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Then I remembered that Fred Phelps is crazy whack job . Still , I asked Amanda if she had his number so we could call him and tell him to talk to The Big Guy and call off the rain . Through all this freaking out about the water , Kyle 's parents feverishly were trying to finish the bathroom since they had to leave the next morning . Amanda & I busied ourselves with knitting , cross - stitch and girly movies because our nerves were shot . | What type of political ideology does the narrator seem to espouse ? | They are more liberal . | ['They are more populist .', 'None of the above choices .', 'They are more socially conservative .'] |
Paul was late for the victory party. When he finally arrived back at Chloe's house he found her driveway and neighborhood so crowded with cars that he had to park on the next street over. He was ever so slightly worried about leaving his car out of sight in this neighborhood, but really it was his nervousness about the party that tied his stomach in knots. A $120 bottle of champagne under his arm, Paul walked bravely up to the front door, which opened from within before he could touch the doorbell.
"8:17!" shouted Chloe as she flung the door wide, a wristwatch held in her hand. "Who bet closest to 8:17?" Chloe wore a green and blue sari wrapped low around her waist and a white t-shirt on which someone had used a sharpie to write "HOOK-HER" on the front.
A young, stocky Asian American woman named Bee stepped forward. She held a little piece of paper in her hand, which she shoved playfully in front of Chloe's face. "8:15! I had 8:15!"
Behind the two women a tall, rail-thin man appeared, wearing a faded blue polo shirt with the Microsoft logo on it and a pair of khakis. Paul recognized him as Raff, whom he'd met the night before. "Just barely beat my 8:00." He said. Raff was the computer guy - the lead hacker in the group who'd been responsible for sorting through the reams of electronic data they'd stolen and finding the juicy bits. He'd also masterminded the attack on the company Web site and some of the other problems that had tied his former partners up in the hours after Paul had gotten the check. "I wanted to bet 'never' but Chloe had already taken that one."
"Don't listen to him, Paul," said Chloe. "I just bet never because I knew everyone else would want it and I alone had faith in your return. But the others decided to have a little betting pool about when you'd finally show up after you pulled your little disappearing act earlier." Chloe waggled her finger at him in mock scolding. "You're a naughty little boy, giving me the slip like that." | Why did everyone question when Paul would show up? | He had previously disappeared. | ['He was hacking a company website.', 'Parties made him nervous.', 'not enough information'] |
The World Bank estimates there are about 650 million mobile phone users in African countries south of the Sahara Desert. That is greater than the number of users in the United States and European Union.
Samia Melhem worke for the World Bank to increase information technologies in Africa. She says mobile phones are the fastest growing technology on the continent.
"Faster than TV, definitely faster than electricity. More people have access to mobile phones and therefore communication. More people have internet access today in Africa than they have access to water, clean water, or even sanitation .So we can say that this has been the most significant revolution in terms of changing the African landscape and how people live their daily life."
CNN television recently named seven ways of life it says have been revolutionized because of mobile phones. They include political activism, education, entertainment, disaster management, agriculture and health.
Another area is banking. Reports say half of more of the adults in Gabon, Kenya and Sudan use mobile money. Rene Mendy sells goods in the streets of Dakar, Senegal. But he never had enough money to open a bank account.
Now he uses a mobile phone banking service called Orange Money. With his telephone, he can add or take out as little as one dollar. He can make payments and send money to family members who live far away.
Orange Money says it serves four million customers in ten countries. The World Bank's Samia Melham notes that the French company is facing competition from other mobile banking services.
"The mobile banking is a huge trend. And people in the West don't understand it, because most people have bank accounts and they have credit cards. It-mobile banking-is the instant possession fo cash at a much lower cost. The cost is the cost of sending an SMS, which is almost nothing compared to what traditional transfer agents, like Western Union, would charge-10 dollars or more for a particular money transfer." | The most significant revolution refers to _ . | mobile phones being the fastest growing technology in Africa | ['seven ways of life revolutionized because of mobile phones', 'more people having access to clean water', 'the fast development of electricity in Africa'] |
Personally I enjoy doing things outside. You know, the good ol’ nature.
One time, me and my buddy Alex and some friends decided we were going to go camping. (I know, basic camping story. Well not exactly.) We planned on going for the weekend. Got to the spot and put up our tents like normal campers. But knowing myself and my friends we wanted to drink a couple beers and do some fishing. We did just that. Later that night we had started out camp fire and cooked up some links before bed time. My drunk self wanted to keep the fire going all night to prevent wild animals from coming t our sight. Well at least I thought that’d help. So I needed a bunch of wood to do so. Everyone was asleep by this point but me. So I took myself out into the woods a little deeper to grab a full broken down tree. I thought to myself, “Well if I want to utilize all of this wood I’m going to need to break it into smaller prices right?” Wrong. Well at least it was wrongful of how I planned on doing it. I attempted to break the tree in half by throwing it against another tree, as if I were as strong as the hulk or something. Once I chunked the tree at this tree I messed the entire vacation up. The tree came down on my knee and crushed it. I was in so much pain. I realized that I messed it up pretty bad so I laid there for a second trying to get back to my feet. The next day I couldn’t apply any pressure and couldn’t walk at all. I was dirty and smelly and needed some serious help on my leg but I was too far from any civilization. Worst nature experience ever! | After the end of the this story, the writer of the story probably: | Had to get to civilization and a hospital | ['Got back to work', 'Walked back to camp', 'not enough information'] |
I ' m pretty sure the way I feel is partly because of the crap I ' ve had to endure during the last week . I ' ve never been in such a big mess in my life and I ' m humiliated and I feel like the world is crashing down on me emotionally , physically , and financially . Not to mention the person I 'd been confiding in about all this ( my stepmother ) is going out of town to visit her mother for several days and I 'll be stuck with my dad ( who does n't want to talk about anything ) . | Why is the narrator dreading the next few weeks ? | Their step mom is traveling . | ['Their mom is traveling .', 'Their step mom is staying with the narrator .', 'Their step mom is coming back .'] |
In his lifetime, Ray had done a number of things for which he was not proud, things he'd like to see just as well stuffed down a dark hole. Everybody had things of which they were ashamed. Everybody has committed their share of sins that they wish they could take back. But this wasn't one of them, and he resented the implication that it was -- the implication that someone would dare to judge him for something they did not fully understand.
It was a good thing, a right thing, like the time he had given emergency CPR to the woman already ten minutes dead and gone, the woman whose mouth tasted of chocolate death and scrambled eggs, just to spare her horrified children the sense of helplessness while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. That had been a noble thing like this one was. Should have been.
Perhaps it was always less difficult to have things fail here, with the living, than it was with the dead. The dead had no opinions, no agendas. They weren't sensitive. The dead did what you fucking told them to do and didn't complain. Right?
The living simply did not understand that there were rules. They didn't want to understand something so banal. Someone who didn't take the time to understand the rules had no right to pass judgment on him. Not that it ever stopped them.
"I hear that you are unhappy," he said into the phone, then had to pull the receiver away from his ear so the woman on the other end could scream at him some more.
Conflict de-escalation technique number one was invariably affirmation. Make it clear that you are aware of the individual's feelings and frustrations, that you are at least listening to their side, whether or not you personally may eventually have the authority to validate or alleviate those feelings. People liked to be listened to. The illusion of having a voice was almost as good as actually having one. Isn't that why people still bothered to go to the polls on election day and vote?
And it worked on most people. This woman was not one of them. | How long has Ray probably been on the phone? | Few Minutes | ['Few days', 'not enough information', 'Over a week'] |
Anna Craig, 11, has a paper doll covered with stickers. Each sticker is labeled with a word such as creative, cheerful, smart or kind. "We choose stickers that best describe us and put them on our dolls," explains Anna. "All these words are what makes me beautiful!"
The activity is part of a program called Beautiful Me. The Hance Family Foundation, which was created to honor three sisters killed in a car accident, offers the program for free to schools. The program's goals are to help girls and young women build healthy levels of self-esteem and develop skills for handling problems and relationships with others. Beautiful Me explains that self-esteem means how you feel about yourself and what you think your value is as a person.
"Girls of all ages benefit from recognizing what makes each of us valuable and different," says Kate Tuffy, who helped create Beautiful Me. "Our goal is to offer the program to as many girls as possible across the United States." About 6,000 girls have benefited from it due to her efforts.
Beautiful Me organizers train teachers to present the program material to small groups of girls. It includes hands-on art activities, role-playing games about understanding body language and discussions on how to build friendships. Schools and groups present the program when they are ready.
"The Beautiful Me program helps girls understand their feelings, solve problems and get along better in and out of school. Girls and women who have built healthy levels of self-esteem are more likely to be better friends to others and know how to solve conflicts," says Tuffy.
Anna says she has learned all of that from the program. But most importantly, she has learned to appreciate the special qualities in people and that it's important to feel good about yourself. "When you feel good about yourself," Anna says, "it is easy to make others feel good, too! | In Anna Craig' s eyes, beauty is _ . | the good qualities inside of someone | ['something that can be touched', 'the beautiful things found in nature', 'the attractive appearance someone has'] |
Alex Wood began fundraising when he was four years old. He sold lemonade and cookies to raise money for a school in Haiti. Later, Alex sent 15 bags of food he collected from his neighbors to a food store near his home which asked for donations .
Alex wanted to help more people. He decided to donate to Heifer International, an organization that gives farm animals and farm training to poor people around the world. His goal: $5,000 for a "gift ark". That amount would mean that 15 pairs of animals would be given to people in need. Those families would agree to give one of their animals' young to other needy families.
Alex decided that baking was the best way to raise money. He started a business, named it Clean Hands Bakery, and now sells his baked goods year round. In his family's kitchen, he created all kinds of cookies and cakes. He says his top sellers are lemon pound cakes and chocolate cupcakes. Alex likes the baking as much as the fundraising. "I like it that you can take so many ingredients that don't taste good on their own and come up with something amazing," he says.
In September 2011, Alex reached his goal of $5,000 and bought a gift ark. "I feel absolutely overjoyed that I got to my goal," he says. "I can't help everybody by myself, but I can do my part, which I hope will inspire other people to do their part, too." One of the people Alex has already inspired is his younger brother. "He had people donate to me, instead of giving him a birthday present." Alex explains. "In the end he donated $200 toward my goal."
So now that he's met his goal of a gift ark, will Alex keep baking and fundraising? He says yes. He wants to end world hunger, one cupcake at a time. | What's Alex' younger brother's attitude towards his fundraising idea? | Supportive | ['Doubtful', 'Curious', 'Uncaring'] |
"Looks good, Boys." Billy-Eye knew he had been taking a big chance leaving the final details for his sons to handle. He had not even visited the place all week. It was Friday, 5:30 PM--thirty minutes before the grand opening of Billy-Eye's Arcade and Dance Barn.
The arcade room had been arranged nicely--although not the way Billy-Eye would have done it. But still, it was good. The two popcorn machines were ready to go. High school aged workers were ready to hand out bags of the stuff. The first group in the competition was warming up on the bandstand. A stand-alone blackboard to the right side of the drums had the name of the band written across it in white chalk: The Triangulators. Each band would be responsible for putting their name on that board.
"Glad you like it, Daddy." Craig beamed. Finally, he had done something right.
"So, what do you think? Will we have a full house tonight?" said Billy-Eye.
"Sure," said Lenny with a naïve smile.
"Hopefully," said Craig. "They get in free, get to hear eleven bands, and get all the free popcorn and coke they want. I'm sure the kids have heard our radio ad."
"Maybe we should have made the games free too," said Lenny.
"Hey, we can't give everything away," said Billy-Eye. "We're only charging a quarter for the games as it is." He walked back out into the main hall. "Is the refrigerator all stocked up?"
"Yes, Sir," said Craig. "It's loaded with frozen pizzas, hot dogs, and condiments. And we've got plenty of hot dogs buns and candy."
"And the soda fountains?"
"Ready to go."
"And I see you got the ice machine set up." Billy-Eye smiled. "Great. I'm proud of you boys." | When was the refrigerator stocked? | Before the Grand Opening. | ['not enough information', 'After the Grand Opening started.', 'After Billy-Eye arrived.'] |
The Harvard Student-led Walking Tour
Let a student show you Harvard ... on a free walking tour.
We welcome our neighbors to stop by the Harvard University Events & Information Center, located in the Holyoke Center Arcade at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue in the heart of Harvard Square in Cambridge.
Let a student take you and your family,school,or organization on an interesting,hour-long historical tour of the Harvard campus.The tours leave from the Events & Information Center. Not only will you discover the location of fascinating exhibitions and programmes on campus,you will also see Harvard's rich sampling of American history and architecture from the Colonial period to the present
Schedule of Tours
Tours leave the Events & Information Center at 10 am and 2 pm Monday through Friday, and at 2 pm on Saturday through the academic year(February 4 through May 2;September 23 through December 16). Summer tours(June 24 through August 15)are offered at 10 am,11:15 am,2 pm,and 3:1 5 pm Monday through Saturday.Reservations for special tours of 20 or more people may be made by calling the Events & Information Center at(617)495--1573 or emailing icenter@camail. Harvard. edu. Tours are stopped March 23 through April 2 for Spring break,May 3 through June 23 for Spring intercession , and August 1 6 through September 22 for Summer intercession.
NOTE:Prospective students may take tours originating at the Harvard Admissions Office,located at Byerly Hall on 8 Garden Street in Cambridge.The Admissions staff will conduct information sessions.For more information,please call at(617)495--1551.
Harvard University Events & Information Center
Location:Holyoke Center Arcade,1350 Massachusetts Avenue,Cambridge MA 02138
Phone:(617)495--1573 | How can you book special tours of 20 people? | By calling at(617)495--1573 | ['By calling at(617)495--1551', 'By visiting the Harvard Admissions Office.', 'By calling the Events & Information Center any time.'] |
What are the worst examples of false advertising you've seen? Did you fall prey to their claims?
Rather that vouch for myself - my story is trite, and not particularly interesting - I'll relay the tale one of my nurses shared with me when I was laid up in the hospital for a few weeks. Call her R.
R was from an Eastern European country. We chit-chatted a lot, while she was taking my blood pressure readings and stuff. Lots of fun stories! But she relayed to me one of her first U.S. memories:
She wanted to lose weight. She was impressed by some things the U.S. had to offer - "you have actual nutritional information on everything!" - and thus figured everything she encountered was on the level. And she found a "miracle cure" company who was along those lines! "These are AWESOME miracle shoe inserts! Wear them, and the pounds will melt away!" She saved her pennies and dimes; she sprung for the inserts.
She received them... and they were shoe inserts; that much was true. But then there was their documentation: "using these insoles, combined with a 1200 calorie-per-day diet...." Like a 1200-calorie diet won't likely involve weight-loss, no matter what else you did, shoe inserts aside. The inserts did nothing, obviously. It was a sham.
At which point she knew she was snookered, but really had no recourse. She wasn't explicit about it, but I got the feeling that it was a leading factor towards her chosen profession. "I might not have been the most sage medical person ever, but I'm gonna rectify that, and if ever I hear someone falling for that sort of gambit again, I'll be there to nip those sentiments in the bud with my own anecdotes." Which is awesome.
I still feel for her. I wish I had contact information, so I could touch base, and express those thoughts personally. But that's the most personally resonant version of false advertising affecting someone that I've seen. | How long after meeting R was the story probably written? | after the writer was discharged | ['immediately after the writer was discharged.', 'not enough information', 'before the writer was discharged.'] |
Car crashes are the top killer of American teenagers.Most of the crashes result from distracted driving not paying attention to the road.
Ryan Didone was a fifteen-year-old passenger in a car that hit a tree.He was one of the nation's more than thirty thousand victims of traffic crashes in 2008.Nearly four thousand deaths, about twelve percent, involved drivers aged fifteen to twenty.Ryan's father, Thomas Didone, is a police captain in Montgomery County, Maryland.He said, "It was an inexperienced," immature driver who felt that he was invincible , driving at night with a carload of kids.He was distracted, he was going too fast, and it ended up causing one death and some upsetting experiences and tragedy for the rest of the community."
Jim Jennings from the Allstate Insurance Company said "The number one cause of distracted-driving accidents is the mobile phone.Talking on the phone or reaching for it is like drinking four beers and driving.If you're texting while driving, you are twenty-three times more likely to get into an accident than somebody who isn't.
Reaching for a cell phone when it's going off, you're nine times more likely to get into an accident than normally driving," The insurance industry recently held a safety event near Washington for teen drivers.
At first, nineteen-year-old Kevin.Schumann easily avoided large, inflatable dolls thrown in front of the car to represent children.He also avoided orange cones representing the edge of the road.Then, as part of the test,he started texting. He hit several cones and at least one doll.
Debbie Pickford from the Allstate Insurance Company said, "Teens are especially at risk from distracted driving--and not just because they lack experience on the roads.What we know from research on teen brain development, is that teens don't really have fully developed brains until they are twenty-five years old. You put those two things together and you get a much, much higher risk. | A safety event held by insurance industry was meant to _ . | draw encough attention to teenagers' distracted driving | ['attract more teenagers to take part in it', 'make more teenagers practice avoiding large barriers', 'encourage more teenagers to pay for insurance protection'] |
Jack Ma is the founder and CEO of Alibaba Group. He was one of the 100 global "future leaders" of the 2001 World Economic Forum and the "commercial leader" of 2001 elected by US Commercial Association of Asia.
Born in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Ma graduated from Hangzhou Teachers Institute in 1988 (he failed the entrance exam twice) and became a lecturer in English and International Trade.
In 1985, a one-month visit to see an Australian pen pal he had met in Hangzhou changed his life. "Everything I'd learned in China was that China was the richest country in the world," he said. "When I arrived in Australia, I realized it's totally different. I started to think you have to use your own mind to judge, to think." After his return, Ma became the chairman of the Students' Union of the whole city.
Jack Ma founded Alibaba.com in 1999, a China based business to business marketplace site. In 2003, Alibaba _ Taobao.com, a consumer to consumer auction website similar to eBay.
Ma said that he got most of his ideas while taking very long, hot showers. He likes to spend time walking his four dogs and playing chess and poker. He said, "I've learned a lot of business philosophy by playing poker."
Looking ahead, Ma said that he dreamed of using his group's resources to improve the lives of all Chinese people, especially the 900 million farmers. "There must be some way of using our experience, our know-how, and make their life easier," he said. | We can know from this passage that Jack Ma is _ . | a great success and very influential in economy | ['the number one of the 2001 global future leaders', "the chairman of the Students' Union of Hangzhou Teachers Institute", 'the founder and CEO of eBay'] |
One day when I left a bookstore and walked on the street, I saw a woman standing outside the post office. She looked pale and worried. I stopped and asked if she needed help. She told me that her foot was hurting and she had to go to the hospital fight away, but there was no taxi. I wanted to make a trip to a food store later that day. I asked the woman where she was going. She told me the name of a hospital which was actually on the way to the food store. So I said, My car is parked nearby, How about my giving you a ride? It will save you some time and money. She agreed gratefully.
When we got to the hospital, she thanked me again and again. Then I went to the food store and picked up what I went for. As I was waiting at the checkout, the man behind me said that he had a coupon for 20% off anything in the store. He gave it to me because he had an extra one and he wanted to do good things to others! I thanked him and let him go ahead of me in line to check out.
Each action creates a ripple that finally comes back to us. Do you believe it? | Which of the following words can best describe the author? | kind. | ['Brave.', 'Honest.', 'Clever.'] |
Teachers of Physics Needed for (be Middle School in Kent
Start date: Sept. 1st,2014
Hours; Full Time
Are you skilled in teaching physics? If yes, come and join us!
This school follows the idea that learning is joyful. It offers a friendly and supportive environment for its teachers and students. The primary concern is to train students' creative ability. Students enjoy benefit from positive relationships with the staff.
Requirements:
Patience with students.
--Ability to inspire students.
--Experience in teaching physics.
Excellent knowledge of physics.
Please Note: What is basic for this post is a teacher's certificate !
To apply or find more information, please consult our secretary Helen Brown. Office Tel. 0800-22-829. | What can be inferred about this school? | The students study in a harmonious environment. | ["The teachers' main task is to train students'communicative abilities.", 'The teachers and students try their best to support the school.', 'The students are the center in the classroom teaching.'] |
Our faces . Our bodies . The way we look when we feel most feminine . My collection of self - portraits on flickr.com approaches the grand number of two hundred , at which point I ' m informed by flickr administrators that I will have to begin paying in order to keep posting . | Why is the narrator 's image available for everyone to see . | It is posted on Flikr . | ['It is posted on a bulletin board .', 'It is posted on a billboard .', 'It is posted on a gallery wall .'] |
And all that time I have thought that I should take them somewhere and have them evaluated , have them fixed up into playable condition , and maybe even ( gasp ) sell a few . After all , I ca n't play more than one at a time . And today 's entertainment for families is no longer sitting around the piano of an evening singing grand old songs ( " Will You Love Me In September As You Do In May " ) and playing stringed instruments in harmonious family ensembles . So , this past week I took five violins to a local expert who repairs , appraises , and sells stringed instruments and asked his opinion . | what does the narrator own ? | a musical instrument | ['a tool for fixing instruments', 'None of the above choices .', 'a video game'] |
While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had an experience which occurred merely two feet away from me.
Trying to locate my friend among the passengers coming through the jet way, I noticed a man walking toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he kissed his three children one by one and said, "It's nice to see you. I missed you so much!" Then he hugged his wife, "I've saved the best for last!" giving her the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. They stared at each other's eyes, smiling at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds , but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn't possibly be.
Full of admiration, I asked, "Wow! How long have you two been married?" "Being together for fourteen years total, married twelve of those." He replied, without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife's face. "Well, then, how long have you been away?" I asked. "Two whole days!" "Two days?" I was astonished. By the intensity of the greeting, I had assumed he'd been gone for at least several weeks --- if not months. I knew _ so I turned away my eyes and said quietly, "I hope my marriage is still that passionate after so long!"
The man suddenly stopped smiling and looked me straight in the eye. With forcefulness he told me something that left me a different person. "Don't hope, friend...decide!" Then he smiled again, shook my hand and said, "God bless!"
With that, he and his family turned and walked away together.
I was still watching that man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, "What are you looking at?" Without hesitation, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, "My future!" | From the passage, we can infer that _ . | the author will live a passionate life from now on | ['the experience may be easily forgotten by the author', 'the author will be away from his family and hug them passionately upon his return', 'Americans prefer to save the best for last'] |
Jolly Joe always arrived at my neighborhood at exactly half past noon. The clang of the bell on his red and black truck was then the sweetest sound in the world. Brightly colored stickers advertising his amazing kinds of treats could be found on all sides of his truck. The whole neighborhood would magically come to life.
Holding a nickel , I'd run to the back of the vehicle, where children were already gathering. Jolly Joe would jump out of his truck, the sun shining on his hair. He was an older man, short and round, with a pleasant face and a welcoming smile.
I don't know how, but he knew us all by name, as well as which treats we preferred. My favorite was the Buried Treasure. By eating all the ice cream, you'd discover the treasure inside: a lion, a dog or even a funny clown -- printed onto a plastic stick.
When it was finally my turn, he'd put his arm deep inside one of the boxes, and pause for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. Then, suddenly, he'd pull it out: the Buried Treasure! I couldn't wait to enjoy the cool, sweet ice cream.
As quickly as he arrived, it was time for Jolly Joe to go, leaving behind laughing, excited children with sticky hands and faces. Soon the sound of his clanging bell would slowly disappear in the distance.
I always hated to see Jolly Joe go, because I knew the rest of the day would be as hot and boring as before. But I took some comfort in knowing that the next day he'd come round the corner at half past noon and once again spread his magic. | Jolly Joe was liked mostly by _ . | children | ['passengers', 'advertisers', 'drivers'] |
Last weekend The Little Prince fell off a bicycle while at his father 's house . He hit the pavement mouth first and broke his front left tooth . I was furious at his father for allowing the children to ride bikes without helmets . | Why does the boy have a chippped tooth ? | They got into a bike crash . | ['Their dad knocked it loose .', 'Their dad hit them .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
On the surface , Igor looks like a poor mans version of a 3D animated film . Frankly from the trailer it looked more like a student film from one of those animation schools you see advertised on Spike late at night . But hey , it 's got John Cusack attached so how bad can it be right ? Well ... THE GENERAL IDEA The idea for Igor is actually a pretty creative one . | Why does Igor look interesting ? | It has John Cusack attached . | ["It 's 3D animated .", "It 's on Spike TV .", 'It looks like a student film .'] |
Not exactly. I have no problem with divorce since, as others have stated, everyone has their reasons, however there was one person that I dated briefly but upon hearing the reason why he divorced I opted to end the relationship. I remember, we were having brunch and were talking about our past relationships and what happened. He brought up his marriage. I had previously known his divorce but, up until this point, not the reasoning. He told me, straight out, that he had cheated. Now, cheating in itself is one thing. I try not to judge since everyone has a past and I was never always innocent myself, however his attitude about it was what was very off-putting to me.
He didn’t seem remotely fazed by what he was telling me at all. There he was, spreading jelly on his toast as he told me about all the women he had cheated on his wife with. He told me about how it had started with a secretary (talk about cliches!) and then graduated to trysts in motels with girls off Tinder all with the same amount of casualness as someone describing how to make an omelette! And when he finally finished the tale of his cheating adventures I asked him if he regretted cheating on his wife with so many women, His answer? “Oh Definitely.” Oh good! So at least he regrets his actions, right? Or he’s at least a little sorry about it>
Wrong.
“One of the reasons I regret not divorcing her sooner. Had I divorced her sooner, I wouldn’t have to have cheated on her so much. But it is what it is and, well, I was unhappy.”
I have no problems with divorced men. I can forgive a man who has cheated in his past. But a man who had no problems cheating so frivolously and, in all honestly, would likely do it again without problems? Nope, not for me. | How does the woman who wrote the text feel about the man's ex-wife? | She feels sorry for her, and how badly he treated her | ['not enough information', 'She thinks she probably cheated on him also', 'She thinks she got exactly what she deserved'] |
So guess what I did today?Yesterday , I walked into work , was promptly mistaken for my co - worker Susi , and that 's when I decided I needed to get a haircut . Hopefully that mistaken genderness will stop , or at least be cut back some . I went over to Floyde 's , and I must admit that it was probably the best haircutting experience I ' ve had . Maybe it was the environment , or maybe it was the fact that they do a massage at the end of the cut . It was probably the cute indie girl cutting my hair though . | Why did the narrator like their salon experience ? | They had a crush on the stylist . | ['They had a discount .', 'None of the above choices .', 'They had a great haircut .'] |
I made the best of it and made my first ever snowman ! Take that , eternal summer of Singapore ! We went on a couple of hikes , but nowhere near as much as last year . The crowd this year did n't like hiking that much I guess . | Why do you think both you and other people did n't hike much this year ? | We did n't hike much this year because it was too cold from the snow . | ["We did n't hike much this year because of sheer chance and coincidence .", "We did n't hike much this year because I felt tired and did n't want to exert much energy", "We did n't hike much this year because I was too busy building snowmen with my friends ."] |
I’ve shared my feelings about Temple Spa before in my review of Repose Aromatherapy Resting Cream. Basically, my first experience was a very pushy salesperson at a wedding fair several years ago which really put me off the brand, and it took me a while to try their products again. But when I did I was really impressed, and I can honestly say that nothing I’ve reviewed since has disappointed me!
Today I’m reviewing Temple Spa Trufflesque, an Ultra Hydration & Radiance Masque for the face. Trufflesque aims to give hydration and radiance to the skin, and plumps to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s a luxury mask suitable for all skin types, particularly dry or dull skin, and it helps to rejuvenate tired skin too. The impressive list of ingredients includes black truffles, gold and silk peptides, but unfortunately these expensive additives contribute to Trufflesque’s slightly expensive price tag.
The first thing that strikes me about this product is the amazing packaging. All Temple Spa products have really amazing, premium packaging, and I feel that they add to the feeling that you are about to use something really special on your skin. The dark glass jar has a gold lid and it is nestled in a gold and chocolate brown box with the most amazingly cute mask brush slotted in too.
The mask itself is gold and it shimmers so prettily, if you look closely it’s almost as if you can see the particles of real gold! To apply you just paint the golden mask onto your face with the cute little brush (it makes applying the mask so easy) then leave for 15-20 minutes. The mask doesn’t dry completely, it stays a little bit tacky to the touch, and I find that it makes my skin tingle quite a bit. For extra benefits you can also then massage the mask into your skin for around 2 minutes, before removing with a damp muslin cloth or flannel. | What is suitable for all skin types? | Trufflesque | ['Repose Aromatherapy Resting Cream', 'Temple Spa', 'not enough information'] |
"You know, Chihuahuas aren't actual dogs. They're a kind of fox," announced a woman at a party. This woman entirely believed that Chihuahuas are the descendants of the Fennec fox. Many people might believe this: Chihuahuas are similar to foxes in their appearance with long-haired Chihuahuas appearing almost indistinguishable from their wild counterparts .
The idea that Chihuahuas are related to foxes isn't uncommon. Even the American Kennel Club, which is usually a highly respected source of information, accepts the belief and the similarity between Chihuahuas and Fennec foxes. Interesting as it is to imagine that Chihuahuas are a breed of the fox, this idea simply can't hold water. Chihuahuas are, in fact, far more closely related to dingoes or wolves than they are to Fennec foxes.
Like other dogs, Chihuahuas are able to breed with other members within the same species. The Fennec fox is a member of a different species. Chihuahuas and Fennec foxes are fairly distantly related just like a cat and a tiger are. Their similarities occur only because of a phenomenon known as convergent evolution , in which animals develop similar features to meet similar biological needs.
A simple observation of geography further denies the idea that Fennec foxes and Chihuahuas are related. While the Fennec fox was living in the deserts of Africa, the Chihuahua came from Mexico, where it got its common name. Its closest living s are other native Central and South American breeds. Its ancestor, the now nearly-extinct Mexican gray wolf, is also a much closer to the Chihuahua than any other fox.
It is common to consider the cute Chihuahua as a little Fennec fox adapted to life, but this theory is not true. Chihuahuas are domestic dogs to the same degree as other dogs. Much as a Chihuahua might look like a fox, it is--and always will be--a dog. | What can we learn about Chihuahuas from this passage? | They are cute, long-haired and much like a fox. | ['Chihuahuas are the descendants of the dingoe.', 'The features of animals are usually hard to change.', 'Chihuahuas came from Africa.'] |
Yesterday 's announcement that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will be abandoning her position at the helm of state government , still in its infancy , to run on John McCain 's Republican presidential ticket swirled up a cloud of dust in the blogosphere . Sure , she 's a right - wing hypocrite . A do - as - I - say , not - as - I - do conservative . | Where does the woman being described fall on the political spectrum ? | republican | ['None of the above choices .', 'democrat', 'in the middle'] |
I was driving on Highway 35 on my way home from work. Up in front of me was a giant billboard advertising yet another jeweler, in ten-foot letters and bright silver watches like massive alien machines. The traffic slowed and stopped on the ramp as it bottlenecked further into the city, and my head turned to examine the sign and the blocked view of the cityscape and land beyond. Past it was another billboard, with the name of a casino as its only text, filled with collaged images of money, plush rooms, and dancers. A quarter mile further brought me to an advertisement for business management solutions. Another few hundred yards and I was urged to try the new sandwich at the new sandwich place. The sun set and the signs stayed bright as automatic light switched on.
The city grew dark and the hills beyond feebled out, existing only in our minds and finally not even there. All that remained were the well-lit and shiny reminders that lawyers were standing by to take my case to court, and that somebody's air conditioners would outlast somebody else's.
I had an idea.
I made the call the next day. It would put me back a good half grand, but it would be worth it. There would be no design meeting; I sent them the image and it was printed. A few weeks later it went up.
Now on my commute, when I paused in the crush of metal bodies, I looked up and saw mountains by Maxfield Parrish, reaching up to the clouds in impossible cragginess, rivulets and gushing streams painted down their sides, with the sun striking vibrant oranges and reds into the shadows of the rocks. There were trees in copper-patina green and still pools quieter than the middle of winter but warm as the first day of summer.
No doubt people thought it was the first part of a two-stage advertising gimmick, or a filler to be used when no one was renting space on the sign. But I was happy. | How did the driver spend a good half grand? | on a billboard | ['not enough information', 'on lawyers', 'in casino'] |
Rare birds in the UK have been living far better than the more common birds over the last decade due to the efforts of conservation organisations, according to a new assessment.
The research shows almost 60% of the 63 rare birds that live in the UK have increased over the last 10 years.
By contrast, only about one third of common species have increased over the same period. Just 28% of rare birds have decreased over the same period, compared with four out of every 10 common birds. The rare birds described in the assessment with increasing populations include theosprey andcorncrake . All of these birds are subject to conservation action.
The declining common birds include the nightingale,swift , house sparrow and redgrouse . These are suffering declines for a variety of reasons, including changes in farming practices.
Dr David Noble, from the British Trust for Ornithology, said: "That some of our rarer birds have responded to targeted conservation action is great news. It shows just what can be achieved. What we need to do now is to continue the good work and use some of the lessons we have learned to help our more common birds."
Dr Mark Avery, the conservation director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said: "Over the last decade we've enjoyed some great conservation successes, including removing some threatened species from the World Conservation Union's Red List of Thratened Animals and increasing the populations of red kite, osprey, etc. However, these successes arecountered by continued declines of some widespread species."
The overview of 210 native birds has been produced by a group of conservation organisations, to mark the publication ofThe State of the UK's Birdsreport, which is in its l0th year. The report was published by the RSPB for a group of conservation organisations. | The author's purpose of writing this article is to tell people _ . | the number of rare birds has increased over the last decade | ['some good ways to protect rare birds', 'the differences between rare birds and common birds', 'some widespread birds in the UK are in great need of help'] |
Spoiled for choice? That's likely how you'll feel after a mere day in Athens. The secret is in not trying to do everything. Instead, take in a couple of the tourist highlights and then get a feel for this attractive capital.
An ancient sight
The Acropolis always comes out at the top of the list of things to see in Athens. The most famous of the western world's ancient sights continue to impress tourists as they climb the marble steps and stand before the graceful Parthenon. Views from up here are amazing.
A slow wander
Plaka is the city's oldest neighborhood, resting on the slopes of the Acropolis with cafs and fascinating architecture. The streets are perfect for getting lost in, giving wanderers the chance to discover cafs and bars where they can down some strong coffee among locals. Plaka is at its best in the early evening. Acropolis House Pension is a preserved 19thcentury house that gives guests a glimpse into a Greek home.
A market scene
Varvakios Agora is Athens' central market. Locals come here to shop and look for everything needed in a Greek kitchen -- from olive oil to meat. This is a look at local life as well as a window into Greek cuisine. The meat market is also home to some of the city's best pubs, feeding traditional food to crowds of customers from all walks of society.
A splash of nightlife
Athenian nights are filled with music, dancing and dining. Perivoli Tou Ouranou is a club with a strong atmosphere. Filled with the sounds of violins and guitars pelting out traditional blueslike music, it's sad but also beautiful and lively. | Which of the following is the best time to visit Plaka? | 18:00. | ['8:00.', '12:00.', '22:00.'] |
Bullied kids face a high risk of mental health problems as teens and as young adults. Indeed, kids troubled by bullying may be worse off than those who had suffered physical abuse or neglect, as the study found.
Until recently, most studies of child victims focused not on bullying but on maltreatment , Dieter Wolke says. Maltreatment includes physical or emotional abuse, neglect or other behaviors that can harm a child.
Wolke's team wanted to better understand bullying's long-term effects compared to those due to maltreatment. They focused on 4,026 children in the United Kingdom and 1,420 more in the United States. Information about bullying and maltreatment was collected for American children to age 13. They collected the same information for British youth up to age 16. The researchers also gathered data on each individiial's mental health as a young adult.
Among the Americans, 36 percent of bullied kids had mental problems later. Those problems included anxiety, which is a state of excessive worry. They also included depression. That is a feeling of hopelessness that can last a long time. Among kids who had been maltreated by adults, 17 percent later suffered mental health problems. That was less than half the rate seen in people who had been bullied as school kids.
In the U.K. group, the difference was less dramatic. Roughly 25 percent of the bullied kids reported mental health problems later, compared with about 17 percent who had been maltreated. But however you look at it, the findings are disturbing. And that's why Wolke says schools,health services and other agencies must work together to end bullying.
Studies like this are important, says C.orinna Jenkins Tucker. They bring attention to the lasting impacts of bullying. Tucker does, however, question the value of comparing bullying to other types of abuse. Such an approach can make it seem like one type of bad experience is worse than the other, she says. In fact, both types have short-term and long-term effects on health. She'd like to see researchers study the big picture. They should try to understand how all ofthese negative experiences together shape children--and sometimes harm them. | It can be inferred from the passage that_. | either bullying or maltreatment has negative effects on chilciren's health | ['researchers should pay less attention to maltreatment', 'more bullied kids have mental problems in the USA', 'a similar number of children are maltrcated in America and Britain'] |
I have happy memories of trips to Europe, but my trip to Romania was unique. When I was there as recalled, it was like being in a "James Bond" movie. My husband was born there, but his family sent him to study in Italy. Before he left, his mother told him, "As long as I write in pencil, don't come back. When I write to you in pen, it's safe to return." But she never wrote in pen.
My husband lived a poor life in Italy. He applied to go to America, but there was a limit in number and he was rejected. He was accepted by Canada, though, and from Calgary he jumped onto a train to San Francisco. There he stayed --illegally. He became a US citizen when we got married. By then he was a charming European with a Romanian accent and the manners of a prince.
With seven years' experience in America, a US passport, and two children later, he felt it was safe to visit Romania. He hadn't seen his mother, two sisters, and two brothers since he was sixteen. We flew to Munich, Germany; picked up the German-made car we had purchased in the States; and drove to Romania via Austria and Hungary. When we reached Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, his family was waiting outside his sister's house to greet us. After a long time of hugging, kissing, and crying, his family also hugged me, the American wife with two young children. They had great interest in me. Few Americans visited Romania at that time, and most Romanians had little chance to travel. I had brought an English-Romanian dictionary with me and managed to communicate, using only nouns, with no verbs. My Romanian improved, and the family's stock of English words increased, but mostly I spoke in broken, New York-accented Romanian. The sisters loved their gifts of skirts and purses, the brothers loved the radios, and the children loved the candy. We made side trips to the Black Sea and enjoyed sightseeing in beautiful mountains. Dining at outdoor cafes to the music of violins was fantastic with fancy flavor, but nothing was as special as family dinners.
Romania didn't have many dry cleaners. Most homes had old-fashioned washing machines but no dryers, and it was a hot summer. My husband's relatives didn't want to risk dirtying their clothes. Their solution was as simple as it was shocking: the women only wore their bras and slips at dinner table. The men were eating without shirts. They all had jobs, so time was precious. Having dinner without proper clothes was a small inconvenience compared with the effort of washing clothes --at least in my husband's home, perhaps all across Romania. I, of course, having just met them, ate fully clothed. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them outdoors to dry.
On the last night of our three-week stay, we had a large family dinner. I was tired of washing my clothes. So I pulled my dress over my head and placed it on the chair behind me. All men and women applauded for my action. Even with my poor Romanian, I understood that they were saying, "She's part of our family now."
My children were 4 and 5 at the time, but they still have memories of that trip. They know how to say, "Good morning." and "There are apricots on the tree." I can still say, "Do you speak Romanian?"and "I swim in the Black Sea." But most of all, I remember sitting at a long dining-room table in my bra, enjoying meatballs with fresh garlic . | The writer's husband became an American citizen through _ . | marriage | ['experiences', 'application', 'illegal stay'] |
It 's completely backwards ( compared to the one in Bloomington ) , with little sections picked up and thrown around in different places . She bought a book . I bought vanilla carnation , and hairdye . Abby bought gauze and hairmouse . | Why was the narrator not happy with the store ? | The order was out of sync . | ["They could n't find anything to buy .", 'Abby was difficult .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
ya scoundrel ! I got some more rich bitch stories saved up for another time . I lost my viriginity to my best friend 's adopted Puerto Rican sister . | Why is the narrator sounding so nasty in this narrative ? | None of the above choices . | ['This person is a classic gentleman .', 'This person feels that he has wronged women .', 'This person is very favorable and kind to women .'] |
Woohoo ! so i just tried it out and it worked awesome ! ! ! ! except that i didntave any lemons on hand so i used an orange . Same difference right ? | Why is the narrator using an orange in their recipe ? | They had to improvise with it . | ['None of the above choices .', 'The recipe is for orange juice .', 'The recipe called for an orange .'] |
Salesman Ramesh lived in the southern part of India. He got his first assignment in the month of June, the start of the rainy season in the area. He was given a list of local laundry owners whom he had to approach and sell products to. He was scared and thought he wouldn't be able to fulfill the task, but he accepted the challenge as he had no other choice.
The next day he started approaching the laundry owners, and within 15 days he got a really nice response. Most of them purchased his products, but they borrowed money from Ramesh to buy the products. Everyone promised to pay him back within the next 15 days.
During the last week of June amidst heavy showers, he started visiting the laundry owners to collect money. Upon visiting half of them, he realized he hadn't collected a penny.
After almost 14 days, on a bright sunny Monday morning, he started visiting the laundry owners once again. Suddenly, by noon Ramesh realized that he had collected the payments from almost 50% of the owners.
He worked hard throughout the day, and by the end of the day he had completed 90% of his target for June and July. At last, he became the "star performer" for the months of June and July.
Why did the laundry owners look at the sky and tell him to come the next day when Ramesh visited them? He went to a laundry owner and asked him the question. The owner said, "This is the month of the rainy season and we have to wash the clothes, dry them off and iron them before handing them over to customers. If the sun doesn't shine, how can we dry our clothes and earn money to pay you back?" Ramesh then realized that it was his patience and endurance that kept him going and ultimately helped him achieve success.
Like Ramesh, each one of us should realize that apart from being honest and hard-working, if we can keep our patience, we are inching up the ladder of success. | According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? | June is the start of the rainy season in the southern part of India. | ['To sell products, Ramesh helped his customers to wash clothes.', 'Ramesh became the "star performer" for the next three months.', 'A minority of customers paid for the products using the money from Ramesh.'] |
It's a safe bet that a robot made your car and your computer.Pretty soon,they could be making your bed and breakfast,too.
Increasingly,engineers are saying that robots are going to move out of research departments and into your home.Companies including Sony and General Electric are working on designs for small robots.Products like Roomba,a robot that can clean floors, are _ .
What's behind this new robot revolution ? lt's partly a matter of technology.Devices that can recognize and answer human voice have been developed.There are now a few different ways for robots to move around.They can walk, crawl or ride on wheels.Robots are being made smaller and smaller.They are also becoming more and more able.
A bigger part of the story is on the demand side.From the day the television remote control was invented,people around the world have searched for new ways to be lazy.Take into consideration that more and more people can afford robots, and the time secms ripe to introduce robots to the ordinary family.
To be sure,robots that walk on two legs and talk like people are still a long way off.However, robots that do basic housework such as cleaning or gardening are sure to come out soon.One thing is certain--when these robots do come into our homes,it will
change things forever. | What can Roomba do? | Cleaning floors. | ['Making beds and breakfast.', 'Making cars and computers.', 'Looking after kids and pets.'] |
As every afternoon since the end of august I went to the beach yesterday . I was so busy to take my bath ! the weather was beautiful , the sun was shinning ! | Why does the speaker so frequently go to the beach in August ? | They have had nothing but positive experiences and want the trend to continue | ['They have discovered that the beach is an excellent place to meet potential mates', 'They have a punchcard that will give them a free trip if they go every weekend', 'They are trying to apply for a job there , as a lifeguard , and are applying every weekend'] |
Humans aren't the only ones getting a buzz from coffee.Caffeine can improve memory among honeybees and lead to better pollination .According to a recent study published in the journal Science.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.They found that the nectar of some flowers,such as those from grapefruit and lemon plants,as well as certain coffee flowers,contains low doses of caffeine.To get bees to feed on these flowers,the team trained the insects to associate food with the smell of the flowers.They also trained another group of bees to feed on nectar from flowers that were sweetened with a sugar, but did not contain caffeine.After 24 hours,the bees trained on caffeinated flowers returned to these plants three times as often as those trained on the sweetened flowers returned to the uncaffeinated plants.
Professor Geraldine Wright led the researchers."Remembering floral traits is difficult for bees to perform at a fast pace as they fly from flower to flower and we found that caffeine helps the bee remember where the flowers are,"Wright said in a statement.
Improved memory led to the better pollination.That's because once bees sip the caffeine nectar, they continue to look for more coffee plants to pollinate.This also suggests that caffeine plays a role in improving the bees'ability to search for food.
Researchers found that caffeine's effect on the bee brain is similar to its effect on mammals."The change is similar to that produced by caffeine in neurons associated with learning and memory in the rat brain,"Wright said.
Bee populations have declining since 2007.The dramatic drop in the insects'numbers has serious effects for ecosystems and the farming industry.Bees are needed in the reproduction of crops and spreading wild flower species.Understanding what keeps bees buzzing could help to make sure that the insects are able to remember and pollinate their favorite flowers. | What section of a newspaper may this passage be taken from? | Science | ['Education', 'Culture', 'Sports'] |
The concept of health holds different meanings for different people and groups. These meanings have also changed over time. This change is no more evident than in Western society today, when notions of health and health promotion are being challenged and expanded in new ways.
For much of recent Western history, health has been viewed in the physical sense only. That is, good health has been connected to the smooth mechanical operation of the body, while ill health has been attributed to a breakdown in this machine. Health in this sense has been defined as the absence of disease or illness and is seen in medical terms.
In the late 1940s the World Health Organization challenged this physically and medically oriented view of health. They stated that health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1946). Health and the person were seen more holistically (mind / body / spirit) and not just in physical terms.
The 1970s was a time of focusing on the prevention of disease and illness by emphasizing the importance of the lifestyle and behaviour of the individual. Specific behaviours which were seen to increase risk of disease, such as smoking, lack of fitness and unhealthy eating habits, were targeted. Creating health meant providing not only medical health care, but also health promotion programs and policies which would help people maintain healthy behaviours and lifestyles. While this individualistic healthy lifestyle approach to health worked for some (the wealthy members of society), it was of little benefit to people experiencing poverty, unemployment, underemployment or who had little control over the conditions of their daily life.
During the 1980s and 1990s there has been a growing swing away from seeing lifestyle risks as the root cause of poor health. While lifestyle factors still remain important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live. This broad approach to health is called the socio-ecological view of health.
At the Ottawa Conference in 1986, a charter was developed which outlined new directions for health promotion based on the socio-ecological view of health. This charter, known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, remains as the backbone of health action today. In exploring the scope of health promotion it states that:
Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of the quality of life. Political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors can all favour health or be harmful to it. (WHO, 1986) | From the passage, we can infer that _ . | health has different meanings for different people in different periods | ['good health means not having any illness', 'health has always been viewed in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live', 'health has always been considered a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of quality of life'] |
Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860 - 1935)
Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She created shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907 - 1964)
Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular 1962 book "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects of pollution on humans and on the world's lakes and oceans.
Angela Merkel (1954 - )
In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany's leader, she has had an effect on the whole world.
Sandra Day O'Connor (1930 - )
When Sandra Day O'Connor finished her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work because she was a woman. However, she became the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981 after years of hard work.
Margaret Thatcher (1925 - )
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman Prime Minister . She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain's Iron Lady.
Marie Curie (1867-19245102534)
Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation . Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911. | Who once won the Nobel Prize? | Jane Addams and Marie Curie. | ['Jane Addams and Margaret Thatcher.', 'Marie Curie and Angela Merkel.', 'Marie Curie and Rachel Carson.'] |
Old Zeke handed Justin his day's worth of mail and looked longingly at the cool shade under the porch, half hoping, half anticipating an invitation to enjoy a cool drink and a few minutes out of the sun. His state-of-the-art mail delivery vehicle, an old green Ford with busted air-conditioning, sometimes elicited sympathy from those along his route, but the ones with beer were the best. However, Justin just looked through his mail and then began watching the sky.
"You ever think about gravity?" Justin asked suddenly.
"No," admitted Old Zeke, wiping the perspiration from his forehead. Justin sighed a little.
"You ever fall off your ladder?"
"Well," considered Zeke. Damned if this wasn't a round-about way to offer a fella a drink, but maybe after all this Justin would offer him a beer instead of that watery lemonade he made. "Yeah."
"How long did it take you to fall?"
Well hell, muttered Old Zeke under his breath. Maybe all those stakes he was driving in had given Justin a touch of the sun. The thought made him consider hauling Justin back to town, although the truck might finish the job the sun had started.
"A second or two," Zeke replied. But before he could load Justin into the truck, he figured he would have to collect a few things from the house, and maybe from the fridge he'd collect a few drinks...
"That thing up there hasn't fallen a foot in ten minutes or so."
Maybe Justin had a small bottle of something tucked away under the... "What thing?"
Justin pointed.
Zeke shielding his eyes with his hands and looked up. "Oh, that weather balloon?"
Justin's expectant face seemed to droop. "That what it is?"
"Yep. Looks like it's almost out of helium, the way it's floating so low. Launched 'em myself thirty years ago in the Army." | What is probably true about Justin: | He is handicapped | ['He is curious', 'not enough information', 'He likes to make lemonade'] |
They are the sort of friends who are so close they trust each other with their lives. If one falls, the other is there to catch him.
They are Wellman, whose legs were permanently injured nine years ago in a rock-climbing accident, and Corbett, an experienced rock climber. Together, they climbed up Half Dome, the famous 2,000-foot rock in the Yosemite National Park, through one of the most difficult routes .
During the climb, Corbett took the lead, hit in the metal spikes that guided the ropes and climbed up. Then, after Wellman pulled himself up the rope, Corbett went down to remove the spikes and climbed up again. This process was repeated time and again, inch by inch, for 13 days. Wellman's job was not easy either. He got himself up the rope through upper body strength alone. In all, Wellman figured that he had done 5,000 pull-ups up the rope on the climb.
However, when the two men first met, they never talked about climbing. "He knew that was how I got injured." Wellman said. Until one day Wellman decided that he wanted to climb again and they started training.
Their climb of Half Dome was not all smooth. At one point, pieces of rock gave way, and Corbett dropped down quickly. Wellman locked their rope in place, stopping the fall at 20 feet. His quick action probably saved his friend's life.
"Your partner can save your life -- you can save your partner's life," Wellman said as the pair received congratulations from friends. "There are real close ties." | Which of the following was a challenge for Corbett in climbing Half Dome? | To climb it again after falling down | ['To climb up to remove the spikes.', 'To do 5,000 pull-ups up the rope.', 'To lock the rope in place.'] |
Just minutes after Donald Trump fired Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, the president was blunt about his long-standing differences with his former secretary of state.
“We disagreed on things,” Trump told reporters outside the White House, specifically pointing to friction over the Iran nuclear agreement.
“I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently,” Trump said. “We were really not thinking the same.”
Trump reportedly had considered firing Tillerson for months. But the decision - and the abrupt way it was executed - represents a dramatic end to a strained relationship.
Tillerson learned of his firing by an early-morning Trump tweet, according to Steve Goldstein, undersecretary of state. White House officials disputed that notion, and promptly fired Goldstein.
The move left some of Trump's staunchest defenders with mixed feelings.
“It’s all very Trumpian,” said James Carafano of the conservative Heritage Foundation, who helped staff the State Department as a member of Trump’s transition team. “When the president makes changes, he just abruptly makes them.”
During his 14 months at the State Department, Tillerson had numerous policy differences with Trump - and the friction frequently played out in public.
The animosity peaked in October, when news surfaced that Tillerson reportedly called Trump a “moron” following a July Pentagon meeting. Tillerson never explicitly denied the account.
Tillerson also publicly disagreed with Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord. He reportedly opposed Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
And Tillerson sometimes took a tougher stance than Trump on Russia — including this week, when he blamed Moscow for a suspected nerve agent attack in Britain.
In return, Trump on numerous occasions publicly undermined his top diplomat, including in October when he tweeted Tillerson was “wasting his time” trying to negotiate with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
When Trump ultimately made his decision last week to meet with Kim, he did so without consulting Tillerson. | How does Tillerson feel about Trump? | He is not doing his work well | ['not enough information', 'Trump is not a good president', 'Trump is not popular.'] |
Absence
If a student is absent, parents are asked to contact the school and report that absence. Simply ring the school and you will be directed to the absence phone system. You should then give the name of the student and their tutor teacher.
Attendance
School hours are 08:35 to 15:00. If a student is late, they must sign in at the Student Office.
School times are as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
08:35 - 09:35 Period 1
09:35 - 10:35 Period 2
10:35 - 10:50 Tutor Time
10:50 - 11:10 Interval
11:10 - 12:05 Period 3
12:05 - 13:00 Period 4
13:00 - 13.45 Lunch
13:45 - 14:05 School-wide reading
14:05 - 15:00 Period 5
Wednesday Only
09:00 - 09:55 Period 1
09:55 - 10:50 Period 2
Rest of the times are the same as for the other days.
Cellphones
The current cell phone policy is that, although permitted at school, they must not be used or turned on during class time. | The school doesn't have Tutor Time _ . | on Wednesday | ['on Monday and Friday', 'on Tuesday', 'on Thursday'] |
The koala is possibly one of the best known Australian animals, and is found in four states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The word "koala" comes from an Australian aboriginal word meaning "no drink".
Sometimes people call them "koala bears" but koala is not a bear. It belongs to a special group of Australian mammals, called marsupial . Female marsupials have a _ where the baby animals live after they are born.
Koalas have soft, thick, grey or brown fur on their backs. The fur on the stomach is white. Koala that live in the south have thicker fur than those in the north because of the cold winters, whereas the koalas in the northern part of the country live in warm to hot weather most of the year so have thinner fur. A koala has a large hairless nose and round ears. Koalas don't have tails. Adult koalas measure between 7 and 14 kilograms.
Koalas spend nearly all their time in the trees using their sharp, curved claws and long toes to climb about and to hold on to the tree branches. They sleep most of the day, and feed and move from tree to tree mainly at night.
The reason koala sleep for much of the day is because their food eucalyptus leaves are very tough so they use a lot of energy to digest. Sleeping saves energy. Eucalyptus leaves are poisonous to almost every other animal. Koalas rarely drink water; they get water from the leaves they eat.
Each koala has a home range made up of several trees that they visit regularly. They normally do not visit another koala's home trees except that a male is looking for a female to mate with. | Which of the following statements is NOT true about the name "koala bear"? | The word "koala" is an original English word | ['The name was given by the native in Australia', 'The name describes one of its living habits', 'The name is partly false'] |
In my sister 's garage . My sister was hiding a Porsche from me . I put one hand on my hip . " Do you KNOW , " I said sternly , waving the diaper in the air with my other hand , " How many starving children your car payments on this thing could feed ? An entire African country ! | What may be a plausible fact about the sister | She might be materialistic | ['She is hiding in a Porsche', 'None of the above choices .', 'She is from an African country'] |
It's human nature to lead a sedentary lifestyle and most of us are so involved in our busy schedules that we don't even notice our bad habits.
Many worry about the right time or "right age" to start working out. But it's never too late to start exercising and all you need is enough determination. Here're some practical tips to help you get fit.
Master your mind--most people argue that they're too tired or old to start exercising. Doing so is much easier than trying to change the busy lifestyle. Change your mindset and be more confident in improving your health. Tell your body to be more active and say, "I can do it."
Easy does it--once you have chosen a fitness program, start slowly and increase it in stages. Begin with just a few minutes of gentle exercises and stretches. Go next to some mild activity such as walking, jogging or cycling. About 30 minutes should be devoted to your workout. As your body starts to respond and your muscles get used to the exercises, you can gradually increase the length of your workout.
Don't overload your body--there's no quick access to getting fit. It's a common mistake to do too much too soon. If you don't know how to balance your needs and your expectations, you might seriously injure your muscles or just create stress.
_ -- always remember to warm up your muscles before exercising. Gentle warm-ups will reduce your risk of injury, aches and pains, and increase blood circulation and flexibility.
Cool down--when you finish your routine, you need to cool your muscles and let your heart rate slow gradually. Cooling down will help your body to return to its pre-exercise level. | The passage is mainly about _ . | how to get physical | ['the ways to do exercises', 'what to do with workout', 'the reasons to work out'] |
As a mother, I’m right now navigating the hardest moment with my two daughters and my son …
I was raped at 15 and molested by a teacher from 15–16 … it took 13 years of fighting before I saw any justice for those crimes and it paled in comparison to having to live with that trauma for the last 25 years.
I thought I had moved past it for the most part, thanks to supportive family and lots of counseling and medication to treat my treatment resistant depression I’ve struggled over the last 25 years. I will be 40 this year.
My son, the oldest, turned 15 this year … the same age I was when it began. I see how young he is and recognized for the first time just how young I had been when I was abused. That was really hard for me, emotionally.
Now, I look at my two girls, ages 9 and 3, and worry for their safety - probably more than I should, but understandable given what I went through. We have had lots of “body safety” talks and my older daughter understands the very basics of what I went through, mainly because I have spent a great part of this past year writing a memoir about my experiences and have begun speaking publicly about what I went through and what it means to be a survivor. This is challenging because it’s hard to talk about and explain to a child in a way that they understand without making them fear the world. I struggle with this often.
I’ve chosen to use it as an opportunity to teach them about activism and the power of speaking the truth, what it means to be a survivor instead of a victim. I hope they grow up and see just how strong their mother is and how she has worked in the community to raise awareness and help others. | author probably believes that | author's children will be abused. | ['author will be afraid to leave home.', 'author will appear weak to others.', 'not enough information'] |
Randy Poskin, a soybean farmer in rural Illinois, voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. But ask him now he feels about that decision, and you get a tepid response.
"I'm not sure," Poskin said.
Like many farmers in the Midwest, Poskin is concerned about getting caught in the middle of a trade war, as Trump ramps up economic pressure on China.
Those fears were heightened after Trump announced plans Thursday to impose tariffs on as much as $60 billion worth of Chinese imports.
"I'm fearful they will retaliate on those tariffs," Poskin said. "Soybean exports, wheat, poultry, chicken, beef — [there are] any number of products that we export to their country that they could retaliate with."
The announcement has unnerved many in Trump's base of supporters in U.S. agriculture. The trade tensions have also rattled global markets, which until recently had performed strongly.
Trump's tariff decision was meant to punish Chinese companies that benefit from unfair access to U.S. technology.
U.S. businesses have long bristled at Beijing's requirement that they transfer technology to Chinese companies as a condition of entering the Chinese market. U.S. businesses have also had their technology stolen through cyberattacks.
"We have a tremendous intellectual property theft situation going on," Trump said during the signing ceremony Thursday.
Some U.S. companies in China cheered the move and suggested that concerns about a trade war were overblown.
William Zarit, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, dismissed the "hair on fire" concern that Trump's proposed moves would hurt the global economy.
"That the U.S. is willing to risk these disruptions indicates how serious the U.S. administration finds China's forced technology transfer, cybertheft and discriminatory industrial policies," he said in a statement to VOA.
Zarit pointed to a recent survey suggesting members of his organization wanted the White House to "advocate more strongly for a level playing field and for reciprocal treatment to improve market access" in China. | What is probably true about Beijing? | They will continue to attempt theft of US data and technology | ['They will share their tech', 'not enough information', 'They will cease and desist'] |
I was always encouraged by my mother in my ability to draw , to write a story , to write poetry as a child . Somewhere in my youth I lost the desire to let my creative side flourish . A very special person , who has always been gravitated towards artistry since I have known her , revealed about herself that she has a desire to pursue the talent she has within . I know my mind works in a weird way . | What may be the reason for their mom wanting them to let out their creative side ? | She wanted them to express themselves . | ['She wanted them to make money .', 'She wanted them to draw for her .', 'None of the above choices .'] |
I ' ve been seeing this guy for about 4 moths in a casual relationship . He admitted he still had some feelings for his ex but had n't seen her in over 3 years so that s why we kept things casual . ( even though i think after 3 years you should be well on your way getting over someone ) Anyway his ex has now turned up . | What may happen now with his ex ? | He will get back with her . | ['He will break up with her .', 'None of the above choices .', 'He will kill her .'] |
So I ' m probably dying . Megan , I feel I should inform you that you are no longer the beneficiary on my investment account because it no longer exists . I was n't so hot on the idea of losing $ 200 a month . | Why did the narrator get rid of Megan as a beneficiary ? | They did n't want to pay a fee . | ["They did n't want to help them .", "They did n't want to enable Megan anymore .", 'None of the above choices .'] |
I could hear the screams from outside though . I wandered around outside for a while snapping pictures and watching the photos come up from the rides . They did talk me into going on it once which was kind of interesting . | What is the reason I could hear the screams from outside ? | The people inside were on a rollercoaster type ride and were screaming with glee . | ['None of the above choices .', 'The screams were of parents who were seeing their children hurt by the ride and were worried .', 'The screams were of teen fans who saw their famous idol star .'] |
So ... 23 and more years ago , I stopped , and did n't return to it . I often lingered over the clay section in art supply stores when I would go in for needlepoint or knitting supplies ... but I never followed up on that longing . Until today . | Which of the following is true of the narrator ? | They are crafty . | ['They have used clay for years .', 'None of the above choices .', 'They are 23 .'] |
Another Way of Thinking "Failure"
In one way of thinking, failure is part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The "spider-story" is often told. Robert Bruce, the leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times to span the gap. On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone to defeat the English. Edison, the inventor of the light bulb , made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one. Once he was asked why he kept on trying to make a new type of battery when he had failed so often, he replied, "Failure? I have no failure. Now I know 50 000 ways it won't work."
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top form yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal you're trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about this question: "If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?" This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn't be doing anyway.
The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it's a part of life. Learn to live with yourself, even though you maybe have failed. | This passage deals with _ . | failure and success | ['two sides of failure', 'the "spider-story"', 'the invention of light bulb'] |
Most dog owners feel that their dogs are their best friends. Almost everyone likes dogs because they try hard to please their owners. One of my favorite stories is about a dog who wanted his owner to please him.
One of my friends has a large German shepherd ( ) named Jack. Every Sunday afternoon, my friend takes Jack for a walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much. One Sunday afternoon, a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time, and he talked and talked.
Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk, but the visitor didn't leave. Jack became very worried about his walk in the park. He walked around the room several times and then sat down directly in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally, Jack couldn't stand it any longer. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor, but this time he held the man's hat in his mouth.
German shepherds aren't the only intelligent dogs. Another intelligent dog is a Seeing Eye dog. This is a special dog which helps blind people walk along the streets and do many other things. We call these dogs Seeing Eye dogs because they are the "eye" of the blind people and they help them to "see". Seeing Eye dogs generally go to special schools for several years to learn to help blind people. | The sentence "Finally, Jack couldn't stand it any longer." means _ . | Jack could no longer put up with the visitor | ['Jack could no longer stand but he might sit down', 'Jack was very tired and wanted a rest', 'Jack was very angry with the visitor'] |
Hong Kong (CNN)--A Dutch artist and designer has come up with a device he hopes will suck pollutants from Beijing's smog-covered skies, creating columns of clean air for residents.
An electromagnetic field caused by copper coils will pull small pieces in the smog to the ground where they can be easily cleaned.
"It's like when you have a balloon which has electricity and your hair goes toward it.Same with the smog," says artist Daan Roosegaarde.His studio has reached an agreement with the Beijing government to test the technology in one of the capital's parks.With its skies regularly covered by filthy gray smog, Beijing this week announced a series of emergency measures to deal with the problem in public.
Roosegaarde says an indoor experiment has already proved it works and he is confident the results--with the help of a team of scientists and engineers--can be copied outside."Beijing is quite good because the smog is quite low. It's in a valley so there's not so much wind.It's a good environment to explore this kind of thing.We'll be able to purify the air and the challenge is to get rid of the smog so you can see the sun again."
Roosegaarde acknowledges that projects like this are a way of drawing attention to the problem, rather than a complete solution to Beijing's serious and terrible air pollution."This is not the real answer for smog.The real answer has to do with clean cars, different industry and different lifestyles," he says.
However, he hopes the project will make a difference by allowing the city's residents to realize the difference between breathing clean and smog-filled air."I want to take a park in Beijing, 50m by 50m square, and make it the cleanest park in Beijing," he says.He is still discussing with local authorities which park will be used.
Roosegaarde's studio has worked on several projects that use static electricity in unusual ways:creating a road that charges electric cars and a floor that generates electricity when danced on. | Roosegaarde's device . | can purify the polluted air | ['is designed to suck hair', 'can produce power', 'is equipped with a balloon'] |
When I was 11, I threw a glance into Dad's lunch box and made the unexpected discovery that my mother still showed her love towards my father. The evidence, a napkin resting on top of the sandwiches packed in wax paper, was certain "Love you!" she had written on the napkin. " Meat loaf for supper!"
Mom penned all kinds of messages to Dad on those paper napkins, and he saved a whole pile of them. What embarrassed me as a kid has become a precious memory of my parents.
It also started my own brand of lunch box notes. When my kids were young, I'd glue little drawings on their lunches. Lots of sketches of our dog, Max, along with smiling flowers. When they were teenagers, I'd copy words of wisdom from great people, Einstein, for example, or Bruce Springsteen. Then, my kids grew up making their own handwritten notes. And my husband writes me love notes on recycled paper, because he's all about being green.
Friends who know about my lunch box notes eagerly share stories of their own family traditions. So many focus on food. Maura's mom always drew hearts on the shells of hard-boiled eggs. Melinda wrote messages on her kids' bananas.
We're into the third generation of lunch box notes in our home. Whenever my 3-year-old grandson, Clayton, spends the night, he knows his lunch is going to have a napkin note from Grandma in the morning. Last week, I drew a picture of me, waving widely and shouting his name. He took one look at it and screamed, " Where's Grandpa?" I added a man in a clean shirt. " You forgot his tie," he said. I quickly drew a line of stripes down the front of the shirt. Clayton smiled. "Grandpa," he whispered, running his fingers across the napkin. "It's you!" | When the author first saw Dad's lunch box notes, she felt _ . | awkward | ['moved', 'proud', 'nervous'] |
In that posting , I described how to disable autorun for Windows XP and Windows 2000 and I just revised it to include Vista . In his December blog , Abrams writes , " Fundamentally , there are two types of readers here . The first type will disable autorun and be more secure . The second type will eventually be victims . " Do n't be a victim , disable autorun ( also known as autoplay ) for all devices . | Why would someone disable autorun on the computer ? | None of the above choices . | ["Computer experts think people are victims if they do n't use autorun .", 'Computer experts encourage the use of Autorun .', 'Autorun is considered effective by computer experts .'] |
Late that afternoon I took the train back to Sydney . There I found another surprise waiting for me . My room at the hotel had been given to somebody else and they had no room for me. Harkin had known my travel plans and had planned everything . How could he have booked the room only for three days ? There was nothing to be done but to find another hotel. The waiters were happy to find me a new hotel , and when I said that I was happy to stay at the airport , thinking it might be cheaper than staying in the city , they suggested the Holiday Inn at the airport . There was one small matter : the room rate was $ 300 per night . The best hotel in Katoomba had wanted only $ 145 . I asked if there was anything cheaper they might suggest but they warned that most hotels would already be full by this time.
The hotel was far from the train station , so I had to take a taxi , at $ 25 . On the way to the Holiday Inn , we passed a hotel just two blocks from the Holiday Inn that advertised a room rate of $ 104 . At the desk I asked if their room rate could go down a lot . " No , this is a 4-star hotel," the waiter told me . " In that case ," I replied , " I'll just walk the two blocks to the cheap hotel." But she warned me that they were probably full and that if I didn't take the room , it might not be available when I came back . Finally , I decided to take the room.
The room itself was big , but the air conditioning couldn't keep up with the Australian heat . I couldn't sleep until about 1:00 am. | Why did the writer take the room finally ? | The room was in great demand. | ["It's a 4-star hotel .", "It's around the station.", 'It was mid-night then.'] |
My father lost something valuable to him that didn’t resurface for years after his death.
My dad was a World War II veteran and an officer. All officers were issued the classic Ray Ban sunglasses with the wraparound wire rims. He wore them almost all the time for the next thirty years after the War, then one day in the 1970’s, he misplaced them. He was heartbroken, crestfallen, that he lost something he cherished from his military service—the symbolic military issue Bausch & Lombs coveted by every officer who served.
I wanted so badly to be my dad’s Hero. I overturned every piece of furniture in the house, rifled every dresser drawer, every nook and crannie, underneath beds, the garage, the yard, you name it. I was on a Mission. I wanted to walk up to him and say, beaming, Here Dad! I found your sunglasses! But alas, after several weeks, no success. I was crushed by my own failure.
He passed away, and his possessions were divided among our family.
Fast forward to a few years ago. My Cocker Spaniel was sniffing around in the bathroom, and a box fell out of the bathroom closet with a crash. I went to investigate and chide the dog…when the first thing I saw on the bathroom floor next to the overturned box was the yellowed leather case, and his wire rim sunglasses. I picked it up, held it in my hand, and I, a grown man, immediately burst into tears, sobbing. Suddenly, I was nineteen again. My wife asked what was the matter, and I told her the whole story.
I figured after his passing, his sunglasses—which evidently were in the house the whole time—were probably tossed into one of many anonymous cardboard boxes, and I happened to be the one who carried off the box containing them.
So here Dad! I found your sunglasses! I love you! Am I still your hero? | When did his father misplace his Ray Ban sunglasses? | after the war | ['not enough information', 'before the war', 'before he enlisted in the armed forces'] |
When a tornado touched down in a small town nearby, many families were left completely destroyed. Afterward all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the hardest.
One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of an entirely shattered mobile home, a depressed expression twisting her features. A young boy, seven or eight years old, stood at her side, eyes downcast. Clutching at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
The article that went with the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves. I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their difficulty to my seven-year-old twins, Brad and Brett, and to three- year-old Meghan.
" We have so much. And these poor people now have nothing," I said."We'll share what we have with them."
I brought three large boxes down from the room upstairs and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously, as the boys and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and foods.
While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as the boys piled up discarded toys and games.
"I'll help you find something for the little girl when I'm done with this," I said.
The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved rag doll hugged tightly to her chest. She paused in front of the box that held the toys, pressed her round little face into Lucy's flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on top of the other toys.
"Oh, Honey," I said."You don't have to give Lucy. You love her so much."
Meghan nodded seriously, eyes glistening with held-back tears. '"Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. Maybe she'll make that other little girl happy, too."
_ , I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me. For I suddenly realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away. True generosity is giving that which you value most.
Honest benevolence is a three-year-old offering a valuable, though shabby, doll to a little girl she doesn't know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her. I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught.
The boys had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy.
A slow smile spread across Brett's face. Then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to fetch some of his prized Matchbox cars.
Astonished, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan's gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms.
Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old jacket from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had found on sale last week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did.
It's easy to give that which we don't want any more, but harder to let go of things we cherish, isn't it? However, _ | Why does the author give a detailed description of a particular picture in the Sunday newspaper? | To stress what touched her and made her decide to help the hopeless family. | ['To create an atmosphere of fear and depression brought by the tornado.', 'To appeal to unconcerned people to donate for the poor families.', 'To show the helplessness and hopelessness of the family mentioned in the paper.'] |
Voice wise , well , he had o admit that she overpowered the blond one , hell , she overpowered him and Nick together , and when it came to personalities she had nothing to lose . A frown took over his face , this time not because of the scene he was watching , but because of where his line of thoughts took him . No , he did n't , did he ? He could n't ! | What may be true about her ? | She is very skilled . | ['She is unskilled .', 'She has a meek personality .', "Her voice is quieter than Nick 's ."] |
Every year mobile phones develop. Imagining what they will look like and be able to do in 2020 is really a challenge. To help, experts have outlined three major mobile trends that they believe will have become reality by then.
Our phones will be so smart in 10 years' time that they'll know everything about our situation and warn us when something needs our attention. This is the top prediction of both Nokia and Google. They predict that our cars and home appliances will be able to communicate with our mobile. For example, fridges will tell your mobile to tell you to pick up milk on the way back from work. While driving, your mobile will suggest that you take a different route because there's a road accident up ahead.
The second trend is in gesture-based controls. People who know the iPhone's touch-sensitive screen are already familiar with the technology. It translates hand movements into actions on-screen. But gestural communications will make the phone more convenient to use and may completely replace touchpads. According to industry insiders, the most immediate step forward in gestural technology will be in voice recognition. It's believed voice recognition technology will speed up communications. It is quicker to speak than type. Eventually, phone screens will disappear.
The third major development will change our understanding of a mobile phone. From a single phone, the mobile will be developed into multi-part devices. It is opposite to the current trend in which mobile phones are combining the functions of cameras, music players and game consoles. The prediction is based on the idea that the world will become more wireless and all these--cameras, music players and game consoles--will be wirelessly connected. Mobile phones won't need to contain these devices because users will be able to control them wirelessly through their phones. | From the text, we can learn that the future mobile phones will _ . | be controlled by the users' voices | ['drive cars for us', 'be controlled by home appliances', 'be very big together with separated multiple parts'] |
I was so sure that the big ugly green thing was looming around my house . And true enough , it was grazing itself on the curtain railings when I opened the door . My eyes are sharp when it comes to sussing out big ugly insects . | What will you do after finding it ? | I would get rid of the bug . | ["I could n't find it because of my bad eyes .", 'I will let it loom around the house .', 'I will leave the bug alone .'] |
Thank you for the A2A …..
What has been your biggest heartbreak during your adult years?
Had I answered this question 20 years ago, it would have been the death of my Daddy … Had it been 12 years ago, it would have been the death of my Mother … Had it been 10 years ago, it would have been when my son turned his back on God so far that he went into satanism … As it is now ~ I would have to say that the biggest heartbreak in my life was 3 years ago when I discovered (online) that my beautiful daughter had begun taking Testosterone injections.
Believe me ~ I’ve been told time after time that her decision to do so is her own … to that fact I will agree. What I cannot agree with though, is that I have no right to feel hurt, upset, or any of the other assorted emotions that come with having a transgender child!! It’s not okay to be devastated by the choices my little girl makes … Its not okay to not agree with what she’s doing to herself … It’s not gonna have an impact on her family … It’s not something that is allowed to affect our relationship …
The ONLY thing that matters ~ is the transgender person and how they feel!!!!
One of the biggest things that bothers me is when I’m told that I can’t love my child ~ unless I accept that she wants to be a male and give her support with that decision. I can say that I do love my daughter ~ I always have ~ and I always will. A mother’s love doesn’t go away.
***To those who wish to attack me for what I have to say on the topic of transgenderism ~ I respect your right to tell me your opinion and why you think I’m wrong … but my feelings matter, too, and deserve that same respect from you.***
Wishing you the best!! | After the story, the daughter probably | succeeded | ['not enough information', 'graduated', 'studied'] |
It was hot. The smell of blood already hung heavy in the air. The white sands, imported from the far west mountains of limestone, sucked up the fire of the huge red sun. It was always hot in the south desert. Even in the deep of night the stones of Gazu Kadem kept the city warm. Now, at mid-day, it was at its hottest. A quarter of a million people at the arena didn't make it any cooler. The merchants, nobles, and the slaves lucky enough to attend had waited outside Dan Trex's arena for days. They knew the value of entertainment in such a dark world. They wore cowls to protect themselves from the sun as they waited. Entire businesses thrived on the forced mercantile of the captive audience. Food went for thrice its cost to those waiting near the entrance. Water went for five times as much. The arena was as old as the city, built in the days of the old empire for a king now long forgotten. The octagonal arena was a machine, an engine that built warriors out of the raw material of flesh, blood, and steel. Now, thousands of years later, it still served that purpose. The machine had built Dan Trex's army, half a million of the most ruthless and well trained soldiers to ever walk the planet. While one hundred and fifty thousand civilians and slaves got drunk, gambled, shat, fucked, and slept on the stone steps; one hundred thousand of his men sat in silence wearing black and bronze and watching him as Trex walked out into the arena alone and unhelmed. His soldiers watched the games in silence. They made not a sound when twelve of the most beautiful girls to walk on small bare feet were raped and flayed apart by dark priests in a ritual to Gazu Kadem's god-king, Danken Ovelde. They studied the three-horned desert bull as it gored five slaves. They watched the spear technique of four slave armies as they warred in a single great battle. They watched blades of silver spray fans of red blood into the air. They watched vital organs spill onto the white sands. They heard men and women scream as life left them. They watched and they made no sound. | how long did the ceremony probably last? | a day | ['a month', 'a week', 'not enough information'] |
blaine was only able to stay for a little while since he had to work sunday and while i wanted to go home with him to NOT face the party the rest of the evening , i stayed with nick and brenna . i had such a good time though . there was making out involved among some of the party guests . oh , might i add that the party took place on the rooftop of this lovely apartment building . | Where might James have gone after leaving the party | He went home | ['None of the above choices .', 'He went to another party', 'He went to work'] |
The Panama Canal opened almost 100 years ago.It connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and reduces travel by about 13,000 kilometers and avoids the need for ships to sail around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America.
Built from 1904 to 1914,the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 ships in 2008.In total,over 815,000 ships have passed through the canal.It has been named one of the seven modern wonders of the world.More than forty ships pass through the canal each day.
Now,a major expansion project will permit more ships and bigger ships to pass through the canal.Jorge Quijano,the Panama Canal's executive vice president of engineering,says,"The present canal has a total capacity of about 340 million tons a year.With the expansion we expect to double that."
For years,shipbuilders limited the size of many ships so that they could pass through the Panama Canal.But now many shipping companies use bigger ships to transport more goods as a way to reduce costs.Mr.Quijano says the expansion project will allow many of these larger ships to use the canal.
Workers are building the new locks alongside the old ones,which will remain in use.The existing locks are 305 meters long and 33.5 meters wide.The new ones will be 427 meters long and 55 meters wide.They will be able to handle ships with drafts of more than 15 meters.At present,ships can ride only 12 meters deep in the canal.
Engineers could not make the new locks too big.Mr.Quijano says the plans have to balance the size of the locks with the cost for ships to use the canal.
The cost of the expansion is estimated at more than five billion dollars.The new locks are set to open in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Panama Canal. | After the expansion of the Panama Canal, _ . | the cost of transporting goods will be relatively low | ['there will be no limitation to the size of ships through it', 'it will have a total capacity of 500 million tons a year', 'the charge for using the canal will be reduced'] |
One spring it stopped raining in early March and didn't start again.
There was one very well-off bunny in the village who had a large burrow and lots of food saved up. He wasn't worried about the drought at all. The other bunnies, though, looked at the purple-red nettles withering in the fields and the mayweed that hadn't even flowered and wondered if they were going to have enough food to get them through the next winter.
The very well-off bunny was named Albertus, but everybody called him Big Al--at least they called him that when they were sure he couldn't hear them. Big Al was in fact a very large bunny with long, white, silky fur. He had lots of land that his parents had left to him, and he never let any of the other bunnies gather food there. The story was that Big Al had sat on the one bunny who tried to make off with some of his carrots until the small bunny begged for mercy. After Big Al let him up, the small bunny moved to another village.
One morning a dozen or more bunnies sat around the village square, licking the dew off the dried and wrinkled clover to quench their thirsts, and talking about the drought. There was still a bit of a cool breeze from Possum Creek, a mile or so away. Sophie Bunny, who was large and sleek, with a black circle around one eye, was there with her husband Lenny and their youngest, Ralph, who still lived at home with them.
"I don't mind telling you," Lenny said, "I'm getting a little scared by all this." Lenny was a small, tan bunny with buck teeth and big cheeks like a chipmunk.
"No need to be afraid," said the short, overweight Reverend Billy Bunny, the village's spiritual leader. "The Easter Bunny will provide." He sat, as he usually did, by the thick green hawthorn bush in the middle of the square--although the bush was neither as thick nor as green as it had once been. | Lenny is probably: | not enough information | ['The same age as Sophie Bunny', 'Older than Sophia Bunny', 'Younger than Sophie Bunny'] |
Denmark is one of the happiest nations on earth with some of the best quality of life . You don't need statistics to understand the Dane's happy lot . Walk around any Danish town and you'll experience some of the most harmonious civic spaces anywhere . Their intimate scales and perfect transport systems combine the rich history and bold modern lines of the built environment to delight the eye , and the locals' manners and sense of humor is refreshing .
Denmark's capital Copenhagen is a remarkable city with well-preserved medieval streets , renowned art galleries , Michelin-starred restaurants and a healthy business center . Finding something to do is never a problem and if all else fails , just admiring the streets with a hotdog in hand is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours .
Beyond the capital and the bigger cities , Denmark offers a mix of lively towns such as Ribe and Odense plus rural countryside , medieval churches , Renaissance castles and tidy 18th-century villages .
The coastline of Denmark with its sand dunes and greenery is a sight that always attracts visitors . So , no matter what time of year you're in Denmark , you shouldn't miss out on a trip to the nearest beach .
It's hard , in short , to find fault with the place . The visitor's most heartfelt complaint is usually the cost of visiting Denmark . True , it is not a cheap destination , but no more so than the UK , and which nation's public transport system would you rather use ?
Cheer yourself up by thinking of the country's remarkable organization and clockwork railway timetable as being financed by the extremely high taxes paid by your hosts . When viewed in this way , this first-rate destination seems like good value , and you get the fairy tales thrown in for free : the Danish royal family is genuinely loved and respected by the vast majority of its citizens , not least handsome Prince Frederik , his beautiful Australian-born princess-bride , Mary , and their young family . | Which of the following words can best describe Danes ? | Polite and humorous . | ['Happy and romantic .', 'Kind and friendly .', 'Out-going and humorous .'] |
Not knowing him I nudged Dan ( on of the mentioned friends ) in the ribs and he introduced me .. then he sold me to him for a bottle of mead . Charming I know . The rest of the day was extremely pleasant and he asked me out . I did refuse him though for a couple of reasons . | Why did the author most likely refuse him ? | They did not give a concrete answer for this , just said a couple of reasons . | ['None of the above choices .', 'Because they got sold for a bottle of mead .', 'Because he was very charming .'] |
Recently, the TV show Where Are We Going, Dad? has become one of China's most popular TV shows, attracting more than 600 million viewers each week.
In this program, five celebrity fathers traveled to six countryside locations across China, including some villages in Beijing, Yunnan, Shandong, Hunan, Heilongjiang and a desert in Ningxia. They took care of their kids without the help of the kid's mothers. At the same time, they also took part in different kinds of activities with their kids together, such as cooking, fishing and selling goods.
Why is the show so popular? "It reflects social reality. In big cities, fathers are always busy earning money and making achievements in their career. They don't spare more time with their kids." said Xie Dikui, general director of the show. As the father of a 3-year-old daughter, Xie said that he found his own heart being touched as he made it. "Although these fathers are busy, they are able to spare time for their kids. We can do better than them."
_ also happens in some rural areas in China. More and more men from rural areas are now working in big cities, leaving their kids at home under the Grandparents' care.
"I have a son and a daughter in my hometown." said Xu Canyong, a 33-year-old man working in Shantou, Guangdong Province. "They come to live with me only during summer and winter vacations. I miss them very much. I want to have them live with us in Shantou, but the cost of living here is too high." said Xu. | Five celebrity fathers have ever traveled to _ with their kids. | Beijing, Hunan and Heilongjiang | ['Hunan, Heilongjiang and Tibet', 'Yunnan, Ningxia and Hong Kong', 'Yunnan, Shandong and Gansu'] |
Have you heard of the movie Benji off the Leashf This Benji story7 begins when his mother, a pretty black furry dog, escapes from the puppy mill with Colby, a boy who loves her.He tries to hide her in an abandoned house.The boy' s father discovers her there and takes mother and pups back home to the puppy mill, but leaves Benji behind because he doesn't look purebred enough to be sold for money.Colby comes back later to rescue the tiny puppy and keeps Benji in his wooden clubhouse, bringing Mom to come to visit him in secret.
As Benji grows bigger, it becomes harder to keep him in the clubhouse, and eventually the boy' s father discovers him and Benji is forced to flee to the streets.But despite his fear of Colby' s father, Benji cannot forget about his mother, who is growing steadily weaker and sicker.He continues to sneak back to the puppy mill yard to spy on the goings-on there and plan a way to rescue her.
Benji's doggie pal, Scrappy enters the story when he is pushed out of a car into a country lane.Once his paws hit the ground, Scrappy wags his tail once helplessly after the car as it drives away, and then is immediately up to his neck in hapless mischief . Scrappy is a lovably stupid little dog who barely manages to escape the animal control officers who are determined to catch him.
One of the wonderful things about this movie is that the two stars are not highly trained purebred dogs.Both Benji and Scrappy were rescued mixed breed dogs found at local animal shelters.Adorable Benji and his stupid pal, Scrappy, demonstrate that mixed-breed rescue dogs are just as intelligent and trainable as any purebred dog.
Benji Off the Leash clearly demonstrates the connection between people who abuse animals and people who abuse people.Colby' s father takes out his anger on those who are weaker than him, namely by frightening his wife and the dogs.He attempts to frighten Colby, but the boy bravely refuses to let him.
Children who are used to fast-paced action films with catchy theme songs may not have the patience for the slower pace of this film.But for rescue volunteers, older children, and anyone who loves dogs, this is a heartwarming movie that shows how even in today' s world of deserted dogs and backyard puppy mills, there can still be happy endings for homeless dogs. | We can infer from the passage that _ . | We human beings need to love animals because they are our friends. | ['The movie is in praise of deserting homeless dogs.', "We shouldn't have mercy on homeless dogs.", 'mixed-breed rescued dogs are less intelligent and trainable than purebred dogs.'] |
I was treading water thinking they will come back , but the rope from the tubes had gotten stuck in the prop under the boat . I calmly yelled out please come back and get us . I looked over at them doing there thing over at the boat as they floated father away , I started getting tired and thought ok , they better get back here . As I sat there swimming I thought come on now I yelled come on and get over here . | Why was the narrator having so much difficulty in the water ? | None of the above choices . | ['The narrator is a swim instructor .', 'The narrator is a world - class swimmer .', 'The narrator is a talented swimmer .'] |
For a moment, Paul wasn't even sure who had walked into the room. Chloe had totally transformed herself since he'd last seen her. She wore a wig for starters, and a very good one. It was light brown and shoulder length. It looked so natural that if he didn't know she had much shorter hair, he would have guessed that she had dyed it. But it was the outfit that made the change. She wore a well-tailored, very professional, gray woman's skirt/blazer combo with a yellow silk blouse. Her wrist sported what looked to Paul's uneducated eye like an expensive and fashionable gold lady's watch from which he thought he detected a glint of diamond. In short, she looked just like the high priced lawyer she was supposed to be. She was certainly the best-dressed person in the room.
Chloe reached across the table to shake Greg's hand, stretching forward as she did so. Paul watched Greg glance down at her cleavage while he shook her hand. "I'm Rachel Roth, here on behalf of Mr. Paul Reynolds."
"Hi," said Greg. "I'm Greg Driscol, and this is..."
"I know the rogues gallery here," said Chloe cutting Greg off and looking around at the assembled board members. "I've learned all about you gentlemen."
Marie stood up and shook Chloe's hand. "Marie Cooper, from Johnson, Myers, and Wick," she said.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "Ok, we've got the intros down, shall we get on with the dirty business?"
"Um, sure," Greg said as he sat back down. "I was just about to turn things over to Marie."
The plan was now in action, and so far so good. But Paul knew that this was a crucial moment. Chloe didn't really know the law - just a few points that her friend had helped her out with. She couldn't let the real lawyer take over the meeting. Her dramatic, unexpected entrance had them off guard, and Paul hoped she seized the moment and pressed on. | Immediately after this story ends, Marie believes | Chloe is an attorney | ['that there is something suspicious about Reynolds', 'Paul is a fraud', 'not enough information'] |
One fine afternoon, while walking, I remembered that I needed a pair of socks. I turned into a sock shop that caught my eye, and a boy clerk who was about 17 came forward. "What can I do for you, sir?" There was a note of passion in his voice. "Did you know that you have come into the finest place in the world to buy socks? Come with me," said the boy. I followed him to the back of the shop, and he began to take down from the shelves box after box of socks.
"I am going to buy only one pair!" "I know that," said he, "but I want you to see how beautiful these are. Aren't they wonderful?" I became far more interested in him than in the socks. I looked at him in surprise. "My friend," said I, "if you can keep this up, if this is not just the enthusiasm that comes from having a new job, if you can keep up this excitement day after day, in ten years you will be a good businessman."
My surprise at his pride and joy in his salesmanship will be easily understood by all who read this article. In many shops the customer has to wait for someone to serve him. And when finally some shop assistant notices you, you are made to feel as if you were interrupting him. He displays no interest either in you or in the goods he is paid to sell. It's possible that every shop assistant who is now so bored began his career with hope and enthusiasm.
I have observed this happen in the lives of so many men. I have come to the conclusion that the surest road to failure is to do things mechanically . | The reason why the writer walked into the sock shop was that _ . | he happened to notice it | ['he knew the boy well', 'it was a big shop having the most beautiful socks', 'the boy clerk was warm-hearted'] |
schedule days are such a piss off . We do absolutely nothing all day , except sit and listen to our teachers make small talk about their summer vacation and go over their repetitive first - day - of - class speeches . To top it off , I have absolutely nothing to do except go on facebook and rant on livejournal about how annoying scheduled days are . | How does the narrator feel about today 's classes they underwent ? | They feel they were pointless . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They feel they were necessary .', 'They feel they were so - so .'] |
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about a planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following conversations Saturday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Trump tweeted he had a "very good talk" with Moon and updated Abe on plans for his anticipated summit with Kim.
Key U.S. leaders are expressing growing optimism that decades of hostility on the Korean Peninsula are closer than ever to coming to an end.
Trump said at a White House news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Friday "I don't think he's playing" when asked about the historic summit between North and South Korea.
Trump added a meeting would be scheduled "very shortly" but didn't specify a timeline, saying up to three possible sites are being considered for the much-anticipated summit in late May or early June.
Earlier Friday, Kim became the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea, when he crossed the border to shake the hand of South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The two leaders agreed to work toward removing all nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula and vowed to pursue talks that would bring a formal end to the Korean war.
North Korea has in the past made similar commitments about its nuclear program, but failed to follow through. Asked whether Pyongyang's commitment is real this time, Trump said "we're not going to get played."
"This isn't like past administrations. We don't play games," said Trump, adding that previous administrations had been "played like a fiddle."
"We will come up with a solution, and if we don't we will leave the room," he said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also expressed hope Friday that talks with North Korea will bear fruit.
"I can tell you that we are optimistic right now that there's opportunity here that we have never enjoyed since 1950," Mattis said before a meeting at the Pentagon with the Polish defense minister.
"I don't have a crystal ball," he added. "So, we're going to have to see what they produce." | Which two leaders agreed to work towards removing nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula? | Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in | ['Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump', 'Donald Trump and Angela Merkel', 'not enough information'] |
Some people are pessimistic when they think about the future. They say that a hundred years from now, we will have used most of the earth's resources. We will have polluted our seas badly, and be unable to eat fish from them. We will have made the air so dirty that we will need to wear masks. The world's population will have doubled, and we will have used all the countryside for housing; there will be no farmland left.
Other people believe that Man adapts very easily. They have a different idea of the future. How, in their views, will people be living in a hundred years' time?
One architect believes that Man will move off the land. He suggests that the city of the future will be a huge, pyramid-shaped building, which will be floating on the surface of the sea. About 5,000 families will be living there, and the building will contain shops and schools as well as homes. By living on the sea, we will give the farmers more land to grow crops.
As for oil, people will no longer need it: we will be heating our homes with power from the sun. And we will not be short of minerals, because there are plenty under our oceans. At the moment, we do not have the technology to get them out. But, in a hundred years' time, the optimists say, the new sea cities will be using these resources.
What will be in the shops in the year 3000? What will people be wearing? How will people be traveling?
Scientists who make predictions about the future suggest that, by the year 3000, shops will no longer exist. Computers will have replaced them, and people will order goods from home.
People will be wearing very light, thin clothes. By this time, scientists will have invented a fabric that keeps us cool in hot weather and warm in cold weather.
As for travel, the experts say that most people will be using public transport. Electric cars will be traveling through the streets day and night. Anybody will be able to stop one and use it.
An interesting picture. Unfortunately, we will not be there to see if these predictions come true. | Scientists have made the predictions EXCEPT _ . | the resources under the oceans will never be used up | ['electric cars will be going along the streets continuously', 'people will order from home', "people won't suffer from cold any longer"] |
I’ve shared my feelings about Temple Spa before in my review of Repose Aromatherapy Resting Cream. Basically, my first experience was a very pushy salesperson at a wedding fair several years ago which really put me off the brand, and it took me a while to try their products again. But when I did I was really impressed, and I can honestly say that nothing I’ve reviewed since has disappointed me!
Today I’m reviewing Temple Spa Trufflesque, an Ultra Hydration & Radiance Masque for the face. Trufflesque aims to give hydration and radiance to the skin, and plumps to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s a luxury mask suitable for all skin types, particularly dry or dull skin, and it helps to rejuvenate tired skin too. The impressive list of ingredients includes black truffles, gold and silk peptides, but unfortunately these expensive additives contribute to Trufflesque’s slightly expensive price tag.
The first thing that strikes me about this product is the amazing packaging. All Temple Spa products have really amazing, premium packaging, and I feel that they add to the feeling that you are about to use something really special on your skin. The dark glass jar has a gold lid and it is nestled in a gold and chocolate brown box with the most amazingly cute mask brush slotted in too.
The mask itself is gold and it shimmers so prettily, if you look closely it’s almost as if you can see the particles of real gold! To apply you just paint the golden mask onto your face with the cute little brush (it makes applying the mask so easy) then leave for 15-20 minutes. The mask doesn’t dry completely, it stays a little bit tacky to the touch, and I find that it makes my skin tingle quite a bit. For extra benefits you can also then massage the mask into your skin for around 2 minutes, before removing with a damp muslin cloth or flannel. | What did the narrator review? | face masque | ['wedding fair', 'resting cream', 'not enough information'] |
On the day after Thanskgiving in the US, or Black Friday, lots of stores offer special discounts to mark the beginning of holiday shopping season. In China, a similar day falls on Nov. 11 when millions of Chinese shoppers go to Tmall.com and Taobao.com, two e-commerce websites operated by Alibaba.
The 11.11 Shopping Festival, as the event is now called, is also known in China as Singles Day. The shopping festival first started in 2009 and Alibaba said it chose the date because it was easy to remember. Last year, Tmall and Taobao together produced 19.1 billion in sales on that day, according to Alibaba. This year's shopping festival kicked off with an even stronger start--sales hit 100 million yuan 55 seconds after midnight and reached 35 billion at the end of the day.
The shopping spree drew the attention of China's leaders, as Premier Li Keqiang recently praised Alibaba's founder, Jack Ma, for creating a day for consumption. China is trying to lead the country's economy to a slower, more sustainable growth model based on domestic consumption instead of investment and exports. Online shopping is no doubt a growth point that will release spending potential. China had 564 million regular Internet users by the end of last year. It has surpassed the US to become the world's largest e-commerce market, with its online sales over 1 trillion US dollars (6 trillion yuan) by 2020.
"The real-time nature of online consumption attracts millions of people to spend money and enjoy life. E-commerce opens a new channel for China to encourage domestic demand," Liu Yin, vice-president of the China International Electronic Commerce Center said. More importantly, it promotes employment and the logistics industry with its sales model of "online purchasing plus express delivery", he added. Convenience, choice and low prices have increased online shopping, but there are still some problems with the one-day shopping spree.
Some online shops, driven by the huge profits, took this opportunity to play price tricks. They raised prices to twice those of the originals in the early October and then offered discounts on Nov 11. Many consumers, driven by the advantage they could take, just went along for the ride. "They spend lots of time online to check what to buy and are happy to get what they don't really need at a lower price," wrote Jia Ge, an Internet analyst, on his Sina weibo. | In this year's 11.11 Shopping Festival, Tmall and Taobao produced _ in all. | 35 billion yuan | ['19.1 billion yuan', '100 million yuan', '35.1 billion yuan'] |
Enough people have said Harpy should be a YA that I 'd be a moron not to listen . And I do n't disagree . I mean , I like it the way it is , with Harriet as an adult , but I can see the reasoning behind making it YA . ( It has a lot of YA themes -- wanting to be normal , parent issues -- and thanks to the way she was raised , Harriet is pretty emotionally immature . ) | Why might a publishing company want Harpy to be a YA novel ? | A publishing company wants it to be a YA novel because it can market it better and earn more if it were one . | ['None of the above choices .', 'A publishing company wants it to be a YA novel because it has the YA theme of parent issues .', 'A publishing company wants it to be a YA novel because it has the YA theme of wanting to be normal .'] |
Census Bureau data released Thursday show that 48 of the 50 most populous U.S. cities have grown since 2010, compared with only 40 of the top 50 in the first two years after the 2000 Census. Of the top 100, 93 have grown since 2010, compared with just 72 a decade ago.
Many of the biggest, such as New York, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas, are outpacing the nation's 1.7% growth rate since 2010.
"Urban America is recovering faster than more remote places," said Robert Lang, a professor of urban affairs.
Only two big cities - Detroit and Cleveland - lost population between 2010 and 2012.
The urban recovery is led by mid-sized cities including Austin and Fort Worth and Charlotte. Austin grew 6.6% in two years, becoming the USA's 11th-largest city. In 2000, it was No. 17.
Other trends:
* New York City grew 2%, adding about 161,500 people since 2010. By far it is the USA's most populous city.
* The population of New Orleans continues to grow. In 2005 a terrible natural disaster happened to the city, causing the population to decrease. Now it has a population of three hundred and sixty-nine thousand. The number has grown by 7.4% since 2010.
* Government budget crunches have put state capitals in difficulty. Half are behind the growth rate of their regions.
Perhaps the biggest exception to the capital crunch is Austin. It has grown more than 26% since 2000. Population expert William Frey says Austin enjoys a number of qualities that make it attractive. It's a high-tech city with a state university. And it's in Texas, an attractive place for newcomers. "In some ways it's a model of what other cities would like to become," he says.
Frey notes that Charlotte, which grew 5.4% since 2010 has grown into a high-tech and financial center whose industries do business not just with those in other U.S. cities but with the rest of the world. | William Frey thinks Austin's growth _ . | deserves the attention of other cities | ['is due to its education', 'is the steadiest in the USA', 'attracts well-educated people'] |
People are overweight for many reasons, the most important one of which is that they eat the wrong foods, get the wrong types of calories per meal, and they also eat meals at the wrong time each day. Food is more powerful than any weight loss pill, because the food that you eat can either make you thin or fat. This is true because your body is like an engine, and it only needs certain foods at certain intervals each day.
Low-calorie Diets Do Not Work
The reason people cannot lose weight by starving themselves is that their metabolism will detect any major drop in calories and it will then adjust itself by burning fewer calories each day. That is the reason why you can eat 1,000 calories per day and not lose any weight, while your friends can eat 2, 500 calories per day and not gain any weight.
Low-fat Diets Do Not Work
Many people in today's society are buying mostly low- fat or non-fat food at the grocery store. Everybody knows how much fat is inside the food they buy. However, people are getting fatter than ever before by doing this. They are not losing weight by changing to this low-fat lifestyle.
Losing weight has nothing to do with these things. One of the most important things you can do to control your weight is to eat the proper foods, such as fruit and vegetables, eat them at the right time, and exercise every day. If people make this a habit, they will lose weight. | What is the main reason why people are overweight according to the author? | They eat the wrong foods at the wrong time. | ['They eat food with lots of calories.', "They don't take any weight loss pills.", 'They burn many calories every day.'] |
It happens , but I do n't want to continue to let it happen . As Scarlett puts it , " Tomorrow is another day . " At the same time we must not forget that there is not an infinite number of tomorrows for any of us . | How would one describe Scarlett 's mindset ? | Scarlett is optimistic . | ['Scarlett is a vengeful person .', 'Scarlett is a negative person .', 'Scarlett is a limited person .'] |
I have only packed part of a box or so . I plan on changing that , especially after I have finished with the work on the house . She has really busted her butt and I feel that I have slacked off too much with helping prepare for the move . We are planning on how we will set things up in the new house and what changes we will make immediately and in the near and distant future . | Why is the narrator is such awe of her friend ? | Her friend helped get her into her new home . | ['None of the above choices .', 'Her friend helped her get in shape .', 'Her friend helped her work out .'] |
Stacey 's friend , Shannon wanted to particularly see My Chemical Romance , which led to Stacey and William having a conversation about Gerard Way 's hair . Stacey found out that William liked music , and she shared her love for music with him , discussing all the different bands and music they liked . William was surprised this girl did n't know who he was , she liked a lot of Fueled By Ramen bands . | Where did Shannon want to see the group ? | She wanted to see them at a concert . | ['None of the above choices .', 'She wanted to see them at a theater .', 'She wanted to see them on Broadway .'] |
Lisa never had the chance to know her father. He and her mother divorced when she was just a young child. Even though he didn't move far, he never came to visit his children.
Lisa often wondered about her father. What did he looked like and what he was doing. All she knew was his name: Jeff White.
After Lisa grew up, she became a nurse at a hospital, where she would help provide medicine and comfort for patients in their final days. A few weeks ago, she received a new patient whose name was Jeff White.
When Jeff came into his room, Lisa asked him if he had any children. Jeff told her that he had two daughters, Lisa and Elly. Lisa couldn't hold her tears back. She told him, "I am Lisa, your daughter."
Jeff embraced her, saying that he was not a good father. And the daughter held his hand and kissed him. Then Jeff began to sing This Magic Moment.
Jeff could have just weeks left to live, so Lisa wanted to make the most of the time she had with him. Lisa also brought her kids to the hospital to meet their grandfather. The kid made cards for him with the words, "I love you."
Forgiveness is also a kind of love. | What did Lisa know about her father? | Her father's name | ["Her father's looks", "Her father's hobby", "Her father's job"] |
When I began planning to move to Auckland to study,my mother was a little worried about the uncertainty of living in a place that was so different from India,where we lived. She worried particularly about the lack of jobs,the cultural differences and the chance that I would face racism.
Despite these worries,I came to New Zealand in July 2009. I have found the place and people very nice and supportive. Soon after I arrived,I realized the importance of getting a job to supply my living expenses.
Determined to do this on my own ,I spent a whole day going from door to door asking for a job. However,I received little or no response. This became my routine every day after college for a few weeks.
One afternoon,I walked into a building to ask if there were any job opportunities. The people there were very surprised,and advised me not to continue my job search in that manner.
As I was about to leave,a clerk in the building,who had been listening to what the others had said, approached me and asked if I would wait outside. Fifteen minutes later,he returned. He asked me what my plans were and encouraged me to stay confident. He then offered to take me to the Royal Oak area to search for a job.
I was a little surprised,but had a good feeling about him,so I went along. Along the way, I realized that I had run out of copies of my resume .The man stopped at his business partner's office to make me 15 extra copies. He also gave me tips on dressing and speaking,and added that I should give him, a call if I ever needed anything. I handed out my resumes and went home feeling very satisfied. The following day,I received:call from. store in Royal Oak offering me a job.
It seems that the world always gives back to you when you need it. And this time,it was a complete stranger who turned out to be a real blessing. | What wasn't the author's mother worried about? | The author couldn't speak the local language. | ['People might look down on the author.', "The author wasn't familiar with local customs.", 'It might be difficult for the author to find a job.'] |
After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletes have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletes and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin. These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability. But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest Paralympics athletes did not take part.
She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thormpson. Born with spine hifida which left her paralysed from the waist. Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7. at first, she did not like sports, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom. But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously. She tried swimming, basketball and tennis. Eventually she found she began to love athletics, and never looked back.
Indeed, Tanni's athletic career took off . In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games.
In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul. She won bronze in the 400 metres. Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelonn. Paralympics. Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process. In the same year she achieved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories.
Tanni's success had been part motivation , part preparation, "The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter enables me to be good at a marathon too. I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to see.... I am still competing at a very high level, but as I get older, things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart."
Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her fate lying down. In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in series of Paralympics- a top level athletic career covering two decades. She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records.
What advice does she have for young athletes? "Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again." | When did Tanni win her first Olympic gold medal? | In 1992. | ['In 1984.', 'In 1988.', 'In 2007.'] |
He doubled up in her arms , then went limp . His body rolled over , his face wedging in the roots of a drift stump . Rin struggled to turn him over again ; small pebbles stuck to the bared front of his body . One hand still clamped over the broad smear of blood . | What is the next likely action for the wounded person ? | They are likely to get treatment for their wounds . | ['None of the above choices .', 'They are likely to seek a quick bandaging .', 'They are likely to walk away unscathed .'] |
My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening near my parents' tomb in the churchyard.
"Hold your noise!" came a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the tombs at the side of the church. "Keep still, you little devil , or I'll cut your throat!"
A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. He seized me by the chin .
"Tell us your name!" said the man. "Quick!"
"Pip, sir."
"Show us where you live," said the man. "Point out the place!"
I pointed to where our village lay, on the flat in-shore among the alder-trees and pollards, a mile or more from the church.
The man, after looking at me for a moment, turned me upside down, and emptied my pockets. There was nothing in them but a piece of bread.
"You young dog," said the man, licking his lips, "what fat cheeks you ha' got. Darn me if I couldn't eat em, and if I han't half a mind to't!"
I earnestly expressed my hope that he wouldn't, and held tighter to the tombstone on which he had put me; partly, to keep myself upon it; partly, to keep myself from crying.
"Now then lookee here!" said the man. "Where's your mother?"
"There, sir!" said I.
He started, made a short run, and stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"There, sir!" I timidly explained, pointed to the tombstone. "That's my mother."
"Oh!" said he, coming back. "And is that your father alonger your mother?"
"Yes, sir," said I; "him too; late of this parish ." | The passage is most probably adapted from _ . | a novel | ['a news report', 'a science fiction', 'a review'] |
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time :if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those
Around him use. Bit by bit .he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people's. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things: they should learn to do without being taught, such as to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle--compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to .Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.
If it is a matter of right answer, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can't find the way to get the right answer .Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn ,how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know. | The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are _ | the same as learning other skills | ['different from learning other skills', 'more important than other skills', 'not really important skills'] |
My best story is about Santa Claus. A mall Santa had a heart attack at work and was rushed to the Emergency Room in full cardiac arrest.
Let me explain that a person playing Santa is generally a certain age (white beard) and body type (round) that is predisposed to cardiac disease.
We did everything we could but ultimately our efforts were futile. The mall Santa rode his sleigh into the great beyond.
A mother, there to visit another patient, was insistent that her 7–8 year old son be allowed back to visit his grandmother. We had a strict 12 year old age limit visitation policy. I was called to speak with her.
”Why do you have such a stupid Draconian policy?” She insisted.
“The Emergency Room is no place for a child ma’am. Besides, the germs and infections he may be exposed to, there are things he may see or hear that a child would have a hard time processing,” I explained.
“Like what?” She argued.
“Well, there are people in pain moaning,” I answered. “And drunks cursing at the staff. It’s a tough place.”
“He’s fine,” she insisted. “I think I know how to parent. I don’t need you to worry about what my son is able to handle.”
I caved in and allowed her back. As we passed the room with the dead Santa, a tech exited and opened the curtain. Her child looked in and saw Santa’s lifeless body, ET tube sticking out of his throat, boots still on but costume cut to shreds and strewn across the room.
The child lost it!
“Mom, Santa Claus is Dead!” He cried. “I’m not going to get anything for Christmas.”
“Why would someone open the curtain?” The mother demanded.
“I warned you,” I said. “That’s why we have a 12 years and above visitation policy.”
She was not happy. Come to find out the child had his picture made with that very Santa a few days prior. Very ironic. | How long had the man probably plsnned working as a mall Santa | for the holiday season | ['for a day', 'for a year', 'not enough information'] |
To live a happy, healthy, balanced life, you must learn to focus your energy on well-being. Self-care on all levels should be an integral part of your lifestyle.
There is an abundance of information available about the benefits of eating well and exercising regularly to sustain a healthy mind and body. In fact, I write about both regularly. But today I want to move in a little different direction.
In addition to those two very basic and critical activities, there are a number of other things you can to improve your mental health and overall well-being. By incorporating them into your daily life, you will be better able to manage most challenges – including struggles with self-doubt, anxiety, and mild depression.
Practices that Focus Your Energy on Well-being
Accept Your Feelings
Stuffing or ignoring your emotions is more damaging than it is helpful. Everyone has emotions. They are a natural part of being human. Bottling them up may seem like a good solution in the moment, but when you do it all the time, you are potentially creating a time bomb that will eventually explode.
Unfortunately, you are hurting yourself as you hold them in and you run the risk of hurting those you love when the eruption finally occurs.
Rather than acknowledging what you are feeling and allowing yourself to experience emotions, you may medicate, rationalize, blame, bury, deny, smother, drink, or stuff them (pretend they don’t exist). Emotions have become the enemy and many people will do anything to avoid them – especially the big three: fear, anger and sadness.
It takes a lot of mental, physical and emotional energy to avoiding your feelings and creates high levels of stress and anxiety.
Don’t stuff your emotions!
Let yourself laugh, cry, scream, yell, or pound something (preferably a pillow, grass, sand – not the wall or someone else). Do whatever you need to do, probably in private is the best choice. But, if emotions erupt in public, excuse yourself and let it rip. This is nature’s way of releasing stress. Don’t beat yourself up afterward! | Who does the author think should hide their emotions? | noone | ['not enough information', 'some people', 'everyone'] |
Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day's work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station(ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to _ the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email , internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy . Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters . And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS , giving astronauts the chance to do some "web surfing "in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth's vast land mass and oceans. | Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS ? | They are caring and thoughtful. | ['They are worried and upset.', 'They are impatient and annoyed.', 'They are excited and curious.'] |
"Confidence" is probably one of the most noticeable traits in the Americans. They show confidence in the way they talk, the way they smile, the way they dress and the way they walk. Living and competing with all these confident American students, I find it extremely important to be confident as an international student and instructor. As a student, being confident means you should never hesitate to raise your hand whenever a question or a point comes to your mind. Don't mind if it sounds simple or silly. Otherwise you will never get a chance to speak in class at all. What's worse, the professors may think you are not prepared for the discussion or you do not have your own opinion on the issue--this is the last comment any graduate would like to receive.
Being confident for me as a foreign instructor means calmly asking the student to repeat what he or she has said if I did not get it. Pretending to understand what you actually did not may just bring yourself embarrassment or even disgrace. But the time I most need to be confident is when my students come to my office and bargain about the grades I have given for their speeches. (The course I'm teaching here is Public speaking). Modesty is a trait highly valued in China, but it won't be of much help here if you want to survive and succeed in a good American graduate program. | What can we infer from the passage? | One's ignorance will give away in time. | ['American students are ready to accept the grades from the teacher.', 'The writer teaches in Europe for a living.', 'Students are encouraged to present simple questions.'] |
Standard English is the formal English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard -- that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling. Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced all written dialect forms -- the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling -- Dr Johnson's Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English -- any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words -- words that your teachers or friends wouldn't understand. You'll lose marks if the examiners can't understand what you say or write. Don't use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don't use them in your coursework, because you won't be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Cliches are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they've become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, "As good as it gets" "At the end of the day" "In the fullness of time" are all cliches. So are images like, "as fierce as a lion" "as cunning as a fox". If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative -- that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So avoid cliches. | What is standard English? | the English used in London. | ['the English spoken by British people.', 'the English spoken by American people.', 'the English spoken by British people in 15th Century.'] |