harming any prisoners , though he said he had orders to shoot prisoners who tried to escape . He was granted a United States visa in 1956 and became a citizen in 1962 . He did not cite his Nazi ties on his U.S. visa application , but has said he was never asked about them . Geiser is not accused of lying about his Nazi ties . | What type of lesson is is the post ? | History | ['Literature', 'Economics', 'None of the above choices .'] |
Pop stars today enjoy what once only belonged to the royalty. Wherever they go, people turn out in their thousands to greet them. The crowds go wild trying to catch a brief glimpse of their smiling, color1fully dressed idols. The stars are transported in their chauffeur driven Rolls Royces, private helicopters or executive airplanes. They are surrounded by a permanent entourage of managers, press agents and bodyguards. Photographs of them appear regularly in the press and all their comings and goings are reported, for, like royalty, pop stars are news. If they enjoy many of the privileges of royalty, they certainly share many of the inconveniences as well. It is dangerous for them to make unscheduled appearances in public. They must be constantly shielded from the adoring crowds who idolize them. They are no longer private individuals, but public property. The financial rewards they receive for this sacrifice cannot be calculated, for their rates of pay are great.
And why not? Society has always rewarded its top entertainers lavishly. The great days of Hollywood have become legendary: famous stars enjoyed fame, wealth and adulation on an all time scale. By today's standards, the excesses of Hollywood do not seem quite so spectacular. A single gramophone record nowadays may earn much more in royalties than the films of the past ever did. The competition for the title "Top of the Pops" is fierce, but the rewards are truly huge.
It is only right that the stars should be paid in this way. Don't the top men in industry earn enormous salaries for the service they perform to their companies and their countries? Pop stars earn vast sums in foreign currency -- often more than large industrial companies -- and the taxman can only be grateful for their massive annual contributions to the exchequer . So who would envy them their rewards?
It's all very well for people in boring jobs to complain about the successes and rewards of others. People who make envious remarks should remember that the most famous stars represent only the tip of the iceberg. For every famous star, there are hundreds of others struggling to earn a living. A man working in a steady job and looking forward to a pension at the end of it has no right to expect very high rewards. He has chosen security and peace of mind, so there will always be a limit to what he can earn. But a man who attempts to become a star is taking enormous risks. He knows at the outset that only a handful of competitors ever get to the very top. He knows that years of concentrated effort may be rewarded with complete failure. But he knows, too, that the rewards for success are very high indeed: they are the payback for the huge risks involved and once he makes it, he will certainly earn them. That's the essence of private enterprise. | The author holds a(n) _ attitude towards the high income of pop stars. | approving | ['critical', 'optimistic', 'indifferent'] |
President Donald Trump is counting on congressional Republicans to enact a package of tax cuts in the coming weeks, in the process delivering his first major legislative achievement since taking office in January.
But even as Trump and his Republican allies close in on the goal of passing tax reform, the Russia investigation continues to be a major distraction.
The recent plea deal between Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and the office of special counsel Robert Mueller sent shockwaves around Washington and at the very least seemed to indicate the Russia probe is a long way from being completed.
Trump is banking on a tax cut victory to shore up his political base and show supporters and detractors alike that he is a man of his word when it comes to delivering on his campaign promises.
House and Senate negotiators are now working to resolve differences in the two versions with hopes of final votes in the coming weeks. But even if the tax plan is enacted into law, its impact is not likely to be felt for at least a year. And polls show the plan has less than majority support.
Trump insists the tax cuts will lead to economic growth and more jobs.
“I will tell you this is in a nonbraggadocio way,” Trump told supporters in Missouri recently. “There has never been a 10-month president that has accomplished what we have accomplished. That I can tell you.”
Democrats oppose the tax plan but lack the votes to stop it.
“It rewards the rich in terms of individuals and corporations at the expense of tens of millions of working middle class families in our country,” warned House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.
Despite his poor standing in national polls, just less than 40 percent approval in most surveys, Trump’s base is largely sticking with him. The latest American Values Survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 84 percent of Republicans continue to back the president. | Trump probably feels that he should go forward with the plan despite some polls indicating it is viewed negatively because... | The people that voted for him like it | ['He needs any kind of tax plan to remain president', 'not enough information', 'He needs the money to help accomplish his executive goals'] |
Volunteer Day schedule:
7:30 a.m.: Meet at the Community Center for breakfast.
8-8:30 a.m.: Visit with people from the many participating organizations. Choose which activity you'd like to help with for the day.
8:30-9 a.m.: Board the bus for your chosen activity, and ride with other volunteers to your activity site.
9-12:00 a.m.: Work as a volunteer.
12:00 a.m.-1 p.m.: Share lunch with your volunteer group. Don't forget to bring food for lunch from home!
1-3:30 p.m.: Continue your volunteer work.
3:30 p.m.: Board the bus that will take you back to the Community Center, where you will be able to talk with other volunteers and share your experiences.
See below for a list of volunteer opportunities for Volunteer Day so you can begin thinking about which activity you might want to join.
Happy Homes: it provides home repairs for needy people in the form of painting. It also provides painters to create beautiful paintings inside schools of community centers.
Elder Care: Elder Care sends volunteers into nursing homes to spend time with them, play board games with them, and talk with them.
City Parks Association: you can help plant flowers and bushes in city parks or pick up trash around the river banks. These activities are very active, so remember to be prepared with plenty of drinking water!
Love and Learning: it provides volunteers to help children with learning disabilities. Read books out loud to groups of children aged four to six, or read one-on-one with struggling readers aged seven to eight. | For volunteers who enjoy being outside in nature, they can join _ . | City parks Association | ['Elder Care', 'Happy Homes', 'Love and Learning'] |
Our property ( Willowdale ) borders a river . The water in the river comes from higher up in the hills and runs along our farm and out to the ocean about forty kilometers away . Before it runs into the ocean it is is used for farm irrigation and house hold water for the farms lucky enough to have direct access to it and it also is the water used by the town of Scottsdale Bridport which is about ten Forty kilometers to the North of us . A lot of farms , including ours , have stock accessing the water directly which when you think about it is pretty disgusting . | What country may I currently be living in ? | Australia | ['England', 'United States', 'None of the above choices .'] |
Some American parents might think their children need better education to compete with China and other countries' children. But how much do the parents themselves need to change?
A new book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother written by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting. Ms. Chua is a professor at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, and a mother of two daughters. She was raised in America by immigrant Chinese parents. In her book, Ms. Chua wrote about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example, she threatened to burn her daughter's dolls unless she played a piece of music perfectly. She would scold her daughters if they failed to meet her expectations.
Ms. Chua had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do: "Attend a sleepover, have a play date, watch TV or play computer games, be in a school play, get any grade less than an A." Many people criticize Amy Chua, saying her parenting methods were cruel and violent. She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style. But she says that is the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
Ms. Chua says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter _ and shouted "I hate my life! I hate you!" But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children's abilities. Amy Chua thinks one of the biggest differences between Western and Chinese parents is that Chinese parents take on strength rather than fragility."
Stacy DeBroff, who has written four books on parenting, says: "Parents should rethink, what does it mean to be a successful parent and what does it mean to be a successful child?" She says Amy Chua's parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. It represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children. But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacey DeBroff advises parents to develop their own style of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised. | According to Ms. Chua, Chinese way of parenting is powerful because _ . | parents have high expectations of their children | ['parents set good examples to children', 'parents understand their children better', 'parents usually treat their children as friends'] |
The southern state of Alabama is the center of the U.S. political universe this week as voters on Tuesday choose a senator to replace Jeff Sessions, who left the Senate to become attorney general. The race pits controversial Republican Roy Moore, who is battling sexual harassment allegations, against Democrat Doug Jones, a former prosecutor. The outcome of the race could have national implications for both political parties and for President Donald Trump.
Moore has denied several allegations of sexual misconduct when he was in his 30s involving women who were teenagers at the time, including one who was 14.
"I do not know them. I had no encounter with them. I never molested anyone," Moore said in a televised interview Sunday with the Voice of Alabama Politics.
Jones says the accusations make Moore unfit to serve in the Senate.
"It is crystal clear that these women are telling the truth and Roy Moore is not!" Jones said.
Trump recorded a get-out-the-vote phone message for Moore and spoke on his behalf at a rally in neighboring Florida on Friday.
"And we want jobs, jobs, jobs. So get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it," he said.
Trump held off on endorsing Moore for several weeks in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations, but now says electing Moore is a priority for him.
"We certainly don't want to have a liberal Democrat who is controlled by Nancy Pelosi and controlled by Chuck Schumer. We don't want to have that for Alabama," Trump said.
In the final days of the campaign, Moore is highlighting his support for the president's agenda.
"We are going to see if the people of Alabama will support the president and support his agenda in Washington by electing somebody that is not part of the establishment there," Moore said.
Democrat Jones told supporters that Moore's character is the issue. "We know who we are, Alabama, we know who we are. This is an election to tell the world who we are and what we stand for." | Who is the individual being accused of sexual misconduct? | Roy Moore | ['not enough information', 'Doug Jones', 'Chuck Schumer'] |
Hellen Keller lived in the USA. She was a great woman. When Hellen was a baby, she got very sick. Several weeks later. The doctor said," She is better, but now she can not see and hear." Her mother and father were very sad.
After a few years, things got worse. There was no way for Hellen to speak to other people, She heard nothing. She did not understand anything.
Then one day a teacher came to live with Hellen and her family. The teacher helped Hellen learn about words. Hellen was a very bright child and soon she learned to spell her first word. When she was old enough, she went to college. Hellen was very famous. She helped many blind and deaf people. She travelled around the world and helped many people.
The world remember her today as a brave and wonderful woman. She was blind and deaf, but she found a way to see and hear. | _ taught her the first word. | Hellen's teacher | ["Hellen's mother", "Hellen's father", "Hellen's friend"] |
MEXICO CITY: A jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun was briefly hijacked as it landed in Mexico City on Wednesday. The hijackers released all passengers shortly before federal police stormed the plane, and the crew emerged unharmed moments later.
Police, who did not fire a single shot, led as many as eight handcuffed men away from the airplane, which was isolated at the end of a runway in an area designed for emergencies. The hijackers' motive was unclear, though Mexican news media initially identified them as Bolivians demanding to speak with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
US, French and Mexican citizens were among the 112 passengers and crew on Aeromexico Flight 576, according to a US official who had been briefed on the situation. The official was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mexico's transportation and communications secretary, Juan Molinar, said there was no bomb on the airplane, although some passengers said one of the hijackers held a package that resembled an explosive device, and a bomb squad was later seen near the airplane.
He did not immediately identify the hijackers or speculate on their motive.
"Various people who participated in the act have been detained and we are investigating," Molinar said.
The attorney general's office said it was opening an investigation into terrorism and kidnapping but did not specify how many people could be charged.
Mexican news media initially reported the hijackers were Bolivian, but Bolivia's ambassador to Mexico, Jorge Mancilla, said Mexican authorities had no evidence that was the case. Mancilla said sources told him they could be Colombian or Venezuelan. Several passengers told reporters they did not notice a non-Mexican accent.
Passenger Rocio Garcia told the Televisa network that the pilot made an announcement after landing in Mexico City that the airplane was being hijacked. Passengers said the hijackers never communicated with them directly.
"These were scary moments," she said.
She said she saw one of the hijackers whom she described as a well-dressed, older man.
"He looked fine, like a normal passenger," she said.
Passenger Daniel Hernandez said he saw a hijacker carrying a Bible. | The hijackers, as some passengers described, _ . | stayed calm and appeared noble, educated | ['were good at bargaining with the police', 'were all well-dressed American old men', 'all came from Colombia or Venezuela'] |
Nova eyed the pool of sand and jumped on X 's back , holding on tightly . " You are covered in sand . " The female brushed some of it off and settled , holding on . | What do you know about X ? | X is covered in particles . | ['X holds on tightly .', 'None of the above choices .', 'X jumped on Nova .'] |
i ' ve become as depressed as ever , and usually it 's just like , a couple of hours where i feel really shitty , but then i feel happy again . but right now , i ca n't feel any reason to be happy . this is hard to explain but recently , i have just been thinking . | How long do I normally feel this emotion . | I feel depressed and shitty for usually a couple of hours | ['None of the above choices .', 'I feel happy that I do not have to be depressed for a few hours .', 'I do not think about feeling happy right now .'] |
My engagement ring is missing again . I can remember lying on my bed with my head towards the fan and the ring on my finger and I was trading from finger to finger , from engaged hand to married hand . I can not remember though whether that was when I fell asleep last night , or when I napped early this morning , or when I caught ten winks this afternoon , or whether tonight . I ' ve been napping a lot lately . | Why does the narrator feel panicked ? | They ca n't find their engagement ring . | ['None of the above choices .', "They did n't get any sleep .", 'Their wedding ring is missing .'] |
Book 1: Iggy peck, Architect
----By Andrea Beaty
32 pages, US $ 15.95
This book is the classic oddball story about a kid whose head teacher does not recognize his great talent ( he makes buildings out of anything at hand, including table cloths, fruit and chalk) until it saves her life.
Book 2: The Chicken--Chasing Queen of Lamar County
----By Janice N. Harrington
40 pages, US $ 16.00
Our character here loves to run after chickens, particularly Miss Hen, who's very fat. But, as all farming folk know, this is not a good way to produce happy, productive chickens. What will make her change her ways? The author is a professional storyteller and this book is full of fun, and has great illustrations .
Book 3: Diary of a Fly
----By Doreen Cronin
40 pages, US $ 15.99
This is the diary of a fly. A fly who, when she's not landing on your head or swimming in your soup, is trying to escape her 327 brothers and sisters who are driving her crazy. Even though she's little--just like her best friends, Worm and Spider--she wants to be a superhero. This is the story of a little fly who's not afraid to dream really big.
Book 4:Cherry and Olive
----By Benjamin Lacombe
32 pages, US $ 16.95
Children's books can quickly take little readers into new worlds, such as the big city, 1930s Georgia, or outer space. This book takes us on a little trip to some European capitals. Cherry is fat and likes books, and she has few friends until she meets a stray Shar--Pei puppy . She names it Olive. Through it she finds confidence and friendship. But what will happen when its owner returns? | Which of the following is TRUE, according to the text? | Book 1 is the cheapest of the four books. | ['Strange students are mentioned in Book 1 and Book 3.', 'Book 4 introduces lots of farm animals.', 'A fly is a superhero on outer space in Book 2.'] |
He 'd called our housekeeper , who 'd been cleaning our house that day while we were at work . She told him she had borrowed our cat cage and , with her husband 's help , coaxed it out of the tree and into the cage . They took it home and , apparently , intended to sell it . My husband kindly asked if she could bring it back . She agreed . A few hours later she called him . | What might be the next step we will take with our housekeeper ? | We will likely fire her for stealing our property . | ['We will give our housekeeper a bonus for selling our cage .', 'We will give our housekeeper a raise for taking our cage home .', 'We will offer the housekeeper a job for her husband .'] |
Things did n't go well as I expected . After I went to the Beijing Hotel at about nine o'clock in the morning just as the instructor told me , we had a long wait for the arrival of the guests . I have been seated in the OFA lounge for nearly the whole day , with nothing to do . | What may be the plausible reason I was staying at the hotel ? | I was there on a business trip . | ['None of the above choices .', 'I was there on vacation .', 'I was there for leisure .'] |
If you choose only to complain and escape from a misfortune, it will always follow you wherever you go.But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise.
In an accident, a boy lost.both his arms and his father-who was the main source of support for the family.Since then, he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother.For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years.Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life.
As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel.Then one day, his younger brother wanted to leave, living his own life, as many normal people do.So he was heart-broken and didn't know what to do.
A similar misfortune befell a girl, too.One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness, disappeared.Her father went out to look for her mother, leaving her alone at home.She tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in afire which took her hands away.
Though her elder sister who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent.At school, she always studied hard.Most of all she learned to be self-reliant.
One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program.The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life.They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes.The boy wrote: My younger brother's arms are my arms; while the girl wrote: Broken wings, flying heart. | What did the girl mean by "Broken wings, flying heart"? | Never give up hopes in face of hardship. | ["It's not easy for her to live a normal life.", 'If a bird loses its wings, it cannot fly.', 'If you lose your hands, your life will be hard.'] |
Can you remember the first time you learned to ride a bike or drive a car? Learning these skills changed your life forever and opened up new horizons.Learning about computers can be like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car.Once you have invested the time to master the skills, you will never go back to the old days.The new technology is simply too convenient and too powerful.
Technological developments through the years have enabled us to do more with less effort We have continuously looked for better ways of doing things.Each invention and new development has allowed us to extend our capabilities.Today we see one of the most dramatic technologies ever developed--the computer.It extends the capabilities of our minds.
Computers have saved organizations millions of dollars.Furthermore, these same computer systems have opened up new opportunities that would have gone undiscovered or neglected.
The computer may multiply what we can do, and the return on investment is high.The growth of computer usage is surprising.On the other hand, the computer can do serious damage.Invasion of privacy, fraud , and computer-related mistakes are just a few shocking examples.
The computer is like a double-edged sword.It has the ability to cut us free from some activities, but it can also cut deep into profits, personal privacy, and our society in general.How it is used is not a function of technology.It is strictly a function of how people decide to use or misuse this new technology.The choice is yours, and only through a knowledge of computer systems will you be able to avoid the dangers while enjoying the many benefits of the computer age. | According to the passage, computers bring people the following benefits except _ . | avoiding mistakes | ['saving money', 'making money', 'opening up opportunities'] |
It looks like this : Ellen and I went outside to take that photo in the natural light , and we planned to follow it with a shot of me popping the comb honey into my mouth . But then this happened : And as soon as I saw the bee on my hand I FREAKED . I screamed . I ran . | What may be a fact about the person in this situation ? | They are describing a frightening experience that happened . | ['They are writing about an event that had happened .', 'They are telling a story about a recent event that had happened .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
When discussing about friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me. I seek friends whose qualities illuminate me and train me up for love. It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share.
When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend. We were shy and "too serious" about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors. We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say:" Let's start with a train whistle today." We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle. Then we would read them aloud. At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped.
When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend. He was in despair and I was in despair. But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time. We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things. We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted . We gave London to each other.
For almost four years I have had a remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine. We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves. Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other's dreams. She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind. In my most interesting moments, I often think: "Yes, I must tell...." We have never met.
It is such comforting companions I wish to keep. One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist , who will only fill up the healing silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend. | What is the best title for the passage? | Noble Companions | ['Unforgettable Experiences', 'Remarkable Imagination', 'Lifelong Friendship'] |
Thanks Richard for asking. Yes. I have something to tell. We have record rainfall during 24 hours in Lahore, breaking previous one day record by more than 60%. Our drainage system is pathetic. Other systems such as telephone, electricity, cable etc. are no better. Poor planning has further been aggravated by extremely mismanaged maintenance and operational bugs.
This morning, when I was out for our fajr (morning prayers) in masjid, a neighbor told me that the pole laden with electricity meters was under fire. After that he buzzed off for complaint office.
When I returned after prayers, I saw fire reaching cable part after meter; one meter had caught fire and other meters (including ours) was in danger of catching fire. It was still dark. I waited for someone to come out. No one appeared. I came inside and told my wife about and went again out to see if I could find someone to go about extinguishing fire. IT WAS DAM RISKY AS DIGGING WAS DONE BY TELEPHONE COMPANY AND RAINS HAD MADE A MESS ON OUR STREET. No one was seen.
My wife came out; brought hose pipe. I managed to use it as water gun and there was some post-extinguishing sparking; fire was put out. I want to add here that hose pipe should only be used when someone knows how to send bursts of water so that electric current cannot build a circuit.
Later in day we heard about the most stupid thing; people were inside their houses, watching flames from pole but not knowing what to do. THEY DID NOT EVEN COME OUT TO SHARE THE ACTIVITY.
That has happened today. I am going to ask everyone about it one by one. Also, I am still looking for the guy who went to complaint office and was never seen thereafter this morning.
That can happen to anybody. | What does the narrator think about the infrastructure in his neighborhood? | It is substandard and poorly planned | ['not enough information', 'It is adequate', 'It is excellent'] |
Let’s rewind to January 2013 for a moment. It’s a sunny and warm day in Los Angeles—a bit of a weather shock to me after 11 years of Seattle’s cold and rain. I’ve been officially on the job in the web department for all of 12 hours. I’m sitting in a conference room at a big wooden table, surrounded by my new coworkers and team members in the Getty’s web group. A big monitor is displaying the prototype of the newly designed and almost-built Getty Iris. We’re discussing The Iris logo you see at the top of this page, its multiple iterations, and, quite frankly, the pain involved in trying to get it to look right.
Wait-wait-wait, let’s pause for a moment.
My name is Will Lanni. I’m a Web production specialist at the Getty, which is a complex way of saying I’m a developer and designer, which is a nice way of saying that I’m basically a “web monkey.” Before I started at the Getty, I worked as a partner in a small web design and development firm for several years. I had some experience working for the Getty—I built the Pacific Standard Time at the Getty site, the Pacific Standard Time Festival site, as well as the interactive Getty Impact map. And, at the time of my hiring, I was not only working on the new design and build of The Iris, due to go live in only a month, but also the soon-to-be-launched website for Pacific Standard Time Presents: Modern Architecture in L.A. So I wasn’t exactly new to projects at the Getty, even though I was a brand-spanking-new full-time employee.
OK. Now that you know who I am, let’s get back to that moment. The Iris logo, and the hair-pulling it was causing for all of us—which is a pretty good representation of the steps that Web projects go through as we move from idea, to execution, to setback, to solution. | When did the writer start their job in the web department? | during 2013 | ['before 2010', 'not enough information', 'after 2014'] |
"Hey, guy."
"No, this is Ray." He smiled, leaned back in his chair.
It was, of course, Pete. Pete was the night shift guy at Crossroads Detox across town. Ray called it the Jesus Shop because it was wholly supported by a contingent of local churches who saw addicts as a potential ministry.
Apparently Jesus saved--not only from sin and hell, but also from Dark Eyed Jim Beam.
Pete was a relatively innocuous born again fundie who volunteered his time two or three nights a week. When he was not saving the world, his Clark Kent was actually a steady CPA job with the local H&R Block. He'd been pulling shifts for about six months, knew nothing about drugs beyond that bad people used them to escape their problems and that they were tools of Satan, and he always needed Ray's advice about one thing or another. This arrangement was not problematic as Pete had long ago given up trying to convert him. Pete was also the only guy in the city who was, as Ray figured it, making less money than he was at such an hour. In return for Ray's magnanimity, Pete had done Ray's taxes for free last year.
They had never actually met, though Ray had faxed him the tax forms and Pete had faxed back a photo of his two pre-teen daughters and his geriatric Lab.
"What's the problem?" Ray asked.
"I have a recalcitrant."
That's what he called them, the drunk and definitely disorderly. Pete's vocabulary did not include the word shithead either in its singular or plural.
"Pete, they're all like that. Alcohol is bad medicine. That's why places like ours are in business. To make them calcitrant."
"I know that." Pete sounded a little annoyed.
There was some commotion in the background, a knocking on doors. | What job did Pete do after volunteering at the Crossroads Detox Center? | Accountant | ['Minister', 'not enough information', 'Lab manager'] |
I got word from HP that my computer is on its way back home , so I will have the full All Star report with video and pictures later in the week when I ' m off this machine . In the meantime , I am thrilled to say that Katie and JEEP won the 12 " class ! They were rocking this weekend . | Why is the narrator so excited to get home ? | Their computer has arrived . | ['None of the above choices .', 'A present is there for them .', 'A friend is home .'] |
I shall never forget the night,a few years ago,when Marion J.Douglas was a student in one of my adulteducation classes. He told us how tragedy had struck at his home,not once,but twice. The first time he had lost his fiveyearold daughter. He and his wife thought they couldn't bear that first loss;but,as he said,"Ten months later,God gave us another little girl and she died in five days."
This double bereavement was almost too much to bear. "I couldn't take it," this father told us,"I couldn't sleep,eat,rest or relax. My nerves were entirely shaken and my confidence gone. "At last he went to doctors;one recommended sleeping pills and another recommended a trip,but neither helped. He said,"My body felt as if it was surrounded in a vice ,and the jaws of the vice were being drawn tighter and tighter." The tension of grief --if you have ever been paralyzed by sorrow,you know what he meant.
"But thank God,I had one child left--a fouryearold son. He gave me the solution to my problem. One afternoon as I sat around feeling sorry for myself,he asked,'Daddy,will you build a boat for me?' I was in no mood to build a boat;in fact,I was in no mood to do anything. But my son is a persistent little fellow!I had to give in. Building that toy boat took me about three hours. By the time it was finished,I realized that those three hours spent building that boat were first hours of mental relaxation and peace that I had had in months!I realized that it is difficult to worry while you are busy doing something that requires planning and thinking. In my case,building the boat had knocked worry out of the ring. So I determined to keep busy."
"The following night,I made a list of jobs that ought to be done. Scores of items needed to be repaired. Amazingly,I had made a list of 242 items that needed attention. During the last two years I have completed most of them. I am busy so that I have no time for worry."
No time for worry!That is exactly what Winston Church ill said when he was working eighteen hours a day at the height of the war. When he was asked if he worried about his huge responsibilities,he said,"I am too busy. I have no time for worry." | Marion made a list of over 200 items that needed to be repaired because _ . | repairing the items helped crowd wor ry out of his mind | ["he hadn't been able to spare time to mend them", 'he wanted to kill his free time by repairing them', 'the items had actually been broken and needed attention'] |
I was told about you , I know that falling for you would mean complications . I never expected the luster of you eyes and the sharpness of your wit and that soul that does not intimidate . attraction was n't fully physical , though you are winsome , but its more of a soulful connection . its unfortunate that i only got to know you for a short while , but it could be worse if we had more because i might end up just a wee bit too looney . | What was your wit like ? | It was pointed . | ['It was dull .', 'It was dry .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
i wondered if prayers inside your head were ok , or whether i was meant to scream them at the sky . i thought i was smart enough to make God forgive all my sins before he struck me down so i did n't have to go to Hell . it was scary . | What type of religion is the narrator seeming to speak of ? | The narrator seems to be Christian . | ['The narrator seems to be speaking of Judaism .', 'The narrator seems to be speaking of Satanism .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
People are talking about the "new economy." It's very different from the "old economy".
In the old economy, people travel to walk. They buy things in stores. They use the post office, the fax and the telephone to send information. They see people face-to-face at their jobs or in stores. People get information from newspapers, radio, television, books and libraries.
In the new economy, people do business through the "net," which is a connection of millions of computers everywhere in the world. In the new economy, workers often work at home. They can get information online. They can communicate with employers and co-workers by e-mail. Businesses have "virtual stores". They are websites on which customers can see the products. Businesses can sell to customers anywhere in the world.
In the new economy, people live a fast paced, convenient and colorful life. The whole world develops more quickly than before. But the new economy is a double-edge sword. Its disadvantage is also obvious. For example, the Internet has led to a huge increase in credit card cheating. Some illegal websites offer some cheap or banned goods or services. Online shoppers who enter their credit card information may never receive the goods they want to buy and their card information could even be for sale in an illegal website. So people in the new economy should be smarter and knowledgeable. | In the old economy, people can do the following things EXCEPT _ . | shopping online | ['getting information from books', 'communicating with friends by telephone', 'meeting people face to face'] |
Sometimes people call each other "freaked-cat", but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can.
Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions (feelings), our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too.get ready to defend ourselves or run.
Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger --or hit somebody--and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut?
It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely.
Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.)
Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them.but before long you' d smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They'd be rotten.
You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them.just like those bananas. | The author wrote this article in order to _ . | tell us that it isn't good to keep feelings inside | ['give us some advice on how to express our feelings', 'make us face the problem that we have to deal with feelings', "make us know that it isn't always wise to express our feelings freely"] |
I said no , no , we 're fine , you 'll get there , just late , Who is picking you up ? Let 's call him and tell him . We called her son and I spoke with him in English . I told him I would stay with his mother till we got on the plane andWould ride next to her -- southwest . She talked to him . | Why is the narrator calling the son ? | To ease the mom 's anxiety . | ["To tell him his mother would n't be coming home .", 'None of the above choices .', 'To tell him his mother had passed .'] |
A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself,and your other writing.It can _ your knowledge,and create an ongoing relationship with your readers.A good blog is more than just a marketing tool;it's also an expression of your personality.
An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more.Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak.If you write nonfiction ,show people what they can achieve,and give them a few steps to get them started.
Give tips,information and advice about the subjects you cover.For example,something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this.Your writing tips can also be included,as well as interesting,strange or funny things you discovered during your research.Whenever you contact an expert,ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use.You may also give background information about your stories and locations
Give details of coming posts on your blog,so people can watch out for you,or come and meet you.Personal news will help people feel better connected to you.Include photos of objects and locations in your writing,famous people you meet,the views from your window, and your favorite things--with a note about where they come from and what they mean to you.Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better,know the subject better,or anything else you think they might find useful,inspiring or entertaining.
If you only occasionally post things on your blog,people have a tendency to forget you.As a writer you shouldn't ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with----and your readers will love you for it. | Personal news on your blog _ . | can make people easily get in touch with you | ['can make people watch out for you', 'helps to leave your privacy known', 'helps you improve your writing'] |
Americans may become accustomed to the political turmoil swirling around President Donald Trump, but it remains an open question whether that turmoil will ultimately help or hurt Trump and his Republican allies, especially in an election year.
Last week, it was Trump's firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and an apparent Democratic victory in a special congressional election in Pennsylvania — a sign of a possible wave in the November midterm elections.
This week, it was a series of presidential tweets criticizing the Russia probe, followed by a controversial Trump statement of congratulations for newly re-elected Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump also added former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova to his legal team. DiGenova has alleged that elements of the FBI and the Department of Justice have been out to frame Trump in connection with the Russia probe.
Trump ignored shouted questions Tuesday from reporters at the White House who asked whether he wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Russia probe.
Earlier, House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, told reporters at the Capitol that he had received "assurances" that firing Mueller was "not even under consideration."
The latest back and forth over the Mueller investigation came after several days of presidential tweets complaining about the probe, including one blasting it as a "total WITCH HUNT with massive conflicts of interest."
The tweets sparked new fears that Trump might try to have Mueller fired. Some Republicans warned that an attempt to fire Mueller could put Trump's presidency in jeopardy.
"I think anything directed at firing Mr. Mueller blows up the whole town, and that becomes the end of governing and the presidency as we know it," cautioned Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
The renewed focus on the Russia probe came in the wake of last week's firing of Tillerson. That, in turn, raised the prospect of more administration changes. | How does Trump feel about the Russian probe? | He is disgusted | ['He is indifferent', 'He is happy', 'not enough information'] |
It would have to be this…
Donald Trump once cashed a $0.13 check…
In 1990, writer from a “Spy Magazine” had a great idea for a prank:
“What would happen if you sent checks for small amounts to celebrities and saw who cashed them, putting to test the theory that every man (and woman) has a price? In their words:
"We could however, send them checks for minuscule sums of money—sums so small they couldn’t fund as much as a minute of the recipients’ existence—and see who would bother to bank these teensy amounts of money."
Spy thought "some subterfuge" would be necessary—it'd be suspicious to get a check from the magazine that lampooned so many of the intended recipients. This was specifically true for Trump, who Spy once famously referred to as a "short-fingered vulgarian."
So, they created a fully funded and incorporated company called National Refund Clearinghouse, which allowed them to open a checking account. Then they drafted a letter explaining that the check was a refund for a small overcharge that had occurred in 1988—what the celebrities had been overcharged for was never mentioned. They sent the checks out (initially for $1.11) to 58 well-known people like Cher, Henry Kissinger, and, of course, Donald Trump. Of the 58, 26 cashed the checks—Donald included.
The magazine drafted a followup letter and checks for $0.64 to those 26 people to see who would take more free money. Thirteen—including Donald Trump—deposited the checks worth two quarters, a dime, and four pennies into their banks.
Then they went for one last score: in honor of those 13 people, 13 more checks for $0.13. Two people cashed them: a Saudi arms dealer named Adnan Khashoggi, and Donald Trump.
Seriously.”
I really don’t know if this is the most “cheapskate” thing, on just CRAZY fiscal responsibility. But if I had to pick, this would get my vote…
resources: Splinter - The truth hurts | What was sent to the celebrities? | something with very small value | ['something very personal and private', 'something very rare', 'not enough information'] |
My late afternoons and evenings have n't been going any better . Come 5:00 PM I develop a ravenous craving for peanut butter and cream cheese . Worse yet , I finished off the peanut butter yesterday and stole my husband 's pie ... the ultimate no - no . Not because the programmer will be angry that I ate his pie ; he has an entire freezer full of them , but because for the last year I ' ve had absolutely no desire to eat them . | What would happen if the narrator never had the bad experience last year ? | The narrator would eat all the cuisine left out . | ['None of the above choices .', 'The narrator would be kind to everyone .', 'The narrator would make some food .'] |
According to the Small Business Association, more than 50 percent of all small businesses fail within the first five years. This is not the case for Apiary Fund CEO, Shawn Lucas. Shawn has grown a very successful business focusing on teaching people how to trade foreign currencies. The Apiary Fund not only gives their traders some of the best Forex education possible but also gives their traders money to trade with. The Apiary Fund had a slow start but has now become a company that recently hit $1 billion in trader volume . The Apiary Fund's success has come from the great business concept, and work ethic .
* Business Concept
The Apiary Fund has a very special but effective business concept, which Shawn Lucas discovered many years ago. You are probably wondering, where did this business concept come from? Shawn, while working as a Financial Advisor, received a phone call one day from a man he hadn't ever spoken to before. The man asked Shawn to go with him to China to do an analysis of a Chinese company's trading systems. The company at the time was under investigation for a possible violation of intellectual property rights. He agreed to go and before he knew it he was on a plane to China.
During the analysis of this Chinese company Shawn noticed the company had a very effective business method. He noticed that the risk manager had created a system that protected the company from rarely posting a losing day. The risk manager made this all possible by putting restrictions on the amount a trader could lose. If one of the traders lost even a small amount the risk manager would then be notified .
Shawn left China with a business concept that would later consume much of his life. After returning home, Shawn was devoted to creating a similar risk management system as the Chinese company had created. That risk management system turned into a successful business called the Apiary Fund.
* Work Ethic
The business concept alone didn't magically make the Apiary Fund into a booming business. The Apiary Fund became successful from hard work and devotion. This hard work and devotion has recently brought the Apiary Fund to hit a trading volume high of $1 billion. Shawn Lucas believes that by the end of this year the Apiary Fund can expect to see double or triple that volume. The company has experienced immense growth by making a few changes to their program structure, which has since increased growth by about five times within the last year.
Successful businesses are hard to start, but with a good business concept and great work ethic anything is possible. Shawn and the Apiary Fund are a great example of both. | The inspiration of the Apiary Fund's business concept comes from . | a Chinese company | ['a financial advisor', 'a successful risk manager', 'a stranger who phoned Shawn Lucas'] |
I end this small run of blog posts with the question posed by Professor Brian Boyd at the beginning of our evening:
Do we want to close the achievement gap?
We know we can close the gap. It’s been done or almost been done before in Scottish education, but the answers have been ignored as they pass us by. The simple clue is this: poverty is single biggest predictor of achievement, and according to research (Hammonds sic, reference required), aged 10, a child living in poverty is 60% less likely to get to university.
Boyd borrowed from his own mother’s report card to ask us what kind of education we desire. Is it the academic success at all costs route, or is there another option we need to value as much, if not more? His mother’s report card, one that prevented her from becoming a secondary school pupil in Glasgow, is filled with G and FG, until the last point: Character and conduct - excellent.
What kind of pupils do we want to develop in Scotland? What do we value in our assessment system? Opening up opportunity for all is a tough game to play when the examination system rewards only certain types of behaviour, few of them related to what the Curriculum for Excellence says we stand for. In his own small community in East Kilbride, three secondary schools enter a period of meltdown as the local rag sets about creating its own local league table of performance, with those three ‘teams’ in competition for the top spot (or at least not the bottom one). Therefore, we must stop basing “the gap” largely on attainment.
First of all, Boyd would like us to remove the traditional, and non-sensical academic/vocational divide. Is the law or medicine degree we value not vocational? (Are all General Practitioners not Plumbers, as Dr Murray on the panel suggests?) | What grades did Boyd's mother get? | bad grades | ['good grades', 'mediocre grades', 'not enough information'] |
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic, but he lost his job a few months ago. He has a good heart,but always afraid to apply for a new job.
One day, he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview. His appoint--ment was at 10 a.m. and it was already 8:30. While waiting for a bus, he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car. Obviously there was something wrong with the car. Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand. When Jimmy finished working on the car, the old man askedhim how much he should pay for the service. Jimmy said there was no need to pay him; he just helped someone in need, and he had to rush for an interview. Then the old man said,"Well, Icould take you to the office for your interview. It's the least I could do. Please, I insist."Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival, Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed. Finally his name was called. The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window. Rocking the chair back and forth, he asked,"Do you really need to be interviewed?"Jimmy's heart sank."With the way I look now, how could I possibly pass this interview?"He thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy's surprise, it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning.
"Sorry I had to keep you waiting, but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into this office. I just know you'd be a trustworthy worker. Congratulations!"Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of well-deserved coffee . | How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer's question? | There was no hope for him to get the job. | ['He was sorry for the other applicants.', 'He regretted helping the old man.', 'The interviewer was very rude.'] |
Some fortunate people can go on a diet, lose the excess fat and then simply get on with their lives. Others get stuck in the eternal cycle of wanting to be thin, dieting, craving, bingeing, regaining the weight and then wanting to be thin again. You want to break free from this exhausting and depressing merry-go-round of losing and regaining weight but you’re not ready to give up doing what you know best. Let’s examine the diet cycle mentality.
THERE IS A MAGIC CURE
The reason you haven’t lost weight and kept it off is because you haven’t found the right diet that suits you particular physical and emotional needs. You need to eat more carbs, or more fat, you need to cycle your calories or have cleaner re-feeds, and you need a coach for accountability. Once you figure out precisely what the optimum formula is for you and you have an expert to help you then you will lose weight and keep it off.
ONE LAST DIET
Once you lose the weight, then you will learn how to get in tune with your body’s hunger signals and eat mindfully. You just need to commit totally to this last diet, get to your goal and then you will stop for good.
YOU LOVE HEALTH AND FITNESS
You really enjoy being in control of your food and planning your training regime. Time spent scouring the latest fitness magazines and entering your weight into a spreadsheet is fun and rewarding. You spend most of your waking hours plotting and planning how you are going to burn that fat!
I WANT TO BREAK FREE!!
The only way to break free from the diet cycle is to come to the place where you no longer believe the stories you tell yourself. If there was a magic cure that worked for you, you or someone else would have found it by now. Count the number of diet books on your bookshelf, the e-books on your computer and the magazines on the coffee table. Have any of them given you permanent weight loss? | What is true of the author? | not enough information | ['The author cares about people keeping the weight off', 'The author cares about destroying the myth of a magic cure', 'The author cares about health and fitness'] |
Last year, two days after Christmas, we kicked China out of the house. Not the country obviously, but bits of plastic, metal, and wood with the words "Made in China". We kept what we already had, but stopped bringing any more in. because it had coated our lives with toys, and useless stuff. Sometimes I worried about jobs sent overseas, but price triumphed over virtue at our house. We couldn't resist what China was selling.
But on that dark Monday last year, an unease feeling washed over me as I sat on the sofa. It wasn't until then that I noticed a fact: China was taking over the place.
It stared back at me from the empty screen of the television. I spied it in the pile of tennis shoes by the door. It glowed in the lights on the Christmas tree and watched me in the eyes of a doll lying on the floor, I slipped off the couch and sorted gifts into two piles: China and non-China. The count came to China, 25, the world, 14. Christmas, I realized, had become a holiday made by the Chinese. Suddenly I wanted China out.
I persuaded my husband, and on Jan. 1 st, we started a-year-long household embargo on Chinese imports. The idea wasn't to punish China. And we didn't fool ourselves into thinking because we wanted to measure how far it had pushed in. We wanted to know what it would take in time, money, and worry to kick our China habit!
In the spring, our 4-year-old son started a campaign to support "China things". "It's too long without China," he cried. He kept at me all day. I have discovered for myself that China doesn't control every aspect of our daily lives, but if you take a close look at the underside of boxes in the toy department, I promise it will give you pause. "When we can buy China things again? Let's never stop." My son said.
After a year without China I can tell you this: You can still live without it, but it's getting costlier by the day. And a decade from now I may not be brave enough to try it again. | The writer's purpose in writing this passage is _ . | to explain the importance of Chinese goods | ['to tell the readers an interesting experience', 'to describe the trouble facing a housewife', 'to show the difficulty without Chinese goods'] |
Job offer many years ago. I had two, one for staff accountant and the other was as accounting manager for a holistic health clinic. The clinic job paid about 40% more and came with a “manager” title. I believed in myself and all that, but who offers someone just out of school with only 2 years of internship and no specialty in field manager level? That kept bugging me. Something just wasn’t right.
Acting on instinct, I took the other job. Good thing! A few months later, I read that the owner of the clinic (an MD) and his two partners (his wife and the CFO) had all been indicted for numerous counts of fraud. They were cheating the state, they were cheating the church they were affiliated with, they were cheating Medicare and private insurance companies.
The IRS was after them — it was supposed to be not-for-profit but it turns out they were living large. Not only that, but they hadn’t been sending in w/h tax for non-church member paid employees. Then there was the allegation that they were abusing mentally handicapped workers who were related to church members. The church itself tried to distance themselves, but three elders were also on the clinic’s Board of Directors.
It was nasty and the entire management team ended up with at least some jail time. There was no way anyone who had any access to the records (medical or financial) could have claimed innocence. My job would have included filing false budget and financial statements with the Board, IRS and other agencies. I would have also probably known that they were withholding but not remitting tax from employee checks. Fact is, the poor kid who took the job got 2 years, so I found out. Those in on the medical fraud got even worse and the three principals all got 2-digit sentences. | When did the IRS come after the health clinic? | After the narrator had taken the staff accountant job. | ['not enough information', 'Before the narrator received the two job offers.', 'Within a month that the health clinic received a new accounting manager.'] |
You have a natural resourcefulness and enthusiasm that may mark you as a progressive with a good mind and active imagination . You seem to have a natural inclination to be a pace - setter . You are attracted to the unusual and the fast paced . | What type of politician would the subject vote for if there was an election ? | None of the above choices . | ['The subject would vote for a Republican .', 'The subject would vote for a conservative candidate .', 'The subject would vote for an independent .'] |
Personally I enjoy doing things outside. You know, the good ol’ nature.
One time, me and my buddy Alex and some friends decided we were going to go camping. (I know, basic camping story. Well not exactly.) We planned on going for the weekend. Got to the spot and put up our tents like normal campers. But knowing myself and my friends we wanted to drink a couple beers and do some fishing. We did just that. Later that night we had started out camp fire and cooked up some links before bed time. My drunk self wanted to keep the fire going all night to prevent wild animals from coming t our sight. Well at least I thought that’d help. So I needed a bunch of wood to do so. Everyone was asleep by this point but me. So I took myself out into the woods a little deeper to grab a full broken down tree. I thought to myself, “Well if I want to utilize all of this wood I’m going to need to break it into smaller prices right?” Wrong. Well at least it was wrongful of how I planned on doing it. I attempted to break the tree in half by throwing it against another tree, as if I were as strong as the hulk or something. Once I chunked the tree at this tree I messed the entire vacation up. The tree came down on my knee and crushed it. I was in so much pain. I realized that I messed it up pretty bad so I laid there for a second trying to get back to my feet. The next day I couldn’t apply any pressure and couldn’t walk at all. I was dirty and smelly and needed some serious help on my leg but I was too far from any civilization. Worst nature experience ever! | How many beers did the narrator drink at the camping trip? | not enough information | ['Nine.', 'Seven.', 'Five.'] |
"When studying foreign speech, don't forget about body language," Anne Merritt said.
Something as simple as a smile can show friendliness in one culture, embarrassment in another, impatience in a third. Even silence means different things in different places. If you want to avoid making some mistakes when traveling abroad, you should pay attention to the following.
Touch
Britain, along with much of Northern Europe and the Far East, has a "non-contact" culture. In those countries, there is very little physical contact in people's daily talks. Even brushing someone's arm by accident is the reason for an apology. However, in the high-contact cultures of the Middle East, Latin America, and southern Europe, physical touch is a big part of daily life.
What's more, there are different standards for who touches whom and where. In much of the Arab world, men hold hands and kiss each other in greeting, but would never do the same with a woman. In Thailand and Laos, it is taboo to touch anyone's head, even children's. In South Korea, elders can touch younger people with force when trying to get through a crowd, but younger people can't do the same.
Eye contact
In most Western countries, frequent eye contact is a sign of confidence and attentiveness . We may think that a conversation partner who looks away is either not listening to us or lying. Of course, this is not the standard around the world.
In many Asian, African, and Latin American countries, the unbroken eye contact would be considered impolite and rude. These cultures consider avoiding eye contact a sign of respect for bosses and elders. In these parts of the world, children won't look at an adult who is speaking to them, and nor will employees look at their bosses. | In Britain, when people are talking, they usually_. | avoid physical contact | ['avoid eye contact', "brush the others' arms", 'apologize for their mistakes'] |
In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service,no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers were sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity , for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundred during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954 when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings the golden arches .
Today McDonald's is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald's had over$1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising successes in modern American business history. | This passage mainly talks about _ . | how McDonald's became a billion-dollar business | ['the development of fast food services', 'the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald', "Ray Kroc's business talent"] |
I’ll go one farther back than that. I almost never had a first date. A young lady I met in the hospital cafeteria where I worked as a pharmacy intern (she was an X-ray tech) I asked out on a date. Would you like to follow me home? she asked. I said SURE!
She got in her car, hit the freeway, went over the top of the hill..and was gone. I went 75 mph desperately trying to keep her tail lights in my line of sight while swerving in and out of traffic. I thought if you don’t really want to go out with me, just tell me, don’t try to ditch me! I finally caught up with her but found out she always drives that way. If Janet Guthrie wasn’t the first woman to drive in the Indy 500, she would have been.
Over the years as she got older, collecting speeding tickets got old so she became a more responsible driver. I’m glad, because I had to help pay for those tickets over the last 30+ years we’ve been married. Glad I caught up to her that one night on the freeway.
EDIT, AND BACKSTORY:
She ate lunch with her X-ray tech coworkers. She left the table first and I approached the others and asked what was her name, the girl that just left. They told me, and about a half hour later called the radiology department from the pharmacy phone and asked for her.
She said all the girls in the department were huddled around the phone and giggling while we talked. It’s the handsome blonde intern in the pharmacy, they told each other. Oh, you mean THAT one?! Ooooh! Like the final scene from “An Officer And A Gentleman.” Pretty funny. | Why was the author glad that he had caught up with her car? | They ended up getting married. | ['Her taillight was out.', 'She had left something at the hospital.', 'not enough information'] |
Single people, especially women, are stigmatized in our society: We're all familiar with the image of a sad, lonely woman eating ice cream with her cats in her pajamas on Saturday night. But about 45 percent of US adults aren't married and around one in seven lives alone. This might be you. Research shows that young people's expectations about their marital status (e.g. the desire to be married by 30 and have kids by 32) have little or no relationship to what actually happens to people. So, go with the flow. And, if you're single, you're in good company. Single people spend more time with friends, volunteer more, and are more involved in their communities than married people. Never-married and divorced women are happier, on average, than married women. So, don't buy into the myth of the miserable singleton.
If you do get married, keep going with the flow. Relationship satisfaction, financial security, and happy kids are more strongly related to flexibility in the face of life's challenges than any particular way of organizing families. The most functional families are ones that can bend. So partnering with someone who thinks that one partner should support their families and the other should take responsibility for the house and children is a recipe for disaster. So is being equally rigid about non-traditional divisions of labor. It's okay to have ideas about how to organize your family but your best bet for happiness is to be flexible.
Buying a home is often taken for granted as a stage on the path to adulthood. But the ideal of universal home ownership was born in the 1950s. It's a rather new idea.With such a short history, it's funny that people often insist that buying a house is a fool-proof investment and the best way to secure retirement. In fact, buying a house may not be the best choice for you. The mortgage may be less than rent, but there are also taxes, insurance, and the increasingly common Home Owners Association (HOA) fees. You may someday sell the house for more than you bought it but, if you paid interest on a mortgage, you also paid far more than the sale price. You have freedom from a landlord, but may discover your HOA is just as controlling, or worse. And then there's the headache: renting relieves you from the stress of being responsible for repairs. It also offers a freedom of movement that you might cherish.
So be wise and consider all your options. | It can be inferred from the passage that _ . | the society tends to have a wrong image about single women | ['many Americans get married by 30 and have kids by 32', 'married women have a happier life than those never-married', 'divorced women lives a miserable life'] |
Carmen Arace Middle School is situated in the town of Bloomfield,but four years ago it faced many of the same challenges as inner--city schools nearby:low scores in standardized tests and dropping enrollment of students.Then the hard-driving headmaster, Delore Bolton,persuaded her school to shake up the place by buying a laptop computer for each student and teacher to use in school and at home.For good measure,the board provided wireless Internet access at school.Total cost :$5 million.
Now an hour before classes start,every seat in the library is taken by students eager to get online.The teacher talks about rocks as students view them at a colorful website,after school students on buses pull laptops from backpacks to get started on homework.Since the computers arrived,scores in state tests are up 35%and the enrollment increases by 20%.
Indeed,school systems in rural areas are eager to follow Carmen Arace Middle School's example.Angus King,the state governor, has proposed using$50 million from an unexpected budget to supply computers for students.
However, the school is seeking federal grant money to expand the laptop program.In the meantime,most of the problems have been worked out.Some students use computers to visit unauthorized websites,but teachers have the ability to track where students have been and restrict them."That is the worst when they disable you" says a boy.The habit is rubbing off on parents."I taught my mom to use e-mail."says the honorable girl."And now she is taking computer classes.I'm so proud of her!'' | From the passage we learn that _ . | the laptop program also has a positive influence on parents | ['the laptop program in urban schools is forbidden by parents', 'students only visit the school website in Carmen Arace Middle School', 'students generally like the idea of having their online activities tracked'] |
We were looking for something spectacular to make the effort worth it . The first of the caves was a sizeable hole in the ground in which there were a few scrubby trees and some rocks . From the smell , it was pretty clear that it was also a nice out of the way spot for ill - prepared tourists to relieve themselves . | What is the reason some tourist 's might be known as " Ill - prepared " ? | They forgot to use the restroom before going into the cave . | ["They did n't bring hearty snacks .", 'None of the above choices .', 'The got lost without lights'] |
Relatives of a dying lady I was caring for kicking and screaming not to give their Mum pain relief because they were so terrified / knew it would probably be the thing to end her life.
She had a horrible aggressive cancer that ravaged her whole body and needed very regular doses of strong pain relief which - as she had a terminal illness and was receiving end of life care - did not have an upper limit so to speak. She had pain relief as and when needed to make her comfortable and that often results in people ultimately overdosing.
Mum had Alzheimer's and was howling and writhing in agony so we were giving her pain relief but daughters knew it would probably result in her death - which they were right about possibly happening and in their grief and panic, started trying to prevent us from doing anything. Didn’t want us getting near her at all and we had to go through an awful scenario of trying to explain what we had to do for Mum and why and when they still wouldn’t have it or allow us near, we had to do what nobody wants and go against their wishes by administering the pain relief anyway.
One daughter screamed the place down, threatened to have me arrested and struck off / said she would go to the papers and tell them about how we killed her Mum and in the end she had to be removed from the bedroom.
Her Mum was given the pain relief, immediately relaxed and fell asleep then died peacefully in her sleep about 15 mins later.
The saddest thing is her daughter wasn’t able to be there and see her Mum dropping off so peacefully and her last memory will forever be of her screaming and thrashing about as she (daughter) was physically removed from the room.
Tragic. | What is the writers job? | not enough information | ['nurse', 'doctor', 'caregiver'] |
"If I had one million yuan, I would buy you a palace! Do I have one million yuan? No, I don't! so I only can spend ten fen on this short message, sending you my best wishes! "
Today, SMS--Short Message Service is popular, and China Mobile says that every second, there are 410 messages being sent.
Look around you! People are watching their mobiles, smiling or laughing. Thumbs are pressing buttons, bring happiness to their friends. The humor of the words shows how beautiful language is! Through SMS, we know the weather report, share jokes and news, express love and friendship.
"Thumb Culture" is becoming more and more popular. It is reported that 67% of young people like to "Short" to greet each other. Internet SMS will provide more convenience to people. I am grateful for the progress because SMS saves me much money. Just on the tip of thumb, so much joy can be found! | The people are smiling and laughing when sending messages because they _ . | enjoy the happiness of SMS. | ['save much money.', 'know the weather report.', 'have one million yuan.'] |
Last week we talked about healthy eating on a budget. Today I want to take it a step further and focus on how to start clean eating on a budget. It is very similar with just a couple of extra steps.
Clean eating focuses on fresh ingredients, no processed foods, and eating good foods as close to nature as possible such as: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef and grain-fed poultry, and raw milk (if possible) to your diet.
Some of these may seem like a burden when you are on a small food budget, but with the tips below, you can eat clean and stay within your budget. I am sure you will recognize some from the previous post; but read through there is extra information that applies specifically to clean eating.
A major component of clean eating is buying fresh produce rather than canned fruits and vegetables. Frozen produce is OK; but, if in-season fruit is available, it is always better to choose that. Buy in bulk, and freeze it yourself.
Use Google to help you search for seasonal produce in your area. When you can buy it from a Farmer’s Market, or even directly from the farmers, it will be less expensive. My next choice is SPOUTS Farmer’s Marker, if there is one near you. Those sources will probably be the least expensive.
For example: you may be able to buy strawberries, peaches, and nectarines very inexpensively in the summer and find that squash is a better buy in the fall. Always buy extra when the price is right and freeze the leftovers.
When you first start reading about clean eating, you may find “experts” expounding the importance of certain superfoods that you should start eating. The reality is – they are nutritious and excellent additions to your diet; but, you don’t have to eat them just start a clean eating.
If you cannot afford to add chia seeds of flax seeds to every smoothie or eat a pomegranate each morning, don’t worry about it. Buy the clean foods you can afford and eat those – you will be doing just fine. | When does the author advise that adding super foods should occur after beginning clean eating? | one does not have to eat "super foods" at any time since clean eating is possible without them | ['not enough information', 'when one is able to acquire produce in bulk', 'after reading "experts" advice on clean eating'] |
I had about 5 - 7 oz of alcohol this evening . Started drinking at 8 and ceased drinking at 12:30 . It is now 2:45 and I have had a full meal and 5 glasses of water . I also had about 300 mg of BC Powder at 1 am . | What may happen after this ? | They will not wake up with a hangover . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They will sleep in late from staying up too late .', 'They will try to go to sleep .'] |
When I started blogging , I just wanted an online diary where I could share with the world . Having a blog and making it pretty has been my hobby since I started this blog , and I really do enjoy writing and sharing stuffs . Later on , I discovered ' make money through your blog ' . | What am I trying to do now ? | I am trying to make money blogging | ['I am trying to keep my diary on paper', 'I am trying to make my blog look okay', 'None of the above choices .'] |
so i guess it 's a price i have to pay for having less work.i've got better pieces that i could show off but i left my sketch book in school.i have this picture i drew of michael phelps ... but people say that the guy in y drawing is more good looking than michael phelps himself!and i drew my hands a few times ... it 's the one thing i ' m good at drawing .. hands . i 'll show one sooner or later i guess.oh well it 's not i have a career in the arts ... i do n't think i ' m artsy enough . i think i ' m creative .. not artistic . | What type of subjects typically inspire the artist mentioned ? | The artist is inspired by sports . | ['The artist is inspired by foliage .', 'The artist is inspired by cooking .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
Once I spoke at a high school. After the speech, I was asked to see a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.
He was Matthew. When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal weight lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over an hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain. He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.
When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, "You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you."
Last summer I got the news that Matthew had passed away and a letter Matthew had written me a few days before:
Dear Rick,
My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. The doctors tell me that I don't have long to live any more. But I still smile as much as I can.
I told you some day I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I'll never make it. But I know I'm a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you.
Thank you for loving me.
Your friend,
Matthew | Which of the statements is TRUE? | Matthew remained optimistic in face of disease. | ['Matthew was good at weight lifting.', 'Rick had the similar disease as a child.', 'Rick encouraged the boy to become a champion.'] |
I mean , here , no one really ages all that much anyhow , but you can be killed .... it is just harder . That appeals for ... " She drops her gaze then , " Alot of reasons . " | Why is the narrator 's skin so radiant and young ? | The narrator lives in an area where people do n't age . | ['None of the above choices .', 'The narrator lives in an area where people take care of their skin .', 'The narrator lives in an area where people are healthy and exercise .'] |
A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams: "AAAhhhhhhhhhh!!!" To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountains: "AAAhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he shouts: : "Who are you?" He receives the answer:" "Who are you?" And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!" The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward (one without courage)!" He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?" The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
Again the man screams at the top of his voice: "You are a champion!" The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand. Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO , but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence."
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it." | The boy is surprised because _ . | he hears his screams repeated. | ['he falls over his own feet.', 'his father can shout as loud as he does.', 'someone calls him a coward.'] |
Texting long messages can be a pain in the neck. The repetitive action of working your fingers across the keyboard of your cell phone can cause some of the same chronic pain problems previously limited to those who'd spent a lifetime typing.
The possible connection is particularly worrying considering how much teens and young adults -- and increasingly those in professional settings -- are texting nowadays, said Judith Gold, who carried out one of the first studies on the potential connection.
Text messaging is a fairly new technology, Gold says, so this is a new area of research for those who study ergonomics . But "considering the similarities in body position, findings from research on overuse injuries from computers could be applicable" to texting.
"The way the body is positioned for texting - fixed shoulders and back with rapidly moving fingers - is similar to the position for typing on a computer," Gold explained. Previous research has found pain in the elbow connected with too much thumb texting.
To look for a broader link between texting and chronic pain, Gold and her colleagues sent a questionnaire to 138 college students, asking them to report the number of text messages they sent per day (in four categories: 0, 1-10, 11-20, 21+ messages) and to point out any discomfort they felt on a body map.
The research showed an association between the number of text messages sent per day and shoulder discomfort. The effect seemed to be particularly pronounced in males, though Gold says she doesn't know why that would be.
"What we've seen so far is very similar to what we see with office workers who've spent most of their time at a computer," Gold said. However, Gold's study did not take account of the amount of time the people surveyed also spent typing on computers, which could be affecting the results. | It can be inferred from the passage that _ . | the result of the survey was not 100% convincing | ['the study was the first one carried out by Gold', 'one positions oneself differently from computer-users when texting', 'the amount of computer-use time was calculated in the survey'] |
2018 is a congressional election year in the United States, and President Donald Trump is urging his supporters to get motivated to vote as both parties prepare for November.
"The people who voted for us become complacent a little bit, they are happy," Trump told supporters during a recent speech on tax reform in Cincinnati. "They sort of take it for granted, they sit back and then they get clobbered because the other people are desperate and they get out, and they have more energy."
Trump predicted that Republicans will do better than expected in November when all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are at stake and 34 of the 100 Senate seats.
"I think because of what we've done, because of the tremendous success we've had, I have a feeling that we are going to do incredibly well in '18, and I have to say this, history is not on our side," he said.
The president is right. History is not on his side. Midterms are typically unkind to the president's party, which on average loses about 30 House seats and a handful of Senate seats.
The losses are worse if the president's approval rating is below 50 percent, which could be the case this year. Trump's approval rating has ticked up in recent weeks, but the average has him just above 40 percent, not a strong position with a midterm looming.
"You know, you have a very unpopular president. And if Democrats take a broad path, they should win lots and lots of seats," said Jim Kessler of Third Way, a center-left advocacy and research organization.
Gallup has noted historically that presidents with an approval rating above 50 percent lose an average of 14 House seats in midterms, while those below 40 percent can expect to lose about 36 seats. Democrats need to gain 24 seats in the House and two seats in the Senate to regain the majority in both chambers. | where did Trump go? | Israeli-Palestinian conflict | ['trade with Saudi Arabia', "Trump's travel", 'not enough information'] |
The united States has about 475,000 school buses -- all painted yellow. Each day they carry more than 25,000,000 children, half of all schoolchildren in the country. But these buses, on average, use four liters of diesel fuel to travel less than sixteen kilometers. When the school year began last fall, diesel averaged 55 cents a liter nationally. The price nearly doubled, to a dollar and 8 cents, by the end of school in June.
Bob Riley speaks for the American School Bus Council. He says fuel prices for schools are not much lower than others have to pay. As a result, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels. Other steps include fewer field trips and less travel by sports teams. And some school districts may end any bus service not required by law.
Studies show that school buses are the safest form of transportation to and from school. The American School Bus Council says cuts in bus service are bad for children and possibly the environment. It says removing buses from the road will mean an increase in other vehicles transporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley says another concern is that reducing bus services might reduce attendance.
But it could also get more children to walk or bicycle to school. And that would surely make people happy at the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More kids walking or biking safely to school is the aim of a three-year-old federal program, part of an international movement. The goal is to increase physical activity and reduce air pollution. The United States will celebrate Walk to School Day on October eighth this year. But for some students, high fuel prices could make every day a walk-to-school day. | In order to cut down transportation cost, many schools take the following measures EXCEPT _ . | asking parents to drive children to and from school | ['changing some bus routes', 'stopping some bus routes', 'using other types of fuels'] |
Grabbed a quick dinner here before a movie the other night . Pretty good but not a place I 'll run back to . I had the shrimp and rice . Or perhaps I should say the rice and shrimp . | Why might they refrain from returning to the restaurant ? | They did not like the food they had . | ['They did not like the selection of food .', 'They thought the service was not good .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
The use of lotteries to allocate school places is to be reviewed by the British government because more than 20 percent of children are failing to get into their first-choice schools in parts of the country.
The struggle for secondary school places has reached record levels this year, increasing anxiety for hundreds of thousands of families. A report from 43 local authorities suggests that in many areas, up to a fifth of children face disappointment. Families in London are the hardest hit.
This week is admissions week, when about 570,000 families will receive notice about their child's secondary school acceptance. As the recession forces more parents to consider a state education rather than a private one for their children, more than a third of local authorities have noted rises in the number of applications for secondary school places.
This year, just 62 percent of children in Richmond-upon-Thames got into their parents' first-choice school, down from 64 percent last year. The council said this was caused by an increase in applications.
In another London authority, Tower Hamlet, 71.1 percent of children were admitted to their parents' first choice school. In Leeds and Warwickshire, 85 percent were successful. In Derby the figure was 81 percent, while in Wiltshire, Stockport and Lincolnshire, the figure was 89 percent.
In many authorities, the figures are similar to those of last year. Exceptions include Brighton and Hove, which introduced a lottery system to allocate oversubscribed places last year. This year, it has seen a 3.5 percent increase in the number of children obtaining their first choice, bringing the total to nearly 88 percent. However, more than 5 percent of children in this area have been allocated a place at a school that was not among any of their choices.
Lotteries are being used at the government's suggestion by a small number of oversubscribed schools in around twenty-five local authorities. They were meant to prevent middle-class parents from abusing the system by buying or renting homes close to the best schools. | Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? | Over one in five children fail to get into their first-choice schools in parts of Britain. | ['The lottery system is certainly a good way to allocate school places.', 'The lottery system is welcomed by parents around twenty-five local authorities.', 'The number of applications for secondly school places is falling this year.'] |
I was 35 weeks pregnant when I had my stroke. For weeks prior to the event I kept experiencing ‘visual disturbances.’ I felt when I was reading a newspaper or book a sense that my eyes were crossing. I’d feel aware right before it would occur and I would rush to look in a mirror only to discover my eyes were not crossing. I informed my OB who blamed it on the blood vessels in my eyes enlarging due to pregnancy. Ummm ok. You know more than me. Later I was told by a surgeon what I was experiencing was ‘textbook’ for the passing of blood clots through my occipital area of the brain!
The feeling would eventually subside. I awoke one morning feeling ‘kind of fuzzy’ headed. Like I had slept too hard. I sat with my husband at the kitchen table for our morning coffee and newspaper and for no reason I could imagine I was unable to swallow my coffee and it dribbled out the left side of my mouth. My husband asked me what was going on and I apparently told him, I was ‘stroking’ out. He got up from the table assuming I was OK and went off to take his morning shower. While in the shower it occurred to him something might not be right. He came back to the table where I was struggling to lift myself from the chair. I put my hands on the table to lift my body and my left hand kept sliding off the edge. He finally got behind me and tried to lift me under my arms and I crumbled to the floor. He then called my OB and told him he thought I’d had a stroke. My OB immediately expressed his doubt but my husband was advised to call an ambulance to get me to the ER. I never really experienced pain from the stroke. | How does the OB feel after dismissing the lady's symptoms? | guilty | ['competent', 'okay', 'not enough information'] |
A beautiful, sexy redhead sat across from Greg Tenorly. He was nervous about the closed door, but she had insisted. The slightest hint of impropriety would spark a blaze of rumors.
Greg tried to concentrate on her story. But his mind wandered to his 34-year-old receding hairline and bulging stomach. The part-time music minister had been feeling good about himself ten minutes ago. Time to start exercising again.
"I grew up in Marshall. Graduated from East Texas State, and got a job at a bank in Greenville. Three years ago, I moved here so I could be closer to Mom. She still lives in Marshall. I met Troy at a high school football game. He was fun, down-to-earth. We've been married for two years."
Cynthia Blockerman was a vice president at First State Bank, yet only in her late 20's. She certainly looked the part, dressed in an expensive brown business suit, matching shoes and tasteful jewelry. And her shoulder-length hair was the kind you only see in shampoo commercials. Greg felt underdressed in his faded golf shirt, baggy slacks, and generic running shoes.
"Everything was fine for the first six months or so. But I guess he was just playing the part of a good husband. Then I started to see his real personality. As soon as he gets home from work, he goes straight for the beer. By nine, there's a pile of cans next to his recliner, and he's calling me names, and throwing things.
"Sometimes he hits me. He did it one time before we got married, but he said he was so sorry. And even broke down and cried. He promised he'd never do it again."
"Is there anything in particular you say or do that seems to set him off?" It was a dumb question, but the only one he could think of.
"No. It doesn't matter. I can be extra sweet, or mean, or just ignore him. He still gets mad and crazy. I don't know what to do. I want to leave him, but I'm afraid he'll come after me." | Why Cynthia was dressed up? | She is a Vice President of a bank. | ['She is a professional golfer', 'not enough information', 'She is a music teacher'] |
I woke up at 6 ( cos I left everything on , presumably ) and I had a dream about my family . I dreamt that we were all going to visit my grandpa . We met at this place in the middle of the night . I was trying to get a package or deliver a package , I do n't remember which . | Who was the narrator looking for in their dream ? | They were looking for a grandparent . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They were looking for their entire family .', 'They were looking for a deliveryman for a package .'] |
RICK ! and i arrived towards the end of the 12 and under tournament , which , aside from the totally rad power rangers cardboard costumes and protective helmets , nearly ended in tears . there were many adults , also clad in armour made of cardboard and duct tape . | Why would so many people be in costumes at this event ? | It appears to be a Cosplay tournament . | ['None of the above choices .', 'It appears to be an event for Halloween .', 'It appears to be a Halloween party .'] |
Both 1983 Pegasuses . I ' m not too sure how foot lockers doing but with a sale of 30 % off they had to get some good foot traffic and web traffic into their stores . The gist of the deal was simple ... anyone who walks in the door is considered friends or family ... not a bad idea to leave that notion in peoples heads as they walk out the door with bags of shoes . I mean everyone wants a new friend or family member ( most of the time ) . | Why is the store utilizing such a sales gimmick ? | They want to create repeat customers . | ['They want to sell pants .', 'None of the above choices .', 'They want to sell doors .'] |
She gets very wordy . It was close to the last quarter of the book that I did n't have to reread sentences to understand the scene . It takes a lot of brain power to read and I was tired after 2 chapters . It is so dark and gothic too . So many characters die . | What type of genre of book does the narrator like ? | They like fantasy . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They like history .', 'They like non - fiction .'] |
She glanced around to find two blonde , perfectly tan girls giggling and eyeing the instructor . Bella sighed . How could someone like her- s clumsy , ordinary girl- compete with the two barbies right in front of her ? As if to emphasize how much hotter they were , one of the girls pulled a thin elastic out of her hair and shook her hair around , letting it cascade down her back . | What is a likely attribute that describes the narrator ? | She is pale skinned . | ['None of the above choices .', 'She is thin .', 'She has long hair .'] |
location : Mauritius 12.30 p.m. all nine of us get in that mini van , i ' ve already had my morning coffee but still had a headache . guess i caught a cold , anyway i took some painkillers , my five year old niece was sitting next to me and started giving me condolence ! she placed her tiny hand on my forehead and asked if i felt better and said that she 'd read some quran -awww imitating the elders!- after awhile she rubs my arm and asked how i felt , again . later she massages my hand and asks about the state I ' m in ! | What personality trait contained within the niece has led her to try to comfort the speaker ? | She is capable of a high degree of empathy and wants to remedy the situation | ['None of the above choices .', "She is collecting a paycheck to act as a nurse 's aid to the speaker and is motivated by this", 'She enjoys the suffering and is feigning pity to be around it more'] |
Today was my last day at work before flying off to Virginia this weekend to prepare for the wedding . Unbelievable that it 's almost a week away . I ' m battling mixed feelings of excitement , nervousness , anxiety , and anticipation . | Why am I nervous ? | I am about to get married . | ['I am graduating', 'I am getting divorced', 'I am late for my school work .'] |
Have you ever heard of Paynes Prairie? It is one of the most important natural and historical areas in Florida. Paynes Prairie is located near Gainesville. It is large, 21,000 acres. This protected land is called a preserve. The Florida Park Service manages the preserve.
The Paynes Prairie basin was formed when limestone dissolved and the ground settled. It is covered by marsh and wet prairie vegetation. There are areas of open water. During brief periods it has flooded enough to be considered a lake. Except for that, the basin has changed little through time.
Man has lived on Paynes Prairie a very long time. He lived there as far back as 10,000 B. C. At one time, the Seminoles lived there. The prairie is thought to have been named after King Payne, a Seminole chief. During the late 1600s, the largest cattle ranch in Florida was on Paynes Prairie. Today, Paynes Prairie is preserved land. It is occupied by visitors and Florida Park Service employees.
Willam Bartram visited Paynes Praire. Bartram was the first person who portrayed (described) nature through personal experience as well as scientific observation. He lived 200 years ago. He visited Paynes Prairie in 1774. At that time he described it. He called Paynes Prairie the "great Alachua Savannah."
Most of the animal life, which Bartram described, is still here. A large number of sandhill cranes, hawks and waterfowl are here in winter. The animal _ is increased by the presence of pine flatwoods, hammock, swamps and ponds.
The Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is open year round. The Florida Park Service works hard so that the park will appear as it did in the past. It offers many opportunities for recreation. At the park you can camp and picnic. You can hike and bike. You can boat and fish. You can ride on horse trails. And you can see lots of nature and wildlife. You can see Florida as it was in the early days.
Paynes Prairie is a part of our Florida history. It is an example of our Florida natural resources. It is a place for recreation. Paynes Prairie is an important experience of the Real Florida. | All of the following are true EXCEPT that _ . | William Bartram was the first person to visit Paynes Prairie | ['Paynes Prairie has changed little through time', 'Paynes Prairie is covered by wet prairie grasses', 'there used to be a big cattle farm on Paynes Prairie'] |
She had back to back tantrums so the decision was made to take her back up to the ward , calm her down and then try again . If you 're not familiar with Wellington Hospital - the trip from Nuclear Medicine to Ward 18 is pretty quick ; a few corridors and a ride in the elevator . Kyah made it feel like forever . She screamed and thrashed and I had to restrain her so that she did n't jump off the bed while it was in motion . | Which of the following is true of the narrator ? | The narrator transported a rough patient . | ['None of the above choices .', 'The narrator is a resident at Wellington .', 'The narrator is named Kyah .'] |
While most teachers enjoy the summer break from work, other teachers try to find part-time work during that time. If you're one of those teachers who are finding part-time work during the summer, writing for children might be the right job you're looking for.
During the school year, you're very familiar with children in your classroom. That means you know what children think about, how they talk and how they act. If you read stories and books for children with your students during the school year, you also know the kinds of story that children are fond of.
As a teacher, you can go to the school library and find out what kinds of books students are most interested in. Also, what kinds of books seem to be in short supply? Use this information to create stories and novels.
If you continue writing for children during the school year, you won't have enough time to write as much while you're teaching, but you can probably manage to work on at least one short story for children each month. Even if you don't finish these pieces during the school year, when school ends for the summer you will have lots of writing projects to finish and hand in to editors .
Recently, many teachers have turned to writing for children as a part-time job. If you enjoy writing as much as you enjoy teaching, then writing for children might be the second job for you, too. | Who is the passage probably written for? | Teachers. | ['Students.', 'Workers.', 'Schools.'] |
They made me feel so much better , and they were very willing to offer as much or as little assistance as I needed . At first I did n't really want to go to the hospital at all , but of course they were right to insist that I should . But then we discussed whether I should go in the ambulance or just let Erin drive me over there . They were not pushy about anything , but let me make up my mind . | What is a plausible reason for me to go to the hospital ? | I fell and hit my head on the floor and may have a concussion . | ['They know that I need assistance for most things I do .', 'None of the above choices .', 'They know I have trouble making up my mind .'] |
With only a click of the mouse, rumors can be forwarded between microblogs very quickly. As an example, recently, perceptive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs depicting Beijing's June rainstorm had actually been _ .
Sina.com is one of the major internet portals in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and renowned citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to verify rumors and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.
"Before I took the job, I usually couldn't identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the rumor verification process, we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumors that had been spread through microblogs."
It's not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumor Verification Federation on Sina.com's microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.
Dianzizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they've publicized more than 150 pieces which refute rumors, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.
"We live in an age of new media, so we can't use the old methods to verify rumors. We can't wait for the media to verify the facts with related administrative departments and then release a formal announcement. We can't allow rumors to run rampant and then deal with it, we need to fight rumors while they're spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumors nowadays."
Some experts say this demonstrates the advantages of the internet compared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wenguo, President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the internet is still quite limited.
"It's still quite difficult to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is deluged with too much false information, and it's allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also exacerbates problems relating to social communications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole."
Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the internet age. Once a rumor begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to dispel rumors before they lead to bad outcomes. | Sina.com decided to found a specialized team to _ . | prevent the spread of rumors on the Internet | ['limit the number of microblogs', 'advance the development of microblogs', 'urge the government to react quickly to the rumors'] |
We were so excited and the days were ticking away . We knew we had to have a home study done by a Social Worker but for Georgia we were told that could be done after the adoption . We were waiting on our attorney to guide us to through that process . The original due date had been set at Sept. 25 but come the first of August it was changed to Sept. 15 . | What may be a fact about the speaker ? | They are in the process of adopting a child . | ['They are unqualified to adopt a child from the shelter .', 'They are adopting multiple children from an adoption center .', 'None of the above choices .'] |