option
sequence | question
stringlengths 11
354
| article
stringlengths 231
6.74k
| id
stringlengths 5
8
| label
int64 0
3
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
[
"DNT may not serve its intended purpose.",
"Advertisers are willing to implement DNT.",
"DNT is losing its popularity among consumers.",
"Advertisers are obliged to offer behavioural ads."
] | Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 6? | An old saying has it that half of all advertising budgets are wasted-the trouble is, no one knows which half. In the internet age, at least in theory, this fraction can be much reduced. By watching what people search for, click on and say online, companies can aim "behavioural" ads at those most likely to buy.
In the past couple of weeks a quarrel has illustrated the value to advertisers of such fine-grained information: Should advertisers assume that people are happy to be tracked and sent behavioural ads? Or should they have explicit permission?
In December 2010 America's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed adding a "do not track" (DNT) option to internet browsers, so that users could tell advertisers that they did not want to be followed. Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari both offer DNT; Google's Chrome is due to do so this year. In February the FTC and the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) agreed that the industry would get cracking on responding to DNT requests.
On May 31st Microsoft set off the row. It said that Internet Explorer 10, the version due to appear with Windows 8, would have DNT as a default.
Advertisers are horrified. Human nature being what it is, most people stick with default settings. Few switch DNT on now, but if tracking is off it will stay off. Bob Liodice, the chief executive of the Association of National Advertisers, says consumers will be worse off if the industry cannot collect information about their preferences. People will not get fewer ads, he says. "They'll get less meaningful, less targeted ads." It is not yet clear how advertisers will respond. Getting a DNT signal does not oblige anyone to stop tracking, although some companies have promised to do so. Unable to tell whether someone really objects to behavioural ads or whether they are sticking with Microsoft's default, some may ignore a DNT signal and press on anyway.
Also unclear is why Microsoft has gone it alone. After all, it has an ad business too, which it says will comply with DNT requests, though it is still working out how. If it is trying to upset Google, which relies almost wholly on advertising, it has chosen an indirect method: There is no guarantee that DNT by default will become the norm. DNT does not seem an obviously huge selling point for Windows 8-though the firm has compared some of its other products favourably with Google's on that count before. Brendon Lynch, Microsoft's chief privacy officer, blogged: "We believe consumers should have more control." Could it really be that simple? | 1009.txt | 0 |
[
"indulgence.",
"understanding.",
"appreciation.",
"skepticism."
] | The author's attitude towards what Brendon Lynch said in his blog is one of | An old saying has it that half of all advertising budgets are wasted-the trouble is, no one knows which half. In the internet age, at least in theory, this fraction can be much reduced. By watching what people search for, click on and say online, companies can aim "behavioural" ads at those most likely to buy.
In the past couple of weeks a quarrel has illustrated the value to advertisers of such fine-grained information: Should advertisers assume that people are happy to be tracked and sent behavioural ads? Or should they have explicit permission?
In December 2010 America's Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed adding a "do not track" (DNT) option to internet browsers, so that users could tell advertisers that they did not want to be followed. Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Apple's Safari both offer DNT; Google's Chrome is due to do so this year. In February the FTC and the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) agreed that the industry would get cracking on responding to DNT requests.
On May 31st Microsoft set off the row. It said that Internet Explorer 10, the version due to appear with Windows 8, would have DNT as a default.
Advertisers are horrified. Human nature being what it is, most people stick with default settings. Few switch DNT on now, but if tracking is off it will stay off. Bob Liodice, the chief executive of the Association of National Advertisers, says consumers will be worse off if the industry cannot collect information about their preferences. People will not get fewer ads, he says. "They'll get less meaningful, less targeted ads." It is not yet clear how advertisers will respond. Getting a DNT signal does not oblige anyone to stop tracking, although some companies have promised to do so. Unable to tell whether someone really objects to behavioural ads or whether they are sticking with Microsoft's default, some may ignore a DNT signal and press on anyway.
Also unclear is why Microsoft has gone it alone. After all, it has an ad business too, which it says will comply with DNT requests, though it is still working out how. If it is trying to upset Google, which relies almost wholly on advertising, it has chosen an indirect method: There is no guarantee that DNT by default will become the norm. DNT does not seem an obviously huge selling point for Windows 8-though the firm has compared some of its other products favourably with Google's on that count before. Brendon Lynch, Microsoft's chief privacy officer, blogged: "We believe consumers should have more control." Could it really be that simple? | 1009.txt | 3 |
[
"serves as a description of human history",
"serves as an introduction to the discussion",
"shows a disagreement of views",
"shows the popularity of the book"
] | A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph-- | Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations, broken up by long"dark ages" in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth
or Last Men. However, most of our ideas about the future are really very shortsighted.Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even beginto picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive in our ideas as the Stone
Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollockingto make new spundels ,or struggling with their ballalators through the cribeThese words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas thatwe simply can't think of.
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not botherto think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we mayarrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future. | 3725.txt | 1 |
[
"tools used in farming",
"ideas about modern life",
"unknown things in the future",
"hunting skills in the Stone Age"
] | Spundelsand balla lators are used in the text to refer to-- | Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations, broken up by long"dark ages" in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth
or Last Men. However, most of our ideas about the future are really very shortsighted.Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even beginto picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive in our ideas as the Stone
Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollockingto make new spundels ,or struggling with their ballalators through the cribeThese words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas thatwe simply can't think of.
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not botherto think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we mayarrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future. | 3725.txt | 2 |
[
"human history is extremely long",
"life has changed a great deal",
"it is useless to plan for the next 50 years",
"it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future"
] | The text discusses men and women 50,000 years ago and 50,000 years from now in order to show that _ | Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations, broken up by long"dark ages" in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth
or Last Men. However, most of our ideas about the future are really very shortsighted.Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even beginto picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive in our ideas as the Stone
Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollockingto make new spundels ,or struggling with their ballalators through the cribeThese words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas thatwe simply can't think of.
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not botherto think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we mayarrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future. | 3725.txt | 3 |
[
"se rve the interests of the present and future generations",
"enable us to better understand human history",
"help us to improve farming",
"make life worth living"
] | According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will _ | Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilisations, broken up by long"dark ages" in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth
or Last Men. However, most of our ideas about the future are really very shortsighted.Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even beginto picture modern life? Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive in our ideas as the Stone
Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollockingto make new spundels ,or struggling with their ballalators through the cribeThese words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas thatwe simply can't think of.
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not botherto think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we mayarrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future. | 3725.txt | 0 |
[
"the development of fast food services",
"how McDonald's became a billion-dollar business",
"the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald",
"Ray Kroc's business talent"
] | This passage mainly talks about . | In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（）restaurant, and then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new concept: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity, for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became incredibly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success untilthey met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milk shake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the unique appeal of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise（）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate the menu. The equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches（）.
Today McDonald's is really a household name. Its names for its sandwiches have come to mean hamburger in the decades since the day Ray Kroc watched people rush up to order fifteen-cent hamburgers. In 1976, McDonald's had over $ 1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most incredible success stories in modern American business history. | 1647.txt | 2 |
[
"a drive-in",
"a cinema",
"a theater",
"a barbecue restaurant"
] | Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except . | In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（）restaurant, and then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new concept: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity, for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became incredibly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success untilthey met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milk shake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the unique appeal of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise（）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate the menu. The equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches（）.
Today McDonald's is really a household name. Its names for its sandwiches have come to mean hamburger in the decades since the day Ray Kroc watched people rush up to order fifteen-cent hamburgers. In 1976, McDonald's had over $ 1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most incredible success stories in modern American business history. | 1647.txt | 1 |
[
"Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc",
"The location the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in",
"Forty years ago there were numerous fast-food restaurants",
"Ray Kroc was a good businessman"
] | We may infer from this passage that . | In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（）restaurant, and then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new concept: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity, for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became incredibly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success untilthey met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milk shake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the unique appeal of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise（）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate the menu. The equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches（）.
Today McDonald's is really a household name. Its names for its sandwiches have come to mean hamburger in the decades since the day Ray Kroc watched people rush up to order fifteen-cent hamburgers. In 1976, McDonald's had over $ 1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most incredible success stories in modern American business history. | 1647.txt | 3 |
[
"creativity is an important element of business success",
"Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers",
"Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc",
"California is the best place to go into business"
] | The passage suggests that . | In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（）restaurant, and then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new concept: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity, for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became incredibly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success untilthey met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milk shake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the unique appeal of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise（）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate the menu. The equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches（）.
Today McDonald's is really a household name. Its names for its sandwiches have come to mean hamburger in the decades since the day Ray Kroc watched people rush up to order fifteen-cent hamburgers. In 1976, McDonald's had over $ 1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most incredible success stories in modern American business history. | 1647.txt | 0 |
[
"special",
"financial",
"attractive",
"peculiar"
] | As used in the second sentence of the third paragraph, the worduniquemeans . | In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue（）restaurant, and then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new concept: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity, for the brothers had developed a strict routine for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks' sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became incredibly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success untilthey met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milk shake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the unique appeal of the brothers' fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise（）other copies of their restaurants. The agreement struck included the right to duplicate the menu. The equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches（）.
Today McDonald's is really a household name. Its names for its sandwiches have come to mean hamburger in the decades since the day Ray Kroc watched people rush up to order fifteen-cent hamburgers. In 1976, McDonald's had over $ 1 billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most incredible success stories in modern American business history. | 1647.txt | 3 |
[
"She had learned enough about computer science",
"She had more difficulty keeping foucesed",
"She preferred taking online courses",
"She was too slow to learn"
] | why did't Tanis go to college after high school? | Dear Alfred，
I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.
Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150 at 17, I'm anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADIID. Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.
However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.
While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn't. So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.
Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I'm learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.
Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job-Data Analyst-this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.
Thank you. You've given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I'm doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.
This is why you're saving my life.
Yours,
Tanis | 722.txt | 1 |
[
"working by herself",
"dealing with the public",
"competing against others",
"staying with ADHD students"
] | AS for the working environment,Tains prefers _ . | Dear Alfred，
I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.
Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150 at 17, I'm anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADIID. Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.
However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.
While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn't. So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.
Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I'm learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.
Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job-Data Analyst-this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.
Thank you. You've given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I'm doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.
This is why you're saving my life.
Yours,
Tanis | 722.txt | 0 |
[
"explain why she was interested in the computer",
"share the ideas she had for her profession",
"show how grateful she was to the center",
"describe the courses she had taken so far"
] | Tanis wrote this letter in order to _ . | Dear Alfred，
I want to tell you how important your help is to my life.
Growing up, I had people telling me I was too slow, though, with an IQ of 150 at 17, I'm anything but stupid. The fact was that I was found to have ADIID. Anxious all the time, I was unable to keep focused for more than an hour at a time.
However, when something did interest me, I could become absorbed. In high school, I became curious about the computer, and built my first website. Moreover, I completed the senior course of Computer Basics, plus five relevant pre-college courses.
While I was exploring my curiosity, my disease got worse. I wanted to go to college after high school, but couldn't. So, I was killing my time at home until June 2012 when I discovered the online computer courses of your training center.
Since then, I have taken courses like Data Science and Advanced Mathematics. Currently, I'm learning your Probability course. I have hundreds of printer paper, covered in self-written notes from your video. This has given me a purpose.
Last year, I spent all my time looking for a job where, without dealing with the public , I could work alone, but still have a team to talk to. Luckily, I discovered the job-Data Analyst-this month and have been going full steam ahead. I want to prove that I can teach myself a respectful profession, without going to college, and be just as good as, if not better than, my competitors.
Thank you. You've given me hope that I can follow my heart. For the first time, I feel good about myself because I'm doing something, not because someone told me I was doing good. I feel whole.
This is why you're saving my life.
Yours,
Tanis | 722.txt | 2 |
[
"show that doctor's improper use of technology can end up in bad results",
"call on people's attention to the potential danger technology can bring to us",
"warn of the harm patients are prone to suffer",
"show the advantages and disadvantages of technology"
] | The author begins his article with" technology is a two-edged sword" （Line 1, Paragraph 1）to _ . | Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects-and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that's good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.
Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients' bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, " an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records."
While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was" health-care operations." That, physicians said, was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by" business partners" such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules' enforcement provisions.
One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality, thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information, such as paying cash for services. | 544.txt | 0 |
[
"enjoy more rights to their medical records",
"be open with their doctors",
"decide how to use their medical information",
"sue their insurers for improper use of their medical records"
] | According to the proposal made by President Clinton, patients will be able to do the following EXCEPT _ . | Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects-and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that's good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.
Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients' bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, " an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records."
While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was" health-care operations." That, physicians said, was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by" business partners" such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules' enforcement provisions.
One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality, thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information, such as paying cash for services. | 544.txt | 1 |
[
"may ruin doctor-patient relationship",
"can do more harm than good",
"will prevent doctors from doing medical research",
"will end up in more health care cost and poorer medical service"
] | Doctors tend to think that the rules _ . | Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects-and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that's good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.
Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients' bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, " an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records."
While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was" health-care operations." That, physicians said, was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by" business partners" such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules' enforcement provisions.
One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality, thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information, such as paying cash for services. | 544.txt | 1 |
[
"American patients' concealment of their medical information has become a big concern",
"a large portion of patients would rather leave their diseases untreated",
"concealing medical information is widespread in the U.S.",
"paying cash for medical service is a common practice among American patients"
] | The example of the January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates is used to show that _ . | Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects-and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that's good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.
Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients' bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, " an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records."
While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was" health-care operations." That, physicians said, was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by" business partners" such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules' enforcement provisions.
One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality, thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information, such as paying cash for services. | 544.txt | 0 |
[
"American government will tighten its control over the use of patients' personal information",
"doctors and insurers are both against the rules for the same reasons",
"patients are entitled to have complete control of their medical information",
"the new rules put insurers in a very disadvantageous position"
] | From the article we can learn that _ . | Technology is a two-edged sword. Rarely is this as clear as it is in the realm of health care. Technology allows doctors to test their patients for genetic defects-and then to turn around and spread the results throughout the world via the Internet. For someone in need of treatment, that's good news. But for someone in search of a job or an insurance policy, the tidings can be all bad.
Last week President Bill Clinton proposed a corollary to the patients' bill of rights now before Congress: a right to medical privacy. Beginning in 2002, under rules set to become law in February, patients would be able to stipulate the conditions under which their personal medical data could be divulged. They would be able to examine their records and make corrections. They could learn who else had seen the information. Improper use of records by a caregiver or insurer could result in both civil and criminal penalties. The plan was, said Clinton, " an unprecedented step toward putting Americans back in control of their own medical records."
While the administration billed the rules as an attempt to strike a balance between the needs of consumers and those of the health-care industry, neither doctors nor insurance companies were happy. The doctors said the rules could actually erode privacy, pointing to a provision allowing managed-care plans to use personal information without consent if the purpose was" health-care operations." That, physicians said, was a loophole through which HMOs and other insurers could pry into the doctor-patient relationship, in the name of assessing the quality of care. Meanwhile, the insurers protested that the rules would make them vulnerable to lawsuits. They were especially disturbed by a provision holding them liable for privacy breaches by" business partners" such as lawyers and accountants. Both groups agreed that privacy protections would drive up the cost of health care by at least an additional $3.8 billion, and maybe much more, over the next five years. They also complained about the increased level of federal scrutiny required by the new rules' enforcement provisions.
One aim of the rules is to reassure patients about confidentiality, thereby encouraging them to be open with their doctors. Today various cancers and sexually transmitted diseases can go untreated because patients are afraid of embarrassment or of losing insurance coverage. The fear is real: Clinton aides noted that a January poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates found that one in six U.S. adults had at some time done something unusual to conceal medical information, such as paying cash for services. | 544.txt | 3 |
[
"Look into a lot of schools before they apply.",
"Attend the school once they are admitted.",
"Think twice before they accept the offer.",
"Consult the current students and alumni."
] | What are students obliged to do under early decision? | Early decision--you apply to one school, and admission is binding--seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do, the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time forfarther reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options. | 1567.txt | 1 |
[
"To make sure they get qualified students.",
"To avoid competition with other colleges.",
"To provide more opportunities for applicants.",
"To save students the agony of choosing a school."
] | Why do schools offer early decision? | Early decision--you apply to one school, and admission is binding--seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do, the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time forfarther reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options. | 1567.txt | 0 |
[
"It makes their application process more complicated.",
"It places too high a demand on their research ability.",
"It allows them little time to make informed decisions.",
"It exerts much more psychological pressure on them."
] | What is said to be the problem with early decision for students? | Early decision--you apply to one school, and admission is binding--seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do, the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time forfarther reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options. | 1567.txt | 2 |
[
"It interferes with students' learning in high school.",
"It is biased against students at ordinary high schools.",
"It causes unnecessary confusion among college applicants.",
"It places students from lower-income families at a disadvantage."
] | Why are some people opposed to early decision? | Early decision--you apply to one school, and admission is binding--seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do, the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time forfarther reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options. | 1567.txt | 3 |
[
"Refrain from competing with students from privileged families.",
"Avoid choosing early decision unless they are fully prepared.",
"Find sufficient information about their favorite schools.",
"Look beyond the few supposedly thrilling options."
] | What does the author advise college applicants to do? | Early decision--you apply to one school, and admission is binding--seems like a great choice for nervous applicants. Schools let in a higher percentage of early-decision applicants, which arguably means that you have a better chance of getting in. And if you do, you're done with the whole agonizing process by December. But what most students and parents don't realize is that schools have hidden motives for offering early decision.
Early decision, since it's binding, allows schools to fill their classes with qualified students; it allows admissions committees to select the students that are in particular demand for their college and know those students will come. It also gives schools a higher yield rate, which is often used as one of the ways to measure college selectivity and popularity.
The problem is that this process effectively shortens the window of time students have to make one of the most important decisions of their lives up to that point. Under regular admissions, seniors have until May 1 to choose which school to attend; early decision effectively steals six months from them, months that could be used to visit more schools, do more research, speak to current students and alumni and arguably make a more informed decision.
There are, frankly, an astonishing number of exceptional colleges in America, and for any given student, there are a number of schools that are a great fit. When students become too fixated on a particular school early in the admissions process, that fixation can lead to severe disappointment if they don't get in or, if they do, the possibility that they are now bound to go to a school that, given time forfarther reflection, may not actually be right for them.
Insofar as early decision offers a genuine admissions edge, that advantage goes largely to students who already have numerous advantages. The students who use early decision tend to be those who have received higher-quality college guidance, usually a result of coming from a more privileged background. In this regard, there's an argument against early decision, as students from lower-income families are far less likely to have the admissions know-how to navigate the often confusing early deadlines.
Students who have done their research and are confident that there's one school they would be thrilled to get into should, under the current system, probably apply under early decision. But for students who haven't yet done enough research, or who are still constantly changing their minds on favorite schools, the early-decision system needlessly and prematurely narrows the field of possibility just at a time when students should be opening themselves to a whole range of thrilling options. | 1567.txt | 1 |
[
"silk",
"paper",
"cloth",
"plastic"
] | The ancient Chinese bird-kites were usually made of light frames covered with_ . | Kite flying is the sport of sending up into the air,by means of the wind , a light frame covered with paper,plastic or cloth. The frame can be one of many different shapes and is attached to a long string held in the hand or wound on a drum. Kites have a long history of practical application and many different types of kite have been debeloped to serve various purposes.
The ancient Chinese used bird-kites to carry ropes across rivers and valleys. The current folding kite which will dive excitingly is an improved type of such a kite. With its long flat body and single pair of bird-like wings,it looks just like a large bird in the air. The modern version is usually made of tissue-paper rather than the traditional silk.
Man-lifting kites were developed in ancient times, again by the Chinese, for getting information from walled cities and army camps. In fact , as recently as world 2 ,German U-boats flew kites from their towers to lift people into the air to watch the land. These kites ,which are no longer in existence,were made of light-weight cloth.They were much larger and stronger than the Chinese ones. Their design,however, was simply that of the cutter kite. Smaller in size,this type of kite is still very popular as a toy for children, being easy to make with a diamond-shaped frame,no wings and brown-paper covering.
Box-kites are another type of kite found in toy shops today. The first box-kite,named for its box-like body,was developed in the nineteenth century to test theories of flight and this type of cotton-covered kite greatly assisted the success of early aeroplane.These kites are the ancestors of a heavier version of the box-kite,which consists of two main sections,placed side by side. Developed for the peacetime purpose of fishing in strong sea wind,it is the only modern kite described which has practical value . A long-lasting plastic material has to be used for this kite,which carries fishing lines. | 1653.txt | 0 |
[
"brown paper",
"plastic material",
"light-weight cloth",
"traditional silk"
] | The kites used by German U-boats in would war 2 for the military purpose were made of _ . | Kite flying is the sport of sending up into the air,by means of the wind , a light frame covered with paper,plastic or cloth. The frame can be one of many different shapes and is attached to a long string held in the hand or wound on a drum. Kites have a long history of practical application and many different types of kite have been debeloped to serve various purposes.
The ancient Chinese used bird-kites to carry ropes across rivers and valleys. The current folding kite which will dive excitingly is an improved type of such a kite. With its long flat body and single pair of bird-like wings,it looks just like a large bird in the air. The modern version is usually made of tissue-paper rather than the traditional silk.
Man-lifting kites were developed in ancient times, again by the Chinese, for getting information from walled cities and army camps. In fact , as recently as world 2 ,German U-boats flew kites from their towers to lift people into the air to watch the land. These kites ,which are no longer in existence,were made of light-weight cloth.They were much larger and stronger than the Chinese ones. Their design,however, was simply that of the cutter kite. Smaller in size,this type of kite is still very popular as a toy for children, being easy to make with a diamond-shaped frame,no wings and brown-paper covering.
Box-kites are another type of kite found in toy shops today. The first box-kite,named for its box-like body,was developed in the nineteenth century to test theories of flight and this type of cotton-covered kite greatly assisted the success of early aeroplane.These kites are the ancestors of a heavier version of the box-kite,which consists of two main sections,placed side by side. Developed for the peacetime purpose of fishing in strong sea wind,it is the only modern kite described which has practical value . A long-lasting plastic material has to be used for this kite,which carries fishing lines. | 1653.txt | 2 |
[
"to carry ropes across rivers and valleys",
"for the military purpose",
"as toy for children",
"for fishing in strong sea wind"
] | The ancient Chinese man-lifting kites were used_ . | Kite flying is the sport of sending up into the air,by means of the wind , a light frame covered with paper,plastic or cloth. The frame can be one of many different shapes and is attached to a long string held in the hand or wound on a drum. Kites have a long history of practical application and many different types of kite have been debeloped to serve various purposes.
The ancient Chinese used bird-kites to carry ropes across rivers and valleys. The current folding kite which will dive excitingly is an improved type of such a kite. With its long flat body and single pair of bird-like wings,it looks just like a large bird in the air. The modern version is usually made of tissue-paper rather than the traditional silk.
Man-lifting kites were developed in ancient times, again by the Chinese, for getting information from walled cities and army camps. In fact , as recently as world 2 ,German U-boats flew kites from their towers to lift people into the air to watch the land. These kites ,which are no longer in existence,were made of light-weight cloth.They were much larger and stronger than the Chinese ones. Their design,however, was simply that of the cutter kite. Smaller in size,this type of kite is still very popular as a toy for children, being easy to make with a diamond-shaped frame,no wings and brown-paper covering.
Box-kites are another type of kite found in toy shops today. The first box-kite,named for its box-like body,was developed in the nineteenth century to test theories of flight and this type of cotton-covered kite greatly assisted the success of early aeroplane.These kites are the ancestors of a heavier version of the box-kite,which consists of two main sections,placed side by side. Developed for the peacetime purpose of fishing in strong sea wind,it is the only modern kite described which has practical value . A long-lasting plastic material has to be used for this kite,which carries fishing lines. | 1653.txt | 1 |
[
"The frame of a kite is attached to long string held in the hand or wound on drum.",
"The ancestor of the double box-kite.",
"The cutter kite has a diamond-shaped body but no wings.",
"The current folding kite is developed to test theories of flight."
] | Which of the following statements is not ture? | Kite flying is the sport of sending up into the air,by means of the wind , a light frame covered with paper,plastic or cloth. The frame can be one of many different shapes and is attached to a long string held in the hand or wound on a drum. Kites have a long history of practical application and many different types of kite have been debeloped to serve various purposes.
The ancient Chinese used bird-kites to carry ropes across rivers and valleys. The current folding kite which will dive excitingly is an improved type of such a kite. With its long flat body and single pair of bird-like wings,it looks just like a large bird in the air. The modern version is usually made of tissue-paper rather than the traditional silk.
Man-lifting kites were developed in ancient times, again by the Chinese, for getting information from walled cities and army camps. In fact , as recently as world 2 ,German U-boats flew kites from their towers to lift people into the air to watch the land. These kites ,which are no longer in existence,were made of light-weight cloth.They were much larger and stronger than the Chinese ones. Their design,however, was simply that of the cutter kite. Smaller in size,this type of kite is still very popular as a toy for children, being easy to make with a diamond-shaped frame,no wings and brown-paper covering.
Box-kites are another type of kite found in toy shops today. The first box-kite,named for its box-like body,was developed in the nineteenth century to test theories of flight and this type of cotton-covered kite greatly assisted the success of early aeroplane.These kites are the ancestors of a heavier version of the box-kite,which consists of two main sections,placed side by side. Developed for the peacetime purpose of fishing in strong sea wind,it is the only modern kite described which has practical value . A long-lasting plastic material has to be used for this kite,which carries fishing lines. | 1653.txt | 3 |
[
"The ancestors of modern kites",
"The history of the chinese kites",
"different types and uses of kites",
"the different between ancient and modern kites."
] | The best title for this passage may be_ . | Kite flying is the sport of sending up into the air,by means of the wind , a light frame covered with paper,plastic or cloth. The frame can be one of many different shapes and is attached to a long string held in the hand or wound on a drum. Kites have a long history of practical application and many different types of kite have been debeloped to serve various purposes.
The ancient Chinese used bird-kites to carry ropes across rivers and valleys. The current folding kite which will dive excitingly is an improved type of such a kite. With its long flat body and single pair of bird-like wings,it looks just like a large bird in the air. The modern version is usually made of tissue-paper rather than the traditional silk.
Man-lifting kites were developed in ancient times, again by the Chinese, for getting information from walled cities and army camps. In fact , as recently as world 2 ,German U-boats flew kites from their towers to lift people into the air to watch the land. These kites ,which are no longer in existence,were made of light-weight cloth.They were much larger and stronger than the Chinese ones. Their design,however, was simply that of the cutter kite. Smaller in size,this type of kite is still very popular as a toy for children, being easy to make with a diamond-shaped frame,no wings and brown-paper covering.
Box-kites are another type of kite found in toy shops today. The first box-kite,named for its box-like body,was developed in the nineteenth century to test theories of flight and this type of cotton-covered kite greatly assisted the success of early aeroplane.These kites are the ancestors of a heavier version of the box-kite,which consists of two main sections,placed side by side. Developed for the peacetime purpose of fishing in strong sea wind,it is the only modern kite described which has practical value . A long-lasting plastic material has to be used for this kite,which carries fishing lines. | 1653.txt | 2 |
[
"It's delicate.",
"It's expensive.",
"It's complex.",
"It's portable."
] | What do we know about the solar still equipment from the first paragraph? | A buld-it-yourself solar still is one of the best ways to obtain drinking water in areas where the liquid is not readily available. Developed by two doctors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's an excellent water collector. Unfortunately, you must carry the necessary equipment with you, since it's all but impossible to find natural substitutes. The only components required, though, are a 5' 5' sheet of clear or slightly milky plastic, six feet of plastic tube, and a container- perhaps just a drinking cup - to catch the water. These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt.
To construct a working still, use a sharp stick or rock to dig a hole four feet across and three feet deep. Try to make the hole in a damp area to increasethe water catcher'sproductivity. Place your cup in the deepest part of the hole. Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up - and out - the side of the hole.
Next, cover the hole with the plastic sheet, securing the edges of the plastic with dirt and weighting the sheet's center down with a rock. The plastic should now form a cone with 45-degree-angled sides. The low point of the sheet must be centered directly over, and no more than three inches above, the cup.
The solar still works by creating a greenhouse under the plastic. Ground water evaporates and collects on the sheet until small drops of water form, run down the material and fall off into the cup. When the container is full, you can suck the refreshment zxxk out through the tube, and won't have to break down the still every time you need a drink. | 3756.txt | 3 |
[
"Dig a hole of a certain size.",
"Put the cup in place.",
"Weight the sheet's center down.",
"Cover the hole with the plastic sheet."
] | What's the last step of constructing a working solar still? | A buld-it-yourself solar still is one of the best ways to obtain drinking water in areas where the liquid is not readily available. Developed by two doctors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's an excellent water collector. Unfortunately, you must carry the necessary equipment with you, since it's all but impossible to find natural substitutes. The only components required, though, are a 5' 5' sheet of clear or slightly milky plastic, six feet of plastic tube, and a container- perhaps just a drinking cup - to catch the water. These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt.
To construct a working still, use a sharp stick or rock to dig a hole four feet across and three feet deep. Try to make the hole in a damp area to increasethe water catcher'sproductivity. Place your cup in the deepest part of the hole. Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up - and out - the side of the hole.
Next, cover the hole with the plastic sheet, securing the edges of the plastic with dirt and weighting the sheet's center down with a rock. The plastic should now form a cone with 45-degree-angled sides. The low point of the sheet must be centered directly over, and no more than three inches above, the cup.
The solar still works by creating a greenhouse under the plastic. Ground water evaporates and collects on the sheet until small drops of water form, run down the material and fall off into the cup. When the container is full, you can suck the refreshment zxxk out through the tube, and won't have to break down the still every time you need a drink. | 3756.txt | 2 |
[
"the plastic tube",
"outside the hole",
"the open air",
"beneath the sheet"
] | When a solar still works, drops of water come into the cup form. | A buld-it-yourself solar still is one of the best ways to obtain drinking water in areas where the liquid is not readily available. Developed by two doctors in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's an excellent water collector. Unfortunately, you must carry the necessary equipment with you, since it's all but impossible to find natural substitutes. The only components required, though, are a 5' 5' sheet of clear or slightly milky plastic, six feet of plastic tube, and a container- perhaps just a drinking cup - to catch the water. These pieces can be folded into a neat little pack and fastened on your belt.
To construct a working still, use a sharp stick or rock to dig a hole four feet across and three feet deep. Try to make the hole in a damp area to increasethe water catcher'sproductivity. Place your cup in the deepest part of the hole. Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up - and out - the side of the hole.
Next, cover the hole with the plastic sheet, securing the edges of the plastic with dirt and weighting the sheet's center down with a rock. The plastic should now form a cone with 45-degree-angled sides. The low point of the sheet must be centered directly over, and no more than three inches above, the cup.
The solar still works by creating a greenhouse under the plastic. Ground water evaporates and collects on the sheet until small drops of water form, run down the material and fall off into the cup. When the container is full, you can suck the refreshment zxxk out through the tube, and won't have to break down the still every time you need a drink. | 3756.txt | 3 |
[
"The small number of newborn babies.",
"The changing social situation of women.",
"The high prices of houses and education.",
"The necessary steps of Asian governments."
] | What is the main problem being discussed in the passage? | The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia.When people talk about it，you can hear a word invented in Japan，"DINKS"，which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul，Singapore，and Tokyo，the cost of a house is extremely high.A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $300,000(though prices have fallen).For a flat with one bedroom，one dining-room，a kitchen，and a bathroom，the couple will pay about $900 a month.What's more，if they want to have a child，the child's education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year.In such a situation，it's difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However，if they want to have children，they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby，they expect women with babies to give up their jobs.In short，if they want to bring up children properly，both parents have to work，but it is hard for mothers to work.Indeed，women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word，Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. | 3462.txt | 0 |
[
"It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia.",
"The prices of houses in Asia are quite low now.",
"Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job.",
"The word\"DINKS\"first appeared in an Asian country."
] | According to the passage，which of the following is true? | The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia.When people talk about it，you can hear a word invented in Japan，"DINKS"，which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul，Singapore，and Tokyo，the cost of a house is extremely high.A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $300,000(though prices have fallen).For a flat with one bedroom，one dining-room，a kitchen，and a bathroom，the couple will pay about $900 a month.What's more，if they want to have a child，the child's education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year.In such a situation，it's difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However，if they want to have children，they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby，they expect women with babies to give up their jobs.In short，if they want to bring up children properly，both parents have to work，but it is hard for mothers to work.Indeed，women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word，Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. | 3462.txt | 3 |
[
"$5,000.",
"$5,900.",
"$10,800.",
"$15,800."
] | To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten，how much will a couple pay each year? | The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia.When people talk about it，you can hear a word invented in Japan，"DINKS"，which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul，Singapore，and Tokyo，the cost of a house is extremely high.A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $300,000(though prices have fallen).For a flat with one bedroom，one dining-room，a kitchen，and a bathroom，the couple will pay about $900 a month.What's more，if they want to have a child，the child's education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year.In such a situation，it's difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However，if they want to have children，they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby，they expect women with babies to give up their jobs.In short，if they want to bring up children properly，both parents have to work，but it is hard for mothers to work.Indeed，women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word，Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. | 3462.txt | 3 |
[
"let women stay at home and have a baby",
"allow only one of the parents to go out to work",
"care for the growing needs of women for jobs",
"punish the companies that permit women to leave"
] | The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should _ . | The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia.When people talk about it，you can hear a word invented in Japan，"DINKS"，which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul，Singapore，and Tokyo，the cost of a house is extremely high.A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $300,000(though prices have fallen).For a flat with one bedroom，one dining-room，a kitchen，and a bathroom，the couple will pay about $900 a month.What's more，if they want to have a child，the child's education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5,000 a year.In such a situation，it's difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working increases rapidly because they enjoy their jobs. However，if they want to have children，they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby，they expect women with babies to give up their jobs.In short，if they want to bring up children properly，both parents have to work，but it is hard for mothers to work.Indeed，women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word，Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible. | 3462.txt | 2 |
[
"Younger people are replacing the elderly.",
"Well-educated people tend to work longer.",
"Unemployment rates are rising year after year.",
"People with no college degree do not easily find work."
] | What is happening in the workforce in rich countries? | Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated well-off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound.
The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people. And they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.
But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce.
Policy is partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Rising life expectancy, combined with the replacement of generous defined-benefit pension plans with less generous defined-contribution ones, means that even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation. Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management knowhow to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age. | 2492.txt | 1 |
[
"Longer life expectancies.",
"A rapid technological advance.",
"Profound changes in the workforce.",
"A growing number of the well-educated."
] | What has helped deepen the divide between the well-off and the poor? | Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated well-off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound.
The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people. And they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.
But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce.
Policy is partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Rising life expectancy, combined with the replacement of generous defined-benefit pension plans with less generous defined-contribution ones, means that even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation. Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management knowhow to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age. | 2492.txt | 1 |
[
"Economic growth will slow down.",
"Government budgets will increase.",
"More people will try to pursue higher education.",
"There will be more competition in the job market."
] | What do many observers predict in view of the experience of the 20th century? | Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated well-off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound.
The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people. And they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.
But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce.
Policy is partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Rising life expectancy, combined with the replacement of generous defined-benefit pension plans with less generous defined-contribution ones, means that even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation. Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management knowhow to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age. | 2492.txt | 0 |
[
"Unskilled workers may choose to retire early.",
"More people have to receive in-service training.",
"Even wealthy people must work longer to live comfortably in retirement.",
"People may be able to enjoy generous defined-benefits from pension plans."
] | What is the result of policy changes in European countries? | Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated well-off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound.
The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people. And they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.
But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce.
Policy is partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Rising life expectancy, combined with the replacement of generous defined-benefit pension plans with less generous defined-contribution ones, means that even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation. Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management knowhow to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age. | 2492.txt | 2 |
[
"Computers will do more complicated work.",
"More will be taken by the educated young.",
"Most jobs to be done will be creative ones.",
"Skills are highly valued regardless of age."
] | What is characteristic of work in the 21st century? | Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-educated well-off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individuals and society, are profound.
The world is facing an astonishing rise in the number of old people. And they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.
But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce.
Policy is partly responsible. Many European governments have abandoned policies that used to encourage people to retire early. Rising life expectancy, combined with the replacement of generous defined-benefit pension plans with less generous defined-contribution ones, means that even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation. Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management knowhow to creativity, do not necessarily decline with age. | 2492.txt | 3 |
[
"Why statistics don't tell the truth about the economy.",
"Why affluence doesn't guarantee happiness.",
"How happiness can be promoted today.",
"What lies behind an economic boom."
] | What question does John Kenneth Galbraith raise in his book The Affluent Society? | You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates back at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbmith, who died recently at 97.
The Affluent Society is a modem classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition. For most of history,"hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone. Galbmith wrote "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbralth, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as "a necessary evil".
It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executive, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to
$43,200. People feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy, their rising wantsfor bigget homes, more health care, more education, faster Interact connections.
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded. More workers fear they're becoming "the disposable American," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities. Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much less physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity. Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We've simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness. | 2619.txt | 1 |
[
"public spending hasn't been cut down as expected",
"the government has proved to be a necessary evil",
"they are in fear of another Great Depression",
"materialism has run wild in modem society"
] | According to Galbraith, people feel discontented because _ . | You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates back at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbmith, who died recently at 97.
The Affluent Society is a modem classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition. For most of history,"hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone. Galbmith wrote "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbralth, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as "a necessary evil".
It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executive, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to
$43,200. People feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy, their rising wantsfor bigget homes, more health care, more education, faster Interact connections.
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded. More workers fear they're becoming "the disposable American," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities. Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much less physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity. Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We've simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness. | 2619.txt | 3 |
[
"Their material pursuits have gone far ahead of their earnings.",
"Their purchasing power has dropped markedly with inflation,",
"The distribution of wealth is uneven between the rich and the poor.",
"Health care and educational costs have somehow gone out of control."
] | Why do people feel squeezed when their average income rises considerably? | You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates back at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbmith, who died recently at 97.
The Affluent Society is a modem classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition. For most of history,"hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone. Galbmith wrote "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbralth, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as "a necessary evil".
It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executive, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to
$43,200. People feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy, their rising wantsfor bigget homes, more health care, more education, faster Interact connections.
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded. More workers fear they're becoming "the disposable American," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities. Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much less physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity. Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We've simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness. | 2619.txt | 0 |
[
"Those who see job stability as part of their living standard.",
"People full of utopian ideas resulting from affluence.",
"People who have little say in American politics.",
"Workers who no longer have secure jobs."
] | What does Louis Uehitelle mean by "the disposable American" (Lines 2-3, Para, 5 )? | You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates back at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbmith, who died recently at 97.
The Affluent Society is a modem classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition. For most of history,"hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone. Galbmith wrote "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbralth, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as "a necessary evil".
It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executive, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to
$43,200. People feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy, their rising wantsfor bigget homes, more health care, more education, faster Interact connections.
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded. More workers fear they're becoming "the disposable American," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities. Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much less physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity. Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We've simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness. | 2619.txt | 3 |
[
"Renewed economic security.",
"A sense of self-fulfillment.",
"New conflicts and complaints.",
"Misery and anti-social behavior."
] | What has affluence brought to American society? | You hear the refrain all the time: the U.S. economy looks good statistically, but it doesn't feel good. Why doesn't ever-greater wealth promote ever-greater happiness? It is a question that dates back at least to the appearance in 1958 of The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbmith, who died recently at 97.
The Affluent Society is a modem classic because it helped define a new moment in the human condition. For most of history,"hunger, sickness, and cold" threatened nearly everyone. Galbmith wrote "Poverty was found everywhere in that world. Obviously it is not of ours." After World War II, the dread of another Great Depression gave way to an economic boom. In the 1930s unemployment had averaged 18.2 percent; in the 1950s it was 4.5 percent.
To Galbralth, materialism had gone mad and would breed discontent. Through advertising companies conditioned consumers to buy things they didn't really want or need. Because so much spending was artificial, it would be unfulfilling. Meanwhile, government spending that would make everyone better off was being cut down because people instinctivelyand wronglylabeled government only as "a necessary evil".
It's often said that only the rich are getting ahead; everyone else standing still or falling behind. Well, there are many undeserving richoverpaid chief executive, for instance. But over any meaningful period, most people's incomes are increasing. From 1995 to 2004, inflation-adjusted average family income rose 14.3 percent, to
$43,200. People feel "squeezed" because their rising incomes often don't satisfy, their rising wantsfor bigget homes, more health care, more education, faster Interact connections.
The other great frustration is that it has not eliminated insecurity. People regard job stability as part of their standard of living. As corporate layoffs increased, that part has eroded. More workers fear they're becoming "the disposable American," as Louis Uchitelle puts it in his book by the same name.
Because so much previous suffering and social conflict stemmed from poverty, the arrival of widespread affluence suggested utopian possibilities. Up to a point, affluence succeeds. There is much less physical misery than before. People are better off. Unfortunately, affluence also creates new complaints and contradictions.
Advanced societies need economic growth to satisfy the multiplying wants of their citizens. But the quest for growth lets loose new anxieties and economic conflicts that disturb the social order. Affluence liberates the individual, promising that everyone can choose a unique way to self-fulfillment. But the promise is so extravagant that it predestines many disappointments and sometimes inspires choices that have anti-social consequences, including family breakdown and obesity. Statistical indicators of happiness have not risen with incomes.
Should we be surprised? Not really. We've simply reaffirmed an old truth: the pursuit of affluence does not always end with happiness. | 2619.txt | 2 |
[
"Older parents are often better prepared financially.",
"Older parents can take better care of their children.",
"Older parents are usually more experienced in bringing up their children.",
"Older parents can better balance their resources against children's demands."
] | Why do psychiatrists regard maturity as an asset in child rearing? | Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset in child rearing-older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, "end up retiring much later." For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy. "My body is aging," says Metcalf. "You can't get away from that."
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. "They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one: "that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child," she says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband. Randy, had twins. "We both wanted children," says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family." Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives. "The dads are older, more mature," says Dr. Silber, "and more ready to focus on parenting." | 1539.txt | 2 |
[
"They are reluctant to retire when they reach their retirement age.",
"They can't obtain the retirement benefits they have dreamed of.",
"They can't get full pension unless they work some extra years.",
"They have to go on working beyond their retirement age."
] | What does the author mean by saying "For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream" (Lines 7-8, Para. 1)? | Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset in child rearing-older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, "end up retiring much later." For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy. "My body is aging," says Metcalf. "You can't get away from that."
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. "They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one: "that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child," she says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband. Randy, had twins. "We both wanted children," says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family." Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives. "The dads are older, more mature," says Dr. Silber, "and more ready to focus on parenting." | 1539.txt | 3 |
[
"older parents should exercise more to keep up with their athletic children",
"many people are young in spirit despite their advanced age",
"older parents tend to be concerned about their aging bodies",
"taking afternoon naps is a good way to maintain energy"
] | The author gives the example of Henry Metcalf to show that _ . | Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset in child rearing-older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, "end up retiring much later." For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy. "My body is aging," says Metcalf. "You can't get away from that."
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. "They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one: "that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child," she says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband. Randy, had twins. "We both wanted children," says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family." Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives. "The dads are older, more mature," says Dr. Silber, "and more ready to focus on parenting." | 1539.txt | 2 |
[
"Approaching of death.",
"Slowing down of their pace of life.",
"Being laughed at by other people.",
"Being mistaken for grandparents."
] | What's the biggest fear of older parents according to New York psychologist Joan Galst? | Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset in child rearing-older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, "end up retiring much later." For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy. "My body is aging," says Metcalf. "You can't get away from that."
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. "They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one: "that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child," she says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband. Randy, had twins. "We both wanted children," says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family." Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives. "The dads are older, more mature," says Dr. Silber, "and more ready to focus on parenting." | 1539.txt | 0 |
[
"They thought they were an example of successful fertility treatment.",
"Not until they reached middle age did they think of having children.",
"Not until they had the twins did they feel they had formed a family.",
"They believed that children born of older parents would be smarter."
] | What do we learn about Marilyn and Randy Nolen? | Psychiatrists who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset in child rearing-older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children. But raising kids takes money and energy. Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, "end up retiring much later." For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.
Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he's also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young. Lately he's been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy. "My body is aging," says Metcalf. "You can't get away from that."
Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. "They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist. But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one: "that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child," she says.
Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband. Randy, had twins. "We both wanted children," says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family." Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives. "The dads are older, more mature," says Dr. Silber, "and more ready to focus on parenting." | 1539.txt | 2 |
[
"They operate in accordance with government policies.",
"They take initiatives in handling environmental wastes.",
"They are key drivers in their nations' economic growth.",
"They are major contributors to environmental problems."
] | What does the author say about some leading-edge companies? | International governments, inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M & S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.
DuPont committed itself to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPont was saving $2.2 billion a year through energy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. General Electric aims to reduce the energy intensity of its operation by 50% by 2015. They have invested heavily in projects designed to change the way of using and conserving energy.
Companies like Toyota and Wal-Mart arc not committing to environmental goals out of the goodness of their hearts. The reason for their actions is a simple yet powerful realisation that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M & S launched its "Plan A" sustainability programme in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over ￡200 million in the first five years. However, the initiative had generated ￡105 million by 2011/12.
When we prevent physical waste, increase energy efficiency or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are often huge "quick win" opportunities, thanks to years of neglect.
However, there is a considerable gap between leading-edge companies and the rest of the pack. There are far too many companies still delaying creating a lean and green business system, arguing that is will cost money or require sizable capital investments. They remain stuck in the "environment is cost" mentality. Being environmentally friendly does not have to cost money. In fact, going beyond compliance saves cost at the same time that it generates cash, provided that management adopts the new lean and green model.
Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environ-mental continuous improvement is viewed as being in conflict with each other. This is one of the biggest opportunities missed across most industries. The size of the opportunity is enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the economic prize for curbing carbon emissions in the US economy is $780 billion between now and 2020, It suggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportunity is "increased efficiency through management and behavioural change" - in other words, lean and green management.
Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of noon-renewable resources are financially outperforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already costing SI.2 trillion annually, cutting global GDP by 1.6% . Unaddressed, this will double by 2030. | 2285.txt | 1 |
[
"The goodness of their hearts.",
"A strong sense of responsibility.",
"The desire to generate profits.",
"Pressure from environmentalists."
] | What motivates Toyota and Wal-Mart to make commitments to environmental protection? | International governments, inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M & S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.
DuPont committed itself to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPont was saving $2.2 billion a year through energy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. General Electric aims to reduce the energy intensity of its operation by 50% by 2015. They have invested heavily in projects designed to change the way of using and conserving energy.
Companies like Toyota and Wal-Mart arc not committing to environmental goals out of the goodness of their hearts. The reason for their actions is a simple yet powerful realisation that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M & S launched its "Plan A" sustainability programme in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over ￡200 million in the first five years. However, the initiative had generated ￡105 million by 2011/12.
When we prevent physical waste, increase energy efficiency or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are often huge "quick win" opportunities, thanks to years of neglect.
However, there is a considerable gap between leading-edge companies and the rest of the pack. There are far too many companies still delaying creating a lean and green business system, arguing that is will cost money or require sizable capital investments. They remain stuck in the "environment is cost" mentality. Being environmentally friendly does not have to cost money. In fact, going beyond compliance saves cost at the same time that it generates cash, provided that management adopts the new lean and green model.
Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environ-mental continuous improvement is viewed as being in conflict with each other. This is one of the biggest opportunities missed across most industries. The size of the opportunity is enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the economic prize for curbing carbon emissions in the US economy is $780 billion between now and 2020, It suggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportunity is "increased efficiency through management and behavioural change" - in other words, lean and green management.
Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of noon-renewable resources are financially outperforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already costing SI.2 trillion annually, cutting global GDP by 1.6% . Unaddressed, this will double by 2030. | 2285.txt | 2 |
[
"They are bent on making quick money.",
"They do not have the capital for the investment.",
"They believe building such a system is too costly.",
"They lack the incentive to change business practices."
] | Why are so many companies reluctant to create an environment-friendly business system? | International governments, inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M & S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.
DuPont committed itself to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPont was saving $2.2 billion a year through energy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. General Electric aims to reduce the energy intensity of its operation by 50% by 2015. They have invested heavily in projects designed to change the way of using and conserving energy.
Companies like Toyota and Wal-Mart arc not committing to environmental goals out of the goodness of their hearts. The reason for their actions is a simple yet powerful realisation that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M & S launched its "Plan A" sustainability programme in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over ￡200 million in the first five years. However, the initiative had generated ￡105 million by 2011/12.
When we prevent physical waste, increase energy efficiency or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are often huge "quick win" opportunities, thanks to years of neglect.
However, there is a considerable gap between leading-edge companies and the rest of the pack. There are far too many companies still delaying creating a lean and green business system, arguing that is will cost money or require sizable capital investments. They remain stuck in the "environment is cost" mentality. Being environmentally friendly does not have to cost money. In fact, going beyond compliance saves cost at the same time that it generates cash, provided that management adopts the new lean and green model.
Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environ-mental continuous improvement is viewed as being in conflict with each other. This is one of the biggest opportunities missed across most industries. The size of the opportunity is enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the economic prize for curbing carbon emissions in the US economy is $780 billion between now and 2020, It suggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportunity is "increased efficiency through management and behavioural change" - in other words, lean and green management.
Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of noon-renewable resources are financially outperforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already costing SI.2 trillion annually, cutting global GDP by 1.6% . Unaddressed, this will double by 2030. | 2285.txt | 2 |
[
"It helps businesses to save and gain at the same time.",
"It is affordable only for a few leading-edge companies.",
"It is likely to start a new round of intense competition.",
"It will take a long time for all companies to embrace it."
] | What is said about the lean and green model of business? | International governments, inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M & S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.
DuPont committed itself to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPont was saving $2.2 billion a year through energy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. General Electric aims to reduce the energy intensity of its operation by 50% by 2015. They have invested heavily in projects designed to change the way of using and conserving energy.
Companies like Toyota and Wal-Mart arc not committing to environmental goals out of the goodness of their hearts. The reason for their actions is a simple yet powerful realisation that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M & S launched its "Plan A" sustainability programme in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over ￡200 million in the first five years. However, the initiative had generated ￡105 million by 2011/12.
When we prevent physical waste, increase energy efficiency or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are often huge "quick win" opportunities, thanks to years of neglect.
However, there is a considerable gap between leading-edge companies and the rest of the pack. There are far too many companies still delaying creating a lean and green business system, arguing that is will cost money or require sizable capital investments. They remain stuck in the "environment is cost" mentality. Being environmentally friendly does not have to cost money. In fact, going beyond compliance saves cost at the same time that it generates cash, provided that management adopts the new lean and green model.
Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environ-mental continuous improvement is viewed as being in conflict with each other. This is one of the biggest opportunities missed across most industries. The size of the opportunity is enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the economic prize for curbing carbon emissions in the US economy is $780 billion between now and 2020, It suggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportunity is "increased efficiency through management and behavioural change" - in other words, lean and green management.
Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of noon-renewable resources are financially outperforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already costing SI.2 trillion annually, cutting global GDP by 1.6% . Unaddressed, this will double by 2030. | 2285.txt | 0 |
[
"They have greatly enhanced their sense of social responsibility.",
"They do much better than their counterparts in terms of revenues.",
"They have abandoned all the outdated equipment and technology.",
"They make greater contributions to human progress than their rivals."
] | What is the finding of the studies about companies committed to environmental goals? | International governments, inaction concerning sustainable development is clearly worrying but the proactive approaches of some leading-edge companies are encouraging. Toyota, Wal-Mart, DuPont, M & S and General Electric have made tackling environmental wastes a key economic driver.
DuPont committed itself to a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the 10 years prior to 2010. By 2007, DuPont was saving $2.2 billion a year through energy efficiency, the same as its total declared profits that year. General Electric aims to reduce the energy intensity of its operation by 50% by 2015. They have invested heavily in projects designed to change the way of using and conserving energy.
Companies like Toyota and Wal-Mart arc not committing to environmental goals out of the goodness of their hearts. The reason for their actions is a simple yet powerful realisation that the environmental and economic footprints fit well together. When M & S launched its "Plan A" sustainability programme in 2007, it was believed that it would cost over ￡200 million in the first five years. However, the initiative had generated ￡105 million by 2011/12.
When we prevent physical waste, increase energy efficiency or improve resource productivity, we save money, improve profitability and enhance competitiveness. In fact, there are often huge "quick win" opportunities, thanks to years of neglect.
However, there is a considerable gap between leading-edge companies and the rest of the pack. There are far too many companies still delaying creating a lean and green business system, arguing that is will cost money or require sizable capital investments. They remain stuck in the "environment is cost" mentality. Being environmentally friendly does not have to cost money. In fact, going beyond compliance saves cost at the same time that it generates cash, provided that management adopts the new lean and green model.
Lean means doing more with less. Nonetheless, in most companies, economic and environ-mental continuous improvement is viewed as being in conflict with each other. This is one of the biggest opportunities missed across most industries. The size of the opportunity is enormous. The 3% Report recently published by World Wildlife Fund and CDP shows that the economic prize for curbing carbon emissions in the US economy is $780 billion between now and 2020, It suggests that one of the biggest levers for delivering this opportunity is "increased efficiency through management and behavioural change" - in other words, lean and green management.
Some 50 studies show that companies that commit to such aspirational goals as zero waste, zero harmful emissions, and zero use of noon-renewable resources are financially outperforming their competitors. Conversely, it was found that climate disruption is already costing SI.2 trillion annually, cutting global GDP by 1.6% . Unaddressed, this will double by 2030. | 2285.txt | 1 |
[
"by educating its citizens",
"by careful family planning",
"by developing TV programmes",
"by chance"
] | According to the passage, Brazil has cut back its population growth _ . | Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible with unlimited reproduction," says Martine. | 1612.txt | 3 |
[
"haven't attached much importance to birth control",
"would soon join Brazil in controlling their birth rate",
"haven't yet found an effective measure to control their population",
"neglected the role of TV plays in family planning"
] | According to the passage, many Third World countries _ . | Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible with unlimited reproduction," says Martine. | 1612.txt | 2 |
[
"attributes it to",
"finds it a reason for",
"sums it up as",
"compares it to"
] | The phrase "puts it down to" (Line 1, Para. 3) is closest in meaning to "_ ". | Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible with unlimited reproduction," says Martine. | 1612.txt | 0 |
[
"they keep people sitting long hours watching TV",
"they have gradually changed people's way of life",
"people are drawn to their attractive package",
"they popularize birth control measures"
] | Soap operas have helped in lowering Brazil's birth rate because _ . | Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible with unlimited reproduction," says Martine. | 1612.txt | 1 |
[
"The increase in birth rate will promote consumption.",
"The desire for consumption helps to reduce birth rate.",
"Consumption patterns and reproduction patterns are contradictory.",
"A country's production is limited by its population growth."
] | What is Martine's conclusion about Brazil's population growth? | Brazil has become one of the developing world's great successes at reducing population growth-but more by accident than design. While countries such as India have made joint efforts to reduce birth rates, Brazil has had better result without really trying, says George Martine at Harvard.
Brazil's population growth rate has dropped from 2.99% a year between 1951 and 1960 to 1.93% a year between 1981 and 1990, and Brazilian women now have only 2.7 children on average. Martine says this figure may have fallen still further since 1990, an achievement that makes it the envy of many other Third World countries.
Martine puts it down to, among other things, soap operas and installment plans introduced in the 1970s. Both played an important, although indirect, role in lowering the birth rate. Brazil is one of the world's biggest producers of soap operas. Globo, Brazil's most popular television network, shows three hours of soaps six nights a week, while three others show at least one hour a night. Most soaps are based on wealthy characters living the high life in big cities.
"Although they have never really tried to work in a message towards the problems of reproduction, they describe middle and upper class values-not many children, different attitudes towards sex, women working," says Martine. "They sent this image to all parts of Brazil and made people conscious of other patterns of behavior and other values, which were put into a very attractive package."
Meanwhile, the installment plans tried to encourage the poor to become consumers. "This led to an enormous change in consumption patterns and consumption was incompatible with unlimited reproduction," says Martine. | 1612.txt | 1 |
[
"believes the reform has reduced the government's burden",
"insists that welfare reform is doing little good for the poor",
"is overenthusiastic about the success of welfare reform",
"considers welfare reform to be fundamentally successful"
] | From the passage, it can be seen that the author _ . | While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states-at least in getting people off welfare. It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent-twice the national average.
For advocates for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
"Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. "The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic , which is much more important."
Mr. Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards. | 1403.txt | 3 |
[
"Because many families are divorced.",
"Because government aid is now rare.",
"Because their wages are low.",
"Because the cost of living is rising."
] | Why aren't people enjoying better lives when they have jobs? | While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states-at least in getting people off welfare. It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent-twice the national average.
For advocates for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
"Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. "The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic , which is much more important."
Mr. Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards. | 1403.txt | 2 |
[
"greater efforts should be made to improve people's living standards",
"70 percent of the people there have been employed for two years",
"50 percent of the population no longer relies on welfare",
"the living standards of most people are going down"
] | What is worth noting from the example of Athens County is that _ . | While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states-at least in getting people off welfare. It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent-twice the national average.
For advocates for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
"Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. "The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic , which is much more important."
Mr. Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards. | 1403.txt | 0 |
[
"saving welfare funds",
"rebuilding the work ethic",
"providing more jobs",
"cutting government expenses"
] | From the passage we know that welfare reform aims at _ . | While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states-at least in getting people off welfare. It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent-twice the national average.
For advocates for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
"Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. "The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic , which is much more important."
Mr. Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards. | 1403.txt | 1 |
[
"the poverty rate was lover",
"average living standards were higher",
"the average worker was paid higher wages",
"the poor used to rely on government aid"
] | According to the passage before the welfare reform was carried out, _ . | While still in its early stages, welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states-at least in getting people off welfare. It's estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
In the past four years, welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result: The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent-twice the national average.
For advocates for the poor, that's an indication much more needs to be done.
"More people are getting jobs, but it's not making their lives any better," says Kathy Lairn, a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996, a greater percentage of single, female-headed households were earning money on their own, but that average income for these households actually went down.
But for many, the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
"Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family," says Robert Rector, a welfare-reform policy analyst. "The reform in changing the moral climate in low-income communities. It's beginning to rebuild the work ethic , which is much more important."
Mr. Rector and others argued that once "the habit of dependency is cracked," then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards. | 1403.txt | 3 |
[
"The influence of ancient architecture on the design of railroad terminals",
"The importance of natural resources in the development of railroads",
"The railroad's impact on daily life in the United States in the nineteenth century",
"Technological improvements in the area of communication in the nineteenth century"
] | What does the passage mainly discuss? | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 2 |
[
"made all sections of the nation much wealthier",
"brought more unity to what had been a fragmented nation",
"reduced dependence on natural resources",
"had no effect on the environment of the United States"
] | It can be inferred from the quote from the Omaha Daily Republican (line 2-4) that railroads | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 1 |
[
"transport",
"scale",
"production",
"railroad"
] | The word "it" in line 7 refers to | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 3 |
[
"obliged",
"designed",
"helped",
"attracted"
] | The word "drew" in line 8 is closest | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 3 |
[
"conquer",
"utilize",
"separate",
"mechanize"
] | The word "annihilate" in line 9 is closest in meaning to | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 0 |
[
"consequently",
"furthermore",
"although",
"because"
] | The word "Moreover" in line 20 is closest in meaning to | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 1 |
[
"Their architecture was influenced by the architecture of Europe.",
"Luxury express trains traveled between them.",
"They were usually located in small towns.",
"They were important to many commuters."
] | All of the following were true of impressive passenger terminals EXCEPT: | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 2 |
[
"Stores and shopping areas",
"Recreational areas",
"Industrial",
"Agricultural"
] | According to the passage , which type of development lined the area along the metropolitan corridor? | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 2 |
[
"appropriately",
"virtually",
"consistently",
"incessantly"
] | The word "aptly" in line 24 is closest in meaning to | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 0 |
[
"a freight train",
"a commuter train",
"a luxury train",
"an underground train"
] | The author mentions the Twentieth-Century Limited as an example of | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 2 |
[
"homogeneous (line 3)",
"standardized (line 9)",
"temples (line 11)",
"classification(line 20)"
] | The author gives a synonym for which of the following words? | Railroads reshaped the North American environment and reoriented North American behavior. "In a quarter of a century", claimed the Omaha Daily Republican in 1883, "they have made the people of the United States homogeneous, breaking through the peculiarities and provincialisms which marked separate and unmingling sections."
The railroad simultaneously stripped the landscape of the natural resources, made velocity of transport and economy of scale necessary parts of industrial production, and carried consumer goods to households; it dispatched immigrants to unsettled places, drew emigrants away from farms and villages to cities, and sent men and guns to battle. It standardized time and travel, seeking to annihilate distance and space by allowing movement at any time and in any season or type of weather. In its grand and impressive terminals and stations, architects recreated historic Roman temples and public baths, French chateaus and Italian bell towers - edifices that people used as stages for many of everyday life's high emotions: meeting and parting, waiting and worrying, planning new starts or coming home.
Passenger terminals, like the luxury express trains that hurled people over spots, spotlight the romance of railroading. (The twentieth-Century Limited sped between Chicago and New York in twenty hours by 1915). Equally important to everyday life were the slow freight trans chugging through industrial zones, the morning and evening commuter locals shuttling back ions and urban terminals, and the incessant comings and goings that occurred in the classifications, or switching, yards. Moreover, in addition to its being a transportation pathway equipped with a mammoth physical plant of tracks signals, crossings, bridges, and junctions, plus telegraph and telephone lines the railroad nurtured factory complexes, coat piles, warehouses, and generating stations, forming along its right-of-way what has aptly been called "the metropolitan corridor" of the American landscape. | 1735.txt | 3 |
[
"Elaborate.",
"Prejudiced.",
"Faultless.",
"Oversimplified."
] | Which of the following words can best describe the popular understanding of "environment" as the author sees it? | The concept of "environment" is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as "cultural", which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment. | 3115.txt | 3 |
[
"it doesn't distinguish between the organism and the environment",
"it involves both internal and external forces",
"the organism and the environment influence each other",
"the relationship between the organism and the environment is unclear"
] | According to the author the concept of "environment" is difficult to explain because _ . | The concept of "environment" is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as "cultural", which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment. | 3115.txt | 2 |
[
"biological factors are less important to the organism than cultural factors to man",
"man and other animals are modified equally by the environmental forces",
"man is modified by the cultural environment as well as by the natural environment",
"physical and biological factors exert more influence on other organisms than on man"
] | In analyzing the environmental forces acting on man the author suggests that _ . | The concept of "environment" is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as "cultural", which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment. | 3115.txt | 2 |
[
"it develops side by side with environmental factors",
"it is also affected by environmental factors",
"it is generally accepted to be part of the environment",
"it is a product of man's biological instincts"
] | As for culture, the author points out that _ . | The concept of "environment" is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as "cultural", which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment. | 3115.txt | 1 |
[
"the interpretation of the term \"environment\"",
"the discussion on organisms and biological environment",
"the comparison between internal and external factors influencing man",
"the evaluation of man's influence on culture"
] | In this passage, the author is primarily concerned with _ . | The concept of "environment" is certainly difficult and may even be misunderstood; but we have no handy substitute. It seems simple enough to distinguish between the organism and the surrounding environment and to separate forces acting on an organism into those that are internal and biological and those that are external and environmental. But in actual practice this system breaks down in many ways, because the organism and the environment are constantly interacting so that the environment is modified by the organism and vice versa.
In the case of man, the difficulties with the environmental concept are even more complicated because we have to deal with man as an animal and with man as a bearer of culture. If we look at man as an animal and try to analyze the environmental forces that are acting on the organism, we find that we have to deal with things like climate, soil, plants and such-like factors common to all biological situations; but we also find, always, very important environmental influences that we can only class as "cultural", which modify the physical and biological factors. But man, as we know him, is always a bearer of culture; and if we study human culture, we find that it, in turn, is modified by the environmental factors of climate and geography. We thus easily get into great difficulties from the necessity of viewing culture, at one moment, as a part of the man and, at another moment, as a part of the environment. | 3115.txt | 0 |
[
"Ballmer's scheme sounded too fantastic and far-fetched to be true.",
"Balmer lacked technology proof to back up his ideas.",
"They had witnessed too many failures of attempts to realize such schemes.",
"America's health sector is too stubborn and is reluctant to change for the digital."
] | The old lags of the industry did not think highly of Ballmer's scheme because _ | Back in 2000, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, described a grand vision for the future of health care. One day, he said, everyone would have a secure and private website on the internet on which their doctors could post their "scans, lab results, test results, visit minutes", and to which the owner could grant certain people access, to view some or all of that information. His ideas met with guffaws from the old lags of the industry, who have seen many fancy schemes for electronic medical records fall flat. America's health sector is simply too balkanised and too paper-based to stitch together easily in digital form. Even Mr Ballmer conceded back then that he was searching for the "holy grail" of healthcare.
And yet, after years of frustration and furious development work, Microsoft now believes it has realised Mr Ballmer's dream. On October 4th, the software giant was poised to unveil its new health-information product at a big event in Washington, DC. It is called the Health Vault, in keeping with Microsoft's promise to make storing data on the internet just as secure as keeping it in a bank. Health Vault will store all its customers' health data, ranging from test results to doctors' reports to daily measurements of weight or blood pressure, online. Individuals then have access to those records anytime, anywhere, via the internet-a great boon for those who travel a lot. Medical offices and hospitals who sign up for the service could easily send test results in digital form to the vault, and patients could authorise them in turn to have access to various, carefully circumscribed bits of their personal data.
Microsoft was also set to announce this week that several dozen manufacturers, hospitals and charities have signed up for Health Vault. Big names including the American heart, diabetes and lung associations, the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Omron and Texas Instruments, in addition to various firms devoted to the craze for "wellness", are all now on board, and are expected to announce products and services shortly. If the software giant has really found a hacker-proof way of storing records online, then the benefits of Health Vault are clear. But use of the vaults will be free both for the individuals that sign up for them and for the vendors and doctors that provide services based on the information they contain. So how will Microsoft make any money?
Sean Nolan of Microsoft explains that the business model depends on one thing: targeted search. Microsoft is betting that people will use its Health Vault Search to find out about their ailments. This service relies on an approach known as "vertical search" which attempts to provide more relevant results than generalist search engines like Google and Yahoo! by specialising in a particular field. The firm's recent acquisition of Medstory, a vertical-search engine focusing on health care, has given it a boost in this area.
Health Vault's search engine would definitely work better than those of rival sites if it could examine users' health records and past queries, and thus provide the responses that are most relevant to each individual's situation. But in order to attract any users in the first place, Microsoft has promised to enforce strict privacy rules. These would preclude such data-mining. | 3681.txt | 2 |
[
"Individuals can have access to the medical records of anybody anytime via the internet.",
"Those who travel a lot will greatly benefit from services of Health Vault.",
"Hospitals who sign up for the service could improve their efficiency by Health Vault.",
"Health Vault is a software invented by Microsoft."
] | Which one of the following statements is NOT true of Health Vault? | Back in 2000, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, described a grand vision for the future of health care. One day, he said, everyone would have a secure and private website on the internet on which their doctors could post their "scans, lab results, test results, visit minutes", and to which the owner could grant certain people access, to view some or all of that information. His ideas met with guffaws from the old lags of the industry, who have seen many fancy schemes for electronic medical records fall flat. America's health sector is simply too balkanised and too paper-based to stitch together easily in digital form. Even Mr Ballmer conceded back then that he was searching for the "holy grail" of healthcare.
And yet, after years of frustration and furious development work, Microsoft now believes it has realised Mr Ballmer's dream. On October 4th, the software giant was poised to unveil its new health-information product at a big event in Washington, DC. It is called the Health Vault, in keeping with Microsoft's promise to make storing data on the internet just as secure as keeping it in a bank. Health Vault will store all its customers' health data, ranging from test results to doctors' reports to daily measurements of weight or blood pressure, online. Individuals then have access to those records anytime, anywhere, via the internet-a great boon for those who travel a lot. Medical offices and hospitals who sign up for the service could easily send test results in digital form to the vault, and patients could authorise them in turn to have access to various, carefully circumscribed bits of their personal data.
Microsoft was also set to announce this week that several dozen manufacturers, hospitals and charities have signed up for Health Vault. Big names including the American heart, diabetes and lung associations, the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Omron and Texas Instruments, in addition to various firms devoted to the craze for "wellness", are all now on board, and are expected to announce products and services shortly. If the software giant has really found a hacker-proof way of storing records online, then the benefits of Health Vault are clear. But use of the vaults will be free both for the individuals that sign up for them and for the vendors and doctors that provide services based on the information they contain. So how will Microsoft make any money?
Sean Nolan of Microsoft explains that the business model depends on one thing: targeted search. Microsoft is betting that people will use its Health Vault Search to find out about their ailments. This service relies on an approach known as "vertical search" which attempts to provide more relevant results than generalist search engines like Google and Yahoo! by specialising in a particular field. The firm's recent acquisition of Medstory, a vertical-search engine focusing on health care, has given it a boost in this area.
Health Vault's search engine would definitely work better than those of rival sites if it could examine users' health records and past queries, and thus provide the responses that are most relevant to each individual's situation. But in order to attract any users in the first place, Microsoft has promised to enforce strict privacy rules. These would preclude such data-mining. | 3681.txt | 0 |
[
"that it will be difficult for Vault to make profit during the beginning phase.",
"that the software may be trapped in the dilemma of customer privacy and convenient data search.",
"that it has to adopt the \"vertical search\" which is not the company's strength.",
"that Microsoft does not have powerful search engines as Google and Yahoo! Do."
] | The main problem of Health Vault faces is _ | Back in 2000, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, described a grand vision for the future of health care. One day, he said, everyone would have a secure and private website on the internet on which their doctors could post their "scans, lab results, test results, visit minutes", and to which the owner could grant certain people access, to view some or all of that information. His ideas met with guffaws from the old lags of the industry, who have seen many fancy schemes for electronic medical records fall flat. America's health sector is simply too balkanised and too paper-based to stitch together easily in digital form. Even Mr Ballmer conceded back then that he was searching for the "holy grail" of healthcare.
And yet, after years of frustration and furious development work, Microsoft now believes it has realised Mr Ballmer's dream. On October 4th, the software giant was poised to unveil its new health-information product at a big event in Washington, DC. It is called the Health Vault, in keeping with Microsoft's promise to make storing data on the internet just as secure as keeping it in a bank. Health Vault will store all its customers' health data, ranging from test results to doctors' reports to daily measurements of weight or blood pressure, online. Individuals then have access to those records anytime, anywhere, via the internet-a great boon for those who travel a lot. Medical offices and hospitals who sign up for the service could easily send test results in digital form to the vault, and patients could authorise them in turn to have access to various, carefully circumscribed bits of their personal data.
Microsoft was also set to announce this week that several dozen manufacturers, hospitals and charities have signed up for Health Vault. Big names including the American heart, diabetes and lung associations, the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Omron and Texas Instruments, in addition to various firms devoted to the craze for "wellness", are all now on board, and are expected to announce products and services shortly. If the software giant has really found a hacker-proof way of storing records online, then the benefits of Health Vault are clear. But use of the vaults will be free both for the individuals that sign up for them and for the vendors and doctors that provide services based on the information they contain. So how will Microsoft make any money?
Sean Nolan of Microsoft explains that the business model depends on one thing: targeted search. Microsoft is betting that people will use its Health Vault Search to find out about their ailments. This service relies on an approach known as "vertical search" which attempts to provide more relevant results than generalist search engines like Google and Yahoo! by specialising in a particular field. The firm's recent acquisition of Medstory, a vertical-search engine focusing on health care, has given it a boost in this area.
Health Vault's search engine would definitely work better than those of rival sites if it could examine users' health records and past queries, and thus provide the responses that are most relevant to each individual's situation. But in order to attract any users in the first place, Microsoft has promised to enforce strict privacy rules. These would preclude such data-mining. | 3681.txt | 1 |
[
"attracting customers with the enforcement of strict privacy rules.",
"providing a charging platform for the communication of patients and hospitals.",
"cooperating with big hospitals and charities by providing useful customer information.",
"providing highly specialized service with high efficiency."
] | Microsoft will make money in Health Vault by _ | Back in 2000, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, described a grand vision for the future of health care. One day, he said, everyone would have a secure and private website on the internet on which their doctors could post their "scans, lab results, test results, visit minutes", and to which the owner could grant certain people access, to view some or all of that information. His ideas met with guffaws from the old lags of the industry, who have seen many fancy schemes for electronic medical records fall flat. America's health sector is simply too balkanised and too paper-based to stitch together easily in digital form. Even Mr Ballmer conceded back then that he was searching for the "holy grail" of healthcare.
And yet, after years of frustration and furious development work, Microsoft now believes it has realised Mr Ballmer's dream. On October 4th, the software giant was poised to unveil its new health-information product at a big event in Washington, DC. It is called the Health Vault, in keeping with Microsoft's promise to make storing data on the internet just as secure as keeping it in a bank. Health Vault will store all its customers' health data, ranging from test results to doctors' reports to daily measurements of weight or blood pressure, online. Individuals then have access to those records anytime, anywhere, via the internet-a great boon for those who travel a lot. Medical offices and hospitals who sign up for the service could easily send test results in digital form to the vault, and patients could authorise them in turn to have access to various, carefully circumscribed bits of their personal data.
Microsoft was also set to announce this week that several dozen manufacturers, hospitals and charities have signed up for Health Vault. Big names including the American heart, diabetes and lung associations, the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Omron and Texas Instruments, in addition to various firms devoted to the craze for "wellness", are all now on board, and are expected to announce products and services shortly. If the software giant has really found a hacker-proof way of storing records online, then the benefits of Health Vault are clear. But use of the vaults will be free both for the individuals that sign up for them and for the vendors and doctors that provide services based on the information they contain. So how will Microsoft make any money?
Sean Nolan of Microsoft explains that the business model depends on one thing: targeted search. Microsoft is betting that people will use its Health Vault Search to find out about their ailments. This service relies on an approach known as "vertical search" which attempts to provide more relevant results than generalist search engines like Google and Yahoo! by specialising in a particular field. The firm's recent acquisition of Medstory, a vertical-search engine focusing on health care, has given it a boost in this area.
Health Vault's search engine would definitely work better than those of rival sites if it could examine users' health records and past queries, and thus provide the responses that are most relevant to each individual's situation. But in order to attract any users in the first place, Microsoft has promised to enforce strict privacy rules. These would preclude such data-mining. | 3681.txt | 3 |
[
"that its technology far advanced that of the other two.",
"that it is more effective for those who need a special aspect of information.",
"that it specializes on the information of ailment diagnosis.",
"that its business model is more promising and profitable."
] | Compared with Google and Yahoo, the advantage of Health Vault Search is _ | Back in 2000, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, described a grand vision for the future of health care. One day, he said, everyone would have a secure and private website on the internet on which their doctors could post their "scans, lab results, test results, visit minutes", and to which the owner could grant certain people access, to view some or all of that information. His ideas met with guffaws from the old lags of the industry, who have seen many fancy schemes for electronic medical records fall flat. America's health sector is simply too balkanised and too paper-based to stitch together easily in digital form. Even Mr Ballmer conceded back then that he was searching for the "holy grail" of healthcare.
And yet, after years of frustration and furious development work, Microsoft now believes it has realised Mr Ballmer's dream. On October 4th, the software giant was poised to unveil its new health-information product at a big event in Washington, DC. It is called the Health Vault, in keeping with Microsoft's promise to make storing data on the internet just as secure as keeping it in a bank. Health Vault will store all its customers' health data, ranging from test results to doctors' reports to daily measurements of weight or blood pressure, online. Individuals then have access to those records anytime, anywhere, via the internet-a great boon for those who travel a lot. Medical offices and hospitals who sign up for the service could easily send test results in digital form to the vault, and patients could authorise them in turn to have access to various, carefully circumscribed bits of their personal data.
Microsoft was also set to announce this week that several dozen manufacturers, hospitals and charities have signed up for Health Vault. Big names including the American heart, diabetes and lung associations, the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and Omron and Texas Instruments, in addition to various firms devoted to the craze for "wellness", are all now on board, and are expected to announce products and services shortly. If the software giant has really found a hacker-proof way of storing records online, then the benefits of Health Vault are clear. But use of the vaults will be free both for the individuals that sign up for them and for the vendors and doctors that provide services based on the information they contain. So how will Microsoft make any money?
Sean Nolan of Microsoft explains that the business model depends on one thing: targeted search. Microsoft is betting that people will use its Health Vault Search to find out about their ailments. This service relies on an approach known as "vertical search" which attempts to provide more relevant results than generalist search engines like Google and Yahoo! by specialising in a particular field. The firm's recent acquisition of Medstory, a vertical-search engine focusing on health care, has given it a boost in this area.
Health Vault's search engine would definitely work better than those of rival sites if it could examine users' health records and past queries, and thus provide the responses that are most relevant to each individual's situation. But in order to attract any users in the first place, Microsoft has promised to enforce strict privacy rules. These would preclude such data-mining. | 3681.txt | 1 |
[
"He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.",
"He was attracted by the \"Great American Dream.\"",
"He hoped to make his son a dramatist.",
"His family business failed"
] | Why did Arthur Miller‘s father move to the USA？ | Arthur Miller （1915-2005） is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller‘s father had moved to the USA from Austria？？Hungary， drawn like so many others by the "Great American Dream". However， he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play， Death of a Salesman， is a powerful attack on the American system， with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman， the hero of the play， we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is "burnt out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment： if he can‘t do the work， then he is no good to his employer， the Wagner Company， and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this， and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949， the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews， and it won the Tony Award for Best Play， the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award， and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury， Connecticut， on the evening of February 10， 2005， the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway. | 1026.txt | 1 |
[
"exposes the cruelty of the American business world",
"discusses the ways to get promoted in a company",
"talks about the business career of Arthur Miller",
"focuses on the skills in doing business"
] | The play Death of a Salesman _ . | Arthur Miller （1915-2005） is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller‘s father had moved to the USA from Austria？？Hungary， drawn like so many others by the "Great American Dream". However， he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play， Death of a Salesman， is a powerful attack on the American system， with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman， the hero of the play， we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is "burnt out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment： if he can‘t do the work， then he is no good to his employer， the Wagner Company， and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this， and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949， the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews， and it won the Tony Award for Best Play， the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award， and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury， Connecticut， on the evening of February 10， 2005， the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway. | 1026.txt | 0 |
[
"He treats his employer badly.",
"He runs the Wagner Company.",
"He is a victim of the American system.",
"He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues."
] | What can we learn about Willy Loman？ | Arthur Miller （1915-2005） is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller‘s father had moved to the USA from Austria？？Hungary， drawn like so many others by the "Great American Dream". However， he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play， Death of a Salesman， is a powerful attack on the American system， with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman， the hero of the play， we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is "burnt out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment： if he can‘t do the work， then he is no good to his employer， the Wagner Company， and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this， and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949， the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews， and it won the Tony Award for Best Play， the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award， and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury， Connecticut， on the evening of February 10， 2005， the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway. | 1026.txt | 2 |
[
"achieved huge success",
"won the first Tony Award",
"was warmly welcomed by salesmen",
"was severely attacked by dramatists"
] | After it was first staged， Death of a Salesman _ . | Arthur Miller （1915-2005） is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller‘s father had moved to the USA from Austria？？Hungary， drawn like so many others by the "Great American Dream". However， he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play， Death of a Salesman， is a powerful attack on the American system， with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman， the hero of the play， we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is "burnt out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment： if he can‘t do the work， then he is no good to his employer， the Wagner Company， and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this， and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949， the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews， and it won the Tony Award for Best Play， the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award， and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury， Connecticut， on the evening of February 10， 2005， the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway. | 1026.txt | 0 |
[
"Arthur Miller and his family.",
"The awards Arthur Miller won.",
"The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.",
"Arthur Miller and his best？？known play."
] | What is the text mainly about？ | Arthur Miller （1915-2005） is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller‘s father had moved to the USA from Austria？？Hungary， drawn like so many others by the "Great American Dream". However， he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early 1930s.
Miller's most famous play， Death of a Salesman， is a powerful attack on the American system， with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman， the hero of the play， we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is "burnt out" and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment： if he can‘t do the work， then he is no good to his employer， the Wagner Company， and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this， and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949， the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews， and it won the Tony Award for Best Play， the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award， and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury， Connecticut， on the evening of February 10， 2005， the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway. | 1026.txt | 3 |
[
"mobile office is the only way by which people could enjoy prompt and safe working environment",
"with the development of science,mobile office comes to our life inevitably",
"people had no convenient and reliable communications and office faculty before",
"mobile interconnection platform and its application systems is the core of mobile office"
] | It can be inferred from the passage that _ . | Mobile office is the mutual product of economic, scientific, and social progress.Mobile office has become a solution that provides users with convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime via the sup port of mobile interconnection platform（MIP）and its applications systems.
When you leave your office to attend meetings or travel on business, what would happen to your business routine?Of course, faxes and e-mails would be still sent to your fax machine or e-mail box, but you cannot read them and make prompt reaction timely.When your clients need you to make some urgent modifications on your work and you are neither in the office nor carrying relevant documents, what can you do?Maybe you have to say" sorry" to the clients.But, your business will be affected, the clients will be unhappy and disappointed because of your delay, and you will lose a lot of business opportunities.
In fact, very frequently, you need to check, reply, distribute, display, modify, or read some materials when you are not in your office.You must get out of this dilemma.The best solution to normally handle your business anywhere anytime and not to disappoint your clients is to let your office" move" with you.Thus, you can have convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime.With the development of communications technology, network application, and wireless interconnection, mobile office has become simpler and smaller, and even can be realized via one mobile phone with data communications function.Thus, mobile office has already been put into your pocket, and office mobility has been realized.
Mobile office has provided people with convenient, casual working environment, but at the same time it still has some unsatisfactory aspects such as mismatching equipment interface and inadequate battery. Nevertheless, we believe that with technical progress, people can certainly overcome all kinds of difficulties.Mobile office will make your career unimpeded, and will realize the dream of completely free communication.Users will enjoy more colorful life and better working environment, and users' living standard, working efficiency, and even enterprises' production efficiency will certainly be immensely raised. | 843.txt | 3 |
[
"you cannot put your business routine aside or attend meetings",
"you cannot read faxes and e-mails when you travel on business",
"you cannot make apologies to the clients for your delay",
"you cannot catch any business opportunities because of bad working condition"
] | We learn from the passage that without mobile office, _ . | Mobile office is the mutual product of economic, scientific, and social progress.Mobile office has become a solution that provides users with convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime via the sup port of mobile interconnection platform（MIP）and its applications systems.
When you leave your office to attend meetings or travel on business, what would happen to your business routine?Of course, faxes and e-mails would be still sent to your fax machine or e-mail box, but you cannot read them and make prompt reaction timely.When your clients need you to make some urgent modifications on your work and you are neither in the office nor carrying relevant documents, what can you do?Maybe you have to say" sorry" to the clients.But, your business will be affected, the clients will be unhappy and disappointed because of your delay, and you will lose a lot of business opportunities.
In fact, very frequently, you need to check, reply, distribute, display, modify, or read some materials when you are not in your office.You must get out of this dilemma.The best solution to normally handle your business anywhere anytime and not to disappoint your clients is to let your office" move" with you.Thus, you can have convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime.With the development of communications technology, network application, and wireless interconnection, mobile office has become simpler and smaller, and even can be realized via one mobile phone with data communications function.Thus, mobile office has already been put into your pocket, and office mobility has been realized.
Mobile office has provided people with convenient, casual working environment, but at the same time it still has some unsatisfactory aspects such as mismatching equipment interface and inadequate battery. Nevertheless, we believe that with technical progress, people can certainly overcome all kinds of difficulties.Mobile office will make your career unimpeded, and will realize the dream of completely free communication.Users will enjoy more colorful life and better working environment, and users' living standard, working efficiency, and even enterprises' production efficiency will certainly be immensely raised. | 843.txt | 1 |
[
"you need to make some urgent modification on your work",
"you need to read and reply faxes and e-mails",
"you are out of the office to attend meetings",
"you can put the mobile office into your pocket"
] | The passage suggests that mobile office is neccessary,especially when _ . | Mobile office is the mutual product of economic, scientific, and social progress.Mobile office has become a solution that provides users with convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime via the sup port of mobile interconnection platform（MIP）and its applications systems.
When you leave your office to attend meetings or travel on business, what would happen to your business routine?Of course, faxes and e-mails would be still sent to your fax machine or e-mail box, but you cannot read them and make prompt reaction timely.When your clients need you to make some urgent modifications on your work and you are neither in the office nor carrying relevant documents, what can you do?Maybe you have to say" sorry" to the clients.But, your business will be affected, the clients will be unhappy and disappointed because of your delay, and you will lose a lot of business opportunities.
In fact, very frequently, you need to check, reply, distribute, display, modify, or read some materials when you are not in your office.You must get out of this dilemma.The best solution to normally handle your business anywhere anytime and not to disappoint your clients is to let your office" move" with you.Thus, you can have convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime.With the development of communications technology, network application, and wireless interconnection, mobile office has become simpler and smaller, and even can be realized via one mobile phone with data communications function.Thus, mobile office has already been put into your pocket, and office mobility has been realized.
Mobile office has provided people with convenient, casual working environment, but at the same time it still has some unsatisfactory aspects such as mismatching equipment interface and inadequate battery. Nevertheless, we believe that with technical progress, people can certainly overcome all kinds of difficulties.Mobile office will make your career unimpeded, and will realize the dream of completely free communication.Users will enjoy more colorful life and better working environment, and users' living standard, working efficiency, and even enterprises' production efficiency will certainly be immensely raised. | 843.txt | 2 |
[
"When you leave your office,you should not forget your business routine.",
"You will lose a lot of business opportunities if you always delay your work.",
"When you leave your office,your business routine would be harmed.",
"When you cannot meet the need of your clients,you should say\"sorry\"."
] | Which of the following statement best expresses the main idea of the second paragraph? | Mobile office is the mutual product of economic, scientific, and social progress.Mobile office has become a solution that provides users with convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime via the sup port of mobile interconnection platform（MIP）and its applications systems.
When you leave your office to attend meetings or travel on business, what would happen to your business routine?Of course, faxes and e-mails would be still sent to your fax machine or e-mail box, but you cannot read them and make prompt reaction timely.When your clients need you to make some urgent modifications on your work and you are neither in the office nor carrying relevant documents, what can you do?Maybe you have to say" sorry" to the clients.But, your business will be affected, the clients will be unhappy and disappointed because of your delay, and you will lose a lot of business opportunities.
In fact, very frequently, you need to check, reply, distribute, display, modify, or read some materials when you are not in your office.You must get out of this dilemma.The best solution to normally handle your business anywhere anytime and not to disappoint your clients is to let your office" move" with you.Thus, you can have convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime.With the development of communications technology, network application, and wireless interconnection, mobile office has become simpler and smaller, and even can be realized via one mobile phone with data communications function.Thus, mobile office has already been put into your pocket, and office mobility has been realized.
Mobile office has provided people with convenient, casual working environment, but at the same time it still has some unsatisfactory aspects such as mismatching equipment interface and inadequate battery. Nevertheless, we believe that with technical progress, people can certainly overcome all kinds of difficulties.Mobile office will make your career unimpeded, and will realize the dream of completely free communication.Users will enjoy more colorful life and better working environment, and users' living standard, working efficiency, and even enterprises' production efficiency will certainly be immensely raised. | 843.txt | 2 |
[
"has some fatal shortcomings",
"is too expensive to afford",
"would be realized in the future",
"has both advantages and disadvantages"
] | In the eyes of the author,mobile office _ . | Mobile office is the mutual product of economic, scientific, and social progress.Mobile office has become a solution that provides users with convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime via the sup port of mobile interconnection platform（MIP）and its applications systems.
When you leave your office to attend meetings or travel on business, what would happen to your business routine?Of course, faxes and e-mails would be still sent to your fax machine or e-mail box, but you cannot read them and make prompt reaction timely.When your clients need you to make some urgent modifications on your work and you are neither in the office nor carrying relevant documents, what can you do?Maybe you have to say" sorry" to the clients.But, your business will be affected, the clients will be unhappy and disappointed because of your delay, and you will lose a lot of business opportunities.
In fact, very frequently, you need to check, reply, distribute, display, modify, or read some materials when you are not in your office.You must get out of this dilemma.The best solution to normally handle your business anywhere anytime and not to disappoint your clients is to let your office" move" with you.Thus, you can have convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime.With the development of communications technology, network application, and wireless interconnection, mobile office has become simpler and smaller, and even can be realized via one mobile phone with data communications function.Thus, mobile office has already been put into your pocket, and office mobility has been realized.
Mobile office has provided people with convenient, casual working environment, but at the same time it still has some unsatisfactory aspects such as mismatching equipment interface and inadequate battery. Nevertheless, we believe that with technical progress, people can certainly overcome all kinds of difficulties.Mobile office will make your career unimpeded, and will realize the dream of completely free communication.Users will enjoy more colorful life and better working environment, and users' living standard, working efficiency, and even enterprises' production efficiency will certainly be immensely raised. | 843.txt | 3 |
[
"She had participated in the Berkeley study.",
"She had noticed the phenomenon repeatedly.",
"She had been involved in the local school reform.",
"She had been informed of the problem by her niece."
] | Why wasn't the author surprised at the high teacher turnover rates at Los Angles charter schools? | When University of California-Berkeley released a study this month showing alarmingly high teacher turnover rates at Los Angeles charter schools, I wasn't surprised.
That's not a slam at local charter schools. It's just that the study echoed something I'd observed many times, starting with my niece.
Bright and cheerful, my niece longed to teach high-needs children. She started out in the San Francisco public schools, where she was assigned to the district's toughest elementary school. Fifth-graders threw chairs across the room - and at her. Parents refused to show up for conferences.
She wasn't willing to deal with this level of indifference and teacher abuse, so she switched to a highly regarded charger elementary school in the Bay Area where she poured her energy into her job and it showed. Her students' test scores were high as those in a nearby wealthy school district, despite the obstacles these children faced.
Yet by her fourth year, my niece was worn out, depleted of the energy it took to work with a classroom of sweet but deeply needy children who pleaded to stay in her classroom when it was time to leave. The principal's offer of a $10,000 raise couldn't stop her from giving notice. She went to work at that wealthy school district next door - for less money.
Over the years, I've met many impassioned teachers at charter schools, only to call them the next year and find they've left. The authors of the Berkeley study theorize that the teachers leave because of the extraordinary demands: long hours, intense involvement in students' complicated lives, continual searches for new ways to raise scores. Even the strongest supporters of the reform movement concede that the task of raising achievement among disadvantaged students is hard work.
It's unlikely that we can build large-scale school reform on a platform of continual new demands on teachers - more time, more energy, more devotion, more responsibility - even if schools find ways to pay them better. This is the bigger challenge facing schools. We need a more useful answer to the Berkeley study than "Yea, its really hard work." | 2095.txt | 1 |
[
"They were undisciplined.",
"They were tough and strong.",
"Many of them enjoyed less parental care.",
"Many of hem dropped out of school halfway."
] | What do we learn about the students in the public school the author's niece taught? | When University of California-Berkeley released a study this month showing alarmingly high teacher turnover rates at Los Angeles charter schools, I wasn't surprised.
That's not a slam at local charter schools. It's just that the study echoed something I'd observed many times, starting with my niece.
Bright and cheerful, my niece longed to teach high-needs children. She started out in the San Francisco public schools, where she was assigned to the district's toughest elementary school. Fifth-graders threw chairs across the room - and at her. Parents refused to show up for conferences.
She wasn't willing to deal with this level of indifference and teacher abuse, so she switched to a highly regarded charger elementary school in the Bay Area where she poured her energy into her job and it showed. Her students' test scores were high as those in a nearby wealthy school district, despite the obstacles these children faced.
Yet by her fourth year, my niece was worn out, depleted of the energy it took to work with a classroom of sweet but deeply needy children who pleaded to stay in her classroom when it was time to leave. The principal's offer of a $10,000 raise couldn't stop her from giving notice. She went to work at that wealthy school district next door - for less money.
Over the years, I've met many impassioned teachers at charter schools, only to call them the next year and find they've left. The authors of the Berkeley study theorize that the teachers leave because of the extraordinary demands: long hours, intense involvement in students' complicated lives, continual searches for new ways to raise scores. Even the strongest supporters of the reform movement concede that the task of raising achievement among disadvantaged students is hard work.
It's unlikely that we can build large-scale school reform on a platform of continual new demands on teachers - more time, more energy, more devotion, more responsibility - even if schools find ways to pay them better. This is the bigger challenge facing schools. We need a more useful answer to the Berkeley study than "Yea, its really hard work." | 2095.txt | 0 |
[
"It won high praise from her school and colleagues.",
"It was cited by the Berkeley study as an example.",
"It contributed to the success of the school reform.",
"It was well received by the disadvantaged children."
] | What does the author say about her niece's work in the charter elementary school? | When University of California-Berkeley released a study this month showing alarmingly high teacher turnover rates at Los Angeles charter schools, I wasn't surprised.
That's not a slam at local charter schools. It's just that the study echoed something I'd observed many times, starting with my niece.
Bright and cheerful, my niece longed to teach high-needs children. She started out in the San Francisco public schools, where she was assigned to the district's toughest elementary school. Fifth-graders threw chairs across the room - and at her. Parents refused to show up for conferences.
She wasn't willing to deal with this level of indifference and teacher abuse, so she switched to a highly regarded charger elementary school in the Bay Area where she poured her energy into her job and it showed. Her students' test scores were high as those in a nearby wealthy school district, despite the obstacles these children faced.
Yet by her fourth year, my niece was worn out, depleted of the energy it took to work with a classroom of sweet but deeply needy children who pleaded to stay in her classroom when it was time to leave. The principal's offer of a $10,000 raise couldn't stop her from giving notice. She went to work at that wealthy school district next door - for less money.
Over the years, I've met many impassioned teachers at charter schools, only to call them the next year and find they've left. The authors of the Berkeley study theorize that the teachers leave because of the extraordinary demands: long hours, intense involvement in students' complicated lives, continual searches for new ways to raise scores. Even the strongest supporters of the reform movement concede that the task of raising achievement among disadvantaged students is hard work.
It's unlikely that we can build large-scale school reform on a platform of continual new demands on teachers - more time, more energy, more devotion, more responsibility - even if schools find ways to pay them better. This is the bigger challenge facing schools. We need a more useful answer to the Berkeley study than "Yea, its really hard work." | 2095.txt | 3 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.