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<extra_id_5>Have you ever heard of e-waste(electric waste,), which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they're broken or you want a new one? Most people just throw them away. With the development of electric industry, e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in 2014, people around the world produced 41.8 million tons of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 million tons. The US was the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second, with 6 million tons. It's important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful , depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine . The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is amazing. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals can get into the earth or air, effecting the environment and people's health. Apple, for example, now recycle people's used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs. The main purpose of this passage is to _ .
<extra_id_0>prove that e-waste is useless.
<extra_id_1>encourage people to buy more electronic products.
<extra_id_2>advise people to deal with e-waste properly to reduce pollution.
<extra_id_3>Tell us science and technology is developing rapidly.
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<extra_id_5>Do you have any friends? What do you think of friendship ? Here are some opinions from Ann,Pedro,Crystal and Roy. Ann comes from Japan!She likes to have friends who really care about her. She thinks a true friend won't leave her alone when she is in trouble. Besides,she hopes they can teach her English. Pedro is from Canada. He thinks that friendship means giving. If you want others to care about you,you must care about them first. Crystal was born in China. She has the same opinion with Pedro. The real meaning of friendship is giving others something instead of thinking about taking anything back. What about Roy from Japan? He doesn't care about the looks of his friends. In his opinion,a sincere heart is more important than looks. If you are in the same country with Roy,you can write emails to him. Where is Crystal from?
<extra_id_0>America.
<extra_id_1>Japan.
<extra_id_2>China.
<extra_id_3>Canada.
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<extra_id_5>While very young unmanned aircraft industry looks at ways to improve small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for specific tasks such facility security, infrastructure inspection, or precision agriculture, a New Mexico-based aerospace founder is thinking bigger and longer-term ones. Titan Aerospace, a one-year-old aircraft designer, last week unveiled its Solara 50 and Solara 60 unmanned aircraft. These are two large solar-powered>> high-altitude vehicles the company plans to send up into space for weeks,months>> and eventually years at a time without ever having to land. Titan doesn't refer to these concept aircraft as "drones " or "unmanned aircraft system," but instead calls them "atmospheric satellites" for their ability to remain in the sky for extended periods of time just as orbital satellites do. The company hopes to provide a platform of less than $2 million that governments, private industry, and research institutions can put high into the atmosphere for extended periods of time for a little part of the cost of a space satellite. The idea is that an atmospheric satellite can conduct most of the same operations as an orbital one: atmospheric observation and weather monitoring, communications relay, oceanographic research, and earth imaging. Other operations are impractical for space satellites, such as border security, maritime traffic monitoring and anti-piracy operations, disaster response, or agricultural observation. And with continuous flight time of up to five years, Solara's aircraft would have endurance on par with (......) many small satellites, making them a more attractive choice for a range of these applications. "If you have to go up to the orbital satellite and rent that service>> that's a lot of money," says Dustin Sanders, Titan's chief electrical engineer. "And launching a satellite, that can cost billions of dollars. We're trying to do a single-million-dollar-per-aircraft platform. And the operation cost is almost nothing--you're paying a little money and make sure the aircraft doesn't do anything stupid. " The writer writes the passage to introduce _ .
<extra_id_0>the development of aircraft industry.
<extra_id_1>a new kind of orbital satellite
<extra_id_2>a company called "Tian Aerospace"
<extra_id_3>the newly-designed "atmospheric satellites"
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<extra_id_5>It was late, around 10 p.m. A young lady, named Thea, was waiting at the train station. She was waiting for the last train to arrive, when she heard her phone ring. It was her brother. The line was suddenly cut off when she answered, and the phone did not ring again. The lady waited for a call back, but her phone did not ring. She sat on the bench, holding her phone. She was definitely uneasy. Her mother was very ill and was in hospital. She was looking around, looking for a phone loading station, but since it was already late, the stalls were already closed. She had no choice but to wait till the train came and wait till she got home. A young lady in her late 20s approached her. She was very sincere. She asked what was wrong. Thea looked at the stranger's eyes and said "nothing". But the other lady was just so sincere and wanted to help. She took out her cell phone from her shoulder bag and handed it to Thea. The helpful lady said, "Here's my phone; it has extra loads; you can make a call." "Is it OK? " asked Thea. "Yeah," she said, looking directly into her eyes. Then Thea, in a very shy manner, slowly dialed a number and talked with someone on the phone. A smile was on her face. "Thank you so much; you took my worries away." "You are welcome; I am glad that I can give you a hand. " In fact, kindness can be shared at any time in any place. The purpose of writing this passage is to show _ .
<extra_id_0>our phone must have extra loads
<extra_id_1>we should believe in people if we are in trouble
<extra_id_2>we can try to help people whenever and wherever possible
<extra_id_3>we'd better give our phones to people if they need them.
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<extra_id_5>The One and Only Ivan [hardcover] Katherine Applegate (Author) Patricia Castelao (Illustrator) 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (117 customer reviews) / Like (58) List Price: $16.99 Price: $9.34 (for total orders over 25.) Usually ships within 1 to 3 weeks. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift-wrap available. Product Details Reading level: Ages 8 and up Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Harper Collins Languages: English ISBN-10: 0061992254 ISBN-13: 978-0061992254 Shopping weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Book Description Release Date: January 17, 2012 Age level: 8 and up Grade Level: 3 and up Ivan is an easy-going gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to human watching him. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he's seen and about his friends. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant, and she makes Ivan see their home--and his own art--through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it is up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan's unforgettable first-person narration in a story of friendship, art and hope. How much do you have to pay for just one copy of the book?
<extra_id_0>$16.99
<extra_id_1>$7.65
<extra_id_2>$15.99
<extra_id_3>$9.34
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<extra_id_5>Sliding off concrete and onto gravel produces higher levels of
<extra_id_0>shine
<extra_id_1>value
<extra_id_2>longevity
<extra_id_3>chafing
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<extra_id_5>Arctic animals often live on
<extra_id_0>ice
<extra_id_1>soil
<extra_id_2>liquid water
<extra_id_3>plants
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<extra_id_5>Almost everyone likes dogs, and almost everyone likes reading stories about dogs. I have a friend. The friend has a large police dog. Its name is Jack. Police dogs are often very clever. Every Sunday afternoon my friend takes Jack for a long walk in the park. Jack likes these long walks very much. One Sunday afternoon a young man came to visit my friend. He stayed a long time. He talked and talked. Soon it was time for my friend to take Jack for his walk. But the visitor still stayed. Jack became very worried. He walked around the room several times and then sat down in front of the visitor and looked at him. But the visitor paid no attention. He continued talking. Finally Jack couldn't stand it. He went out of the room and came back a few minutes later. He sat down again in front of the visitor but this time he held the visitor's hat in his mouth and ran out of the room. The visitor paid no attention to the dog because _ .
<extra_id_0>he didn't see the dog
<extra_id_1>he didn't like the dog
<extra_id_2>he was afraid of the dog
<extra_id_3>he didn't understand what the dog meant
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<extra_id_5>Here are some world-famous cultural sites that you may be interested in: Old City of Jerusalem The Old City was given a World Heritage Status in 1981 and placed on the "World Heritage in Danger List" the following year. The city has had a history of three different religions fighting over their holy sites and yet also living together in the same city. Jerusalem has always been of great symbolic importance. Visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/148for more information. Khami Ruins National Monument The City of Khami, which developed after the capital of Great Zimbabwe had been given up in the mid-16th century, is of great archaeological value. The discovery of objects from Europe and China shows that Khami was a major centre for business over a long period of time. Visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/365for more information. Ancient City of Pingyao Pingyao is a typically well-kept example of an ancient Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. It is most famous for its ancient buildings which were in connection with the ancient Chinese banks --Qianzhuang or Piaohao. It provides a complete picture of cultural, social, economic and political development during one of the most important periods of Chinese history. Visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/812for more information. Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape Mapungubwe is set against the northern border of South Africa that joins Zimbabwe and Botswana. Mapungubwe had developed into the largest kingdom in South Africa before it was given up in the 14th century. What survive now are the almost _ remains of the palace sites and also the entire settlement area, as well as two earlier capital sites. It shows a perfect picture of the development of social and political structures over 400 years. Visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1099for more information. If you are very interested in banking, you can visit _ .
<extra_id_0>the Old City of Jerusalem
<extra_id_1>the Ancient City of Pingyao
<extra_id_2>the Khami Ruins National Monument
<extra_id_3>the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape
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<extra_id_5>Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy.His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic,one of the most successful movies of all time.Following that big success,James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer. In 2012,James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench,known as Challenger Deep.And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film,named James Cameron's Deep-sea Challenger 3D. In James Cameron's fantasy films,such as Avatar and The Abyss,the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger.But on his dive into Challenger Deep,the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull. "I felt like I had gone to another planet,"Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean,nearly 7 miles below the surface."I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place." Cameron captured the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean. James Cameron's Deep--sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron' s journey.It is a film about determination,danger and the ocean'S greatest depths.The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron's world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet. It's an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore. What is the unexplored ocean like?
<extra_id_0>Colorful and dangerous.
<extra_id_1>Boring and deserted.
<extra_id_2>White and attractive.
<extra_id_3>Small and dull.
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<extra_id_5>Dorfman's dog ran into the street in front of Dorfman's home and began chasing cars. Peterson, who was driving a car on the street, swerved to avoid hitting the dog, struck a telephone pole, and was injured. If Peterson asserts a claim against Dorfman, will Peterson prevail?
<extra_id_0>Yes, because Dorfman's dog was a cause in fact of Peterson's injury.
<extra_id_1>Yes, if Dorfman knew his dog had a propensity to chase cars and did not restrain it.
<extra_id_2>No, because a dog is a domestic animal.
<extra_id_3>No, unless a statute or ordinance made it unlawful for the owner to allow a dog to be unleashed on a public street.
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<extra_id_5>Every morning, kids from a local high school are working hard. They are making and selling special coffee at a coffee cafe. They are also making a lot of money. These students can make up to twelve hundred dollars a day. They are selling their special coffee to airplane passengers. After the students get paid, the rest of the money goes to helping a local youth project. These high school students use a space in the Oakland airport. It is usually very crowded. Many people who fly on the planes like to drink the special coffee. One customer thinks that the coffee costs a lot but it is good and worth it. Most customers are pleasant but some are unhappy. They do not like it if the coffee cafe is not open for business. The students earn $6.10 an hour plus tips. They also get school credit while they learn how to run a business. Many of the students enjoy the work although it took some time to learn how to do it. They have to learn how to steam milk, load the pots, and add flavor. It takes some skill and sometimes mistakes are made. The most common mistake is forgetting to add the coffee. But many students enjoy the job, because they learn a lot experience by serving people. This will benefit them a lot when they enter into society after they finish their school education. Some passengers are unhappy because _ .
<extra_id_0>the special coffee costs too much.
<extra_id_1>the kids often forget to add the coffee.
<extra_id_2>they can't be served at some time.
<extra_id_3>the coffee cafe was often crowded.
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<extra_id_5>Which would a fire likely be the cause of?
<extra_id_0>an ice formation in the ocean
<extra_id_1>a cat's unique fur pattern
<extra_id_2>a person eating a bowl of cereal
<extra_id_3>a scar on the back of a tiger
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<extra_id_5>Mr. Brown was on his way home from the railway station. It was very late, and he was alone on the dark road. Suddenly he heard someone behind him. He began to walk faster. The man behind him walked faster, too. He walked more slowly, and the man moved more slowly, too. He began to run, and the man was following him and he was really scared. There was a wall on one side of the road, and he quickly climbed up on it and jumped down on the other side. "If he passes and doesn't stop," Mr. Brown thought, "everything will be all right." But the man didn't pass. He climbed up on the wall and jumped down, too. Mr. Brown's only thought was, "I'm in great danger!" He stood up and shouted, "What do you want? Why are you following me?" The man was so tired that at first it was difficult for him to speak. "I didn't know that you were a very good runner," he said at last, "I have to go to Mr. White's house, but I don't know the way. A man at the station told me that you lived next to Mr. White's and he told me to follow you. I'm too tired to go any farther." Which is wrong?
<extra_id_0>There were few people on the road.
<extra_id_1>The man didn't know where Mr. White lived.
<extra_id_2>Mr. Brown thought he was in great danger.
<extra_id_3>Mr. Brown didn't know where Mr. White lived
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<extra_id_5>Drink drivers could be prohibited from driving under the influence if new technology from Nissan is introduced. The Japanese car maker has developed a new odor detection system designed to prevent drivers from operating a car if they are over the legal limit. The system works by using a series of sensors to detect the level of alcohol the driver has consumed. A high-sensitivity alcohol odor sensor is built into the gear stick , which is able to detect the presence of the driver's palm as he or she attempts to start driving. If the alcohol level detected is above a pre-determined limit, the system automatically locks the transmission , immobilizing the car. A voice alert is also issued via the car navigation system telling the driver that he or she is over the limit. Extra sensors are also placed in the driver and passenger seats and a warning is issued if these sensors detect the presence of alcohol in the air inside the vehicle cabin. While still in the developmental stage the concept of drink driving detectors being built into cars has generally been welcomed by many drivers. Nissan said the technology is part of a project aimed at halving the number of fatalities and serious injuries in Nissan cars by 2015 compared to 2005 levels. What do we know about the detection system?
<extra_id_0>The detection system is still in the developmental stage.
<extra_id_1>The new technology from Nissan has been introduced.
<extra_id_2>The driving detectors are being built into cars.
<extra_id_3>The system has already been used in some car companies.
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<extra_id_5>Much has been said and written recently about heroes, mainly because many people think we have too few of them. There are many different kinds of heroes, but they all seem to have two things in common. First, heroes, by their actions, show the great possibilities of human nature. Second, heroes can also stand the test of time, and their achievements will not be easily forgotten. Because of these good points, we need to choose our heroes carefully. Olympic sports star Jackie Joyner-Kersee, who is believed to be a hero, warns young people to be careful of making athletes heroes. She hopes that if someone tries to copy her, it will be because she has achieved her goals by working hard. Joyner-Kersee says that a hero should be someone who has an influence on another person's life. Poet Maya Angelou believes that a hero encourages people to treat others well and to be concerned about the greater good. A hero should show politeness, courage, patience, and strength all the time. A hero should encourage others to follow him with actions that improve the world, even if only in small ways. Author Daniel Boorstin suggests that, " _ are people who make news, but heroes are people who make history." Thus, if a person is truly worthy to be called a hero, he or she will not be soon forgotten. We all need heroes. We need to be able to respect people who have been there, done that, and succeeded. Many times the greatest heroes are the people we deal with every day -- relatives , friends, and neighbors -- who will keep going when it is easier to give up. The parent who puts her or his family ahead of herself or himself, the teacher who will make more money at another job but chooses to help others -- all these people can be considered as heroes. A hero quietly and continuously sets a good example, an example that inspires others to follow. From the passage we know that _ .
<extra_id_0>there are fewer heroes than before
<extra_id_1>many common people set examples to us
<extra_id_2>heroes should be polite, patient and famous
<extra_id_3>heroes have to reach the standard required for them
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<extra_id_5>Many children act in TV shows. They work several hours every day, so they can not go to regular school. How do they get an education? In Hollywood, many TV shows are made. About forty teachers give lessons to the children in the shows. They teach wherever their pupils are working. The teachers' job is very important. They are responsible for making sure that the children work only the permitted hours each week. They are also responsible for making sure that children learn the required subjects. They make sure, too, that the children get enough rest and play, along with their education. Children actors are required to attend classes twenty hours each week. California law says they must be taught from September to June. If they do not make much progress in school, they are not permitted to continue working in TV shows. TV children are usually good pupils, and most of their teachers like this special kind of work. Their classes are held in some wonderful places. Sometimes the "classroom" is a Mississippi riverboat, and sometimes it is the inside of a spaceship. Often the pupils become famous TV or movie stars. . The teachers usually hold classes in _ .
<extra_id_0>a classroom building
<extra_id_1>some interesting places
<extra_id_2>a Mississippi riverboat
<extra_id_3>a spaceship
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<extra_id_5>Before the law sits a gatekeeper.To this gatekeeper comes a man from the country who asks to gain entry into the law.But the gatekeeper says that he cannot grant him entry at the moment.The man thinks about it and then asks if he will be allowed to come in sometime later on."It is possible," says the gatekeeper,"but not now." 1The gate to the law stands open,as always,and the gatekeeper walks to the side,so the man bends over in order to see through the gate into the inside.When the gatekeeper notices that,he laughs and says: _ The man from the country has not expected such difficulties: the law should always be accessible for everyone,he thinks,but as he now looks more closely at the gatekeeper in his fur coat,at his large pointed nose and his long,thin,black Tartar's beard,he decides that it would be better to wait until he gets permission to go inside.The gatekeeper gives him a stool and allows him to sit down at the side in front of the gate.There he sits for days and years.He makes many attempts to be let in,and he wears the gatekeeper out with his requests.The gatekeeper often interrogates him briefly,questioning him about his homeland and many other things,but they are indifferent questions,the kind great men put,and at the end he always tells him once more that he cannot let him inside yet.The man,who has equipped himself with many things for his journey,spends everything,no matter how valuable,to win over the gatekeeper.The latter takes it all but,as he does so,says,"I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything." 2 During the many years the man observes the gatekeeper almost continuously.He forgets the other gatekeepers,and this first one seems to him the only barrier for entry into the law.He curses the unlucky circumstance,in the first years thoughtlessly and out loud; later,as he grows old,he only mumbles to himself.He becomes childish and,since in the long years studying the gatekeeper he has also come to know the fleas in his fur collar,he even asks the fleas to help him persuade the gatekeeper.Finally his eyesight grows weak,and he does not know whether things are really darker around him or whether his eyes are merely deceiving him.But he recognizes now in the darkness a ray of light which breaks out of the gateway to the law.Now he no longer has much time to live. Before his death he gathers in his head all his experiences of the entire time up into one question which he has not yet put to the gatekeeper.He waves to him,since he can no longer lift up his stiffening body.The gatekeeper has to bend way down to him,for the great difference has changed things considerably to the disadvantage of the man.3 "You are insatiable ." "Everyone strives after the law," says the man,"so how is it that in these many years no one except me has requested entry?" The gatekeeper sees that the man is already dying and,in order to reach his diminishing sense of hearing,he shouts at him,"Here no one else can gain entry,since this entrance was assigned only to you.I'm going now to close it." 4 Which can best describe the man from the country?
<extra_id_0>Brave but innocent.
<extra_id_1>Loyal but ridiculous.
<extra_id_2>Tolerant but stubborn.
<extra_id_3>Trustworthy but childish.
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<extra_id_5>Cell phone use and texting are increasingly common, especially among teens. And that could be a problem. Texting affects learning and performing on test, a new study finds. So a Montana teen, Colin decided to test that. They asked 47 classmates to take part in a two-part experiment. The goal was to test how well these students understood written material. Each one had to read a paragraph or two about a certain topic, then answer questions about it. In the first part, the participants had 15 minutes to understand and then answer questions about six readings. Throughout this test, they met no distractions. During a new set of readings, the brothers sent messages to the participants' cell phones every 90 seconds. In each message, there were questions that required a reply. Participants should have scored better on the second test because it was easier. In fact, they scored worse when distracted by messages. Only a few students scored as well when replying to messages as they did when undistracted. But importantly, nobody performed better during the texting part. The brothers presented details of their findings at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Boys and girls scored equally poorly while texting, the brothers noticed. Older participants didn't do any better than younger ones. And it didn't matter if a student thought he was good at multitasking. On average, the brothers found that even students who were confident of their abilities did just as poorly while texting. Surprisingly, even though the students remembered less of what they read while texting, most of them answered questions in messages perfectly. "Our teachers are very happy to see these results," says Coler. The teens' new data strongly support their teachers' opinion that texting while studying is a serious distraction. From the results of the experiment, we can find _ .
<extra_id_0>boys were better at multitasking than girls
<extra_id_1>the easier the tests were, the more mistakes were made
<extra_id_2>nobody did good jobs in the two-part experiment
<extra_id_3>some students' test results were not affected by texting
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<extra_id_5>Water that is used to cool nuclear power plants can be released into water bodies, causing an area called a thermal plume. A thermal plume can be 12-18°C warmer than surrounding waters. Although some fish may be attracted to the warmer water, other organisms may not be able to survive. Government officials order a study to determine the effects of a thermal plume in a water body near a nuclear power plant in North Carolina. Which factor most related to temperature should the study focus on in order to determine whether the thermal plume is damaging the health of the water system?
<extra_id_0>pH
<extra_id_1>dissolved oxygen
<extra_id_2>nutrient concentration
<extra_id_3>turbidity
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<extra_id_5>Paperback: 264 pages Publisher:. Sams (March 29,2005) ISBN: 0672327627 Product Dimensions: 8.4x5.5x0.6 inches OVERVIEW This book offers straightforward practical answers when you need fast results. By working through each 10-minute lesson, you'll learn what you need to begin to use the PHP scripting language to make your websites interactive and dynamic. REVIEW When I first laid eyes on this book and its title, Teach Yourself PHP in 10 minutes, my first thought was that I was going to see this! So I opened it up and figured I'd look through it for ten minutes and see what would hit me. Well, 10 minutes turned into 20, 20 into 30 and 30 into a valuable resource that sits on my desk. Not only are the lessons within brief, but they are very easy to understand, well presented and very easy to understand for the beginner. Each lesson comes with tips to point out shortcuts, cautions to help you avoid common mistakes and notes to additional infomation. This book can be used in two ways, as a reference or as a complete tutorial on PHP basics. That alone is something that is very rare in teaching type books these days. Some of the more valuable and informative lessons will take you into the areas of: --Strings and variables --Processing HTML forms --Controlling and filtering data --User authentication --Cookies and sessions --Security practices --Configuring PHP and more!!! The book is pretty basic for experienced PHP coders, but for new or intermediate users this book is worth more than the small $19.99 CAN suggested price. Although the cover suggests it covers PHP 5.0, the coding found within also applies to PHP 4.X CONCLUSION This book completely surprised me with its value and does indeed teach you in ten minutes what other books claim to do in 24 hours. Full marks to author Chris Newman for this handy guide. What is the purpose of the passage?
<extra_id_0>To tell us something about a new book.
<extra_id_1>To tell us something about PHP.
<extra_id_2>To make an ad for the book to sell it.
<extra_id_3>To tell us how to use the book.
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<extra_id_5>The British psychoanalyst John Bowlby maintains that separation from the parents during the sensitive "attachment" period from birth to three may scar a child's personality and lead to emotional problems in later life. Some people have drawn the conclusion from Bowlby's work that children should not be subjected to day care before the age of three because of the parental separation it causes, and many people do believe this. But there are also arguments against such a strong conclusion. Firstly, anthropologists point out that the insulated love affair between children and parents found in modern societies does not usually exist in traditional societies. For example, in some tribal societies, such as the Ngoni, the father and mother of a child did not bring up their infant alone - far from it. Secondly, common sense tells us that day care would not be so widespread today if parents, care-takers found children had problems with it. Statistical studies of this kind have not yet been carried out, and even if they were, the results would be certain to be complicated and controversial. Thirdly, in the last decade, there have been a number of careful American studies of children in day care, and they have uniformly reported that day care had a neutral or slightly positive effect on children's development. But tests that have had to be used to measure this development are not widely enough accepted to settle the issue. But Bowlby's analysis raises the possibility that early day care has delayed effects. The possibility that such care might lead to, say, more mental illness or crime 15 or 20 years later can only be explored by the use of statistics. Whatever the long-term effects, parents sometimes find the immediate effects difficult to deal with. Children under three are likely to protest at leaving their parents and show unhappiness. At the age of three or three and a half almost all children find the transition to nursery easy, and this is undoubtedly why more and more parents make use of child care at this time. The matter, then, is far from clear-cut, though experience and available evidence indicate that early care is reasonable for infants. Which of the following statements is NOT against Bowlby's theory?
<extra_id_0>Day care is safe, otherwise there wouldn't be so many nursery schools.
<extra_id_1>Parents find the immediate effects of early day care difficult to deal with.
<extra_id_2>Many studies show that day care has a positive effect on children's development.
<extra_id_3>Separation from parent for very young children is common in some traditional societies.
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<extra_id_5>The largest earthquake ( magnitude 9.5) of the 20th century happened on May 22, 1960 off the coast of South Central Chile. It generated one of the most destructive Pacific-wide tsunamis . Near the generating area, both the earthquake and the tsunami were very much destructive, particularly in the coastal area from Concepcion to the south end of Isla Chiloe. The largest tsunami damage occurred at Isla Chiloe---the coastal area closest to the epicenter . Huge tsunami waves measuring as high as 25 meters arrived within 10 to 15 minutes after the earthquake, killing at least two hundred people, sinking all the boats, and flooding half a kilometer inland. There was large damage and loss of life at Concepcion, Chile's top industrial city. Near the city of Valdivia, the earthquake and following aftershocks generated landslides which killed 18 people. At the port city of Valparaiso, a city of 200,000, many buildings collapsed. A total of 130,000 houses were destroyed --- one in every three in the earthquake zone and nearly 2,000,000 people were left homeless. Total damage losses, including to agriculture and to industry, were estimated to be over a half billion dollars . The total number of death related with both the tsunami and the earthquake was never found accurately for the region. Estimates of deaths reached between 490 to 5,7002 with no distinction as to how many deaths were caused by the earthquake and how many were caused by the tsunami. However, it is believed that most of the deaths in Chile were caused by the tsunami. What is generally thought the main cause of deaths in Chile?
<extra_id_0>landslides
<extra_id_1>the tsunami
<extra_id_2>aftershocks
<extra_id_3>the magnitude 9.5 earthquake
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<extra_id_5>A good reader is very much like a driver. He must change his reading speed to fit what he is reading and what he is reading for, just as a driver does to fit the road situation. A good reader may read at 1,000 WPM(... )when he looks for something for a report in the library. But once he finds what he needs, he may slow down to 100 WPM. A good reader may read newspapers and story books at 600 WPM. But he may read his science or maths books at 150 WPM. Just as a driver has a wide change of driving speed, so a good reader has a wide change of reading speed. Which is the best title for this passage?
<extra_id_0>The Importance of Having Fast Reading Speed
<extra_id_1>A Good Reader and His Reading Speed.
<extra_id_2>The Best Way of Fast Reading
<extra_id_3>The Difference Between Driving and Reading
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<extra_id_5>Is it true ? 1.Wearing the wrong type of glasses will do harm to your eyes . This is not true for adults , although incorrect glasses may not be good for children under 10 . Ready-made glasses , and not wearing when you should , won' t do harm to your eyes , but you may see better with glasses that are specially made for you . 2.Watching too much television is bad for you eyes . This is not true. People with easily affected eyes may find they get red and aching from staring at a fixed distance for long periods , but there won' t be any lasting effects . 3. Carrots will help you see in the dark. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which the body can change into vitamin A, too little of which can cause night blindness. However , people in most countries don' t need to worry about vitamin A deficiency , night blindness is more likely to be connected with another vision problem . The main purpose of this article is to _ .
<extra_id_0>tell people of the importance of their eyes
<extra_id_1>tell people how to protect their eyes
<extra_id_2>tell people to have more carrots
<extra_id_3>tell people something more about their eyes
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<extra_id_5>As a kid, Fan Yang was crazy about the beauty of bubbles . A waterfall at a river near his childhood home in Vietnam created hundreds of tiny bubbles. "I saw another world in bubbles, and I imagined how nice it would be if I could create a big bubble and be inside it," he says. Many years later, Fan realized that dream. He has formed bubbles around hundreds of people, made large bubbles that his daughter can walk through, and even made square bubbles. Fan calls himself a "bubble artist" and "bubble scientist." "So far, I haven't met any other bubble scientist!" he says. To achieve what he wanted, Fan worked hard for years. "After many years of failure, I finally came out with a bubble solution that made big bubbles with beautiful color1s." Five years later, after lots of more practice and experiments, he created the world's largest bubble which was 156 feet long. Fan designed a program called the Gazillion Bubble Show. He has many performance tips to offer. He says it's good to make the audience feel tension so that they are surprised at the end of a trick. He also suggests doing performances that are fun to watch, so that the audience will stay interested the whole time To perform his tricks, Fan uses bubbles equipment that he created himself. He wants to know that they're not limited by anything except their imaginations, and they can create whatever they want to help them follow their interests. "To make art, you need time, love and hard work, which guided my life and made me successful. I am proud to say that I used something simple--- bubbles---and brought it to a completely new world." The audience who enjoy the Gazillion Bubble Show will _ .
<extra_id_0>feel relaxed all the time
<extra_id_1>always show great interest
<extra_id_2>play tricks on the performer
<extra_id_3>know how to make big bubbles
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<extra_id_5>The Moon has the greatest effect on Earth's
<extra_id_0>year
<extra_id_1>seasons
<extra_id_2>ocean tides
<extra_id_3>daylight hours
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<extra_id_5>"I didn't hear them call my name," explained Shelley Hennig to Active Teens (AT) as she talked about that exciting moment on national television when she won the honor of Miss Teen USA 2004. "Are you ready?"is what she heard. Then she said,"I shook my head no,and then they said 'yes' and it was announced again." It was four days after that life changing moment for the seventeen year old high school student from Destrehan, Louisiana. She was still _ "I was so shocked! I never believed that it could actually really happen. "Present in the audience that day were: her mother and father, older brother, her friends, and her dance teacher. Understanding why members of her family and her friends would be there,AT asked why her dance teacher had traveled so far to see her compete . "She's always been my role model. I've danced with her since I was six. She's been through so many difficulties and came through them all. I've learned to get over bad life's experiences and learned how to move on because of her." One of those bad life's experiences for Shelley happened three years ago when her brother Brad was killed in a drunk driving accident. He was 18. She found writing helped her get through the tough days. She said, "I write a lot about my brother. I write a lot, a lot,a lot..." As Miss Louisiana Teen, she traveled around the state speaking to teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. In her role as Miss Teen USA, Shelley will continue to speak to youth about safe driving,in addition to many other things to help the youth. When AT asked Miss Teen USA if she had any advice for our readers, she said, "Don't let anyone change you. Hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. That way,it is easy to be yourself." .What suggestion does Shelley give to the teens?
<extra_id_0>Be yourself with the support of friends.
<extra_id_1>Meet friends whenever possible.
<extra_id_2>Go easy on yourself and others.
<extra_id_3>Have a good role model.
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<extra_id_5>People eating meals or snacks containing substances are further processed in the
<extra_id_0>reproductive system
<extra_id_1>burgers and fries
<extra_id_2>gastro tract
<extra_id_3>ocular department
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<extra_id_5>1The Dream It is everyone's dream to work at home or not work at all. You can plan your own hours and work when you want to. There is no more rush hour and no hours that people waste when they get to and from a job every day. 2The Fact The fact is that this dream can be _ . You can stay at home,work when you want to and make money when you need to. There are plenty of opportunities for you to make money at home,just by using your computer and the Internet. 3Start Today! Educate yourself, look closely into all the opportunities and decide on what works best for you. It will not happen during one night, but you can make the decision today and start to make it happen today. 4How Could You Do It? Do you have a blog or a personal website like millions of other people? Are you using it to make money? Most of these blogs and website owners are not. But you can do that! 5 _ When you have your computer and the Internet working for you, your businesses will be working for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will make money while you sleep, travel or do whatever you want to do all day long. 6Get Going! There are many ways you can make money with your computer. And you can begin your stay - at - home businesses with just a little money. What are you waiting for ? How is the passage organized ?
<extra_id_0>By using famous people's words.
<extra_id_1>By giving reasons only.
<extra_id_2>By showing a topic and giving solutions.
<extra_id_3>By telling old stories
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<extra_id_5>A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism , a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives. Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This _ behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites. They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don't concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at schools. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life. They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society. Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate( themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect the whole world. Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?
<extra_id_0>It contributes to the development of the web.
<extra_id_1>The chat room language may change social culture.
<extra_id_2>The problem will be getting more and more serious later.
<extra_id_3>People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life.
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<extra_id_5>With her pretty face and soulful voice, Zhang Bichen was instantly thought a possible champion when she first set foot on the stage of the TV show The Voice of China. On Oct 7, 2014, the 25 - year - old girl won the fierce competition and received the title of the "Voice of the Year". Zhang's dream of being a singer star came true at last. What impressed people was not only Zhang's singing skills, but her willingness to make an effort. "I gained the opportunity to sing on The Voice of China," she said. In fact, being a singer has always been her dream. She wanted to apply to a college for singing, but her parents insisted that she should have a stable job after graduation because she did very well at academic studies. So Zhang gave in to her parents and learned French at university. However, in the first year of her college, she was discovered by a South Korean company when she entered a singing competition. To pursue her dream, Zhang signed a contract with the company, started her career in South Korea, and became a member of a band. "My company had rules that did not allow us to use cell phones. During the first few months after I arrived in South Korea, a totally unfamiliar country, I felt terribly homesick. But I could only phone my parents in the restroom when nobody noticed." said Zhang. "When I did not have much income, I had to eat instant noodles every day for months." It was her positive attitude and outgoing character that helped her through. "When I feel down, I tell myself it is not winning or losing that matters. The most important things are standing on the stage and singing for people." she said. The reason why Zhang learned French at university is that _ .
<extra_id_0>she is good at French
<extra_id_1>French is popular in the world
<extra_id_2>it is easy for her to find a stable job
<extra_id_3>she can realize her dream
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<extra_id_5>Why is music so important to children? Here are some of my ideas. Music has a positive influence on children's intelligence ! New research shows that music can offer children an interesting environment. It has a good influence on children's intelligence. Children can learn, understand and think in a logical way if they study music at an early age. Playing music with others gives children a feeling of belonging to the group! Some children might have trouble _ activities with others because they are shy, they have limited language ability or they don't like doing sports, but they usually feel relaxed when they take part in a music activity. Playing music with others gives children a wonderful feeling of belonging to the group. Music makes children happy! Children seem to experience much pleasure in music. Whether they are listening to music, singing along with a song, playing an instrument or dancing to music, they seem totally absorbed(......) in music. What's the best title for this passage?
<extra_id_0>How to Play Music with Others.
<extra_id_1>How to Play Music with Others.
<extra_id_2>Why Music Is Important to Children.
<extra_id_3>Different Music Activities.
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<extra_id_5>Many years ago, my dad was diagnosed with a serious heart disease. He was put on permanent disability, but he still wanted to do something to keep himself busy, so he decided to volunteer at the local children's hospital. My dad loved kids. It was the perfect job for him. He would talk to them and play with them and do arts with them. One of his kids was a girl with a rare disease that paralyzed her from the neck down. I don't know the name of the disease, but I do know that it was very sad for a girl around eight or nine years old. She couldn't do anything, and she was very depressed. My dad decided to try to help her. He started visiting her in her room, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He stood the paper up against a backing, put the paintbrush in his mouth and began to paint. He didn't use his hands at all. Only his head would move. He visited her whenever he could and painted for her. All the while he would tell her, "See, you can do anything you set your mind to." Finally , she began to paint by using her mouth, and she and my dad became friends. Soon after, the little girl was discharged . One day, in the lobby of the hospital, my dad noticed the front doors open and then in came the little girl who had been paralyzed, but this time she was walking. She ran straight over to my dad and hugged him really tight. She gave him a picture she had done using her hands. At the bottom it read: "Thank you for helping me walk." My dad would cry every time he told us this story and so would we. He would say: "sometimes love is more powerful than doctors." Which is the best title for this passage?
<extra_id_0>Share others' difficulty; share others' happiness
<extra_id_1>A happy girl
<extra_id_2>Only a mouth painter can help the girl
<extra_id_3>Doctors are stupid
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<extra_id_5>Second Life is a 3D online world in which computer users can create a new life and live a different life. Second Life is one of the most popular new online games. But unlike other games, Second Life is not about winning or losing. Second Life is technically a computer game. But people involved in it do not consider it a game because the players create everything. Second Life is more for socializing and creating communities. Users of Second Life are called residents( ). To take part, they must create an avatar, or an electronic image of themselves. Some avatars look like humans, while others look like animals or imaginary creatures. Inside the Second Life world, residents live in different versions of themselves. They build homes, run businesses, buy and sell things, work, play, and attend schools. They even have relationships and get married. Second Life was created in 2003 by Linden Lab in San Francisco, California. Linden Lab controls the website where the ever-changing world is being created. There are now about one million people around the world who are active to Second Life. The number has grown quickly since the beginning of the year when there were about one hundred thousand users. The average age of people involved with Second Life is about thirty. However, Linden Lab has recently created Teen Second Life for young users. Second Life has its own economy and its own money, called Linden dollars. Millions of dollars are made and spent each month in Second Life. Users can enter Second Life for free. But they must pay for a membership if they want to own land or buy and sell goods and services. Recently, several major companies have become involved with Second Life. They want to be part of the growing business world that exists within the made-up reality. Which of the following statements is NOT true about Linden Lab?
<extra_id_0>Linden Lab creates Second Life for both adults and youngsters.
<extra_id_1>Linden Lab brings in a large sum of money from Second Life.
<extra_id_2>Linden Lab first created Second Life for the people who are thirty years old.
<extra_id_3>Recently, Linden Lab created Second Life specially for teenagers.
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<extra_id_5>Running a marathon Have you ever taken part in a marathon? A marathon is 42km long. It is the longest race in the world. To make the runner's body work, harder training is quite necessary. A runner should start to prepare for a marathon at least three months before. Preparation may have races, many hours of running at different speeds and changes in diet . During the training time the runner must eat a fit diet. The diet should have lots of things needed in training the players. In the early days of training, runners run 80km per week. The running is increased every two or three weeks and at least two long runs per week are needed. Two weeks before the marathon, the training programme becomes less, from 100km per week down to 60km and then to 30km in the final week. On the last two days they may not run at all. Breakfast should be eaten at least three hours before the race. Easily digested food such as cereal , toast and scrambled egg is best, with as much fluid as possible. Runners should drink water about half an hour before the race to keep up the body fluid. What is the length of the modern marathon?
<extra_id_0>100km.
<extra_id_1>60km.
<extra_id_2>30km.
<extra_id_3>42km.
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<extra_id_5>For well over a thousand years, smallpox was a disease that everyone feared. The disease killed much of the native population in South America when the Spanish arrived there in the early sixteenth century. By the end of the eighteenth century, smallpox was responsible for about one in ten deaths around the world. Those who survived the disease were left with ugly scars on their skin. It had long been well known among farmers that people who worked with cows seldom caught smallpox; instead, they often caught a similar but much milder disease called cowpox . A British doctor called Jenner was extremely interested in this, and so he studied cowpox. He believed that, by vaccinating people with the disease, he could protect them against the much worse disease smallpox. In 1796, he vaccinated a boy with cowpox and, two months later, with smallpox. The boy did not get smallpox. In the next two years, Jenner vaccinated several children in the same way, and none of them got the disease. News of the success of Jenner's work soon spread. Vaccination soon became a common method to protect people against other diseases caused by virus, such as rabies , and vaccines were sent across the world to the United States and India. It took nearly two centuries to achieve Jenner's dream of getting free of smallpox from the whole world. In 1967, the world Health Organization (WHO) started a great vaccination program, and the last known case of smallpox was recorded in Somalia in 1977. The story of vaccinations does not end there, however. There are many other diseases that kill more and more people every year. Besides, many new diseases are being discovered. The challenge for medical researchers will, therefore, probably continue for several more centuries Smallpox was so serious that _ by the end of l8th century
<extra_id_0>its death rate was up to ten percent
<extra_id_1>those who caught it were certain to die
<extra_id_2>one in ten people in the world died of smallpox
<extra_id_3>one in ten deaths in the world was caused by smallpox
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<extra_id_5>Oprah Winfrey,born in 1954,is all American talk show host,best known for her multiawardwinning talk show. She is also,according to some assessments,the most influential woman in theworld. It's no surprise that her endorsement can bringovernight sales fortune that defeats most,if not all,marketingcampaigns .The star features about 20 products each year On her"Favorite Things" show.There's even a term for it: the Oprah Effect. Her television career began unexpectedly. When she was 16 year old,she had the idea of being a journalist to tell other people's stories in a way that made a difference in their lives and the world.She was on television by the time she was 19 years old. And in 1986 she started her own television show with a continuous determination to succeed at first TIME magazine wrote,"People would have doubted Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to host of The most popular talk show on TV .In a field ruled by white males,she is a black female of big size. As interviewers go,she is no match for,say,what she lacks in journalistic toughness.She makes up for in plainspoken curiosity,rich humor and,above all understanding Guests with sad stories to tell tend to bring out a tear in Oprah's eye .They,in turn,often find themselves exposing things they would not imagine telling anyone,much less a national TV audience." "I was nervous about the competition and then I became my own competition raising the bar every year,pushing,pushing,pushing myself as hard as I knew. It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to fall if you're constantly doing what we do, raising the bar. If you're constantly pushing yourself higher,higher the law of averages,you will at some point fall. And when you do I want you to know this,remember this:there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction"as Oprah addressed graduates at Harvard on May 30,2013. .The message from Oprah to graduates at Harvard is that _ .
<extra_id_0>success comes after failure
<extra_id_1>failure is nothing to fear
<extra_id_2>there is no need to set goals too high
<extra_id_3>pushing physical limits makes no sense
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<extra_id_5>I went to Arizona earlier this month to see what the college of the future might look like. What I found is an exciting new era of higher education that will help more students get a great, personalized education at an affordable price. This future may not always include the lecture halls, dormitories, and other features of the traditional college experience. Instead, the colleges I visited are experimenting with ways for students to get their degrees online, allowing them to take courses any place and at any time. These " _ ," as they are sometimes called, are at the forefront of the effort to broaden access to higher education, especially for low-income students with full-time jobs and families. During my visit, I heard encouraging stories of students who were taking advantage of these flexible learning models to pursue degrees that could put them on paths to new careers. One of those students was Shawn Lee. He had a compelling story: After dropping out of college decades ago, he found himself in a series of low-paying, often back-breaking jobs. He recently decided to get his degree when he had his first child and wanted to start building a better life. Tucked away in an industrial park in Tempe, Rio Salado didn't look much like a traditional institute of higher education. There were no students running to class. Just a couple of glass-faced office buildings. The college had just 22 full-time faculty serving 60,000 students, with more than half of them attending classes online. Several students I met during my visit said they liked learning online. "I've taken college classes in a big auditorium with herds of people. There was no personal connection," one student said. "Now I can reach my teacher with the click of a mouse." After several days' visit, I left Arizona feeling quite optimistic about what the future holds for higher education. How did the writer feel after the visit?
<extra_id_0>Hopeful.
<extra_id_1>Dissatisfied.
<extra_id_2>Disappointed.
<extra_id_3>Upset.
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<extra_id_5>Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that's only superficial. Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you're in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes. The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all. Perhaps one of the things that surprise a western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always "public" chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate. People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat! According to the passage, we can infer that _ .
<extra_id_0>Chinese all think it impolite for guests to ask for a pair of knife and fork.
<extra_id_1>Chinese think it impolite for guests to leave food in the plate.
<extra_id_2>People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed.
<extra_id_3>Chinese think it polite to put food into the plated of the guests with their own chopsticks.
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<extra_id_5>An alcohol breath test (ABT) is often used by the police to find out whether a person is drunk while driving. In the United States, the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08% for people aged 21 years or older, while people under 21 are not allowed to drive a car with any level of alcohol in their body. A "positive" test result, a result over the legal limit, allows the police to arrest the driver. However, many people who tested positive on the test have claimed that they only drank a "non-alcoholic" energy drink. Can one of these energy drinks really cause someone to test positive on an ABT? Researchers in Missouri set up an experiment to find out. First, the amount of alcohol in 27 different popular energy drinks was measured. All but one had an alcohol level greater than 0.005%. In nine of the 27 drinks, the alcohol level was at least 0.096%.The scientists then investigated the possibility that these small levels of alcohol could be discovered by an ABT. They asked test _ to drink a full can or bottle of an energy drink and then gave each subject an ABT one minute and 15 minutes after the drink was finished. For 11 of the 27energy drinks, the ABT did find the presence of alcohol if the test was given within one minute after the drink was taken. However, alcohol could not be discovered for any of the drinks if the test was given 15 minutes after the drink was consumed. This shows that when the test is taken plays an important role in the test result. The sooner the test is conducted after the consumption of these drinks, the more likely a positive alcohol reading will be obtained. What is the purpose of the Missouri experiment?
<extra_id_0>To warn people of the dangers of drinking energy drinks.
<extra_id_1>To introduce a new method of calculating blood alcohol levels.
<extra_id_2>To discover the relation between energy drinks and ABT test results.
<extra_id_3>To change the current legal alcohol limit for drivers in the United States.
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<extra_id_5>I came to the USA because I needed to study English here. I went to an English language school. I was not a beginner, but I was not good at English. At the end of the first term, I could read, write and speak, and I thought I was good at them. However, I was not good at understanding when people spoke to me. My teacher said," Why don't you repeat the classes?" I was not happy. I made progress every month, so I did not want to repeat them. However, it was true -- I was not good at understanding when people spoke to me. My teacher said, "Repeating the classes is a good way to practice listening. And if you repeat them, you will understand more spoken English." In the end, I repeated the classes. In the second term, I studied the same books that I did in the first term. My teacher was right. It was a good idea. Now, after studying English for a year, I can understand more spoken English. And I know that reading, writing and speaking are not enough; listening is also very important. Who asked the writer to repeat the classes?
<extra_id_0>His teacher.
<extra_id_1>His parents.
<extra_id_2>His friend.
<extra_id_3>His classmates.
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_0>
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<extra_id_5>Anthropologists are scientists that study people who often lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Items those men, women, and children left behind when they died --- everything from clothing to jewelry and tools --- tell anthropologists a lot. And sometimes even their words survive. Experts believe that a discovery in Mexico is the oldest example of writing ever found in the Americas. The people who created it probably lived 3,000 years ago, long before Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. Workers digging in a rock mine happened to notice a stone block with marks carved onto its surface. They found the large piece of stone near the city of Cascajal, Mexico, which was once the capital of an ancient people called the Ohmec. "There are signs on the block that seem to show objects used by the Olmec during their religious ceremonies," says Dr. Stephen Houston, of Brown University in the USA. "There is a sign that looks very similar to a knife and another that looks like the chair of a King," he explains. Houston, an expert on the writing systems of ancient cultures, says the discovery is exciting because "it makes clear that the Olmec could read and write. It is like hearing voices from the past." But experts don't know exactly what the writing says. Finding other examples of Olmec writing could help decipher the puzzle. "We could have whole sets of ancient writing which will basically make ancient people speak to us directly," says Houston. "There are many puzzles to be solved, and this is just one of them." According to the passage, what items do scientists often use to learn more about the past?
<extra_id_0>Clothing and jewelry.
<extra_id_1>Books and stones.
<extra_id_2>Knives and chairs.
<extra_id_3>People and animals.
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_0>
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<extra_id_5>Whole Wheat Apple Pancake INGREDIENTS: 2 cups of whole wheat flour 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2 eggs 1/4 cup of vegetable oil 2 large apples 1 cup of butter DIRECTIONS: Stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour eggs and oil in. Mix the apples in. Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Put a large teaspoon of batter onto the pan and cook until the batter is dry. Then flip the pancake and cook until it is brown on the other side. When both sides have a light brown color, the pancake is ready. Heat the butter over a medium heat and add it to the pancake. It makes the pancake taste more delicious. How much vegetable oil do you need?
<extra_id_0>1 cup
<extra_id_1>1/2 teaspoon
<extra_id_2>2 cups
<extra_id_3>1/4 cup
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_5>Is there a limit to the number of years that a person can expect to live? Can changes in life-style add years to one's life? Throughout history people have sought answers to these questions and others. Various myths offer the hope of great longevity. In the imaginary land of Shangri-La, for example, people are said to lead a charmed existence for a thousand years. The Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon was convinced that he would find the Foundation of Youth in what is now the state of Florida. According to the Bible, Methuselah lived to be more than 900 years old. The subject of longevity is fascinating, and scientists study individuals such as Jeanne Calment to learn about the aging process. Calment died in 1997 in Arles, France, at the age of 122. She never married, and she lived in her own apartment until moving to a retirement community when she was 109. Most scientists agree that bodies will last, at best, about 125 years. This potential has changed little since modern human beings appeared more than 100 thousand years age. Recent improvements in medicine and the environment have extended life expectancy, especially for those from poorer parts of the world. It is not clear, however, whether such improvements will lengthen life expectancy beyond a certain point. Life expectancy is the number of years an infant can be expected to live, given the conditions into which it is born. Life expectancy, therefore, is affected by nutrition, medical care, and social and political circumstances. An individual's genetic makeup is also an important factor. Children from long-lived families can hope to enjoy long lives themselves. According to recent data, the average life expectancy worldwide in 1998 was 67 years. This can be compared with an average life expectancy of 77 in the United States. In 1970 the average life expectancy worldwide was 61 years, or 6 years less than it was in 1998. This same period saw a drop in infant mortality --- the death of a child before the first birthday---from 80 births out of 1,000 to 54 births out of 1,000. According to some researchers, the rise in the average life expectancy is due primarily to the drop in infant mortality. It is not so much that adults are living to an older age. It is, rather, that more people are living into adulthood because more children are surviving beyond their first birthdays. Infant mortality is defined as _ .
<extra_id_0>the number of children born alive
<extra_id_1>the kinds of behavior typical of very young children
<extra_id_2>the number of children, out of 1,000 births, who die before their first birthday
<extra_id_3>the typical and obvious thoughts of very young children
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_2>
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<extra_id_5>Beijing's markets will soon be flooded with more and cheaper colorful fruit such as orange, mangos and green durian all year round. Thanks to a new free trade agreement signed last Monday between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN),more and more tropical Southeast Asian fruit will enter the country. The agreement means that from July 1,2005, China and ASEAN countries will begin to cut tariffs. There are about 7,000 products included in the cuts. As global communication develops, countries are trading more and more goods with each other. When products are sold across national borders, countries put a tax on them. This type of tax is called a tariff. Just like removing an obstacle from the path of these goods, the reduction of tariffs will encourage trade between China and ASEAN countries. It means more products and lower prices. The agreement will bring real benefits for Chinese customers, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. "In the Beijing markets you will easily find more tropical fruit like durian, which used to very, very, very expensive. Now they will be cheaper." The current tariff rate on durian is 22 per cent but will fall to zero in 2005. In the first 10 months of this year China did US$84.6 billion of trade with ASEAN countries. Experts believe this may reach US$100 billion next year. Founded in 1967, ASEAN now includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Viet Nam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. We can infer from the story that _ .
<extra_id_0>China lacks fruit
<extra_id_1>tariffs are an important factor in foreign trade
<extra_id_2>tropical countries have cheaper fruit
<extra_id_3>China prefers to trade with ASEAN countries
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_1>
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<extra_id_5>Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for the London bus. The bus for London would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in lines, others were walking about. There was a group of school-girls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in order. Tom looked around but there was nowhere for him to sit. He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down, facing a large mirror on the wall. Just then, John, one of Tom's friends, came in and sat with Tom. "What time is your bus?" asked John. "Oh, there is plenty of time yet," answered Tom. "Oh, I'll get you some more tea then," said John. They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. "Good heavens! It's going back-ward!" he cried. "A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it's half past eleven." "You are looking at the clock in the mirror," said John. Tom wanted to kick himself for being so foolish. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. He has never liked mirror since then. Tom went into the station cafe because _ .
<extra_id_0>John asked him to have a cup of tea
<extra_id_1>he wanted a drink there
<extra_id_2>he would meet a friend of his
<extra_id_3>it was early yet and he could find a place to sit
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_5>Everyone is familiar with white fat, which serves as an energy warehouse. Many mammals also have brown fat, which has the unique ability to produce heat. Brown fat is sometimes mistaken for a type of gland , which it resembles more than white fat. It varies in color1 from dark red to tan. When the animal is exposed to a cold environment, the color1 darkens. In contrast to white fat, brown fat has numerous nerves which provide sympathetic stimulation to the fat cells. Brown fat is most noticeable in newborn animals, wrapped round the central organs to keep them warm. In human infants it occupies up to 5% of body weight, then declines gradually. Certain quantities of brown fat can be discovered in adult humans, especially when they are exposed to cold temperatures. Most of brown fat in adults is located in the lower neck. Exposure to cold leads to sympathetic stimulation of brown fat cell. As in white fat, sympathetic stimulation promotes hydrolysis of triglyceride , with release of fatty acids. In contrast to other cells, including white fat cells, brown fat cells express UCP1, which gives the cell's mitochondria an ability to produce heat rather than ATP. Within brown fat cells, most fatty acids are immediately combined with oxygen in mitochondria and a large amount of heat is produced. There is only about 50g of brown fat in the neck region and it switches on and off throughout the day as it's exposed to different temperatures or if you exercise or eat. But this capacity is much greater in young children compared with adolescents and adults. The challenge is now to use the knowledge to find out what might switch on brown fat. If it is switched on, we can benefit from it. Brown fat produces lots of heat by burning calories. Unlike white fat, brown fat does not expand our ageing waistlines. And that's why the race is on to find out more about brown fat, and how humans could use it to our advantage, though we would waste energy unnecessarily, and we would sweat a lot and forever be opening windows. We can learn from the passage that brown fat _ .
<extra_id_0>becomes less in amount with age
<extra_id_1>proves less active in low temperatures
<extra_id_2>exists nowhere but in the lower neck
<extra_id_3>has nothing in common with white fat
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_0>
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<extra_id_5>Helen Keller lived in the U.S.A. She was a great woman. When Helen Keller was a baby, she got very sick. After many weeks, the doctor said, "She is better, but now she can't see and she can't hear." Her mother and father were very sad. After a few years, things got worse. There was no way for Helen to speak to other people. She heard nothing. She saw nothing. She didn't understand anything. Then one day a teacher came to live with Helen and her family. The teacher helped Helen learn about words. Helen was a bright child and soon she learned to spell her first word. When she was older, she went to college. Helen was very famous. She helped many blind and deaf people. She traveled around the world and helped many people. Helen was a very old woman when she died. The world remembers her today as a brave and wonderful person. She was blind and deaf, but she found a way to see and hear. ,. Helen Keller was famous because _ .
<extra_id_0>she was an American
<extra_id_1>she traveled around the world
<extra_id_2>her teacher taught her many things
<extra_id_3>she learned to read, write and helped many people in the world.
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_5>Advertisement Share Flat. Happy Valley big flat, 1 room ready for use immediately, quiet and convenient, fully furnished, park view. $6800 including bills with maid. Female non-smoker. No pet. Sara 25720836 or 10077809. Moving Sale: 2 armchairs, red/brown at $ 400 each; coffee table, black, wood, $800; oil painting, big, $900; Tianjin carpet, green 3x7,$600; double bed, $500; mirror, big square, $500; fridge, big, double-door, $1000; old pictures, $140 each. Tel: weekend, 2521-6011; weekday, 2524-5867. Part-time Laboratory Assistant Wanted. Required by busy electronics company to help with development of computer. Should have an electronics degree and some practical experience of working in an electronics laboratory. Hours 9:30 a.m.~1:00p.m., Mon.~Fri. Fourteen days, paid leave. Salary 6598~10230dependent on experience. Letter of application to: Mrs. G. Chan, NOVA ELECTRONICS, 45 Gordon RD, Hung Hom Knowloon. According to the advertisements, you may _ .
<extra_id_0>buy an old picture for $140
<extra_id_1>call 25720836 to see a beautiful park
<extra_id_2>buy two armchairs for $400
<extra_id_3>hire a maid by paying $6800
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_5>There was once an old wise man living on the top of a mountain. Whenever the villagers had a problem, they would climb up the mountain and ask the old man for advice. One day a young man arrived. "Wise man," he asked, "What makes a man truly great?" The old man said, "Do you sincerely want to know?" "Yes, yes!" the young man replied. "Well," the wise old man said to him, "Let me tell you in the form of a story." There was once a Greek man who suffered from a deadly disease. Knowing that he would die soon, he was the first to join the army when his country was in a battle with the enemy. Hoping to die in battle, he would fight in the front line, risking himself without any worry for his life. Finally they won the battle and he was still alive. His general was so impressed with his bravery which contributed much to the victory. The general decided to promote him and award him with medals of bravery and honor. On the day of presentation , he was looking very down and sad. Curiously, the general asked him why he was so sad on a day he should be so proud. The soldier told him of his deadly disease. "How could I let such a brave soldier die?" the general thought. So the general hired the best physician and finally cured the soldier. But from that day on, the once _ soldier was no longer seen at the front. He would always avoid danger and tried his best to protect his life. "Young man," the wise man said, "if you want to be truly great, you must not be afraid of dying, you must be daring." The reason why the young man went to see the old man was that _ .
<extra_id_0>he enjoyed the scenery of the great mountain
<extra_id_1>the old man was very good at telling stories
<extra_id_2>there was a difficult problem troubling him
<extra_id_3>he was not sure who the greatest man was
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_2>
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<extra_id_5>One day, a boy had a fight with one of his classmates. He didn't wait until school was over, and hurried home to his grandfather. He told him his story angrily. "He is really bad," the boy said, "and I hate him." The grandfather said, "Let me tell you a story. When I was a boy, I, too, sometimes hated others for what they did..." As the boy listened carefully, the grandfather went on,"There are always two tigers inside my heart. One is good and kind. He gets on well with everything around him. But the other is bad and unfriendly. Even the smallest thing will make him angry. He fights with everyone all the time, and for no reason. He can't think carefully because he always hates others. It is difficult to live with these two tigers inside my heart. They both try to control me." The boy looked into his grandfather's eyes and asked,"Which tiger always controls you, Grandfather?" The old man said slowly and seriously, "The one that I feed. I always feed the good and kind tiger, so I never hate others and seldom get angry now." ,. The good tiger can control the grandfather because _ .
<extra_id_0>the good tiger is much stronger
<extra_id_1>the good tiger can get along well with others
<extra_id_2>the grandfather treats the tiger very well
<extra_id_3>the grandfather hates the bad tiger
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_5>A woman is at the movies ,and she is enjoying the movie very much. A man in the next seat begins to look for something on the floor under him. The woman is angry and says, "What are you doing there? What are you looking for?" "A piece of chocolate." A man answers. " But it's dirty now ! Take this and be quiet, please .I am listening to the film!" She gives the man a big one. "But," the man says, "my false tooth is in it on the floor!" The woman is angry because the man _ .
<extra_id_0>is sitting on the floor
<extra_id_1>isn't quiet
<extra_id_2>is talking
<extra_id_3>is quiet
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<extra_id_1>
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<extra_id_5>There was once, in a little market-town not far from Upsala , a peasant who lived there with his family, digging the earth during the week and singing in the choir on Sundays. This peasant had a little daughter to whom he taught the musical alphabet before she knew how to read. Daae was a great musician, perhaps without knowing it. Not a violinist in Scandinavia played as he did. His reputation was widespread and he was always invited to set the couples dancing at weddings and other festivals. His wife died when Christine was entering upon her sixth year. Then the father, who cared only for his daughter and his music, sold his land and went to Upsala in search of fame and fortune. He found nothing but poverty. He returned to the country, wandering from fair to fair, playing his Scandinavian music pieces, while his child, who never left his side, listened to him in delight or sang to his playing. One day, at Ljimby Fair, Professor Valerius heard them and took them to Gothenburg. He insisted that the father was the first violinist in the world and that the daughter had the making of a great artist. Her education and instruction were provided for. She made rapid progress and charmed everybody with her prettiness, her grace of manner and her real eagerness to please. When Valerius and his wife went to settle in France, they took Daae and Christine with them. "Mamma" Valerius treated Christine as her daughter. As for Daae, he became ill with homesickness. He never went out of doors in Paris, but lived in a sort of dream which he kept up with his violin. For hours at a time, he remained locked up in his bedroom with his daughter, playing and singing, very, very softly. Daae seemed not to recover his strength until the summer, when the whole family went to stay at Perros-Guirec, in a far-away corner of Brittany, where the sea was of the same color as in his own country. Often he would play his saddest tunes on the beach and pretend that the sea stopped its roaring to listen to them. And then he persuaded Mamma Valerius to allow him to leave for a while. At the time of the "pardons," the village festivals and dances, he went off with his violin, as in the old days, and was allowed to take his daughter with him for a week. They gave the smallest villages music to last them for a year and slept at night in a barn, refusing a bed at the inn, lying close together on the straw, as when they were so poor in Sweden. At the same time, they were very neatly dressed, refused the halfpence offered to them; and the people around could not understand the behaviour of this country violinist, who walked heavily on the roads with that pretty child who sang like an angel from Heaven. They followed them from village to village. While Daae was in Paris, he never went out of doors because he was _ .
<extra_id_0>always sleepy
<extra_id_1>so homesick that he fell ill
<extra_id_2>too busy teaching his daughter
<extra_id_3>willing to be locked up with his daughter
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<extra_id_5>In the six months that he'd worked at his aunt's shelter, Bryan had never grown close to a dog, but Patch was different. Aunt Kim had warned him, "Bryan, your mom says no dogs." The fact that Patch was deaf did not help. "It's not your fault you're deaf, "Bryan said, "Don't worry, because I've got a plan!" Later, Bryan got ready to leave. Making sure no one was coming; he secretly put the dog into his bag, and waved his aunt goodbye. Two hours after arriving home with Patch, Bryan sat sadly in his room. He had told his mother he would take care of Patch, but Mom didn't agree. Bryan lay awake that night, Patch jumped onto his bed, and soon he fell asleep. Unbearable barks woke Bryan sometime later. Bryan got up to quiet the dog, but he froze when he saw black smoke snaking into his room. He pulled the door open. Red-yellow flames licked greedily at the hallway entrance, blocking the front door. Suddenly, Patch ran down the hall. Bryan followed and found the dog in his sister Sarah's room. Bryan pushed Sarah to the window and shouted, "Jump with Patch!" Racing back into the smoky hallway, Bryan saw his mom. She seemed hardly able to catch her breath. Bryan tried to drag her to the hall window. But he failed. He looked up just in time to hear voices and feel _ pull them both to safety. A neighbor had heard Patch's barks and called 911. The firefighters thought a few candles had caused the fire. "I can't believe I forgot to blow out my candles," Mom said. "Sorry about the house, Mom,"Bryan said quietly. To his surprise, Mom smiled. It's OK. The important thing is that our family is safe. "She patted Patch's head. "Our whole family." What can be inferred about Bryan's mom from the passage?
<extra_id_0>She didn't think the fire was her fault.
<extra_id_1>She was sad about the house.
<extra_id_2>She got burnt in the fire.
<extra_id_3>She accepted Patch at last.
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<extra_id_5>I can't remember a winter being as cold as this in Pennsylvania, but I'm sure there were colder days. Even though the daylight hours are growing longer minute by minute, it's easy to find an excuse not to go out unless you ly must, but then again I often have to push myself to accomplish things. People I speak to have been in all kinds of _ moods. They say they're "under the weather," not feeling good about this time of year. As I stood outside with my two dogs yesterday, it was so cold that my nose and face felt frozen and my ears were stinging. Of course, that doesn't matter to Ricky and Lucy. They have a routine they must go through to find just the fighting spot no matter how cold or hot it is. So I wait. But this time it was different. As cold as it was, I suddenly was excited thinking about how wonderful this extreme cold really was. Then the sun broke through the clouds and memories of summer's extremely hot days flashed through my mind. I could remember standing in the heat of the afternoon, with sweat pouring down my brow and the hot, burning sun against my face. I reminded myself then and there that in the cold of the winter I would wish I had this heat. I was grateful for the extremes. Without the extremes in my life, I would never appreciate the days when things were just right. Without the extremes, life would be boring. It's being pushed to one of the extremes that makes us appreciate the middle more. Health challenges remind us that we need to pay more attention to how we live. Financial extremes remind us that when things go smoothly it's also time to save for raining days. ks5u I've come to the conclusion that all too often I find a reason not to be happy with where I am at that moment. Whether it's hot or cold, good health or bad, in the money or out of it, I always want it to be different. I'm tired of being "Under the Weather!" What is the author's attitude towards the extremes in life?
<extra_id_0>Grateful.
<extra_id_1>Critical.
<extra_id_2>Negative.
<extra_id_3>Unconcerned.
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<extra_id_5>My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, WE USED 2go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-@ KIDS FTF. ILNY, its gr8. Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cellphones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the "translation" of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York; it's great. School teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted . Everyone should just relax, say linguists . They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nunberg, from Stanford University, agrees. "People get better at writing by writing," he says. "Kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents." Linguist James Milroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can _ that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become "corrupted"; they simply change to meet the new needs. However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their future." Perhaps, we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, "I wouldn't use text language in my homework. Text is just for fun." What can be the best title for the passage?
<extra_id_0>Netspeak: A Widely-Used Language on Internet
<extra_id_1>Is Netspeak Harming the English Language?
<extra_id_2>Is Netspeak Helpful in Language Learning?
<extra_id_3>Netspeak Advantages and Disadvantages
<extra_id_4>
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<extra_id_5>Very often, newly-born babies are not beautiful. They are wrinkled or hairless, or they have an angry look on their face. They seem to say, "Get away! I hate everybody." But to a parent, that hairless, wrinkled, angry-faced baby is the most beautiful and perfect child in the world. When that proud father or mother asks you, "Well, what do you think...isn't she beautiful?" What are you going to say? Is this the time for the truth? Of course not! You look at that proud father or mother in the eye and say, "Yes, she is! She is really a beauty. She's one in a million. She's going to be a movie star! I can tell! She's as beautiful as a picture." In English, this is a _ lie. White lies don't hurt people. They are not cruel or angry words. People use them to make a difficult thing a little easier. When people don't want to meet someone, or eat something new that they really don't like at a friend's house, they tell a white lie. They are trying to be kind. They feel that being kind is sometimes more important than telling the truth. Parents are usually _ when their new babies are born.
<extra_id_0>angry
<extra_id_1>proud
<extra_id_2>sad
<extra_id_3>surprised
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<extra_id_5>The world's most popular musical, The Sound of Music is coming to China! Presented by Lunchbox Theatrical Production, we are looking for talented young performers to play the roles of the von Trapp children. This is a fantastic chance to perform with musical theater professionals. Since its first performance on Broadway 55 years ago, The Sound of Music has been singing its way into everyone's hearts with some of the most popular songs ever performed on the musical theatre stage. This June, after a tour around the world with stops including the UK, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, and New Zealand, this show will take to the stage in China. Don't miss it! We are looking for young talented performers for the roles of: Friedrich (1.55m tall, unbroken voice, playing age 14) Louisa (1.5m tall, undeveloped body, playing age 13) Kurt (1.45m tall, unbroken voice, playing age 11) Brigitta (1.4m tall, playing age 9/10) Martha (1.35m tall, playing age 7) Gretl (up to 1.2m tall, playing age 6) Interview Dates: 16-18/04/2016 Application Deadline : 13/04/2016 Interview Address: National Theatre of China Rehearsals : 5 May until performances Performances: 15 June--20 June 2016, National Center for the Performing Arts What is the Lunchbox Theatrical Production is doing now?
<extra_id_0>selling some tickets
<extra_id_1>introducing a new film
<extra_id_2>looking for some young performers
<extra_id_3>talking about their feelings
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<extra_id_5>Seligman is leading the research on what might be called Happiness Revolution in psychology. Since World War II, psychologists have focused on fixing what is broken --repairing psychosis , and neurosis . Research has piled up steadily when it comes to looking at patients who are neurotic, while the happy or joyful people among us have received little scientific examination. When Seligman did a search to find academic articles about such 'positive psychology' he found only 800 out of 70,000. 'Psychologists tend to be concerned with taking a negative 8 person, and helping him get to negative 2,' said Seligman, a psychology professor of the University of Pennsylvania. 'My aim is to _ ' In the last 50 years, statistics have shown that we are less happy as a people. 'While our quality of life has increased dramatically over that time, and we've become richer, we're in an epidemic of depression,' Seligman said. 'Depression is 10 times more common now, and life satisfaction rates are down as well.' Seligman argues that the new science he writes about is shifting psychology's model away from its narrow-minded focus on mental illness towards positive emotion, virtue and strength that increase people's happiness. If you want to be happy, forget about winning the lottery , getting a nose job, or securing a raise. In his new book, Authentic Happiness, psychologist Martin Seligman argues that overall lifetime happiness is not the result of good genes, money, or even luck. Instead, he says we can increase our own happiness by making use of the strengths and virtues that we already have, including kindness, originality, humor, optimism, and generosity. He has named the field'Positive Psychology,' arguing that we would be better off building on our own strengths rather than mourning, and, hence, trying to repair, our weaknesses. By frequently calling upon their strengths, people can build up natural barriers against misfortune and negative emotions, he said. Science has shown that there are several distinct roads to being a happy person -- though happiness might not mean what you think. Material goods -- even simple ones like ice cream, and massages -- are only stimulating things that rapidly give people a boost. To cultivate happiness, we must first find out our individual strengths and virtues. Next, apply the qualities in such a way as to enhance your happiness-generating system. According to the passage, which of the statements might Martin Seligman support?
<extra_id_0>Promotion leads to true happiness.
<extra_id_1>We can rely on our strengths for happiness.
<extra_id_2>Intelligent people are usually more satisfied.
<extra_id_3>Mental illness should be the focus of psychology.
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<extra_id_1>
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<extra_id_5>Around twenty years ago I was going through hard times. I could not find a satisfying job. To my shame, I had to drive a school bus to make ends meet and lived in a friend's house. One afternoon, while driving through a quiet suburban neighborhood I was so sad that I kept asking myself "Why has my life become so hard?" "What's wrong with the world?" Then I pulled over the bus to drop off a little girl and as she passed she handed me a pretty earring, saying she found it on the floor of the bus and I should keep it in case the owner came to look for it. In the evening, the owner did come to look for her earring. When I handed it to her, she got very excited and continued saying "Thanks, you're a real gentleman." I told her that she should thank the little girl who had found it. She said, "Yes, and you are a good driver, too. What a lovely world it is!" Then she left with satisfaction. I was touched by her last words. I had thought something was wrong with the world just because of my poor condition. In fact, nothing was wrong with the world. I should change my attitude towards life. I should be positive about life. At first it was hard, and then it got easier. Every day I could find things to make me happy. Then one night there was a phone call for me at my friend's house from a lady who was a manager in a large hospital. She said she had read my application form and asked me if I would like to work in the hospital. I said yes and got the job. Looking back at the experience I know the most important is to have a positive attitude towards life. Who was the owner of the earring lost on the bus according go the passage?
<extra_id_0>One of the author's friends.
<extra_id_1>A real gentleman
<extra_id_2>A manager in a hospital
<extra_id_3>Not mentioned
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<extra_id_5>The '80s' "important role" in the family has also meant a greater concentration and focus on the individual. And, it has made the word "me" one of the most frequently used words. Everything seems to be about "me". This generation has a greater awareness of itself. Some people do not seem to agree that all this is self-centred. When Cai Fuchao, prefix = st1 /Beijing's publicity head, was asked to comment on the lack of responsibility of university students during the SARS period, his reply was: "Modern university students are ambitious, knowledgeable and have a very strong sense of responsibility to the society." As news analyst from sina.com, Pan Fengliang, echoed that, saying that blindly blaming them(for running away during the SARS outbreak)was prejudiced and unfair and not backed with evidence. No doubt, the development of information technology has contributed its bit to broadening, or bending, the minds of the 80s generation. Some people even call Gen'80 "the E-generation". They get in touch with each other via email, QQ, ICQ and MSN. While the people of the '60s and '70s swarmed to Shanghai to catch Luo Dayou, Gen'80s were on the BBS saying that it was "really dumb". "The internet is so much more to those of the '80s than you can imagine," said Wu Junyong, an IT engineer who was born in 1978. In Wu's opinion, it's the Internet that separates the 70s from the 80s, "Many of the'70s don't see why those from the '80s can spend everyday in front of a computer." A new weekly Magazine/163.com survey last year found that 40 percent of the 7,000 people surveyed, born in the '80s, thought the computer was the most important article in life; more than 70 percent of their parents preferred the home. The best title for this passage could be _ .
<extra_id_0>The self-centred generation
<extra_id_1>The internet generation
<extra_id_2>The "born in the '80s"generation
<extra_id_3>The life of the '80s
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<extra_id_5>Dear Annie, I have never written a letter to a newspaper before, I have just never felt the need to do such a thing. I have always felt I was quite able to do everything by myself. But now I know I was wrong. Sometimes you really need help in life, I guess. And that's why I'm writing this letter to you. I have a happy family. I love my children and they love me . I'm a mother of three children. I know well how to bring up children, and two of them are already over twenty, so it is nothing new for me. But now I have a serious problem: the Internet problem. My little son is just sixteen, and I feel he should do a lot of homework now , but he doesn't seem to be interested in it . He can happily spend six or eight hours at a time on the Internet every day , He chats with people that he has never met before , but speaks little to us .He does lots of useless things on the Internet. And he sees red if you ask him to do his homework. I just want him to be a good student . Now he seldom does his lessons at home. I'm afraid he will drop behind in his class soon. His father is a doctor , a very kind man . He never seems to be afraid of his father. What can I do ?And don't tell to talk to him. We've tried that and it didn't work. But this is really a big problem in our family. I have tried everything I can think of . I wonder how the Internet is so attractive .You're my last hope. Please tell me what I can do! Yours, Ellen Smith What do you think of Mr.Smith?
<extra_id_0>An irresponsible father who never taught his son
<extra_id_1>A very excellent doctor who was busy with his work and had no time to teach his son
<extra_id_2>A very kind man who loved his son
<extra_id_3>A man who always made his son be afraid of him but failed
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<extra_id_5>Do you often feel lonely? What do you do when you feel that way? Hide yourself away and spend your time reading, watching TV or walking around? You might think that feeling lonely is just like feeling happy, sad or scared -- that it's just one of your various moods. That is true. However, if you let yourself be lonely for too long without dealing with it, you could be making a serious mistake. Doctors have known for some time that feeling lonely is bad for the mind. It can lead to mental health problems such as depression, stress and reduce confidence. "Being lonely means not feeling connected or cared for, but it's not about being mentally alone," Lisa Jaremka, scientist from Ohio State University, US, told Live Science in January. And there's growing evidence that not having friends is connected with physical illness as well. In 2006, for example, scientists studied 2,800 women who had cancer. They found that those who had few friends or family were five times more likely to die of their disease than women with many social contacts. Also, even healthy people had a better chance of falling ill if they felt left out by others, according to the BBC. The results have scientists thinking that loneliness might hurt the immune system , which protects the body from diseases. Hoping to prove this theory, Jaremka and her research team put volunteers through a stress test. During the test, volunteers were asked to make an unprepared speech in front of a group of stony-faced people. The researchers found that volunteers who said they were lonely in their daily lives felt more stress during the test. And their blood samples showed that all the stress had managed to cause harmful changes to their immune system. "Loneliness has been thought of in many ways as a chronic stressor -- a socially painful situation that can last for quite a long time, " explained Jaremka, who led the study. The number of people suffering from loneliness is increasing all over the world. However, solving the problem is easier said than done. It won't work to just "tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you", said Jaremka. "We need to create support networks." What made scientists think loneliness might make the body worse at fighting diseases?
<extra_id_0>Growing evidence of mental problems related to loneliness.
<extra_id_1>Some research results about the relationship between cancer and loneliness.
<extra_id_2>Some studies showing that people suffering from loneliness fell ill or died more easily than those who didn't.
<extra_id_3>The result of a test where volunteers were asked to make an unprepared speech.
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<extra_id_5>Have you ever heard of e-waste ( electronic waste, ) ,which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they're broken or you want a new one? Most people just throw them away. With the development of electronic industry, e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in 2014, people around the world produced 41.8 million tons of e-waste and only recycled 6.5 million tons. The US was the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second , with 6 million tons. It's important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful ,depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine . The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is amazing. And the metals can be refused. But if people throw them away, the toxic chemicals can get into the earth or air, _ the environment and people's health. Apple, for example, now recycles people's used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower price. To help reduce e-waste , we can buy longer lasting electronic products. If you have unwanted electronics find a new home for them. You can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer reveling programs. Which country produced most e-waste last year according to the United Nations?
<extra_id_0>America.
<extra_id_1>China.
<extra_id_2>Japan.
<extra_id_3>England
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<extra_id_5>Willam Shakespeare was a writer of plays and poems. Some of his most famous plays are Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth .He wrote thirty-seven plays in all. They are still popular today. He was born in 1564 in England. At school he liked watching plays. He decided to be an actor when he finished school at the age of fourteen. In 1582, he married a farmer's daughter. She was eight years older than he was. Their first child was a daughter .Later they had twins. In1585, Shakespeare left his hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon. His wife and children stayed behind .No one knows why he left or what he did between 1585 and 1592. At twenty-eight he moved to London and joined a theatre company which opened the Globe Theatre in 1599. He became an actor, and he also wrote plays. He usually acted in his own plays .He earned almost no money from his writing. But he made a lot of money from acting. With the money he bought a large house in his hometown. At the age of forty-nine, Shakespeare retired and went to live in Stratford-upon-Avon. He died at the age of fifty-two. He left his money to his family. He left his genius to the world. You still see his plays in English and in many other languages. He is one of the most famous writers in the world.. Shakespeare got much money from _ .
<extra_id_0>writing.
<extra_id_1>plays
<extra_id_2>acting
<extra_id_3>retirement
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<extra_id_5>Neither rain nor snow nor the dark of night can separate Tennessee postal carrier "Mailman Mike" from his 4-and-a-half-year-old friend Carter Lawson - or keep them from their appointments. For the past nine months, the two have teamed up every day in the preschooler's Knoxville neighborhood for a few minutes of delivering mail together and chatting with fellow neighbors. Lawson wants to be a mail carrier when he grows up, and in an inspiring story, his mom told us how mailman Mike Crenshaw has been a role model to her son. "Anyone could just be like 'Go away, kid', but Mike has really gone out of his way to talk with Carter," said Cassie Lawson of the United States Postal Service carrier. Little Carter even got his own uniform to match Mike's. "It's been really cute. I just couldn't believe he got a full mailman's costume," the postal service employee said. "Every letter carrier has stops he looks forward to and this is the one I look forward to every day," said Mike. "He's the end of my day, and the best part of my day. Not because it's the end, but because he's such a cute little guy." The man and the little boy's connection isn't a surprise to Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers. "Kids respond to mailmen because letter carriers are a friendly, uniformed part of the neighborhood who bring something to their house every day, and are someone they come to recognize and trust," Rolando said. "It's the same for the elderly, but in addition, letter carriers may be the only person they communicate with all day." Why does Mike Crenshaw like the last stop of his day? _
<extra_id_0>It is where he lives.
<extra_id_1>It is where he is paid.
<extra_id_2>He wants to be with Carter.
<extra_id_3>He can finish his work by then.
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<extra_id_5>London has a population of over 7,000,000. From about the year 1800 until World War II, London was the biggest city in the world. But now there are many cities which are much bigger than it. London is famous for many things. Tourists come from all over the world to visit its famous buildings and hear the famous clock, Big Ben. Like many big cities, London has problems with traffic and pollution which stop the city from developing. Over one million people a day use the London underground, but there are still too many cars on the streets. The air isn't clear, but it is anyhow cleaner than it was 100 years ago. For me, the best things about London are the parks. There are five in the city center. But my children's favorite place is Hamleys, the biggest toy shop in the world. What's Big Ben in London?
<extra_id_0>It's a toy shop.
<extra_id_1>It's a park.
<extra_id_2>It's a clock.
<extra_id_3>It's a museum.
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<extra_id_5>A kitten is born and a person who is petting it can know that it
<extra_id_0>broke through shell
<extra_id_1>was hatched
<extra_id_2>was an egg
<extra_id_3>came out breathing
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<extra_id_5>A cafe owner has defended her decision to pen a Facebook post (an Internet message to be discussed) stating "No, we are not child-friendly," saying it breaks her heart when children damage her possessions. On Monday, the Little French Cafe in Newcastle, Australia, posted an announcement on their Facebook page: "Are we child-friendly? If you are looking for a cafe with a children' s menu, a play area, lounges for your children to jump on, vast space for your baby carriages, an area for your children to run around, and annoy other customers, while you are unaware of them--then the short answer is 'No, we are not child-friendly.' However, if you would like to bring your children here and they are happy to sit at a table with you and behave properly, please come in. Otherwise, there are plenty of places that are specifically designed to entertain your children." The post has since been deleted. Some Facebook users called the post "arrogant " and an "attack on parents," The Newcastle Herald reports. The cafe owner responded with this statement: "I built the cafe myself. It has my blood, sweat and plenty of tears in it." The post came about after the cafe owner was asked by a customer, who had left a one-star review on the cafe's business page, about whether the cafe was child-friendly. Ms Kotz told news.com.au she wrote the bad review because she felt staff reacted negatively towards children at the cafe. The cafe owner said it broke a piece of her heart every time when she was watching children emptying salt and pepper shakers into her fireplaces, parents changing nappies on her lounges, or kids throwing their own food onto her carpet. Although the cafe's policy has attracted a lot of criticism, most people who commented on the Little French Cafe's Facebook page stood by the owner. One woman named Lesley wrote, "I don't think there was anything wrong with what you said by any means. If parents want to take their children to your cafe, they need to be responsible for their behavior." What is the text mainly about?
<extra_id_0>An Australian cafe's policy on children.
<extra_id_1>A Facebook post about parents' manners.
<extra_id_2>The protection of the customers' basic rights
<extra_id_3>The relationship between staff and customers.
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<extra_id_5>Long long ago a man went to India and he had never been there before. When he got there, he saw a lot of fruit, but much of it was expensive because they couldn't grow much because there was little water. Finally he saw a big basket of some very red and long fruit. And it was the cheapest in the shop. So he went up and asked, "How much each kilo?"and the shop keeper said, "Two rupees . "Two rupees in India was nothing. So he bought a whole kilogram of the fruit and started eating it. But after he ate some of it:oh, my god!His eyes watered, his mouth watered and burnt, and his face became red. He jumped up and down, saying, "Ah!Ah!Ah!" But he still continued to eat the fruit!Some people who were looking at him shook their heads and said, "You're crazy, man. Those are chilies !You can't eat so many!People use them as a _ , but only a little bit to put into food for taste. You can't just eat them like that. "But the silly man said, "No, I can't stop!I paid money for them, and now I'll eat them up. It's my money!" And you think that man was silly, right?We sometimes do a lot of things like that. We spend money, time or effort doing something. And even though it's been a long time, hard experience tells us it won't work, and we know there's no more hope, we still continue just because we've put money, time, effort and love in to it. Just like the man who ate the chilies and felt so bad but couldn't stop because he didn't want to waste the money he'd paid. So even if you've lost something, let it go and move on. That's better than continuing to lose. The man chose to buy the red and long fruit only because _ .
<extra_id_0>he hadn't eaten it before
<extra_id_1>he was hungry
<extra_id_2>it was cheap
<extra_id_3>he hadn't seen it before
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<extra_id_5>Years ago there was a group of kids who would hang around at some local ponds in the woods near their houses in Warwick, Rhode Island. In summer they caught frogs and fish. When winter arrived they couldn't wait to go skating. Time passed, and the ponds became the only open space for the kids to enjoy themselves in that neighborhood. One day a thirteen-year-old boy from this group of kids read in the local newspaper that a developer wanted to fill in the ponds and build over a hundred small houses called apartments. So the boy went door to door and gathered more than two hundred signatures to stop the development. A group of citizens met and decided to support him. At the meeting of the town planning organization,the boy was quite nervous at first and spoke very softly. But when he saw the faces of his friends and neighbors in the crowd and thought about what was happening to their favorite ponds,his voice grew louder. He told the town officials that they should speak for the citizens. He also insisted that they should leave enough space for children. A few days later,the developer stopped his plan. Nine years later, when that teen was a senior in college, he was informed that the developer was back with his proposal to build apartments. Now twenty-two years old, he was studying wetlands ecology. He again appeared before the town planning organization. This time as an expert, he used environmental protection laws to explain _ on development in and around wetlands and the knowledge of wetlands ecology to help to improve the development. Finally some apartments were built, but less than half the number the developer wanted. The ponds where those kids used to hang around were protected by a piece of natural land, and are still there today. Which statement is true according to the passage?
<extra_id_0>The apartments were built as the developer had planned.
<extra_id_1>The grown-up boy helped to protect the wetlands as an expert.
<extra_id_2>The developer stopped the boy's plan at the meeting years ago.
<extra_id_3>The ponds were filled in and some apartments were built on them.
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<extra_id_5>I am a manager who is in charge of taking care of the elderly and many of my clients live out of state. This year, a very sweet old lady that I care for, Alice, had gone through a particularly rough time. She had been in hospital twice. In November I was finally able to get her back to her "home" into an "assisted living facility" . Alice has dementia and thought her daughter was coming to visit her on Christmas day and that they were going to have the whole family together like the old days. When she finally realized that the happy moment was not going to happen, she was so _ . Knowing that her daughter was coming after Christmas was not enough to cheer her up, I hated the idea of her being alone on the holiday! On Christmas Eve, I gave her a surprise by asking if she would like to go to a candlelight service at church that night. Instead of taking her to my church, I took her to her old neighborhood church where all her friends were. We got there early and I got each of us a seat where her friends could see her as they came in. The plan worked out very perfectly. All of her friends seemed to be there and rushed over to greet her and sit with her. The candlelight service was a beautiful, tearful affair and Alice got a lot of hugs and love from her old and new friends there. The truth of the story is that I am the one who got the best gift:the smile on Alice's face and the feeling that I made a difference. What is the best title for this text?
<extra_id_0>An Extra Special Candlelight Christmas Eve
<extra_id_1>My Experience With an Old Lonely Lady
<extra_id_2>Alice's Special Time on Christmas Eve
<extra_id_3>A happy moment on Christmas Eve
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<extra_id_5>I am beginning to wonder whether my grandmother isn't right when she complains, as she frequently does, that children nowadays aren't as well-behaved as they used to be. Whenever she gets the opportunity, she recounts in detail how she used to be told to respect the elders and betters. She was taught to speak only when she was spoken to, and when she went out on her own, she was reminded to say 'please' and 'thank you'. Children in her day, she continues, were expected to be seen and not heard, but these days you are lucky if you ever hear parents telling their children to mind their p's and q's. If you give her the chance, she then takes out of her drawer the old photograph album which she keeps there, and which she never tires of displaying. Of course when you look at pictures of her parents, you feel sure that, with a father as stern-looking as that, you too would have been "seen and not heard". He had a lot of neatly cut hair, long side-whiskers and a big moustache. In the photographs, he is always clutching his coat with one hand, while in the other he holds a thin walking stick. Beside him sits his wife, with their children around her: Granny and her elder brothers. It always occurs to me that perhaps those long, stiff, black clothes were so clumsy to a little girl, that she hadn't enough breath left to be talkative, let alone mischievous . It must have been a dull and lonely life too, for she stayed mainly at home during her childhood, while her brothers were sent away to school from an early age. Despite their long black shorts and their serious expressions in the photographs, I always suspect that their lives were considerably more enjoyable than hers. One can imagine them telling each other to shut up or mind their own business, as soon as their parents were out of sight. Going to see Granny on Sundays used to be a terrible experience. We would always be warned in advance to be on our best behavior, since my mother made a great effort to show how well brought up we were, in spite of our old, comfortable clothes, our incomprehensible (to Granny) slang, and our noisy games in the garden. We had to change into what Granny described as our "Sundays best" for lunch, when we would sit uncomfortably, kicking each other under the table. We were continually being ordered to sit up straight, to take our elbows off the table, to wait till everybody had been served, not to wolf down our food, nor to talk with our mouths full. At length we would be told to ask to be excused from the table and ordered to find quiet occupations for the rest of the day. We were always very bad-tempered by the evening, and would complain angrily all the way home. Yet though we hated the Sunday visit, we never questioned the rules of good manners themselves. I remember being greatly shocked as a child to hear one of my friends telling her father to shut up. I knew I could never have spoken like that to my father and it would never have occurred to me to do so. However, my childhood was much freer than Granny's. I went to school with my brother and I played football with him and his friends. We all spoke a common language, and we got up to the same mischief. I would have died if I had had to stay indoors, wear a tight dress, and sew. But I do sometimes look wistfully at an old sampler which hangs in the hall, which was embroidered by an even more distant relative--my great-great-aunt, of whom, regrettably, no photograph remains. It was done as an example of her progress in learning. The alphabet is carefully sewn in large colored childish letters from A to Z, and below it a small verse reads: Mary Saunders is my name, And with my needle I worked the same, That by it you may plainly see What care my parents have for me. It must have taken that little five-year-old months and months of laborious sewing, but, in a circle in a bottom corner of the sampler, there is a line: "Be Ever Happy". Visiting Granny on Sundays was a terrible experience because _ .
<extra_id_0>the writer was not so well raised as she was required to pretend
<extra_id_1>Granny continually warned the writer to be on her best behavior
<extra_id_2>Granny was always describing the writer's "Sunday best"
<extra_id_3>the writer was always blamed for not behaving well
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<extra_id_5>I still remember the day when my mom said, "Let's get you some new clothes." You can imagine that to any little girl that would mean the world, but to me it meant the universe, because we were not very rich. After she said that, all I could think about was what kinds of clothes I would choose. To my surprise, my mom allowed me to pick out three dresses: a pink one, a blue one and a yellow one. The yellow one was my favorite. I had a best friend named Seema, whose family was even poorer than ours. We played and studied together, and spent the best days of our childhood laughing at the silly stories we made up. I was excited to show her my three beautiful new dresses. She loved them all and was happy for me, but tearfully explained to me that her father could only afford to buy her clothes for her birthday. I felt sorry, and then did something that surprised even myself: I asked her to pick out one of my dresses for herself. To my disappointment, she picked up my favorite--the yellow one. Please remember, I was only seven years. My heart almost popped out of my chest. But as she held it against her body, and I saw how brightly she smiled, I stopped feeling any hurt. I told her it looked lovely on her. I'll always remember Seema's smile, and how at that moment nothing mattered more. When you value your friendships, nothing else matters! We're still best friends today. What can we conclude from the passage?
<extra_id_0>Getting a best friend means losing other things.
<extra_id_1>Being generous is not easy.
<extra_id_2>Children like sharing their favorite things.
<extra_id_3>Friendship is precious .
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<extra_id_5>Anxiety is the appropriate emotion when the immediate personal terror--of a volcano, an arrow, a stab in the back and other disasters, all directed against one's self--disappears. The kind of world that produces anxiety is actually a world of safety, a world in which no one feels that he himself is facing sudden death. The anxiety exists as an uneasy state of mind, in which one has a feeling that something unspecified and indeterminable may go wrong. If the world seems to be going well, this produces anxiety--for good times may end.If the world is going badly--it may get worse. Anxiety tends to be without focus; the anxious person doesn't know whether to blame himself or other people. He isn't sure whether it is the current year of the administration or a change in climate or the atom bomb that is to blame for this undefined sense of unease. It is clear that we have developed a society which depends on having the right amount of anxiety to make it work...While we agree that too much anxiety is harmful to mental health, we have come to rely on anxiety to push us into seeing a doctor about a symptom which may indicate cancer, into checking up on that old life-insurance policy which may have out-of-date provisions in it, into having a conference with Billy's teacher even though his report card looks all right. People who are anxious enough keep their car insurance up, have the brakes checked, don't take a second drink when they have to drive. People who are too anxious either refuse to go into cars at all--and so complicate the ordinary course of life--or drive so tensely and carefully that they help cause accidents. People who aren't anxious enough take chance after chance, which increases the terrible accidents of the roads. The best title for the passage would be .
<extra_id_0>One Man's Thought about Anxiety
<extra_id_1>The Right Amount of Anxiety
<extra_id_2>Anxiety versus Safety
<extra_id_3>Different Attitudes to Anxiety
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<extra_id_5>What makes a house a home? Not size, of course. I've been in some of the grandest houses in prefix = st1 /America, and it's clear no one lives there. Earlier this year, I had dinner in a mud hut inEthiopia, where we sat on chairs next to the hostess' bed -- a home that had more warmth than any house I've been in since. Now John Edwards is exploring what makes a house a home in his just-released Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives. There Edwards writes, "This isn't a book about houses; it's a book about homes. About the values they rest on, the dreams they are filled with, and the people they have shaped," Edwards writes. "The houses and circumstances are different, but much of what you find inside will be familiar." Whether you're sitting in an airport flight now, waiting to fly to your childhood home for Thanksgiving, or in your own home waiting for the s to arrive, you know what he's talking about. We've lived in our townhouse for 21 years. It's home now. The loose windows that shake in the wind. The fireplace so shallow it holds only one log. The kitchen window that offers a view of the world passing by. It's where friends sit on the kitchen counter drinking wine while dinner is being fixed. I lived there for only 18, but it will always be my true home. Even the lamp in the west living room window, which I could see far down the road when driving home late at night, still shines. While all this talk about childhood memories can be warm and comforting, home is whom you're with, not where you are. As Edwards writes, "Home is family. Home is safety. Home is faith." Happy homecoming. It can be inferred according to the text that _ .
<extra_id_0>the author's family were very rich
<extra_id_1>every happy home is the same
<extra_id_2>the author has been living an unhappy life
<extra_id_3>the author and Edwards hold similar ideas
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<extra_id_5>When times get tough, we all look for ways to cut back. When we're hungry, we eat at home instead of going out. We take buses instead of taxis. And we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer. With college expenses at all-time highs, high school students are eager to do anything to cut the cost of a university education. One cost-cutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor's degree in three years instead of four. Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient. But there's a question: Would the quality of undergraduate education suffer? Few US universities have formally approved a "three-year degree" model. I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a three-year curriculum any time soon. For one thing, most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits. In addition, at famous universities, the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly "throw out" one quarter of the required credits. Professors will resist "diluting " the quality of the education they offer. In my opinion, a quality four-year education is always superior to a quality three-year education. A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major. It is not a good idea to water down education, any more than it's not a good idea to water down medicine. If we want to help students find their way through university, we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation. We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible. We should give them a chance to earn money as interns in meaningful part-time jobs that relate to their university studies, such as the five-year co-op program at Northeastern University. ks5uks5u We can infer that _ .
<extra_id_0>the author is a college professor
<extra_id_1>the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to afford
<extra_id_2>the author considers the university education quality very important
<extra_id_3>the author pays special attention to the all-round development of college students
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<extra_id_5>New York,London,Paris and other big cities are exciting places to live in. There are many interesting things to see and to go to. You can go to different kinds of museums,plays and films. You can also buy things from all over the world. But there are some problems in big cities too. It is expensive to live there and there are too many people in some places of big cities. Every year many people move to the cities to find jobs,to study at good schools. But sometimes these people can't find work or a good place to live in. Also it is hard to keep the cities safe and clean. Some people enjoy living in big cities,others do not. Before moving to a big city,they should think about the problem of living there. What should people think about before moving to a city?
<extra_id_0>Money for study.
<extra_id_1>The problem of living there.
<extra_id_2>Life at night.
<extra_id_3>Time for sleep.
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<extra_id_5>The Rugby World Cup is currently being held in New Zealand. The tournament, due to finish on October 23, is living up to the famous English saying, "Rugby is a thug's game played by gentlemen. " The games are physically aggressive; the tackles on the pitch are brutal; but the end of each match is a civilized affair. Players shake hands and applaud each other. Of course, the other side to this saying is: "Football is a gentleman's game played by thugs. " Indeed, unlike soccer players, rugby players don't often question the referee's decisions or pretend to be injured when they are not. "Football could learn a lot from rugby," said Brian Moore, a former England rugby player "The wonderful spirit of rugby is: there is a gentlemanly code to it. You play hard on the pitch, but you always respect your opponent.. Rugby is mainly played in Europe. Australia, New Zealand and parts of Africa. "It is more enjoyable to play than soccer because you are always involved in the game," said Peter, a Welsh rugby coach. "Rugby is also a far superior test of strength, stamina and determination. " Most professional rugby players are large, strong and weigh over 90 kilograms. People who play the sport need to be tough and be prepared to get hurt. Black eyes, broken bones, lost teeth and being knocked unconscious--all these are common injuries. Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is blind in one eye thanks to a rugby accident at school. In England, children begin playing the game at school at the age of 8. When they enter high school, many begin to play full contact rugby. Children are taught to play for around one hour a week during their PE lessons. Most schools have a rugby team. Children who play for the school team are usually the sportiest kids, and are seen as brave and athletic. What can we infer from the passage?
<extra_id_0>Teenagers will lose interest in football.
<extra_id_1>English children have a talent for rugby.
<extra_id_2>Playing rugby doesn't involve skills.
<extra_id_3>Rugby is not suitable for everyone.
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<extra_id_5>Comfort is comforting, but it might narrow our experience at work -- and beyond. In our modern world, discomfort is considered a terrible thing. If not terrible, at least a thing of the past. Dishwashers, washing machines, computers, remote controls--yes, they add convenience, but also a level of comfort our forefathers did not enjoy. As pain of any kind discourages happiness, we tend to reason, anything that compromises our ability to feel good must be bad. And that's also particularly true for our careers. Success makes us feel great, not terrible. Such a view, however, is a matter of personal opinion. And it may blind us to hidden opportunities. Artists throughout history have tried to experience suffering, instinctively if not consciously, to produce works that explore the darker hidden sides of the human condition. This was done, in part, because pain is a reality of life for everybody in some form at some time. Pain is something everybody can relate to. And pain makes a person very present. For such artists, to relieve or to deny pain would be to block the creative thinking, which drives them to explore and express. In fact, Germans have a term for this melancholia, " _ ", which means "suffering from the world." Writers, from Lord Byron to Kurt Vonnegut, have used the term to describe the psychological pain encountered along life's roller-coaster journey. It was not to be avoided; it was to be understood, investigated and employed. So I propose that discomfort is good for us. Or, put another way, it tells us that something needs to be addressed. It stretches us by forcing us to view our circumstances through a wholly different lens. Because we're drawn to safety and security, we do our best to create pleasant comfort zones for ourselves and our loved ones through the cars we drive, the homes we live in, and the places we work. But by resisting discomfort, we deny ourselves an important opportunity: the chance to shake ourselves out of our predictable perspectives and allow ourselves to make knowledgeable observations we could not possibly have made before. Discomfort gives us fresh eyes. Which of the following is NOT a reason why artists throughout history have been exploring sufferings?
<extra_id_0>Pain is a mirror that can reflect the life of everybody.
<extra_id_1>Pain is something that no one can escape from.
<extra_id_2>Pain can help them to avoid the creative thinking.
<extra_id_3>Pain can strengthen the feeling of existence of a person.
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<extra_id_5>This is the true story of a great woman. Her name was Helen Keller. She was born in 1880 in Alabama in the USA. When Helen was one year and a half, she got ill and then she became blind and deaf. Her parents tried to do their best for their daughter and they asked a young teacher called Anne Sullivan to their home to teach Helen. Anne herself was almost blind in her youth. Helen was a smart girl but she couldn't hear or talk. She was angry at this. So she was always crying and shouting. Then Anne often went for walks with Helen in the country near her home. After two weeks, Helen became quiet. Anne began to teach her how to spell and Helen learned to write. Boards with lines on them helped her to keep the words straight. Soon her talents were famous all over the world. There were her stories in newspapers and magazines. By the time she was 17, she was studying French, German, Latin, Physics and many other subjects. She was still blind and deaf. In 1902, she wrote a book The Story of my life. It became well-known all over the world. How old was Helen when she finished the book The Story of my life?
<extra_id_0>51.
<extra_id_1>42.
<extra_id_2>22.
<extra_id_3>17
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<extra_id_5>Coke is the most popular drink and many people enjoy it. But they don't know it has many other uses. * Cleaning. You can use it to clean your hands, your bathroom or your clothes. When you do some washing and you can put some Coke into the water. And Coke can make them cleaner. * Cooking. Put Coke on beef or pork while it's cooking. And we can also cook chicken with Coke, it's very nice. * Health &beauty. Coke can make you more beautiful. Use it on your hair or your skin to make them brighter and smoother. * Housework help. Watering flowers with Coke can make them more lovely and beautiful. So give Coke a try next time. What can we use Coke to clean?
<extra_id_0>Bathroom.
<extra_id_1>Beef.
<extra_id_2>Pork.
<extra_id_3>Flowers.
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<extra_id_5>Making an advertisement for television often costs more than a movie. For example, a two - hour movie costs $6 million to make. A TV commercial can cost more than $6 000 a second. And that does not include cost of paying for air time. Which is more valuable, the program or the ad? In terms of money - and making money is what television is all about - the commercial is by far the more important. Research, market testing, talent, time and money ---- all come together to make us want to buy a product. No matter how bad we think a commercial is, it works. The sales of Charm went up once the ads began. TV commercials actually buy their way into our head. We, in turn, buy the product. And the ads work because so much time and attention are given to them. Here are some rules of commercial ad making. If you want to get the low middle - class buyer, make sure the announcer has a though, manly voice. Put some people in the ad who work with their hands. If you want to sell to upper - class audience, make sure that the house, the furniture, and the hair style are the types that the group identifies with. If you want the buyer feel superior to the character selling the product, then make that person so stupid or silly that everyone will feel great about himself or herself. We laugh at commercials. We don't think we pay that much attention to them. But evidence shows we are kidding ourselves. The making of a commercial that costs so much money is not kid stuff. It's big, big business. And it's telling us what to think , what we need, and what to buy. To put simply, the TV commercial is a form of brainwashing. From the rules set for making commercial ads, we can see that _ .
<extra_id_0>the lower - middle - class buyer likes to work with his hand
<extra_id_1>the more stupid the characters, the more buyers of the product
<extra_id_2>ad designers attract different people with different skills
<extra_id_3>an upper - class buyer is only interested in houses and furniture
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<extra_id_5>Beach volleyball is one of those sports that can be an exciting game to play and watch, or, can just be about some friends getting together to have a great time. It's really easy, and all you need is sand, a net and a group of people, of any age or fitness level, who want to have fun. Beach volleyball can be played with as few as two people on each team, making a total of four people. However, if you are less skilled and experienced in the game, it will be easier to play with a larger team. The more players you have, the less ground each person will be responsible for covering and the more time they will have to recover in between shots. If you only have a few players, each of you will get quite a workout running for the ball after each volley. If you are looking for that relaxing, fun, low-key experience, choose larger teams. Beach volleyball is similar to regular volleyball in its rules. However, even experienced volleyball players do not realize how much more difficult it is to run and jump on sand. Since it is harder to move quickly on sand than a hard ground, play will be much slower than regular volleyball on a playground. When a player trains for beach volleyball, he will focus on building lower body strength as well as upper body. While he needs to be able to hit the ball with a great deal of power and accuracy , strengthening his legs is extremely important. Whether you are in it for the competition, or just to have a great time with your friends, beach volleyball can be very exciting and fun. You may even start out with friends and fall in love with the sport. Why is it much slower to play beach volley ball than regular volleyball? Because _ .
<extra_id_0>it is not an easy job to move on sand
<extra_id_1>it is a workout running for the ball
<extra_id_2>it is usually a larger team
<extra_id_3>the beach volleyball is heavier
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<extra_id_5>A science book gives facts. Some science books tell us about animals. Some tell us about plants. Some tell us about outer space. This page tells us about animals. Do you know that not only the fish but also some animals live in the sea? For example, the whale is not a fish. It can't breathe in the water. It swims in the water. But it comes up for air. The blue whale is the world's biggest animal. There are other sea animals, too. One is called the dolphin. Dolphins need air to live. They breathe air, as whales do. Dolphins are very clever. They sometimes seem to speak to each other. Many other animals live near the sea. Seals and otters love the sea. They swim and play there. They eat fish and sea plants. Seals and otters have thick fur. The fur keeps them warm. What food do seals and otters like eating?
<extra_id_0>Meat.
<extra_id_1>Fruits.
<extra_id_2>Both fish and sea plants.
<extra_id_3>Leaves.
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<extra_id_5>The expression "down to earth" means being open and honest. It is easy to get on with some one who is down to earth. A down-to-earth person is the opposite of someone who acts important or proud. Down-to-earth people could be important members of society. But they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. A person who is filled with his own importance and pride is said to" have his nose in the air". Americans use another expression that is similar in some ways to down to earth. The expression is" both feet on the ground". Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He may have dreams, but he does not allow them to have influence on his understanding of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who "has his head in the clouds". Someone with his head in the clouds is a person whose mind is not on what is happening in real life. Such a person may be called a day-dreamer. When we have both our feet on the ground, and when we are down to earth, we do not have our noses in the air. We act honestly and openly to others. Our lives are like the ground below us---solid and strong. If you want to understand what is real in life, you have to _ .
<extra_id_0>get along with other people easily
<extra_id_1>learn from those who are down to earth
<extra_id_2>be a good dreamer with quick mind
<extra_id_3>have your head in the clouds.
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<extra_id_5>Babysitter wanted( ) Do you like children? Do you have free time in the afternoon? We need a babysitter for our daughter. She's six years old. Working time: Monday to Friday, 3:00pm--6:00 pm. Cost: $5 an hour. We need help with: Looking after our daughter, reading to her, playing with her. Address: You must work at our house. We live in Changjiang Road, near the Culture Square. Please call Mr. Wang at 0551-487-2563. Who does Mr. Wang need a babysitter to look after?
<extra_id_0>His son
<extra_id_1>His daughter
<extra_id_2>His mother
<extra_id_3>His father
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<extra_id_5>Mrs Turner's telephone number was 3463, and the number of he cinema in town was 3464. People often made mistakes and telephoned her when they actually wanted the cinema. One evening the telephone rang and Mrs Turner answered it. A tired man's voice came over the phone, "At what time does your last film begin?""I'm sorry," said Mrs Turner, "but you have the wrong number. This is not the cinema." "Oh, it began twenty minutes ago?" said the man. "I'm sorry about that. Well, good-bye." Mrs Turner was very surprised, so she told her husband. He laughed and said, "No, that wasn't a mistake. The man's wife wanted to go to the cinema, but he was feeling tired, so he telephoned the cinema. His wife heard him, but she didn't hear you. Now they will stay at home this evening, and the husband will be happy." Which of the following is TRUE?
<extra_id_0>The Turners lived near the cinema.
<extra_id_1>Both of the Turners didn't want to go to the cinema.
<extra_id_2>The man didn't want to go to the cinema with his wife that night.
<extra_id_3>The man's wife was angry for what her husband had done.
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<extra_id_5>My family and I lived across the street from Southway Park since I was four years old. Then just last year the city put a chain link fence around the park and started bulldozing the trees and grass to make way for a new apartment complex. When I saw the fence and bulldozers, I asked myself,"Why don't they just leave it alone?" Looking back, I think what sentenced the park to oblivion was the drought we had about four years ago. Up until then, Southway Park was a nice green park with plenty of trees and a public swimming pool. My friends and I rollerskated on the sidewalks, climbed the trees, and swam in the pool all the years I was growing up. The park was almost like my own yard. Then the summer I was fifteen the drought came and things changed. There had been almost no rain at all that year. The city stopped watering the park grass. Within a few weeks I found myself living across the street from a huge brown desert. Leaves fell off the park trees, and pretty soon the trees started dying, too. Next, the park swimming pool was closed. The city cut down on the work force that kept the park, and pretty soon it just got too ugly and dirty to enjoy anymore. As the drought lasted into the fall, the park got worse every month. The rubbish piled up or blew across the brown grass. Soon the only people in the park were beggars and other people down on their luck. People said drugs were being sold or traded there now. The park had gotten scary, and my mother told us kids not to go there anymore. The drought finally ended and things seemed to get back to normal, that is, everything but the park. It had gotten into such bad shape that the city just let it stay that way. Then about six months ago I heard that the city was going to"redevelop"certain wornout areas of the city. It turned out that the city had planned to get rid of the park, sell the land and let someone build rows of apartment buildings on it. The chainlink fencing and the bulldozers did their work. Now we live across the street from six rows of apartment buildings. Each of them is three units high and stretches a block in each direction. The neighborhood has changed without the park. The streets I used to play in are jammed with cars now. Things will never be the same again. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The last sentence of the passage implies that if another drought came, _ .
<extra_id_0>the situation would be much worse
<extra_id_1>people would have to desert their homes
<extra_id_2>the city would be fully prepared in advance
<extra_id_3>the city would have to redevelop the neighborhood
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<extra_id_5>Which organism likely contains chlorophyll?
<extra_id_0>bamboo
<extra_id_1>pandas
<extra_id_2>protozoa
<extra_id_3>humans
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<extra_id_5>Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries. Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each. Children in the US will leave their parents' home when they grow up. They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs. They often write to their parents or telephone them. And they often go to visit their parents on holiday. Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves. Children are asked to do some work around their house. And in many families, children are paid for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use. When children grow up, they leave their parents' home to _ .
<extra_id_0>go to better schools
<extra_id_1>make more friends
<extra_id_2>find jobs
<extra_id_3>spend a holiday
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<extra_id_5>Not everyonewhoteaches in acollegeor university is a professor. Many are instructors or lecturers. In fact, not even all professors are full professors. Many of them are assistant or associate professors or adjunct professors. So what do all of these different academic titles mean at American colleges and universities? Get ready for a short lecture, especially if you are thinking of a career in higher education. Professors usually need a doctoral degree. But sometimes a school will offer positions to people who have not yet received their doctorate. This person would be called an instructor until the degree has been completed. After that, the instructor could become an assistant professor. Assistant professors do not have tenure. Tenure means a permanent appointment. This goal of greater job security is harder to reach these days. Fewer teaching positions offer the chance for tenure. Teachers and researchers who are hired into positions that do offer it are said to be "on the tenure track." Assistant professor is the first job on this path. Assistant professors generally have five to seven years to gain tenure. During this time, other faculty members study the person's work. If tenure is denied, then the assistant professor usually has a year to find another job. Candidates for tenure may feel great pressure to get research published. "Publish or perish" is the traditional saying. An assistant professor who receives tenure becomes an associate professor. An associate professor may later be appointed a full professor. Assistant, associate and full professors perform many duties. They teach classes. They advise students. And they carry out research. They also serve on committees and take part in other activities. Other faculty members are not expected to do all these jobs. They are not on a tenure track. Instead, they might be in adjunct or visiting positions. A visiting professor has a job at one school but works at another for a period of time. An adjunct professor is also a limited or part-time position, to do research or teach classes. Adjunct professors have a doctorate. Another position is that of lecturer. Lecturers teach classes, but they may or may not have a doctorate. What can be inferred from the passage?
<extra_id_0>Those teaching in a university are all professors.
<extra_id_1>You'd better learn about it before being a professor.
<extra_id_2>Those without a doctoral degree can't find a job.
<extra_id_3>Professors in a university share the same duties.
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<extra_id_5>UNICEF is appealing for more than one billion dollars in aid for women and children around the world. The United Nations Children's Fund has released its "Humanitarian Action Report" for two thousand ten. The report lists twenty - eight countries and territories with some of the world's most pester affecting women and children. Haiti was considered to be in crisis long before the earthquake in January. The deputy executive director of UNICEF, Hilde Johnson, says the quake has only made the need for aid more immediate. But she says children all over the world have the right to the same assistance as children everywhere else. The "Humanitarian Action Report" discusses several issues that UNICEF says increasingly threaten the basic rights of women and children. It says climate change has caused droughts and food insecurity in many areas. High food prices and the global financial crisis of two thousand eight-two thousand nine have only added to poverty and malnutrition . And armed conflict continues to threaten the lives of millions. Hilde Johnson says children are always the most affected by conflicts and disasters. They face an increased risk of abuse, including sexual violence and other serious rights violations . UNICEF deals with about two hundred emergencies around the world every year. The greatest need last year was in sub-Saharan Africa. The report says drought, food insecurity and civil unrest affected about twenty-four million people. Violence and displacements of people were especially bad in Sudan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. In Asia, UNICEF expects its financial assistance needs to more than double this year. This is partly the result of adding Pakistan and the Philippines to the latest report. In Pakistan, it says, more than two million people have been forced from their homes by the conflict in the Swat Valley and other areas of the northwest. And in the Philippines, more than two hundred thousand people are still living in shelters after severe storms last year. This year's UNICEF report talks about the value of public and private partnerships in helping children and families in emergencies. And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. For a link to the UNICEF report listing the twenty-eight countries and territories in crisis, go to www.unsv.com. I'm Steve Ember. According to Hilde Johnson, the most easily affected peens suffering from conflicts and disasters are _ .
<extra_id_0>women
<extra_id_1>children
<extra_id_2>the old
<extra_id_3>the disabled
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<extra_id_5>In Japan's capital city of Tokyo, earthquake danger limits the height of buildings. The city has spread out so far and the traffic has become so heavy that it is very difficult to go from one place to another. The price of the land, too, has skyrocketed. All these explains why a group of Japanese land developers came to the conclusion that there was nowhere to go but down. So far they have dug out space underground for fifteen shopping centres. What are some of the advantages of shopping and eating underground? Clean air is one of them. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in the world. Another advantage is that you escape the ever-present threat of traffic accidents on the city's busy streets. Still another is the convenience of getting around: you are usually right next to, or even in, a subway station. And you can even spend the night underground if you like. The Kibosh station, for example, in downtown Tokyo, has a hotel with a bar, restaurant, and barbershop. The passage mainly tells us _ .
<extra_id_0>the capital of Japan
<extra_id_1>the land and its limits
<extra_id_2>the use of space underground in Tokyo
<extra_id_3>how to make full use of the land
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<extra_id_5>The owner of Newacre executed and delivered to a power company a right-of-way deed for the building and maintenance of an overhead power line across Newacre. The deed was properly recorded. Newacre then passed through several intermediate conveyances until it was conveyed to Sloan about 10 years after the date of the right-of-way deed. All the intermediate deeds were properly recorded, but none of them mentioned the right-of-way. Sloan entered into a written contract to sell Newacre to Jones. By the terms of the contract, Sloan promised to furnish an abstract of title to Jones. Sloan contracted directly with Abstract Company to prepare and deliver an abstract to Jones, and Abstract Company did so. The abstract omitted the right-of-way deed. Jones delivered the abstract to his attorney and asked the attorney for an opinion as to title. The attorney signed and delivered to Jones a letter stating that, from the attorney's examination of the abstract, it was his "opinion that Sloan had a free and unencumbered marketable title to Newacre." Sloan conveyed Newacre to Jones by a deed which included covenants of general warranty and against encumbrances. Jones paid the full purchase price. After Jones had been in possession of Newacre for 90 more than a year, he learned about the right-of-way deed. Sloan, Jones, Abstract Company, and Jones's attorney were all without actual knowledge of the existence of the right-of-way at the time of the conveyance from Sloan to Jones."If Jones sues Abstract Company for damages caused to Jones by the presence of the right-ofway, the most likely result will be a decision for
<extra_id_0>Jones, because Jones was a third-party creditor beneficiary of the contract between Sloan and Abstract Company.
<extra_id_1>Jones, because the abstract prepared by Abstract Company constitutes a guarantee of Jones's title to Newacre.
<extra_id_2>Abstract Company, because Abstract Company had no knowledge of the existence of the right-of-way.
<extra_id_3>Abstract Company, because there was no showing that any fraud was practiced upon Jones
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<extra_id_5>(The Daily Mail) David Thomas failed all his maths exams and left school with no qualifications, yet this 30 - year - old fire - fighter has just gone into the Guinness Book of Records by reciting from memory 22,500 digits of the mathematical constant, pi(p). After five months of training, in which he spent ten hours a day memorizing a quarter of a million digits, David Thomas took part in a 16 - hour mental battle.Witnesses watched in awe as Thomas set a new European record, earning the title 'Most Powerful Memory in the Western Hemisphere'. David says, "When I was at school I was hopeless.I could' t remember anything, but now I can remember more facts than anyone in Europe." So how does Thomas do it? "One night I was watching a TV programme about an interview with a man called Dominic O'Brien, who had been the world memory champion five times.He used to be a gambler, and he wasn't particularly successful until he developed his own mnemonics, or mental memory aid, for each card in order to remember which cards had already been dealt and which ones hadn't." Thomas became fascinated by O'Brien's theory that anyone can improve their memory by using specialized techniques.These techniques involve linking everything to familiar people or objects. "If you want to remember a phone number for example, you have to give the numbers life.Sometimes I associate a number with a person.Number 10 for me is always the Prime Minister (who lives at number 10 Downing Street) ," explained David.If David is trying to remember facts he also links them to an image."For instance, if I was trying to memorize the name 'Tom Cruise' , I would think of his film Top Cun, and that leads me to images of guns and cruise missiles." is soon going to appear on TV's Record Breakers, and this week he is teaching memory training and speed - writing at Huddersfield University.His fees are PS600 a day.He is sure that the future holds a lot more for him than a job as a fire - fighter. Why did O'Brien develop his own mnemonics?
<extra_id_0>To become a world memory champion
<extra_id_1>To win money while playing cards.
<extra_id_2>To prove he had a good memory.
<extra_id_3>To defeat David Thomas.
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<extra_id_5>There is an English saying, "Laughter is the best medicine." Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people's health. Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, makes the heart beat quicker and makes people breathe deeper; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial. Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes. The group that tolerated the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemical in the brain which _ both stress and pain. As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter. What would be the best title for this passage?
<extra_id_0>Both laughter and physical exercise are good for health.
<extra_id_1>Laughter clinics can help patients improve their condition.
<extra_id_2>Laughter can reduce the effect of pain.
<extra_id_3>Laughter is the best medicine.
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<extra_id_5>Ann's grandpa was very rich and he had some shops. The old man began to learn drawing when he was sixty, and he loved it very much. For twelve years he drew a lot and there were many pictures in his workroom. He was pleased with them and kept them well. One day, the old man was ill. He had to stay in hospital. Before he died, he said to Ann, "I want to give my pictures to a school as presents. Then the students can remember me forever. But I don't know which school I'm going to give them to. Can you help me? " "Well," said the little girl, "you'd better give them to a blind(,) school. " ,. (5) The old man tried his best to be _ .
<extra_id_0>an artist
<extra_id_1>a farmer
<extra_id_2>a doctor
<extra_id_3>a teacher
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<extra_id_5>David comes from the train station and he doesn't know where to go. This is the first time he comes to this town. He comes to see his good friend, Peter. Peter is a doctor. He works in a hospital. But David doesn't know where the hospital is. He walks in the street. He passes a bank, a post office, a hotel and at last he goes to a school. Some students are coming out, so he asks one of the students, "Excuse me. Which is the way to People's Hospital?" "Well, I know, you can go along this street, take the second turning on the right, and then take the third turning on your left. It's next to a museum." "I'm sorry I can't follow you." "Well, I just live near there, and my mother works in that hospital, too. I'm going home now. Will you go with me? I'll take you there." "That's great! Thank you very much!" "Then, let's go to the bus stop. And we'll take the No.12 bus there." _ works in a hospital.
<extra_id_0>David
<extra_id_1>Peter
<extra_id_2>David's mother
<extra_id_3>Peter's mother
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