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Write a multi-choice question for the following article, with the given choices and answer:
Article: You might think that "global warming" means nothing more than a rise in the world's temperature But rising sea levels caused by it have resulted in the first evacuation of an island nation--the citizens of Tuvalu will have to leave their homeland.
During the 20th century , sea level rose 8--12 inches. As a result ,Tuvalu has experienced lowland flooding of salt water which has polluted the country's drinking water.
Paani Laupepa , a Tuvaluan government official ,reported to the Earth Policy Institute that the nation suffered an unusually high number of fierce storms in the past ten years .Many scientists connect higher surface water temperatures resulting from global warming to greater and more damaging storms.
Laupepa expressed dissatisfaction with the United States for refusing to sign the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement calling for industrialized nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions ,which are a main cause of global warming . "By refusing to sign the agreement ,the US has effectively taken away the freedom of future generations of Tuvaluans to live where their forefathers have lived for thousands of years," Laupepa told the BBC.
Tuvalu has asked Australia and New Zealand to allow the gradual move of its people to both countries .
Tuvalu is not the only country that is vulnerable to rising sea levels .Maumoon Gayoon ,president of the Maldives ,told the United Nations that global warming has made his country of 311,000 an "endangered nation".
Options:
A agree to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions
B sign an agreement with Tuvalu
C allow Tuvaluans to move to the US
D believe the problems facing Tuvalu were real
Answer:
A agree to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions
Question:
Laupepa was not satisfied with the United States because it did not _ . | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Christmas has never looked as beautiful as it is now, when this one-foot-tall mini tree grew from a pothole in the streets of London.
London pothole gardener Steve Wheen , 34 , has created over 150 little gardens so far the smallest one of which is just one-inch-square.
"I really enjoy the reactions of people who come across my work and love them ."said Steve. "London can be so grey, especially at this time of year. When l was thinking about how to brighten it up, gardening came to my mind."
Steve has been pothole gardening for four years, mainly around the streets of London His pothole gardens are made with some plants he chooses from his local garden centre. Each of them usually costs between five and ten pounds. Although they are often temporary to the streets, Steve is sure that they can be in people's mind for a long time, if they are lucky enough to come across these small gardens while they go about their daily lives.
"I'm always surprised when I ask people what they think the message is behind my Work ."he said. "Often they think I'm against or in honor of something. One person even considered that l was marking the places where people had died in car accidents."
"I think in a city like London, where it's easy to feel short of green space, my message can be seen as a green one and that's fine with me. "he said. "The environment is something we all need to be thinking about more and more. But most importantly, it's all about making people smile and giving them an unexpected moment of happiness."
Options:
A be against or in honor of something
B mark the places where car accidents happen
C protect the environment
D make people enjoy more greens
Answer:
D make people enjoy more greens
Question:
Steve Wheen makes pothole gardens in London mainly to _ . | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: 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.
Options:
A it is the first time that they have seen the daffodils
B the Daffodil Garden was next to a small church
C the Daffodil Garden was run by one woman
D more than 1, 000 bulbs is planted every year
Answer:
C the Daffodil Garden was run by one woman
Question:
We can learn from the text that _ | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: We always use body language in our daily life. When we have a talk with someone, we may use more body language than words. However, the same body language may mean different things in different countries. That's why people sometimes do not understand each other correctly. Pointing to one part of the body can mean differently in different cultures. For example, in the USA people point to their heads when they think someone is clever. However, in Europe it means "He or she is stupid or something is wrong with his or her head" .In China, nodding heads means "Yes" and shaking heads means "No". However, in parts of Greece and Turkey, they mean just the opposite. In England or the USA, when you raise your hand and make a circle with the thumb and the second finger, it means "Everything is OK." However, if you do this in France or Belgium, it means "You're worth zero." In Greece or Turkey, you should not make this gesture, or you are thought to be very rude.
The meaning of gestures can also change over time. In the 1960s, the V sign meant "peace". However, during World War II, it meant "victory". In Greece, it is a very insulting sign.
Though the meaning of body language is different, there are some expressions having the same meaning throughout the world.
Options:
A peace
B victory
C agreement
D killing
Answer:
B victory
Question:
The V sign meant _ during World War II. | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Two Chinese spacecrafts successfully completed China's first space docking early November 3, 2011, which has taken the country a step closer to building its own space station.
Nearly two days after its launch, the unmanned spacecraftShenzhou VIIIdocked with the space lab module Tiangong I more than 343 km above the earth surface.Shenzhou VIIIandTiangong Itook apart after flying together for 12 days. On the 14th of November, the two spacecrafts finished the second docking. ThenShenzhou VIIIparted fromTiangong Iagain and returned to the earth safely on the 17th.Tiangong Iis still traveling around the earth in the space, waiting for the arrival ofShenzhou IXandXand so on in the near future.
_ marked another great leap for China's space program and made China the third country in the world, after the United States and Russia, to master the space docking technique .
The world's first space docking was achieved in 1966, when the manned U.S, spacecraft Gemini 8 (8) docked with an unmanned Agena Target Vehicle . Space docking is necessary to explore space beyond Earth's orbit. "The capability increases China's ability to act independently in space, as well as its ability to work together with others," said Gregory Kulacki, a U.S. space scientist and senior analyst.
"With the success of its first space docking, China is now equipped with the basic technology and ability required for the construction of a space station," said Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program." The country is on its way to building a permanent manned space station around 2020."
Options:
A China has caught up with the United States in the space exploration field.
B China took a step closer to building its own space station.
C China became the first country to master the space docking technique.
D China has the ability to build a permanent manned space station right now.
Answer:
B China took a step closer to building its own space station.
Question:
What did the success of the first space docking mean to China? | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes, which made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect. And that led it to be adopted by a much larger tribe--the business tribe.
You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery. So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used your brain to make a living, rather than your hands. It showed you were serious. It showed you were a professional. It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one. It was just impossible to take seriously a man who didn't wear a piece of color1ed silk around his neck.
This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world. They are part of the uniform of business.
"Ties offer a point of indifference," says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers. "They give a chance to say something about their own personality."
So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly color1ed tie, there is a good chance that he is the office joker. There is also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly color1ed socks.
Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising. Tie wearing seems to be rare among the new bread of entrepreneurs in the Internet and new technology industries. Many political leaders,including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, now go without ties. This shows they are men of the people--but not the people wearing ties.
Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the Western world to wear hats as part of their business uniform. That changed with the election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency of the United States. Kennedy never wore a hat in fact his nickname was"hatless Jack". Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to, either. Hats simply vanished across the Western world. Perhaps"tieless Tony"(UK Prime Minister Tony Blair) will have the same effect as "hatless Jack".
Options:
A Blair is the best leader in the world
B Kennedy is the best leader in the world
C millions of people will go to work without a tie
D people will wear hats instead of ties
Answer:
C millions of people will go to work without a tie
Question:
The writer may hold the opinion that _ . | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: A man died and was on his way to another world, either heaven or hell . He saw an extremely grand palace half way and the owner of the palace asked him to stay and live in the palace.
The man said, "I have been working hard during my life and now I just want to eat and sleep without any work."
The owner of the palace said, "If so, there is nowhere else better than here for you. There is plenty of seafood and delicacies in my palace, and you can eat whatever you like without anyone stopping you. And nothing needs to be done by you." Then, the man settled down in the palace.
At the beginning, the man felt very happy at the cycle of eating and sleeping. But gradually, he felt a bit lonely and void. So he went to the palace owner and said, "It is very bored to live by just eating and sleeping every day. Now I show no interest in this kind of life any more. Could you help me find a job?"
The owner replied, "Sorry, there is no job here at all."
After another several months, the man could not go on with the life and went to the palace owner again, "I really can not stand this kind of life any more. If you do not offer me a job, I would prefer to go to hell instead of living here."
The owner of the palace smiled contemptuously , "Do you think it is heaven here? It is actually hell!"
,. (10)
Options:
A on his way home
B on his way to hell
C on his way to heaven
D on his way to another world after his death
Answer:
D on his way to another world after his death
Question:
The man saw a really grand palace _ . | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Mary likes English very much. She works hard. She reads English every morning. She likes speaking English. She often listens to the radio. She watches TV only on Saturday evening. Does she like dancing? No, she doesn't. But she likes drawing and singing. Her parents like her very much. And all the teachers and her friends like her, too.
Options:
A TV
B to TV
C the radio
D to the radio
Answer:
D to the radio
Question:
She often listens _ . | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: If you're ever apart from your children, a new study says just talking on the phone will help just as much as a hug .
If you're a parent who spends long hours on the job, you probably feel sorry for spending so
much time away from your kids. But the results of a new study show that a mother's voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact .
In an experiment, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked a group of girls between the age of 7 and 12 to solve math problems in front of judges --- a stressful situation for anyone. Before the girls were set to solve math problems, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones : cortisol, which goes up during stressful periods, and oxytocin, the "love" hormone.
After they were finished, some of the girls got to meet up with their mothers right away. The mums came in and hugged the girls. Another group of the girls didn't see their mothers, but received phone calls from them, in which their mothers told them how well they'd done. The final group had no contact with their mothers, but watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins instead. Finally, the girls' hormone levels were measured again. Although the movie was interesting, it did nothing to ease the children's anxiety ---- but, surprisingly, both the physical contact and phone calls from their mothers had the same effect on easing the girls' stress levels.
So, no matter how old you are, if you're feeling stressed about something in your life, a phone
call to Mom might be just the key to help you feel better.
Options:
A it is easy for girls to solve math problems
B the girls who had watched the movie remained anxious
C mothers should hug their kids as often as possible
D older girls have higher cortisol than younger ones.
Answer:
B the girls who had watched the movie remained anxious
Question:
According to the passage, we can infer that _ . | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: James Naismith was a Canadian. He invented basketball in 1891. At that time. He was a P.E. teacher a Springfield College,. In the USA.. He invented an indoor game for his students so that they could play it even in bad weather.
Do you know how to score points in the game? Well, just put the ball into the other side's basket. You can throw the ball into the basket from any part if the court. And you can throw it with one hand or both hands. But you must follow the rules.
Now, over a century later,. More and more people play basketball ..In the USA. ,the NBA is very popular. People from all over the world like to watch and play basketball. They love this game.
,A, B, C, D,. (10)
Options:
A You must put the ball into the other side's basket to score.
B You must follow the rules.
C You can only throw it with both hands
D You can throw the ball into the basket from any part of the court.
Answer:
C You can only throw it with both hands
Question:
Which of the following sentences is not right? | race_all | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: If you see someone drowning, speed is very important. Once you get him out of water, if he isn't breathing, you have four minutes before his brain is completely destroyed. Support his neck, tilt his head back and press his chin upwards. This stops the tongue blocking the airway in the throat and is sometimes enough to get him breathing again.
If that doesn't work, start mouth-to-mouth breathing. Press his nostrils together with your fingers. Open your mouth and take a deep breath. Blow into his lungs until his chest rises, then remove your mouth and watch his chest fall. Repeat twelve times a minute. Keep doing until help arrives.
To bring a child back to life, keep your lips around his mouth and nose and gently blow into his mouth. Give the first four breaths as quickly as possible to fill the blood with oxygen. If, in spite of your efforts, he starts turning a blue-gray color1, and you can feel no pulse,then pressing is the last chance of saving his life.
With arms straight, rock forwards, pressing down on the lower half of the breastbone. Don't be too hard or you may break a rib. Check how effective you are by watching if his color1 improves or his pulse becomes independent to your chest pressing. If this happens, stop the pressing. Otherwise continue until help arrives.
Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
Options: A: If a drowning man can't breathe again in four minutes, his brain will be completely destroyed.
B: If you see someone drowning, you must give him mouth-to -mouth breathing.
C: When you bring a drowning child back to life, you should give him as many breaths as possible.
D: When pressing, you can do it as hard as you can.
A | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: It is a very nice morning. Betty and her mother are on a big bus. There are many people on the bus. Some are from America. Some are from England and some are from Japan. They are friends. They are going to the International Trade City . There are two Chinese on the bus. They are a young man and a young woman. They can speak English. The Chinese young man is the driver of the bus. The woman is talking about the Commodity Fair . The others are all listening to her. They like the city.
Question: The Chinese people on the bus can speak _ .
Options: A: Japanese
B: Chinese
C: English
D: Chinese and English
D | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I'd know better. I'd really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.
My cherished boys, I hope you learn humility by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you'll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.
I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract in your head.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole . I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don't care if you try beer once, but I hope you won't like it.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.
I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor's window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you--tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.
Question: Why does the author write the letter?
Options: A: To show the boys it's not easy growing up.
B: To teach the boys dos and don'ts on the way growing up.
C: To help the boys to avoid making mistakes on the way growing up.
D: To encourage the boys to fully experience life on the way growing up.
D | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: "I left Tangier, my birthplace, the 13th of June 1325 with the intention of making the pilgrimage to Mecca... to leave all my friends both female and male, to abandon my home as birds abandon their nests." So begins an old manuscript in a library in Paris-the travel journal of Ibn Battuta.
Almost two centuries before Columbus, Ibn Battuta set off for Mecca, returning home three decades later as one of history's great travelers. Driven by curiosity, he journeyed to remote comers of the Islamic world, traveling through 44 modern countries, three times as far as Marco Polo. Little celebrated in the West, his name is well known among Arabs. In his hometown of Tangier, a square, a hotel, a cafe, a ferry boat, and even a hamburger are named after him.
Ibn Battuta stayed in Mecca as a student for several years, but the urge to travel soon took over. In one adventure, he traveled to India seeking profitable employment with the sultan of Delhi.On the way, he described his group being attacked in the open country by 80 men on foot, and two horsemen. "We fought... killing one of their horsemen and about twelve of the foot soldiers... I was hit by an arrow and my horse by another, but God in his grace preserved me... ". In Delhi, the sultan gave him the position of judge, based on his _ study at Mecca. But the sultan had an unpredictable character, and Ibn Battuta looked for an opportunity to leave. When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China, he agreed. IbnBattuta set off in three ships, but misfortune struck while he was still on the shore. A sudden storm grounded and broke up two ships, scattering treasure and drowning many people and horses. As he watched, the third ship with all his belongings and slaves (one carrying his child), was carried out to sea and never heard from again.
After a lifetime of incredible adventures, Ibn Battuta was finally ordered by the sultan of Morocco to return home to share his wisdom with the world. Fortunately, he agreed and wrote a book that has been translated into numerous...
Question: It can be inferred from the text that _ .
Options: A: Ibn wasn't fond of the sultan of Delhi
B: Ibn never liked ancient China
C: Ibn was a good friend of Marco Polo
D: Ibn dedicated the book to his child
A | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: My Left Foot (1989)
Imagine _ , unable to make any movements except to move your left foot. The main character in My Left Foot,based on the real story of cerebral palsy sufferer Christy Brown,can barely move his mouth to speak, but by controlling his left foot, he's able to express himself as an artist and poet. For his moving performance of Brown, Daniel Lewis won his first Academy Award for best actor.
Shine (1996)
Do you have a talent you're afraid to share with the world? David Helfgott seemed meant from childhood to be "one of the truly great pianists," but the pressures of performing (and pleasing his father) resulted in a complete breakdown. Ten years in a mental hospital didn't weaken Helfgott's musical gift: When he was rediscovered, he was playing concertos in a bar. Shine received seven Oscar nominations , and Geoffrey Rush won best actor for his performance of Helfgott.
Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Nothing's more powerful than the love between a parent and a child. In this heartbreaking Italian film, a father (Roberto Benigni) makes an unbelievable sacrifice for his 4-year-old son: trapped in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, the Jewish man convinces his boy that they are playing a complicated game. He manages to spare him the horror of the terrible war, and even in his final moments of life, keeps his son smiling and hopeful. Benigni won the best actor Oscar.
Stand and Deliver (1988)
Few people can inspire us more than a good teacher. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos got Oscar nomination for best actor) is a great one. Employed at a high school where kids are expected to fail, Escalante challenges his math students to struggle for better things, like getting good grades in the AP exam. Despite the obstacles in their lives, the classmates achieve their goals, thanks to Mr. Escalante's support. The real Jaime Escalante, the Best Teacher in America, says that Stand and Deliver is "90% truth, 10% drama."
Question: Which of the following is true according to the four movies' information?
Options: A: My Left Foot was directed by Christy Brown
B: Geoffrey Rush stayed in a mental institution for ten years
C: Edward James Olmos received nomination for best actor Oscar
D: Jaime Escalante has a talent for playing the piano
C | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: Bit by bit, the sand dust that fills the sky is dying down. The blue sky and the burning sun once again hang over the desert.
He is on the road, driving his beat-up yellow cab. The sides of the road are littered with damaged vehicles. Masses of smoke in the distance tell him that a war is being dragged on throughout his country.
It's a fine day despite the choking heat. Not a breath of wind is blowing.
A group of vehicles are traveling towards him, carrying many passengers. The scene reminds him of the market days in this country when crowds of trucks transport folks to the markets; the only difference is, this time, they are not trucks, but tanks, carrying foreigners, guns in hand. He stares at them. They stare back. So they pass by one another.
"The damned war!" he whispers bitterly. Two days ago, a bomb fell on the market in front of his house, destroying nearly everything in sight. He survived by luck. He decided then and there that he would give up this cab business. This will be his final run. After this, he will leave this place together with his wife and children.
"Shala and my children, we'll soon meet each other again, after I'm done here." He turns his head to take a glance at a photo of his wife and children. The glass on the frame is broken, but their smiles in the picture do not fail to provide him with the only comfort that he has.
Shortly he arrives at a checkpoint. Tanks sit by the side of the road, the sight of which sends a marked coldness through his backbone. A bunch of soldiers armed to the teeth stand by. A foreign soldier signals him to stop. He calms himself down and pulls over. During the past few days, nearly no civilian vehicles come out of the capital city, his car being the only one on roads.
A few foreign soldiers come up to him, one, two, three, four, five. The leader bends over to have a look at the old car, then at him. "Where do you come from and where are you going?" With a smile on his face, he answers with a broken speech in the tongue that the soldier can understand,...
Question: What is this passage mainly about?
Options: A: A cruel war going on in the country.
B: A brave defender of the country.
C: A cab driver's last business run.
D: A moving talk between a civilian and a soldier.
B | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: The fact that blind people can see things using parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us to understand our feelings about color.If they can sense color differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color without knowing it.Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in green wrappings, that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics should never be packed in brown.These discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color psychology.
Some of our preferences are clearly psychological.Dark blue is the color of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color connected with energy and encouragement.Experiments have shown that colors, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people's mind.People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure.Red is exciting.Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color.Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a closer study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow colors that stop buses, trucks and cars.
Question: The passage tells us that salesmen have _ .
Options: A: tried colors on blind people
B: found out that colors affect sales
C: developed a special subject of color psychology
D: discovered the relationship between color and psychology
B | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Article: There once was a very honest shopkeeper whose business was to provide goods to the local people. He would open his shop at 8:00 a.m. after having his breakfast and at 1:00 p.m. he would go for lunch. In the evening at 8:30 p.m. he closed his shop to complete his daily routine.
However, to get time for lunch was really difficult because he didn't have anybody to help him at that time. Therefore, it was his daily practice that whichever customer was shopping at 1:00 p.m. would be asked to oversee the shop until the shopkeeper returned from lunch.
One day, a group of four thieves planned to steal from his shop while he was gone for lunch. One of the thieves went at 1:00 p.m. to be the customer that would be asked to oversee the shop.
The thief, pretending to be a customer, went in at 1:00 p.m. and started buying several items. As planned, the shopkeeper asked the thief to sit on his chair for thirty minutes until he returned from lunch. Then, the other three thieves quickly came and told the pretend customer to help, but something had changed within him and he knew deeply in his heart that if he was given responsibility for the shop, he should not perform any dishonest acts during that time. His friends did not agree. As the now honest man tried to stop them, they resisted and a fight started. And at the same time the shopkeeper returned and asked why there was a fighting. The now honest man explained the entire plan. The shopkeeper had been searching for an honest man who could take ownership of the shop and run it. The shopkeeper felt that he had found the right man.
Question: What is the problem for the shopkeeper?
Options: A: Nobody could prepare lunch for him every day.
B: He had nobody to keep the shop when he went for lunch.
C: He was too busy to have lunch every day.
D: He couldn't find a person to work at the shop.
B | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Read the article and select the best answer.
Article: One day when some government officials were building a barn , they found a mouse hole in a corner and used smoke to make the mice inside the hole come out. A while later they indeed saw mice running out, one after another. Then, everyone thought that all the mice had escaped. But just as they began to clean up, they saw two mice squeezing out at the mouth of the hole. With some efforts, the mice finally got out. However, it was strange that after they came out of the hole, they didn't run away immediately. Instead, one chased after the other near the mouth of the hole. It seemed that one was trying to bite the tail of the other.
Everyone was puzzled , so they stepped near to take a look. They realized that one of the mice was blind and couldn't see anything, and the other was trying to allow the blind mouse to bite on his tail so that he could pull the blind one with him to escape.
After seeing what happened, everyone was speechless and lost in thought. During the meal time, the group of people sat down in a circle and started to chat about what happened to the two mice.
One serious American official said, "I think the relationship between those mice was that of king and guard ." The other thought for a while and said, "That is why!"
A smart Frenchman said, "I think the relationship between those two mice was that of husband and wife." Again the others thought for a while, and all felt it made sense.
A Japanese said, "I think the relationship between those two mice was that of mother and son." Once again the others thought for a while, and felt this was more reasonable. So they expressed agreement another time.
At that moment, one Chinese asked, "Why did those two mice have to have a certain relationship?"
Suddenly, the group looked back at the Chinese and stayed speechless. The American official, the French and the Japanese who had spoken earlier all lowered their heads in shame , and did not dare to answer.
In fact, the true love is not built on friendship, loyalty or blood relationship.
Instead, it is...
Question: The words "it made sense" probably mean _
Options: A: it was correct
B: it was strange
C: it was funny
D: it was sweet
A | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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Read the article and select the best answer.
Article: Long ago ,there lived in Greece a learned man. He was so well known for his good knowledge of almost everything that lots of people from all over the country came to learn from him. The great man taught his students whole-heartedly and answered their questions with great patience.
One day a student asked him, " My dear teacher, didn't you say you yourself have many ,many more questions about things than we do? But I think we students have far more than you."
With a smile on his face, the teacher drew two circles ,one as large as a big cake, the other smaller. Then he said , "Of course, I have learned much more. But it's wrong to think that a teacher has fewer questions than his students. Now, look at these two circles. The inside of the bigger one is my knowledge of things, and the inside of the smaller one is yours. Out of the circles is what is still unknown to us. Since mine is larger, I have to use the longer line to draw the bigger circle. That means I have more opportunities to face what is still unknown. And that's why I myself have more questions than you do. The more you learn , the more questions you have. You will never learn enough ,you know."
Question: The student didn't agree that _ .
Options: A: the teacher had so many questions as a learned man
B: the teacher had so many questions
C: the students had fewer questions than the teacher
D: the students had more questions than 0the teacher
C | race_all | Select the best answer | 1tasky
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After numerous warnings over the years, you thought coffee probably had a negative effect on your health. Perhaps the drink is not so bad after all.
The new study, conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), has been published and suggests that coffee does not have a harmful effect on your health. Researchers suggest, based on data examined, older adults who drink a lot of coffee, have a lower risk of death when compared to their non-drinking coffee peers.
The team of researchers conducting the study analyzed data on 400,000 U. S. men and women,aged 50 to 71 years; the individuals had participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. This study started in 1995-1996 and was tracked until the day a participant passed away, or Dec. 31, 2008.
According to a press release on the report, researchers shared that coffee drinkers are "less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the relationship was not seen for cancer."
Results indicated participants that drank three or more cups of coffee a day reduced their risk of death by 10 percent. Based on the findings that both caffeinated and non-caffeinated coffee found similar results, researchers are thinking caffeine is not the protective ingredient , although which ingredient in coffee might be, they are not sure.
Researchers indicate that despite these observational findings, they caution it is not clear whether or not drinking coffee actually extends life expectancy.
"Coffee is one of the most widely drunk drinks in America, but the relationship between coffee consumption and risk of death has been unclear. We found coffee consumption to be associated with lower risk of death overall, and of death from a number of different causes," said Neal Freedman, Ph. D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI.
"Although we cannot infer a relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some comfort that coffee drinking does not...
The passage is mainly about _ .
A) medical benefits of coffee
B) the importance of drinking coffee
C) coffee's negative effects on health
D) new study results on coffee
D | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Franz Kafka wrote that " _ "I once shared this sentence with a class of seventh graders, and it didn't seem to require any explanation.
We'd just finished John Steinbeck's novelOf Mice and Men. When we read the end together out loud in class, my toughest boy, a star basketball player, wept a little, and so did I. "Are you crying?" one girl asked, as she got out of her chair to take a closer look. "I am," I told her, "and the funny thing is I've read it many times."
But they understood. When George shoots Lennie, the tragedy is that we realize it was always going to happen. In my 14 years of teaching in a New York City public middle school, I've taught kids with imprisoned parents, abusive parents, irresponsible parents; kids who are parents themselves; kids who are homeless; kids who grew up in violent neighborhoods. They understand, more than I ever will, the novel's terrible logic--the giving way of dreams to fate .
For the last seven years, I have worked as a reading enrichment teacher, reading classic works of literature with small groups of students from grades six to eight. I originally proposed this idea to my headmaster after learning that a former excellent student of mine had transferred out of a selective high school--one that often attracts the literary-minded children of Manhattan's upper classes--into a less competitive setting. The daughter of immigrants, with a father in prison, she perhaps felt uncomfortable with her new classmates. I thought additional "cultural capital" could help students like her develop better in high school, where they would unavoidably meet, perhaps for the first time, students who came from homes lined with bookshelves, whose parents had earned Ph. D.'s.
Along withOf Mice and Men, my groups read: Sounder, The Red Pony, Lord of the Flies, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. The students didn't always read from the expected point of view. About The Red Pony, one student said, "it's about being a man, it's about manliness. "I had never before seen the parallels between...
To the author's surprise, the students read the novels _ .
A) creatively
B) passively
C) repeatedly
D) carelessly
A | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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FOR most people, life without plants is unimaginable. They feed us, clean up our air and brighten up our gardens. But what if someone told you that even our smartphones can benefit from plants?
Meet the scientists from the Freiburg University of Mining and Technology in Germany. According to reports from Reuters, they have come up with a way to take the important element germanium from plants.
The element was first discovered in Germany (hence the name) and was used to develop the first transistor because it can transport electricity very quickly. Nowadays, silicon-germanium alloy plays an important role in making computers, smartphones and fiber-optic cables .
Although germanium can be found in soil around the world, it is difficult to extract . In the traditional process, people take the material after zinc mining or burning coal. But the Freiburg scientists decided to fall back on the natural world.
Biology professor Hermann Heilmeier is one of the scientists who are using common plants for this uncommon process. "Different energy crops are being planted, for example, sunflowers, corn ... we want to use them for phytomining. In German we call it 'mining with plants'."
Others have used this method in the past with metals like gold and copper . But in their study, the Freiburg scientists brought germanium from the soil into the roots and shoots of the plants, harvested them and then took the element from the plants. The process did not cost too much because germanium can be taken after plants are processed for use as biogas . So many of the costs are already covered in existing biogas plants.
However, there is still a lot of work to do before we can all experience the benefits. At the moment germanium can only be harvested in very small amounts, just a few milligrams per liter. Now scientists are working on different plants to improve this.
"As is so often the case, industry is still waiting because they want to see everything already working. Then they say, 'We'll have it.' But of course we have...
Which of the following statements would Professor Martin Bertau agree with?
A) Many businesses have already started contributing money to this research.
B) Industry and science have stronger and closer connections than is generally expected.
C) People from related industries showed no interest in extracting germanium from plants.
D) Germanium has to be extracted from plants in large quantities before this type of extraction becomes industrialized.
D | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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When her five daughters were young, Helene An always told them that there was strength in unity .To show this, she pick up one chopstick, taking it as one person.Then she easily broke it into two pieces.Next, she tied several chopsticks together, taking them as a family.She showed the girls it was hard to break the tied chopsticks.This lesson about family unity stayed with the daughters as they grew up
Helene An and her family own a large restaurant business in California.However, when Helene and her husband Danny left their home in Vietnam in 1975, they didn't have much money.They moved their family to San Francisco.There they joined Danny's mother, Diana, who owned a small Italian sandwich shop.Soon afterwards, Helene and Diana changed the sandwich shop into a small Vietnamese restaurant.The five daughters helped in the restaurant when they were young.However, Helene did not want her daughters to always work in the family business because she thought it was too hard.
Eventually the girls all graduated from college and went away to work for themselves, but one by one, the daughters returned to work in the family business.They opened new restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles.Even though family members sometimes disagreed with each other, they worked together to make the business successful.Daughter Elisabeth explains, "Our mother taught us that to succeed we must have unity, and to have unity we must have peace.Without the strength of the family, there is no business."
With three generations of Ans working together, now the Ans'business makes more than $20 million each year.Although they began with a small restaurant, they had big dreams, and they worked together.Now they are a big success.
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A) How to Run a Corporation Well
B) Strength Comes from Peace
C) How to Achieve a Big Dream
D) Family Unity Builds Success
D | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Sixty-year-old grandmother, Fiona McFee, is going to stop working next year and she decided to realize a childhood dream and sail around the coast of Scotland in a small boat. Although the inside of the boat is very _ it has no running water or electricity. Fiona says she can live without these things but she plans to take her small CD player, her hot water bottle and a bag of books to make sure life isn't too uncomfortable.
We asked her if she was afraid of being at sea for so long. She said, "Well, I'm going to take a good compass . Anyway I'm not afraid of death because I love the sea---I just hope it loves me." Fiona certainly has plenty of energy; in her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, rock-climbing, canoeing and dancing. Although she is sixty, she doesn't want to have a quiet and peaceful life. "I'm looking forward to having fun in the rest of my life and that's exactly why I'd like to be a sailor for a while."
The reason why she would like to have the sail is that _ .
A) she thinks it will be very exciting
B) she likes sports and enjoys canoeing
C) she has decided to realize a childhood dream
D) she wants to be still active when she gets old
D | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Dear Miss Manners,
Friends of mine lost their home in a house fire.It was terrible.Another friend set up a "go fund me" type page for friends and funnily to donate and help the couple.Many friends, including me, helped with money, meals, lamprey and their dog while 'they were getting back on their feet.
Last week, they sent thank-you notes.My roommate received one addressed to her and I did not The notes were not in modularized; it was a printed one-size-fits-all message.My roommate realized I didn't receive a thank you, so she sent a private message to the couple just letting them know I had been left out.I didn't know she had done this until later.
The next day, I got a text message apologizing and saying that I had been left out because their friend who addressed the notes must have missed me!(Miss Manners, they didn't even address the notes themselves!)It was accompanied by a picture of the thank-you note, which was texted to me with- the message, "Here is a thank you just for you. "
I was a little annoyed.I helped them in their fume of need and didn't get a second thought.I have not responded to her text message.Is it fair of me to consider this friendship over? Should I tell her that I am upset, or should I accept that this rude thank you was better than nothing?
For what purpose did Mary write the letter?
A) To start a public donation for the unlucky couple.
B) To teach us how to see the true colors of friendship.
C) To tell us to loam a lesson from her story
D) To ask for advice on how to deal with her annoyance.
D | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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When I was five years old. I took a boat out on the river and went fishing by myself. I really wanted to catch a fish! But they were not biting.
I stayed in my boat for three days, waiting. A few times, I thought I felt a fish at the end of the line. The first time I pulled in my catch, it was not a fish; it was an old bag. The second time, it was a shoe. Finally, at the end of the third day, I felt a strong pull at the end of the line. The pull was so strong they my boat raced around and around. I needed all my power just to hold onto the fishing rod. I pulled, and I pulled and I caught the biggest fish that ever swam on the Earth! It was heavier than everyone in this room put together! Then something terrible happened!
After I pulled the huge fish into my boat, I saw that the boat was going under water! Water was coming into the boat from all sides! I was not a very good swimmer, so I was scared.
Although it was the hardest choice I ever made. I had to let the fish go. I pushed it back over the side of the boat, and we waved good-bye to each other as it swam away.
Why did the writer let the fish go?
A) The fish bit people
B) The fish was too small to keep
C) The boat started to go under water.
D) There was a hole in the side of the boat.
C | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Sagrada Familia ( 2,056,448 visits/year)
Opening hours: 09:00--18:00 (October--March); 09:00--20:00 (April--September)
Admission: $ 11, or $ 10 with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled Access: Yes.
The temple have been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project's vast scale and its special design have made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years.
La Pedrera (1,133,220 visits/year)
Opening hours: November--February: 09:00--18:30; March--October: 09:00--20:00
Admission: $ 9.50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled Access: No.
This building used to be called Casa Mila but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera. It is a unique modernist building in Barcelona and was made of bricks and had colorful tiles . It was built between 1906 and 1912 by famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852--1926) and in 1984 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site with other Gaudi buildings in Barcelona. Visitors to La Pedrera can see the amazing 800 square meters attic with 270 brick arches that give you a feeling that you are walking inside the skeleton of a whale. The roof is equally impressive and is preserved exactly the way that it was built in 1912 with six staircases and seven chimneys each made in a unique style.
Barcelona FC Museum (1,032,763 visits/year)
Opening hours: 6thApril--4thOctober: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00--20:00; the rest of the year: 10:00--18:30
Admission: $ 8.50 for entry to the museum and $ 17 for a guided tour.
Disabled Access: Yes.
When you buy your ticket you have two options. You can buy a ticket for the museum to see the football stadium or you can buy a dual ticket for $ 15 where you get to see the museum and the scenes at the club.
Miro Museum (518,869 visits/year)
Opening hours: Check the web site for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.
Admission: $ 8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.
Disabled Access: Yes.
This museum has a wide range of Miro's work dating back as...
What do we know about the tourist attractions mentioned in the above passage?
A) Sagrada Familia is the largest building in Barcelona.
B) La Pedrera is well-known for its colorful material.
C) Barcelona FC Museum may attract football fans.
D) Miro Museum was built in 1914.
C | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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There are new and exciting ways to use the Internet to learn English while you are on - line. The Internet uses a lot of multimedia elements ,like words, sounds, pictures, animations and video. This is perfect for studying a language because you've got to see, hear, and repeat things as much as you like. Learning over the Internet is also funny because you can be a part of conversations happening all around the globe ! Special Internet sites are designed for people learning English, just like yourself. These sites use multimedia to help you learn and are a great way to meet other people around the world. This is Cyber English.
On the Internet, English is the major language. As a result, it is now more important than ever to be able to understand English when you serve the web. It is not always easy,though. The English can be difficult or have a lot of cultural information that you have never seen !
One site for students studying English and their teachers is Englishtown. At http://www. english- town. com, you will find a community ( group) of people interested in learning English. There are several buildings in the virtual town where you can play games, chat with friends, ask and get answers about cultural questions, and find an international penfriend who shares your interests. There are extra resources to help you learn,such as multimedia CD - ROM and books for language learning and translation. You can also have daily and monthly English lessons delivered to your own e - mail address. There is even an on - line school where you can take English classes over Lhe Internet. Englishtown is the perfect place to prefect for a trip to England or the United States ! Would you like to become part of a virtual community of English sfH-aktrs : Surfing the web is not only funny but can also help improve your English ! Try out >ome of tlv, web sites listed below and see how students all over the world are learning English on line.
The omitted part of the passage might .
A) show us some of the web sites on which sell books
B) tell us how to use the Internet
C) tell us where to get the CD - ROMS we need
D) show us some of the web sites on which English is taught
D | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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A recent study, which was published in last week's Journal of the American Medical Association, offers a picture of how dangerous it is to get a lift from a teenage driver. Indeed, a 16-year-old driver with three or more passengers has three times the possibility of a serious accident, compared with a teenager driving alone.
The authors also found that the death rates for teenage drivers increased greatly after 10 p.m., and especially after midnight. With passengers in the car, the driver was even more likely to die in a late-night accident.
Robert Foss, a scientist at the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, says the higher death rates for teenage drivers have less to do with "really stupid behavior" than with just a lack of driving experience. "The basic issue is that adults who are responsible for giving out licenses fail to recognize how complex and skilled driving is." he says.
Both he and the author of the study believe that the way to mitigate the problem is to have states set up so-called graduated licensing systems, in which getting a license is a process with several stages. A graduated license requires that a teenager first prove himself able to drive in the presence of an adult, followed by a period of driving with night of passenger restrictions before graduating to full driving rights.
Graduated licensing systems have reduced teenage driver crashes, according to recent studies.
Which of the following situations is most dangerous according to the passage?
A) Adults giving a lift to teenagers on the highway after 10 p.m.
B) Adults driving with three or more teenage passengers late at night.
C) A teenager driving after midnight with passengers in the car.
D) A teenager getting a lift from a stranger on the highway at midnight.
C | race_all | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Article: Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821 in Bristol, England. Her father was a rich sugar businessman at the time. Because her parents thought boys and girls should be equal, Elizabeth received the same education as her brothers.
In 1832, her father's business was destroyed by fire, so her family moved to New York City. But her father's business there failed. Then in 1837, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Not long after, her father died. After her father's death, Elizabeth, at the age of 16, had to go to work.
When she was 24, she visited her dying friend Mary. Her friend said, "You're young and strong, you should become a doctor." That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. But she knew this was what she was going to do.
After several rejections from medical schools, she finally was accepted by Geneva Medical College. By studying hard, she graduated successfully in 1849.
After graduating from medical school, she went to Paris to learn more about medicine. She wanted to be a surgeon, but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
When she returned to America in 1851, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. In 1857, Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children. Besides, she also set up the first medical school for women in 1868, where she taught the women students about disease prevention. It was the first time that the idea of preventing disease was taught in a medical school.
Elizabeth Blackwell started the British National Health Society in 1871, which helped people learn how to stay healthy. In 1889, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman doctor in the United States. Most importantly, she fought for the admission of women to medical colleges.
Elizabeth Blackwell died on May 3, 1910, when she was 89.She opened a world of chances for women. She always fought for what was right in all her life. In 1949 the Blackwell...
Question: Elizabeth Blackwell could not become a surgeon because _ .
Yes or no, is the answer "she had a serious eye problem"?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: The creative projects of World Food Program (WFP) focused on preventing hunger from taking hold in the future and breaking the cycle of hunger. Here are some of the ways in which we work to prevent hunger in the future:
School Meals
As well as directly addressing hunger, School Meals projects encourage families to keep their children in school and help them build better futures. If children aren't hungry they will concentrate on their lessons. With a solid education growing children have a better chance of finding their own way out of hunger. These projects benefit girls especially. For more information: www.wfp.org/schools meals.
Food for Assets
WFP's Food for Assets projects provide the hungry with food to lay the foundation for a better tomorrow. When poor farmers no longer have to worry about the next meal, they have the time and energy to build irrigation systems that can increase production. Similarly, Food for Training projects allow the poor to devote time to learning skills that will sustain them economically in the future. For more information: www.wfp.org/food-assets.
HIV/AIDS
WFP uses its food rations to reduce the blow of HIV and AIDS. The agency distributes its rations to people living with HIV and AIDS, so they can keep providing for their families for longer and have time to transfer vital knowledge and skills to the growing number of AIDS children--the next generation of food providers in developing countries. For more information: www.wfp.org/hiv-aids.
Purchase for Progress
WFP buys large amounts of food in developing countries. It has this purchasing power and uses it to help poor farmers contact reliable markets where they can get competitive prices for their produce. With secure markets, farmers will be encouraged to produce more and innovate .The knock-on effect is producing more food for everyone. For more information: www.wfp.ofp/purchase-progress.
Question: AIDS children can benefit from food rations in that _ .
Yes or no, is the answer "they can learn more skills from their parents"?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: GUESS what's making 9 millionprefix = st1 /USteenagers scream at the top of their voices this summer? It's not the Hulk or Iron man hitting someone across a room, but the catchy beat of the music in Disney's latest TV movie Camp Rock, which came out in theUSon June 20. The show attracted more than 8.9 million viewers.
So how does CampRockattract so many viewers? One reason is that it features the hugely popular boy band the Jonas Brothers, whom all the girls seem to _
But what's the story?
Connect Three is a rock group. One member, Shane Gray (Joe Jonas)needs to get rid of his bad boy rocker image, so he's sent by fellow band members Nate (Nick Jonas)and Jason (Kevin Jonas) to a music camp as a guest instructor . The idea is the camp will help him clean up his act.
There he meets Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato), a teenage girl with an extraordinary voice and a driving ambition to be a pop singer. However, she can only afford to be at the expensive camp by helping her mom work in the mess hall between classes.
When Shane overhears Mitchie singing from behind closed doors, he sets out to find the girl with the beautiful voice.
One group of teenagers was really eager to watch the movie. The kids took their positions on the floor to countdown to show time. One of them, Leah Karrels, 16, even sang the movie's theme , We Rock. She explained that she's seen the trailer so many times she knows the words by heart.
The girls cheered when the movie began, and for the next two hours the only time they got up was to run for chocolate ice cream cake from the freezer.
"I'm sure this is going to knock High School Musical off the shelves in stores. This is the next big thing," said Leah.
Question: It can be inferred from the passage that
Yes or no, is the answer "The girls loved the movie so much that they even hardly wanted to get up"?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: Cosmo Books Ltd., 14, Woodman Road,
Hertford Estate, Two Bridges,
Rickmansworth, West Sussex.
Middx.
25thFebruary
Dear sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a 'remarkable' price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds , and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgement, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no...
Question: Simon Walker wrote the letter to _
Yes or no, is the answer "urge Cosmo Books Ltd. to take away the books he had not ordered."?
Yes | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: Eight years ago, my 13-year-old son, Dustin, became very ill with a heart enlarged. For several months, he lived on life support as we were forced to stand by and watch him wither away. ks5u
While his friends were out playing baseball, and sleeping in their own beds, my son was in a hospital bed, attached to a machine that kept his heart beating. As a mother, my first reaction after crying was anger, and then I played the bargaining game: "Take my life for his, Lord. I've lived my life but he still has so much to do." People all around me were praying for a heart to become available, but it made me so angry and confused because I knew for that to happen, someone else's child would have to die. How could anyone pray for that?
I still remember so clearly the morning we got the call that there was a heart. As we stood in Dustin's hospital room watching them prepare him for surgery, we experienced the true definition of bittersweet. His dad and I realized that at the precise moment we were standing there with so much hope and so much love, another family somewhere was saying goodbye. We knelt down together and cried, and we prayed for them and we thanked them for giving such a selfless gift. To our amazement, just 10 days later, Dustin got to come home for the first time in many months. He had received a second chance at life. Over the next two years, he got to go to high school, learn to drive and put his brand new heart to good use volunteering at the homeless shelter and helping the elderly.
Dustin's new heart failed him when he was 16. A tragedy, yes, but we have to see it as the miracle it was. We received two precious years with him that we would never have had without organ donation. We have more pictures, more memories and a great satisfaction in knowing that he was able to experience some of the most exciting times and milestones in a teenager's life. When he died, difficult as it was for us, we knew that it would be Dustin's wish to give back. His eyes went to someone who wanted to see. Someone...
Question: The text mainly wants to tell us that _ .
Yes or no, is the answer "an act of kindness can mean a lot"?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: Cellphone feels like a part of your body? A global survey has found that most people can't live without their mobiles, never leave home without them and, if given a choice, would rather lose their wallet.[: _ ]
Calling mobile phones the "remote control" for life, market research firm Synovate's poll said cell phones are so ubiquitous that by last year more humans owned one than did not.
Three-quarters of the more than 8,000 respondents polled online in 11 countries said they take their phone with them everywhere, which Russians and Singaporeans the most attached.
More than a third also said they couldn't live without their phone, topped by Taiwanese and again Singaporeans, while one in four would find it harder to replace the mobile than their purse.
Some two thirds of respondents go to bed with their phones nearby and can't switch them off, even though they want to, because they're afraid they'll miss something.
Mobiles have changed the nature of relationships, with the survey finding a fifth of all respondents set up first dates via text and almost the same number use the same method to end a love affair.
Apart from the obvious calling and SMS-ing, the top three features people use regularly on their mobile phones globally are the alarm clock, the camera and the games.
As for email and Internet access, 17 percent of respondents said they checked their inboxes or surfed the Web on their phones, led by those in the United States and Britain.
One in 10 respondents log onto social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace regularly via mobile, again led by Britain and the United States.[:Zxxk.Com]
Not everyone is tech savvy , however,37 percent of respondents said they don't know how to use all the functions on their phone.
Question: Which would be the best title of the passage?
Yes or no, is the answer "People would rather lose their wallet than their cellphone."?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: Parents need to be good role models to help their children make sensible financial decisions, according to Adam Hancock and his team, from East Caronlina University in the US. Their work highlights that parents who argue about finances contribute to increasing credit card debt among their children during their students years. Their work is published online in Springer's Journal of Family and Economic Issues.
Credit card debt among college students has been a growing concern for researchers and policymakers over the last decade. In addition, there is growing concern among educators that more students are dropping out of school, not because of academic failure, but because of financial reasons, and credit card especially.
Hancock and colleagues' study is the first to examine how parental interactions, and financial knowledge and attitudes may have a cumulative effect on the number of credit cards students own and their level of credit card debt.
The researchers analyzed data for 420 undergraduate students from seven different American universities, who took part in the College Student Financial Literacy Survey. According to the online survey, nearly two-thirds of students had a credit card, and nearly a third had more than one. Those students who reported that their parents argued about finances were more likely to have more than two cards than the students whose parents who did not argue about finances.
In terms of debt, those students who had two or more credit cards were nearly three times more likely to report having credit card debt over $500.
The researchers conclude, "It is clear that the influence of parents cannot be neglected. Researchers, educators and policymakers should work in finding effective ways to increase the positive financial behaviors for college students. We need to help students learn financial skills and establish healthy financial attitudes at earlier ages to prevent poor financial habits from taking root. "
Question: As a student, what can you learn from the passage?
Yes or no, is the answer "We should build correct financial attitudes when we are young."?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: Mr. Backer is a kind-hearted man. Once he gave some food to a poor woman . Mr White, the boss of the restaurant, found it and became angry. He often gave the leftovers to some poor workers. Mr. Backers lost his work for it. It was difficult for him to find work in the small country though he was an able cook. The war made all stop. Children couldn't go to school, most shops were closed, even some farmers were hungry. Some people were made to leave their houses and they had to find the safe places. It was an autumn night. Mr Backer hadn't any food to eat and went to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep, because he was very hungry . suddenly he heard a noise in his room. He saw a man looking for something useful there. He said nothing and watched it carefully. At last the man took a few old clothes out of a broken paper box and took them away. He got up from his bed quickly and followed him gently , with his _ on his back. The man didn't find him and went into a small and wet house. Mr. Backer also went in and saw there was nothing in the room. The thief saw him and was surprised. He asked, "What did you come here for?" "You have carried my things here," said Mr. Backer. "I have to move here, too!"
Question: Mr. Backer couldn't go to sleep because _ .
Yes or no, is the answer "he was hungry"?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.
Question: Which of the following is what the writer doesn't say in the passage?
Yes or no, is the answer "People are happy when their friends leave them."?
Yes | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Article: He may not have an "S" across his chest but this dog is most certainly a hero.
Harley, who was rescued from a puppy mill four years ago, was named the American Humane Association's 2015 American Hero Dog. Harley, who is missing an eye and has other medical issues from his time at the mill, is now a "spokes-dog" against puppy mills. He serves as the adorable furry face of the"Harley to the Rescue"campaign, which raises funds for the National Dog Mill Rescue, according to a press release.
The pup was rescued back in 2011 and adopted by Rudi and her husband, Dan. "It was just four years ago that he was pulled from the cage in the puppy mill and left to die," Harley's owner, Rudi, said during the awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles this past weekend, according to Today. com. "We never would have ever thought he would live this long and make such a difference for so many puppies. "
The dog was one of eight finalists up for the American Hero Dog and was chosen as the winner through public votes. The finalists all won $ 1,500 to be donated to one of American Humane Association' s charity partners, with Harley receiving another $ 5 ,000 to go toward his charity partner, New Leash On Life.
According to the release, Harley spent 10 years at the puppy mill, and endured rough treatment there, which led to his many medical issues. He lost his eye as a result of his cage being power-washed with him inside.
The dog isn't just the face of his campaign, he also goes on rescue missions and makes public appearances at events and schools to raise awareness for puppy mills.
This incredible work is all due to the dog' s fighting spirit. That spirit is allowing him now to be the voice for dogs who cannot speak for themselves and give everybody hope that tomorrow's going to be a better day.
Question: What can we infer about the dog from the text
Yes or no, is the answer "It was kept by Rudi's family."?
No | race_high | Is this the right answer | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: ABC News anchor Peter Jennings died on Aug.7, 2005 at home in New York after a brief battle with lung cancer. ABC News anchors said they hope if anything good can be taken from Jennings' death, it is a great awareness of the dangers of smoking.
"I want to give a message," Barbara Walters said. "If you have kids who are smoking, tell them that we lost Peter."
Lung cancer is the worst killer in America, taking more lives each year than any other cancer, according to the America Cancer Society. About 160,440 Americans die each year of cancer, making up 28 percent of all cancer deaths. More than 87 percent of lung cancers are smoking related.
Dr. Derek Raghavan, director of the Cleveland Clinic' s Taussing Cancer Center , said that once a person stops smoking, he starts getting better. Three to five years after quitting, the possibility of getting lung cancer is reduced by half.
Warning signs of lung cancer can also be mixed with symptoms connected with long-term smoking. The three main warning signs are an increase of coughing that doesn't clear up, coughing up blood and sharp chest pains.
People with those symptoms should see a doctor. Raghavan said there have been promising developments in the treatment of lung cancer, including uses of radiation and surgery and drugs. "But the fact is that stopping smoking is the most important thing we can do," Raghavan said. "There is no treatment that even comes close."
Question:
Anchor Peter Jennings died of lung cancer which was possibly caused by _ .
Options:
A his bad eating habit
B overmuch work
C long-term smoking
D the old age
Answer:
C | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: Moving to a new city and state was difficult for me, especially in winter. Little did I know that a Colorado snowstorm would greet me after I had been in my new home for only a week.
I just missed home. But more than the old house and the beach, I missed Stacey, my best friend. And I missed our lovely tea. Going to a sweet little tearoom, we had discovered was a special treat for us. The place was a Victorian dream, with delicate teacups and tablecloths with flower prints. The hat shelf near the front door swept us back to childhood. Stacey and I became little girls, trying on different hats until we found the perfect one for our dress-up tea party. We would then choose a lovely table and order our tea. That was a precious time, filled with laughter between scones and sharing our lives between tiny cucumber sandwiches.
Springtime descended upon Denver, and the sun lightened my heart. But I still fought loneliness almost every day. I decided to explore the Denver area. While my husband went to the office, I took time to see what our new area had to offer.
One day, I was walking along the street when suddenly the words "Tea Leaves" caught my eye. A tea room? Here, in the land of loneliness and pain?
I walked through the doors, and tears came to my eyes. It was a beautiful room, not Victorian, but simple and lovely.
I sat down and ordered a pot of tea, a cucumber sandwich, and some scones.It felt silly and wonderful --- and it felt like home. For the first time since moving, I felt as if this new city and state could be, would eventually be, my home. I would come back here and bring new friends. When Stacey visited, we would come here.
I lifted my cup and made a silent toast. I toasted Stacey, whom I missed ly, and I toasted the sweet little tearoom that lessened my pain.
Question:
Which of the following about "Tea Leaves" is true?
Options:
A It made the author recall her childhood.
B It looks silly and wonderful.
C Cucumber sandwiches and scones are its specialties.
D It touched the author.
Answer:
D | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: The baby elephant Ishanga was lying in the bushes, scared, starving, and struggling to breathe. Until just a few days before, she had been with her mother, walking through the sweeping grasslands of Tsavo National Park in the African country of Kenya.
The baby's mother was killed, most likely by a poacher. On Wednesday, November 17,2010, an anti-poaching team was removing the deadly wire traps that poachers set throughout the park. Luckily, a member of the team spotted the baby and rushed to help her.
Suddenly, a lion sprang from the bushes and clamped its mouth around her neck. One person managed to pull out his gun and fire shots in the air. The shocked lion released the baby and backed away.
Now the weakened baby had a grave wound on her neck. About 300 miles north of Tsavo is a place that helps baby elephants. Over the years, the orphanage has raised 130 elephants and successfully released them back into the wild.
After a tense wait and a plane ride, the baby's rescuers made it to the orphanage. The medical staff worked frantically to treat her wound. She was scared and wild. She screamed, and wouldn't let any humans get near her, refusing to eat or drink.
After two hours of intense medical care, Ishanga awoke and slowly struggled to her feet. Two keepers and a veterinarian had been with her all night. They were relieved that she seemed to be recovering.
The next day, though Ishanga remained weak, her keepers introduced her to some of the other 14 young elephants living at the orphanage. The keepers stood back as the other elephants extended their trunk in friendly greetings. The older elephants led Ishanga around, giving her a tour of her new home.
Over the past year, Ishanga's wounds have healed. She has made many friends. It'll be up to Ishanga to decide when she's ready to leave the orphanage. Returning to the wild is a long process that can take more than 10 years. For now, she is in no rush to leave this extraordinary community of elephants and humans. Ishanga has a long, happy life ahead of her.
Question:
The passage is mainly about _ .
Options:
A the rescue of a baby elephant
B the importance of animal protection
C a brief introduction to the elephant orphanage
D a story about poachers and an anti-poaching team
Answer:
A | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: On Nov.18,1995,Itzhak Perlman,the violinist,came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, _ him.He was stricken with polio as a child,and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches .
He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair.Then he sits down,slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs,tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward.Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin,nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.
But this time,something went wrong.Just as he fmished the first few bars ,one of the strings on his violin broke.You could hear it snap ---it went off like gunfire across the room.There was no mistaking what that meant.There was no mistaking what he had to do.
We figured that he would have to get up,put on the clasps again,pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage-to either find another violin or else find another string for this one.But he didn't.Instead.he waited a moment,closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
The orchestra began,and he played from where he had left off.And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.
When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.He smiled,wiped the sweat from this brow, raised his bow to quit us,and then he said in a quiet tone."You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.''
Question:
By saying "getting on stage is no small achievement for him", the author really means _ .
Options:
A it's very difficult for Itzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings
B it's not easy for Itzhak Perlman to get on the stage because he is disabled
C it's not easy for ltzhak Perlman to face such a large audience
D it's really great achievements for ltzhak Perlman to play the violin with three strings
Answer:
B | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: Standard English is the formal English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard -- that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling. Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced all written dialect forms -- the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling -- Dr Johnson's Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English -- any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words -- words that your teachers or friends wouldn't understand. You'll lose marks if the examiners can't understand what you say or write. Don't use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don't use them in your coursework, because you won't be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Cliches are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they've become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, "As good as it gets" "At the end of the day" "In the fullness of time" are all cliches. So are images like, "as fierce as a lion" "as cunning as a fox". If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative -- that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So...
Question:
Why do we need to use Standard English?
Options:
A Because no one can understand dialect words.
B Because there are many kinds of English in the world, we need Standard English to make communication easier.
C Because local dialect belongs to certain region, not every one can understand it.
D Because standard English has been used for a long time.
Answer:
C | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: Hit song Little Apple became so popular after it came out in late May. In China, you may hear it on a bus, or even in a small village.
Little Apple is a song for the movie Old Boys: The Way of Dragon. The song's huge success has also made more people see the movie. The comedy took US $17 million in its opening four days.
The song Little Apple is so popular. "After hearing it, it's like "I'm brainwashed " by the song. So I came to see the film." a man said.
"It's a good story. But the reason I'm here at the cinema is the song Little Apple." Hui Qing, a college student, said.
"Many people have come to see the movie, so we added more screenings for it. The film now accounts for 20 percent of the total screenings -- It's quite a good performance for a home-grown movie," a cinema clerk said.
Old Boys: The Way of Dragon is based on an online short film called Old Boys. The 40-minute film about youth and dreams got nearly 70 million views on a video website, and was popular among people born in the 1980s or later.
"What is popular online is a good indication of what will be popular with young people. And this movie is a good example," businessman Chen Su said.
Some have criticized Little Apple for its low quality, but the song continues keeping popular.
Question:
The video Old Boys online is about _ .
Options:
A life and old people
B youth and dreams
C life and dreams
D dreams and hopes
Answer:
B | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: Faced with a tough job market, fresh graduates are dreaming of running their own businesses instead. But a recent survey has showed that such ambitions lack the required support and remain just that -- dreams.
The Shanghai Municipal Employment Promotion Center poll of 1,276 graduates in several universities and colleges in the city, released last Friday, showed 59.78 percent of respondents considered the possibility of setting up a company or at least a small store. "But they just stop at the 'thinking' stage," it stated.
Respondents put the top reasons for not going it alone down to a shortage of investment and a lack of business opportunity. They also listed lack of business experience and social networks, the need for advanced study and objections from family members as factors that stood in their way.
More than 90 percent of the interviewees said they would rather take up a job after graduating and then consider starting their own business two or three years down the road.
Guo Bing, a senior student in Shanghai International Studies University majoring in English, decided he wanted to be his own boss last year. But he is looking for a job first. "If I fail to find a satisfying job, I would like to establish a company in exhibition services," Guo said.
The Shanghai native has some relatives working in a local printing plant. With their help, Guo hopes to produce exhibition brochures at a relatively low price. He is also confident that his English language skills can help him do well in the industry.
"Social networking is an important factor leading to business success," Guo said.
Guo said that the shortage of graduate jobs is the main reason driving more university students to set up a business right after their graduation.
Jiang said the university sets up a business guide team made of government officials and professionals. They regularly give training courses to students who show an interest in having their own business. The parents of university graduates are more willing to help their children start...
Question:
Who is this article mostly intended for?
Options:
A The parents whose child graduates from university soon.
B Those who will graduate from university.
C Those who want to be bosses.
D The officials who work in the government.
Answer:
B | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: American schools do not have separate classes for boys and girls. If boys want to cook or to sew, they can learn these things in classes that are no longer just for girls. If girls want to repair cars, they can now learn this in school. Most students like to have boys and girls on the same baseball team.
Many boys and girls dress alike in school. They were blue jeans and sport shirts. Some have long hair and some have short hair. Sometimes a boy has longer hair than a girl.
Even the language is different. Students learn to say fire fighter instead of fireman, police officer instead of policeman, and letter carrier instead of mailman. A person does not need to be a man to fight a fire or to deliver the mail.
Most people think that these changes are good. They give all people an equal chance to be happy and to do what they want to do with their lives. Fathers like to tell their sons that they can grow up to be president. Today, mothers can tell the same things to there daughters.
Question:
What does "mailman" mean?
Options:
A Milkman
B Postman
C Writer
D Reporter
Answer:
B | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: What should college life be like? Easy, joyful and fun? Unfortunately, facing heavy pressure from a _ job market, many students know that they are facing an even more uncertain future and they are beginning to feel lost, according to a survey. The research, conducted by the Social Survey Institute of China, covers more than 2,000 college students from big cities.
The report shows that about 75 percent enjoy their lives on campus. However, there are still 16.7 percent "lost ones" who think life is boring and aimless, while 8.3 percent complain that they have too much to study.
Around half of the participants have no clear career plan after graduation and 41.7 percent say that they have not thought about it. Only 8.3 percent have a clear blueprint and believe that they can realize their dreams.
58.3 percent of the participants gave a sure answer to the question "Are you a popular guy?", leaving 41.7 percent as unsure. 91.7 percent of the students thought they could get along very well with others, the final 8.3 percent finding it difficult to choose a particular answer.
Answers such as "doing things your own way" and "forget other people's opinions" seemed to be popular among modern college students, with 75 percent agreeing with this attitude. 25 percent said that they worried about opinions of other people.
Objecting to the feeling in Suicide is Painless, most students criticize suicide on campus. 58.3 percent urged school leaders to discover hidden social reasons behind suicide, thus helping to prevent it. 33.3 percent thought students who did suicide couldn't face life's bigger challenges in the future even if they survived. Surprisingly, 8.3 percent admitted that they once wanted to kill themselves, but finally decided against it.
Question:
This article is written to give a report on _ .
Options:
A what the job market really is
B the results of a survey of college students
C how students think about suicide
D why the students like to go to college
Answer:
B | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article:
Article: The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are "rocketboosters" to the brain and better than the other selfhelp books,researchers will say this week.
Scientists,psychologists and the English experts at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of Shakespeare and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind,catches the reader's attention and triggers moments of selfreflection.Using scanners,they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read the works by William Shakespeare,William Wordsworth,T.S Eliot and other classical writers.
They then "translated" the texts into more "straightforward",modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words.Scans showed that the more "challenging" articles and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the modern versions.Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it "lit up" as the readers came across unusual words,surprising phrases or difficult sentence structures.This "lighting up" of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark,shifting the brain to a higher speed,encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry,in particular,increases the activities in the right side of the brain,an area concerned with "autobiographical memory",helping readers to reflect on their own experiences in light of what they have read.The experts said this meant the classics were more useful than selfhelp books.
Philip Davis,an English professor who has worked on the study with the university,will tell a conference this week:"Serious literature acts like a rocketbooster to the brain."
"The research shows the power of classical literature to shift mental pathways,to create new thoughts,shapes and connections in the young and the old alike."
Question:
According to the text,reading classical works can _ .
Options:
A help deal with some physical problems
B benefit our mind and thinking
C improve our reading skills
D help learn more about history
Answer:
B | race_high | Write a multi-choice question for the following article | 1tasky
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: If you exhibit positive characteristics such as honesty and helpfulness, the chances are that you will be thought as a good-looking person, for a new study has found that the perception of physical attractiveness is influenced by a person's personality.
The study, which was led by Gary W.Lewandowski, has found that people who exhibit negative characteristics, such as unfairness and rudeness, appear to be less physically attractive to observers.In the study, the participants viewed photographs of opposite-sex individuals and rated them for attractiveness before and after being provided with information about their personalities.
After personality information was received, participants also rated the probability of each individual' s becoming a friend and a dating partner.Information on personality was found to significantly change the probability, showing that cognitive processes modify judgments of attractiveness.
"Thinking a person as having a desirable personality makes the person more suitable in general as a close relationship partner of any kind," said Lewandowski.
The findings show that a positive personality leads to greater expectation of becoming friends, which leads to greater expectation of becoming romantic partners and, finally, to being viewed as more physically attractive.The findings remained consistent regardless of how "attractive" the individual was formerly thought to be or of the participants' current relationship status.
"This research provides a positive outcome by reminding people that personality goes a long way toward determining your attractiveness; it can even change people's impressions of how good-looking you are," said Lewandowski.
Question: The passage is written in a(n) _ tone.
Options: A: subjective
B: objective
C: sceptical
D: negative
B | race_high | Taking a test | 1tasky
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: What a great Paralympic Games this has been. An outstanding Opening Ceremony, splendid athletic performances in perfect stadiums, the best-ever Paralympic Villages, amazing high definition television coverage, a never ending and self-generating supply of passion and emotion, superb organization, wonderful volunteers, millions of new Paralympic sports lovers both here in China and around the world. These are the greatest Paralympic Games ever.
--Philip Craven, president of the International Paralympic Committee
It was another spectacular show. Perhaps it's not quite as sublimely beautiful as the opening, but a fitting end to what has been a memorable 12 days in the Chinese capital.
The Paralympics were inspiring. Not only the Paralympians themselves, but also the warmth of people in Beijing and the sense of self-respect among the disabled in China that these Games seem to have inspired, as well as a new attitude in general from the government and form Chinese society as a whole.
-- Jeff Z. prefix = st1 /Klein,New YorkTimes
It doesn't get any better for disabled persons living in Beijingthan September 2008, with increased access for them in public areas.
But there are still problems. Some taxi drivers are not willing to pick up wheelchair users. Some companies deliberately break employment laws that ask them to employ a percentage of disabled persons. Many schools haven't opened their door to disabled students.
During the past Paralympics, Chinese society has witnessed firsthand the abilities of disabled persons in sporting. And the next step will be for the abilities of disabled people on the Paralympics to be translated into a realization of their abilities to study, work and go about daily life in a barrier-free society.
-- Eric Roeder, China Daily
Question: During the last Paralympics, Philip Craven has been deeply impressed with all the following except _ .
Options: A: the shocking athletic performances
B: the endless food supply
C: the people's great enthusiasm
D: the perfect sports facilities
B | race_high | Taking a test | 1tasky
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: Peter King, 15, and Mary King, 13, went to see a doctor. Peter had a bad cold, so the doctor gave him some pills to take. Mary had a bad cough, so the doctor gave her some cough medicine.
There are the words on the bottle of the medicine:
Cough Medicine
Shake well before use.
Take three times daily after meals.
At one time: adults --------- 2 teaspoonfuls
Children 8 -- 14 1 teaspoonful
Children 4 -- 7 1/2 teaspoonful
Not suitable for children below the age of 4
Store in a cold place.
Use before Oct.2007.
Question: Mary should take _ in a day.
Options: A: 2 teaspoonfuls
B: 3 teaspoonfuls
C: 4 teaspoonfuls
D: 1 teaspoonful
D | race_high | Taking a test | 1tasky
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: In 1812, in a village near Paris, France, a little boy had a terrible accident. He hit himself in the eye with one of his father's sharp tools, and became blind. His name was Louis Braille, and he was only four years old.
He was a clever little boy, and he soon learned to "see" without his eyes. He touched things, or smelled them, or tasted them. His family described things to him. Although he couldn't see people's faces, he learned to recognize their voices.
After his seventh birthday, Louis went to the little school in the village. But there weren't any books for him. His classmates read his lessons to him and his sisters helped him with his homework. He learned his lessons well, but he couldn't learn to read or write.
In 1819, the village priest told Louis Braille's story to the director of a famous school for blind boys. At this school, boys learned math, grammar, geography, history, and music. And they learned to read!
Louis went to the school in Paris in February, 1819. He loved his classes and received high grades. He learned to play the piano and to knit hats and sweaters. And he learned to read -- with his fingers!
The raised-print letters in the books at school stood up from the surface of the paper. Louis could feel them with his fingers. He was able to recognize some of them easily, but some of them were difficult. The letters had to be very large, and sometimes there were only a few letters on a page. The books were huge and heavy. And they were expensive. There were only fourteen books in the school library!
Louis read the three or four books for his class again and again. He tried to think of a better way to make books for blind people. He experimented with new alphabets.
After about three years, Louis invented a system of raised dots. The other students thought Louis's system was wonderful. They were able to read it easily, and they learned to write, too.
Today, there are thousands of Braille books for blind people.
Louis Braille was only fifteen years old when he invented his wonderful system!
Question: Without his eyes, he could also "see" by _ .
Options: A: touching things
B: smelling or tasting things
C: trying to recognize people's voices
D: all the above ways
D | race_high | Taking a test | 1tasky
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it's not fair to other people, like the kids who studiedfor the test or who were the true winners of a game.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn't solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won't help on the next test --- unless the person cheats again.
Some people lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and maybe at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they're busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending the time studying. Other kids might feel like they can't pass the test without cheating. Even when there seems to be a "good reason" for cheating, cheating isn't a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before and couldn't study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don't have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with your parents about how to balance swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions together. Talking about these problems and working them out will be better than cheating.
Question: In the passage those cheaters are advised to _ .
Options: A: spend more time on school than on sports
B: try hard to be intelligent rather than lazy
C: find good solutions instead of cheating
D: ask their classmates for good methods of study
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: South Korean Films
An audience can view five new South Korean films, all with Chinese subtitles until April 19 at the Tuixin Cinema in the Beijing National Library grounds.
Two other South Korean films completed their full runs at the Tuixin Cinema earlier this month.
Location: Tuixin Cinema, Beijing National Library, 39 Baishiqiao Road, Haidian District.
Tel: 86415566
"My Love My Bride" April 15: 9:00, 13:00, 15:30, 17:30, 19:30
"Kim's War" April 16: 9:00, 13:30, 18:15
"Because You Are a Woman" April 17: 13:30, 18:15
Marriage Story" April 18: 9:00, 13:30, 15:30, 18:15
"Sopyonje" April 19: 9:00, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30, 19:30
Leon's show
Hong Kong pop star--Leon Lai will give a personal performance at 7:30pm from tomorrow through to September 21 at the Shanghai Gymnasium. The show is to celebrate the opening of the 93rd Huangpu Tourism Festival.
Tickets: 60, 90, 120, 180 yuan RMB, available at 66 Jiangning Road.
Tel: 29189188, 29171145, 49384952, 29197113
Russian concert
The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra will put on some excellent Russian Orchestra works at 7:15pm on September 26 and 27 at the Shanghai Concert Hall. They will sing Russian folk songs and mass under a Russian Conductor who is very famous for conducting choirs and has given a successful choral concert in Beijing.
Tickets: 6, 8, 10, 12 yuan RMB, available at the hall's ticket office.
Address: 523 Yan'an Road W. Shanghai. Tel: 32275694.
Korean songs
The Song and Dance Troupe of North Korea will give a song and dance show at 7:30pm tonight at the Shanghai Center Theater.
Tickets: 10, 20, 30 yuan RMB, available at the theater's ticket office.
Address: 1376 Nanjing Road W. Shanghai. Tel: 29798663
Question: _ will be on April 18. The cinema's telephone number is _ .
Options: A: Kim's War; 9798663
B: My Love; My Bride; 32275694
C: Because You Are a Woman; 29189188
D: Marriage Story; 86415566
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: When you travel in South America, you'd better pay attention to the following three kinds of dangerous South American animals.
Piranhas
Although only a small number of piranhas are considered to be dangerous to humans, the red-bellied piranha is definitely one of those. Evidence has shown that a large group of piranhas can absolutely eat a herd of large animals crossing the river, leaving only bones. This fish lives in the freshwater streams of South America, and they can smell the blood from far away and launch attacks swiftly. It is said that they are only dangerous to humans if the water volumes are less and lower.
Anacondas
This South American monster of a creature often appears in the films or your nightmares!They have weighed over 230 kilograms. It is often considered to be the biggest snake in the world. You certainly don't want to get caught alone with this snake due to its method of attacking and killing its victim. It is indeed a remarkably different brand of snake type as it regularly coils around all over its target, increasing the pressure until eventually its victim dies. Its jaws are powered by large muscles that produce enough power for its over 100 sharp teeth to pass through the thick skin of an crocodile. They don't have poison. Sometimes they prefer to camouflage themselves so they look like their surroundings and swiftly draw back when humans are near.
Golden Poisonous Frogs
The golden poison frog might be the most-deadly of the South American animal, which is protected by means of poison. This very small frog, less than 55 mm in length, packs enough punch to take down a pair of African bull elephants. This apparently harmless frog has always been known to have killed people who have touched it directly. It's also been noted that chicken and dogs have died by contacting things on which a golden poison frog had wandered! In intense colors, they normally look attractive to their targets.
Question: How does an anaconda kill its victim according to the passage?
Options: A: It often uses its poison to kill its victim.
B: It often uses its strength to kill its victim.
C: It kills its victim mainly using its powerful teeth.
D: It kills its victim with the help of other snakes.
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin is a songwriter, and has been highly respected for her works in music. Her childhood. was full of music because both her mother and her grandmother liked singing. She bought her first guitar at 16, began writing songs in high school and soon started playing with a band called Patty the Executive.
Her song l,000 Kisses won her a Grammy nomination although she lost the award.
Judy Collins
Judy Collins was an important artist in the peace movement of the 1960s. She started her own record company, Wildflower. Records. She began as a classical pianist at 13. In the 40 years that followed, Judy became known as an important American folk singer.
Odetta
One thing you always hear when people talk about Odetta is the excellent power of her voice. Known for her powerful stage presence and her skillful ability to command the simplest instruments -- her voice as well as her guitar. Odetta rose to fame singing the classic African-American folk songs and spirituals.
She has also touched the blues.
Joan Baez
Joan Baez is one of the most remarkable singers in American folk music in the 20th century. Her Father was a physicist and was forced to move the family often throughout Joan's childhood. Inspired by her experiences as a could traveling the world, Joan's music includes the peace and civil rights movement
She has been a constant voice for peace and social justice .
Question: What can we know about Patty Griffin?
Options: A: She has created the best works in the world.
B: Her mother and her grandmother taught her to sing.
C: Her song l,000 Kisses didn't win the Grammy award
D: She founded her first band Patty & the Executive.
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing . Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80 The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly did not affect tickets sales. In the last few days before the drawing , tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second .
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action .Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people . It allows them to dream about wealth they will probably never have .
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized gambling . Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets .There are also many addicts who take the game seriously, They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets .Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice under the name of social progress . No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not , you can not refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans .
Question: In just one hour in the last few days , the Pennsylvania lottery sold tickets totaling about _ .
Options: A: $1.62million
B: $90 million
C: $9.6million
D: $87million
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I'm taking a test and have to guess the right answer to the question after the article.
Article: Did you ever look up at the moon and think you saw a man's face there?When the moon is round and full,the shadows of the moon mountains and the lines of the moon valleys sometimes seem to show a giant nose and mouth and eyes. At least,some people think so.
If there were a man on the moon -- instead of mountains and valleys that just look like the face of a man -- what would he be like?
He would not be like anyone you know. He would not be like anyone anybody knows.
If the man on the moon were bothered by too much heat or cold the way Earth people are,he could not stay on the moon.
The moon becomes very,very hot. It becomes as hot as boiling water. And the moon becomes very,very cold. It becomes colder than ice.
Whatever part of the moon the sun shines on is hot and bright. The rest of the moon is cold and dark.
If the man on the moon had to breathe to stay alive,he couldn't live on the moon because there's no air there.(He'd have to carry an oxygen tank,as astronauts do.) There's no food on the moon,either. Nothing grows -- not even weeds.
If the man on the moon liked to climb mountains,he would be very happy. There are many high places there,such as the raised land around the holes,or craters,of the moon. Some of these _ are as tall as Earth's highest mountains.
But if the man on the moon liked to swim,he would be unhappy. There is no water on the moon -- just dust and rock.
When you think of what it's like on the moon,you may wonder why it interests our scientists. One reason is that the moon is Earth's nearest neighbor -- it is the easiest place in space to get to.
Going back and forth between the moon and Earth,astronauts will get a lot of practice in space travel. Things learned on moon trips will be of great help to astronauts who later take long,long trips to some of the planets.
Scientists are also interested in the moon because it has no air. The air that surrounds Earth cuts down the view of the scientists who look at the stars through telescopes. A telescope on the moon would give them a...
Question: What is the main idea of the passage?
Options: A: We can learn much from research on the moon.
B: There may be human beings on the moon.
C: If there were a man on the moon,there would be many similarities between the man on the moon and on the Earth.
D: A telescope on the moon would help scientists have a clearer,closer sight of the stars.
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Article: Drawings of human colonies on other planets often picture the entire community under a glass or plastic bubble. The bubble is intended to create an atmosphere with adequate oxygen and other essential elements. But similar bubble-like structures have also been constructed on earth. One of the most famous, and controversial, is a site in the Arizona desert.
Biosphere 2, as it is called, was built not far from Tucson in 1984 and is now run by Columbia University. This huge(7,200,000-cubic-foot)glass and steel construction contains several separate ecosystems, including a desert, a rain forest, and a 900,000-gallon "ocean." The climatic conditions-humidity, temperature, air quality-are regulated by sensors and can be adjusted as needed or desired. For example, a rainstorm can be created to increase the humidity. The adjustable features of Biosphere 2 make it an ideal location to perform experiments to help determine the effects of such climatic changes as global warming.
The current conditions at Biosphere 2 are vastly different from those in 1993, when eight people who had moved into the environment with great fanfare two years earlier moved out in failure. Though promising to be self-sufficient , these "colonists" had so much trouble regulating the environment that they reportedly had food smuggled into them. Oxygen levels became dangerously low; most plants and animals died. In taking over the unsuccessful site, Columbia hopes to erase its notorious past by focusing on small research projects that gradually answer some of Biosphere 1's -- that is, Earth's most basic environment questions.
Question: The passage suggests that earlier colonists of Biosphere 2 _ .
Options: A: did not like living in a controlled environment
B: found it very difficult to live in a controlled environment
C: still are involved with Biosphere 2
D: have now left the country in disgrace
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Article: Several times each year the Queen gives afternoon tea parties at which guests are served tiny cakes filled with cream from her own cows. Cakes and sandwiches are brought in by footmen, yet you never see the Queen touch a thing. She simply sits beside a big silver plate, pouring cups of tea for everyone and carefully avoiding the cakes.
At cocktail parties the Queen moves from group to group, chatting informally, and manages to make one glass of diet drink to last an entire evening.
Tours abroad are difficult because hosts seem to believe the warmth of their welcome must be shown with wonderful state banquets . But the Queen has perfected the art of appearing to enjoy her meal without actually eating much.
During one visit to the Pacific islands ofprefix = st1 /Tonga, a specially-prepared dinner was arranged in a hut made of wood and bamboo leaves. Deep holes were dug in the ground, filled with hot stones and baby pigs, and the pigs were slowly baked over several days. The Queen looked uneasily at her plate when she discovered a whole roast pig was her serving.
Then she became uneasy when a turkey, some meat, bananas and an apple were also carried in for each guest. So she depended on her old favorite trick of talking with her host., King Tupou IV, carrying on a warm conversation. At the same time she pushed her food around her plate and only ate a piece of turkey and some fruit.
Reporters traveling with her have noted that the Queen will sometimes seem so carried away by a foreign leader's political chat that she simply never has time to finish a meal before it is time to get up and make her speech. She will lift her fork to swallow a mouthful, then put it down again to make another point, leaving almost all of her meal untouched.
Question: The Queen talked with her host and carried on conversation with him. The purpose of doing this is _ .
Options: A: to show her politeness
B: not to eat much
C: to show her great interest in food
D: to hide her dislike to the food
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Article: People around the world used their computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about different places and ideas. In 2006, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with each other through the Internet.
The blog is one form of communication that enjoys growing popularity. Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal websites, people can share their experiences, ideas and opinions with anyone on the Internet.
People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writings and other forms of self-expression.
Many websites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. These sites include "MySpace" used mainly by teenagers and young adults. My Space is an online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends. It is the most popular social networking site on the Web.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and entertainment events. There are music videos, and videos made by people in their own homes. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school.
Question: Blogs are popular with young people because they can _ .
Options: A: share ideas with their friends there
B: download videos or music there
C: make lots of money there
D: live a new life there
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Article: Paula Radcliffe, chasing a third London marathon title , says she has became a stronger person after her terrible experience at the 2004 Athens Gaines.
Radcliffe, who failed to complete the Olympic marathon and the 10,000m last August, said: "Athens made me a stronger person and it made me care less about criticism "
"In the past I wanted to please everyone, but now I am going to listen even more to the people around me."
She didn't care about criticism made at the weekend by Liz McColgan, who felt Radcliffe should have rested and let her body recover after her failure inprefix = st1 /Athens.
"Liz is someone I look up to but she hasn't spoken to me since last year and if she really eared for me, I'm sure she would have contacted me."
Instead Radcliffe won the New York City marathon just 11 weeks afterAthens.
"In New York I wasn't in my best state but I did know I was good enough to win the Radcliffe insisted her only goal in Sunday's race would be winning a third title and not chasing world records.
However, RadcIiffe has not ruled out m the future chasing her "final" world record time and questioned sayings that marathon runners have the ability in their career to produce only four or five world-class times.
"I don't think that -- although _ ," said. RadcLiffe. "That changes from person to person."
Radcliffe is sure she can better her winning London 2003 performance at some point in the future. Following a successful three-month training period in theUnited States, the 31-year-old will chase a third title on Sunday after her first victory in 2O02 and again 12 months later.
Radcliffe clocked a time of 2:18:56 in her first 42.2-kdnmetre race three years ago.
Afterwards she set a "mixed course" mark of 2:17:18 five months later In Chicago before lowering that to a time of 2:15:25 m the 2003Londonevent.
Question: Which of the following is true according to the passage?
Options: A: Radcliffe broke the world record in theNew York Citymarathon.
B: Radcliffe didn't fully recover before theNew York Citymarathon.
C: Radcliffe won her first marathon title in theNew York Citymarathon.
D: Radcliffe had a 3-month training before theNew York Citymarathon.
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Article: In the southern part of America, when somebody has a birthday, often family or friends, or both, will arrange a party. The party could be elaborate and include a meal or may be simple with a birthday cake and drinks. One does not plan, nor give, one's own birthday as is the custom in some cultures. At a party there is usually a decorated cake, often with the words "Happy Birthday" and with the name of the person written on the top of the cake. Sometimes there is also one candle for each year of the person celebrating the birthday before the cake is cut. While blowing out the candles, the person makes a wish for something pleasant.
Usually those invited to a birthday party will bring a gift for the person honored. Gifts given by friends do not have to be expensive, but the family of the birthday person will spend whatever they can afford on a gift.
Christmas parties also are very popular in the South. Often this is the only time during the year that some people see acquaintances . These parties can be elaborate or simple, ranging from a buffet to a reception called "open house ". If you are invited to one of these, you don't need to take a Christmas gift, as it is not customary to take the hostess a gift every time you are invited to a party or a meal. However, if you wish to take a gift, it should only be something useful and inexpensive and should be given to the hostess at the door as you enter the party. Usually gifts of Christmas food treats are the most appreciated.
Question: This passage mainly tells us about _ .
Options: A: two kinds of parties in the southern United States
B: how to arrange a birthday party
C: how to arrange a Christmas party
D: who will arrange a party
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Article: Dyslexia is a problem that restricts the ability to recognize words and connect sounds with letters when people read. People with this learning disorder may also have problems when they write. Dyslexia is not related to eyesight or intelligence. The problem involves areas of the brain that process language. Brain scientists are studying whether they can predict which young children may struggle with reading to provide them with early help. John Gabrieli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is leading the study of five-year-olds in about twenty schools in the Boston area.
They studied in the schools with kindergartens. And for all the children joining in the study, they give them a brief set of paper-and-pencil tests to look at which children appear to be at some risk for struggling to read. So far, fifty of them have been examined in a scanner, a special machine, to show brain activity. Written tests are not always able to identify dyslexia or other problems, while brain scans may offer a more scientific way to identify problems. And with reading problems, early identification is important. When it comes to helping children overcome reading difficulties, the younger the child, the more effective they are.
Reading problems are not usually identified until a child is in the third or fourth grade. The later children are recognized as poor readers, the less treatment can help. And, as Professor Gabrieli points out, poor reading can make education a struggle. Reading is everything. Even math and science have textbooks.
While the children are given tasks related to reading, the brain scans measure the extent to which certain parts of the brain become active while the children do the work. The scientists say they are pleased with early results from the study, but have a long way to go.
Question: What is the passage mainly about?
Options: A: An effective way to identity Dyslexia at an early stage.
B: A learning disorder involving one's intelligence.
C: Dyslexia -- a problem affecting one's reading and writing.
D: A possible solution to the problems related to Dyslexia.
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Article: Who is smarter? A human being or artificial intelligence ?
The question swept the world last week when a Google-developed program called AlphaGo defeated the world top player, South Korean Lee Se-del, 4-1.
So, what comes next?
Some people have been arguing that artificial intelligence, or AI in short, will be a bad thing for humans. In an interview with the BBC in 2014, UK scientist Stephen Hawking warned that "the development of full artificial intelligence could mean the end of the human race."
So are we really about to live in the world shown in the Terminator movies?
"Not quite," answered The Economist. After all, it's not hard to get a computer program to remember and produce facts. What is hard is getting computers to use their knowledge in everyday situations.
"We think that, for the human being, things like sight and balance , are natural and ordinary in our life." Thomas Edison, founder of Motion Figures, a company that is bringing AI to boys, told the newspaper. "But for a robot, to walk up and down just like human beings requires various decisions to be made every second, and it's really difficult to do."
As The Economist put it, "We have a long way to go before AI can truly begin to be similar to the human brain, even though the technology can be great."
Meanwhile, John Markoff of The New York Times said that researchers should build artificial intelligence to make people more effective.
"Our fate is in our own hands," he wrote. "Since technology depends on the values of its creators, we can make human choices that use technology to improve the world.".Com]
Question: What was the result of the match?
Options: A: Lee Se-del won AlphaGo 4-1.
B: Lee Se-del was defeated.
C: Google program beat AlphaGo.
D: Neither side won the match.
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Article: The future of agriculture must achieve several goals at the same time.
First, it now appears that we will have to double world food production in the next 40 years due to population growth, increasing meat consumption and pressure from biofuels . We will also have to reduce the environmental impacts from our farming practices, which have caused widespread damage to soils, ecosystems, waters and even the atmosphere. In fact, agriculture's impacts are as bad as climate change as an environmental concern. Besides, we will have to improve food security for the world's poor. While the Green Revolution of the 1960s made it possible to feed hundreds of millions more people than in earlier eras, the number of the under-nourished in the world has started to rise again. Finally, we will have to increase the recovering ability of agriculture from shocks. Today, our high-efficiency, globalized world has many benefits, but it is vulnerable to destruction, whether from droughts, diseases or sudden price rises. We must start building better food systems to better keep us away from future shocks.
Currently, there are two models of agriculture: local and organic agriculture vs. globalized and industrialized agriculture. Each has been strongly supported and severely criticized, but neither of these models, standing alone, can fully meet our needs.
Organic agriculture teaches us important lessons about soils, nutrition and pest management. Unfortunately, organic food provides less than 1% of the world's calories, mostly to the wealthy. It is hard to imagine organic farming developing to feed 9 billion. Globalized and industrialized agriculture has benefits of high output and low labor demands. Without it, billions of people would have starved. However, it has come with enormous environmental and social costs, which cannot be sustained.
Rather than voting for just one solution, we need a third way to solve the crisis. Let's take ideas from both sides, creating new, hybrid solutions that increase production, save resources...
Question: We can learn from the passage that _ .
Options: A: everyone can afford to enjoy organic food at will
B: we will vote to decide which farming system to take
C: the writer is quite optimistic about future agriculture
D: only experts can find a better agricultural solution
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Article: Fear plays no part in this latest problem."I'm not afraid I'll lose my children.I won't lose my children. We live together, and nothing, nothing," she repeats, her voice rising when speaking to John's lawyer, "will stop me from being with my children. A law? Yeah, right. Don't disturb me when it comes to my children. You are never going to win. If John wants to see them, I cannot stop him. He's their father--I want them to see him! However, his visit in his present condition will disturb the children's stable life."
John, who has spent much of his time in California, recently, has only hired a house for himself in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer. "If he'd like to stick to a regular life, I'd be more than happy to do that," Jane says. "The best thing for any child of a divorced parent is a stable life. I want nothing more than for him to set up a stable life for himself, so that he can be part of making our children's lives more stable. "
While matters of money and care won't be settled for weeks, Jane hardly puts her life on hold. Last week the ABC network announced that Jane would return with her own show, Twist of Jane, in which she gives advice to other moms.Jane and her eight children will also return to ABC in a series of Jane Plus 8 specials showing them on various adventures.It's a rest for Jane, who insists that she needs her new,busy life to provide for her family."I have to lead such a life, and I'm thankful that I've built it to the top where now I can support my children."she says.
And whether a bellicose dance judge or a bellicose former wife, Jane plans to keep on facing attacks on her. "Some people try to knock me down--only to make me more fierce,more protective,more determined to do better,"she says."Go ahead, take me on. This will just make me stronger."
Question: Which word can best describe Jane?
Options: A: Proud.
B: Fierce.
C: Determined.
D: Independent
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Article: A Bite of China, made by CCTV's Documentary Channel, sparked discussion not only on Chinese food, but also on locally made documentary programs.
When you think of documentaries, you may think of them as long, boring programs. But documentaries can be wonderful and bring stories from the real world into our homes. With fascinating footage and stories, documentaries encourage us to think about interesting issues we wouldn't necessarily know about.
So, what makes a good documentary, and what should we pay attention to when we watch one? Here, we offer a few easy strategies to help you get the most out of watching documentaries.
Pay attention to the themes
While watching a documentary, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the themes people talk about and what ideas they focus on. Is it meant to be informative or raise a certain emotional response?
Think critically
Listen to what the people in the documentary are saying and ask yourself the following questions: If you were debating with someone or introducing a new concept, would you say the things the people in the documentary are saying? Do the arguments make sense?
Check the sources
If you're sitting at the computer and can't think of anything to do, why not look up the points the documentary made and see if they are accurate? You could even read more about what is presented in the documentary.
Who are the creators?
The creators or financial backers of a film will usually be involved with how the subject matter is presented. For instance, as the documentary 2016: Obama's America was directed in large part by a conservative writer, it's not surprising that it's critical of President Obama from the beginning.
Question: Which of the following is the most proper to describe documentaries?
Options: A: non-fictional
B: controversial
C: subjective
D: thoughtful
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Write a multi-choice question for the following article, with the given choices and answer:
Article: Many blind people use guide dogs to help them get safely from place to place and to warn them of danger. But what can blind people do if they are allergic to dogs or just don't like them? For these people, they can turn to the Guide Horse Foundation.
Janet and Don Burleson founded the organization in 1999. They began training miniature horses to help guide blind people. Miniature horses look just like common horses, only much smaller. They are generally less than 34 inches tall.
Cuddles was the foundation's first guide horse in full service. She became 45-year-old Dan Shaw's helper. Shaw has an eye disease and his sight is very poor. One night, while filling out a form to get a guide dog, Shaw heard a news story on TV about people training horses to guide the blind. Shaw loves horses and wanted a guide animal that would live a long time. So he applied ,and a year later, Cuddles and Shaw began training as a team.
On a trip to New York, Cuddles helped Shaw safely visit many places of interest .They even traveled on a boat and on the subway system.
Shaw says that he is very lucky to have Cuddles. He believes that Cuddles has changed his life for the better by giving him the chance to do things himself and making him feel much more confident about himself.
Options:
A was set up by one person
B has different kinds of horses
C trains horses to guide blind people
D has a history of several hundred years
Answer:
C trains horses to guide blind people
Question:
The Guide Horse Foundation _ . | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: How do successful people think? What drives them? Interviews and investigations show that there are several keys to success that successful people share.
First of all, successful people never blame someone or something outside of themselves for their failure to go ahead. They realize that their future lies in their own hands. They understand that they cannot control things in life, such as nature, the past and other people. But in the meantime, they are well aware that they can control their own thoughts and actions. They take responsibility for their life and regard this as one of the most empowering things they can do .Perhaps what most separates successful people from others is that they live life "on purpose"---they are doing what they believe they are put here to do .In their opinion, having a purpose in their life is the most important fact that enables them to become fully functioning people. They hold that when they live their life on purpose ,their main concern is to do the job right .They love what they do ---and _ shows people want to do business with them because of their devotion to their jobs.
To live their life on purpose, successful people find a cause they believe in and create a business around it. Besides, they never easily give up. Once they have set up goals in their life, they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Top achievers always keep in mind that they don't have forever. Rather than seeing it negative or depressing, they use the knowledge to encourage themselves to move on and go after what they want energetically and passionately.
Options:
A the main concern of successful people
B the job that successful people do
C the devotion with which successful people do their job
D the business that successful people do with other people.
Answer:
C the devotion with which successful people do their job
Question:
The pronoun "it" (Line 10.Para.2) refers to _ | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: In many ways, the earliest periods of photography are the most satisfying. Learning to use the controls is easy and comes quickly, and you can measure the results in terms of sharp and correctly developed pictures. Once you have mastered that, you can start on the second step of your photographic work. Using these basic skills in a wide variety of situations to give the pictures you want, noticing what you see through the viewfinder and turning that into the most effective picture becomes totally interesting.
All good photographs have one thing in common; there is no doubt what the subject of the picture is meant to be. Every photographer must use those same standards to his or her work, not only to the finished results but to the subject before he or she takes it. Always work out quite clearly what the subject of the picture is to be and why you are taking the picture. For example,"I am going to take a picture of this street to show the different styles and ages of the buildings and that people have been living, working and shopping in them since time began."By doing this you have a better idea of what to include in the picture and what to leave out. How often have you been shown photographs taken by people away on a trip somewhere? The judgment is always similar, something about"the car park is out of the picture to the left", or"you can't quite see from this picture but if you go up the street". The photographs are usually collections of buildings, people, parked cars, possibly a distant look of an ancient church, and best of all, a figure which you are told is Aunt Henrietta, disappearing in the middle distance.
When photographers show you their pictures, they have a clear idea of what they want to bring to your attention, but it often does not appear in the picture. If they had given just a little of their time to think about their future judgment before taking the picture, then the picture would relate its own story. Good pictures can show their subjects quickly and easily.
Options:
A A book on photography for news reporters.
B A book on how to photograph people
C A book on choosing the right camera.
D A book on improving photographic techniques.
Answer:
D A book on improving photographic techniques.
Question:
What book is this passage most likely taken from? | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Suppose you are reading a book. Suppose, too, you suddenly close your eyes. Can you still see the book? "Of course not," you will say. But can you tell why? You would probably say, "When I close my eyes my eyesight cannot get out of my eyes to get to the book. " But this explanation is wrong.
You cannot see any object unless light from that object gets into your eyes. Some of the things you see give off light of their own. The sun, the stars, a lighted lamp are examples of that can be seen by their own light. Such things are luminous. Most of the things you see are not giving off light of their own. They are simply reflecting light that falls on them from the sun or some other luminous body. The moon, for example, does not give off any light of its own. It is non-luminous. You see it because sunlight falls on it and some of it reflects in your direction. So moonlight is only second-hand sunlight.
When you look at a book, it sends to your eyes some of the light which falls on it, and you see the book. If light could be kept out from where you are so that there would be no light for the book to reflect, then you could not see the book even with your eyes wide open.
Light travels so fast that the time in which it travels from the book you are reading to your eyes is so short as if there were no time at all. Light reaches us from the moon, which is about 380,000 kilometres away, in only a little more than a second.
Options:
A your eyes are too close to it
B closed eyes are out of sight
C your eyesight cannot get to it
D the light from it cannot get into your eyes
Answer:
D the light from it cannot get into your eyes
Question:
You can not see the book when you close your eyes, because _ . | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch . He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events. The last time I was there he introduced me by saying: "I want to tell you a story. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
"That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
"He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'
"The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?' The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'
"The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.' Finally, after a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He...
Options:
A the boy was an unrealistic person
B the boy's father was irresponsible for his education
C the boy had great courage and determination
D the teacher often found fault with his students
Answer:
C the boy had great courage and determination
Question:
From the passage we can conclude that _ . | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Modeled after US hot website.com, group buying websites are now popular in China. These websites use the power of group buying to get competitive discounts for a daily deal on some best stuff to do, see, eat and buy in the cities across China. Discounts are available within just one click. Zhao lei, a software engineer in Beijing, loves the one-hour lunch break at noon,as it is the best time for him to check "today`s special" at his favorite group buying websites . Sometimes he searches for great deals at directory sites devoted to the new shopping space. Zhao spends around 800 yuan($117.65) on group buying every month, mostly to buy food coupons for eating at some nice restaurants and occasionally to find something fun to do. " I love group buying. In addition to the competitive discounts it offers, it helps me get something fun, exciting and new, and such surprises give me a reason to try something new," he said. When he finds a really good bargain, he will send the link to friends or colleagues through MSN,QQ, or e-mail, or share the information at some social networking websites. In doing so, he often gets a certain cut off the price. At some sites, buyers are invited to leave notes about what they want to buy and the website will consider it if similar applications reach a certain number. That is how Zuo got her digital camera after waiting for two months. "It is cool. I want to buy a new digitgal camera for my trip to Switzerland this winter, but I never expected such cheap prices!" Zuo said.
Options:
A Zhao Lei has to spend about 800 yuan on group buying per month.
B Zhao Lei never surfs at other directory sites for group buying.
C Zhao Lei finds it easy to do group buying.
D Zhao Lei can`t buy food coupons to eat at a nice restaurant.
Answer:
C Zhao Lei finds it easy to do group buying.
Question:
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: BC Social Report, August 14, 2010
Scandinavians may spend a lot of the winter in darkness but they are the happiest people in Europe, according to a study showed this month. Countries like Denmark and Finland scored highest on the study of happiness in Europe carried out by Cambridge University, which also found that the sunny southern countries of Italy, Portugal and Greece got the least joy out of life.
The survey entitled: "No Man is an Island" showed that countries where people enjoy time with friends and family, have trust in government and national institutions were more likely to be happy than those living in a sunny climate. The study rated respondent on their overall sense of happiness and life satisfaction on a _ of one to 10.
Danes --who expressed a high level of trust in their politicians and public institutions--came top of the field at 8.3. Italians--who reported lower levels of satisfaction with their national quality of government--came last at 6.49.' "Italy, Greece, Portugal, Germany and France report the lowest levels of happiness while the Scandinavian Countries, Netherlands and Luxembourg report the highest," the study said.
Although Europeans are generally four times wealthier than their fathers and grandfathers, their levels of happiness are either equal to or lower than 40 years ago. The study also looked at factors contributing to happiness within countries and surprisingly found that an interest in politics actually increased happiness.
Lead researcher Luisa Corrado said tax cuts and throwing money at social problems appeared to have no effect on the happiness of citizens when compared with government policies which strengthened and supported wider social networks. "People are less naive ( ) than one would expect, politicians need to adapted their policies and target specific problems in specific areas," she said.
Options:
A Lifestyle.
B Amusement.
C Politics.
D Health and Happiness.
Answer:
D Health and Happiness.
Question:
In what column may readers probably read the passage? | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: What should college life be like? Easy, joyful and fun? Unfortunately, facing heavy pressure from a _ job market, many students know that they are facing an even more uncertain future and they are beginning to feel lost, according to a survey. The research, conducted by the Social Survey Institute of China, covers more than 2,000 college students from big cities.
The report shows that about 75 percent enjoy their lives on campus. However, there are still 16.7 percent "lost ones" who think life is boring and aimless, while 8.3 percent complain that they have too much to study.
Around half of the participants have no clear career plan after graduation and 41.7 percent say that they have not thought about it. Only 8.3 percent have a clear blueprint and believe that they can realize their dreams.
58.3 percent of the participants gave a sure answer to the question "Are you a popular guy?", leaving 41.7 percent as unsure. 91.7 percent of the students thought they could get along very well with others, the final 8.3 percent finding it difficult to choose a particular answer.
Answers such as "doing things your own way" and "forget other people's opinions" seemed to be popular among modern college students, with 75 percent agreeing with this attitude. 25 percent said that they worried about opinions of other people.
Objecting to the feeling in Suicide is Painless, most students criticize suicide on campus. 58.3 percent urged school leaders to discover hidden social reasons behind suicide, thus helping to prevent it. 33.3 percent thought students who did suicide couldn't face life's bigger challenges in the future even if they survived. Surprisingly, 8.3 percent admitted that they once wanted to kill themselves, but finally decided against it.
Options:
A College life is boring and aimless.
B It is easy to get along very well with others.
C There is no need to worry about comments from others.
D School leaders should discover hidden social reasons behind suicide.
Answer:
B It is easy to get along very well with others.
Question:
Which of the following opinions has the biggest percentage among the participants? | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: Cells were discovered in 1665 by Robert Hooke when he took a piece of cork and looked at it under a microscope. Cork is made up of dead cells but you are still able to see the cells which proved to be interesting to him. He described _ as being made of something, just like a wall is made of bricks. He then called those bricks "cells". Due to the size of cells, it is nearly impossible to see them without the aid of a light microscope, but by using an electron microscope you'd be able to see cells in much greater detail.
There's a cell theory which is made up of four basic ideas. First, cells are the building blocks of life. Second, cells are derived from other cells by division. Third, cells contain DNA (the blueprint for life). Fourth, the cell is the functioning unit of life, and the chemical reactions of life take place within cells.
There are two types of cells, animal cells and plant cells. Plant cells differ from animal cells in many ways. Plant cells have a large central vacuole , with the nucleus nearer to the side of the cell instead of in the middle like in animal cells. Another big difference is that plant cells can produce and store sugar as starch while animal cells contain glycogen .
It's noteworthy to mention that a cell cannot survive without the nucleus which acts as a type of control center; it runs the cells. The nucleus contains DNA, which in turn contains the cell's genes. These genes tell the cell how to grow. DNA contains the genetic blueprint that tells if you have blonde hair and blue eyes.
Options:
A Plants cells can store more energy than animal cells.
B Plant cells have a nucleus in the center.
C Animal cells are bigger than plant cells.
D Animals cells have a nucleus in the center.
Answer:
D Animals cells have a nucleus in the center.
Question:
Which of the following statement is TRUE? | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars,we would go in darkness happily,the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal species on this planet. Instead,we are diurnal creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun's light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don't think of ourselves as diurnal beings. Yet it's the only way to explain what we've done to the night: We've engineered it to receive us by filling _ with light.
The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences called light pollution whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design,which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky. III-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels and light rhythms -- to which many forms of life, including, ourselves, have adapted. Wherever human light spills into the natural world, some aspect or life is affected .
In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars, leaving behind a vacant haze that mirrors our fear of the dark. We've grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit nigh, - dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadow on Earth, is wholly beyond our experience, beyond memory almost.
We've lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country, when nothing could be further form the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing, Light is a powerful biological force, and on many species it acts as a magnet . The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being "captured" by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms. Migrating at night, birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings.
Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times righter than normal, throwing nearly every...
Options:
A prefer to live in the darkness
B are used to living in the day light
C were curious about the midnight world
D had to stay at home with the light of the moon
Answer:
B are used to living in the day light
Question:
According to the passage, human being _ | race_high | Write a multi-choice question (options given) | 1tasky
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Article: A funny thing happened on the way to the communications revolution: we stopped talking to one another.
I was walking in the park with a friend recently, and his cell phone rang, interrupting our conversation. There we were walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day and... I became invisible, absent from the conversation. The telephone used to connect you to the absent. Now it makes people sitting next to you feel absent. Why is it that the more connected we get, the more disconnected I feel? Every advance in communications technology is a tragedy to the closeness of human interaction . With email and instant messaging over the internet, we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another. With voice mail, you can conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone. If my mom has a question, I just leave the answer on her machine.
As almost every contact we can imagine between human beings gets automated , the alienation index goes up. You can't even call a person to get the phone number of another person any more. Directory assistance is almost always fully automated.
I am not against modern technology. I own a cell phone, an ATM card, a voice mail system, and an email account. Giving them up isn't wise... they're a great help to us. It's some of their possible consequences that make me feel uneasy.
More and more. I find myself hiding behind email to do a job meant for conversation. Or being relieved that voice mail picked up because I didn't really have time to talk. The industry devoted to helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier ...or at least facilitating my antisocial instincts.
So I've put myself on technology restriction: no instant messaging with people who live near me, no cell phoning in the presence of friends, no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm at home.
Question: Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
- The Advance of Communications Technology
- The Consequences of modern Technology
- The Story of Communications Revolution
- The Automation of Modern Communications
The Consequences of modern Technology | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Article: Jenny,
I often think if I am as important to you as you are to me.
We had an unhappy time yesterday. I really felt sad after it and almost apologized to you. However,you could still laugh and talk with others like nothing had happened. I suddenly realized that I was not that important to you. You didn't even realize that I was angry and sad. What's more,you even forgot my birthday this year.
Goodbye,my friend. I have closed my feeling toward you. It is sad to say goodbye,my friend. But it is meaningless for us to be friends any longer.
Lucy
Dear Lucy,
I'm sorry that I hurt you so much yesterday. But here is something I really need to tell you. I never thought the quarrel we had yesterday was as serious as you thought. I just felt tired and didn't feel like going shopping. Susan and Lily are also my good friends. I couldn't pretend not seeing them when they passed by. I also couldn't let them know I was blue because of the quarrel. I didn't want them to feel sad just because I was sad. I'm your best friend,but I don't want to be your only friend. I don't want to be with you all the time because sometimes I need to have my own time. I want to spend some time with my other friends and my brother. Please try to make more friends. You will feel much happier if you have more friends. And remember,I'm your best friend forever!
Jenny
Question: After reading Jenny's letter,we learn that _ .
- Jenny and Lucy are both students
- Lucy doesn't know how to keep a healthy friendship
- A friend in need is a friend indeed
- Lucy is Jenny's only friend
Lucy doesn't know how to keep a healthy friendship | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Article: After a 15-year ban on the sale of fireworks in Beijing, Kang Guoliang, 51, was able to start his old trade again yesterday.
As a salesman in Xinhui store in Dongcheng District, he is happy about the increasing number of buying fireworks wrapped in red paper -- a color standing for happiness and good luck.
"Fireworks are available for the first time in town for more than a decade," Kang said happily."People will buy them."
The store has 300 boxes of fireworks piled up and is open 24 hours at the moment.Residents are buying the fireworks and firecrackers for the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls on February 18.
Citywide, 2,116 registered stores and retailers, 585 in the centre and 1,600 on the outskirts are trading fireworks in the Chinese capital.Sales of fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road started yesterday and will last until March 4, Xinhua reported.Among the stores, 117 stores are permitted to operate 24 hours.About 600,000 boxes of firecrackers worth more than 100 million yuan have been carried to registered stores.
The Chinese capital began a ban in 1993 to reduce fireworks-related deaths and fires during the holiday season.Last September the ban was removed in response to residents' fondness for fireworks when celebrating Spring Festival.
According to new rules, Beijing residents are allowed to set off fireworks within the Fifth Ring Road all day on Lunar New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year's day, from 7 a.m.to midnight every day from February 19 to March 4.
"Spring Festival without fireworks is not Spring Festival," said Sheng Hefei, who was buying fireworks in the store."It was fun to light the firecrackers when I was little," he said."The sound and view of fireworks make a real holiday." However, not all residents welcome the return of firecrackers because of injuries, pollution and noise."My child is scared of the sudden sound of firecrackers, and it is annoying to hear it all night long," complained Lu Jun, a local resident.
(China Daily02/11/2008)
Question: What's the main idea of the passage?
- Beijing fireworks sales start after a 15-year ban.
- People go to buy fireworks and firecrackers every where in Beijing.
- Beijing residents all welcome the return of firecrackers.
- Many stores began to sell fireworks and firecrackers.
Beijing fireworks sales start after a 15-year ban. | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Article: In the world of fairy tales, great and powerful men are often helped to victory by the small and weak. But in the prefix = st1 /USit has happened for real.
Nine - year - old Noah McCullough from Texas, has taken on the role of speaking to the public in support of President George W. Bush's social security reforms.
On February 25 he signed an agreement with the American Congress to work for the White House as a volunteer. "What I want to tell people about social security is not to be afraid of the new plan," Noah said. "It may be a change, but it's a good change."
Besides this task, he already has a higher goal. He plans to run for the White House in 2032. So far, Noah seems to have a very bright future.
Despite his age, Noah already has his firm opinion on running the US. "I firmly believe that the combination of large business and small governments creates a peaceful and present society because industry can stimulate economic growth," he said.
Noah's politics do not come from his parents. "He is very patriotic and very republican," said Noah's mother, Donna McCullough. "It's the way he was born."
Noah's interest began after a mock election in the kindergarten when he was five years old. Now he has read more than 3,000 books on presidential history. He can recite the names of all 43 American presidents. He can also describe the achievements and events that took place during a president's term of office.
His unusual experiences in the presidential campaign last year made him a famous figure. He was a member of Bush's presidential campaign team. He gave speeches at the Republican convention and followed Bush around on his tour of 27 states. President Bush thinks highly of the boy, saying that he is "the miracle kid of the White House".
Question: Which is the best title of the passage?
- The Small and Weak Can Help the Big and Strong
- Little Boy Helps President Bush
- Beginning of Noah's Political Life
- The USFuture President
Little Boy Helps President Bush | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Article: Using tablet computers like Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Note just before bed can lead to a poor night's sleep, according to research.
More and more people are taking their tablets to bed with them to surf the web, check Facebook or email before switching off the light. But researchers are warning that the blueish light their screens emit can stop users getting a good night's sleep. That is because this type of light mimics daylight, convincing the brain that it is still daytime. Blue light suppresses production of a brain chemical called melatonin, which helps us fall sleep. This is because our brains have evolved to be wakeful during daylight hours. By contrast, light which is more orange or red in tone does not reduce melatonin production, perhaps because our brains recognize it as a cue that the day is ending.
Neurologists have known for years that staring at screens late in the evening can disrupt sleep. Researchers at the Lighting Research Centre, at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, are warning that looking at tablet displays for more than two hours "leads to a suppression of our natural melatonin levels as the devices emit optical radiation at short wavelengths" - in other words, they emit bluer light.
They say: "Although turning off devices at night is the ultimate solution, it is recommended that if these devices are used at night displays are dimmed as much as possible and that the time spent on them before bed should be limited."
They drew their conclusions after measuring melatonin levels in 13 volunteers, after they had spent time viewing iPads at full brightness at a distance of 10 inches, for two hours. Melatonin levels were significantly lower after they had done this, than they were after the volunteers had viewed their iPads for the same time, but while wearing orange glass goggles, which cut out the blue light.
They wrote in the journal Applied Ergonomics that tablet makers could "tune the spectral power distribution of self-luminous devices " so that they...
Question: What is it that stops users getting a good night's sleep?
- Screens
- blueish light
- Melatonin
- Orange or red light
blueish light | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Article: Findley Lake, New York is a small beautiful village that sells itself as a holiday place for all seasons. The Findley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce supports a number of events all the year round that begin in March. At Findley Lake during the summer, there is boating, fishing and water sport activities. You can watch a boat parade and a fireworks display at the Findley Lake 4thof July boat parade. The "Harvest Festival" and October's "Autumn at the Lake" show that fall season is coming. In November, Findley Lake's "Christmas through the Village" starts off the holiday shopping season.
Shopping at Findley Lake is a wonderful experience. It is easy to walk along Main Street and visit all the shops. There are over twenty shops that sell different kinds of gifts. Some of the special shops are the candle making factory, the year-round Christmas shop, and the Victorian shop.
At the center of Findley Lake is the Blue Heron Inn which is a pleasant place to stay in. Breakfasts, lunches and dinners are open to the public and the meals are delicious. Dine outside on the porch looking down the lake or inside the comfortable dining rooms. Take time to shop at their store, Nostalgia, for unique items. As you walk around town, you can see a working waterwheel. If you have an interest in history, stop and visit the World War II Museum as well.
The Village of Findley Lake offers something for everyone. It is a fantastic way to spend an afternoon. With year-round shopping and delicious dining at the Blue Heron Inn while looking down at the beautiful view of the lake, it is certain to please the visitors to this attractive village.
Question: The author mentions the activities in Para.1 mainly to show _ .
- the wonderful sights in Findley Lake
- Findley Lake is a good place to hold kinds of activities
- the holiday shopping season in Findley Lake
- Findley Lake is a good place for tourists to travel at any time
Findley Lake is a good place for tourists to travel at any time | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Article: My grandfather spent most of his life in a turbulent India. After settling in New York, he took up his true passion: gardening.
Grandfather's garden was where I took refuge from a world of adults and schoolwork. My grandfather cultivated squash and tomatoes -- it was not rare to find me somewhere in the garden, either secretly eating a tomato, or just sitting and admiring my grandfather's hard work. However, as time went by, I did not have the chance to visit his house as often as I used to.
On my eleventh birthday, I received a gift bag wrapped in pretty paper from my grandfather. Excited to see what he had given to me for my birthday, I tore apart the paper only to find a yellow squash. I was very angry. What a stupid present!
But gradually, I realized that in my developing a relationship with his garden, I had unknowingly grown very close to my grandfather himself, something he wished to remind me of through his gift. His commitment towards doing things definitely influenced me. It could bring him a sense of accomplishment. Because of him, I try to model the idea of approaching everything with both drive and passion.
My grandfather passed away five years ago, but his influence on me could not be bigger than it is today. As I prepare to enter college and move on from my relatively sheltered high school life toward achieving complete independence, allowing my passions to find their way into whatever I may be doing will be very necessary. I still look up to my grandfather very much to this day, and I hope that one day I will be able to sow in my own garden, and give someone else a squash on his or her birthday -- it was the most meaningful gift I have ever received.[:ZXXK]
Question: When the author was young, she often visited the garden mainly to _ .
- have a taste of her favorite vegetables
- help her grandfather cultivate the garden
- escape from the adults and schoolwork
- admire her grandfather's hard work
escape from the adults and schoolwork | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Read the following article and select the best answer.
Article: Letter One
Dear Editor,
After I finish my homework, I often go online and chat with my friends. Sometimes I play Internet games. But my parents hate to see me playing games on the computer. Maybe they have heard too much news about how QQ and Internet games harm children. Once I went to a net bar to play games after school. But after that I told my parents that I was playing basketball at school. I said so because I didn't want to make them unhappy. I feel bad about it. However, I need to rest for a while by playing computer games after studying for a long time. I really want my parents to understand that. Do foreign parents do the same to their children? Please help me.
Li Ping, Nantong
Letter Two
Dear Li Ping,
I think it's not strange for parents to keep their children away from anything bad. Foreign parents will do the same as your parents! They may not let their children watch TV for too long a time, or like your parents, they don't want their children to play computer games.
Talk to your parents and be honest to them, I think. Tell them what you are doing and why you are doing so to make them understand you. _ They aren't fools as you think sometimes! Our parents seem to know what is the best for us. Remember: to be honest is the best way.
Good luck,
Rebecca
Question: The editor thinks _ .
- children should play computer games secretly
- playing computer games can be very helpful to children's studies
- children should be honest and try to make their parents understand them
- foreign parents don't care for their children as much as Chinese parents
children should be honest and try to make their parents understand them | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Read the following article and select the best answer.
Article: For years people had told our founders, motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, inspiring stories about themselves. Jack and Mark included these stories in their talks, and their audiences repeatedly asked if they had ever been published. Eventually, Jack and Mark decided to collect the best 101 stories they'd been told and put them in a book. They called itChicken Soup for the Soulbecause they wanted it to provide comfort, just like their grandmothers' cooking.
They took the book to New York, hoping to sell it to one of the big publishers, but every single one turned them down. The project appeared to have _ until they met Peter Vegso. Peter read some of the stories and loved them, so he decided to give the book a chance, becomingChicken Soup for the Soulfounding publisher.
Chicken Soup for the Soulturned into one of the most popular and loved books ever published, selling 11 million copies around the world. Today, we've published more than 250 books andChicken Soup for the Soulhas become the best-selling trade paperback book series of all time.
People have connected withChicken Soup for the Soulbooks deeply. Years ago, we started getting letters from readers asking for more, not just more books, but other things, too. Jack and Mark recognized thatChicken Soup for the Soulhad grown into something much bigger than the book series they had created. So, in 2008, William Rouhana, Amy Newmark and Robert Jacobs boughtChicken Soup for the Soulfrom them. Today, we have a line of comfort foods, including healthy and balanced pet foods. We're online now with our forums, apps and a YouTube channel. We're working hard on a newChicken Soup for the SoulTV show and a movie. Meanwhile, we are still collecting stories from our readers and the public, just like we've done since the beginning. We have new books coming out almost every month. We're always looking for ways to share happiness, inspiration and wellness through everything we do.
Question: Jack and Mark soldChicken Soup for the Soulbecause _ .
- they lost interest in it
- it deserved expansion
- readers got tired of the series
- it could be sold at a high price
it deserved expansion | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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Read the following article and select the best answer.
Article: When you learn reading, nlath, and other subjects taught in school from your parents or teaehers who come to your house, it's called homeschooling. A kid may be the only one, or he may be taught with brothers, sisters, or kids from the neighborhood.
Parents choose to homeschool their children for many different reasons. Sometimes a kid is sick and can't go to regular school. But more often, kids are homeschooled beeause their parents feel they can give their children a better education than the local school can. Patents also may choose homeschooling because they want their children's education to include religious instruction, which isn't offered at puhlie schools.
If you don't like school, homeschooling might seem like the perfect solution. But it's better for everyone if homeschooling isn't chosen just as an escape from school or prohlems there. Finding solutions to the problem should be the first step.
Kids who are homeschooled may benefit from the one-on-one attention. For example, if you don't understand something in math, the whole class won't he moving on without you. You might be the whole class! It's also possible that you might learn more than you would in a regular classroom, because if you really good at something, you can keep learning more at your own pace.
Kids who are homeschooled also may get out in their communities more than other kids. They may get to experience hands-on education at museums, libraries, businesses and other community resources. They also might volunteer or take part in "service learning" where they take on local projects.
No matter where a child goes to school, the key to learning is listening to the teacher and asking for help when you need it. A homeschooled child might feel more comfortable with his teacher (a parent), but the child still needs to pay attention and cooperate. Just like in a traditional school, teachers and students need to work together to achieve goals in the classroom.
Question: The similarity of homeschooling and learning at school is that _ .
- students all should cooperate with their teachers
- students don't feel lonely
- students all have many classmates
- studenls all have more opportunities to get out
students all should cooperate with their teachers | race_high | Select the best answer (generate span) | 1tasky
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How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments-mostly for entertainment purposes-is fair and respectful?
Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals.How ever, most zoos remain "collections" of interesting "things" rather than protective habitats .Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural bones.
Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species , but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals' natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty.Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species' name, diet, and natural range .The animals' normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don't usually take care of the animals' natural needs.
The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise.These results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoophobia.A worldwide study of zoos found that zoophobia is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages.Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered.Captive breeding of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild.Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out.In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers.Haven't we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them.Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals' natural habitats.
How would the author describe the animals' life in zoos?
A) Dangerous.
B) Unhappy.
C) Natural.
D) Easy.
B | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Last December, I performed 30 shows in 11 days. I knew it would be a tiring tour before I set off, but I just wanted to be there to support our men and women.
From the minute I walked onstage the afternoon I arrived at the army, the soldiers were cheering, singing along at the top of their voices. I had done hundreds of concerts, but it was my first time to perform for _ . Looking at the smiling faces of these soldiers --- some of them only teenagers --- I felt great joy moving through me. They were the loveliest fans I had ever met. Then, from out of nowhere, words came into my head. "I want to play you something new ... a song just came in my head minutes ago. It's calledHere with Me," I told them. Cheers rang out. As I sang, I could see the tears in some of soldiers' eyes. I finished to thunderous applause.
At theautograph part afterward, one of the soldiers took out a picture of a high school student. "This is my girl. You know, I miss her so much," he said. "That new song you sang ... it meant so much to me. Those were the words I've always wanted to tell her.
I realized that the song wasn't about me and that it was, in fact, a gift for these men and women. I played it in every concert after that, always with the same unbelievable reaction.
On the long plane ride home I kept thinking about the soldiers I'd met. They risked their lives every day to defend our country, yet they were grateful for a simple concert. I decided to record the new song to thank our men and women inuniform .
From the text, we can infer that the author _ .
A) served in the army before
B) received many gifts during shows
C) was impressed by the soldiers
D) always cared for the soldiers
C | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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350 million yuan in one week puts famous actress Zhao Wei at the top of the list of most profitable female directors. Before her the place belonged to Xue Xiaolu, the director of Finding Mr. Right, which hit Chinese screens early this year.
With the box office success of So Young, people are once again turning their nostalgic eyes to youth -- an era of passion and pain, of hope and heartbreak. The reason why youth is such a soft spot for many people is that its intangible nature cannot be truly grasped until it is lost.
"It is the period between education and employment, between dependence and independence,"says Zhang Yiwu, professor of Chinese literature at Peking University.
But Jiang Chuling, the writer of So Young, says youth shares many similarities with home. When you leave home, you start missing it. "I think youth is meaningless for young people. Only when you look back does it acquire a special meaning," she says.
For Zhang Yueran, 31, who is regarded as one of the country's most promising young novelist, "heroism in youth" was a cultural asset of people born in the 1970s, but it was swept away by the materialism that is so common in today's world.
Nostalgia for the post-1980s and post-1990s generation, according to Zhang Yiwu, comes from their frustration and anxiety. Born into the most affluent society in 100 years, this generation of single children is not as tough as their predecessors.
"They have very high expectations toward life and their disappointment and frustration with reality is huge," says Zhang. "So they turn to the past for comfort, even though they are still young. "
So Young tells a love story set in the 80s and 90s. The idea of reflecting about past time has helped the film win a lot of appreciation. One audience member said, "I think the story can really bring back memories for a lot of people. It's got something we've all experienced, but can lead us to different feelings. "
"Everyone experiences youth and every generation considers their youth to have been special. But actually,...
We can infer from the passage that _ .
A) Zhao Wei took the first place in film profit
B) the film has been very popular among teenagers
C) So Yong is a film which is hard to understand
D) people often celebrate their growth with a ceremony
B | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Passage 1
As one of China's most popular and widely known story ,Monkey King, is set to return to screens with 3D effects. It may feature many of the same leading actors from the earliest 1986TV series Journey to the West. According to the producer, which can be got easily in the market? The TV drama, with a total investment of 150 million yuan, will be broadcast on Sichuan TV. Almost 90 million yuan has been put into 3D effects with each 45-mniute episode containing eight minutes of 3D. "The 3D effects not only cost us a lot of money but also a lot of time," director Kan Weiping said. "We had to put off its broadcasting time, which was set at first this summer."
Passage 2
The Solar Roadway is an intelligent road that provides clean renewable energy using power from the sun, while providing safer driving conditions along with power. American inventors of the Solar Road said that it will power itself, and reduce the country's carbon marks. Many panels are fixed on the Solar Road. The top of the Solar Road panels is made of glass and the inventors are working together with top glass researchers to develop super strong glass that would offer vehicles pulling power they need. The Solar Roadway creates and carries clean renewable electricity and, therefore, electric vehicles can be recharged at any rest stop, or at any business that uses solar road panels in their parking lots. Such parking lots will be safer at night with the light provided by LED within the road panels. The inventors say their solar roadway has many applications and advantages from main roads to driveways, parking lots, bike paths and runways.
What can be inferred about the Solar Roadway from Passage 2?
A) It will have a bright future
B) It can't work without electricity
C) The vehicles won't work without electricity
D) The electric vehicles can't be recharged on it
A | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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A Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1.How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
*Finding:A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
*Step:Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2.How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
*Finding:Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30%wash their hands only 4 times a day-half of the number doctors recommend.
*Step:We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes.Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
*Finding:Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
*Step:Be aware of germs. Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.
Which of the following is true according to the text ?
A) We should keep from touching our faces .
B) There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth .
C) We should wash our hands before touching a door handle .
D) A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet .
D | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to assist a rapid distribution of goods at reasonable prices, thereby establishing a firm home market and so making it possible to provide for export at competitive prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps enormously to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it ensures an increased need for labor, and is therefore an effective way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television license would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or tube would cost 20 per cent more.
And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a guarantee of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Apart from the fact that twenty-seven Acts of Parliament govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare promote a product that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for mercifully the public has the good sense not to buy the inferior article more than once. If you see an article consistently advertised, it is the surest proof I know that the article does what is claimed for it, and that it represents good value.
By the first sentence of the passage, the author means that _ .
A) he is fairly familiar with the cost of advertising
B) everybody knows well that advertising is money consuming
C) advertising costs money like everything else
D) it is worthwhile to spend money on advertising
D | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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I had an experience some years ago which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves. One January, I had to conduct two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community. Both had died "full of years," as the Bible would say; both yielded to the normal wearing out of the body after a long and full life. Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the dead woman said to me, "If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today. It's my fault that she died." At the second home, the son of the other dead woman said, "If only I hadn't insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today. That long airplane ride, the abrupt change of climate, was more than she could take. It's my fault that she's dead."
When things don't turn out as we would like them to, it is very tempting to assume that had we done things differently, the story would have had a happier ending. Priests know that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty. Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course - keeping Mother at home, delaying the operation would have turned out better. After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our readiness to feel guilt. The first is our pressing need to believe that the world makes sense, that there is a cause for every effect and a reason for everything that happens. That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the concept that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen. It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault. The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood....
People have been made to believe since infancy that _ .
A) everybody is at their command
B) life and death is an unsolved mystery
C) every story should have a happy ending
D) their wishes are the cause of everything that happens
D | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Early in the 16thcentury men were trying to reach Asia by travelling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South Africa. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan.
Magellan sailed from Seville in August 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the severe winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Straits. In November 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they didn't see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were in the Philippines., Magellan was killed in battle.
The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail around Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan's expedition .
The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was _ .
A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five
C | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Dr Wiseman started "the laugh lab" project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humour. Participants are invited to log on to the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favourite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
The project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world's funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researches want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between the male and female sense of humour. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long attracted psychologists and philosophers. Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves. By December 2001 over 10, 000 jokes had been submitted. This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humour, for instance.
"Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humour, " said Dr. Wiseman. "Males use humour to appear superior to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play. "
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humour. The British enjoy what is usually called "toilet humour". But the French like their jokes short and sharp: "You're a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $500?" "Yes. What's the second question?"
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humour. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don't know, but let's say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by...
We can infer from the passage that _ .
A) most of the people all over the world are completely honest
B) psychologists and philosophers take interest in the "laugh lab" project
C) ordinary people are not interested in "the laugh lab" project at all
D) people tell the truth about themselves only when they laugh
B | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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Owning a smartphone may not be as smart as you think. They may let you surf the Internet, listen to music and take photos wherever you are, but they also turn you into a workaholic .
A study suggests that, by giving you access to emails at all times, the smartphone adds as much as two hours to your working day. Researchers found that Britons work an additional 460 hours a year on average as they are able to respond to emails on their mobiles. The study shows the average UK working day is between 9 and 10 hours, but a further 2 hours is spent responding to or sending work emails, or making work calls.
Almost one in ten admits spending up to three hours outside their normal working day checking work emails. Some workers say they are on call almost 24 hours a day. Nearly two-thirds say they often check work emails just before they go to bed and as soon as they wake up, while over a third have replied to one in the middle of the night. The average time for first checking emails is between 6 am and 7 am, with more than a third checking their first email in this period, and a quarter checking them between 11pm and midnight.
Ghadi Hobeika, marketing director of Pixmania, said: "The ability to access millions of applications has made smartphones invaluable for many people. However, there are disadvantages. Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people cannot get away from work. The more constantly in touch we become, the more is expected of us in work . "
What does Ghadi Hobeika feel about smartphones?
A) They are unimportant for most of people.
B) They have disadvantages for some companies.
C) They make it impossible for people to rest.
D) They are useful to improve a work ability.
C | race_high | Select the best answer (no instructions) | 1tasky
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