options
listlengths
2
5
answer
stringlengths
1
535
context
stringlengths
3
6.44k
question
stringlengths
1
380
[ "To explain what tourists can do in Horton.", "To explain why Horton is a good place to live in.", "To explain why Horton is not as pleasant as other towns.", "To describe the history of Horton." ]
To explain why Horton is a good place to live in.
At first glance, there is little in Horton to attract people. The other nearby towns have much more to offer: Bradfield has its river and historic buildings, while Newtown has shops and entertainment. The buildings of Horton look dirty and unloved. For shops, there is a small supermarket, a few bargain shops, a bakery which, strangely, does not sell bread and a florist which has one stand of sad-looking flowers. Even so, Horton has several advantages over its neighbouring towns. Firstly, it has a country park. Four thousand years ago, this was an important fort. There are no historic remains here now, but there are wonderful views over the countryside. On sunny weekends you can often see kids out with their parents, kicking balls or flying kites. There aren't many job opportunities in Horton, and the roads to nearby cities aren't really fast, but there are excellent rail links. You can be in London in an hour and a half, and other cities are less than an hour away. That means that parents can earn a good salary and still get home in time to spend the evenings with their families. Houses in Horton aren't pretty, but they're functional and cheap. The streets are quiet and safe, and there are plenty of parks and playgrounds. It has a library, three primary schools and a secondary school, St. Mark's. It is friendly and offers a wide range of subjects and activities to children of all abilities and backgrounds. The town also has a swimming and a sports centre, and the community halls hold regular clubs and events for people of all ages.
What is the writer's main purpose?
[ "they have fewer years to have children", "they live much shorter lives than before", "it is more expensive to bring up a child", "people are losing their jobs because of the recent financial crisis" ]
they live much shorter lives than before
The British aren't having as many children as they used to. One reason is that people are having children much older than before, meaning they have fewer years in which they can have them. After years at university, they need a few years of work experience before they can get the job they want. They might then get married, but it's incredibly expensive to buy a house in the UK. The above explains why young British people now don't move out of their parents' home until they are around 30 years old on average. It is not until they are 30 that they can afford their own home. Increasingly, it is not until that age that they can afford to get married and start a new life in a new home. It's only after this age that many young people start thinking about having a child. So a British person manages to get a job, get a home and get married. Why isn't he or she then having at least two children on average? The main reason is that it is quite expensive to bring up a child in the UK. Why is it expensive? Well, these days, both parents need to work just to pay for their home and living expenses. Because both parents are at work, that means they then need to pay someone to look after their child during the day. Paying for this childcare is nearly always expensive. The recent financial crisis is making things even harder for families, since unemployment is rising and even fewer people can afford to have children. With so much pressure on families, is it any surprise that the divorce rate is so high? So what is Britain doing to try and save the British family? The government is trying to make it cheaper to have children. For example, there have been increases in money families can claim from the state each month. Also, there are increasing government _ for nursery schools, so that parents do not need to pay so much for child care. The government is also trying to reduce the number of hours British parents have to work to earn enough money to pay their bills. If parents didn't have to work so many hours, they'd have more time to spend with their children and wouldn't need to spend so much on childcare. On average, a Briton works 49 hours a week, which is the most in Europe. The state is now considering introducing laws to encourage companies to improve their employees' work-life balance. Let's hope they're not too late to save the British family. Otherwise, the British will always be too tired, and won't have enough time and money, to have children.
The British are now having fewer children than before for all the following reasons EXCEPT that _ .
[ "They are talking about space travel.", "They are predicting the future.", "They are talking about pollution.", "They are predicting the weather in the future." ]
They are predicting the future.
What will the future be like? What do you think of it? Here are some answers from some students. Roy Burns: I think life in the future will be better. Most people in the world will use "green cars" by 2020, so there will be less pollution and people will live to be 200 years old. As for space travel, I would say, we will travel to Mars and some other stars in about fifty years. Helen Lester: If we don't take good care of the earth now, our children and grandchildren will be born into a world with too much pollution. There will be fewer trees and more buildings, because there will be more people. Kitty Smith: I agree with Helen Lester. Things will be worse. The weather in the future will be much hotter. Human beings will have to look for another _ to live on.
What are the students doing?
[ "We can't play computer games.", "Parents should care for their children.", "We should get along well with neighbors.", "Going to the big cities is not good." ]
Parents should care for their children.
More and more parents leave their homes and come into the big cities to make money. But their children can't go with them because their children have to go to school in their hometown. They are called home-left children. The problems of home-left children become more and more serious. And it becomes a big _ of our society. The main problem is that some home-left children become very lonely when they don't have their parents' love. And they are too young to tell right or wrong in many things. So they are fooled very easily by others. Xiao Mei , a 14-year-old girl, is a home-left child. Her parents are both in Shanghai. She is in her hometown with her grandpa. She likes playing games on the Internet. Her parents and grandpa only give her money and food. They hardly ever care for her studies. One day, she had no money to pay for the games in the Net bar. So she stole some money from her neighbor. Just at that time, Xiao Fang, a 9-year-old girl saw it. Xiao Mei was afraid that Xiao Fang would tell others about it. She cut Xiao Fang's throat with a knife, and then she went to school just like nothing happened. Luckily, Xiao Fang was saves by doctors. When she opened her eyes and wrote the fact to the policeman with a pencil, everybody was very surprised. This sad story reminds the parents to care for their children no matter how busy they are. Are you one of the home-left children? What do you need from your parents? Food, money or love? I think most children need love mostly. Let's care for the group together. ,A, B, C, D,. 5,2,10
What does the story of Xiao Mei mainly tell us?
[ "film", "story", "book", "newspaper" ]
book
When you get up in the morning, do you find it hard to choose what clothes to wear? If so, you probably need help to make the bigger choices in your life, like what to do when you're older. Brave New Girls, by American author Jean Gade-berg, will help you make such choices. It says you must be a brave new girl. A brave new girl is one who is confident, healthy and happy. A brave new girl can realize her dreams. To be brave, you need to make a decision for yourself. Other people may tell you what to do, but you should not listen to them. You must only do what you want. If you always wear clothes like your favourite TV star, you must stop doing so. Instead, become your own star and wear the clothes you want. You have to like your body, it says. If you don't, you will not take good care of it, and it won't stay healthy. The book also says that girls must start becoming more confident. If you are confident, you'll succeed in life. A good way to become confident is to realize that you are as clever as boys. In fact you are. Just look at their grades! Only then can you realize your dreams and become who you want to be.
Brave New Girls is a _ .
[ "Digital images will mislead heart surgeons.", "More patients will benefit from the 3-D technology.", "Heart operations will never fail with 3-D models.", "Surgeons cannot operate on hearts without 3-D models." ]
More patients will benefit from the 3-D technology.
Researchers are now using 3D printing to create models of the human heart to help heart specialists. The heart doctors can use the models to better help patients before an operation. Dr. Bramlet, a children's heart expert at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, says the 3-D models show information he cannot get any other way. "And so what we've done with the printed models? We've pulled it out of the screen so that you can actually hold it in your hand and evaluate the anatomy ." A 3-D printer uses images from a digital display to create a physical model of a human heart. Matthew Bramlet says doctors can use the model to understand the anatomy. Pictures from medical tests like CAT scan or MRI are sent to a 3-D printer to create a heart in a plaster form. The printer then constructs the heart, thin layer by thin layer. Dr. Bramlet says the model matches the real heart in every detail. "When we're done with the model and made our decision, we want to be able to go back to the source image and confirm those findings," he says. Dr. Bramlet has built model hearts for different kinds of heart operations. All of the operations were successful. In his first case, digital images showed only one tiny hole in a baby's heart. But, the 3-D printed model showed several defects or problems that the baby was born with. Dr. Bramlet says those defects could not be seen easily in the images. The heart surgeon was able to change the type of surgery for the patient based on the 3-D model. He added that 3-D heart models saves time during heart operations. Kathy Magliato is a heart surgeon at Saint John's Health Center in Los Angeles. She welcomes the new technology. She says it could help her make better decisions before she operates on the hearts of her patients. "I can then take this very complicated structure before the operation and I can hold it in my hand and plan an operation around what I'm seeing, touching and feeling. That to me is what can potentially change the game in an operation and save lives." Dr Bramlet continues to research the technology. He is working with the National Institutes of Health to build a 3-D library that includes heart models and images that others can use.
What can we infer from the passage?
[ "a metal greenhouse", "a grass greenhouse", "a wooden greenhouse", "a brick greenhouse" ]
a wooden greenhouse
What a great project this is, building your own greenhouse! If you're a gardener, then a greenhouse is necessary no matter where you live. As long as you've got some good plans, it's possible to build a backyard greenhouse within just a few days. It's a great way to impress the neighbors! Metal greenhouses are practical, I agree, but they look ugly. If you build your own backyard greenhouse from wood, you'll end up with a lovely looking Victorian-style greenhouse, which will last very long if you treat it with the correct wood protection. Of course you'll save a lot of money in the process too. How much exactly? It's difficult to say as it depends on how much glass costs where you live. After all, there isn't much wood required, as it's only the actual frame that is wooden. To make sure you save the most money, it's best to take your plans to wherever you plan to buy your materials. That way you won't end up wasting any money on unnecessary materials. To be honest, saving money is not the main reason for building your own greenhouse. It's the fun you'll get from building it and the pleasure you'll get from showing it off to your friends and family that makes the project worth doing. Nothing beats the feeling when someone asks you where you bought something and you turn around and say "Oh, actually, I built it myself!" That feeling is priceless! You'll never feel like that over something you've bought!
According to the author, it is better to build _ .
[ "you can go to the bars any time you like", "stores may be open for the customers a day", "restaurants have some rules about foreigners", "closing time is often decided by the managers" ]
stores may be open for the customers a day
In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don't know. If you are sitting at a table with people you don't know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without asking if it will trouble them. At American restaurant and coffee shops you are usually served cold water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill . Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day. Serving in restaurant is often large, too large for many people. If you can't finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a "doggie bag". It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everyone knows you're taking the food for yourself. Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have "Sunday dinner". This is an especially big noon meal. Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% of the price of a meal is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.
If you are walking in New York, you will find that _ .
[ "always make new friends", "take no notice of our salaries", "focus on good relationships", "invest our money in our friend" ]
focus on good relationships
Many of us dream of having thousands and thousands of dollar to spend on what we desire We can buy lottery tickets, enter contests or spend hours building a business or invest in the stock market. We are sure that when we have plenty of money, we will be happy. While having some money does have an impact on our level of happiness, having a lot of money does not. It is reported that Americans whose income goes from $20,000 a year to $50,000 a year are more likely to be happy. But beyond $50,000, happiness does not increase as salaries go up. It is because we are never satisfied. Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College says, "We always think if we just had a little more money, we'd be happier. But when we get there, we are not." Daniel Gilbert, a psychology professor at Harvard notes,"The more you make, the more you want. The more you have, the less it brings you joy. We incorrectly assume we'Il get more pleasure from more, and we don't." The things money can buy don't make you happy either. A lot of research suggests that you won't find the "good life" buying expensive "toys". You finally buy that BMW you've always wanted and it soon loses its appeal. Then, instead of wondering if a new car is what really makes you happy, you decide you just need a different new car. It is an endless cycle. To really be happy, you need to understand what makes you happy in the first place. One secret of happiness is people. Surveys have found that people need people. Those who have five or more close friends are 50% more likely to describe themselves as "very happy". Good relationships have a far greater effect on happiness than larger salary. Andrew Oswald, an economist at England's University of Warwick says, "B you are looking for happiness in life, find the right husband or wife rather than trying to double your salary." So invest your time and energy in people. The reward is much bigger in terms of happiness!
In order to find happiness we should
[ "Tower Bridge", "London Wetland Centre", "Big Ben", "London Tower" ]
London Wetland Centre
In Barnes London Wetland Centre, you can enjoy a large number of wild birds and wild animals. Adults' fare is PS7.95, and children's fare is PS4.50. But if holding a London pass, you can have free admission . London Wetland Centre is thought to be the European City's best place to contact wild animals. London Wetland Centre is the UK's most worthy of showing off, and the most exciting wildlife projects, including 43 hectares of grassland, as well as pools. Barnes wetlands are located in the Thames. This award-winning centre always interest many scientists. There are many different kinds of animals, including the cormorant ,the Kingfisher and the endangered water vole . In London Wetland Centre there are a large number of different habitats. When visiting the centre, visitors can watch movies through the video to learn more about wetlands and the knowledge of biological species . For children, London Wetland Centre is a good choice to learn a lot about the knowledge of nature. There are many other interesting places about wildlife. If you are interested in wildlife, why not go to London Zoo, Regent Park or River Thames _ to experience the world's most beautiful gardens. Holders of London Passes can visit them freely.
At the _ , visitors can learn more about wetlands and the knowledge of biological species.
[ "Because they have enough money to do so.", "Because they don't want to be successful.", "Because they have already earned it through hard work.", "Because they only work nine to five every day." ]
Because they have already earned it through hard work.
Most people want to be successful, but never stop to think what it will really take to get there in their chosen field. If it means going back to college for 2 years of night school, could you do it ? If it means reading a book a week for about 6 months in order to really master a new skill ? If you aren't prepared to do any of those things because they are outside of your comfort zone, then you can forget being succesful. I guarantee you will never reach your goals in life, unless your goals are to be ordinary. The biggest killer by far is the dreaded " comfort zone " where most people live in their entire life. And the funny thing is that people just can't wrap their heads around the fact that people who have reached some success get tons of time to just relax, but only because they've earned it ! If you haven't built a successful business, or in some way built a career that allow you so much freee time, then you are stuck in the grinding world of nine-to-five jobs everyone else. So how comfortable is that ? So what can you do about it ? Well, find a way to make something happen in your life--- build a business around your favourite hobby, write a book and publish it, or take a course in stock trading and become an expert at that, working on making enough money to retire. If you don't take massive action that puts your way of your comfort zone, you will never be successful at much of anything. I promise--- and I don't make many promises ! Finding real happiness in life can be a mystery for many. That's why I wrote The Road to Happiness for those who want real success and happiness in life, including spirituality and all the gifts life has to offer. Don't wander aimlessly through life. Get focused on your goals, start helping others in need, and live life to the fullest ! Life is too short to be anything but happy. Visit my website and find what you've been missing. Sign up for my newsletter and get seven free ebooks, too ! Read hundreds of articles while you're there in the article section, which is updated daily.
According to this text, why do some people have so much free time to relax ?
[ "He thinks she looks fine although she's unhealthy.", "He is satisfied with the clothes his daughter wears.", "He thinks his daughter should be happy with her appearance.", "He thinks his daughter should lose weight to get the perfect shape." ]
He thinks his daughter should be happy with her appearance.
Dear daughter, You are a wonderful person and your mother and I think the world of you. It will not be long before you leave home to make your way in the world. Can I please give you some friendly advice? Here are some things that you should never do. 1. Never Look Down Upon Yourself. You are great and able to achieve great things so believe in yourself. When things go badly, never stop believing. Some girls get upset, blame themselves and lose self-esteem. All kinds of problems can follow. 2. Never Get Obsessed With Your Appearance. We think you look great (though some of the clothes you wear worry us!). Please be happy with the person ,you are and the body you have. Eat reasonably, take exercise and be healthy. Some girls show too much concern about losing weight or getting the perfect shape. You look fine. 3. Never Compromise Your Personal Safety. _ . This means that you cannot trust people until you really know them and that sometimes you have to avoid things that look like they might be fun. Never get drunk or take drugs. Unluckily there are some bad people out there and it is best not to take risks. 4. Never Give Less Than Your Best. We are very proud of what you have achieved so far. You should be proud too. Keep doing well. Keep trying your hardest at everything you do. No one can ask for more than that. 5. Never Forget That Your Parents Love You. Whatever happens in life, your family will still be your family. Whatever difficulties you meet with, you can always talk to us and we will try to help. We are here for you.
What does the father think of his daughter's appearance?
[ "a newspaper", "a magazine", "a book of education", "a TV programme" ]
a newspaper
HARTLAND, Wis. (AP) -- Lauren Panos was surprised when she walked into her ninth-grade English class in the fall and saw there were no boys. Her parents had not told her they had enrolled her in a new all-girls class at Arrowhead High School in Hartland. Panos still isn't sold on the idea. "All the girls there, they can talk out of turn," the 14-year-old said. "We are bored of tasks and it's really upsetting." More public school systems are looking at separating boys and girls, whether for certain classes or by total schools, after the federal government opened the door last fall. Supporters say separating students by sex helps them learn better and allows boys and girls to explore subjects they may not otherwise take. "Boys just make a bigger trouble in the class," Panos' classmate, Alyson Douglas, 15, said "I likes not worrying about boys causing _ ." Presently, nationwide, at least 253 public schools offer single-sex classes and 51 schools are entirely single sex, according to the National Association for Single Sex Public Education. In1995, just three public schools offered single-sex classes. Critics of same-sex classrooms argue that proven methods of improving education should be carried out instead of one that divides boys and girls. "Too many schools feel they can carry out a social experiment with students' education with really the weakest of theories," said Emily Martin, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Women's Rights Project. Single-sex schools are an "illusionary silver bullet," said Lisa Maatz, director of public policy and government relations for the American Association of University Women. They distract from real problems and do not offer proven solutions such as lower class sizes and enough funding, she said. "I would suggest that for many of our kids and families, especially in Milwaukee, it's a question of choice," Spence said. "We have a series of choices in Milwaukee and I just think this should be one additional choice."
The passage is probably taken from _ .
[ "The machine will be a big success.", "their wives like doing the laundry.", "The machine is unrelated to their life.", "This kind of technology is familiar to them." ]
The machine is unrelated to their life.
For those who are tired doing the laundry, Samsung has found an answer: a washing machine that can tell you when your laundry is done via a smartphone app(application). Strange though it may seem -- "my wife already does that" was a common response among attendees viewing the device when it was introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week -- Samsung is just one of many appliance makers racing to install a large number of internet-connected features in machines in an effort to make them "smart". Last year, it was a refrigerator that tweeted. This year, it's Wi-Fi-enabled laundry machines and fridges that can tell you when your groceries are going bad. The washers and dryers, available starting in the spring, connect to any smartphone through a downloadable application. The phone can then be used as a remote control, so the machines can be turned on and off while their owners is at work or on the bus. Samsung says it's not just something new -- the app connection actually has some practical uses. "If you started to dry clothes in the morning and forgot to take them out, you can go to your phone and restart your dryer for the time when come home, so your clothes are refreshed and ready to go," said spokesperson Amy Schmidt. The company also says that with electricity rate varying depending on the time of day, more control over when the machines are used can help save money. Perhaps, but what they will probably really accomplish is what all good technologies do --enable laziness. Rather than getting up to check on whether the laundry is done, users will instead monitor it on their phones while watching TV.
What can be inferred from the common response of the attendees at the CES?
[ "older Americans' sleep quality improved with age", "older Americans hatl better sleep than younger adults", "people in their eighties had the most sleep problems", "men had more sleep problems than women" ]
older Americans' sleep quality improved with age
"Sleep-disordered breathing" is a term for a group of conditions that can interfere with nornlal breathing while people sleep.These include snoring,mouth-breathing and sleep apnea .Sleep-disordered breathing can do more than just leave people feeling tired the next day.It can also affect people's health.In children the effects can include behavioral and emotional problems. In a new study.1ed by Karen Bonuck at the Einstein College of Medicine.researchers asked parents about their children's breathing from when they were babies up to about age seven.The study finds sleep-disordered breathing is associated with a fifty percent increase in outcomes including hyperactivity ,aggressiveness and problems relating to other children. Ms.Bonuck says the more serious the breathing problems,the more serious the behavioral issues were likely to be.Other studies have:linked sleep with children's behavior,but this study was extensive enough to:reject other possible causes. How well do you sleep?A popular belief is that sleep gets worse with age.But. in another new study,those who reported the fewest problems with the quality of their sleep were people in their eighties. Researchers did a telephone survey of American aduhs.Michael Grandner at the University of Pennsylvania medical school says the original goal was to confirm that aging is connected with increased sleep problems.The survey did find an increase during middle age,worse in women than men.But except for that,people reported that their sleep quality improved as they got older.At least they felt it did. Mr.Grandner says."Even if sleep among older Americans is actually worse than in younger adults,feelings about it still improve with age." In the study,health problems and depression were linked with poor sleep.But,based on the study.Mr.Grandner says older people who are not sick or depressed should be reporting better sleep."If they're not.they need to talk to their doctor."he says.He says heahtlh care providers generally dismiss sleep complaints from older adults as a normal part of aging.
The telephone survey showed that _ .
[ "try to learn them and have them", "try to make them better", "try to make fewer mistakes", "try to do our homework quickly." ]
try to learn them and have them
All students need to have good study habits .When you have good study habits, you learn things quickly. You also remember them easily. Do you like to study in the living room? This is not a good place because it is usually too noisy. You need to study in a quiet place, like your bedroom. A quiet place will help you only think about one thing. When you study, don't think about other things at the same time. Only think about your homework. If you do this, you will do your homework more quickly and you will make fewer mistakes. Good study habits are very important. If you do not have them, try to learn them. If you are already good, try to make them better.
If you do not have good study habits, you must _ .
[ "He will do as his friend asks. \\", "He will put it off or tell a white lie.", "He will ignore his friend's disappointment.", "He will delete the link of the video." ]
He will put it off or tell a white lie.
Imagine this: You're working on a school paper on your laptop. Your screen is full of open programs, including documents, Web pages and MSN chat. Suddenly, a friend sends you a link to a video and demands that you watch it. He says it's about cats, it's funny and you're going to love it. But you can't help thinking, "I don't have time for this right now." You start to feel even more stressed out than you already did about your paper. While you don't want to disappoint your friend, you need to keep working. This is a common dilemma in an age of multitasking. I often find that my focus is so easily distracted that when I need to work I become quite annoyed in response to these types of links. At the same time, when they're from good friends, I can't just ignore them. Usually, I say something like "Cool, I'll look at it later." But this often disappoints the other person, _ Other times, I'll just say "OK", wait a while and then send a second message saying "That was great!" While this approach is simpler that ignoring the other person, it seems ridiculous to life to avoid making a social faux pas . The problem is that new technologies offer a good many new possibilities, both positive and negative. On the one hand, the Internet connects you to millions of people whom you can make friends with and learn from. On the other hand, it offers just as many ways to waste time. When you're signed on to MSN chat, the other person can't see that you have three papers to finish before the end of the week---so you better believe they're going to send you a video of monkeys dancing to music. Online chat is convenient, but the advantage of face-to-face communication is that you can see exactly what other people are doing. If they are really good friends, you should feel blessed to give them your full attention without worrying about what's going on in that other window or program.
What will the author do to respond to his friend's request for watching the video?
[ "Failure is the mother of success.", "It's never too old to learn.", "Money is everything.", "Luck comes from hard work." ]
Money is everything.
The following are some tips for becoming a successful businessman by Michael Bloomberg. They are based on his experience of building a company from the ground up, leading New York City as mayor , and so on. Take Risks Life is too short to spend your time avoiding failure. In 1981, at the age of 39, I lost my job. The next day I took a big risk and began my own company. In 2001, when I was debating whether to run for mayor, most people advised me not to do it. But one person said, "If you can imagine yourself giving a concession speech, then why not go for it?" That was the best advice I received, and I followed it. In order to succeed, you must first be willing to fail-- and you must have the courage to go for it anyway. Make your own luck Luck plays a part in success. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Whatever you choose to do, even if it's not the job of your dreams, always work hard at it. Be the first person at work in the morning and the last to leave at night. Hard work creates chances. Never stop learning The most powerful word in English language is "why". There is nothing so powerful as an open, inquiring mind . Whatever field you choose for starting a business -- be a lifelong student. Give back You are responsible for your success and failure, but you only succeed if you share the reward with others. My first donation was a $ 5 check to my alma mater . And while the checks may be bigger today, they come with the same spirit. You don't have to be wealthy to give back. You can give back by giving your time and talents.
Which of the following isn't mentioned in the tips?
[ "a T-shirt", "a skirt", "a white sweater", "a pair of sports shoes" ]
a T-shirt
Mrs. Smith is Jim's mother. She loves her family very much. She often buys food, fruit and clothes for Jim and his father. Now many clothes are on sale at good prices. Mrs. Smith comes to the store and she wants to buy some clothes. It has sweaters in all colors for Y=15 each and sports shoes for only Y=28. Mrs. Smith likes the red sweater and she buys one for herself. She buys a pair of sports shoes for her son. The T-shirts in the store are just Y=18! She buys a white one for Mr. Smith. And that's not all. The socks, in all colors, are Y=2 each. She buys five pairs.
Mrs. Smith buys _ for Mr. Smith.
[ "iTunes", "iPhones", "computers", "microphones" ]
iPhones
One of the major functions of an iPhone is, of course, to play music. The iTunes app has been designed in such a way as to take advantage of the iPhone's touch screen. But what if you want to listen to music that isn't in your iTunes library, or you want to discover new music without sitting in front of computer? There are plenty of ways to access music, but not everyone knows what options are available. Either that, or there are so many options that going through all of them is tiring. For these reasons, here we offer a few convenient ways of listening to music on your iPhone without using iTunes. Stream some radio (Tuneln Radio) Tunnel Radio provides a quick and easy way to listen thousands of Internet radio stations on your Apple products. In addition to local radio stations, this app compiles more than 40 000 radio stations from around the country. What makes the app special is that it allows you to pause and rewind live radio----pause your station to take a phone call or rewind to replay a favorite song. You can also browse by genre of location, and the app includes plenty of talks, news, sports and weather stations in addition to music. From desktop to smartphone (QQ Music) QQ Music seems like obvious choice, and it is. It's a streaming service based on the Tencent technology that is already wildly popular on the Internet and now also offers a (free) app. Through this app you can listen to existing playlists or create new ones based on the patterns of music you like. It works amazingly well and everything can be saved to your QQ account for access from a computer. What was that song? (Shazam) Shazam is an innovative and free app that cures your"what was that song?"problem. It happens to all of us : we hear a song (on TV or in a store ), love it, know we have heard it before but just can't remember what it is called . With Shazam you don't need to. Just hold your iPhone up and through its microphone, Shazam will identify the album, artist and song title for you. You can then either purchase the song in iTunes or search it on other apps for streaming. How cool is that?
All of the options are strongly recommended to the users of _ .
[ "the games kids played", "the clothes kids wore", "the food kids ate", "the schools kids studied in" ]
the food kids ate
YOU might go to a museum to look at old cars or something about an ancient civilization . Would you like to see ice cream? Believe it or not, there is a museum of ice cream in Iowa in the United States. Visitors can see a video that tells all about the history of the delicious snack. It seems that ice cream goes back to about 2000 years ago , when the Chinese mixed together ice, milk and sugar. Spending an afternoon looking at how to make ice cream can make you a little hungry. No problem, the museum has its own ice cream store, where you can taste some of them. In Edinburgh, Scotland, there is a museum of childhood. The museum shows objects about the lives of children in Scotland, past and present. You can expect toys, dolls, teddy bears and train sets. But there are also videos which tell you what it was like to be a kid in Scotland in old times. You can hear children reading their multiplication tables : "Seven sevens are 49, eight sevens are 56." You can also watch documentary movies of the games kids played in Edinburgh in the 1950s, look at the clothes they wore and get to know what their schools were like. It will be wonderful to visit the Children's Discovery Museum in Bangkok , Thailand. The museum has parts of nature, environment, technology and kids' activities. In this museum, you get to take part in the kids' activities. You can dress up to be a fireman in a fire truck. It is interesting.
We can't know about _ in the museum of childhood.
[ "Music can give us pleasure.", "Music can make us relaxed.", "Music can cheer us up.", "Music can improve our listening skills." ]
Music can improve our listening skills.
Each person has his own way to have fun. Some like sports. Some like playing chess or cards. But a large number of people enjoy listening to music. Nowadays, music has become an important part of our life. We can listen to music on CDs, on radio or on TV. Also, we can search the Internet to find the song we like. It's the easiest way to enjoy the music that we like. Also we can download our favorite songs from the Internet for free. If we have a Walkman ,we can hear music everywhere. It can give us pleasure if we are sad. It can cheer us up, too. When we are tired, it can make us relaxed. Different people like different kinds of music. Young people like pop music. Maybe old people like gentle and quiet music. Different music can express different feelings. When we are happy, we like to listen to jubilant music. When we are unhappy, we want to hear soft music. We need different kinds of music in different _ We can get different feelings from music. Music is the best friend of human beings. We can't imagine what life would be like without music.
Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
[ "advise us to study hard in high school.", "tell us how to live an easier life in high school.", "show that we may live a hard life in high school.", "explain why there will be many changes in high school." ]
tell us how to live an easier life in high school.
Starting high school means many changes in your life. Most teenagers look forward to the first day of high school, but still feel a little bit nervous. In order to make your high school life easier, you can follow these tips. Learn all you can about your first day before the first day. Take part in some activities that are held at the school for new students to know the school better. If parents are invited to these activities, take yours with you. Carefully look over all the materials you receive. Be sure you know where the school's buildings are. Get the things you will need for class. Buy the things suggested on your teachers' supply lists and place your materials for each class separately. Keep up with your high school workload . If you find you're not doing well in a subject, make use of after-school study groups or ask your teacher to help you with your schoolwork. Consider private tutoring to get you through a difficult time. There're more extracurricular activities in high school than in middle school, such as clubs, music and theater groups, student government, and sports teams. Make friends and be seen at such school activities. Join a club or other organizations to meet people and develop friendships. Ask someone in school activities if you don't know how. This is a good time to do what you like doing and an opportunity to try new things. Who said school has to be all work and no play? Since you'll attend more activities in high school than in middle school, you'll have to learn how to manage you time...
The writer wrote this passage to _ .
[ "How to stop people from torturing dogs. ks5u", "Some people who like torturing animals.", "Why the dog's owner abandoned him.", "Some other examples of badly tortured dogs." ]
Some other examples of badly tortured dogs.
A dog found shot in the head and face with a pellet gun, stuffed in a garbage bag and left to die is recovering from his injuries at an animal clinic in Texas. The bag containing the 3-year-old male mixed breed was discovered tied to a fence in Conroe, Texas, earlier this month. When local residents opened the bag, the dog appeared, took a few steps and fell. Augustyn rushed the dog to an emergency animal clinic, where he was treated for many pellets to the face, eyes, mouth, neck and shoulders. The dog was stabilized, but according to Dr Ron Hendrick, a vet at the Animal Emergency Clinic of Conroe, pellets remain in both eyes and it's unclear whether the dog nicknamed Buck was left blind forever. A Facebook page, Buck Needs Bucks for His Buckshot Injuries, was launched last week by Augustyn. It was created to help pay for the dog's medical bills. The page has attracted nearly 7,000 "likes" and, according to its creator, already more than enough donations to pay for his treatment. "The last 24 hours has been overwhelming for me," Augustyn wrote on the page. "I have gone from not knowing if I would have enough money to pay for Buck's emergency bill to having an unbelievable amount of money to provide the best possible care for Buck's recovery. I have thought long and hard about this today and how I should handle this. The conclusion is that I will open a separate bank account for Buck and all donations will be used for Buck's recovery and necessities." With the help of Facebook, Buck's story quickly sparked international interest. "Buck is now walking," Augustyn says. Police in Montgomery County say they are investigating the incident, and Augustyn says she has been in contact with law enforcement officials about donating a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who tortured the dog. Sadly, cases like Buck's are not uncommon, particularly in Texas.
What will the passage most probably talk about next?
[ "Churchill had worked as a politician for more than sixty years.", "The writer admired and respected Churchill very much.", "Churchill was not so clever as his father.", "Churchill was one of the most inspiring, brave and wise leaders in the British history." ]
Churchill was not so clever as his father.
Winston Churchill was born into a famous family.His father was a successful politician.However, as a boy, Churchill was considered a slow learner in school.Later he entered the Army and saw action in various countries. In October 1900, Churchill began his political career.For the next sixty years Churchill's work as a great politician was both brighter and more difficult than his father's had been.In 1939 German attacked Poland.Churchill prepared to fight.In 1940 he became the Prime Minister of English. France fell.The Germans fought their way through Western Europe.It looked as if Britain was about to lose the war.Was it now possible to ask for peace, and listen to Hitler? Churchill spoke: "I have nothing to offer but blood, hard work , tears and sweat... You ask what is our policy? I will tell you, it is to fight, by sea , by land and air, with all our force and with all the strength that God can give us.You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory." The Germans began moving their armies to the French coast and prepared to go to war with British.The British had not enough guns to go around.Churchill gave the answer: " We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be.We shall fight on the coast ; we shall fight on the landing grounds; we shall fight in the fields and in the streets; we shall fight in the hills; we shall never give up." By his courage and hard work, Churchill _ his people and other nations fighting together against Hitler.Victory finally came when the Germans lost World War II. Churchill died in 1965 and was given a state funeral.This was a fitting payment to one of all the greatest men the world had ever seen.
Which of the following is NOT true?
[ "The chocolate is not popular among children.", "People never drink hot chocolate.", "The Mayas and the Aztecs added sugar to the beans.", "The Mayas and the Aztecs mixed the beans with water." ]
The Mayas and the Aztecs mixed the beans with water.
Chocolate is one of the most popular foods in the world. Many people choose it as a birthday gift. When a child gets a box of chocolate as a gift, he may feel happy. It is popular among people, especially among children. Chocolate tastes nice. People eat chocolate candy, chocolate cake and chocolate cookies. They also drink hot chocolate. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. Here are some interesting things about cocoa beans. In the past, the Mayas and the Aztecs used cocoa beans as money because they were small, easy to carry, and not easy to find. A turkey cost ninety cocoa beans and a small rabbit cost thirty cocoa beans. They also cooked the beans and mixed them with water. Sometimes they added corn or hot pepper. They did not add sugar. The drink was very expensive. Only rich people could buy it.
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
[ "you are sure to get double the amount you paid", "you can return the device and get your money back", "the store will return the price differences", "the store will lower the price within 30 days" ]
the store will return the price differences
Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season. "Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology." Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the group's latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products. "Here in 2012, $252 on average-the technology spend for consumers this year." From tablet computers to smartphones, American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market. There are more choices today than ever before. "It's kind of hard to make a decision." Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year. Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET.com. The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products. He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets. Its starting price is $329. One of Apple's biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7. It starts at $199. "The hardware inside is more powerful than what's in the iPad Mini, but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple's maps." Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7. "If you just want to read books and surf the Internet, you don't really need to get an iPad Mini, but if you want the largest group of apps that's where the iPad and Apple's ecosystem shines the most." Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy. He says another hot product this season is smart cameras. They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera. "You can literally take a picture, upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds. These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things." Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet. People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions. Another popular item is wireless speaker systems. The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology, including smartphones, laptops and tablets. With the growing popularity of Internet shopping, many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product, and then go online to find it at a lower price. Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive. "We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we'll go ahead and price match that for you." Elman Chacon said.
If you've discovered that a certain device you bought at Best Buy is more expensive than one at another store, _ .
[ "taking jobs outside home", "working as pilots or astronauts", "educating their children at home", "operating machines at home" ]
working as pilots or astronauts
Women nowadays do not just want to work to help meet the rising costs of living and education for their children. They also want a career that will enable them to bring out their skills and use their potentials so that they can experience a sense of fulfillment and pride that come from achievements and success. Some careers that have been traditionally dominated by the male species have been made open and filled up by women as well. It is no longer a surprising occurrence today to see many women working as pilots, astronauts, engineers, in construction sites, and in the printing business that operates hightech machines. Many women are also taking their chances on managerial and executive positions that mostly men are the ones sitting on. Many of them also do well in the line of education as teachers, deans and even presidents of universities. You can also see many women as lecturers and reviewers of different businesses. One example is that of the online printing company reviews where women usually have a say on what is the best choice for online printers for any marketing needs. From the income that women are getting from their work, they are able to maintain a family and able to provide a better education for their children and able to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. However, there are still pronounced biases against women in high leadership positions. There still exists the socalled genderrole stereotyping. Women need help to cope with and manage the typical stereotyping of women workers and managers. Those who look for jobs advertised in the classified sections of the newspaper often discover that many corporate positions are closed to women. And most often than not, many give preference to men by indicating in their ads phrases such as "male preferred" or "male applicants only". Even in some family run or owned corporations, seldom can you see women managers and presidents. Surveys show that although a man and a woman have the same level or handle the same position in an organization, the man would get a higher or bigger compensation package compared to women. Because of this, many women are just contented,to be in _ positions in finance, human resources, sales, manufacturing and other supportive roles. There are still other barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potentials in the world of employment. Our culture does not encourage women to excel in government and in businessrelated jobs. Women who are able to make it on top and handle leadership roles are sometimes regarded merely as tokens. The abilities and skills of women are normally questioned by their own peers, and sadly even by other women. If you are a woman who have the interest, ability and drive to pursue management careers,career counseling is of great help to help you find direction and increase motivation to pursue your career goals. It will help you have the selfconfidence to get you in the same career opportunities open to men in this society that still prefers men for top level positions.
It can be inferred that in the past it was surprising to see women _ .
[ "Because it smelled terrible.", "Because it was too hot.", "Because it was too long.", "Because it was broken." ]
Because it was too hot.
I have tried many ways to be ill. I don't wear a sweater when I should, and two days ago I walked in the rain without my shoes. But so far nothing has happened. Debbie once told me about a boy in her class who liked being away from school. He would rub the end of the thermometer until it went up to 39degC. Then he'd put it in his mouth and his mother would think he was really ill. This morning I tried doing that but it never went above 35degC and I rubbed it for ten minutes. So I held the thermometer next to the light on my desk and it went up to 40degC. I thought I'd put it in my mouth and walk downstairs like that. Then my mother would take it out and she would be worried when she saw that I was rather ill. The only trouble was I didn't know the thermometer would be so hot. As soon as I put it into my mouth, it burnt my tongue! I spit the thermometer out. It fell on the floor but it didn't break. I will have to think of a better way to get my mother and father back together.
Why did the writer spit the thermometer out?
[ "Some expressions about ants.", "Some expressions about noses.", "Some expressions about flowers.", "Some expressions about colors." ]
Some expressions about ants.
There are many American expressions about insects like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They always appear to be busy, moving around their homes or hives. So you might say you were "as busy as a bee" if you spent your weekend cleaning your house . Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the nineteen twenties. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was "the bee's knees". Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!. Hornets are bee-like insects that sometimes attack people. If you are really angry, you might say you are"mad as a hornet".And if you "stir up a hornet's nest", you create trouble or problems. Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to "have butterflies in the stomach". That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. And do you know any expressions about ants?
Which of the following would be discussed next?
[ "she drinks too much orange", "she likes to eat orange", "she likes this color", "she eats too many orange things" ]
she eats too many orange things
Different people have different colors of skin . Some have black skin. Some have yellow skin, and some have white skin. There's a woman in America. Her skin is orange. It's the color of orange juice. Why does she become orange ? She eats too many tomatoes , carrots and squashes . She eats many orange things. That's why she becomes orange. The woman doesn't want to be orange. She goes to the doctor . The doctor says, "Don't eat any orange things again! Eat some green things. " The woman does so ,and she isn't orange now.
The woman's skin is orange because _ .
[ "Romney will win 20 votes in California.", "Obama will win 20 votes in California.", "Romney will win 37 votes in California.", "Obama will win 37 votes in California." ]
Romney will win 37 votes in California.
Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history. Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in American history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government. An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law. In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English. In November, Americans will again elect those who will represent them in government. Although some citizens aren't even registered to vote--and some registered voters don't bother to go to the polls--most Americans exercise their right to vote. They realize that their future is wrapped up in a special package--the ballot box. It's a package that must definitely be "handled with care."
How will the votes distributed if Romney got 20 votes while Obama received 17 votes in California in the election?
[ "Two CDs", "Three pencils", "Three picture books", "An English book" ]
Three pencils
Tom, Bill and Dave lost their backpacks. They are at the lost and found case. The backpacks are the same , but the things in them are different. Can you help them find the right backpack? Tom: I have a math book and a pencil case in my backpack. There are three pencils, a pen and an eraser in the pencil case. Bill: I have a Chinese dictionary, a math book and two notebooks in my backpack. Dave: There are two CDs, three picture books in my backpack. My English book is also in it.
_ is/are not in Dave's backpack.
[ "Elliot", "Beth", "hunter", "Martin" ]
hunter
A twisted sense of humor and a strong voice cast make "Open Season" fun for kids and adults. It's a great start for Sony's animation studio. Boog is a full-grown grizzly bear that has been raised among humans by park ranger Beth. He has a warm place to live, all the food he wants, and is safe from hunters. However, when he crosses paths with the spastic mule deer Elliot, all that changes. Thanks to a series of misunderstandings, everyone believes Boog is dangerous and out of control. Beth is forced to release him back into the wild. Once Boog finds himself in the great outdoors, he has no idea what to do. He gets lost, can't find food, and is attacked by unfriendly forest cutters. Boog is forced to rely on the idiotic Elliot to help him find his way back to civilization . But can they _ before open season begins for hunting? The movie also has a really strong voice cast. Martin Lawrence voices Boog, and his attitude and persona perfectly fit the bear. The same goes for Aston Kutcher as Elliot. Even if you can't stand him in the real world, you'll be surprised how well he brings the annoying deer to life in the movie. The animation in "Open Season" is also excellent. The characters are quite cartoonish, but the hair is realistic looking and the movements are fantastic. The body language adds a lot to the performances of the characters.
Who is the enemy of the Boog?
[ "closes the video with a quick goodbye and the closing credits are shown on the screen.", "is also seen sitting on a bench speaking to a woman who begins to pass the pitcher back and fourth.", "seems to know the routines as he talks about the ropes that he uses.", "alternate health issues and hairstyle on the show, providing some very detailed advice on what's to come." ]
closes the video with a quick goodbye and the closing credits are shown on the screen.
He begins to show several different clips from the show. He also comments about different aspects of the show while being interviewed. he
What happens next?
[ "the weather was cold and rainy", "the long drive was too much for her", "she didn't take interest in them", "she was afraid to climb up the mountain" ]
the long drive was too much for her
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, "Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over." I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead, "I will come next Tuesday, I promised a little unwillingly on her third call The next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy.Still, I had promised, and I drove there.When I finally walked into Carolyn^ house I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children.I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren. "Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!" My daughter smiled calmly and said, "We drive in this all the time,Mum." "You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience." After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church.On the far side of the churchtI saw a hand-lettered sign that read, "Daffodil Garden." We got out of the car* each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path.Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped Before me lay the most beautiful sight There were five acres of flowers! But "Who has done this?" I asked Carolyn."Just one woman," Carolyn answered "That's her home." Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house.-We walked up to the house. On the patio ,we saw a poster."Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking", was the headline.The first answer was a simple one."50, 000 bulbs ," it read.The second answer was, "One at a time, by one woman." The third answer was, "Began in 1958." For me, that moment was a life-changing experience.I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun _ one bulb at a time -- to bring her vision of beauty and joy to the mountain top.
The author didn't want to see the daffodils because _ .
[ "have the picnic as planned", "make the best of the picnic", "complain and give up the picnic", "find somewhere else for the picnic" ]
complain and give up the picnic
The word proactivity is fairly common in management literature, but you won't find it in the dictionary. It means that as a human being you take responsibility for your own life. Look at the word responsibility: ability to choose your response, response-ability. Effective people are proactive because they take responsibility. Their behavior is a product of their own decisions, based on values, rather than being a product of their own conditions, based on feelings.For instance, you are planning a picnic with your family.You're excited.You have all the preparations.You've decided where to go, and then it becomes stormy, killing your plan.Proactive people . They realize what their purpose really was, and they creatively have a picnic elsewhere even if it's in their own basement with some special games, and make the best of that situation.The opposite of being proactive is to be reactive.Reactive people would say, "What's the use?" "We can't do anything." "Oh this is so upsetting after all of our preparations and arrangements." They try to persuade the people around them and usually the picnic will be cancelled. Being proactive is really just being true to your human nature. Your basic nature is to act, and not to be acted upon.That's true, despite widely accepted theories of determinism used to explain human nature. Determinism says that you don't really choose anything and that what you call choices are nothing more than automatic responses to outside conditions. The language of reactive people is like: " I can't." " Don't have time." " I have to." " I must." The whole spirit of that language is the transfer of responsibility.They think things are determined by their environment, or by their conditions, or by their conditioning or their genetic makeup.Psychologically, people who believe they are determined will produce the evidence to support the belief, and they increasingly feel victimized and out of control.They're not in charge of their life at all. On the contrary, a proactive person exercises free will, the freedom to choose the response that best applies to his values.In that way, he gains control over the circumstances, rather than being controlled by them.
When a picnic plan is threatened by a sudden storm, reactive people will probably _ .
[ "take subway trains to work", "are packers", "take taxis to work", "carry briefcases to work" ]
take subway trains to work
Rush hour traffic is a problem in many big cities around the world. Commuters rush to and from their jobs in cars, buses, subways, trains, and even on bicycles. Large cities in the United States have two rush hours--one in the morning and one in the evening. But in cities in other parts of the world, there are four rush hours. In Athens and Rome, for example, many workers go home for lunch and a nap. After this midday break, they rush back to their jobs and work for a few more hours. In Tokyo, there's a big rush hour underground. Most of the people in Tokyo take the subways. The trains are very crowded. Subway employees called packers wear white gloves and help pack the commuters into the trains when the doors close. They make sure that all purses, briefcases, clothes, and hands are inside the trains. In Seoul, many commuters prefer to take taxis to get to work.. To hail a cab,many people stand at crossroads and raise two fingers. This means they'll pay the cab driver double the usual fare. Some people even raise three fingers! They'll pay three times the normal rate. Streets in Rome are very crowded with automobiles and mopeds during rush hours. The city can't make its streets wider, and it can't build new highways, because it doesn't want to disturb the many historic sites in the city, such as the Forum and the Coliseum. It took the city fifteen years to construct a new subway system. Construction had to stop every time workers found old artifacts and discovered places of interest to archaeologists . In many big cities, there are special lanes on highways for carpools. These are groups of three or more people who drive to and from work together. They share the costs of gas and parking and take turns driving into the city. Getting to work and getting home can be difficult in many places around the world. Rush hour traffic seems to be a universal problem.
Most of the commuters in Tokyo _
[ "car seat", "car for children", "safety belt", "game on islandbreeze.com" ]
safety belt
If you have a little child, who hates sitting in a car seat, then the FreedomRide is the answer to your problem. Would you want to be stuck in an unchangeable position every time you're in the car? No. You wouldn't. When an adult sits in a car for any length of time, we stretch, we change the position, we move our legs again and again. We do this without thinking. But kids in a traditional car seat can't do this. They are stuck in one position, and they can't move. We move because the circulation of blood needs to be recovered in our legs as we sit in the same position for any longer. In a traditional car seat, the child can't move to reduce the pain, so it puts them in anger. The FreedomRide lets them have a little freedom, and still be safe. The 5-Point Harness gives them additional safety over a traditional child car seat. I am the Webmaster for islandbreeze.com, and when JoeySafe asked us to redo their website, I was attracted by this system. That is because I have two small children, both girls, aged 3 and 4 and we obviously use car seats. I lived in Southern California, and every couple of months, my wife, the girls and I, go to see grandma who lives in Nevada. It's a 5-hour drive, so the FreedomRide works well. Our trips are so much better now, especially since there is more room in the car without the car seats. The FreedomRide really did make it easier to go on trips. The only thing you need when you use the JoeySafe instead of your old child car seat is a pillow. Besides, my kids want to take a pillow anyway! As a dad, I feel safe driving with the kids in the FreedomRide. I am a very safety-oriented person.
From the text we can infer the FreedomRide is a _ .
[ "the price of robotic milking systems will greatly decrease", "robotic milking systems are still too expensive to be popular", "most farmers are too old to use robotic milking systems", "robotic milking systems don't need to work at night" ]
robotic milking systems are still too expensive to be popular
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers. They use robotic systems to milk their cows. These systems are designed to reduce labor and increase milk production. Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to the milking stations. Only one cow at a time can enter the station. Once inside,the cow is rewarded with food. As the cow eats,a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine. A few minutes later,the milking is completed. The gate is lifted. The cow leaves and the next cow enters. The robotic systems are designed to operate twenty four hours a day. Cows are milked on average about three times a day. Some are milked four to six times a day. The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system. A computer keeps records on their eating and milking. A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked. The system also measures the temperature and color of the freshly produced milk. Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests. Cows need two to four weeks to learn to use the robotic milking systems. Once trained,the cows no longer require human assistance,unless something goes wrong. Professor Plaut heads the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University. She believes the systems will attract especially the next generation of farmers who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm. Still,she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use. Doug Suhr has more than one hundred milking cows on his farm. Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system. A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot cost $175,000 and the second cost $150,000.Doug says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than 6kg per cow per day.
It can be inferred from the passage that _ .
[ "help us to live up to our full development", "enable us to understand ourselves better", "block our chances for a successful life", "have nothing to do with lack of self esteem" ]
block our chances for a successful life
Shyness is the cause of much unhappiness for a great many people. Shy people are anxious and self-conscious; that is, they are over concerned with their own appearance and actions. Worrisome thoughts are constantly occurring in their minds: what kind of impression am I making? Do they like me? Do I sound stupid? Am I wearing unattractive clothes? It is obvious that such uncomfortable feelings must affect people unfavorably. Adperson's self concept is reflected in the way he or she behaves and the way a person behaves affects other people's reactions. In general, the way people think about themselves has a deep effect on all areas of their lives. Shy people ,have low self-esteem , are likely to be passive and easily influenced by others. They need reassurance(,) that they are doing "the right thing". Shy people are very sensitive to criticism. It makes them feel inferior .They also find it difficult to be pleased by praises because they believe they are unworthy of praise . A shy person may respond to a praise with a statement like this one:" You're just saying that to make me feel good .I know it's not true." It is clear that, while self-awareness is a healthy quality, overdoing it is harmful. Can shyness be completely got rid of ,or at least reduced? Fortunately, people can overcome shyness with determination. It is important for people to accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths, for example, not fair for them to label themselves inferior because they have to be realistic. Living on the impossible leads to absence of inferiority. Each one of us has his or her own characteristics. We are interested in our own personal ways. The better we understand ourselves. the easier it becomes to live up to our chances for a rich and fulfilling life.
We can learn from the passage that shyness can _ .
[ "They spend 51% of their work time on meetings.", "Only half of the information they receive is useful.", "Over 60% of them prefer to use the telephone.", "Some of them have to read at least 100 e-mails every day." ]
Some of them have to read at least 100 e-mails every day.
Employees are being flooded with too much information that has little to do with their work, according to a new survey. On average, white-collar workers spend 51 percent of their work time receiving and processing information. Only one third of it was relevant to their work, the survey found. Information overload for white collar workers has become a global issue. The huge amount of information has already affected their efficiency in management as well as their performance at work. Buried with e-mails Every morning, a secretary at the human resources department of an auto parts company opens her e-mail box, only to find it crammed with at least 50 unread mails. For her, even scanning through these e-mails every day takes at least half an hour. Some of her colleagues are not so lucky -- they have to read at least 100. Bothered with calls Telephone calls are also causing a problem. More than 40 percent white-collar workers chose mobile phones as the preferred way to communicate important and urgent business matters. Talking saves time and energy over the clicking, reading and replying to e-mails, but phone calls are also more distracting . While answering a call, a clerk is likely to put away a much more important task at hand and start the business being talked about on the phone. Solution? Not yet. Many companies start with providing staff with better computers, better Internet access and more advanced gadgets . For example, staff members above a certain level in one company will be provided with a blackberry phone for easier access to their e-mails. The company has also organized many lectures on efficient ways of e-mail management. Yet most white-collar workers think their companies can do more.
What does the new survey find about white-collar workers?
[ "It is a software used for translation.", "It's a website designed for communication.", "It's a program intended to help language beginners.", "It's a document downloaded personally." ]
It is a software used for translation.
James lives in Hawaii and his mother lives in Korea. James speaks English (he never learned Korean), and his mom only speaks Korean. They communicate perfectly. Eric is from Honduras, but he lives in the U.S. Eric just started learning English and speaks very little. But, everyday Eric reads the latest local US news on the Web, with no problem. What these people (and close to 60 million others around the world) share is a remarkable, free software program called Babylon. Babylon may well be the most advanced translation software in the world, and it's a must-have for anyone whose life goes beyond the borders of their own language or those who want it to. Once you download it, you can simply highlight the part in practically any format, and it's instantly translated into the language of your choice. You can use it to translate a website, email, word doc, pdf, and actually any document in any format you can think of. You can write a document in your native language, and Babylon will instantly translate it into another before you send it. The program translates 75 languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Indian, and Russian. It also includes up-to-date encyclopedias , dictionaries, and spell checkers. Babylon is a long way from early translation software that would, more often than not, make an unreadable text with grammar errors that was better suited for making laughs than comprehension. Babylon's ability to understand and translate is perfect. In fact, businesses are adopting Babylon as the standard when it comes to translating commercial communications and other important documents. Babylon is also a great tool for people who are learning another language. Use it anytime you come across a word or passage you don't understand. What users enjoy most is the program's ability to open up a different world to them. Whether it's surfing a news site in a different country, or being able to properly communicate with a family member or friend overseas, Babylon can make it happen. Best of all, Babylon is free! To get your free copy, visit Babylon.com.
What is the main function of Babylon?
[ "No", "Yes" ]
Yes
The overall story arc focuses on the series' only playable single-player character, the protagonist Kratos, a Spartan warrior haunted by visions of himself accidentally killing his wife and child. The character finally avenges his family by killing his former master and manipulator, Ares, the God of War. Although Kratos becomes the new God of War, he is still plagued by nightmares and is eventually betrayed by Zeus, the King of the Olympian Gods--revealed by the goddess Athena to be Kratos' father. The constant machinations of the gods and Titans and their misuse of Kratos eventually drive him to destroy Mount Olympus. Many years following the destruction of Olympus, Kratos ends up in Midgard with a son named Atreus. He trains and teaches the boy while hiding his past from him. Their journey to keep a promise to the boy's late mother ends with Kratos and Atreus becoming enemies to the Norse gods.
do you fight any gods in god of war
[ "cry for help and run out", "not move and lie on the floor immediately", "run down the steps as fast as you can.", "hide in a safe place at once or run out in ten seconds." ]
hide in a safe place at once or run out in ten seconds.
The building is shaking. A woman with a baby in her arms is trying to open the door, but fails. Finding no way, she rushes into her bedroom and there they survive the earthquake. In a factory building, as the workshop floor swings under the terrible shaking, workers run for safety. Some hide under the machines and survive, but others who try to run outside are killed by the falling ceilings. These scenes, played by actors and actresses, are from a film of science education Making a Split Second Decision shown in 1998 on China Central TV in memory of Tangshan Earthquake. By studying actual cases in the earthquake areas and scientific experiments, experts find that buildings remain untouched for the first 12 seconds of an earthquake. In this short time, one has the best chance of surviving an earthquake by staying near the inside walls, in bedrooms and under beds, experts concluded in the film. "Earthquakes seem to catch the lives of those who run," said many survivors in the earthquake areas, describing how their friends were killed on the doorways or along the stair steps as they tried to get out of the building. Their advice was proved in the film, "Take a hiding-place where you are rather than run, unless you are sure you can reach a safe open place in ten seconds." . (2,8)
The passage suggests that you should _ .
[ "Entertainment", "Advertisement", "Life", "Education" ]
Life
Dear Michelle, My Dad hates my Mom. He tells me that she is a liar and that I should not trust her. Of course, they are divorced but they have "joint custody" . What a joke! I am 15, my brother is nine, and we have a life of hell, frankly. We live one week on and one week off. This was the brilliant idea of both of my parents, which was fair to them but ruining my life. I cannot get away from his voice and his putting my mom down. Sometimes I think about running away. A Hopeless Ant Dear Hopeless Ant, First, thank you for trusting me with your problem. If all you said is correct, then there are several things that you can and should do to help yourself, your brother, and oddly enough, your parents. You need a family counselor. Such a person could listen to each family member alone and then meet together to talk about the situation. If refused, you need to talk to a counselor in your school. You need to be heard, and you need an adult who will listen. A school counselor can organize a meeting with your parents. Perhaps you need to write to your mother. Writing things down allows people to go over it more than one time. I cannot imagine that she will stand passively by and do nothing at all to help once she reads how you feel. Your father needs a letter as well. He may not realize the destructive effect that it has on his children. Lastly, have a plan in mind when all else fails that is not self-destructive. Life passes very quickly, sweetheart, and you will grow up and have your own life. Until then, you need to keep yourself safe. Never doubt that it will get better. Write back and let me know how everything is going. Michelle
In which part of a magazine will the text probably appear?
[ "Generous.", "Kind-hearted.", "Optimistic.", "Easy-going." ]
Kind-hearted.
How much empathy do you feel towards other people? If you saw someone fall off their bike in traffic,would you stop and help--or just walk away? Many people would give in to coldness,go about their business and just do nothing.So it was a big surprise when about 100 bystanders got together recently to move a bus in east London to help a cyclist trapped under it.A video of the incident went viral on social media. According to Zoheb,a driver who stopped his car to take part in the rescue,about five people gathered to move the bus.He says:"There was no chance we could do it,it was more an invitation for other people to help,really." The initiative paid off.Diners from nearby restaurants joined in.There wasn't much coordination but it didn't take long to develop a collective understanding of what the objective was. Spontaneous cooperation among strangers doesn't happen often.People in a crowd are not sure what to do--they don't have a plan.It's one of the reasons bystanders often do nothing,according to Dr Mark Levine,professor of social psychology at Exeter University in Britain."The presence of others can prevent you from helping",he says. The key to positive group behaviour,Levine explains,"is building a sense of shared identity".Action has to be decided quickly,Levine says."The longer you leave it,the harder it is to make a decision.If you don't immediately act then you kind of think'Well,actually I probably couldn't have done anything anyway'." But the people who took the initiative like Zoheb might make a difference.The cyclist ended up in hospital and the images of the collective effort might inspire others to more acts of unity.
Which of the following best describes the driver Zoheb according to the text?
[ "PE.", "Music.", "Math", "History." ]
PE.
Passage 1
Which of the following is Not mentioned in the form?
[ "drive on the lower side of the street", "keep an eye out on the radars", "limit their car speed", "pay the fine on the spot" ]
limit their car speed
If you're among the millions of Americans packing their vacation bags for summer trips,don't forget,however, that as soon as you step off the plane,you're expected to follow that country's laws.We took a look at one of the top countries Americans are most likely to visit and what might happen if you got caught. prefix = st1 /Mexico Smoking marijuana:If police find you smoking a cigarette which contains marijuana,they will most likely _ you overnight and you will get a fine. Carrying a firearm:You might be able to walk around with a gun in Texas,but that isn't so in Mexico,so leave your gun behind.If you wish to go hunting in Mexico.you can apply for a gun permit but expect to be charged $5,000.If you are caught bringing a firearm,Mexican policeman may take away your car and arrest you.An arrested American may spend months in prison while his or her case is being looked into. Driving 70 mph on the highway:Speed limits are on the lower side.Depending on what type of highway you're driving on,you shouldn't go faster than 62 mph.The police enforce the speed limit,but most local police don't have radars.The maximum fine for speeding is about $40.To scare tourists into paying the fine "on the spot",sometimes police will threaten to keep your driver's license.This is illegal, so call them on it.
If the travelers want to drive in Mexico, they should_.
[ "he had nothing to eat or to drink", "he saw a bag full of stones and sand", "he was happy to find a bag of gold", "he found a bag full of drinks" ]
he had nothing to eat or to drink
Once there lived a man in a small town. He often said, "If I have lots of gold , I shall be the happiest man in the world." One day he was traveling in North Africa. He lost his way and he was so hungry and thirsty that he couldn't walk any more. There were only stones and sand around. Just then he saw a bag on the sand. He took it up. But when he opened it, he saw it was full of gold. He left the bag on the sand and cried, "What is the use of gold to a hungry man?"
When he lost his ways in the desert of North Africa, _ .
[ "Keeping the masks dry.", "Changing the masks often.", "Choosing very thick masks.", "Wearing big masks." ]
Changing the masks often.
If you were on the street in Mexico today you might think you were in an operating room, surrounded by doctors. You could see many concerned people with masks trying their best to stop the swine flu . And the masks aren't only being used in Mexico. A friend of mine traveling from New York City to Florida was given a mask and a pair of gloves just after he reached the airport. And another friend went to get a haircut only to be faced with a hairdresser wearing a mask! But do the masks really work? Is covering your nose and mouth the key to stopping the swine flu? To find out the truth, ABC's reporter Sharyn Alfonsi talked with germ expert Dr. Elaine Larsen. It turns out that when you sneeze the air coming out of your mouth at a speed of one hundred miles per hour carries germs which can travel anywhere around you and make people around you infected . However, whether you become infected actually depends on the weather. As Sharyn reported, when you sneeze, the germs leave your body in small drops of water coming out of your mouth. If the weather is wet, the wet air will make the small drops bigger and heavier and they drop down towards our feet. If this happens, we won't become infected. But if the air is dry, those small drops can float higher up, making it possible for them to touch someone else's nose, mouth or their mask. Larsen says the masks can stop the germs well but after a few hours, they start to get wet, holding a lot of germs they come across and causing you to breathe them in. The masks do work, but the key to stopping the germs is changing your masks often.
What should we pay attention to when wearing masks?
[ "A climate with no rain will form around the hotel.", "The material can protect the hotel from bad weather.", "A power station will be built in the hotel.", "Bricks will be used as the materials instead of glass." ]
The material can protect the hotel from bad weather.
The rising sea waters caused by global warming have inspired a Russian architect to design a hotel that could be built on water as well as land.The eco-friendly "Ark" could be constructed in just a few months anywhere in the world, the designer says. It's called "The Ark",but looks more like a ship sitting upside down on the water.A new design by Russian architect A1exander Remizov challenges the tradition of land-based hotel and would provide a shelter in the future--should the world face a modern-day flood as described in the Bible. The building of the hotel could be fast and simple."Prefabricated section could be put together in three to four months," Remizov said. The versatile structure could be constructed in most corners of the earth, even in earthquake-prone areas.Constructing "The Ark"--which would include 14 000 square meters of living space---would cost roughly the same as building an energy-efficient house. The self-supporting structure would be built around a central post, connecting wind generators and heat pumps on its roof with the basement,where solar,wind,and thermal energy could be stored and turned into electricity. Remizov has designed the building without glass,choosing instead the lasting and self-cleaning foil that could defend itself against rough weather conditions.That foil would be fastened to metals,which would also collect rainwater.The building would also feature an indoor jungle, creating its microclimate.
What characteristics will the new hotel have?
[ "it's a good way to save paper", "it's convenient to write online", "all the online stories are interesting", "Internet users inChinaare increasing" ]
Internet users inChinaare increasing
The growing popularity of digital reading has encouraged best-selling young Chinese author Han Han to release his new novel on the Internet. Ta De Guo (His Country), of which Han Han has finished only one tenth so far, will be available for paid reading from December 1ston Qidian.com, the online library has announced. Han Han will update the story every day and finish the book before the end of the year. A printed edition will only be produced after all of the content goes online, sources said. To read the entire book, readers will have to pay eight yuan, or 0.08yuanper 1,000 words. This is almost four times the price of an average writer on Qidian.com. Lu Jinbo, a well-known publisher, estimated that a popular writer like Han Han is likely to attract 20 million subscribers. That means this high-school-dropout-turned popular author could bring in 160 million yuan, nearly 40 times as much as he earned in copyright royalties last year. On the 2007 list of Chinese millionaire writers, Han Han ranked 13th with 3.8 million yuan. The richest, Guo Jingming, earned 11 millionyuan. Statistics from China Internet Network Information Center show that there are at least 253 million Internet users in prefix = st1 /China. Such a large-scale Internet population has developed a prosperous industry for online novel writing. Among the many success stories is Zhang Muye, an office worker whose fantasy novel Ghost Blows out the Lightmade him the 19th wealthiest author in 2007. Besides the potential to gain a large readership base, the Internet writers are being recognized professionally. The jury of the Mao Dun Literature Prize, the most prestigious honor for Chinese writers, is considering adding a category for online writers.
According to the passage, online writing is becoming more and more popular mainly because _ .
[ "Someone will steal your password if it is very simple.", "28,000 passwords were stolen recently from a popular website.", "The harder to remember the passwords, the safer the passwords are.", "Password is very important in our life." ]
The harder to remember the passwords, the safer the passwords are.
Better think twice before choosing a _ for email, online bank or shopping. Simple passwords are easy to be stolen. A password is like a key to your home. If someone steals it, he'll get chances to steal something else. We use passwords everywhere in our life. We are so used to passwords that we don't pay any attention to them until we lose or forget one. A study of 28,000 passwords recently stolen from a popular website showed that people often do the easy thing. It found that 16% took a first name as a password. Another 14% used the easiest keyboard combinations such as "12345678"or "QWERTY". 5% of the stolen passwords were names of television shows or stars popular with young people. 3% of the passwords expressed feelings like "I don't care", "Whatever", "I love you" or their opposite, "I hate you". Robert Graham, who did the study, advises people to choose a password that is longer than eight characters with one capital letter and one symbol. Of course, safe passwords don't mean those hard to remember. Forgetting your password is sometimes a big headache for you. Maybe, the perfect password is easy for you and hard for others. ,,.
Which of the following is NOT true?
[ "competitive", "foolish", "comical", "carefree" ]
competitive
The man with the bullhorn encouraged the runners as they made their way up the hill. "Two hours, fifteen minutes, forty seconds ..."His deep, loud voice boomed toward us. It was mile 17 of the marathon. "Hey, great stride!" a bearded viewer yelled to me. He clapped loudly. "You're looking strong. Keep going--go, go, go!" You bet I'm looking strong, I thought, as I followed my younger sister, Laura. I just got started. She had been diligently clocking eight-minute miles since the race had begun downtown. Initially in the middle of a pack, which was several thousand people, she had been steadily passing other runners for the past 10 miles or so. We were now on the relatively steep rise to the St. Cecelia Bridge. Once we crossed, we would begin heading back into town, running along the east side of the Rincon River. Laura had asked me to run the most difficult section of the marathon with her. Not having trained for anything more challenging than a quick walk, and with no experience running in organized events, I figured I might be good for two or three miles. Up ahead, steel drums were playing. A group of drummers was beating their drums, chanting, and encouraging us with their music and smiles. Crossing the bridge, I recalled the advice in the Marathon Handbook. During my preview of the route, it had seemed like a babyish thing to do. But now it seemed like a fine idea, and I spat magnificently over the side of the bridge. "I read the handbook, too!" said a woman behind me, who also let loose over the side of the bridge. We had now started a chain reaction of bridge spitters. It was quite a sight, but I had other things to occupy my attention, namely the back of Laura's sweater. Easing off the bridge, and heading south on Avila Boulevard, Laura and I found our pace together again. Here we could hang to the left of the group and enjoy some brief conversation. "You keeping up okay?" she asked. Being her older brother, and therefore unable to admit weakness, I nodded convincingly. "Hey, Lee!" yelled a waving man on the sidewalk. Immediately pleased that my marathon efforts had been recognized by someone I knew, I waved back and reflected on the importance of wearing tie-dyed clothing to a road race of this size. It made it a lot easier to be spotted! The town marathon is a "people's" marathon in that it tends to be a family affair, with the runners and spectators creating a festival atmosphere. I managed to run six miles before bowing out, and Laura finished the entire race in under four hours. I now pride myself on telling people that I ran in a marathon. The distinction between having run a marathon and having run in a marathon seems unimportant. If pressed, however, I'll admit that I only ran one-fourth of one. Inspired by this year's experience, I plan to walk the course--really fast--next year. It's not because I'm jealous of my sister's accomplishment. This is not some silly competition in which I must do whatever she does. Rather, Laura got free cookies at the finish line, and the promise of that will lead me to any goal.
Which of the following words best describes Laura as she is presented in this passage?
[ "They feel optimistic about future plans on weight control.", "They are indifferent to the regained weight .", "The feel angry about the regained weight .", "They think they should give up their future plans on weight control ." ]
They feel optimistic about future plans on weight control.
For many years, I was convinced that my suffering was due to my size . I believed that when the weight disappeared, it would take old wounds , hurts and rejections with it . Many weight-conscious people also mistakenly believe that changing our bodies will fix everything. Perhaps our worst mistake is believing that being thin equals being loved , being special , and being cherished . We fantasize about what it will be like when we reach the long-awaited goal .We work very hard to realize this dream . Then , at last , we find ourselves there . But we often gain back what we have lost . Even so , we continue to believe that next time it will be different . Next time , we will keep it off . Next time , being thin will finally fulfill its promise of everlasting happiness , self-worth , and , of course , love . It took me a long while to realize that there was something more for me to learn about beauty . Beauty standards vary with culture . In Samoa a woman is not considered attractive unless she weighs more than 200 pounds . More importantly , if it's happiness that we want , why not put our energy there rather than on the size of our body ? Why not look inside ? Many of us strive hard to change our body , but in vain . We have to find a way to live comfortably inside our body and make friends with and cherish ourselves . When we change our attitudes toward ourselves , the whole world changes .
According to the author , what is the common view of those who have lost some weight first and gained it back later ?
[ "Grammy Awards", "Maurer", "Surviving Survivor", "Private Practice" ]
Grammy Awards
Below is a web page from http:// www.tvguide.com/ Tonight's TV Hot List:Sunday January 27,2013 Grammy Awards Beyonce and Taylor Swift are ready to take home a lot of hardware tonight as they lead all artists with ten and eight nominations.The ladies also perform,along with fellow Album of the Year nominees the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga and the Dave Matthews Band.In addition,Bon Jovi,Green Day,Lady Antebellum,Maxwell, Pink and Zac Brown Band will also take the stage.But perhaps the most expected moment is the Michael Jackson tribute ,which features the 3--D mini-movie "Earth Song" and will be highlighted by performers Celine Dion,Jennifer Hudson,Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood and Usher. Maurer A mysterious company named Sabre, headed by an attractive,stubborn CEO(Kathy Bates),appears out of nowhere and buys out Dunder Mifflin. As Michael is unwilling to follow Sabre's new policies, Andy and Erin write a welcome song to greet the company.Meanwhile,Pam and Jim hope to get accepted into a desired local day-care center. Surviving Survivor It's hard to believe it's been ten years since the first season of Survivor.But tonight ten of the game's most iconic players,including previous winners Richard Hatch,Parvati Shallow and Tom Westman,discuss the series in detail and provide insights into how the game is actually played and the impact it's had on their lives. Private Practice So Maya's pregnant and wants to have the baby. What to do now? Dink(Stephen Lunsford),the boy who did his part to get her into this mess,has a solution:he wants to marry her.You can imagine how Sam and Naomi will feel about that.And if that won't raise the histrionic level enough for you, how about this:a couple has two dying daughters,and only one can be saved.Their choice.And Brian Benben is back,so expect more Pete -Violet-Sheldon angst.
Edna is crazy about pop stars, so she will most likely choose _ to enjoy.
[ "all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive", "communication with the trapped miners was cut off", "the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time", "the rescue started as soon as the accident happened" ]
communication with the trapped miners was cut off
BUKHANNON, West Virginia--Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not been heard from since the early morning accident. Meanwhile, at a nearby church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates on the rescuers' progress. The miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren't informed of the accident until about 10 a.m-more than three hours after it happened."It's very upsetting, but you've got to be patient, I guess," said John Helms, whose brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine. The trapped miners were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine's entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group. At a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4, 800 feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m.Another team entered the mine about 30 minutes later. He said the crew was very experienced, with some members having worked underground for 30 to 35 years.The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen each.The company has not released the names of the miners. The teams test the air about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect (remove) the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing that." We don't want to be energizing anything if it's in an atmosphere with burnable gases," Kips said. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known.High levels of carbon monoxide were discovered shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue efforts, but those levels have since subsided , authorities said.
According to the passage, we can infer that _ .
[ "they will particularly want to touch the products advertised on the Internet", "they just imagine its ownership and simply evaluate the objects in their minds", "their imagination of the ownership resulted in significantly higher valuations of the products", "they desire to possess it and do not care how much money they would pay" ]
their imagination of the ownership resulted in significantly higher valuations of the products
If you want to avoid making impulse and unnecessary purchases,then just keep your hands away from tempting products. According to new research,individuals who touch possible items in stores are more likely to have an increased desire to purchase them than those who keep their hands off the products. Suzanne Shu and Joann Peck,marketing professors at the University of Wisconsin's business school conducted studies on the connection between touch and feelings of ownership and the effect of perceived ownership on the value placed on an object. For one of the experiments,the experts placed two products,a Slinky toy and a coffee mug in front of the volunteers who were undergraduate students. About half of the participants were allowed to touch the products,while the other half were asked not to touch them. The volunteers then were asked to express their sense of ownership of the products and to report how much money they were willing to pay for each. The results showed that those students who were allowed to touch the objects,reported significant increased levels of perceived ownership. They also expressed a desire to pay more money to obtain the products. The investigators also discovered that a sense of very pleasant feelings when touching products,determined how much money consumers were willing to pay. However,if the object did not feel pleasant to the touch,it significantly decreased the amount the buyers were willing to pay. Researchers said that many stores have already followed the right path. But what can be done while shopping online,when touching of an item is not possible? In this case,the experts say,just picturing in mind that they are touching it and then owning it,will cause greater feelings of ownership,and thus the consumers will be more likely to make a purchase. When you touch an object,you immediately feel some kind of a connection to it,according to the researchers. That connection stirs up an emotional reaction. And that emotion can make people buy something they would never even consider buying if they had not touched it.
When people do online shopping, _ .
[ "1,600", "20,000", "24,000", "200,000" ]
200,000
Bicycle sharing systems are also known as yellow bicycle programs, white bicycle programs, public bikes, or free bikes. They are increasingly popular in Europe now. Paris has the world's largest urban cycle rental system. This is a bike rental station in Paris. The worker is showing how to use a new self-service bike. They say that Paris will become "a green capital of bikes" and they plan to park 20,000 bicycles at 1,600 stations. Paris created this plan to improve the city traffic environment and reduce the waste gas displacement . At a rental station, you only have to put your credit card into the machine to rent a bike. It provides French, German, English and Chinese services. If you ride the bike for only 30 minutes to relax, you needn't pay for it. A two-hour bike rent only costs you 4 euros. These stations work for 24 hours every day, so a bike is rented for 10 to 14 times a day. In this way there are 200,000 people using bikes a day, In the past few years, Paris has encouraged its people to ride bikes, but something unhappy has happened now and then. Some people break the traffic rules during rush hours. Some park their bikes everywhere. So how to park bikes is a problem that Paris will face. But this project is still a helpful way to improve its traffic environment. Don't you think so?
_ people use bikes a day
[ "Over 250", "More than 500", "More than 1,000", "About 250" ]
More than 1,000
In the near future, people in some parts of the world will watch a new kind of television. It is called the high definition television or the HD-TV. The main difference between an HD-TV and a normal television is the picture. It is more clear and detailed. This is because the HD-TV has many more points and lines that make a television image. Every color television picture contains thousands of red, green and blue points. They all come together as an image in the eye of the person watching. The points are organized in lines that go across the television screen. There are more than five hundred lines in a normal television. The HD-TV has two times as many. To get this clear picture, you must have a big screen. Experts say people using a small screen will see little difference. The HD-TV also has clear sound. It is like the sound on a CD. All these improvements make an HD-TV very costly. One kind in Japan now sells for more than twenty thousand dollars .A major problem with the HD-TV is its broadcast signal(.The signal is bigger than normal because it carries more electronic information.
How many lines does an HD-TV have?
[ "their whisky was once drunk by a very famous person", "their whisky still was built by the ninth Duke of Caithness", "their whisky is second to none", "their whisky is not expensive" ]
their whisky is second to none
Safeburn Planning a home demands great care. The fireplace should be distinctive and elegant , with a fire that looks like a fire, giving your family the warmth and protection they need.Every year 7,000 people die in fires in Britain, and hundreds of them are little children. Thousands more are disfigured for life. When you choose a fire, choose Safeburn. It gives you the atmosphere of home comfort you are looking for, and sets your mind at rest. Caithness Pride Caithness Pride. The ninth Duke of Caithness would only drink the best whisky. So he built his own private still, in the heart of the Highlands, with the fresh water running in the stream nearby. When we came into possession of the still, we paid the Duke's heirs a lot of money for it. But it was worth it. After all, what was good for the Duke is too good to be kept a secret.
In the second passage, they are trying to make it clear that _ .
[ "The country hasn't an exact name.", "Few people know its real name.", "All the names have exact meaning.", "Generally speaking,the names can all be used to stand for the country." ]
Generally speaking,the names can all be used to stand for the country.
Did anyone find the names of "Great Britain", "the United Kingdom", "England" and "the British commonwealth" which have the same meaning? Strictly speaking, these names all refer to something different. None of them are exactly the same as any of the others. The British isles refer to the main islands and several thousand small ones as well, which you can see on the map. Great Britain, or Britain, refers to the larger of the two main islands. But the word "Britain" is often used as a short form for the United Kingdom or you call it the UK. Now as for England, it refers simply to the largest of the three countries on the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom is the name of the state and the official name of the country, which many people popularly refer to England. Finally, the Britain commonwealth is the usual name for what is left of the British Empire . This change shows the weakening of British Empire and the rising of the national liberation movements throughout the world today.
We can infer that_.
[ "in the morning", "in the afternoon", "in the evening", "at night" ]
in the evening
It was already dark when an old man came to a small town. He found an inn and wanted to stay there for the night. After he had gone to his room, the owner said to his wife, "Look at his bag, dear. I'm sure there are lots of valuable things in it. I want to steal it when he is asleep." "No, no," said the woman. "He must look for his bag tomorrow morning. Then he'll take you before the judge." They thought and at last the woman had an idea. "We have forgetful grass," said the woman, "Why not put some into his food? If he has the food, he will forget to take his bag away." "How clever you are!" said the owner, "Don't forget it when you prepare supper for him." The old man had the food with the forgetful grass and went to bed. The next morning, when the owner got up, he found the door was open and the old man had left with his bag. He woke his wife up and said angrily, "What a fool! Your forgetful grass isn't useful at all." "No, no," said the woman. "I don't think so. He must forget something." "Oh, I've remembered!" The owner cried out suddenly, "He forgot..."
The old man came to the inn _ .
[ "jealousy is Britain's national character", "British entrepreneurs are not fairly treated", "the scientists at Warwich University did a successful test", "the entrepreneurs in the UK do not behave properly" ]
the entrepreneurs in the UK do not behave properly
Everyone knows that the Frenchmen are romantic, the Italians are fashionable and the Germans are serious. Are these just stereotypes or is there really such a thing as national character? And if there is, can it affect how a nation succeed or fail? At least one group of people is certain that it can. A recent survey of the top 500 entrepreneurs in the UK found that 70% felt that their efforts were not appreciated by the British public. Britain is hostile to success, they said. It has a culture of jealousy. As a result, the survey said, entrepreneurs were "unloved, unwanted and misunderstood." Jealousy is sometimes known as the "green - eyed monster" and the UK is its home. Scientists at Warwich University in the UK recently tested this idea. They gathered a group of people together and gave each an imaginary amount of money. Some were given a little, others a great deal. Those given a little were given the chance to destroy the large amount of money given to others - but at the cost of losing their own. Two thirds of the people tested agreed to do this. This seems to prove that the entrepreneurs were right to complain. But there is also conflicting evidence. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently reported that the UK is now the world's fourth largest economy. That is not bad for people who are supposed to hate success. People in the UK also work longer hours than anyone else in Europe. So the British people are not lazy, either. "It is not really success that the British dislike," says Carey Cooper, a professor of management at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. "It's people using their success in a way that seems proud or unfair or which separates them from their roots." Perhaps it is the entrepreneurs who are the problem. They set out to do things in their way. They work long hours. By their own efforts they become millionaires. But instead of being happy they complain that nobody loves them. It hardly seems worth following their example. If they were more friendly, people would like them more. And more people want to be like them.
The writer of the passage seems to suggest that _ .
[ "she is sad about the person at the concert", "she doesn't like or care about her mother", "her mother always asks her lots of questions", "her mother doesn't want her to make new friends" ]
her mother always asks her lots of questions
Dear Dr. Smith, My mom always keeps asking me, "What's going on?" If I want to go to a concert, she asks who I will go with. I think that's my own business . Sometimes it looks like she doesn't trust me. It makes me very sad. How can I get her to stop? Dear Katie, Many young people have the same problem as you. If you don't talk much with your parents, they might feel they need to ask you questions to know about your life. It seems to you that your mom is getting into your business, but I think she's just trying to keep a close relationship with you. In fact, some experts often tell parents to stay close to their kids by asking them about what's going on in their life. Some parents do this better than others, of course. But, unluckily, some parents ask questions because they don't trust their kids. So start by trying to trust your mom. She is probably just trying to stay close to you because she loves and cares about you. You can have a talk with her about it. Of course, that doesn't make the questions less boring. If you're tired of so many questions, tell your mom about your feelings the day before she asks. If you _ more information, conversations with your mom won't seem like she's just asking you too many questions! If you do this, I'm sure you can get on well with your mom. Dr. Smith
Katie's problem is that _ .
[ "nanometer<millimeter<micrometer<meter", "nanometer<micrometer<millimeter<meter", "micrometer<millimeter<nanometer<meter", "millimeter<micrometer<nanometer<meter" ]
nanometer<micrometer<millimeter<meter
Though "nanometer" is now a fashionable term all over the world,few people know exactly what it is.It has become a new favorite of manufacturers and sellers in recent years.Many "high-tech" products bearing the name "nano" have entered the market,bringing more mysterious feeling to surprised consumers. Nanometer is a very small length unit of measure,and is very small.One millimeter is 1000 micrometers,and one micrometer is 1000 nanometers.That is,one nanometer is one billionth of a meter.Nano materials are solid materials composed of particles or crystallites of less than 100 nanometer in size.Then,is a cup made of nano material really any different from an ordinary cup in function as far as how it works? Are nano cups really so wonderful?A reporter went to the Institute of Nanomedicine,which is the first such institute of such a sort in the world and the only one in China,specializing in researching the investigation of the application of nano technology into medicine. Ji(director Institute of Nanomedicine): A water molecule is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.It can be alterchanged only by special manipulation of the atoms.The material constituting the cup can have a nanometer particles size of the nano level.But it cannot change the chemical and physical properties of the water contained in it.The water in the cup is still water.When people drink it,it will produce no special effect on human body. Prof.Ji told the reporter,so far,the investigation of nano materials is still confined in the laboratory.No commercial micro products can be produced yet.With the present level of science and technology,the time of everyday goods age of daily use articles made of nanometer materials is still years away. The commodities labeled with nano marks in the market now are only traditional products coated with a thin layer of nanometer material,which makes them _ . Prof.Ji explained that nano cup is a real cup.It can also be included in the list of nano products in a certain sense.But the nano cup has not changed its property and function as a cup.It is not a magical medicine for curing and health care.
Which of the following shows the right relationship?
[ "help us save money and be good for the environment", "help us realize the importance of water", "promote the development of economy and peace", "make us live a better life in the near future" ]
help us save money and be good for the environment
Two things I really believe in --- saving money and saving the planet, and it's even better when I can do something that accomplishes both at the same time. Rainwater harvesting is just such a thing. In the near future, rainwater harvesting will be as common as twelve-year-old girls carrying cell phones. Many countries already rely heavily on rainwater. Every building in these countries collects the rainwater from its roof and stores it for later use. However, America is just slightly slow to take action. There are many ways to harvest rainwater and most of them are easy and inexpensive. For example, use rain barrels to collect the water that would run off your roof. You'd be surprised at how fast a fifty-gallon barrel will be filled with free, usable water. New building construction offers some good ways to gather rainwater, and the cost of set-up is usually made up by reduced usage very quickly. Rainwater can be conveyed by roof pipes into underground containers, where a pump can draw water up as needed. The rainwater can even be treated to make it drinkable. If that rainwater were not collected, but allowed to run over your lawn , into the street and eventually to a storm water treatment facility, it would pick up all sorts of pollutants on its journey --- chemical compositions and agricultural poisons from the grass, motor oil, waste water and such from the roads, and who knows what else. That is to say, the shorter distance it covers the more drinkable it will be. Depending on where you live, the rainwater may be piped to a treatment plant or it may run in natural channels to allow nature to remove the pollutants. Either way, the treatment of rainwater is high priced. If you reduce the amount of rainwater run-off from your home or office, you reduce the need for treatment. Water is rapidly becoming one of our most precious resources and it is not as abundant as you may think. In the year 2015, the United States used generally 479 billion gallons of fresh water per day.
According to the passage, harvesting rainwater can _ .
[ "Because the road was too bad.", "Because he didn't know the way", "Because he wore the wrong boots.", "Because he had no boots." ]
Because he wore the wrong boots.
A man went out with the wrong boots, one with a thick sole and the other with a thin one. As he began to walk, he felt uncomfortable, for one foot was higher than the other. He felt very strange and said, " Is there anything wrong with my legs today? Why is one of my legs long, and the other short? " A _ told him that he was wearing the wrong boots. He look down and found that it was really so. At once he asked his servant to go back home and get another pair. After a while the servant ran back to him. There was nothing in his hand. So he was angry and shouted at him, "Why didn't you get me the right boots?" "There's no need to change them," the servant said. "The pair at home is the same, one with a thick sole and the other with a thin one."
Why did the man feel uncomfortable when he began to walk?
[ "The school", "The bank", "A bus stop", "A train station" ]
A bus stop
David comes from the train station and he doesn't know where to go. This is the first time he comes to this town. He comes to see his good friend, Peter. Peter is a doctor. He works in a hospital. But David doesn't know where the hospital is. He walks in the street. He passes a bank, a post office, a hotel and at last he goes to a school. Some students are coming out, so he asks one of the students, "Excuse me. Which is the way to People's Hospital?" "Well, I know, you can go along this street, take the second turning on the right, and then take the third turning on your left. It's next to a museum." "I'm sorry I can't follow you." "Well, I just live near there, and my mother works in that hospital, too. I'm going home now. Will you go with me? I'll take you there." "That's great! Thank you very much!" "Then, let's go to the bus stop. And we'll take the No.12 bus there."
Where do the student and David go at last?
[ "women have a low social status", "Mr. Rochester is sympathetic", "Mr. Rochester is irresponsible", "girls are often abandoned by their parents" ]
Mr. Rochester is sympathetic
Jane arrives at Thornfield, having been met at the George Inn. Mrs. Fairfax confuses her a little at first, because _ is so informal and welcoming. But in due course Jane discovers that Mrs. Fairfax is the housekeeper. Jane's pupil, Adele Varens, is the eight-year-old French child under the legal protection of Mr. Edward Rochester, the owner of the house. (We learn later that her mother had claimed she was his illegitimate daughter. Mr. Rochester is not convinced by this claim, but felt he could not leave the little girl poor when her mother died.) Adele is a pleasant little girl, even if she is not a particularly eager student. Life goes on very peacefully for three months, until the return of Mr. Rochester. Jane first meets him on his horse, and her description of him is quite fanciful. He takes a fall and Jane helps him, although she does not know who he is until they are both back at Thornfield. It is obvious to the reader, although not to Jane, that the reason why Mr. Rochester stays at Thornfield much longer than usual is that he finds her company enjoyable. Jane, unknowingly at first, falls in love with him. Their closeness is very apparent. There is something about Thornfield that is mysterious. Jane is encouraged to focus her attention on the servant Grace Poole, who is Mr. Rochester's mad wife Bertha Mason's keeper at Thornfield, and whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape and do something violent. It is clear to the reader, though, that Mr. Rochester's emotional engagement is immense. When his bed is set on fire, Jane rescues him, but does not understand why the matter is not pursued, despite Mr. Rochester assuring her the criminal is Grace. The next morning Grace behaves as though she has done nothing wrong. Eventually, Mr. Rochester leaves, to go to a house party. He brings everyone at the party back with him, transforming the atmosphere in the house, and delighting Adele. One of the guests is Blanche Ingram, whom Mr. Rochester is confidently expected to marry. However, it is clear from the way she is portrayed in the book that she is too proud; our sympathies are not with her. Mr. Rochester is called away from the house, and when he returns he chooses to play the role of a fortune teller. It is clear to the reader that one of his motives is to try to turn Blanche against the idea of marriage to him. While he has clearly bothered her, he is unsuccessful. One afternoon, Jane hears that her cousin John Reed is dead and Mrs. Reed, who is probably on her deathbed, has been asking for her. With strict instructions from Mr. Rochester to return quickly, she sets off to Gateshead. On arrival, she realizes she no longer hates her cousins. However, Mrs. Reed is still bitter towards her, owing to the fact that Jane's mother was Mr Reed's favourite sister and this resulted in him apparently favouring Jane over his own children. A short time later, Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter from her uncle, John Eyre, that was written three years earlier. It explains how he planned to adopt Jane and allow her to inherit his fortune. Mrs. Reed never handed the letter over because of her bitterness. Jane tries once more to seek reconciliation , but without success; her aunt dies that night.
The story of Adele Varens mainly indicates that _ .
[ "he understood his mistake", "his father didn't scold him", "his father was not hurt after all", "he didn't expect to get another bb gun" ]
he understood his mistake
When I was a boy I always wanted to be a cowboy. I remember my Mom worrying about me getting sick from the heat in the summer, because I wore a thick blue sweater all the time. No respectable cowboy, however, would wear short sleeves so I sweated while I played. One day my parents gave me a bb gun. It looked just like a gun that all the cowboys used in the movies. I spent hours each day during those summer months shooting at stumps and pretending to be John Wayne (film actor who played tough heroes). As I was coming into the house one afternoon, though, I tried it one time too many. The gun that I thought was empty let out a soft pop and a bullet flew across the room and parted the hair of my Dad who was asleep on the couch. My Dad took one look at the bb hole a half inch above his head, walked over to me, took my gun, walked outside, and calmly broke it in half. I didn't cry too much over this. I knew how close I had come to hurting my Dad with my stupidity. I didn't expect to ever get another bb gun either. That is why I was so surprised when my Dad bought me another one the next year. I guess he thought I had wised up enough to know how to use it this time. I never put a single bb in the new gun, but in my imagination John Wayne rode again. I eventually outgrew my cowboy stage, but I never did outgrow my appreciation for my Father's forgiveness. He showed me that even when I messed up in the worse way I was still loved. He gave me another chance and let me know that I was forgiven whether I deserved it or not. He shared with me some of the unconditional love and forgiveness. May we always embrace and share that love and forgiveness as well.
The author didn't cry because _ .
[ "build", "anxiety", "celebrate", "very nice", "ocean" ]
anxiety
seeing idea become reality
Seeing idea become reality was a dream of hers for a long time, but as the time came to get on stage she had more what?
[ "Because they had a headache.", "Because they had bad memories.", "Because the docor was their son.", "Because the old man was ill." ]
Because they had bad memories.
An eighty-year-old couple were having trouble with their memories . One day, they decided to see a doctor. The doctor told him that there was nothing serious, but he suggested that they should start writing things down to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left. Later that night while watching TV, the old man got up from his chair and his wife asked, "Where are you going?" "To the kitchen."he said. "Will you get me an ice-cream?" asked the wife. "Sure." Then his wife asked him to write it down. "No, I can remember that," replied the husband. "Well, I also want some strawberries and cream on top. You'd better write it down, or you will forget that," said the wife. "No, I can remember that," the husband got a little unhappy and went into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the husband returned with a plate of fish. The wife laughed, "Haha! Your bad memory! I wanted some bread with cream."
Why did the couple go to the doctor's?
[ "it was an expensive car", "the driver was a proud lady", "the driver was driving too fast", "the driver was going to attack him" ]
the driver was driving too fast
An expensive car speeding down the main street of a small town was soon over-taken by a young motorcycle policeman. As he started to take out the ticket, the woman in the car said proudly. "Before you go any further, young man, I think you should know that the mayor of this city is a good friend of mine." The officer did not say a word, but kept writing. "I am also a friend of Chief of Police Barnes," continued the woman, getting angrier each moment. Still he kept on writing. "Young man," she said, "I know Judge Lawson and State Senator Patton." Handing the ticket to the woman, the officer asked pleasantly. "Tell me, do you know Bill Bronson?" "No. Why?" she replied. "Well, this is the man you should have known," he said, going back to his motorcycle, "I am Bill Bronson."
The policeman stopped the car because _ .
[ "the government", "the post office", "the tourists", "the guides" ]
the tourists
When humans and nature go head to head, nature often ends up losing. Rivers get polluted. Trees are knocked down. Natural resources are exhausted. That's what makes the Galapagos Islands so special--it's one of he few places on the Earth that nature can truly call its own. For people used to having wild animals run at the scent of humans, a visit to the Galapagos is a real eye-opening experience. Over 1,600 km west of Ecuador, the islands are home to a unique variety of animals that have absolutely no fear of people. Visitors can play on the beach with sea lions and giant sea turtles, swim with dolphins and whales, and get close enough to the penguins to count the eggs in their nests. The islands were declared a national park over 40 years ago, and the number of human visitors is tightly limited to avoid damaging he environment or putting stress on the animal. Tourists have to pay a $100 daily visitors fee, and can't step off the boat unless accompanied by an official guide. Once on the islands, you have to stay on the trail , but that seldom presents a problem: the animals are so curious about people that they'll usually come up to say hello. "It's a little like being in a zoo," said one traveler. "But instead of us looking at the animals, the animals, the animals are looking at us." Aside from the wildlife, one of the island' more unusual features is its post office. You can send postcards for free, but the problem is that there's no postman to collect them. Instead, travelers pick up mail addressed to people who live near them back home, and then hand-deliver the postcards when their trip is finished.
On the Galapagos Islands the mail is delivered by _ .
[ "the bus offered by the school and different from the public bus", "the bus that has no difference from the public bus", "the bus that is driven by the students", "the bus that is not safe" ]
the bus offered by the school and different from the public bus
Every day 25 million U.S. children ride school buses. The safety record for these buses is much better than for passenger cars; but nevertheless, about 10 children are killed each year riding on large school buses, and nearly four times that number are killed outside buses in the loading zones. By and large, however, the nation's school children are transported to and from school safely. Even though the number of school bus accidents is not large, the safety of children is always of intense public concern. While everyone wants to see children transported safely, people are divided about what needs to be done-particularly whether seat belts should be compulsory. People in favor of seat belts on school buses-many of them parents and medical organizations-argue that seat belts are necessary not only to reduce fatality and injury, but also to teach children lessons about the importance of using them routinely in any moving vehicle. A side benefit, they point out, is that seat belts help keep children in their seats, away from the bus driver. People who object to seat belt installation suggest that children are already well protected by the school buses that follow the Nation Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) safety requirements set in 1977. They also believe that many children won't wear seat belts anyway, and that may damage the belts or use them as weapons to hurt other children. A new research council report on school bus safety suggest that there are alternate safety devices and procedures that may be more effective and less expensive. For example, the study committee suggested that raising seat backs four inches may have the same safety effectiveness as seat belts. The report sponsored by the Department of transportation at the request of Congress, reviews seat belts extensively while taking a broader look at safety in and around school buses.
According to the passage, the "school bus" is _ .
[ "in India", "with his friend", "by himself", "in an apple tree garden" ]
with his friend
Steve Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, wasn't smart when he was at school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made trouble with his schoolmates. Then he dropped out . But he was full of new ideas. After he left college, Steve Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in life. Steve Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India. In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple computer with his friend . He chose the name"Apple"just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden. His Apple computer was such a great success that Steve Jobs soon became famous all over the world. ,.
Steve Jobs designed his new computer _ .
[ "he was sure there would be nothing to happen", "he wasn't sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home", "he didn't hear his friend's warning at all because of the blowing wind", "he knew electricity can't travel through wood" ]
he wasn't sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home
One bitterly cold day,a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood,I quickly set out with my best friend,Bruce,to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger. When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down,my best friend suddenly warned me,"Don't cut down that tree!It's too close to the power line!"I wasn't sure about it. So I decided to _ his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell,there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right. The tree caught the power line,bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all,electricity can't travel through wood,so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree,pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked! After I returned home and told my mother what had happened,she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree,and when I told him I had,his face turned pale. "You should have been killed," he said. So why am I still alive?It was my boots that saved my life. Within two hours,the workers removed the tree. Soon _ . Even though she was glad I wasn't hurt,my mother was still serious. After all,I shouldn't have brushed off my friend's warning. Through this experience,I learn it's important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the "shock" of my life.
In spite of Bruce's warning,the author still cut down the tree because _ .
[ "wood", "bricks", "animal skin", "old stones" ]
wood
More than 40 years ago, John Williams gave away all of his belongings and went off to the mountains to live the way people lived 100 years ago. For food he traps wild animals, fishes in the rivers, and plants whatever he can. John lives in a cabin he made by hand, out of trees he chopped down with an ax. Though he has no s he knows of, he does have a deer he raised from a fawn. The deer lives in the house in the winter and goes with John when he goes into the forest for food. Nobody lives within fifty miles of his cabin in the mountains and John has not been out of the mountains during the entire forty years. One day last year I hiked in to see how John lives. It was like going back in time. There were no roads, no stores, no noise, no pollution, not even a post office. Most notable of all, there were no people and that's just the way John Williams wants to keep his part of the world--without people. But there is a paradox in his story. John is an educated man. He has books and nobody knows how he got them. Mostly he reads about his world, the forest, the animals, the plants, and the mountains. He has seen airplanes flying overhead but does not want to know about them. For him, electricity is lightning, not light bulbs, refrigerators, televisions, or washing machines. John Williams is 85 years old and had not had a sick day in his life. He attributes his long life to the fact that it has nothing to do with people and in order that he might enjoy many more years of health, happiness, and solitude, I will not tell you where his kingdom lies. There is no room there for you or me.
John William's house is made of _ . Ks5u
[ "warm", "clean", "quiet", "safe" ]
safe
The police do many things for us. They help keep our things and us safe. They help keep cars moving safely. They take care of people who are hurt. Then they see these people get to a doctor. The police go around town to see that everything is all right. They get around town in many ways. Some of them walk or go by car. In some big cities,some of the police ride on horses. It is strange to see these animals in the street. As they go around town,the police help people. Sometimes they find lost children. They take the children home. If the police see a fight,they put an end to it right away. Sometimes people will ask the police how to get to a place in town. The police can always tell the people which way to go. They know all the streets and roads well. Some police stand at crossings. They tell the cars when to go and when to stop. They make sure that the cars do not go too fast. They help children cross the street. They also help people who can't walk too well. Without the police,our streets would not be safe. Cars might go too fast and hurt people. Lost people might never be found. The police do a good job. We need them. And we should thank them for a job well done.
The police do many things for us. They help keep our things and us _ .
[ "weshould catch monkeys in this way.", "One mustn't be greedy.", "We should protect monkeys.", "Come up with another way to catch monkeys." ]
One mustn't be greedy.
Monkeys are clever and lively, but they are naughty and greedy as well. Whenver they find delicious food, they will eat enough. What's more, they will take it when they leave. They have suffered a lot because of this. But they never change this way. In India, people use monkey's greed to catch them. Do you know how they can catch monkeys? Here are some instructions. * Make a hole in a big pumpkin . The hole must be just right ----neither too big nor too small. * Put some jujubes in the hole. * Leave the pumpkin under a tree. Make sure there are some monkeys in the tree. * Hide yourself and watch the monkeys. As soon you leave, the monkeys can't wait to come down to the pumpkin. When they find a hole in the pumpkin, they don't know what's in it and one of them can't help putting its hand into the hole to find what on earth there is. When it touches the jujubes, it will clench some of them in its hand. As a result, it isn't able to take its fist out of the hole. You can't come close until this time. Will the monkey drop off the pumpkin? Don't worry. It prefers the pumpkin than its life. It will run with the pumpkin, clenching its fist more tightly. In the end, it is caught helplessly.
What should we learn from the passage?
[ "To explain what a dream career really is.", "To offer tips on finding a dream career.", "To tell us what Career Personality means.", "To give examples of different personalities." ]
To offer tips on finding a dream career.
What exactly is a Dream Career? I am sure it means different things to different people. You could presently be unsure about what your final job would be. If you have any doubts about what your dream career is, you may know which careers you definitely would not like to do. For example, if you have an interest in art, and do not like math, you most certainly would not be an engineer .If you love art. and have no artist talent ,maybe you would like to be around art instead, as an art curator A career related to your passion, bobby, or special interest, is the path to follow in finding your dream job. Try thinking about what things you like to do in your spare time. Many are attracted toward turning what they love to do in their off work hours into a full time job. For example, if you like to put together model cars, maybe you would like opening your own hobby shop, or work for someone who owns one. Once you find what you arc interested in doing, you can then match this to a career which will be similar to what you are passionate about. What you consider a dream career has to centre around what kind of person you actually are. This is called your Career Personality. What type of person do you consider yourself to be? People are naturally attracted to those things which reflect who they are as unique individuals. For example, if you are slightly on the shy side, maybe you would like a job where you work on your own. relatively unsupervised ,behind a computer. If you are outgoing, maybe you would like to work with others, and be the supervisor. All it may take to find our dream career is to know ourselves a little better, trust in our own judgment, and be realistic about what we can attain occupationally: This is how I found what I am doing now.
What is the main purpose of the passage?
[ "do more homework", "give up higher grades", "study more courses", "be given more time to learn more" ]
be given more time to learn more
Speaking in his first National Day Rally speech on 15 August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien said Singapore's education system was set for more reforms in the years ahead, particularly for the primary and secondary education.Read the summary of his thoughts on education below. For a start, the Government is prepared to send and additional 3,000 teachers to Singapore schools, cut the courses of study even further and change the way the mother tongue, especially Chinese, is taught.But, for the changes to be successful, parents need to help. Singapore has a devoted group of teachers and principals and quite a few of them are outstanding, but the Republic's schools can be even better.To help the schools make a jump in quality, the Government plans that within the next 6 years, it will send 1,000 more teachers to primary schools, 1,400 to secondary schools and 550 more to junior colleges.Each school would decide how to use its extra teachers.Some may want to make classes smaller so students get more individual attentions while others may have new teachers assist more senior teachers, but the overall goal is to give teachers the time and space to come up with ways to bring out the best in their students. More teachers must not mean more homework, however.In fact, the Prime Minister wants to see the courses cut down so that there is less pressure on the students.Good grades are important but they should not be the only goal students have.PM Lee is convinced that "we must teach less so that our children can learn more." Another change will be in the teaching of the mother tongue so that students can become more fluent.The key is to teach Chinese as a living language not just an academic subject like Latin.Therefore, the focus should be on speaking and reading the language.To do this, there must be an environment outside the classroom that is contributing to strengthening the Chinese lessons.
PM Lee holds that the students should _ .
[ "High School Musical is possibly more attractive to youngsters.", "The high school students don't like Mickey Mouse.", "Mickey Mouse is more attractive to youngsters.", "Mickey Mouse is too old to be recognized by youngsters." ]
High School Musical is possibly more attractive to youngsters.
If boy wizard Harry Potter uses his magic to capture the hearts of millions of teenagers, high school students Gabriella and Troy have charmed American boys and girls with their stories of campus life. They are the leading characters in High School Musical, a series of hugely successful films in the US. The sequel , High School Musical 3, came out on October 24 and has topped the American box office for two straight weeks. The show has everything attractive to teenagers -- dancing, catchy music, puppy love and good looks. The story starts when high school basketball star Troy and brainy Gabriella -- _ -- meet during the winter break. At a karaoke contest they discover their love for singing and an interest in each other. When school starts, Troy finds out that Gabriella is the new girl at his school. Eager to find the magic they had during karaoke, Troy and Gabriella decide to audition for the school's upcoming musical. This angers the school's drama queen Sharpay. However, they overcome difficulties and become the leading actors. But the story doesn't end there. High School Musical 2 follows their adventures over summer vacation when Sharpay tires to break up Troy and Gabriella. In the latest sequel, high-school seniors are facing the possibilities of being separated from each other as they go off in different directions when graduating from high school. Joined by the rest of their friends, Troy and Gabriella stage a musical reflecting their experiences, hopes and fears about the future. "The success of the High School Musical films shows Disney's long-term efforts to attract youngsters for whom Mickey Mouse seems to babyish," wrote New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff. "For the time being, the movie has made fictional high school students as recognizable as that 79-year-old mouse."
What does New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff mean?
[ "Many police are sent to chase criminals of taking doping during the Olympic Games.", "The drug test was carried out until the 1968 Olympics.", "There is the possibility that women athletes taking doping will give no birth to a child.", "Ben Johnson was banned from sports forever for being tested positive for drug use at the 1988 Seoul Olympics." ]
There is the possibility that women athletes taking doping will give no birth to a child.
The Olympic Games are seen as the greatest test of an athlete's ability and are supposed to celebrate the spirit of fair play. But in fact, sportsmen have been using drugs to cheat their way to victory since the Games first began. In the early years, athletes ate mushrooms and plant seeds to improve their performance. Nowadays, this kind of cheating has a name doping . Just last month, Britain's top sprinter Dwain Chambers and several American athletes tested positive for the drug THG. Until a coach secretly gave a sample of THG to scientists, no one knew how ho test for it. "We're like cops chasing criminals--athletes are always adapting and looking for areas we haven't investigated," said Jacquew de Ceaurriz, a French anti-doping expert. Since the first drugs test was carried out at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, many cheats have been caught out. The most famous case in history is that of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson. He broke the 100 meters world record in winning gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. But days later, he tested positive for drug use, lost his gold medal and was banned from the sport. Five years later, he returned to action--only to be found positive again and banned forever. China has also had problems with drug cheats. At the 1994 Asian Games, 11 Chinese athletes--seven of them swimmers--tested positive for banned drugs. Sports organizations promised that cheating on this scale would not happen again. Experts are also worried that doping can damage a person's health. It is believed to increase the risk of liver and kidney diseases, and women may experience reproductive problems. As long as they can stay ahead of the scientists, it is unlikely the cheats will stop. But experts say there is a limit to what can be achieved and that athletes will not be able to change their bodies using gene technology. "For the moment, genetic doping does not exist," said de Ceaurriz. "Even in 10 or 15 years it will not be done easily--the scientific community will not let it happen."
Which statement of the following is true?
[ "these drugs are good for kids' health", "these drugs need to be tested on kids", "these drugs are much cheaper than other drugs", "these drugs cost less money than other treatments" ]
these drugs cost less money than other treatments
Many children in foster care are being over medicated with antipsychotic drugs they may not really need, or the drugs are being given incorrectly, according to a government review obtained by CBS News. The report by an Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services looked at concerns surrounding the use of these powerful drugs in children on Medicaid. Many children on Medicaid are in the foster care system. "Psychotropic drugs are being used in these children, and we don't really know what the side effects are in these young children," said CBS News reporter Anna Werner. "There's not a lot of research because you can't really test these drugs on children." More than half the time, the review found children on these powerful drugs were not being monitored adequately. A quarter of them were given the wrong amount of drugs. Many were given too many drugs or took them for too long. "What the experts tell us is that not enough resources are needed to take care of these kids and give them the treatment that they need -- not drugs," Werner said. "It takes a lot of time and a lot of people to do that, and that of course all costs money." Therefore, states are choosing to just put kids on drugs instead. Dr. Fernando Siles, a child psychiatrist who treats children on Medicaid in Texas and has written thousands of prescriptions for such drugs, told Werner he doesn't have a lot of other options. He said children from troubled homes often have anger and aggression issues and he often prescribes drugs to "contain" their behavior so they won't get bounced from foster home to foster home. Werner's reporting also turned up the troubling case of a four-year-old boy who was put on four different psychiatric medications in the foster care system. When his grandmother gained custody a year later, she said the boy seemed like a completely different child since he has taken all the drugs. But he still has frightening dreams at the age of 10. Werner reports a number of states, including Texas, have taken steps to reduce the use of these drugs in foster children. But experts say more progress is needed, along with greater oversight of the system.
According to Werner, states help foster care kids with psychotropic drugs mainly because _ .
[ "A teacher can make his pupils men of strength and courage.", "A teacher can make his pupils worthy.", "A teacher can help his pupils become well-known.", "A teacher can do nothing." ]
A teacher can make his pupils men of strength and courage.
"Depend on yourself" is what nature says to every man. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. Others still can help you. But all these people only help you to help yourself. There have been many great men in history. Many of them were very poor when they were young, and had no uncles, aunts, or friends to help them. Schools were few and not very good. They could not depend on them for education. They tried their best to learn something and never gave up till they became well-known. One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, "I cannot make worthy men of you, but I can help you make men of yourselves." Some young men don't try their best to make themselves valuable to the human beings. If they see their weak points and change their ways, they can be successful. They are nothing now, and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of their parents and teachers, and depend on themselves.
What can a teacher do according to the famous teacher in England?
[ "He felt very sad.", "He was greatly surprised.", "He felt that Peter was very funny.", "He was very angry because they looked the same." ]
He was greatly surprised.
Bob was happy. He was at a new school, and the other students were friendly. "Hi, Bob!" They said. But some students said, "Hi, Peter!" Bob didn't understand. He asked another student, " Why do some students call me Peter?" "Oh, that is easy to answer," the student said. "Peter was a student here last year. Now, he goes to a different school. You like Peter. Some students think that you are Peter." Bob wanted to meet Peter. He got Peter's address from a student and went to Peter's house. Peter opened the door. Bob couldn't believe his eyes. He looked really like Peter! Bob and Peter had the same color eyes and the same smile. They had the same black hair. They also had the same birthday. Bob and Peter found out that they were twin brothers. They both were adopted by two different families. Soon after the boys born, one family adopted Bob, and another family adopted Peter. Bob's family never knew about Peter, and Peter's family never knew about Bob, either.
How did Bob feel when he saw Peter?
[ "She was excited.", "She thought it would be fun.", "She was glad.", "She was nervous." ]
She was nervous.
I was small for my age. I was shy and sometimes it was hard for me to make friends with the others. However, learning came fairly easy for me. I was the best in most of my classes, but PE class was my nightmare and made me feel that I was not as good as the others. Miss Forsythe was our PE teacher. She was young and energetic. Everyone liked her. She said that we all had to come to her classes. No one could hide from Miss Forsythe! One day she told me that she wanted me to play a game with another girl in a PE show. I was rather worried that I wouldn't do a good job when she explained her idea, but she was excited. With her encouragement, I had no choice but to agree. It was a "boy meets girl" game. I played the boy and my classmate, Margaret Ann, played the girl. We were dressed in evening clothes and danced around the floor. According to Miss Forsythe, I had to pick up Margaret Ann when we finished the dance. Since I was not strong enough to pick the tallest girl up, it was she who picked me up. I suddenly felt ten feet tall! It was a huge success and everybody applauded for our excellent performance. What a wonderful ending! Afterwards, I smiled confidently . Miss Forsythe's understanding and willingness to create a place for me in her show (which certainly did not need me) gave me some much needed confidence. She was and always will be my favorite teacher.
How did the author feel about the game at first?
[ "One of the author's friends.", "A real gentleman", "A manager in a hospital", "Not mentioned" ]
Not mentioned
Around twenty years ago I was going through hard times. I could not find a satisfying job. To my shame, I had to drive a school bus to make ends meet and lived in a friend's house. One afternoon, while driving through a quiet suburban neighborhood I was so sad that I kept asking myself "Why has my life become so hard?" "What's wrong with the world?" Then I pulled over the bus to drop off a little girl and as she passed she handed me a pretty earring, saying she found it on the floor of the bus and I should keep it in case the owner came to look for it. In the evening, the owner did come to look for her earring. When I handed it to her, she got very excited and continued saying "Thanks, you're a real gentleman." I told her that she should thank the little girl who had found it. She said, "Yes, and you are a good driver, too. What a lovely world it is!" Then she left with satisfaction. I was touched by her last words. I had thought something was wrong with the world just because of my poor condition. In fact, nothing was wrong with the world. I should change my attitude towards life. I should be positive about life. At first it was hard, and then it got easier. Every day I could find things to make me happy. Then one night there was a phone call for me at my friend's house from a lady who was a manager in a large hospital. She said she had read my application form and asked me if I would like to work in the hospital. I said yes and got the job. Looking back at the experience I know the most important is to have a positive attitude towards life.
Who was the owner of the earring lost on the bus according go the passage?
[ "How to Kill Rats", "Newtown - City of Rats", "How Newtown People Became Rich", "How Newtown Became a Very Clean Place" ]
How Newtown Became a Very Clean Place
Today Newtown is a very clean place. But many years ago, there were millions of rats in Newtown. They attacked the cats and dogs. Sometimes a lot of them knocked down a man or woman walking home at night. The rats were very big in size and they hurt many people. The government ordered everybody to kill rats. Most people were lazy, so they did not kill many. Then the government decided to pay some money for each dead rat. That made the people very happy. They killed thousands of rats every day. A government officer put all the dead rats in a big pile . Sometimes a man brought hundreds in one day. After two weeks there were not many rats in the city, but people still brought many rats to the government office. The government officer thought that people were stealing dead rats from the pile. He ordered his men to dig a deep hole and put the rats in it. Soon there were no more rats, and the government did not pay any more money.
Which of the following is the best title for this passage
[ "She was bitten by a shark.", "Her friend didn't offer help.", "She was too weak to stay awake.", "There was something wrong with her knee." ]
There was something wrong with her knee.
ChiChi weighs only 13 pounds. "He's so tiny,I can carry him with one hand," says Mary Lane."Most people see him and think he's useless." But last October,ChiChi proved to be more than just a pretty face. Mary and her husband,Rick,were relaxing on the beach one afternoon while on vacation in North Carolina's Outer Banks.As usual,ChiChi was lying on his blanket in his own little beach chair. "We had our noses buried in books,"recalls Rick,"when suddenly the dog became extremely uneasy. His bark was different from anything we had heard before.And he would not let us ignore him." ChiChi ran back and forth in front of his chair as if to run down the beach.The Lanes sat up to see two elderly women in the ocean,about 100 yards down the beach and 10 feet off shore.One was on her back,her head under the waves.The other was struggling hard to keep her friend's head above the surface. The Lanes rushed across the sand and into the surf. Rick went to the woman in danger of drowning,while Mary held fast on to the other one and pulled her up on the beach."Then I went back to help Rick," Mary says."The sand dropped off steeply,and a riptide was beating the woman under. She was completely helpless." Not getting well from recent knee surgery,the woman had been unable to turn over or push herself up."Her friend had been in danger too," Mary says."The waves were pushing her around. There's no way she could have held on much longer." The women hadn't called out for help. "They were struggling so hard that there was no time for screaming," Mary recalls."But ChiChi had sensed their danger." Duty done,ChiChi was back in his chair,asleep,by the time the two women were on dry ground and the Lanes had returned to their blankets.Luckily,the women were fine,though shaken.They thanked the Lanes for saving their lives. Back home in Greensboro,North Carolina,the Lanes ordered a special collar with the words "Hero Dog" on it.
Why couldn't the woman get out of the water?
[ "she often asked others for help", "she thought she was a great mother", "she didn't know how to stop his son surfing the Internet", "she didn't know how the Internet was so attractive" ]
she didn't know how to stop his son surfing the Internet
Dear Annie, I have never written a letter to a newspaper before, I have just never felt the need to do such a thing. I have always felt I was quite able to do everything by myself. But now I know I was wrong. Sometimes you really need help in life, I guess. And that's why I'm writing this letter to you. I have a happy family. I love my children and they love me . I'm a mother of three children. I know well how to bring up children, and two of them are already over twenty, so it is nothing new for me. But now I have a serious problem: the Internet problem. My little son is just sixteen, and I feel he should do a lot of homework now , but he doesn't seem to be interested in it . He can happily spend six or eight hours at a time on the Internet every day , He chats with people that he has never met before , but speaks little to us .He does lots of useless things on the Internet. And he sees red if you ask him to do his homework. I just want him to be a good student . Now he seldom does his lessons at home. I'm afraid he will drop behind in his class soon. His father is a doctor , a very kind man . He never seems to be afraid of his father. What can I do ?And don't tell to talk to him. We've tried that and it didn't work. But this is really a big problem in our family. I have tried everything I can think of . I wonder how the Internet is so attractive .You're my last hope. Please tell me what I can do! Yours, Ellen Smith
Mrs Snith wrote to Annie because_.
[ "Because their old ones are out of date.", "Because they accept Google's announcement.", "Because of the limited service and high cost.", "Because of the terrible software they can use.." ]
Because of the limited service and high cost.
To switch or not to switch, that is the question.Google's announcement of its Nexus One smartphone happened over a week ago and I'm still receiving lots of e-mails from readers asking the same question: Should they give up their iPhone for the Nexus One? Some people with iPhones, disappointed by American Telephone&Telegraph's inadequate service and the high monthly cost, are wondering if they have really got something to replace it.Does the Nexus One offer the functions that Apple has led them to expect? I'm on the fence myself, even though I never thought I'd be interested in anything but the iPhone.From my experience using the Nexus One, and from talking to people who have made the change, it's not necessarily about the differences between the iPhone and the Nexus One.The phones are extremely similar in design and general feel.Instead, the decision can be made based on the software services you use on your desktop. My friend Chad Dickerson received a pre-launch Nexus One from Google three weeks ago.He said Google's phone feels connected to certain services on the Web in a way the iPhone doesn't."Compared to the iPhone, the Google phone feels like it's part of the Internet to me," he said."If you live in a Google world, you have that world in your pocket in a way that's cleaner and more connected than the iPhone." Personally, the phones work perfectly with their own software, but both of them don't make an effort to play well with other services.
Why are some iPhone users expecting a new type of phone?
[ "It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside.", "Famers have lost many of their animals.", "Airlines suffer from the loss of planes.", "People stop traveling in Europe." ]
It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside.
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports. Grimsvotn is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvotn different is that it lies under a huge glacier of ice up to 12 metres thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer of water between glacier and the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what is happening today. Now airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM, one of Europe's biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane's engines, causing damage to the plane. The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp, glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them eating ash-covered grass or the sharp objects.
Which of the following is the result of the volcano eruption?
[ "the urban-rural difference", "the group of special interests", "the people in power", "the bosses" ]
the urban-rural difference
About 90 percent of Chinese believe the polarization between the rich and poor is "serious" in China, according to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily. And more than 80 percent of the respondents surveyed said something must be done to narrow the expanding gap between the rich and poor, while 14.1 percent said it was necessary. The polarization has aroused wide concern among the public in recent years. The State Development and Reform Commission said the _ had reached 0.47 for China, up from o.29 two decades ago. Usually, a country with a number above 0.4 is warned to pay attention to the income inequality problem. To find out the people's view, the survey covered 10,250 respondents, between the ages of 20 and 30 with a college education and a monthly salary between 1,000 and 3,000 yuan. Surprisingly, most disagreed with the view of experts who claim the urban-rural difference is causing the widening gap. More than 70 percent of the respondents believed that " the group of special interests" is the prime reason for the polarization, followed by "people in power" 68 percent, and "bosses" 50 percent. Another unexpected finding is that almost all agreed that a good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth. About 95 percent said rich people are not necessarily those who are able to speak English or have a college education. Today in China, rich people , accounting for 10 percent of the population, control 45 percent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 percent of the population, only control 1.5 percent, according to an investigation published by the National Bureau of Statistics last June.
Experts hold the view that the main reason for the polarization is _ .
[ "for his bag", "to see the runner", "to have his meal", "for his pen" ]
to have his meal
Once a great boxer , Tom Brown, went to a restaurant for dinner. He put his bag near the door, but he was afraid that someone would take it. So he got out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote on it: "The great boxer, Tom Brown, left his bag here. He'll come back in a few minutes. " He put the paper on his bag and went to have his dinner. When he came back, his bag wasn't there. But he found a piece of paper on the ground. It said: "A great runner took away your bag, and he will not come back. "
Tom Brown went to the restaurant _ .
[ "drive small machines to work for people", "make good-quality watches", "allow people to eat more", "make very small products" ]
make very small products
World Future Society People People may live for up to 120 years and use new technology to help when people go blind, deaf and have other problems. The number of people over a hundred years old could go from 135,000 today to 2.2 million people by 2050. By 2015 people think that 100 million workers will be able to work from home for a company in a different country by using the Internet. Money Worldwide e-business will become even more successful with online shops that sell special products for each person, which will be brought to their house the next day. Environment The technology for making energy from wind and the Sun is growing very quickly. In the future wind and Sun energy could become much cheaper and many more countries could use it. This would be very useful in poor countries. The air in big cities would also become much cleaner and healthier as a result. Society and culture The Internet will help to create more worldwide friendships. Families may spend more time together as people will be able to do 24-hour online banking and shopping. Technology The new science of "nanotechnology" (very small robots or machines) will make all sorts of products smaller and lighter. Very, very small machines could take away rubbish, make things in factories, and help inside the human body by taking away fat. By 2012 people will be able to wear these small machines that look like watches, which will give them lots of information about their body and keep them healthy.
The new science of "nanotechnology" will _ .
[ "they learn to value the time left", "they know how to share feelings", "they cannot focus on negative aspects", "they do not realize the possible dangers" ]
they learn to value the time left
Ever walked to the shops only to find, once there, you've completely forgotten what you went for? Or struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of ageing as wrinkles and grey hair.But now a new book suggests that we've got it all wrong. According to The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, by science writer Barbara Strauch, when it comes to the important things, our brains actually get better with age.In fact, she argues that some studies have found that our brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s--much later than previously thought. Furthermore, rather than losing many brain cells as we age, we retain them, and even produce new ones well into middle age.For years it's been assumed that brain, much like the body, declines with age.But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise. This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years.It has found that on average, participants performed better on cognitive tests in their 40s and 50s than they had done in their 20s.Specifically, older people did better on tests of vocabulary, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving. Where they performed less well was number ability and perceptual speed--how fast you can push a button when ordered.However, with more complex tasks such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond.In short, researchers are now coming up with scientific proof that we do get wiser with age. Neuroscientists are also finding that we are happier with ageing.A recent US study found older people were much better at controlling and balancing their emotions.It is thought that when we're younger we need to focus more on the negative aspects of life in order to learn about the possible dangers in the world, but as we get older we've learned our lessons and are sub-consciously aware that we have less time left in life: therefore, it becomes more important for us to be happy.
People are happier with age because _ .