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I could use some advice and brainstorming , right now I ' m really frustrated and nothing quite makes sense . I had a computer I built with an Intel motherboard , blah blah . I bought a RocketRaid 1640 ( with 4 SATA ports ) and attached 2 Seagate 500 GB drives and 2 Maxtor 500Gb drives . I put them in a RAID 10 and for the most part all was well . | Why do I need some advice ? | What I am doing right now just is n't working . | ["I do n't care for help .", "I do n't need help with what I 'm doing .", 'None of the above choices .'] |
Global warming has a great influence on species all over the world. Polar bears are particularly at risk because their habitat is increasingly threatened by global warming. Lots of scientific research has shown that polar bear numbers are on the decline, and that if action is not taken quickly, polar bears may die out from the Earth.
Pack ice is decreasing globally. In the wild, polar bears spend much of their lives wandering pack ice in search of food. In 2009, several polar bear deaths by drowning were recorded, which had never been heard of before. The polar bears had been trapped on isolated areas of floating ice, and had tried to swim for land. Due to the shrinkage of the ice, the polar bears tired and drowned before reaching the shore, though they are rapid and aggressive swimmers. This problem will only grow as the pack ice shrinks.
The shrinkage of the ice has other consequences for polar bears. They are losing their natural prey , who are also affected by the shrinkage in habitat. Land animals also do not provide the high-fat diet that polar bears need, which will lead to starvation. Starving mothers will not be able to provide their babies with the nutrition they need, which will further contribute to the decline in polar bear numbers.
While searching for food and habitat, polar bears have also fought with humans. With the disappearance of the sea ice, polar bears have begun to show up around inhabited areas looking for food and shelter. But they often end up being killed by hunters because they present a threat to human communities.
The combination a deadly factors brought about by global warming put polar bears at a very high rate of risk. A global effort is needed to act against global warming before it is too late for polar bears, as well as many other species that call Earth home. | This text is mainly developed by _ . | analyzing causes and effects | ['making comparisons', 'examining differences', 'giving examples'] |
BERLIN-With the crisis in Japan raising fears about nuclear power, Germany and Switzerland said on Monday that they would reassess the safety of their own reactors.
Doris Leuthard, the Swiss energy minister, said Switzerland would put off plans to build nuclear plants. She said no new ones would be permitted until experts had reviewed safety standards.
Germany will put off "the recently decided extension of the running time of Cerman nuclear plants," Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters. "This moratorium will run for three months and it will allow for a thorough exanunation of the safety standards of the country's 17 nuclear power plants.
The European Union called for a meeting on Tuesday of nuclear safety authorities to assess Europe's preparedness.
Germany's foreign minister, Cuido Westerwelle, called for a new risk analysis of the counitry' snuclear plants, particularly regarding their cooling systems. He is the leader of the Free Democratic Party, which strongly supports nuclear power.
A previous government,led by the Social Democrats, passed a law in 2001 to close all the country's nuclear plants by 2021. But Mrs. Merkel' s government changed that decision last year to extend the lives of the plants by an average of 12 years.
In Switzerland, Doris Leuthard said she had already asked to analyze the exact cause of the problems in Japan and draw up new or tougher safety standards "particularly in terms of seismic( )safety and cooling."
In Russia, the Prime Minister said his govemment would "draw conclusions from what's going
on in Japan." | The author mentions all the following EXCEPT _ | The Social Democrats in Germany shares the same view with the Free Democratic Party. | ['Russia will try to Ieam something from the nuclear power crisis in Japan.', 'The moratorium in Cermany will give time to examine the nuclear plants safety standards.', "Switzerland will not build new nuclear plants unless they meet the experts' safety standards."] |
Columbus College , 241 Queen Elizabeth Drive ,Kowloon City
Memo
To: All Staff
From: Jakie Mok, Secretary; Sports Development Committee
Date: May 20, 2010
A week ago, "Sports for Life" programme was sent to the parents, requiring them to select a sport they wanted their child to play. Since then, our staff have received lots of calls from parents asking for more information about it. Here is a memo for your reference when you answer the phones.
Sports 1: Basketball.
We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. Therefore, students should be advised to sign up as soon as possible. Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park .To cover the cost of hiring a bus , each student will have to pay $10 each time. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game.
Sports 2: Gym
We will be using St. Peter's Memorial Park. There are two reasons for choosing this park. First, it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 pm. Second, it has lot of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent thirst. Three activities, skipping , jogging , outdoor aerobics ,all of which are free of charge, will be arranged. And there will be a teacher on duty for each of the activities.
Sports 3: Hiking
Hiking will take place at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2:30 pm and finish 90 minutes later. Three teachers will accompany the students, and a hiking instructor will accompany each group of 15 hikers . Each instructor will cost $75/hr. Students are advised to bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
Sports 4: Swimming
The Kowloon City Aquatic Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and conduct the goings-on from the poolside. We will only be able to reserve the pool for one hour (i.e. 2:45pm to 3:45pm).Only students skilful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards present. Girls must wear a swimming suit. The cost is $10 per visit. | Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? | Students selecting basketball had better register early. | ['Students participating in gym should arrive at 6:00 pm.', 'Hiking usually begins at 2:30 pm and lasts 2 hours.', 'Students having swimming suits can take up swimming.'] |
That went on until 12:30 . After that we went back to the TNT ( which is my res ) and chilled . The president of fraiser ( who is so hot ) invited me and my roommate to a party in his room . | What may be the reason for him inviting them to a party ? | He is interested in them . | ['He wants to teach them the ropes .', 'He wants them to be occupied .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
I see her the next day , to discuss the outcome of the interview . She has a look of certain disdain highlighting her pronounced cheekbones , and I feel such overwhelming empathy . I almost know exactly what she is about to tell me before she even parts her lips to speak . | Why is the narrator concerned about how they did on the job interview . | The narrator believes the interviewer 's body language was negative . | ['None of the above choices .', 'The narrator believes the interviewer secretly lusts for him .', 'The narrator believes the interviewer thinks he is overqualified .'] |
He stayed popular and with all the swarming popular girls that circled him and obsessed over him . He stopped talking to me , saying hi to me , and when I tried to say hi to him or talk to him he would suddenly get insanely nervous and turn his head away . Because so many girls liked him I guess I knew that I did n't have much of a chance to begin with . But OH WELL , if he could n't see how special I am then he 's not worth my time ! | Why did the man decide to stop talking to the narrator ? | The man felt he was too good for her . | ["The man felt he should n't talk to girls .", "The man felt other girls did n't want to talk to them .", 'None of the above choices .'] |
I have a Chiari Malformation at 5 mm length ( as of late 2006 ) , which then did n't seem to be restricting any flows . Some history : I have been in 12 auto accidents , 3 were totals . I have had 2 small motorcycle accidents . | How might have I discovered that I have a Chiari malformation ? | The doctors might have discovered it while treating me for my accidents . | ['The mechanics might have discovered it while fixing the car .', 'None of the above choices .', 'The doctors might have discovered it while treating me for it .'] |
Relax. He is the same little boy you loved yesterday. I smiled trying to hold back the tears. "No, he isn't. Yesterday I dreamed he would be an astronaut. Today I am hoping he will learn to talk."
It was like some sort of cosmic joke. I could still recall the day that determined my fate. It was October in Ottawa and the summer breezes had given way to the autumn rainfall of leaves. The snow would begin soon. The crispness of coming frost was in the air. My casually mentioning Wyatt's behavior to Dr. Martin aroused his worries. He started asking me questions about Wyatt's activities speech pattern and emotions. I still see clearly in my mind the cleanness of the room and all its belongings when the doctor turned to me and said, "He almost sounds autistic ."
I couldn't face that picture in my mind. I had to run to get away from this all too painful place that was reminding me of what was to be my child's life-being strange.
I could not remember how many times I told myself, "This is normal. He is a little boy who is not talking yet," when my asking questions met with his blank-eyed response in a restaurant; how many times I would tell myself, "He loves to play on his own for hours at a time and he never gets into trouble," when Wyatt was playing games that no one else could imagine, let alone join in while other boys in the park were playing together or in small groups played around a sand pail or toy truck. My life was changing direction. So was Wyatt's.
I started to hide Wyatt from my friends and neighbor especially from a good friend. It was too painful to let others know about my boy acting strange.
It was a Thursday afternoon and I found one half of a great pair of kitchen scissors was missing. They were unbelievably sharp and could be taken apart so they could be washed or the blades sharpened. I knew Wyatt had taken the missing blade.
"Wyatt," I began as patiently as I could, "Do you see this?" I held up the blade. "Do you know what this is?"
Wyatt put a bunch of Fruit Loops in his mouth. No response.
"Wyatt!" I forced eye contact with him. "Where are the other scissors? See these." I showed him the half pair.
He smiled big. Ate Fruit Loops. Turned the TV on and off. Still no response.
I didn't know what to do. It was really hard. "Wyatt," I tried once more, "Mommy wants these scissors. Can you go get them for Mommy? It will make Mommy so happy if you bring me the scissors."
"Watch Spongebob." Wyatt asked as he slid down from his kitchen stool and ran off, leaving me shaking my head and wondering in exactly which way this situation was going to end badly.
Five minutes later, I turned my head to see Wyatt coming downstairs, his favorite doll in one hand, the missing half pair of kitchen scissors in the other. I immediately ran over and took it from him.
"Wyatt!" I hugged him. "Thank you for bringing me the scissors! Good job! You did it! These scissors need to stay in the kitchen. These are Mommy's scissors!"
Wyatt laughed, looked at me straight in the eye and said, "Mommy so happy!"
I came close to tears. A realization dawned on me that he was the best gift I had ever gotten even though he was not as normal as other children. And why did I hide him from others as if he were some dark and terrible secret. No! He was my pride. It was a long, hard battle to get him to this point, expressing his wants and needs without turning to violence in embarrassment. With love and patience I have found the beautiful, happy boy who would teach me more about life.
And that is the solution. | What seems to be the solution at the end of the passage? | Making Wyatt a kind and joyful boy with great care. | ['Never hiding Wyatt from normal kids.', 'Turning to violence in disappointment occasionally.', 'Helping Wyatt learn to talk and become an astronaut.'] |
When I was in the seventh grade, I was a candy striper at a local hospital in my town. I volunteered about 30 to 40 hours a week during the summer.
Most of the time I spent there was with Mr. Gillespie. He never had any visitors, and nobody seemed to care about his condition. I spent many days there holding his hand and talking to him, helping with anything that needed to be done. He became a close friend of mine, even though he responded with only an occasional squeeze of my hand. Mr. Gillespie was in a coma .
I left for a week for a vacation with my parents, and when I came back, Mr. Gillespie was gone. I didn't have the courage to ask any of the nurses where he was, for fear they might tell me he had died. So with many questions unanswered, I continued to volunteer there through my eighth-grade year.
Several years later, when I was a junior in high school, I was at the gas station when I noticed a familiar face. When I realized who it was, my eyes filled with tears. He was alive! I got up the nerve to ask him if he was Mr. Gillespie, and if he had been in a coma about five years ago. With an uncertain look on his face, he replied yes. I explained how I knew him, and that I had spent many hours talking to him in the hospital. His eyes welled up with tears, and he gave me the warmest hug I had ever received.
He began to tell me how, as he lay there comatose , he could hear me talking to him and could feel me holding his hand the whole time. He thought it was an angel , who was there with him. Mr. Gillespie firmly believed that it was my voice and touch that had kept him alive. Then he told me about his life. We exchanged a hug, said our good-byes and went our separate ways.
Although I haven't seen him since, he fills my heart with joy every day. I know that I made a difference between his life and his death. As importantly, he has made a great difference in my life. I will never forget him and what he did for me: He made me an angel. | The author didn't ask where Mr. Gillespie had gone because _ . | she feared that he might have died | ['she knew for sure that he had recovered', 'she forgot all about him when she returned to the hospital', 'she had been concerned that he might stay in coma forever'] |
Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered _ to me at my house. No card or note came with it. Calls to the florist were always in vain ---- it was a cash purchase. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender's identity.
But I never stopped imagining who the anonymous sender might be.
My mother often contributed to these imaginings. She'd ask me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness who might be showing appreciation. Perhaps the neighbor I'd help when she was unloading a car full of groceries. Or maybe it was the old man across the street whose mail I retrieved during the winter so he wouldn't have to venture down his icy steps.
When I was 17, a boy broke my heart. The night he called for me the last time, I cried myself to sleep. When I awoke in the morning, there was a message scribbled on my mirror in red lipstick: "Heartily know, when half-gods go, the gods arrive." I thought about that quotation from Emerson for a long time, and I left it where my mother had written it. When I finally went to get the glass cleaner, my mother knew everything was all right again. I don't remember ever slamming my door in anger at her and shouting, "You just don't understand!" because she did understand.
One month before my high-school graduation, my father died suddenly of a heart attack. My feelings ranged from grief to abandonment, fear and over-whelming anger that my dad was missing some of the most important events in my life. I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation, the senior-class play and the prom-events that I had worked on and looked forward to.
But my mother, in the midst of her own grief, would not hear of my missing out any of those things. The day before my father died, she and I had gone shopping for a prom dress and found a spectacular one. Wearing it made me feel like a princess, but it was the wrong size, and when my father died the next day, I forgot all about the dress.
My mother didn't. The day before the prom, I found that dress-in the right size, draped over the living room sofa, presented to me -- beautifully, artistically and lovingly. I didn't care about having a new dress, but my mother did. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable, creative and imaginative.
My mother died when I was 22, only ten days after I was married. That was the year the gardenias stopped coming. | We can infer from the passage that _ . | Mother care how her child felt and gave her the ability to see beauty even in the face of adversity | ['the gardenia sender kept sending flowers to the author for 22 years.', 'the author showed little interest in her graduation prom', "after the author's father died, Mother bought her a dress to the prom"] |
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday slammed China's militarization of disputed South China Sea islands, insisting that weapons systems recently deployed in the area were meant to intimidate and coerce Beijing's neighbors.
The comments came during a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual Asian defense forum in Singapore. In the speech, Mattis laid out the broader U.S. strategy for a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region.
"China's policy in the South China Sea stands in stark contrast to the openness our strategy promotes. It calls into question China's broader goals," Mattis said.
Specifically, the Pentagon chief mentioned China's deployment of anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles, electronic jammers, and the landing of a bomber aircraft at the Paracel Islands off the coast of Vietnam.
"Despite China's claim to the contrary, the placement of these weapon systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion," Mattis added.
Though much of the world is focused on an upcoming summit between North Korea and the United States, this year's Shangri-La Dialogue has focused primarily on the region's long-term future and how to deal with a more assertive China.
Beijing has begun projecting power beyond its borders, most notably through the construction and militarization of islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, despite overlapping claims by countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Last week, the United States disinvited China from the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), a major international maritime exercise to be held later this year, citing Beijing's behavior in the South China Sea.
Mattis on Saturday referred to that disinvitation as an "initial response" to China, but he did not outline any additional steps that might be taken.
"The U.S. will continue to pursue a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China, cooperating when possible and competing vigorously where we must," Mattis said.
During a question-and-answer session afterward, Mattis fielded a question from a Chinese colonel, who claimed that U.S. freedom of navigation operations are a provocation that violate international law. | What was Mattis' room service bill during his stay for the Shangri-La Dialogue? | not enough information | ['Five hundred dollars.', 'Fifty five dollars.', 'One thousand dollars.'] |
You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago. With a few minutes to spare between meetings, you go to get a quick cup of coffee.
"Hey, David, how are you?" one of the senior partners at the firm asks you.
"Good, thank you, Dr. Greer," you reply. You've really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm, and this seems like a great opportunity. But as you start to think of something to say, your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight.
"So Arnold", your colleague says to your boss, in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe , "So what's your Super bowl prediction? I mean, you're a Niners fan, right?" The conversation moves on, and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee. You know how important small talk is in the U. S. , and you feel jealous of people who can do it well.
There's nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture. People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U. S. and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it--with peers,men,women,and even with superiors. You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world, but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work. And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk.
What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U. S. to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone your own version of American-style small talk. Watch how others do it. You don't have to mimic what they do; in fact, that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic. But if you can develop your own personal version, that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable. | What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture? | The role small talk plays in work settings. | ["American workers' attitude towards superiors.", 'The special meaning of small talk.', "American workers' ability to make progress."] |
I was going to use this to post my stories , but I think I 'll just keep them to myself for a while lol . FictionPress is being a biatch , I have n't been getting notification for months and I keep trying to apply for a new account , but I do n't get the freaking confirmation e - mail ! And I use a different e - mail n everything ! UUURRGG ! ! ! | Why is the website giving the narrator so much stress ? | The narrator can not post their stories . | ['The narrator is struggling to pay a bill .', 'The narrator has a computer virus .', 'The narrator is having difficulty with a virus .'] |
Starting in l972,the National Park Service established a policy for forest fires calle Natural Burn.It was acknowledged that some forest fires,such as those caused by lightning were necessary for forests to maintain balanced ecosystems,so the fire should be allowed to burn.However, a big fire in Yellowstone National Park in l988 caused this policy to be abandoned since the fire was initially allowed to burn yet soon out of control.As a result,the fire of l988 destroyed much of Yellowstone,which is America's oldest and most beloved national park.Massive areas of plants were destroyed,and large empty spaces and acres of burned and blackened trees greeted visitors.The rivers and streams were choked with ash,and the ecosystem of the park was changed beyond repair.
In addition,great numbers of animals were killed by the fires that bumed out of control. The fires were driven by high winds,moving as many as ten miles a day.Many small animals died in the flames.The fires' rapid advances gave the wildlife little chance to escape. Even today,few of these small forest animals have returned to live in the park. In the years immediately following the fires,the numbers of visitors declined rapidly.No one was interested in seeing a blackened and treeless park on vacation.Yellowstone had previously been famous for its amazing views and unique geological formations such as the geyser Old Faithful. But now its reputation as America's wonder is damaged permanently. | Natural Burn was adopted because some forest fires were | good for the balance of nature | ['hard to put out', 'started by lightning', 'approved by National Park Service'] |
Europe's first major university department to promote research into government and public policy will open in Oxford under new plans.
In a hugely significant move, Oxford University will create a new school of government in 2012 following aPS75 million donation by Leonard Blavatnik, the American industrialist and philanthropist .The school is intended to train outstanding graduates from across the world in the skills and responsibilities of government.The move is being backed by world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Kofi Annan.
Andrew Hamilton, Oxford's vice - chancellor, said: "The school represents a huge milestone in Oxford's history.It will give tomorrow leaders the best of Oxford's traditional strengths alongside new and practical ways of understanding and meeting the challenges of good governance.
"The university has educated 26 British Prime Ministers and over 30 other world leaders, yet until how the major international schools of government have all been outside Europe, principally in the United States."
Under plans, the Blavatnik School of Government will provide a series of practical courses leading to a Master's degree.It will cover a range of subjects including the humanities, social sciences, law, science, technology, health, finance, energy and security policy.
Oxford said Mr Blavatnik's donation was one of the most generous in the university' s 900 year history The university itself will be investing an additionalPS26m in the school, as well as land in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, where the school will be located.
Lord Patten, Oxford's chancellor, said: "This is a once - in - a - century opportunity for Oxford through the Blavatnik donation, Oxford will now become the world's leading centre for the training of future leaders in government and public policy - and in ways that take proper account of the very different additions, institutions and cultures that those leaders will serve.It is an important moment for the future good government throughout the world." | Which of the following is true of the school? | It is named after Leonard Blavatnik. | ['It will not provide traditional courses.', 'It is wholly financed by Leonard Blavatnik.', 'It is the first international school of gover'] |
A rocket began countdown . It was a common sound in the 1960s. But this was not just another countdown. It was the beginning of a historic event. It was the countdown of Apollo 11 -the space fligh that would carry men to the first landing on the moon.
In the spaceship at the top of the rocket were three American astronauts whose names would soon be known around the world: Neil Armstrong. Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins.
Neil Armstrong was the commander of the spaceship. Edwin Aldrin was the pilot of the moon lander. The astronauts gave it the name the Eagle. Michael Collins was the pilot of the command module , Columbia. He would wait in orbit around the moon while Armstrong and Aldrin landed and explored the surface.
On Earth, all activity seemed to stop. President Richard Nixon gave federal government workers the day off to watch the moon landing on television. Around the world, 500 million people watched the television report. Countless millions more listened on their radios.
Armstrong and Aldrin started the lander rocket engine. It slowed the spacecraft and sent it down toward the landing place. It was in an area known as the "Sea of Tranquility ".
The moon lander, controlled by a computer, dropped toward the airless surface of the moon. 140 meters from the surface, the astronauts look control of the lander from the computer. They moved the Eagle forward, away from a very rocky area that might have caused a difficult landing.
It took the astronauts more than three hours to complete the preparations for leaving the lander. It was difficult - in the Eagle's small space - to get into space suits that would protect them on the moon's surface.
Finally, Armstrong and Aldrin were ready. They opened the door. Armstrong went out first and moved slowly down the ladder. At 2:56 on July 20th, 1969, Neil Armstrong put his foot on the moon.
"That's one small step for man,"he said, "one giant leap for mankind." | Why did the three American astronauts on Apollo 11 soon become famous around the world? | Because the first landing on the moon attracted the world's attention. | ['Because people had never seen such brave astronauts as them before.', 'Because people all over the world watched the moon landing on TV live.', 'Because President Richard Nixon thought highly of what they did.'] |
Below is a selection about Guinness World Records.
Top 6 Unusual Guinness World Records
Fastest 100 m running on all fours
The 2008 Guinness World Records Day was, according to CWR, their biggest day of record-breaking ever, I- h more than 290.000 people taking put in record attempts in 15 different countries. Kenichi Ito's record attempt was port of this special day. He is just another example of Japanese with "super powers". His "super power" is to run with great speed on all fours. Kenichi Ito ran 100 m on all fours in 18.58 seconds. The Japanese set this record at Setagaya Kuritsu Sogo Undojyo, Tokyo, in 2008.
Most people inside a soap bubble
The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, Califomia celebrated this year the 15th anniversary of the Bubble Festival. A bubble's math principles and science were presented and demonstrated at the three-week-long exhibition. The intriguing Bubble Show was also part of the program. Fan Yang and Deni Yang impressed the audience with their awesome skills for bubble making. The Yang family cooperated with the Discovery Science Center to set a new Guinness World Record for mow people inside a scup bubble and they succeeded.
The family that has been working with soap bubbles for 27 years created a huge soap bubble and got 118 people inside it. The record was set or. April 4, 2011.
Longest ears on a dog
A bloodhound from Illinois has the longest ears ever measured a dog. The right ear is 13.75 inches long and the left one 13.5 inches. The dog named Tigger earned this title in 2004 and is owned by Christina and Bryan Flessner.
Mr. Jeffries is the previous record holder of this title. Each of his ears measured approximately 11. 5 inches long. His grandfather used to hold this amazing world record, but when he died Mr.Jeffries look over.
Most living generations
Did you ever wonder what is the Guinness World Record for most living generation in one family? Seven is the answer.
The ultimate authority on record-breaking mentions on the website that the youngest great-great- great-great grandparent of this family was Augusta Bung "aged 109 years 97 days, followed by her daughter aged 89, her granddaughter aged 70, her great grand-daughter aged 52, her great-great grand-daughter aged 33 and her great-great-great granddaughter aged 15 on the birth of her great-great-great-great grandson on January 21, 1989".
Most T shirts worn at once
Believe it or not, there is a record also for this category. Krunoslav Budiseli set a new world record on May 22, 2010 for wearing 245 T-shirts at the same time. The nun from Croatia was officially recognized as the new record bolder by Guinness World Records after he managed to put on 245 different T-shirts in 1ess than two hours. . The T-shirts weighted 68 KG and Budiseli said he began struggling around T-shirt No. 120. He dethroned the Swedish Guinness record holder who wore 238 T-shirts.
Heaviest pumpkin
Guinness World Records confirmed on October 9. 2010 that a gigantic pumpkin grown in Wisconcin was officially the world's heaviest. It weighed 1,810 pounds 8 ounces and was unveiled by Chris Stevens at the Stillwater Harvest Festival in Minnesota. Stevens' pumpkin was 85 pounds Javier than the previous re I, another huge pumpkin grown in Ohio. The proud farmer said his secret is a precise of rain, cow mature, good soil, sea grass and fish emulsion. Some of the world's heaviest pumpkins, including the record bolder, were on public display at the Bronx Botanical Gardens in New Yost for a dozen days. | According to the given information. which Guinness World Record was most recently set? | The record for "Most people inside a soup bubble". | ['The record for "Most living generations\'".', 'The record for "Most T-shirts worn at once".', 'The record for " Heaviest pumpkin".'] |
Hank Viscardi was 26 years old when he put on his first pair of long trousers and his first pair of shoes. For the first time he saw himself as he had always wanted to be a full five feet eight inches tall.
Hank had been born without legs. Until he was seven, his world was a world of repeated operations. At last he had not legs, but stumps that could be fitted with a kind of special boots.
Out of the hospital, Hank often found people staring at him with cruel interest. Children laughed at him and called him "Ape Man" because his arms dragged on the ground.
He went to school like other boys. His grades were good and he needed only eight years instead of the usual twelve.
After graduation, Hank worked his way through college. He swept floors, waited on table, or worked in one of the college offices. During all this busy life, Hank had been moving around on his stumps. But one day the doctor told him even the stumps were not going to last much longer. Hank would soon have to use a wheel chair.
Hank felt himself go cold all over. However, the doctor said there was a chance that he could be fitted with artificial legs.
Finally a leg maker was found and the day came when Hank stood up before the mirror and saw himself for the first time, five feet eight inches tall.
But this was not the end yet. He had to learn to use his new legs. Again and again he marched the length of the room, and marched back again. There were times when he fell down on the floor, but he pulled himself up and went back to the endless marching. He went out on the street. He climbed the stairs and learned to dance. He built a boat and learned to sail it.
When World War II came, he talked the Red Cross into giving him a job. He took the regular training. He marched and drilled along with the other soldiers. Few knew that he was legless. This was the true story of Hank Viscardi, the man without legs. | When Hank marched and drilled along with the other soldiers _ . | he did everything the other soldiers did | ['he did most of the things the other soldiers did', 'he did some of the things the other soldiers did', 'he took some special training'] |
A man accused of failing to return more than 700 children's books to five different libraries in the county was released from prison after a book publisher agreed to post his bond of $1,000.The publisher said."There's a story here.This is a man who loves books.He just can't let go of them.He hasn't stolen a single book.So what's the crime ? We think that Mr.Banish has story to tell.We plan to publish his story."
When asked why he didn't return the books, Mr.Banish said,"Well,how could I? They became family to me.I was afraid to return them,because I knew that kids or dogs would get hold of these books and chew them up,throw them around,tear the pages,spill soda on them,get jelly on them,and drown them in the toilet.
He continued,"Books are people,too! They talk to you,they take care of you,and they enrich you with wisdom,humor and love.A book is a guest in my home.How could I kick it out? I repaired tor n pages.I dusted them with a soft clean cloth.I turned their pages so they could breathe and get some fresh air."
"Every week I reorganized them on their shelves so they could meet new friends,My books were HAPPY books.You could tell just by looking at them.Now they're all back in the libraries,on the lower shelves,on the floors,at the mercy of all those runny-nosed kids I can hear them calling me.I need to rescue them.Excuse me.I have to go now." | Why was the man put into prison? | Because he refused to return the books that he had borrowed. | ['Because the book publisher persuaded the police to do so.', "Because he stole 700 children's books from the five different libraries.", 'Because he wanted to publish his story.'] |
i also remember being the one who found out that she cheated on you , and not wanting to tell you because i knew how much she meant to you . i wanted to tell you , i really did . i wanted to be the one whose shoulder you could cry on . not because i liked you and wanted to score some points with you , but because i wanted to be there for you . | What may be a fact about the person in this situation ? | They care deeply for their friend . | ['They wanted to protect feelings .', 'None of the above choices .', "They did n't want to get in trouble ."] |
Getting ready for a big test? Want to get some extra energy for your next sports event? Or do you just need to relax? Match the mood you're in( or the mood you'd like to be in) to the descriptions below and find out what color may help.
Feeling tired: Red can help you meet the demands of a busy day. If you've got a tough day ahead, try wearing a red sweater or painting your fingernails a rich red to boost your energy.
Feeling tense or depressed: Green may give you a sense of peace. Take a long walk through a tree-filled park or read a book in a grassy area.
Wanting to use your creativity: Violet helps increase creativity. Think of a creative project you'd like to start and use the color violet as your main theme.
Experiencing lack of interest: Yellow helps to improve thought process and mental sharpness. Start keeping a diary on yellow notepaper, and get some sunlight on your face.
Needing to boost your imagination: Indigo strengthens dream activity. Put on your favorite pair of jeans and a pair of indigo sunglasses.
Feeling sad, self-conscious, nervous: Orange may help start your emotions and make you more social. Buy yourself an orange book bag or purse and carry it with you on the days when you're feeling low.
Having trouble sleeping: Blue helps calm your nerves and brings relaxation. Buy some blue sheets for your bed and curl up with your favorite magazines for a relaxing night. | Which of the following is most helpful in producing unique artwork? | Violet | ['Red', 'Green', 'Orange'] |
So yesterday was amazing ! I did chores , picked up Drew and whatnot and it was gooorgeous . I cried during the ceremony because it was adorable lol and the hall looked amazing . There were little lights everywhere and glass and oh man , it was gorgeous . | What may happen before the planned ceremony occurred ? | I performed my tasks as the norm | ['It was my program taking place', 'I was very emotional and cried', 'None of the above choices .'] |
After passing though the tree line , where temperatures are too low on average to sustain tree growth , the ground changed to alpine tundra . These low , hardy plants and flowers dodge the high winds just a few feet above and are insulated by snow cover in the winter . Elk and big horn sheep venture here as well , and we saw a good number of elk grazing below the road . | How do low , hardy plants and flowers dodge the high winds just a few feet above and are insulated by snow cover in the winter ? | They grow close to the ground to keep from being damaged in the wind , but because there are no trees , they get full sun . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They get moisture from snow and need no water .', 'They actually move in the wind and avoid it .'] |
The revolution was over by the time Tom Ford started working in the fashion world. The expensive fashion design houses such as Channel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Christian Dior, which earned money by designing and making very expensive custom clothes, had lost many of their wealthy customers. To stay in business, they started selling more reasonably priced ready-to-wear clothing along with a wide range of accessories , that is, related products such as shoes, bags, watches. All of these products needed to blend with the clothing and with each other so that they made up a brand that everyone would recognize and wanted to buy. Though they did not use that name, each company needed a "master designer."
Born in Texas and growing up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ford had a diverse background in the arts. Soon after completing high school, he moved to New York, where he studied art history, trained as an actor, and worked as a model. Following that, Ford completed a program in indoor design, but later decided that he was more interested in designing clothes than in decorating house. He was hired by the firm Cathy Hardwick in 1986, where he began to work as a fashion designer. His talent stood out from the rest and soon he moved to Perry Ellis, where he became design director. Then in 1990 he made an important move by taking a position with the New York branch of Gucci, the famous design house based in Milan, Italy.
During his first years at Gucci, the company was going through a very difficult period. Its products were once considered highly desirable, and were worn by famous women such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, and Jacqueline Kennedy. However, by the early 1990s they had lost their reputation for quality. Other producers had started making cheap, widely available imitations of the brand, and the sales of Gucci's own products had dropped. Things were so bad at one point that Ford was almost fired. However, some people at the company believed in his talent, and in 1994 they hired him to work in Milan as the creative director for the entire company. In this position Ford had artistic control over all of the company's products, as well as its advertising and the design of its stores. Under Ford's direction, Gucci's reputation for cutting-edge style soon returned, and the company began to recover. The style shows starting in 1994 were wildly successful. People loved the low-cut velvet pants, unbuttoned silk shirts, and shiny boots in metallic color1s. By 1999 Gucci, which had almost gone out of business, was worth over $4 billion.
When Gucci bought Yves Saint Laurent , Ford became creative director for that fashion house while continuing to design for Gucci. When asked how he would be able to keep the two styles apart, Ford said it wasn't a problem and offered a comparison. Yves Saint Laurent was like Catherine Deneuve, he said while Gucci was more like Sophia Loren. Both are sexy and beautiful women, but with very different styles.
Ford left Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent in 2004 to form his own company called simply "Tom Ford". Not long after, he was working together with cosmetics producer Estee Lauder to bring out new beauty products, and then developed and sold a perfume under his own name. His plans for the future? Ford says that someday he'd definitely like to make a film. He puts it his way: "That is the main design project. You don't just get to design what people wear, but you design the whole world and whether characters get to live or die. There is what fashion lacks. | Why did the famous design houses need a "master designer"? | To blend a range of accessories with ready-to-wear clothing. | ['To make clothes for their wealthy customers.', 'To start a revolution in the fashion world.', 'To save a company from its difficult times.'] |
The first visit to a foreign country that I can remember was when I was about seven years old. We live about 5 miles away from the Canadian border . My family and I went to Parc Safari, Quebec, a wonderful place that has animals and rides. We drove down a nice long road. My sister and I sat in the back of the car, and it was a hatchback so we opened it up. I remember feeding the animals snacks we had bought for ourselves.
The time we went we were told there would not be monkeys because they had escaped and had not been found. I remember thinking to myself, how cool it would be to see a monkey in our backyard.
Even though the monkeys were not there it was still so much fun. When we reached the area that had camels, giraffes and other animals, I remember one of the camels reached into the car to get our snacks. However, we were a little _ because the camels seemed to froth at the mouth and we had camel slobber all over the car and us.
It was one of the best family vacations that I can remember. It was not too far from home, it was in a different country and it was with my family. I cannot remember if we went on the rides or not but seeing many animals was a great time. Now I am grown up and have a son, and I am planning to go there again. He is 7 years old and I think he is at a great age to enjoy a trip like this. I am sure it has changed a lot over the years but it will still be a great family trip. | We fed the animals something _ . | we prepared for ourselves | ['offered by people living there', 'we bought for them', 'cooked by my sister'] |
Zhao Cheng is a typical member of the post-90s generation. And like many of his peers, he spends a lot of time staring at his computer screen, looking for amusing passages to share on his micro blog. He also writes his own amusing comments and observations.
It may seem that Zhao,19, a fresh high school grade, is simply wasting time with his micro blogging exploits. His parents certainly thought so. And then Zhao amazed them by turning his hobby into a profitable career.
Enterprises, especially those targeting young customers, have realized the value of marketing on micro blogs. Ads, if forwarded by popular bloggers, will enjoy widespread Internet coverage. Therefore, it appears that running a popular micro blog and forwarding several ads per day is a financial rewarding career choice nowadays. However, in order to be successful, you need to ensure that your micro blog has a large number of followers. Launching a micro blogging sensation can be tough for rookies .
In Zhao's opinion, it's not necessary to come up with a totally original micro blog. " You can publish a popular post you have found in other online communities on your micro blog. But to become a sensation, you have to be the first one to publish the post," said Zhao.
Therefore, a micro blogger needs to be aware enough to sense a post's potential to become an online sensation. He or she also needs to be daring enough to publish potentially controversial posts or launch activities which could be risky.
Running a popular micro blog is an exhausting job, both physically and mentally. Publishing ads also requires energy and commitment. In order to hunt for the most up-to-date, hot topics online, Zhao has to spend almost all of his spare time surfing the Internet. He often stays up late. | The best title of the passage is _ . | Micro Blogger Strikes Gold | ['The powerful Micro Blog', 'Zhao Cheng--- a Post-90s', 'How to Run a Popular Micro Blog'] |
Are you interested in country music? I like it very much! It will take me away for a while after I am tired .The guitars and songs will take me to mountains and fields.
Country music usually talks of everyday life and feelings. It's the spirit of America, easy to understand, slow and simple.
Country music developed in the Southern United States. It was the folk music of American countryside. Many of songs tell about the lives of farmers .They talk about love, crops or death.
The life of the countryside can be hard, so the words in country music are often sad. At first, people played the music only at family parties. But it became more popular later. In the 1920s, people played country songs on the radio, and they made them into records.
When people in the countryside moved to towns and cities to look for work, they took their music with them. Country music continued to change and became popular across America.
John Denver was one of America's most famous country singers in the 1970s.His song "Take Me home, Country Roads" is well-known and people still play it today. | Country music is usually about _ . | everyday life and feelings | ["farmers' feelings", 'the lives of workers', 'the lives of farmers'] |
If you are hungry, what will you do? Grab a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet after that? Just like stomach, even your mind will be hungry. But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such absurd things. So it silently begins to hide your needs and never lets itself grow. When mind loses its freedom to grow, creativity gets its full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?", "Why am I always given the difficult problems?" Well, this is the after-effect of using our brain for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through extensive reading. But why is it reading but not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educational tool used by us right from the childhood. Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to turn to reading for help. You have a number of books in the world which will answer all your "how-to" questions. Once you read a book, you just don't run your eyes through the lines, but your mind decodes it and explains it to you. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed. Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas. The same seed, if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, which you would never thought of in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity. The more books you read, the wider your mind will become. Also this improves your oratorical (speech-making) skills to a large extent and also makes a significant contribution to your vocabulary. When you start speaking English or any other language fluently with your friends or other people, you never seem to run out of the right words at the right time.
Actually, I had a problem in speaking English fluently, but as I read, I could improve significantly. So guys, do join me and give food for your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading. Now what are you waiting for? Go, grab a book and let me know! | What's the best title of the passage? | Feed your Mind by reading | ['Hunger of the mind', 'Stomach and Mind', 'Reading or Watching TV'] |
No one really knows how the ancient Egyptians build the pyramids. But Maureen Clemmons has a theory . She thinks the Egyptians may have used kites.
"If you look at ht top center of every monument , you see wings," Clemons said. "I think the Egyptians have been trying to tell us in pictures for 3,000 years that this is how they built the pyramids."
She thinks that earliest Egyptian workers might make use of kites to lift the stones with the help of the desert wind. She got a team of aeronautic engineers to help her test the theory.
Yesterday, in the Mojave Desert, they put their theory to the test using a nylon kite, three pulleys and an obelisk that weighs nearly four tons. The wind speed had to be just right. And amazingly, it worked.
"There's ly no evidence for kites in ancient Egypt," said Professor Carol Redmount of the University of California. "There's no evidence of pulleys as we know them today."
Redmount says the historical evidence points to the "Charlton Heston method," which basically relies on the theory of the muscle of slaves pushing and pulling huge stone blocks to create the pyramids.
But the kite-lifting group will have none that.
"All I can remember from history is that Egyptians drank beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and as someone who has done field research on drinking beer, I know after I've had two beers and it's really hot. I'm not pushing or pulling anything," Clemmons said. "So, I figured I'd try to think another way." | Why did Clemmons NOT agree with the theory of the muscle of slaves pushing and pulling stones to create the pyramids? | Because of the Egyptians' habit of drinking beer at three meals and the beer effect on people. | ['Because at that time no pulleys were used inprefix = st1 /Egypt.', 'Because there were no enough slaves to finish the great project.', 'Because she knew Charlton Heston very well.'] |
i went at 8 pm with my family and my aunt Nuni , my cousin Matias and his AFS brother Kenyi ( japanese ) . i found Male there and we went walking to Britania Pub . i got drunk easily with sangria plus britania beer . went home early with my parents.last saturday night , my godmother 's 50th birthday party . | Why is the narrator inebriated at the event ? | They drank too much Sangria . | ['They drank too much gin .', 'They drank too much whiskey .', 'They drank too much sake .'] |
My name is Amanda LaMunyon. I have Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism . I don't see myself as a person with a disability. I share who I am when I paint, sing and write.
I started writing poetry because I wanted to tell people what it was like to have Asperger's syndrome. I don't know how my life would be different without Asperger's, but I know I look at the world differently than most people. I'm also learning that you don't have to be like everybody else. You just have to be confident in who you are.
I discovered I could paint when I was 7. My math teacher Mrs. Brock loved one of my paintings so much that she hung it on the wall in her bedroom. I was so encouraged by her and since then my life has changed greatly.
Soon after, people asked me to show my art for charity events. I began to donate prints of my work for charity auctions . I was glad that I really made a difference. I learned that when you give, you receive happiness.
I think it is very important for teens to express themselves. It's a way to know yourself more clearly. You can turn your thoughts and feelings into a piece of artwork or a poem.
For example, when you paint, colors can help you express different emotions. When you write a poem, you have to get really honest with yourself and not be afraid to write down what you feel.
Creativity makes you unique and sets you apart from others. Creative ideas also help you make your dreams come true. They help you look at things in a new way.
I hope my story helps people to believe they can overcome their challenges and achieve their dreams. I like to encourage others. I know what encouragement has meant to me. | The author mentions Mrs. Brock because she _ . | influenced the author's later life greatly | ['taught the author how to paint', 'found the author had a gift for painting', 'encouraged the author to change her life'] |
People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in good and bad times. You've made friends since childhood, but you still don't know who your true friends are. Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend:
Always honest
Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive. A true friend always tells you the truth. It may be hard sometimes but lying can destroy a friendship. It is important that your friend speaks honestly and never makes up stories.
There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties. A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice. It may not be able to offer a solution to your problems but the fact that your friend made time to listen is a sign he/ she cares for you. Your friend is not a true friend if he/ she can never make time for you when you are in trouble. You also need to be reasonable and accept that your friend also has other things to do so he/she can't always listen immediately to your problems.
Always respectful
A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he/she agrees or not. Your true friend may disagree but never insists that he/she is correct.
Always understanding
It is possible that some problems will arise between you and your friend. A true friend will always be forgiving and understanding even if it isn't his /her fault. We are all different people and we all make mistakes. A true friend is always forgiving and understanding because he/she doesn't want to take the risk of losing his/her best friend. | According to the passage , a true friend will always _ . | respect your opinion even if he/she disagrees with it | ['follow your advice', 'offer a solution for your problems', 'listen immediately to your problems'] |
I pulled up , ordered my drink from the very nice guy and started to pull forward to speed along and grab my coffee . Instead I was only able to inch forward enough that my back window was lined up with the little speaker thing and it was all because of an innocent looking little Honda that I 'll refer to as " Red " who is seen in this picture . So as I sat there behind " Red " I figured that there must have been a line of cars in front of him because he was n't moving at all . What I did n't realize , until the van in front of Red moved a couple car lengths forward , is that Red had turned off his engine . | Why was the narrator mad at Red ? | Red was holding up traffic . | ['Red was taking an alcoholic drink while driving .', 'Red hit the honda .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
Scientists have been puzzled by the phenomenon that migrating birds fly not just in groups all the time, but in "V" formations and they have tried to figure out what benefit birds get from this particular formation. Now, a research group from University of London may have found the answer -- migrating birds fly in a "V" to save energy, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
When a bird flaps its wings, it stirs the air around it and causes it to move indifferent directions. Scientist found in the study that the air creates an upward-moving wave at the tips of the wings, which means that if a bird flies around the wingtips of another bird, it can get a boost from the rising air and therefore use less energy to stay in the air.
Apart form the "free ride" strategy, scientists were also surprised to observe that migrating birds timed their wing beats and adjusted their positions in a very precise way to maximize the lifting effect while avoiding areas where the air move downward.
"They're able to sense what's going on from the bird in front, where this 'good air' is coming from and now how to position themselves perfectly in it," lead researcher Steven Portugal told BBC.
In fact, the "V" formation has long thought to help birds fly more efficiently . A previous study showed that birds' heart rates went down when they were flying together in a "V" formation. Jet fighters were also found to be able reduce their energy use by up to 18% by staying near the wingtips of other jet fighters. Both of these findings led scientists to suspect that the "V" formation had an efficiency purpose, but until now they still lack proof.
"For scientists, the new study provides an insight into an interesting natural phenomenon. But it could mean even more for aircraft companies -- helping them understand how they can _ that with their plane formations to save fuel, said Portugal." | What is the author's purpose in writing this article? | To report new findings about migrating birds' "V" formations. | ['To explain how birds benefit from migration.', 'To introduce how migrating birds find their way.', 'To tell some applications of migrating birds\' "V" formations.'] |
" Yeah! Auntie is here! " screamed my husband's niece and nephew together. " Let me get the door!" " No, let me !" Each one's goal was to get there first and open the door for their Auntie, Me!
I couldn't get enough of them, of their youthful love of life, and their excitement every time I visited! To be honest, it was partially because of the Surprise Travel Bag that I carried in. It was a tradition that I started when they were young. Each time I went to see them, I would take a large bag filled with toys, coloring books, candy, magic markers and "games".
The contents were different but the rules were not. They included: one may get a turn to choose what activity we would do; another may take a turn to go first when we played a game; ..... We shared the treats after the games and cleaned up after we played . Then, sadly, they watched the Surprise Travel Bag go away with their Auntie.
Now my niece and nephew have grown into young adults. They spend most of their visits listening to their iPods, messaging on their phones.... I completely forgot that I had put my two Surprise Travel Bags in the basement until my husband found them this weekend.
I held the bags tightly in my arms, remembering our laughter and fun-filled get-togethers. My big decision now is to whom I will pass the Surprise Travel Bags so that the fun that the bags help to create can continue. | The author's purpose in writing the passage is to _ . | share her good memories | ['sell her Surprise Travel Bags', 'show us how to travel happily', 'teach us how to play with children'] |
SEOUL — This week’s summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, to be held on Friday, April 27, is expected to produce a denuclearization framework that U.S. President Donald Trump could support when he meets with Kim in May or June.
The North’s reassuring outreach of late, including its decision to unilaterally suspend all nuclear and missile tests, has set an optimistic tone that a deal can be reached. But it is still unclear if real progress toward peace can be achieved.
There have been two past inter-Korean Summits in 2000 and 2007, both held in the North. The first produced a joint peace declaration promoting humanitarian exchanges and economic cooperation.
From the second came support for a permanent peace treaty and a U.S. and China-led deal to end Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program for economic assistance and security guarantees.
However, North Korea’s continued nuclear development efforts and missile tests, in violation of past agreements, and other hostile acts, including a alleged deadly attack on a South Korean naval ship in 2010, brought an end to any progress made at these summits.
Leading up to this week’s inter-Korean summit, there are encouraging developments that a nuclear deal may again be within reach.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s maximum pressure campaign, that led efforts to impose harsh international sanctions ending most North Korean exports, are exerting increasing economic pain that could be pressuring the leadership in Pyongyang to actually give up its nuclear arsenal this time.
"If the situation continues, the foreign exchange could be depleted and North Korea can face a very serious situation at the end of this year. This is one of the reasons why it has come out in favor of dialogue," said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior North Korea analyst at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made a number of concessions already by agreeing to talk about denuclearization without conditions, by appearing to drop past demands that the U.S. end its military presence on the Korean peninsula, and most recently by announcing the suspension of nuclear and missile tests, and closure of the country’s nuclear test site. | Who is Cheong Seong-Chang? | A senior North Korean analyst | ['The president of South Korea', 'Senior assistant to President Donald Trump', 'not enough information'] |
But ... The Tedster LOVED it when we brought out his special doggy birthday cake . He could n't get enough ! Grandma came over and a few friends and we sang him happy birthday . It was lovely . | Whose birthday was the narrator celebrating ? | None of the above choices . | ["They were celebrating their Grandma 's birthday .", "They were celebrating a cat 's birthday .", 'They were celebrating their birthday .'] |
According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on May 22nd, the United States of America "Forbes" magazine recently released the 2013 annual "most powerful women list".
German Chancellor(,) Angela Merkel for three consecutive years reelected top. There are 9 Chinese including Chinese first lady--Peng Liyuan. Brazil President Dilma Rousseff ranked second. "Bill and Melinda Gates foundation" co-chairman, Gate's wife Mi Linda (Melinda Gates) was third. The United States first lady Michel (wife of Obama) in 2010 in the first, from 2012 second drop to fourth. Former American Secretary of state Hillary Clinton as a fifth. The queen of England fell 12,drop to fortieth. another list of British women's female writer JK Rowling, ranked ninety-third.
The list of Chinese women, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, intelligent mobile phone maker HTC founder Wang Xuehong, chief executive of Chongqing Longhu real estate development limited company chairman Wu Yajun, SOHO China Ltd and co-founder Zhang Xin, the World Health Organization Director-General Chen Fengfuzhen (Margaret Chan), Huawei chairman Sun Yafang, the Li Jiacheng Foundation Director Zhou triumph, Baidu Inc chief financial officer Li Xinzhe, Sun Media Klc Holdings Ltd chairman Yang Lan.
"Forbes" magazine said, this year the list of people are political, business, media, the humanitarian field, entertainment and technology industry elite , but also some women were selected because of the huge wealth, including funds, media exposure and influence. The entertainment industry representatives include Beyonce Knowles, actress Anngelina Jolie and Lady Gaga. The list of women from 26 countries, there are 153000000 of them in Twitter "fans", 16 of them own Create Company. There are 15 new this year, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye .
If you want to know more, click chinadaily.com.cn. | Which is true according to the passage? | The United States first lady Michel in 2012 ranked second. | ['Peng Liyuan ranks 9th on the 2013 annual "most powerful women list".', 'Hillary Clinton is the present Secretary of state of America.', 'The great women come from sixty-two countries.'] |
I ' m impressed we managed to stick to the path . It was all worth it though - we got to the top of the mountain at about 6 am and watched the sunrise , which was really spectacular . It was also absolutely flipping freezing and I had n't brought enough layers . That was n't pleasant . | How did the author feel after reaching the top of the mountain | Freezing cold and regretting not wearing more layers | ['Surprised that it was so warm and the climb was easy', 'None of the above choices .', 'Warmed by the sunrise and having enough layers'] |
Several weeks ago, a mysterious Christmas card dropped through our mailbox. The envelope was addressed to a man named Raoul, who, I was ly certain, did not live with us. The envelope wasn't sealed, so I opened it. The inside of the card was blank. Ed, my husband, explained that the card was both from and to the newspaper deliveryman. His name was apparently Raoul, and Raoul wanted a holiday tip. We were meant to put a check inside the card and then drop the envelope in the mail. When your services are finished at 4 a.m., you can't simply hang around, like a hotel bellboy expecting a tip. You have to be direct.
So I wrote a nice holiday greeting to this man who, in my imagination, fires The New York Times from his bike aimed at our front door, causing more noise with mere newsprint than most people manage with sophisticated black market fireworks. With a start, I realized that perhaps the reason for the 4 a.m. wake-up noise was not ordinary rudeness but carefully executed spite : I had not tipped Raoul in Christmas past. I honestly hadn't realized I was supposed to. This was the first time he'd used the card tactic . So I got out my checkbook. Somewhere along the line, holiday tipping went from an optional thank-you for a year of services to a Mafia-style protection racket .
Several days later, I was bringing our garbage bins back when I noticed an envelope taped to one of the lids. The outside of the envelope said MICKEY. It had to be another tip request, this time from our garbage collector. Unlike Raoul, Mickey hadn't enclosed his own Christmas card from me. In a way, I appreciated the directness. "I know you don't care how merry my Christmas is, and that's fine," the gesture said. "I want $30, or I'll 'forget' to empty your garbage bin some hot summer day." I put a check in the envelope and taped it back to the bin. The next morning, Ed noticed that the envelope was gone, though the trash hadn't yet been picked up: "Someone stole Mickey's tip!" Ed was quite certain. He made me call the bank and cancel the check. But Ed had been wrong. Two weeks later, Mickey left a letter from the bank on our steps. The letter informed Mickey that the check, which he had tried to cash, had been cancelled.
The following Tuesday morning, when Ed saw a truck outside, he ran out with his wallet. "Are you Mickey?" The man looked at him with scorn . "Mickey is the garbageman. I am the recycling." Not only had Ed insulted this man by suggesting that he was a garbageman, but he had obviously neglected to tip him. Ed ran back inside for more funds. Then he noticed that the driver of the truck had been watching the whole incident. He peeled off another twenty and looked around, waving bills in the air. "Anyone else? "
Had we consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute, this embarrassing break of etiquette could have been avoided. Under "trash/recycling collectors" in the institute's Holiday Tipping Guidelines, it says: "$10 to $30 each." You may or may not wish to know that your hairdresser, mailman and UPS guy all expect a holiday tip. | From the passage we can infer that _ . | their garbage bin might not be emptied one day if the writer didn't give tips | ['the writer could have avoided giving tips if they had consulted the website of the Emily Post Institute', "the writer's husband didn't know Raoul at all", "the writer's family was too poor to give the tips"] |
We took ourselves off to the museum , delightfully cool in the aircon - it 's around 35 outside . I was inspired by the olympic swimming and rushed into the refreshing river , picking my way through broken glass . Dinner was going to be at a nice hotel as a special treat but low and behold , no food . They were cleaning . | Why was there broken glass in the swimming pool ? | None of the above choices . | ['Someone played a prank on the swimmers at the pool by putting broken glass in it', 'They put glass in the swimming pool to deter people from swimming there', 'They use broken glass as a deterrent to prevent people touching the bottom of the pool'] |
His old flask was strapped onto his belt , because he was worried that the contents would leak onto his clothes . But the hunt for a replacement receptacle was not why he was really out there . He was escaping the night , and the emptiness of his flat . | How would one describe the subject given his jury - rigged clothing ? | The subject is a drunk . | ['The subject is a resourceful person .', 'The subject is smart .', 'The subject is crafty .'] |
The price of gas has been going up. We do not know when it will end. Many people want to know how they can save fuel . The best way to save fuel is to change driving habits.
The accelerator , or gas pedal,has a lot to do with how much gas you use.The faster you drive, the more gas you use. Drivers should slow down a bit to save fuel. Driving at a steady speed helps to save much gas you use.Accelerating slowly to get to the speed you want helps save gas, too.
The more you drive your car.the more gas you use.Think about the places you need to go before leaving your home. _ ) that you need to do as you can in one trip.Always try to pick the shortest route when going somewhere.
Cars that are in good working condition use less fuel. Take care of your car. Make sure the engine is running well and is tuned-up often. Have a mechanic check if something seems wrong.
Tires are important, too. Keep the tires inflated properly on a car. It will help the car roll better. If a car's tires are worn, then they should be replaced.
Finally,think about using your car less.Walk or ride a bike if you do not have to go far.Carpool or take public transportation when you can.Leaving your car at home really saves gas. | How many ways of saving fuel are mentioned in the passage? | 5. | ['4.', '6.', '7.'] |
Today there are twenty to twenty-five million shopping carts rolling around the world.In fact,the shopping cart is presently one of the most often used items on four wheels,second only to the automobile.Indeed,almost everybody in America will spend a part of his or her life behind a shopping cart.They will,in a lifetime,push it many miles.But few will know-or even think to ask-who it was that invented them.
Mr.Sylvan N.Goldman of Oklahoma City invented the shopping cart in 1937.Mr.Goldman's invention did not make him famous.It did,however,make him very rich.When Goldman invented the cart he was in the supermarket business.Every day he would see shoppers lugging groceries around in baskets that they had to carry.One day Goldman suddenly had the idea of putting baskets on wheels.The wheeled baskets would make shopping much easier for his customers.And by lightening their chore,he would attract their business.Pondering the idea,Goldman walked into his office and sat down on a folding chair.Looking down at the chair,Goldman had another idea.The carts,he realized,should be made so they could be folded up.This would make it easier to store them when not in use.
On June 4,1937,Goldman's first batch of carts was ready for use in his market.He was terribly excited on the morning of that day as customers began arriving.He couldn't wait to see them using his invention.But Goldman was disappointed.Most shoppers gave the carts a long look,but hardly anybody would give them a try.After a while,Goldman decided to ask customers why they weren't using his carts."Don't you think this arm is strong enough to carry a shopping basket?"one offended shopper replied.
Day after day,the same thing happened.People wouldn't use the carts.They preferred a basket on the arm to a basket on wheels.But Goldman wasn't beaten yet.He knew his carts would be a great success if only he could persuade people to give them a try.To this end,Goldman tried something that was both very clever and very funny.Believe it or not,he hired a group of people to push carts around his market and pretend they were shopping!Seeing this,the real customers gradually began copying the phony customers.
As Goldman had hoped,the carts were soon attracting larger and larger numbers of customers to his market.But not only did more people come-those who came bought more.With larger,easier-to-handle baskets,customers unconsciously bought a greater number of goods than before.
Today's shopping carts are five times larger than Goldman's original model.Perhaps that's one reason Americans today spend more than five times as much money on food each year as they did before 1937-before the coming of the shopping cart. | What unexpected benefit did Goldman gain? | Shoppers bought more goods. | ['Goldman became famous.', 'Shopping carts became larger.', 'More customers came to his store.'] |
Television drama's whole point is to bring you through an often slow start, followed by a complex development to a point where there are two or three potential dénouements before, "Cut!", it is the end of the episode and you will have to await the "right answer" in the following week's show.
This post came to me at 10pm last night, on Day 16 of this challenge, after a day of holidaying in London and with my head (and feet) too weary to put finger to touchscreen.
Mrs Mc and I had just watched another live instalment of Broadchurch, murder mystery extraordinaire, particularly since in the second series there is no actual fresh murder to investigate. The verdict is about to be given on the accused killer from Series 1 when the inevitable happens... Cue title music.
This moment has even gained a moniker in British homes, based on the theme tune to the real masters of the four-times-a-week cliffhanger, London-based soap opera Eastenders. It's call a "ba...ba...ba...ba, ba, ba-ba-ba-ba" (YouTube will provide overseas readers with auditory explanation).
Eastenders is such a master of writing in the perfect pace that every 28 minute episode ends with a tantalising screen freeze on the latest shocked face / smirking baddy / confused victim. For really big stories the cliffhanger can last significantly longer. This week, to celebrate the show's 30 year birthday, we will finally find out the answer to a question unanswered for the past 14 months: "Who killed Lucy Beale?"
Now, most classrooms do not involve murder, incest, dodgy deals and danger, but "good teaching" encourages a type of pacing that totally ignores the ingredients that have millions in the edges of their seats every day: the good old cliffhanger. In fact, we see teachers giving away the punchline at the beginning: "Today we are learning this:..." | After the story ends, the author probably: | continues to watch the show Eastenders | ['not enough information', 'stops watching Eastenders', 'only watches Eastenders on weekends'] |
The students were not exactly overjoyed that Steve Jobs was going to be the speaker. Everyone wanted Bill Clinton. After all, his daughter Chelsea had gone to school at Stanford. So every year that Clinton was not named speaker was a disappointment no matter who it was.
Graduation is not in order. It wasn't until we started walking into the stadium that I even realized that I'm actually graduating right now. Stanford has this tradition, the wacky walk, where everyone dresses up in different clothes or throws Frisbees or beach balls. I'm from the South so I had a seersucker suit shipped in from back home in Georgia. Some other guys dressed up as iPods.
It was good fun. That was an interesting contrast to Job's speech. He started talking about being fired from Apple and then having cancer, how doctors told him he was going to die and how he was adopted as a baby into a family with parents who never went to college --- an unusual experience that played out over his life. His speech was very raw and very open.
He told us that he gets up every morning and looks in the mirror and asks "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" "If the answer is not for too many days in a row", he said, "it's time to make a change. That has really driven a lot of my decisions since then. When I've reached certain points in my job where I'm not very excited to get to work early or stay late or work on something over the weekend or all night. When I lose that excitement then it's probably not the right thing for me anymore".
He said, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life." Exactly. Death is a great motivator. You have to get out there and do something because some day you won't be there. Of all the advice I've received I rely on that the most. | From Job's speech we can learn _ . | he is a person who is thoughtful | ["his parents didn't want him to study in college", 'the experience in college made him unusual', 'he was fired from Apple because of cancer'] |
A lot of us lose life's tough battles by starting a frontal attack--when a touch of humor might well enable us to win. Consider the case of a young friend of mine, who hit a traffic jam on his way to work shortly after receiving an ultimatum about being late on the job. Although there was a good reason for Sam's a being late--serious illness at home--he decided that this by-now-familiar excuse wouldn't work any longer. His supervisor was probably already pacing up and down preparing a dismissal speech.
Yes, the boss was, Sam entered the office at 9:35. The place was as quiet as a locker room ; everyone was hard at work. Sam's supervisor came up to him. Suddenly, Sam forced a grin and stretched out his hand. "How do you do!" he said. "I'm Sam Maynard. I'm applying for a job. Which, I understand, became available just 35 minutes ago. Does the early bird get the worm?"
The room exploded in laughter. The supervisor _ a smile and walked back to his office. Sam Maynard had saved his job--with the only tool that could win, a laugh.
Humor is a most effective, yet frequently neglected , means of handling the difficult situations in our lives. It can be used for patching up differences, apologizing, saying "no", criticizing, getting the other fellow to do what you want without his losing face. For some jobs, it's the only tool that can succeed. It is a way to discuss subjects so sensitive that serious dialog may start a quarrel. For example, many believe that comedians on television are doing more today for racial and religious tolerance than people in any other forum. | The main idea of this passage is _ . | humor is important in our lives | ['Sam Maynard saved his job with humor', 'early bird gets the worm', 'humor can solve racial discriminations'] |
*What prevents depression:tea,coffee or hot chocolate?
Women who drink for or more cups of coffee a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed.Drinking two or three cups reduces the risk by 15 percent. This is the result of a study of 51,000 women over ten years, published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association.
One theory is that caffeine reduces the effect of the chemical adenosine in the brain, which can make us feel sleepy by slowing down nerve cell activity. Some anti-depressants also work by blocking the adenosine receptors. Coffee was found to be far more influential on depression levels than hot chocolate or tea due to the high caffeine content.
*How many eggs can we healthily eat: one a day or two a day?
Neither-eat them freely. We've long been warned to stick to two or three eggs a week because of their high cholesterol content. But according to the Food Standards Agency, there is no recommended limit to how many eggs we can healthily eat, unless you have been told to cut down by your doctor.
There is no evidence that eating eggs raises cholesterol levels, and researchers found that eggs contain less cholesterol than in the past because hens are no longer given bone meal, which was banned in the 1990s after the BSE cresis.
Research by the British Egg Council found that a medium egg gives you around 100 mg of cholesterol, a third of the 300mg recommended daily limit. | What is considered to fight depression best? | Coffee. | ['Tea.', 'Chocolate.', 'Adenosine.'] |
Environmental activists in South Korea are condemning a government plan to hunt endangered whales for scientific research. They believe the plan is part of an effort to restart commercial whaling activities. Such activities are banned in many countries. South Korea announced the proposal in July at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Panama. The head of the South Korean delegation said the plan was needed to answer questions about minke whale populations. He said the hunt would take place near the South Korean coast. But he did not say how many of the animals would be caught.
The International Whaling Commission has yet to make a decision on the South Korean plan. The organization banned commercial whaling in 1986 because of concerns about the survival of whale species. But now, some South Korean fishermen say they are facing a threat from minke whales. They say these animals are eating what would have been their catch.
The plan was immediately condemned by anti-whaling nations. Wildlife activists also criticized the proposal. Han Jeong-hee works in Seoul for the environmental group Greenpeace."It's really regretful to hear that the South Korean government is, like, considering conducting scientific whaling. Scientific whaling is just, like, thinly disguised commercial whaling. And, you know, we are of course against all commercial whaling. Japan's the only country that is doing scientific whaling at the moment and South Korea is just trying to follow that."
Apart from the plan in South Korea, an aquarium in the American state of Georgia also wants to import eighteen beluga whales from Russia. The United States currently has 31 beluga whales. They are living in six aquariums and marine parks. Four of them are at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The Georgia Aquarium has asked the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for permission to import the beluga whales. If it was approved, aquarium officials would send some of the animals to the other facilities. The Georgia Aquarium says it hopes to use the beluga whales in research, education and breeding programs. They currently are being held at a Russian research center. Yet many people oppose the plan. They say it is wrong to catch any wild animal.
NOAA officials are studying how the beluga whales might be affected by being brought to the United States. They also want to know whether the Georgia Aquarium and its partners can properly care for the whales and how they might be used in educational activities. The federal Marine Mammal Protection Act sets rules which NOAA must consider when deciding whether these animals may be imported. NOAA officials told VOA they plan to make a decision on the request by early next year. | What's Han Jeong-hee's attitude toward South Korea's proposal of doing scientific whaling? | Negative. | ['Approving.', 'Doubtful.', 'Neutral.'] |
The Trump administration’s recent airstrikes in Syria – just the latest action in a long-running conflict that has challenged U.S. presidents of both parties – has prompted a new round of questions on Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers are asking where last week's strikes fit in the larger U.S. strategy in response to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and for greater clarity to prevent an escalation of the conflict.
“There needs to be a comprehensive strategy here laid out by the administration for Congress in terms of the options to pursue because of the urgency,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce said during a House panel Wednesday. “Does the administration support imposing costs on the Russians and the Iranians for their role in the Assad regime’s war crimes against its own people?”
In his speech announcing the air strikes to the American people Friday, President Trump said the United States is “prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.” But later Friday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the latest action against Assad was a “one-time shot.”
Trump ordered Friday's strikes just weeks after saying the U.S. would “be coming out of Syria like very soon," reflecting changes in the administration’s posture in response to Assad’s reported use of prohibited chemical agents.
“We’re at a real risk here of conducting strikes without any clear strategy,” Brian Katulis, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, told VOA.
“The Trump administration for the past several months has issued contradictory statements, with former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and some diplomats saying that the U.S. troops inside Syria, in eastern Syria, would be dedicated to also countering Iran inside Syria. The Pentagon was saying something completely different – defeating ISIS and continuing that campaign,” he said.
Trump administration officials told a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs committee Wednesday the president’s goals in Syria remain clear. | How does the writer feel about Syrian plans? | Uncertain | ['not enough information', 'Clear that we will prevail', 'Clear that we have removed all troops from Syria'] |
The word's largest aircraft made its public debut last week at Europe's biggest factory, a purpose built assembly line in Toulouse, souther, n France.The Airbus A380 will have 50 per cent more floor space than American rival Boeing's 747 Jumbo, with room for duty-free shops, restaurants and even a sauna.This new arrival is expected to change the face of air travel.
The A380 will enter service in early 2006 with Singapore Airlines.
Airbus claims the A380 will burn less fuel, make less noise, create less pollution and cost 17 per cent less per seat than the 747.It will also reduce traffic problems in the skies.
The aircraft, which cost between PS140 million(US$250m) and PS157 million (US$280m) each compared with PS84 million (US$150m) for Boeing's new Dreamliner jet, is being built at 16 factories in Germany, France, Spain and the UK.
But activists have warned of more noise and pollution from the Superjumbo, while Boeing believes huge aircraft will not be in great demand over the next decade.
As a result, it is putting faith in the much smaller 7E7 Dreamliner.But Airbus is pinning its hopes on the "big is beautiful" theory, gambling on size being the key factor in the US-European battle for the skies.
Airbus said it was in talks with half a dozen global airlines about buying the A380. China Eastern Airlines, already an Airbus customer, is said to be targeted, while executives made it plain that they wanted to fight for the Japanese market, which had traditionally been controlled by Boeing.
Over the next 20 years, Airbus hopes to sell 750 of the new planes into a market worth PS185billion (US$330bn).The company already has129 firm orders for the A380, with 52 options. | According to Airbus, which of the following is not the advantage of A380 compared to Boeing 747? | Creating less pollution, having less weight | ['Making less noise, causing less traffic problems', 'Using less fuel, costing less money', 'Having more floor space, creating less pollution'] |
Today I asked Josh if we had a socket wrench . He showed me how to actually use one , and together we detached the whole fan mechanism , reattached the screw , put the whole thing back together , and voila ! The fan works like new . Our apartment is cooler , and the peasants rejoiced . | What may be a fact about the person speaking ? | They had fixed their broken fan . | ['They had to purchase a new fan .', 'They had to get a new fan for their apartment .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
When I was growing up on a farm in Iowa, we didn't talk about money in my family. My parents valued teaching my brothers, sisters and me about saving, budgeting and earning money, but conversations about our family's economic situation and financial decisions were rare. This was typical at the time - especially in the Midwest of the US, so to my friends and me, money was enveloped in some level of secrecy. Later, when my family hit a difficult time, we began having more open conversations about money. And while those talks were very difficult at first, it was a relief to understand more about our family's finances.
Obviously, times haven't changed much when it comes to family money talks. Recent research by an American institute indicates that money remains among the lowest priorities in conversations between parents and their children. In fact, parents are much more likely to have prioritized discussions about pretty much everything else before money.
They're also waiting to have these discussions until their kids are older - 10 0n average - which can cause them to miss many opportunities during their children's formative years.
Talking about money with your kids can be difficult for many different reasons - especially if your finances seem very personal and private, or if you have anxiety about bills yourself. But discussing money in a calm and open way is pivotal to helping your children learn about and become comfortable with finances before they're expected to manage their own. While you certainly don't need to provide detailed information about your income to your children, it can be very effective to include them in meaningful financial discussions - even at an early age. Having regular family conversations about money will help them learn about financial concepts like saving and budgeting, develop financial decision-making skills and form a healthy relationship with money. | What is the writer's attitude to talking about money with children? | Positive. | ['Negative.', 'Neutral.', 'Indifferent.'] |
The earthquake that shook Japan on March 11, 2011 was the strongest earthquake in that country's recorded history and the fourth strongest recorded on Earth since 1900. It cracked open the ground, knocked people off their feet, and made tall buildings move. Then things got even worse.
It created huge waves called a tsunami . Walls of water as tall as 30 feet flooded into the coast and swept six miles inland, wiping out everything in the way.
Many human survivors were separated from their pets. Many animal lovers went out of their way to help pets in need after the tsunami. And some pets helped their owners, too.
When Kamata heard the tsunami alert , he decided to visit his neighbours to warn them of the coming danger. He put his dog, Shane, in the yard so they could leave as soon as he returned. But later, as he headed home, the tsunami flooded into the city, destroying his path. Kamata was forced to run to higher ground, to a school that served as a shelter. He feared he would never see Shane again.
Six hours later, Kamata heard that a dog was waiting outside the school. He went to look: It's Shane! The dog swam through the tsunami and found Kamata, even though Shane had never been to the school.
After the huge earthquake ended, 83-year-old Tami Akanuma thought that she and her small dog, Babu, were safe. But Babu was anything but calm. She cried and walked worriedly, as if really wanting to go for a walk. That's strange, since Babu didn't like taking walks. But Akanuma took her out.
Outside, Babu headed up a hill instead of toward their normal route near the water. When Akanuma slowed down, the little dog pulled her higher. Once they reached the hilltop, Akanuma looked back and was surprised: The path they had taken was flooded and her home had been destroyed by fast-flowing water. Little Babu helped his owner escape in time. | Why did Kamata think he would never see Shane again? | He was afraid Shane had been killed by the tsunami. | ["He couldn't go back home to take Shane.", 'He thought Shane had been taken away by his neighbour.', "He feared Shane didn't know he was at the shelter then."] |
Bamboo is one of the nature's most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe . There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.
Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.
In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills can help to make the poor thirsty fields be watered. | Which of the following is NOT true? | Bamboo plants are able to grow well in any part of the world. | ['There are many different kinds of bamboo with different colors.', 'Cables made of bamboo can last for over a thousand years.', 'Bamboo can be used for buildings, bridges and watering projects .'] |
BTW , the Irish cheeseburger I had made me gag . I was convinced it was actually lamb . My dad said it 's because Irish beef is more natural and does n't have preservatives and blah blah yuck ! | How does the Irish Cheeseburger taste ? | Bad | ['Naturally delicious', 'None of the above choices .', 'Extra Cheesy'] |
Paris has the Eiffel Tower; New York has the Statue of Liberty; and prefix = st1 /Brussels, the Manneken Piss.
Think of the Belgian capital and, if anything, you think of the small peeing boy _ a 60-meter-high bronze figure standing on a block, supplying a constant stream of water to the basin under him.
Some might laugh. But for Jacques Stroobants, the statue is up there with the best of them.
"I'm proud of him. People come from all around the world to see him," says 60-year-old Stroobants with a fatherly glance at the little boy.
As the most famous landmark of Brussels, Manneken Piss has a very special place in the heart of Belgians.
The original Manneken Piss dates back to 1388, but the statue tourists see today dates from 1619 when the city built a second one after the original was destroyed.
Many stories go round Manneken Piss. Nobody knows why he was made. One story is that he saved Brusselsby putting out the flames of a deadly fire with his well-aimed piss. But the most believable story is that the boy, the son of a wealthy man, was kidnapped. The father had a statue built in honor of the way his son was found-peeing against a tree.
Perhaps best-known for his naked beauty, the "peeing boy" has also been clothed in some of the finest clothes money can buy.
Stroobants has been changing his clothes for the last 29 years. On average, he has clothes on 300 days a year. And on special days, he pees beer.
A few of the ways he's been dressed are; a football player, Mozart and an army general. Now, he has more than 600 pieces of clothes.
There is no strict charge for those wishing to provide clothes for the little boy. But certain conditions must be met.
"The clothes cannot include either advertising or political message," said Stroobants, because they would cheapen the national treasure.
But Manneken Piss is still something local people can make money from _ by selling all kinds of souvenirs. | The Manneken Piss has a special place in the heart of Belgians because_. | it's a symbol of the city. | ["it's good-looking with water running constantly", 'it brings joys to people who see it', 'it helps people make beer'] |
Who are these people rushing by you on the street? More than 250 million people now call America" home" , but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you, look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States,have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become "Americans"is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is - more often a kind of " side - by - side" living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their own customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives such as in schools,business,and sportsbut they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This " side - by - side" living has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas ' dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her own familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspaper. | More than 250 million people call America "home" because . | they settle there now | ['they have their houses there', 'they want to make their home there', 'they like that land very much'] |
Here 's a clip of a piece that aired several weeks ago in Seattle on a show called Evening Magazine . We filmed it last summer in an art gallery using one camera , so the shots of the reporter asking the questions and me answering them were filmed in two separate takes . First they recorded me answering all the questions , and then they moved the camera behind me and taped the reporter asked some of the questions a second time . | Why would the narrator be explaining background to their friend ? | They are proud of their work . | ['The friend is slow .', 'The friend is confused .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
THE HOSPITAL'S emergency room smelled like soap. The place was nearly empty when I carried Mia inside, just one couple and their kids sitting in a circle in the corner. The parents glanced up at us, then went back to praying quietly. The kids stared at the floor the whole time. I dropped Mia into a chair at the nurses' station and waited. Behind the glass wall in front of me, three nurses were talking about their various ex-husbands. It sounded like the same guy to me. I was still waiting for them to figure this out when one of them came over and asked, "What's the problem?" "No problem," I said. "I just want to drop her off." We both looked at Mia. A string of drool slowly slipped from her chin to her chest. "Has she been drinking?" the nurse asked. "I'm not really sure," I said. The nurse looked back at me. "You're not really sure? Now what does that mean?" "I don't know," I said. "I found her. I thought maybe I could leave her here." "Sure, we'll just have to fill out the paperwork for that," the nurse said. She smiled at the other nurses when she said it, and I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. She had me go through Mia's pockets, but all I could find was a piece of paper with an address written on it. Five Crossings. I couldn't find her ID anywhere. The nurse entered my name and address on a form, then took us down the hall to another room. What seemed like hours later, an old, red-faced doctor finally came in. He glanced at Mia and then washed his hands in the sink. "You the father or the boyfriend?" he asked. "Neither," I said. "I've only just met her." I couldn't take my eyes off the garbage can in the corner. It was full of bloody bandages. I wondered what had gone on in there before we'd arrived. | When did the man go through Mia's pockets: | after the nurse asked | ['before arriving at the hospital', 'not enough information', 'before dropping her off at the nurses station'] |
Environment Awareness Week
Regal Convention Centre,Halls 1-4
24-30 March 2011 10:00 am-9:00 pm
Free admission for all!
Save the environment,Save our future
Our environment needs help.With the participation of more than 50 organizations,Environment Awareness Week is the biggest public education event dedicated to environmental protection and conservation.Don't miss it! Come and know more about:
The Threats to Earth (Hall 1) - What is global warming? How serious is pollution? Learn about different environmental problems from our university students.Protect our environment!
The Search for renewable Energy (Hall 2) - can we get electricity from wind,solar energy,waves,rivers and underground heat? Get the answers from Solar Ace,Tefron,Touch Wind Resources and other participants.
The Quest for Fresh water (Hall 3) - is the shortage of freshwater worsening? What are Singapore's solutions for treating wastewater? Hear from Flow Technologies,HydroMax Solutions and other participants.
The 3 Rs and Save Earth (Hall 4) - How can we REDUCE,REUSE and RECYCLE to cut down household wastes? Find out from the Global Gala Network,Green Earth Foundation and other participants.
For more information,please call Mr.Philip Koh at 65531188,send an email to Mrs.Daisy Soh at daisy _ [email protected] or visit the events web at http://www.ief.org/caw | The main aim of Environment Awareness Week is to _ . | educate the public on protecting the environment | ['discuss global warming and other environmental problems', 'explain ways for producing freshwater to save the environment', 'learn about renewable energy sources that protect the environment'] |
I was lost.
As I sat parked at the old service station, I pulled out the maps and tried to do a little backtracking. It didn't take me long to figure out where I had made the wrong turn. I had tried following my memory instead of Luna's directions and wound up about eighty miles off course. My gas tank was pushing 'E' but fortunately the service station was open.
When I stepped out of my Jeep, I could feel the soles of my boots melt on the asphalt. The heat coming off the cracked and pitted cement peeled off in waves that rolled out in every endless direction. The barren mountains in the distance looked unstable, like I was looking at them through a window pane slicked with olive oil.
I slogged my way over to the gas pump and wrapped my shirt around the handle to keep my skin from burning against the desert-baked metal. The heat was so great I worried the fumes would ignite.
A dirty round man stood in the shadowy doorway of the ramshackle service station and stared at me while he rubbed his hands inside an oily red rag. The oval name-patch stitched to his coveralls was loose at one end and curled like a leaf in the heat. His name was Jack.
I topped off the tank and then walked over to him. "You work here?" I knew it was a stupid question the second it left my mouth. He and I were the only living things for fifty miles in any direction. Who the hell else would be working here?
"Who the hell else would be working here?" he said.
I shrugged my shoulders and pulled out my wallet. Jack wobbled inside behind a glass counter filled with everything from belt buckles to oil funnels. "That your momma's car?" he asked.
It's impossible to tell what kind of psychological impact this heat would have on a man who lived out here alone, but I was sure it wasn't positive. | Who is Luna? | not enough information | ["The narrator's girlfriend", "The narrator's sister", "The narrator's mom"] |
Before the law sits a gatekeeper.To this gatekeeper comes a man from the country who asks to gain entry into the law.But the gatekeeper says that he cannot grant him entry at the moment.The man thinks about it and then asks if he will be allowed to come in sometime later on."It is possible," says the gatekeeper,"but not now." 1The gate to the law stands open,as always,and the gatekeeper walks to the side,so the man bends over in order to see through the gate into the inside.When the gatekeeper notices that,he laughs and says:
_
The man from the country has not expected such difficulties: the law should always be accessible for everyone,he thinks,but as he now looks more closely at the gatekeeper in his fur coat,at his large pointed nose and his long,thin,black Tartar's beard,he decides that it would be better to wait until he gets permission to go inside.The gatekeeper gives him a stool and allows him to sit down at the side in front of the gate.There he sits for days and years.He makes many attempts to be let in,and he wears the gatekeeper out with his requests.The gatekeeper often interrogates him briefly,questioning him about his homeland and many other things,but they are indifferent questions,the kind great men put,and at the end he always tells him once more that he cannot let him inside yet.The man,who has equipped himself with many things for his journey,spends everything,no matter how valuable,to win over the gatekeeper.The latter takes it all but,as he does so,says,"I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything." 2
During the many years the man observes the gatekeeper almost continuously.He forgets the other gatekeepers,and this first one seems to him the only barrier for entry into the law.He curses the unlucky circumstance,in the first years thoughtlessly and out loud; later,as he grows old,he only mumbles to himself.He becomes childish and,since in the long years studying the gatekeeper he has also come to know the fleas in his fur collar,he even asks the fleas to help him persuade the gatekeeper.Finally his eyesight grows weak,and he does not know whether things are really darker around him or whether his eyes are merely deceiving him.But he recognizes now in the darkness a ray of light which breaks out of the gateway to the law.Now he no longer has much time to live.
Before his death he gathers in his head all his experiences of the entire time up into one question which he has not yet put to the gatekeeper.He waves to him,since he can no longer lift up his stiffening body.The gatekeeper has to bend way down to him,for the great difference has changed things considerably to the disadvantage of the man.3 "You are insatiable ." "Everyone strives after the law," says the man,"so how is it that in these many years no one except me has requested entry?" The gatekeeper sees that the man is already dying and,in order to reach his diminishing sense of hearing,he shouts at him,"Here no one else can gain entry,since this entrance was assigned only to you.I'm going now to close it." 4 | What may be the title of the novel? | Before the law | ['Above the law', "A countryman's life", "A gatekeeper's duty"] |
And I ' m not sure if it 's the " chase " that I like , or the attention , or love , or who knows what else . I guess I ' m just always hopeful , but then I come to learn more about these girls and my world of dreams comes crashing down on me . So I walk away and continue my search . | What gender are you attracted to ? | I dream of girls . | ['None of the above choices .', 'I dream of guys .', 'I like getting attention from guys .'] |
Marc noticed that we used to be so gentle and so kind to each other . I noticed that I seemed so carefree and not worried about what I was doing every second of the day and whether or not my time was spent productively . I ' m trying to figure out when that changed in me - when I got so uptight and began feeling like I ' m always running out of time . | What is going to happen with the narrator and Marc ? | They are going to break up . | ['They are going to get engaged .', 'They are going to have kids .', 'They are going to get married .'] |
Barditch High School decided to an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hand to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans when Ms.Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
"I can't tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven't seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven't appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth your children, in my imagination."
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
"It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in you chosen path."
"There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart."
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. Tee clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar . Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown. | Which of the following can best describe Ms. Yates? | Strict but caring. | ['Reliable and devoted.', 'Tough and generous.', 'Proud but patient.'] |
With another , more defeated sigh , Johnny got out of bed . Grabbing a pair of jeans from his floor , Johnny changed from his pajama pants . Then , he snatched a shirt from his closet . A yellow shirt , with white sleeves . | What might Johnny do next ? | Eat something for breakfast | ['Lay down in bed', 'None of the above choices .', 'Put on his pajamas'] |
It was super cool to be snowboarding in the Andes in August . We felt pretty cool ! : ) The school also organized another trip about a month ago to the " beach " . I put it in parentheses because when we got there , it turned out to be a big grassy field , rather than a beach . | Why is the word " beach " in quotations ? | The beach had a lot of grassy areas and was n't as sandy as I hoped . | ['I was quoting the travel guides and wanted to get the spelling right .', 'I was quoting the tour guide .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
These are the churches I went to sunday school and bible school in every summer . I attended two services every sunday , prayer meetings on Wednesday and maybe more services if there was a revival . Throw in tent revivals and some weeks every night was a church night . | What type of religious faith does the narrator have ? | They are church going people . | ['They are Jewish .', 'None of the above choices .', 'They are Hindu .'] |
Felt the result of it through her very core and screamed once more , an inhuman wail of despair and desolation . He continued to push , forcing her mind to shut itself away , to drift into oblivion and darkness where there was no pain , no hate , no life . Her eyes flickered open to darkness . Her hand moved reflexively . The pain shot through her arm . | How may she feeling during this post ? | Pain | ['Sad', 'Angry', 'None of the above choices .'] |
I do not fully understand exactly what you are asking so I will restate what I believe you are asking and then I will answer it. What was the best excuse that a student ever gave for having failed to do something? I would have to say that I was most entertained by a student’s response to “Why are you late for school?” The student said, “I awoke in time this morning but there was a mouse sitting on the edge of my bed. I looked at him and he looked back. The mouse said to me, ‘Go back to sleep’ and what could I do? He had a gun.”
The following has worked a few times too when students refuse to talk. That is, I know that one of the assembled students was the culprit for some activity. When they will not talk, I interview them one at a time while the others are kept away from each other. Then when they are assembled before me again, I say, “Thank you gentlemen. I know who did it so you others are free to return to class.” All but one arises and leaves. This works more times than not.
For years I have given assignments via email and I have collected assignments via email. Nothing has ever gotten lost this way and things are timestamped. I do not have to make photocopies and even students who are not present the day that the assignment is announced in class, get the assignment in a timely manner. One young lady told me, “I turned it in but you must have lost it.” “Okay,” I said, “Open your sent folder and show me that you sent it.” She replied by saying, “I delete my sent folder to keep from clogging up my email.” I told her that I understood and that she could show me an empty sent folder to prove that she was telling the truth. She said, “I lied.” | When was I restating what you are asking? | After I did not understand your question | ['After I was sure I heard you', 'not enough information', 'After I was sure what you are asking'] |
I had one last night where for some reason I went outside at night and there was a younger black woman standing in our yard . She did n't say anything , but made it clear she wanted to go back into the house with me ( it was n't clear for what ) . I told her no and went back in . I also dreamt about storms ( with hail , no less ) . | Where may I have seen the younger , black woman I talk about in my story . | I saw her in one of the dreams I had . | ['I saw the woman when I was in my house .', 'I saw her in my bedroom as I was trying to sleep .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
Is it worth it to go to college? This has been questioned a lot recently in America. According to a new survey released by the Pew Research Center, only 40 percent of Americans felt that colleges provided a good value for the cost. At the same time, 86 percent of college graduates still felt it was good for them.
There are a number of reasons for such dissatisfaction with college. First, there are plenty of problems with higher education -- poor quality and out-of-control costs are two of the biggest. Second, it is true that college is not for everyone. Plenty of rewarding and important careers do not require college. And due to the slow economy, there may in fact be more graduates than the current job market needs. Besides, anti-college feelings are nothing new. Today, Microsoft's Bill Gates or Apple's Steve Jobs -- both college dropouts -- is often held up as evidence of why all that time sitting in class is better spent elsewhere.
However, getting a college education is still a good idea. College graduates earn more, and are more likely to have a job in the first place. According to the statistics last year, the average weekly earnings for someone with some college education but no degrees were $712, compared to $1,038 for a college graduate. That is almost $17,000 over the course of a year and there is an even bigger divide for those with less education. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent for those with only some college education and more than 10 percent for those with just a middle school degree, but it was 5.4 percent for college graduates. The economic gaps between college completers and those with less education are getting larger.
Although most Americans surveyed by Pew feel doubtful about the value of a college degree, an overwhelming majority of parents Pew surveyed still expect their children to go to college. "It can be inferred that the increased doubt has not significantly influenced decision making." Pew's Taylor says, "Despite the concern about rising costs and other problems, college remains a universal desire in this country." | What's the main idea of this passage? | Despite the dissatisfactions with college, most Americans still favor college education | ['Poor quality and high costs make college less popular among the Americans nowadays.', "People with a college degree earn better money in America than those who don't", 'American students are getting tired of college education.'] |
As a contact lens wearer , I usually wind up writhing in agony as mascara debris ( read : clumps ) falls into my eyes and causes searing pain around my lenses . I needed a gym - ready , changing - weather friendly , contact lens safe mascara , so I road - tested some mascaras for SheFinds . Here are the winners : Bronze Medal : Clinique Gentle Waterproof Mascara in Black ( $ 14)One to two coats will enhance the lashes as if you have naturally thicker lashes . | what type of disability might require a certain sort of make - up ? | Short sightedness can lead to problems with eye make up . | ['Deafness can require a specific type of foundation', 'Paraplegia requires people to need a certain type of lipstick', 'None of the above choices .'] |
In our deep mind, we all talk to ourselves -- an inner monologue that might seem rather pointless. But as a study shows, the act of giving ourselves mental messages can help us learn and perform at our best. Researchers have identified the most effective forms of self-talk, collected here -- so that the next time you talk to yourself, you know exactly what you should say.
Self-talk isn't just motivational messages like "You can do it!" or "Almost there," although this inside cheering section can give us confidence. A review of more than two dozen studies, published last year in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science,found that there's another kind of mental message that is even more useful, called "instructional self-talk." This is the kind of running description we engage in when we're carrying out a difficult task, especially one that's unfamiliar to us. Think about when you were first learning to drive. Your self-talk might have gone something like this: "Foot on the gas pedal , hands on the wheel, slow down for the bend here, now put your blinker on..."
Over time, of course, giving yourself instructions becomes unnecessary -- but while you're learning, it does three important things. First, it promotes our attention, focusing us on the important part of the task and keeping out distractions. Second, it helps us manage our effort and make decisions about what to do, how to do it, and when. And third, self-talk allows us to control our cognitive and reactions, making us stay on tasks.
In a recent study of students learning to throw darts in a gym class, Athanasios Kolovelonis and his colleagues at the University of Thessaly in Greece found that self-talk is most effective when involved in a cycle of thought and action. First comes forethought, when you set a goal for yourself and make a plan for how to get there. That's followed by performance, when you enact the plan to the best of your ability. Last comes self-reflection, when you carefully evaluate what you've done and adjust your plan for the next time.
Self-talk can play a key part in this cycle. During the forethought stage, consider carefully what you'll say to yourself. You can even write them down. Repeat these self-instructions during the performance stage. With practice, you may find that your self-instructions become shorter; research has found that these words can become powerful signals.
After the action is over, consider how you might change your self-talk to improve your performance next time -- so that at the moment it matters, the right words are ringing in your ears. | The author explains the self-talk by _ . | Both B and C | ['setting down general theories only', 'presenting research findings', 'using examples'] |
We tried for one and a half years to make something that we knew would n't work , work . Because we really like each other , we respect each other , and we want to be there for each other . But it just could n't happen . | Why did n't the people stay together ? | They did n't match up . | ['None of the above choices .', 'One of the died .', 'One of them cheated .'] |
Vanatsaya Viseskul, a sweet-voiced, round-faced 16-year-old Thai singer, whose name, at the moment, is inextricably linked with the late Teresa Teng, a singer from Taiwan whose love songs gained her wide fame across Asia, sat on a chair in a dressing room of a theater in Beijing.
Viseskul was preparing for her performance at a gala by China Oriental Performing Arts Group, one of the country's most prestigious performing arts groups, which has official support. It was beyond doubt that she was expecting that her debut for this great group would be a success for her career.
Titled Oriental Love, the gala, which was staged from Dec. 14 to 17 at Mei Lanfang Grand Theater, showcased music and dances from more than 10 countries. Viseskul, representing Thailand, performedTheMoonRepresentsMyHeart, one of Teng's most famous ballads, which is also one of the favorite songs of the young Thai singer. The romance conveyed by this famous song has been attracting millions of people who have ever heard it and it will by no means be forgotten by them.
It is Viseskul's first public performance after participating in the popular reality TV show, the fourth season ofTheVoiceofChina, which was aired by Zhejiang Satellite TV from July to October. In this program Viseskul began to be known by the Chinese audience and they were amazed at the similarity of her appearance to that of Teng.
During the show, sheperformed Teng's popular hits. Thanks to her voice, singing style as well as her image, which resembles the legendary Teng, Viseskul gained overnight fame, though she didn't win the competition at last.
However, it seemed that her life did become different after the reality show. With nearly 100,000 followers on her Sina Weibo account, Viseskul was recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand for her contribution to promoting a positive image of Thailand in China at the competition.
Viseskul talks slowly and softly in fluent Chinese. It's easy to forget that she is just 16 because of her smile and calmness on and off the stage.
Born in a small village of Kamphaeng Phet, Viseskul was fond of singing from the time she was 3. At 7, she listened to Teng's songs for the first time after her parents traveled back from Hong Kong, bringing home the CDs of the singer. You can hardly imagine her enthusiasm about them when spotting and listening to them.
"The moment I listened to her songs, I felt so familiar. Though I couldn't speak any Chinese, I learned the songs fast. Since then, I hoped to visit China and become a singer,"she says, adding that she likes Chinese songs, especially those from the 1970s and 1980s. Many of her friends and s showed great puzzlement and they just couldn't make out why she was so crazy about Chinese music.
In 2014, Viseskul was admitted into the affiliated high school of the China Conservatory of Music. Now, she is studying at an international school in Beijing, focusing on learning Chinese. She also has other plans, such as furthering her studies in Japan or South Korea. However challenging it may be for her to become a superstar, she is determined to carry on regardless of any obstacles she may encounter in the future. | When did Viseskul begin to show her interest in Chinese music? | When her parents brought back home some CDs. | ['When she first had the chance to listen to music.', 'When she became a member of a music group.', 'When people found she was much like Teng.'] |
Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest hunger rate. But according to a new report, African farmers also have ideas that could help the world fight hunger and poverty. Danielle Nierenberg from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington spent a year visiting twenty-five countries south of the Sahara. In Nairobi, Kenya, for example, Ms Nierenberg found women farmers growing vegetables just outside their doorsteps in the Kibera settlement. She says they are finding ways to make their lives better. The women feed their families and sell their _ They use the money to send their children to school.
Last year, about 925,000,000 people worldwide did not get enough to eat. Half of all people in the world now live in and around cities. Researchers like Ms Nierenberg are looking increasingly at creative ideas to feed those who don't have enough good food to eat. She says there are a lot of lessons that people in the Western world can learn from Africa. And what they are doing can certainly be done in other developing countries.
Farmers in the developing world lose between twenty and forty percent of their harvest before it ever reaches market. There are many reasons why food gets wasted. Farmers are without electricity and cold storage. They lack good seeds and fertilizer. They lack good roads. Conditions like these keep small farmers in poverty. Ms Nierenberg says more attention needs to be paid to protecting harvests. She says, "Given all that we invest in producing food in the first place, we need to devote the same amount of attention to making sure that it is not wasted."
In Nigeria, village processing centers are helping farmers reduce their losses and earn more money. They centers process cassava, a root vegetable, into basic food products. In Uganda, the Worldwatch report says some schools are teaching children how to grow local kinds of crops. And in South Africa and Kenya the report praises the breeding of local kinds of livestock. These animals may produce less milk or meat than other breeds, but they can survive heat and drought conditions. | We could learn from the new report in Para.1 that _ . | African farmers have ideas to help fighting hunger and poverty | ["sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest hunger rate", 'women farmers grow vegetables in the Kibera settlement', 'women farmers grow vegetables to send their children to school.'] |
Have you ever felt so anxious during an examination that you couldn't even put down the answers you knew? If so, you were suffering from what is known as test anxiety.
According to psychologist Ralph Trimble, test anxiety is a very real problem for many people. When you're worried over your performance on an exam, your heart beats faster and your pulse speeds up. These reactions start others: You may sweat more than normal or suffer from a stomachache or headache. Your field of vision narrows and becomes tunnel-like. Before you know it, you're having difficulty focusing.
"What I hear students say over and over again," says Dr. Trimble, who is working at the Psychological and Counseling Center at the University of Illinois, "is, 'My mind went blank.'"
For a number of years, Dr. Trimble helped many students learn how to perform better during exams and to bring up their grades. Some of these students were interested in sharing what they learned and, with Trimble's help, began holding workshops on overcoming test anxiety. For many students, just being in a workshop(,) with other sufferers made them feel better. They realized that they were not the only ones who had done poorly on tests because of tension.
The workshops were so successful that they are still given.
In the workshops, students are taught that anxiety is normal. You just have to prevent it from getting the best of you. The first step is to learn to relax. If before or during an examination you start to panic, stretch as hard as you can, tensing the muscles in your arms and legs; then suddenly relax all of them.
This will help relieve tension. But keep in mind that you don't want to be too relaxed. Being completely relaxed is no better than being too tense. "If you are so calm you don't care how you do on an examination, you won't do well," Trimble says. "There is an optimum level of concern when you perform at your best. Some stress helps. There are people who can't take even slight stress. They have to learn that in a challenging situation, being anxiously excited is good and will help them to do better. But if they call it anxiety and say, 'It's going to hit me again,' that will make them nervous and worried."
As a student you must also realize that if you leave too much studying until a day or two before the examination, you can't do the impossible and learn it all. Instead, concentrate on what you can do and try to think what questions are likely to be asked and what you can do in the time left for studying.
When you sit down to study, set a moderate pace and vary it by reading, writing notes, and going over any papers you have already written for the course, as well as the textbooks and notes you took in class. Review what you know. Take breaks and go to sleep early enough to get a good night's rest before the exam. You should also eat a moderate breakfast or lunch, avoid drinks like coffee and stay away from fellow students who get tense. Panic spreads easily.
Get to the exam room a few minutes early so that you will have a chance to familiarize yourself with the surroundings and get out your supplies. When the examination is handed out, read the directions twice and underline the significant instructions, making sure you understand them. Ask the teacher to explain if you don't. First answer the easiest questions, then go back to the more difficult.
On essay questions, instead of starting right away, take a few minutes to organize your thoughts, make a brief outline, and then start off with a summary sentence. Keep working steadily, and even when time starts to run out, don't speed up. | The author suggests that before a test _ . | you should avoid staying with a fellow student who suffers test anxiety. | ["you should not think that you will be affected by your fellow student's anxiety", 'you should get together with other sufferers of test anxiety in order to feel better', 'you should eat a big meal and drink some coffee to keep yourself in high spirits'] |
I pulled some fabric in the back to make it fit me nicer and made it stay like that by putting on a fabric belt that has bright blue flowers on it . It goes well . And it fits off the shoulders which looks nice . | What may be a fact about this person and their clothing ? | They had adjusted their clothing to make it fit better . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They had made a piece of clothing by hand .', 'They had been trying on the clothing at a shop .'] |
I should really claim some early morning time for email reading , Wii Fit playing and hot tea sipping . It 's been so hot , we ' ve been sleeping downstairs . I brought Jacob up and laid him down in his pack n play so I could enjoy some morning sun . | Why did the narrator bring Jacob with them ? | To get some nice weather . | ['To punish him .', 'To see what he was doing .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
If I do n't do something creative soon , I ' m going to explode . And it 's not like I ' m not feeling creative , I just ca n't center it into something . Half of me hates the feeling of limbo and the other half of me loves the feeling in my head , this lingering - ness , something like a mist or vapour , of all these ideas bubbling around . | How would you describe the speaker ? | They have a lot of feelings . | ['They love the feeling of limbo .', 'They do creative things often .', 'They are feeling creative .'] |
One Tuesday, we got up, had breakfast and got ready for school. We picked up our school bags and went to school. I opened my school bag to get my homework after I went into the classroom and sat down. My school homework needed to be handed in. But it was not there! I remembered I had put it in my school bag.
I thought back to Monday afternoon. I finished my school homework, put it in my school bag, and went out to play softball with the neighbor kids. My sister Sara was not out playing as usual. She read a book inside the house. She must have taken my homework while I was playing softball outside as no kids came inside our house on Monday.
After school I ran to the place where my sister and I usually meet. There was Sara. She didn't seem to be laughing at me. She is good at giving false information. "Sara, what have you done with my homework?" I asked. She said she hadn't seen it! "What should I do?" I thought. I waited for a chance to talk to Mom.
In Mom ' s room, I cried and shouted: I couldn't help shaking. I told her about my missing school homework. Hearing this, Mom left the room, went into the kitchen hurriedly and started looking in the trash. She pulled my school homework out of the trash! Mom said, "I' m sorry, Teri. I saw that your school bag was too heavy, so I cleaned it out for you. Your homework didn't look any different from the waste paper which I threw away."
I realized that I had misunderstood my sister. I apologized to her. And I learnt a good lesson from this experience. | When the writer saw her sister Sara after school, she _ . | thought: Sara pretended not to have taken her homework | ['realized she had misunderstood Sara', 'thought Sara was making a joke', 'believed Sara would apologize to her'] |
Americans who volunteer for the Peace Corps get a chance to help improve lives in developing countries. They also get a chance to learn more about the world, and about themselves. This week this program is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
President John Kennedy established the Peace Corps soon after he took office in 1961. It was the time of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The new program gave Americans a chance to answer the call to service that the president made in his inaugural speech. "Ask not what your country can do for you," he said. "Ask what you can do for your country." Kennedy told Peace Corps volunteers that America's image in the countries where they were going would depend largely on them.
On August 30th, 1961, the first group of 51 Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Accra, Ghana, to serve as teachers. They had agreed to work for almost no pay. They would spend two years in Ghana helping its people and learning the reality of life in a developing country. Most of the volunteers had just completed college. About half of them taught English or health care. In the 50 years since then, more than 200,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers. They have worked in 139 countries.
The Peace Corps is a government agency that was created to promote world peace and friendship. There are three goals: First, to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. Second, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served. And, third. to help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.
Today, the Peace Corps has more than 8,000 volunteers and trainees in 77 countries. They work in agriculture, economic development, education, the environment and health care. Some work in programs related to youth development.
Sixty percent of current Peace Corps volunteers are women. The average age of a volunteer is 28. But the ages of Peace Corps volunteers range from 18 to 86. Some Americans join the Peace Corps after they retire. Today seven percent of volunteers are over the age of 50. And 19 percent are members of minority groups. | Volunteers for the Peace Corps can _ . | contribute to lives in developing countries and develop themselves | ['improve their abilities by learning in some developed countries', 'travel to many foreign countries to learn more about the world', 'have an opportunity to help all the people in developing countries'] |
On Friday I visited a few shops in York . For once I was n't targeting games shops , but general shops instead . Paul had suggested I contact York Dungeon , a macabre tourist site about ghosts and the less savoury aspects of York 's history . Due to the gruesome theme of It 's Alive ! | Which of the following is true of the narrator ? | They are interested in oddities . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They were targeting game shops .', 'The work for York Dungeon .'] |
Schooling Matters
March 25, 2014 Chengdu Michelle Obama
You see, the truth is that I grew up like many of you. My mom, my dad, my brother and I, we lived in a tiny apartment in Chicago, which is one of the largest cities in America. My father worked at the local water plant...
While we certainly weren't rich, my parents had big dreams for me and my brother. They had only a high school education themselves, but they were determined to send us both to universities.
So they poured all of their love and all of their hope into us, and they worked hard. They saved every penny. And I know that wasn't easy for them, especially for my father. You see, my father had serious illness called multiple sclerosis . And as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk, and it took him longer to get dressed in the morning.
But no matter how tired he felt, no matter how much pain he was in, my father hardly ever missed a day of work, because he was determined to give me and my brother a better life. And every day, like so many of you, I felt the weight of my parents' sacrifices on my shoulders. Every day, I wanted to make them proud.
So, while most American kids attend public schools near their homes, when it was time for me to attend high school, I took an exam and got into a special public high school where I could get a better education. But the school was very far from my home, so I had to get up early every morning and ride a bus for an hour, sometimes an hour and a half if the weather was bad. And every afternoon, I'd ride that same bus back home and then immediately start my homework, often studying late into the night - and sometimes I would wake up at 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning to study even more.
And it wasn't easy. But whenever I got tired or discouraged, I would just think about how hard my parents were working for me. And I would remember something my mother always told me - she said, "A good education is something that no one can take away from you." | The passage can be sorted as a _ . | speech draft | ['self-introduction', 'short story', 'news report'] |
By May,after three months,I had lost22pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds.My friends would say "Alice,you look great!"or"How did you lose so much weight?"Those _ made me feel good and confident.
Soon I dropped to110 pounds.A few of my friends told me that I needed to stop dieting,because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present---- a bag of chocolates,which I later gave to my sister.My mother would come to my room,with tears in her eyes,and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop.My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school,telling me that it would do serious harm to my body.
By mid-June,when school was coming to an end,I was down to an only alive state of 95 pounds.All of a sudden,I knew I had to do something.I guessed the number itself scared me.I recalled my doctor.He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying.I knew I was putting my life at risk,but for what? To make those who love me worried? Was it worthwhile to be thin?
Now I realize that models in magazines,TV and movies are not realistic.The price to pay for the"perfect body"is living with a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder.And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are. | From the text we learn that _ . | an unhealthy diet can lead to serious health problems | ['there are no models with a perfect body in real life', 'it is too expensive for people to lose weight', 'you will be healthy as long as you stop dieting'] |
So I met with quirkybird and it was great fun . We both tapped our inner geeks shamelessly and yakked happily about RP , Star Trek , BSG , ' toons , TV and anything else that sprang to mind . Food was had at Cafe Uno and booze was acquired at Chandos , a decent pub near Trafalgar Square . The wet weather made Dylan feel right at home , apparently , so I blamed her for bringing the weather with her : DIt was a good evening and I ' m happy to report Dylan is a funny in real life as she is on her LJ and in her cartoons . | Did Dylan have a good time ? | Yes , she enjoyed herself . | ['No , she wanted to go home', 'No , she was too busy', 'No , she was bored'] |
Do Americans have morals ? That's a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, edited the Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that. Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennett ' s book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they?
One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree tells this value clearly. Little George cut down his father's favorite cherry tree while trying out his new axe. When his father asked him about it, George said honestly, "I can not tell a lie. I did it with my axe." Instead of punishment, George received his father's praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honesty-being open and direct-can offend people. But Americans still believe that "honesty is the best policy."
Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop's fable( )about the rabbit and the turtle that had a race? The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. But the turtle finally won because he didn't give up.
Sympathy may be the queen of American virtues. The story of "The Good Samaritan" from the Bible describes a man who showed sympathy. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man found a poor traveler lying on the road. The traveler had been beaten and robbed. The kind Samaritan, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need.
In no way can these brief descriptions cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Responsibility, loyalty, courage, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennett's bestseller-over 800 pages-highlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only covered the surface. But no matter how long or short the list is, moral values are invaluable, they are the foundation of American culture-and any culture. | At least how many kinds of moral virtues does the writer list in this passage? | Seven | ['Three', 'Four', 'Ten'] |
Back in middle school, at least I think it was, I had art class. I didn’t particularly love it but it was interesting enough at the least to hold my attention.
We got to class and the teacher pulled up a list of instructions on the projector. She had each of us follow the instructions and she gave us 20 minutes to complete all of them. It may even have been a bit of a race too, to see who finished it first. This becomes a lot more evident in a second.
I can’t recall the exact details of the instructions, except that clearly it had to do with art such as having to draw a bunch of things. Anyways, we all went one by one down the instructions getting increasing nervous as to try to be the first one to finish. The class goes quiet while we work.
Then I get to the last instruction which reads something along the lines of:
“Step 15: Skip steps 1–14 and put your pencil down.”
You gotta be freaking kidding me.
We’re all so confused and mad at ourselves for not reading the whole of the instructions first. She turned this into a lesson for how we need to learn to read all the instructions first and then start, which was pretty clever. She got us! I remember this vividly to this day.
But I look back now on this “prank” and I realize that she was kind of…wrong. Sure if the instructions are short like 15 steps it might be good to glance through before you start. But what about a whole load of instructions? Who the hell is going to read through the instructions for how to build their Death Star LEGO set before even starting to build it. Just a waste of time really.
Note: I have never built a Death Star LEGO set. | What type of class did this take place at? | Art class. | ['not enough information', 'History class.', 'English class.'] |
The time to transfer the files is significantly shorter than having to capture footage from tape ( OMG ) , and being able to review shots immediately on set with just the push of a couple buttons is bloody excellent . It also came in handy a couple of times when we wanted to review a shot to verify whether something was in frame . It takes the concept of dailies and turns it into secondlies . | Why is the narrator so happy with the equipment ? | The process is quicker . | ['The process is improved visually .', 'The process is better for making dailies .', 'The process is more exacting .'] |
Almost everyone accepts the fact that crime can never be wiped out entirely. Thus control of crime becomes the focus of police and government around the world. The question lawmakers must answer is, "Which system of criminal punishment works best for society?" Each country has developed its own ideas for solution to this question, and these solutions then determine how criminals are punished under different systems. However, none of the current system in use has proved 100 percent effective.
There are many ideas about punishment of criminals. Some systems look only to get retribution against criminals. These systems work to frighten criminals away from repeating a crime in the future. These systems also try to deter others in society by using the criminal as an example of what can happen to a person if he or she is caught committing crimes. Rehabilitation is another philosophy by which many systems of punishment operate. The goal of these systems is to return a former criminal to society after a required period of treatment and training, usually in prisons. The idea is to help change the person's behavior so that he or she becomes a law-abiding citizen.
Capital punishment is another form of punishment which systems use in extreme criminal cases, sometimes involving such crimes as a murder, rape, and violent theft. In these cases, the person is put to death. Today, capital punishment is used in relatively few countries. Many countries have done away with it. In other words, capital punishment remains only in officially law books but is rarely used. However, capital punishment remains in use in some countries including the United States.
When looking at the number of crimes committed, the effectiveness of any of these forms of punishment comes into question. In the United States, for example, 80 percent of the people arrested each year are male, and the majority of these are young men or boys. One-third of all auto thefts, robberies, and burglaries are committed by young men under the age of 18. Generally, young people have less responsibility in society, so they risk losing little if they are caught in a criminal activity. However, it can also be argued that today's youthful criminals do not fear the punishment they receive if caught by police. Current methods of criminal punishment do not serve the purpose of deterring young criminals in the United States.
A major problem with the current system of rehabilitation in the United Stated is that most criminals return to crime after they have supposedly been rehabilitated. Two-thirds of those caught by police each year are repeat criminals. As a result of this fact, many people feel that rehabilitation of criminals is a lost cause. Since the late 1970s, many see retribution as a preferred punishment in criminal cases in the United States. | Many crimes in the United States are committed by _ . | teenagers | ['leaders', 'factory workers', 'street wanders'] |
After church , we met up with Mike , Peggy , and Wendy at the American Table for lunch . John and I split a surf and turf meal , yum , steak and tilapia for both ! Post - lunch , I did a little onlien work , then headed back to bed before work . | what sort of work might the person be doing ? | Mechanical Turk | ['waitressing', 'fast food sales', 'None of the above choices .'] |
[ Just slightly more than 24 hours]By the time you read this post , Japanese artist Shigeru Ban would have boarded and left Singapore on a jet plane . When I was first asked to get Ban 's schedule from the Exhibitions team , everything was pretty hush hush . Apparently , Ban is akin to A - lister artistes at MediaCorp and it would be a pleasure to meet him . So when I finally heard that he was going to be here this weekend , I asked for the schedule once again . And I got it . Ban , the artist of the Containart Pavilion , arrived here last evening . | Why is it so hard to get a schedule for Ban ? | Ban is akin to an A - lister and is very popular with limited free time . | ['None of the above choices .', 'Ban can not be bothered to meet with other people .', 'Ban does not want to meet anyone while on his trip .'] |
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The U.S. election calendar could be a key factor in determining the scope and timing of a potential deal to end the North Korean nuclear program.
Planning is progressing for both the upcoming summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the end of April and the expected meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in late May or early June.
President Trump said Tuesday that there had been talks at “extremely high levels” between his administration and the North Korean government. Later it was reported that Mike Pompeo, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a secretary of state nominee, met recently with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang.
Trump also noted the talks have been marked by “a lot of goodwill” and that “there has been a major change in terms of North Korea’s behavior,” since Kim’s Olympic outreach this year, in which he sent a large delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter games in South Korea, suspended nuclear and missile tests, and expressed a willingness to engage in denuclearization talks.
The turn toward diplomacy has reduced, for now, the potential for conflict over the North’s accelerated efforts last year to develop an operational nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland.
The North Korean leader’s decision to engage in denuclearization talks was likely motivated by both Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign, which increased sanctions and the threat of military action against the North, and by South Korean President Moon’s reassuring outreach efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.
Trump’s motivation in pursuing a nuclear deal with North Korea, in addition to resolving a growing national security threat, could also have a political component.
According to North Korea analysts at the Sejong Institute in South Korea, the Trump administration is likely calculating how achieving such an agreement could help boost the president’s chances for re-election in 2020.
“If I were Trump, I would try to make a tangible accomplishment on the North Korea nuclear issue within the first term by 2020, and in my personal opinion, that would be a really huge achievement for Trump,” said Lee Sang-hyun, with the Sejong Institute. | Where did Mike Pompeo meet with Kim Jong Un? | North Korea | ['The U.S.', 'not enough information', 'South Korea'] |
British singer Sarah Brightman began training for a 2015 flight to the International Space Station where she hopes to become the first professional musician to sing from space, the company arranging the trip said on Tuesday.
Brightman, a famed soprano who starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber' s "Phantom of the Opera" , will pay about $ 52 million for a 10-day stay aboard the orbital outpost, Tom Shelley, president of privately owned Space Adventures, said.
Brightman, who will become the eighth privately funded space tourist, is scheduled to fly in September 2015. Her training to fly on a Russian Soyuz capsule began last fall.
Brightman has planned to be the first professional musician to sing from space. But she faces competition from Lady Gaga, who, according to media reports late last year, intends to be the first when _ performs one song in space in early 2015 on a Virgin Galactic flight. Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, plans to offer suborbital space flights.
Brightman said in 2012 that she would travel to the space station, but her plans haven't been confirmed until now. So far. Space Adventures has arranged for nine private missions to the space station, a $ 100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles above the earth. Microsoft co-founder Charles Simonyi made two trips.
Brightman will be the first private citizen to visit the station since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibarte paid about $ 35 million for an 11-day stay in September 2009.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has an option to fly on the next available Soyuz seat after Brightman, which most likely will be in 2017, Shelley told Reuters. | What is the purpose of the passage? | To give some information about Brightman. | ['To praise Brightman.', 'To persuade the readers that Brightman is more famous than Lady Gaga.', 'To instruct the readers how to begin a space flight.'] |
A Simple Lesson
"Another bad day at school?" my father asked as I came into the room.
"How could you tell? I didn't shut the door heavily or anything," I replied. Over the past two months I had either done this or thrown my backpack across the room every time I came home from school. Papa thinks it has something to do with moving to a new house.
"I know this move has been hard on you. Leaving your friends and cousins behind is tough," Papa said, as he put his arm around my shoulder. "What you must remember is that, with a lot of hard work and some time, you will make new friends."
"You don't know how hard it is. This year my baseball team would have won the championship. They won't even give me a chance to pitch here. All I get to play is right field, and that's the worst!"
Papa turned toward me. "Things will get better, I promise you. Let me ask you, do you know why you were named David Lorenzo?"
"Yes, your name is David and grandfather's name is Lorenzo."
"Very good, and what makes your grandfather so important?"
"He was the first in the family to come to this country and all that," I answered.
"That is only partly correct. Your grandfather was a very great man. In Mexico, he had been a teacher. When he came to America he could only get lowpaid labor jobs because he didn't speak the language. It took him two years before he spoke English well enough to be allowed to teach here, but he did it. He never complained because he knew change could be difficult. Did he ever tell you that?" my father asked.
I looked down at my feet, ashamed at my behavior. "No. That must have been hard," I said
.
"Your grandfather taught me that if you let people see your talent, they will accept you for who you are. I want you to always remember what my father taught me, even if it takes a few years for people to see who you are," said Papa.
All I could say was, "Okay." Then I asked, "What should I do now?"
Laughing, Papa said, "How about you pitch a few to me? You need some work." | Why was the author unhappy that day? | Because he wasn't offered a chance to pitch. | ['Because he moved to a new country.', 'Because his baseball team lost the game.', 'Because he quarreled with his friends at school.'] |
Just a quick update to let you know that Mark is back home safe and sound , however VERY ill . I just took his temperature and it was 102.9 . He 's upstairs in bed and shivering with chills . He 's coughing and groaning . | What may be wrong with Mark ? | He has the flu . | ['He has a headache .', 'None of the above choices .', 'He has cancer .'] |
Important changes took place in the lives of women in the 19th century. When men went out from their farms to cities to seek jobs in industry, peasant women had to take over the sowing, growing, and harvesting of the fields as well as caring for cattle and raising their children. When women also moved to the cities in search of work, they found that it was increasingly separated by sex and that employment opportunities for women were limited to the lower-paid jobs. Later in the century, women in industry gathered mainly in cloth-making factories, though some worked in mining or took similarly difficult and tiring jobs.
In the 1800s, service work also absorbed a great number of women who arrived in the cities from the country. Young women especially took jobs as servants in middle-class and upper-class homes; and as more and more men were drawn into industry, domestic service became increasingly a female job. In the second half of the century, however, chances of other service work also opened up to women, from sales jobs in shops to teaching and nursing. These jobs came to be done mainly by women.
For thousands of years, when almost all work was done on the family farm or in the family firm, home and workplace had been the same. In these cases, women could do farm work or hand work, and perform home duties such as child care and preparation of meals at the same time. Along with the development of industry, the central workplace, however, such as the factory and the department store, separated home from work. Faced with the necessity for women to choose between home and workplace, Western society began to give particular attention to the role of women as homemakers with more energy than ever before. | We know from the passage that in the 1800s _ . | more and more women began to work in domestic service | ['women mainly worked as servants, nurses, and miners', 'service and industrial jobs absorbed more women than men', 'women enjoyed working as sellers, teachers, and miners'] |