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[
"doctors should not abide by government's regulations",
"the government is interfering too much",
"the regulations about workweek and work shift are too specific",
"law cannot force a doctor to sleep while his conscience can"
] | By" doctors should be bound by their conscience, not by the government" （Lines 5～6, Paragraph 5）, Dr. Charles Binkley means that _ . | Sleep is a funny thing. We're taught that we should get seven or eight hours a night, but a lot of us get by just fine on less, and some of us actually sleep too much. A study out of the University of Buffalo last month reported that people who routinely sleep more than eight hours a day and are still tired are nearly three times as likely to die of stroke-probably as a result of an underlying disorder that keeps them from snoozing soundly.
Doctors have their own special sleep problems. Residents are famously sleep deprived. When I was training to become a neurosurgeon, it was not unusual to work 40 hours in a row without rest. Most of us took it in stride, confident we could still deliver the highest quality of medical care. Maybe we shouldn't have been so sure of ourselves. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association points out that in the morning after 24 hours of sleeplessness, a person's motor performance is comparable to that of someone who is legally intoxicated. Curiously, surgeons who believe that operating under the influence is the reason for dismissal often don't think twice about operating without enough sleep.
" I could tell you horror stories," says Jaya Agrawal, president of the American Medical Student Association, which runs a website where residents can post anonymous anecdotes. Some are terrifying. " I was operating after being up for over 36 hours," one writes. " I literally fell asleep standing up and nearly face planted into the wound."
" Practically every surgical resident I know has fallen asleep at the wheel driving home from work," writes another. " I know of three who have hit parked cars. Another hit a ‘Jersey barrier' on the New Jersey Turnpike, going 65 m. p. h." " Your own patients have become the enemy," writes a third, because they are" the one thing that stands between you and a few hours of sleep."
Agrawal's organization is supporting the Patient and Physician Safety and Protection Act of 2001, introduced last November by Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan. Its key provisions, modeled on New York State's regulations, include an 80-hour workweek and a 24-hour work-shift limit. Most doctors, however, resist such interference. Dr. Charles Binkley, a senior surgery resident at the University of Michigan, agrees that something needs to be done but believes" doctors should be bound by their conscience, not by the government."
The U.S. controls the hours of pilots and truck drivers. But until such a system is in place for doctors, patients are on their own. If you're worried about the people treating you or a loved one, you should feel free to ask how many hours of sleep they have had and if more-rested staffers are available. Doctors, for their part, have to give up their pose of infallibility and get the rest they need. | 579.txt | 1 |
[
"Patients should control the working hours of their doctors.",
"Pilots and truck drivers work in safer environments than that of doctors'.",
"Patients are facing more risks if their doctors are not adequately-rested.",
"People concerned have the right to remove their doctors from their positions."
] | To which of the following is the author likely to agree? | Sleep is a funny thing. We're taught that we should get seven or eight hours a night, but a lot of us get by just fine on less, and some of us actually sleep too much. A study out of the University of Buffalo last month reported that people who routinely sleep more than eight hours a day and are still tired are nearly three times as likely to die of stroke-probably as a result of an underlying disorder that keeps them from snoozing soundly.
Doctors have their own special sleep problems. Residents are famously sleep deprived. When I was training to become a neurosurgeon, it was not unusual to work 40 hours in a row without rest. Most of us took it in stride, confident we could still deliver the highest quality of medical care. Maybe we shouldn't have been so sure of ourselves. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association points out that in the morning after 24 hours of sleeplessness, a person's motor performance is comparable to that of someone who is legally intoxicated. Curiously, surgeons who believe that operating under the influence is the reason for dismissal often don't think twice about operating without enough sleep.
" I could tell you horror stories," says Jaya Agrawal, president of the American Medical Student Association, which runs a website where residents can post anonymous anecdotes. Some are terrifying. " I was operating after being up for over 36 hours," one writes. " I literally fell asleep standing up and nearly face planted into the wound."
" Practically every surgical resident I know has fallen asleep at the wheel driving home from work," writes another. " I know of three who have hit parked cars. Another hit a ‘Jersey barrier' on the New Jersey Turnpike, going 65 m. p. h." " Your own patients have become the enemy," writes a third, because they are" the one thing that stands between you and a few hours of sleep."
Agrawal's organization is supporting the Patient and Physician Safety and Protection Act of 2001, introduced last November by Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan. Its key provisions, modeled on New York State's regulations, include an 80-hour workweek and a 24-hour work-shift limit. Most doctors, however, resist such interference. Dr. Charles Binkley, a senior surgery resident at the University of Michigan, agrees that something needs to be done but believes" doctors should be bound by their conscience, not by the government."
The U.S. controls the hours of pilots and truck drivers. But until such a system is in place for doctors, patients are on their own. If you're worried about the people treating you or a loved one, you should feel free to ask how many hours of sleep they have had and if more-rested staffers are available. Doctors, for their part, have to give up their pose of infallibility and get the rest they need. | 579.txt | 2 |
[
"The words people use can influence their behavior.",
"Unpleasant words in sports are often used by foreign athletes.",
"Aggressive behavior in sports can have serious consequences.",
"Unfair judgments by referees will lead to violence on the sports field."
] | Which of the following statements best expresses the author's view? | There are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let's not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term " opponent" as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term " opponent" is " adversary" " enemy" and " one who opposes your interests" . Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to take every action, no matter how gross it is. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, " Are they wet enough now?"
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reaching to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term " opponent" with " associate" could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term " associate" is " colleague" " friend" and " companion" . Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term " associate" rather than " opponent" . | 422.txt | 0 |
[
"are too eager to win",
"treat their rivals as enemies",
"are usually short-tempered and easily offended",
"cannot afford to be polite in fierce competitions"
] | Gross actions are taken during games because the players _ . | There are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let's not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term " opponent" as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term " opponent" is " adversary" " enemy" and " one who opposes your interests" . Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to take every action, no matter how gross it is. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, " Are they wet enough now?"
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reaching to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term " opponent" with " associate" could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term " associate" is " colleague" " friend" and " companion" . Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term " associate" rather than " opponent" . | 422.txt | 1 |
[
"He angrily hit the referee with a ball",
"He wet his gloves by rubbing them across his T-shirt.",
"He claimed that referee was unfair",
"He refused to continue the game"
] | What did the handball player do when he was not allowed a time out to change his gloves? | There are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let's not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term " opponent" as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term " opponent" is " adversary" " enemy" and " one who opposes your interests" . Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to take every action, no matter how gross it is. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, " Are they wet enough now?"
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reaching to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term " opponent" with " associate" could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term " associate" is " colleague" " friend" and " companion" . Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term " associate" rather than " opponent" . | 422.txt | 1 |
[
"please where trials are held",
"official residence of a sovereign",
"space marked for sports",
"courtyard"
] | What is the meaning of the word ‘court" (Para. 4)? | There are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let's not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term " opponent" as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term " opponent" is " adversary" " enemy" and " one who opposes your interests" . Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to take every action, no matter how gross it is. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, " Are they wet enough now?"
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reaching to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term " opponent" with " associate" could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term " associate" is " colleague" " friend" and " companion" . Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term " associate" rather than " opponent" . | 422.txt | 2 |
[
"regulating the relationship between players and referees",
"calling on players to use clean language in the court",
"raising the referee's sense of responsibility",
"changing the attitude of players on the sports field"
] | The author hopes to have the current situation in sports improved by _ . | There are common remarks one may hear at various sporting events. At the time they are made, they may seem innocent enough. But let's not kid ourselves. They have been known to influence behavior in such a way as to lead to real bloodshed. Volumes have been written about the way words affect us. It has been shown that words having certain connotations may cause us to react in ways quite foreign to what we consider to be our usual humanistic behavior. I see the term " opponent" as one of those words. Perhaps the time has come to delete it from sports terms.
The dictionary meaning of the term " opponent" is " adversary" " enemy" and " one who opposes your interests" . Thus, when a player meets an opponent, he or she may tend to take every action, no matter how gross it is. I recall an incident in a handball game when a referee refused a player's request for a time out for a glove change because he did not consider them wet enough. The player proceeded to rub his gloves across his wet T-shirt and then exclaimed, " Are they wet enough now?"
In the heat of battle, players have been observed to throw themselves across the court without considering the consequences that such a move might have on anyone in their way. I have also witnessed a player reaching to his opponent's intentional and illegal blocking by deliberately hitting him with the ball as hard as he could during the course of play. Off the court, they are good friends. Does that make any sense? It certainly gives proof of a court attitude which departs from normal behavior.
Therefore, I believe it is time we elevated the game to the level where it belongs, thereby setting an example to the rest of the sporting world. Replacing the term " opponent" with " associate" could be an ideal way to start.
The dictionary meaning of the term " associate" is " colleague" " friend" and " companion" . Reflect a moment! You may soon see and possibly feel the difference in your reaction to the term " associate" rather than " opponent" . | 422.txt | 3 |
[
"Differences among marine parks, sanctuaries, and reserves",
"Various marine conservation programs",
"International agreements on coastal protection",
"Similarities between land and sea protected environments"
] | What does the passage mainly discuss? | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 1 |
[
"repetition",
"approval",
"goal",
"revision"
] | The word "intent" in line 3 is closest in meaning to | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 2 |
[
"managed",
"recognized",
"opposed",
"justified"
] | The word "administered" in line 8 is closest in meaning to | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 0 |
[
"sites",
"candidates",
"decades",
"sanctuaries"
] | The word "these" in line 11 refers to | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 3 |
[
"is not well know",
"covers a large area",
"is smaller than the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary",
"was not originally proposed for sanctuary status"
] | The passage mentions the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (lines 13-14) as an example of a sanctuary that | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 1 |
[
"before 1972",
"after 1987",
"one hundred years before national parks were established",
"one hundred years after Yellowstone National Park was established"
] | According to the passage , when was the National Marine Sanctuaries Program established? | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 3 |
[
"the discovery of several new marine organisms",
"the preservation of connections between individual marine species",
"the protection of coastal habitats",
"the establishment of areas where the public can observe marine life"
] | According to the passage , all of the following are achievements of the National Marine Sanctuaries Program EXCEPT | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 0 |
[
"depth",
"landmass",
"warm habitat",
"outer edge"
] | The word "periphery" in line 24 is closest in meaning to | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 3 |
[
"limitations in financial support",
"the use of marine species as food",
"variability of the climate",
"increases in tourism"
] | The passage mentions which of the following as a threat to marine areas outside the United States? | In 1972, a century after the first national park in the United States was established at Yellowstone, legislation was passed to create the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. The intent of this legislation was to provide protection to selected coastal habitats similar to that existing for land areas designated as national parks. The designation of an area's marine sanctuary indicates that it is a protected area, just as a national park is. People are permitted to visit and observe there, but living organisms and their environments may not be harmed or removed.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the United States Department of Commerce. Initially, 70 sites were proposed as candidates for sanctuary status. Two and a half decades later, only fifteen sanctuaries had been designated, with half of these established after 1978. They range in size from the very small (less than 1 square kilometer) Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in California, extending over 15,744 square kilometers.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program is a crucial part of new management practices in which whole communities of species, and not just individual species, are offered some degree of protection from habitat degradation and overexploitation. Only in this way can a reasonable degree of marine species diversity be maintained in a setting that also maintains the natural interrelationships that exist among these species.
Several other types of marine protected areas exist in the United States and other countries. The National Estuarine Research Reserve System, managed by the United States government, includes 23 designated and protected estuaries. Outside the United States, marine protected-area programs exist as marine parks, reserves, and preserves. Over 100 designated areas exist around the periphery of the Caribbean Sea. Others range from the well-known Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to lesser-known parks in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, where tourism is placing growing pressures on fragile coral reef systems. As state, national, and international agencies come to recognize the importance of conserving marine biodiversity, marine projected areas. whether as sanctuaries, parks, or estuarine reserves, will play an increasingly important role in preserving that diversity. | 4268.txt | 3 |
[
"The economy is very much interdependent.",
"Unions have been established a long time.",
"There are more unions in Britain than elsewhere.",
"There are many essential services."
] | Why is the question of trade union power important in Britain? | An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.
It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.
There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members' disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other union's members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs. | 1782.txt | 0 |
[
"change as industries change",
"get new members to join them",
"learn new technologies",
"bargain for high enough wages"
] | Because of their out-of-date organization some unions find it difficult to_ . | An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.
It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.
There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members' disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other union's members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs. | 1782.txt | 0 |
[
"try to win over members of other unions",
"ignore agreements",
"protect their own members at the expense of others",
"take over other union's jobs"
] | Disagreements arise between unions because some of them | An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.
It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.
There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members' disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other union's members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs. | 1782.txt | 2 |
[
"some industries have no unions",
"unions are not organized according to industries",
"only 55 per cent of workers belong to unions",
"some unions are too powerful"
] | It is difficult to improve the procedures for fixing wage levels because_ . | An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.
It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.
There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members' disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other union's members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs. | 1782.txt | 1 |
[
"There are strains and tensions in the trade union movement.",
"Some unions have lost many members.",
"Some unions exist in the outdated structure.",
"A higher percentage of American workers belong to unions than that of British workers."
] | Which of the following is NOT TRUE? | An industrial society, especially one as centralized and concentrated as that of Britain, is heavily dependant on certain essential services: for instance, electricity supply, water, rail and road transport, the harbors. The area of dependency has widened to include removing rubbish, hospital and ambulance services, and, as the economy develops, central computer and information services as well. If any of these services ceases to operate, the whole economic system is in danger.
It is this interdependency of the economic system that makes the power of trade unions such an important issue. Single trade unions have the ability to cut off many economic blood supplies. This can happen more easily in Britain than in some other countries, in part because the labor force is highly organized. About 55 per cent of British workers belong to unions, compared to under a quarter in the United States. For historical reasons, Britain's unions have tended to develop along trade and occupational lines, rather than on an industry-by-industry basis, which makes wage policy, democracy in industry and the improvement of procedures for fixing wage levels difficult to achieve.
There are considerable strains and tensions in the trade union movement, some of them arising from their outdated and inefficient structure. Some unions have lost many members because of industrial changes. Others are involved in arguments about who should represent workers in new trades. Unions for skilled trades are separate from general unions, which means that different levels of wages for certain jobs are often a source of bad feeling between unions. In traditional trades which are being pushed out of existence by advancing technologies, unions can fight for their members' disappearing jobs to the point where the jobs of other union's members are threatened or destroyed. The printing of newspapers both in the United States and in Britain has frequently been halted by the efforts of printers to hold on to their traditional highly-paid jobs. | 1782.txt | 3 |
[
"Pretty women are more likely to be helped.",
"People on a bus are more likely to stop a crime.",
"Religious people are more likely to look on.",
"Criminals are more likely to harm1 women."
] | Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? | neighbours ignored-and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs-the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that.
(1)women are helped more than men;
(2)men help more than women;
(3)attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.
Other factorsrelate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.
According to Adrian Furnham, Professor Of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:
(1) "Shifting of responsibility"-the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more "other people' there are ,the greater the total shifting of responsibility."
(2) "Fear of making a mistake"-situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to them selves.
(3) "Fear of the conse quences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent."
Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: "In the experiments I've seen on intervention, much depends on the neighborhood or setting, There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow."
Psyhotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: "The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety : These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals." | 3334.txt | 0 |
[
"Sex",
"Nationality.",
"Profession.",
"Setting."
] | Which factor is NOT related with intervention according to the passage? | neighbours ignored-and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs-the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that.
(1)women are helped more than men;
(2)men help more than women;
(3)attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.
Other factorsrelate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.
According to Adrian Furnham, Professor Of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:
(1) "Shifting of responsibility"-the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more "other people' there are ,the greater the total shifting of responsibility."
(2) "Fear of making a mistake"-situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to them selves.
(3) "Fear of the conse quences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent."
Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: "In the experiments I've seen on intervention, much depends on the neighborhood or setting, There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow."
Psyhotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: "The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety : These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals." | 3334.txt | 2 |
[
"When one is in trouble, people think it's his own fault.",
"In a football match, people get involved in a fight.",
"Seeing a murder, people feel sorry that it should have happened.",
"On hearing a cry for help, people keep themselves to themselves."
] | Which phenomenon call be described as the "Bystander Apathy Effect"? | neighbours ignored-and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs-the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that.
(1)women are helped more than men;
(2)men help more than women;
(3)attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.
Other factorsrelate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.
According to Adrian Furnham, Professor Of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:
(1) "Shifting of responsibility"-the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more "other people' there are ,the greater the total shifting of responsibility."
(2) "Fear of making a mistake"-situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to them selves.
(3) "Fear of the conse quences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent."
Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: "In the experiments I've seen on intervention, much depends on the neighborhood or setting, There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow."
Psyhotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: "The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety : These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals." | 3334.txt | 3 |
[
"to explain why bystanders behave as they do",
"to urge people to stand out when in need",
"to criticize the selfishness of bystanders",
"to analyze the weakness of human nature"
] | The author wrote this article. | neighbours ignored-and in some cases turned up the volume on their TVs-the cries of a woman as she was murdered (over a half-hour period). With regard to helping those in difficulty generally, they found that.
(1)women are helped more than men;
(2)men help more than women;
(3)attractive women are helped more than unattractive women.
Other factorsrelate to the number of people in the area, whether the person is thought to be in trouble through their own fault, and whether a person sees himself as being able to help.
According to Adrian Furnham, Professor Of University College, London, there are three reasons why we tend to stand by doing nothing:
(1) "Shifting of responsibility"-the more people there are, the less likely help is to be given. Each person excuses himself by thinking someone else will help, so that the more "other people' there are ,the greater the total shifting of responsibility."
(2) "Fear of making a mistake"-situations are often not clear. People think that those involved in an accident may know each other or it may be a joke, so a fear of embarrassment makes them keep themselves to them selves.
(3) "Fear of the conse quences if attention is turned on you, and the person is violent."
Laurie Taylor, Professor of Sociology at London University, says: "In the experiments I've seen on intervention, much depends on the neighborhood or setting, There is a silence on public transport which is hard to break. We are embarrassed to draw attention to something that is happening, while in a football match, people get involved, and a fight would easily follow."
Psyhotherapist Alan Dupuy identifies the importance of the individual: "The British as a whole have some difficulty intervening, but there are exceptional individuals in every group who are prepared to intervene, regardless of their own safety : These would be people with a strong moral code or religious ideals." | 3334.txt | 0 |
[
"Regulated the movement and resettlement in southwest Asia of thousands of Greek people",
"Opened up opportunities in new markets for traders and artisans",
"Created new restrictions on trade",
"Encouraged Greek citizens to choose military careers over careers in trade"
] | According to paragraph 1, Alexander the Great did which of the following? | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 1 |
[
"adoption",
"spread",
"teaching",
"learning"
] | The word "diffusion" in the passage is closest in meaning to | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 1 |
[
"provide evidence that the library was a cultural institution in the East before it spread to the West",
"explain why it was important for Greek to become the great international language",
"identify two of the sources of Greek cultural influence within Alexander's empire",
"support the claim that the Greeks transformed Middle Eastern garrisons and military posts into cultural centers"
] | In paragraph 2,the author mentions the libraries at Antioch and Alexandria in order to | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 2 |
[
"governed by a ruling body of about 5,000 city leaders with a total population of no more than 100,000",
"led by the most qualified individual",
"governed by the group of citizens with the most knowledge about the issues of the day",
"small enough so that everyone would know each other"
] | According to paragraph 3, Plato believed that the ideal city-state should be | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 3 |
[
"To provide additional evidence that the ancient Greeks believed that political units must be small",
"To demonstrate the accuracy of philosophers' predictions about the end of the classical Greek city-state",
"To show how changes in the city-state system from the fifth to the third century B C. were reflected in the ideas of its philosophers",
"To support the claim that small city-states were ideally suited to produce philosophical inquiry"
] | Why does the author mention "The philosopher Aristotle"? | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 0 |
[
"at its best",
"rapidly expanding",
"first being formed",
"weakening"
] | The word "declining" in the passage is closest in meaning to | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 3 |
[
"decreased need for military control",
"growing professionalism",
"growth of cities",
"specialization in trades"
] | According to paragraph 4, Alexander's empire was characterized by all of the following EXCEPT | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 0 |
[
"end",
"command",
"high point",
"beginning"
] | The word "peak" in the passage is closest in meaning to | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 2 |
[
"a set of rules governing behavior",
"a detailed conception of life after death",
"rituals related to significant life events",
"worship of gods who were not like humans"
] | According to paragraph 5, religion in the Greek city-state involved | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 2 |
[
"He encouraged people to be guided by their own consciences instead of by the state.",
"He stated that people had a duty to fight against the corruption of their leaders.",
"He reasoned that the needs of the youth were more important than the needs of the state.",
"He argued that people's behavior should be guided by the religious systems of the Middle East."
] | According to paragraph 6, what was the basis for the accusation against Socrates? | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 0 |
[
"suggest",
"deny",
"consider",
"question"
] | The word "propose" in the passage is closest in meaning to | In 334 B.C. Alexander the Great took his Greek armies to the east and in only a few years completed his creation of an empire out of much of southwest Asia In the new empire, barriers to trade and the movement of peoples were removed; markets were put in touch with one another. In the next generation thousands of Greek traders and artisans would enter this wider world to seek their fortunes. Alexander's actions had several important consequences for the region occupied by the empire.
The first of these was the expansion of Greek civilization throughout the Middle East. Greek became the great international language. Towns and cities were established not only as garrisons (military posts) but as centers for the diffusion of Greek language, literature, and thought, particularly through libraries, as at Antioch (in modern Turkey) and the most famous of all, at Alexandria in Egypt, which would be the finest in the world for the next thousand years.
Second, this internationalism spelled the end of the classical Greek city-state--the unit of government in ancient Greece--and everything it stood for. Most city-states had been quite small in terms of citizenry, and this was considered to be a good thing. The focus of life was the agora, the open marketplace where assemblies could be held and where issues of the day, as well as more fundamental topics such as the purpose of government or the relationship between law and freedom, could be discussed and decisions made by individuals in person. The philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.) felt that the ideal city-state should have about 5,000 citizens, because to the Greeks it was important that everyone in the community should know each other. In decision making, the whole body of citizens together would have the necessary knowledge in order generally to reach the right decision, even though the individual might not be particularly qualified to decide. The philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), who lived at a time when the city-state system was declining, believed that a political entity of 100,000 simply would not be able to govern itself.
This implied that the city-state was based on the idea that citizens were not specialists but had multiple interests and talents--each a so-called jack-of-all-trades who could engage in many areas of life and politics. It implied a respect for the wholeness of life and a consequent dislike of specialization. It implied economic and military self-sufficiency.But with the development of trade and commerce in Alexander's empire came the growth of cities; it was no longer possible to be a jack-of-all-trades. One now had to specialize, and with specialization came professionalism. There were getting to be too many persons to know, an easily observable community of interests was being replaced by a multiplicity of interests. The city-state was simply too "small-time."
Third, Greek philosophy was opened up to the philosophy and religion of the East At the peak of the Greek city-state, religion played an important part. Its gods-such as Zeus, father of the gods, and his wife Hera-were thought of very much as being like human beings but with superhuman abilities. Their worship was linked to the rituals connected with one's progress through life-birth, marriage, and death- and with invoking protection against danger, making prophecies, and promoting healing, rather than to any code of behavior. Nor was there much of a theory of afterlife.
Even before Alexander's time, a life spent in the service of their city-state no longer seemed ideal to Greeks The Athenian philosopher Socrates (470-399 B.C.) was the first person in Greece to propose a morality based on individual conscience rather than the demands of the state, and for this he was accused of not believing in the city's gods and so corrupting the youth, and he was condemned to death. Greek philosophy-or even a focus on conscience-might complement religion but was no substitute for it, and this made Greeks receptive to the religious systems of the Middle East, even if they never adopted them completely. The combination of the religious instinct of Asia with the philosophic spirit of Greece spread across the world in the era after Alexander's death, blending the culture of the Middle East with the culture of Greece. | 2680.txt | 0 |
[
"not a tree novel at all",
"an independent development of the novel",
"related in some ways to the historical novel",
"a quite respectable form of the conventional novel"
] | The crime novel may be regarded as | With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature, or, at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel.
The detective story is probably the most respectable (at any rate in the narrow sense of the worD. of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university teachers, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates. A story set in a more remote environment, African jungle, or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London, appeals to our interest ill geography or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background. The elaborate, carefully assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of significant novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clues, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.
Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously. | 3984.txt | 1 |
[
"they enjoy writing these stories",
"the stories are often in fact very instructive",
"detective stories are an accepted branch of literature",
"the creation of these stories demands considerable intelligence"
] | The passage suggests that intellectuals write detective stories because | With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature, or, at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel.
The detective story is probably the most respectable (at any rate in the narrow sense of the worD. of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university teachers, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates. A story set in a more remote environment, African jungle, or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London, appeals to our interest ill geography or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background. The elaborate, carefully assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of significant novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clues, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.
Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously. | 3984.txt | 0 |
[
"The fact that the guilty are always found out and the innocent cleared.",
"The lack of interest in genuine character revelations.",
"The existence of a neat closely-knit story.",
"The many seemingly impossible events."
] | What feature of the detective story is said to disqualify it from respectful consideration by intellectual critics? | With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature, or, at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel.
The detective story is probably the most respectable (at any rate in the narrow sense of the worD. of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university teachers, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates. A story set in a more remote environment, African jungle, or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London, appeals to our interest ill geography or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background. The elaborate, carefully assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of significant novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clues, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.
Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously. | 3984.txt | 2 |
[
"his exciting life",
"his amazing toughness",
"the way he deals with enemies",
"his ability to escape from dangerous situations"
] | One of the most incredible characteristics of the hero of a thriller is | With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature, or, at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel.
The detective story is probably the most respectable (at any rate in the narrow sense of the worD. of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university teachers, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates. A story set in a more remote environment, African jungle, or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London, appeals to our interest ill geography or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background. The elaborate, carefully assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of significant novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clues, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.
Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously. | 3984.txt | 1 |
[
"In introducing violence.",
"In providing excitement and suspense.",
"In ensuring that everything comes right in the end.",
"In appealing to the intellectual curiosity of the reader"
] | In what way are the detective story and the thriller unlike? | With its common interest in lawbreaking but its immense range of subject matter and widely-varying methods of treatment, the crime novel could make a legitimate claim to be regarded as a separate branch of literature, or, at least, as a distinct, even though a slightly disreputable, offshoot of the traditional novel.
The detective story is probably the most respectable (at any rate in the narrow sense of the worD. of the crime species. Its creation is often the relaxation of university teachers, literary economists, scientists or even poets. Fatalities may occur more frequently and mysteriously than might be expected in polite society, but the world in which they happen, the village, seaside resort, college or studio, is familiar to us, if not from our own experience, at least in the newspaper or the lives of friends. The characters, though normally realized superficially, are as recognizably human and consistent as our less intimate associates. A story set in a more remote environment, African jungle, or Australian bush, ancient China or gas-lit London, appeals to our interest ill geography or history, and most detective story writers are conscientious in providing a reasonably authentic background. The elaborate, carefully assembled plot, despised by the modern intellectual critics and creators of significant novels, has found refuge in the murder mystery, with its sprinkling of clues, its spicing with apparent impossibilities, all with appropriate solutions and explanations at the end. With the guilt of escapism from real life nagging gently, we secretly revel in the unmasking of evil by a vaguely super-human detective, who sees through and dispels the cloud of suspicion which has hovered so unjustly over the innocent.
Though its villain also receives his rightful deserts, the thriller presents a less comfortable and credible world. The sequence of fist fights, revolver duels, car crashes and escapes from gas-filled cellars exhausts the reader far more than the hero, who, suffering from at least two broken ribs, one black eye, uncountable bruises and a hangover, can still chase and overpower an armed villain with the physique of a wrestler. He moves dangerously through a world of ruthless gangs, brutality, a vicious lust for power and money and, in contrast to the detective tale, with a near-omniscient arch-criminal whose defeat seems almost accidental. Perhaps we miss in the thriller the security of being safely led by our imperturbable investigator past a score of red herrings and blind avenues to a final gathering of suspects when an unchallengeable elucidation of all that has bewildered us is given and justice and goodness prevail. All that we vainly hope for from life is granted vicariously. | 3984.txt | 3 |
[
"in the same way how the cattle are herded",
"when they pass through a tube one behind the other",
"after they pass through a laser tube",
"when they are scanned by a laser detector all at a time"
] | The DNA in the sperm cells can be measured _ . | Henry III didn't know much about biology. He went through six wives back in the 1500s, looking for one whocould bear him a son. Scientists now know that it's the father's sperm, not the mother's egg, which determines whether a baby is a boy or a girl. And last week researchers at the Genetics and IVF Institute, a private fertility center in Virginia, announced a new technique that will allow parents to choose the sex of their baby-to-be, before it has even been conceived. The scientist used a tiny laser detector to measure the DNA in millions of sperm cells as they pass single file through a narrow tube, like cattle being herded through a corral. In a study published last week, "girl sperm," which has more DNA-the genetic material- in each cell, was collected, while "boy sperm" was discarded. And when purified girl sperm was used to impregnate a group of mothers, 15 of 17 resulting babies turned out to be girls.
The researchers say that "sex selection" can also double a mother's chance of having a son and can be usedto avoid genetic diseases that affect only one gender, such as hemophilia . But some experts, like New York University fertility specialist Dr. Jamie Grifo, worry that sex selection could lead to a kind ofin uteri discrimination, especially in cultures where sons are considered superior to daughters. "It's valuing one gender' over another," Grifo says. "I don't think that's something we should be doing." So far, patients at the institute have been asking for both boys and girls, in order to "balance" their families. And some ethics experts say that's fine, as long as parents are just looking for a little gender variety. "If you have three boys, and you want a girl," says University of Texas reproductive-law professor John Robertson, "that's not gender bias at all." | 807.txt | 1 |
[
"the father's DNA",
"the mother's DNA",
"the father's sperm",
"the mother's egg"
] | The gender of the baby is decided by _ . | Henry III didn't know much about biology. He went through six wives back in the 1500s, looking for one whocould bear him a son. Scientists now know that it's the father's sperm, not the mother's egg, which determines whether a baby is a boy or a girl. And last week researchers at the Genetics and IVF Institute, a private fertility center in Virginia, announced a new technique that will allow parents to choose the sex of their baby-to-be, before it has even been conceived. The scientist used a tiny laser detector to measure the DNA in millions of sperm cells as they pass single file through a narrow tube, like cattle being herded through a corral. In a study published last week, "girl sperm," which has more DNA-the genetic material- in each cell, was collected, while "boy sperm" was discarded. And when purified girl sperm was used to impregnate a group of mothers, 15 of 17 resulting babies turned out to be girls.
The researchers say that "sex selection" can also double a mother's chance of having a son and can be usedto avoid genetic diseases that affect only one gender, such as hemophilia . But some experts, like New York University fertility specialist Dr. Jamie Grifo, worry that sex selection could lead to a kind ofin uteri discrimination, especially in cultures where sons are considered superior to daughters. "It's valuing one gender' over another," Grifo says. "I don't think that's something we should be doing." So far, patients at the institute have been asking for both boys and girls, in order to "balance" their families. And some ethics experts say that's fine, as long as parents are just looking for a little gender variety. "If you have three boys, and you want a girl," says University of Texas reproductive-law professor John Robertson, "that's not gender bias at all." | 807.txt | 2 |
[
"can help to prevent all genetic problems",
"is totally unacceptable to ethics experts",
"was already realized five hundred years ago",
"will benefit families with certain inheritable diseases"
] | According to this passage, the practice of "sex selection" _ . | Henry III didn't know much about biology. He went through six wives back in the 1500s, looking for one whocould bear him a son. Scientists now know that it's the father's sperm, not the mother's egg, which determines whether a baby is a boy or a girl. And last week researchers at the Genetics and IVF Institute, a private fertility center in Virginia, announced a new technique that will allow parents to choose the sex of their baby-to-be, before it has even been conceived. The scientist used a tiny laser detector to measure the DNA in millions of sperm cells as they pass single file through a narrow tube, like cattle being herded through a corral. In a study published last week, "girl sperm," which has more DNA-the genetic material- in each cell, was collected, while "boy sperm" was discarded. And when purified girl sperm was used to impregnate a group of mothers, 15 of 17 resulting babies turned out to be girls.
The researchers say that "sex selection" can also double a mother's chance of having a son and can be usedto avoid genetic diseases that affect only one gender, such as hemophilia . But some experts, like New York University fertility specialist Dr. Jamie Grifo, worry that sex selection could lead to a kind ofin uteri discrimination, especially in cultures where sons are considered superior to daughters. "It's valuing one gender' over another," Grifo says. "I don't think that's something we should be doing." So far, patients at the institute have been asking for both boys and girls, in order to "balance" their families. And some ethics experts say that's fine, as long as parents are just looking for a little gender variety. "If you have three boys, and you want a girl," says University of Texas reproductive-law professor John Robertson, "that's not gender bias at all." | 807.txt | 3 |
[
"girl sperm contains more genetic material",
"more mother want to have girl babies",
"girl sperm is healthier and more active",
"girl sperm is more easily purified"
] | Girl sperm was preferred to boy sperm in the research most probably because _ | Henry III didn't know much about biology. He went through six wives back in the 1500s, looking for one whocould bear him a son. Scientists now know that it's the father's sperm, not the mother's egg, which determines whether a baby is a boy or a girl. And last week researchers at the Genetics and IVF Institute, a private fertility center in Virginia, announced a new technique that will allow parents to choose the sex of their baby-to-be, before it has even been conceived. The scientist used a tiny laser detector to measure the DNA in millions of sperm cells as they pass single file through a narrow tube, like cattle being herded through a corral. In a study published last week, "girl sperm," which has more DNA-the genetic material- in each cell, was collected, while "boy sperm" was discarded. And when purified girl sperm was used to impregnate a group of mothers, 15 of 17 resulting babies turned out to be girls.
The researchers say that "sex selection" can also double a mother's chance of having a son and can be usedto avoid genetic diseases that affect only one gender, such as hemophilia . But some experts, like New York University fertility specialist Dr. Jamie Grifo, worry that sex selection could lead to a kind ofin uteri discrimination, especially in cultures where sons are considered superior to daughters. "It's valuing one gender' over another," Grifo says. "I don't think that's something we should be doing." So far, patients at the institute have been asking for both boys and girls, in order to "balance" their families. And some ethics experts say that's fine, as long as parents are just looking for a little gender variety. "If you have three boys, and you want a girl," says University of Texas reproductive-law professor John Robertson, "that's not gender bias at all." | 807.txt | 0 |
[
"negative",
"positive",
"neutral",
"favorable"
] | It can be concluded from the passage that author's toward" sex selection" is _ | Henry III didn't know much about biology. He went through six wives back in the 1500s, looking for one whocould bear him a son. Scientists now know that it's the father's sperm, not the mother's egg, which determines whether a baby is a boy or a girl. And last week researchers at the Genetics and IVF Institute, a private fertility center in Virginia, announced a new technique that will allow parents to choose the sex of their baby-to-be, before it has even been conceived. The scientist used a tiny laser detector to measure the DNA in millions of sperm cells as they pass single file through a narrow tube, like cattle being herded through a corral. In a study published last week, "girl sperm," which has more DNA-the genetic material- in each cell, was collected, while "boy sperm" was discarded. And when purified girl sperm was used to impregnate a group of mothers, 15 of 17 resulting babies turned out to be girls.
The researchers say that "sex selection" can also double a mother's chance of having a son and can be usedto avoid genetic diseases that affect only one gender, such as hemophilia . But some experts, like New York University fertility specialist Dr. Jamie Grifo, worry that sex selection could lead to a kind ofin uteri discrimination, especially in cultures where sons are considered superior to daughters. "It's valuing one gender' over another," Grifo says. "I don't think that's something we should be doing." So far, patients at the institute have been asking for both boys and girls, in order to "balance" their families. And some ethics experts say that's fine, as long as parents are just looking for a little gender variety. "If you have three boys, and you want a girl," says University of Texas reproductive-law professor John Robertson, "that's not gender bias at all." | 807.txt | 2 |
[
"It is attributable to the rising value of the U.S. dollar.",
"It is a direct result of the global economic recession.",
"It reflects a shift of their interest in consumer goods.",
"It poses a potential threat to the retail business in the U.S."
] | What does the author say about the shrinking spending of international tourists in the U.S. | Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2% in November and December at stores open more than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather. "About 80% of our company's year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls in cold-weather goods," said chief executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.
However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer "voluntary separation" packages to 165 senior executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept which might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters, Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where it rang up "double-digit" increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled. That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend. | 2211.txt | 0 |
[
"They can be solved with better management.",
"They cannot be attributed to weather only.",
"They are not as serious in its online stores.",
"They call for increased investments."
] | What does Macy's believe about its problems? | Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2% in November and December at stores open more than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather. "About 80% of our company's year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls in cold-weather goods," said chief executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.
However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer "voluntary separation" packages to 165 senior executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept which might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters, Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where it rang up "double-digit" increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled. That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend. | 2211.txt | 1 |
[
"cut the salary of senior executives",
"relocate some of its chain stores",
"adjust its promotion strategies",
"reduce the size of its staff"
] | In order to cut costs, Macy's decided to _ . | Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2% in November and December at stores open more than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather. "About 80% of our company's year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls in cold-weather goods," said chief executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.
However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer "voluntary separation" packages to 165 senior executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept which might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters, Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where it rang up "double-digit" increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled. That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend. | 2211.txt | 3 |
[
"To experiment on its new business concept.",
"To focus more on beauty products than clothing.",
"To promote sales of its products by lowering prices.",
"To be more competitive in sales of beauty products."
] | Why does Macy's plan to expand Bluemercury in 2016? | Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2% in November and December at stores open more than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather. "About 80% of our company's year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls in cold-weather goods," said chief executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.
However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer "voluntary separation" packages to 165 senior executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept which might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters, Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where it rang up "double-digit" increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled. That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend. | 2211.txt | 3 |
[
"Sales dropped sharply in its physical stores.",
"Its retail sales exceeded those of T. J. Maxx.",
"It helped Bluemercury establish its position worldwide.",
"It filled its stores with abundant supply of merchandise."
] | What can we learn about Macy's during the holiday season? | Macy's reported its sales plunged 5.2% in November and December at stores open more than a year, a disappointing holiday season performance that capped a difficult year for a department store chain facing wide-ranging challenges. Its flagship stores in major U.S. cities depend heavily on international tourist spending, which shrank at many retailers due to a strong dollar. Meanwhile, Macy's has simply struggled to lure consumers who are more interested in spending on travel or dining out than on new clothes or accessories.
The company blamed much of the poor performance in November and December on unseasonably warm weather. "About 80% of our company's year-over-year declines in comparable sales can be attributed to shortfalls in cold-weather goods," said chief executive Teny Lundgren in a press release. This prompted the company to cut its forecasts for the full fourth quarter.
However, it's clear that Macy's believes its troubles run deeper than a temporary aberration off the thermometer. The retail giant said the poor financial performance this year has pushed it to begin implementing $400 million in cost-cutting measures. The company pledged to cut 600 back-office positions, though some 150 workers in those roles would be reassigned to other jobs. It also plans to offer "voluntary separation" packages to 165 senior executives. It will slash staffing at its fleet of 770 stores, a move affecting some 3,000 employees.
The retailer also announced the locations of 36 stores it will close in early 2016. The company had previously announced the planned closures, but had not said which locations would be affected. None of the chain's stores in the Washington metropolitan area are to be closed.
Macy's has been moving aggressively to try to remake itself for a new era of shopping. It has plans to open more locations of Macy's Backstage, a newly-developed off-price concept which might help it better compete with ambitious T. J. Maxx. It's also pushing ahead in 2016 with an expansion of Bluemercury, the beauty chain it bought last year. At a time when young beauty shoppers are often turning to Sephora or Ulta instead of department store beauty counters, Macy's hopes Bluemercury will help strengthen its position in the category.
One relative bright spot for Macy's during the holiday season was the online channel, where it rang up "double-digit" increases in sales and a 25% increase in the number of orders it filled. That relative strength would be consistent with what was seen in the wilder retail industry during the early part of the holiday season. While Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday all saw record spending online, in-store sales plunged over the holiday weekend. | 2211.txt | 0 |
[
"don't want it to die",
"hope it will grow quickly",
"don't want to have it as food",
"want to practice their fishing skills"
] | People sometimes set a fish free after catching it because they. | It is often necessary to release a fish，that is，set it free after catching，because it is too small，or you just don't want to take it home to eat.In some cases，releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size.The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries(DGIF)encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive to bite again another day.
-When catching a fish，play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.Don't use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.
-Hold the fish gently.Do not put your fingers in its eyes.Don't wipe the scales off the fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.
-Remove your hook quickly.If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach，cut the line and leave the hook in.The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.
-Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water.Release the fish when it begins to struggle and is able to swim.
-Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are going to release a fish，do so right away.
With a little care and by following the suggestions given above，you can give the released fish a better chance of survival. | 3436.txt | 2 |
[
"Taking the hook off it.",
"Removing its scales.",
"Touching its eyes.",
"Holding it in your hand."
] | Which of the following will probably make a fish ill? | It is often necessary to release a fish，that is，set it free after catching，because it is too small，or you just don't want to take it home to eat.In some cases，releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size.The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries(DGIF)encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive to bite again another day.
-When catching a fish，play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.Don't use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.
-Hold the fish gently.Do not put your fingers in its eyes.Don't wipe the scales off the fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.
-Remove your hook quickly.If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach，cut the line and leave the hook in.The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.
-Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water.Release the fish when it begins to struggle and is able to swim.
-Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are going to release a fish，do so right away.
With a little care and by following the suggestions given above，you can give the released fish a better chance of survival. | 3436.txt | 1 |
[
"move it in water till it can swim",
"take the hook out of its stomach",
"keep it in a bucket for some time",
"let it struggle a little in your hand"
] | A proper way to release a fish is to. | It is often necessary to release a fish，that is，set it free after catching，because it is too small，or you just don't want to take it home to eat.In some cases，releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size.The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries(DGIF)encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive to bite again another day.
-When catching a fish，play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.Don't use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.
-Hold the fish gently.Do not put your fingers in its eyes.Don't wipe the scales off the fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.
-Remove your hook quickly.If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach，cut the line and leave the hook in.The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.
-Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water.Release the fish when it begins to struggle and is able to swim.
-Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are going to release a fish，do so right away.
With a little care and by following the suggestions given above，you can give the released fish a better chance of survival. | 3436.txt | 0 |
[
"To show how to enjoy fishing.",
"To persuade people to fish less often.",
"To encourage people to set fish free.",
"To give advice on how to release fish."
] | What is the purpose of the text? | It is often necessary to release a fish，that is，set it free after catching，because it is too small，or you just don't want to take it home to eat.In some cases，releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size.The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries(DGIF)encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive to bite again another day.
-When catching a fish，play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.Don't use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.
-Hold the fish gently.Do not put your fingers in its eyes.Don't wipe the scales off the fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.
-Remove your hook quickly.If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach，cut the line and leave the hook in.The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.
-Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water.Release the fish when it begins to struggle and is able to swim.
-Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are going to release a fish，do so right away.
With a little care and by following the suggestions given above，you can give the released fish a better chance of survival. | 3436.txt | 3 |
[
"Applied-art objects",
"The laws of physics",
"Containers",
"The sides of pots"
] | The word they in the passage refers to | Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materials used to construct them-clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal-it was once common to think of crafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the "applied arts." Approaching crafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in its sides, it could hardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from the norm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a Shang Dynasty vase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but the incidental details that do not obstruct the object's primary function.
Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptor' aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze).
Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treat materials in new ways, the basic difference in attitude of artists in relation to their materials in the fine arts and the applied arts remains relatively constant. It would therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations of their materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials. | 1423.txt | 0 |
[
"They began using a material that made the statues weigh less",
"They found a way to strengthen the statues internally",
"The aesthetic tastes of the public had changed over time",
"The cannonballs added too much weight to the statues"
] | According to paragraph 2, sculptors in the Italian Renaissance stopped using cannonballs in bronze statues of horses because | Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materials used to construct them-clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal-it was once common to think of crafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the "applied arts." Approaching crafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in its sides, it could hardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from the norm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a Shang Dynasty vase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but the incidental details that do not obstruct the object's primary function.
Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptor' aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze).
Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treat materials in new ways, the basic difference in attitude of artists in relation to their materials in the fine arts and the applied arts remains relatively constant. It would therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations of their materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials. | 1423.txt | 1 |
[
"To provide an example of a problem related to the laws of physics that a fine artist must overcome",
"To argue that fine artists are unconcerned with the laws of physics",
"To contrast the relative sophistication of modern artists in solving problems related to the laws of physics",
"To note an exceptional piece of art constructed without the aid of technology"
] | Why does the author discuss the bronze statues of horses created by artists in the early Italian Renaissance? | Although we now tend to refer to the various crafts according to the materials used to construct them-clay, glass, wood, fiber, and metal-it was once common to think of crafts in terms of function, which led to their being known as the "applied arts." Approaching crafts from the point of view of function, we can divide them into simple categories: containers, shelters and supports. There is no way around the fact that containers, shelters, and supports must be functional. The applied arts are thus bound by the laws of physics, which pertain to both the materials used in their making and the substances and things to be contained, supported, and sheltered. These laws are universal in their application, regardless of cultural beliefs, geography, or climate. If a pot has no bottom or has large openings in its sides, it could hardly be considered a container in any traditional sense. Since the laws of physics, not some arbitrary decision, have determined the general form of applied-art objects, they follow basic patterns, so much so that functional forms can vary only within certain limits. Buildings without roofs, for example, are unusual because they depart from the norm. However, not all functional objects are exactly alike; that is why we recognize a Shang Dynasty vase as being different from an Inca vase. What varies is not the basic form but the incidental details that do not obstruct the object's primary function.
Sensitivity to physical laws is thus an important consideration for the maker of applied-art objects. It is often taken for granted that this is also true for the maker of fine-art objects. This assumption misses a significant difference between the two disciplines. Fine-art objects are not constrained by the laws of physics in the same way that applied-art objects are. Because their primary purpose is not functional, they are only limited in terms of the materials used to make them. Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptor' aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze).
Even though the fine arts in the twentieth century often treat materials in new ways, the basic difference in attitude of artists in relation to their materials in the fine arts and the applied arts remains relatively constant. It would therefore not be too great an exaggeration to say that practitioners of the fine arts work to overcome the limitations of their materials, whereas those engaged in the applied arts work in concert with their materials. | 1423.txt | 0 |
[
"how geography is taught in British schools",
"how Tilly Smith used her knowledge to save tourists from tsunami",
"why Tilly Smith was named \"Child of the Year 2005\"",
"the relationship between classroom knowledge and its practical use"
] | The purpose of the passage is to tell us _ . | Tilly Smith, an 11-year-old British girl, who was called "Angel of the Beach", saved 100 tourists from a Thai beach hit by a tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004 and had been named "Child of the Year 2005" by readers of a French children's newspaper.
Tilly Smith is a schoolgirl at Danes Hill School in Oxshott, Surrey, England. Back from Thailand she told her geography class how the sea slowly rose and started to foam, bubble, and form whirlpools before the big waves came.
"What Tilly Smith described as happening was exactly the same as I'd shown on a video of a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands in 1946," said Andrew F. Kearney, Tilly's geography teacher. "She saw the consequences of not acting when something strange happens." Kearney said topics for sixth-grade pupils include earthquakes and volcanoes.
"We covered tsunamis because they can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, or landslides," he added. "I've taught this particular course for at least 11 years."
Kearney uses audiovisual teaching aids such as interactive whiteboards to exploit geographic information online (his class often visits nationalgeographic.com). Tilly's class had looked up U.S. websites about tsunami's early warning systems.
"The teacher has a computer on the desk and can project different web pages onto the whiteboard," Kearney said. "It's helped make great strides in teaching geography, it really brings it into the classroom."
On December 26,2004, Tilly Smith, ten, saw "bubbles on the water and foam sizzling just like in a frying pan" while walking on Phuket Island beach with her family. Her mind kept going back to the geography lesson Mr. Kearney gave just two weeks before she flew out to Thailand on vacation. She recognized these as the warning signs of a tsunami.
She told her parents and alerted the staff of the Marriott Hotel, where they were staying. The beach was evacuated just minutes before the killer tsunami struck. It was one of the few on Phuket Island where no one was killed or seriously hut. | 982.txt | 1 |
[
"Practical.",
"Exciting.",
"Audiovisual.",
"Interactive."
] | Which of the following words can best describe geography teaching in Britain? | Tilly Smith, an 11-year-old British girl, who was called "Angel of the Beach", saved 100 tourists from a Thai beach hit by a tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004 and had been named "Child of the Year 2005" by readers of a French children's newspaper.
Tilly Smith is a schoolgirl at Danes Hill School in Oxshott, Surrey, England. Back from Thailand she told her geography class how the sea slowly rose and started to foam, bubble, and form whirlpools before the big waves came.
"What Tilly Smith described as happening was exactly the same as I'd shown on a video of a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands in 1946," said Andrew F. Kearney, Tilly's geography teacher. "She saw the consequences of not acting when something strange happens." Kearney said topics for sixth-grade pupils include earthquakes and volcanoes.
"We covered tsunamis because they can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, or landslides," he added. "I've taught this particular course for at least 11 years."
Kearney uses audiovisual teaching aids such as interactive whiteboards to exploit geographic information online (his class often visits nationalgeographic.com). Tilly's class had looked up U.S. websites about tsunami's early warning systems.
"The teacher has a computer on the desk and can project different web pages onto the whiteboard," Kearney said. "It's helped make great strides in teaching geography, it really brings it into the classroom."
On December 26,2004, Tilly Smith, ten, saw "bubbles on the water and foam sizzling just like in a frying pan" while walking on Phuket Island beach with her family. Her mind kept going back to the geography lesson Mr. Kearney gave just two weeks before she flew out to Thailand on vacation. She recognized these as the warning signs of a tsunami.
She told her parents and alerted the staff of the Marriott Hotel, where they were staying. The beach was evacuated just minutes before the killer tsunami struck. It was one of the few on Phuket Island where no one was killed or seriously hut. | 982.txt | 0 |
[
"Tilly Smith's parents and the hotel staff had no knowledge of tsunamis.",
"No other beaches on Phuket Island were evacuated before the tsunami struck.",
"The warning signs of the tsunami were the same as Tilly Smith had learned.",
"Tilly Smith and her family had not left the hotel room before the tsunami struck."
] | What can we learn from the last two paragraphs? | Tilly Smith, an 11-year-old British girl, who was called "Angel of the Beach", saved 100 tourists from a Thai beach hit by a tsunami on Dec. 26, 2004 and had been named "Child of the Year 2005" by readers of a French children's newspaper.
Tilly Smith is a schoolgirl at Danes Hill School in Oxshott, Surrey, England. Back from Thailand she told her geography class how the sea slowly rose and started to foam, bubble, and form whirlpools before the big waves came.
"What Tilly Smith described as happening was exactly the same as I'd shown on a video of a tsunami that hit the Hawaiian Islands in 1946," said Andrew F. Kearney, Tilly's geography teacher. "She saw the consequences of not acting when something strange happens." Kearney said topics for sixth-grade pupils include earthquakes and volcanoes.
"We covered tsunamis because they can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, or landslides," he added. "I've taught this particular course for at least 11 years."
Kearney uses audiovisual teaching aids such as interactive whiteboards to exploit geographic information online (his class often visits nationalgeographic.com). Tilly's class had looked up U.S. websites about tsunami's early warning systems.
"The teacher has a computer on the desk and can project different web pages onto the whiteboard," Kearney said. "It's helped make great strides in teaching geography, it really brings it into the classroom."
On December 26,2004, Tilly Smith, ten, saw "bubbles on the water and foam sizzling just like in a frying pan" while walking on Phuket Island beach with her family. Her mind kept going back to the geography lesson Mr. Kearney gave just two weeks before she flew out to Thailand on vacation. She recognized these as the warning signs of a tsunami.
She told her parents and alerted the staff of the Marriott Hotel, where they were staying. The beach was evacuated just minutes before the killer tsunami struck. It was one of the few on Phuket Island where no one was killed or seriously hut. | 982.txt | 2 |
[
"a person's property or debts do not matter much",
"a person's outward appearance is not a critical qualification",
"women should always dress fashionably",
"women should not only be attractive but also high minded"
] | According to the passage, people often wrongly believe that in pursuing a career as a manager ________. | A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin deep. One's physical assets and liabilities don't count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not so beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group-college students, or teachers or corporate personnel mangers-a piece of paper relating an individual's accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive. | 3091.txt | 1 |
[
"people do not realize the importance of looking one's best",
"women in pursuit of managerial jobs are not likely to be paid well",
"good looking women aspire to managerial positions",
"attractive people generally have an advantage over those who are not"
] | The result of research carried out by social scientists show that ________. | A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin deep. One's physical assets and liabilities don't count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not so beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group-college students, or teachers or corporate personnel mangers-a piece of paper relating an individual's accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive. | 3091.txt | 3 |
[
"they observe the principle that beauty is only skin deep",
"they do not usually act according to the views they support",
"they give ordinary looking persons the lowest ratings",
"they tend to base their judgment on the individual's accomplishments"
] | Experiments by scientists have shown that when people evaluate individuals on certain attributes ________. | A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin deep. One's physical assets and liabilities don't count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not so beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group-college students, or teachers or corporate personnel mangers-a piece of paper relating an individual's accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive. | 3091.txt | 1 |
[
"attractive women have tremendous potential impact on public jobs",
"good looking women always get the best of everything",
"being attractive is not always an advantage for women",
"attractive women do not do as well as unattractive women in managerial positions"
] | "Good looks cut both ways for women" (Line 1, Para. 5) means that ________. | A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin deep. One's physical assets and liabilities don't count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not so beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group-college students, or teachers or corporate personnel mangers-a piece of paper relating an individual's accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive. | 3091.txt | 2 |
[
"handsome men are not affected as much by their looks as attractive women are",
"physically attractive women who are in the public eye usually do quite well",
"physically attractive men and women who are in the public eye usually get along quite well",
"good looks are important for women as they are for men"
] | It can be inferred from the passage that in the business world ________. | A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin deep. One's physical assets and liabilities don't count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best.
Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not so beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted.
Un American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable? Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group-college students, or teachers or corporate personnel mangers-a piece of paper relating an individual's accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted.
Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Sappho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good.
In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making it easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive. | 3091.txt | 0 |
[
"The Railroad Industry",
"Famous Inventors",
"Changing Iron into Steel",
"Steel Manufacturing Centers"
] | The best title for the passage is _ . | The railroad industry could not have grown as large as it did without steel. The first rails were made of iron. But iron rails were not strong enough to support heavy trains running at high speed. Railroad officials wanted to replace them with steel rails because steel was ten or fifteen times stronger and lasted twenty times longer. Before the 1870‘s, however, steel was too expensive to be widely used. It was made by a slow and expensive process of heating, stirring, and reheating iron ore.
Then the inventor Henry Bessemer discovered that directing a blast of air at melted iron in a furnace would burn out the impuritiesthat made the iron brittle.As the air shot through the furnace, the bubbling metal would eruptin showers of sparks. When the fire cooled, the metal had been changed, or converted, to steel. The Bessemer converter made possible the mass production of steel. Now three to five tons of iron could be changed into steel in a matter of minutes.
Just when the demand for more and more steel developed, prospectors discovered huge new deposits of iron ore in the Mesabi Range, a 120-mile-long region in Minnesota near Lake Superior. The Mesabi deposits were so near the surface that they could be mined with steam shovels.
Barges and steamers carried the iron ore through Lake Superior to deposits on the southern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. With dizzying speed Gary, Indiana and Toledo, Youngstown, and Cleveland, Ohio, became major steel manufacturing centers. Pittsburgh was the greatest steel city of all. | 2542.txt | 2 |
[
"It directed air at melted iron in a furnace, removing all impurities.",
"It slowly heated iron ore, then stirred it and heated it again.",
"It changed iron ore into iron, which was a substitute for steel.",
"It could be quickly found deposits of iron ore under the ground."
] | According to the passage, how did the Bessemer method make the mass production of steel possible? | The railroad industry could not have grown as large as it did without steel. The first rails were made of iron. But iron rails were not strong enough to support heavy trains running at high speed. Railroad officials wanted to replace them with steel rails because steel was ten or fifteen times stronger and lasted twenty times longer. Before the 1870‘s, however, steel was too expensive to be widely used. It was made by a slow and expensive process of heating, stirring, and reheating iron ore.
Then the inventor Henry Bessemer discovered that directing a blast of air at melted iron in a furnace would burn out the impuritiesthat made the iron brittle.As the air shot through the furnace, the bubbling metal would eruptin showers of sparks. When the fire cooled, the metal had been changed, or converted, to steel. The Bessemer converter made possible the mass production of steel. Now three to five tons of iron could be changed into steel in a matter of minutes.
Just when the demand for more and more steel developed, prospectors discovered huge new deposits of iron ore in the Mesabi Range, a 120-mile-long region in Minnesota near Lake Superior. The Mesabi deposits were so near the surface that they could be mined with steam shovels.
Barges and steamers carried the iron ore through Lake Superior to deposits on the southern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. With dizzying speed Gary, Indiana and Toledo, Youngstown, and Cleveland, Ohio, became major steel manufacturing centers. Pittsburgh was the greatest steel city of all. | 2542.txt | 0 |
[
"heater",
"steamer",
"converter",
"shower"
] | The furnace that Bessemer used to process iron into steel was called a _ . | The railroad industry could not have grown as large as it did without steel. The first rails were made of iron. But iron rails were not strong enough to support heavy trains running at high speed. Railroad officials wanted to replace them with steel rails because steel was ten or fifteen times stronger and lasted twenty times longer. Before the 1870‘s, however, steel was too expensive to be widely used. It was made by a slow and expensive process of heating, stirring, and reheating iron ore.
Then the inventor Henry Bessemer discovered that directing a blast of air at melted iron in a furnace would burn out the impuritiesthat made the iron brittle.As the air shot through the furnace, the bubbling metal would eruptin showers of sparks. When the fire cooled, the metal had been changed, or converted, to steel. The Bessemer converter made possible the mass production of steel. Now three to five tons of iron could be changed into steel in a matter of minutes.
Just when the demand for more and more steel developed, prospectors discovered huge new deposits of iron ore in the Mesabi Range, a 120-mile-long region in Minnesota near Lake Superior. The Mesabi deposits were so near the surface that they could be mined with steam shovels.
Barges and steamers carried the iron ore through Lake Superior to deposits on the southern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. With dizzying speed Gary, Indiana and Toledo, Youngstown, and Cleveland, Ohio, became major steel manufacturing centers. Pittsburgh was the greatest steel city of all. | 2542.txt | 2 |
[
"a decline in the railroad industry",
"a revolution in the industrial world",
"an increase in the price of steel",
"a feeling of discontent among steel workers"
] | It can be inferred from the passage that the mass production of steel caused _ . | The railroad industry could not have grown as large as it did without steel. The first rails were made of iron. But iron rails were not strong enough to support heavy trains running at high speed. Railroad officials wanted to replace them with steel rails because steel was ten or fifteen times stronger and lasted twenty times longer. Before the 1870‘s, however, steel was too expensive to be widely used. It was made by a slow and expensive process of heating, stirring, and reheating iron ore.
Then the inventor Henry Bessemer discovered that directing a blast of air at melted iron in a furnace would burn out the impuritiesthat made the iron brittle.As the air shot through the furnace, the bubbling metal would eruptin showers of sparks. When the fire cooled, the metal had been changed, or converted, to steel. The Bessemer converter made possible the mass production of steel. Now three to five tons of iron could be changed into steel in a matter of minutes.
Just when the demand for more and more steel developed, prospectors discovered huge new deposits of iron ore in the Mesabi Range, a 120-mile-long region in Minnesota near Lake Superior. The Mesabi deposits were so near the surface that they could be mined with steam shovels.
Barges and steamers carried the iron ore through Lake Superior to deposits on the southern shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie. With dizzying speed Gary, Indiana and Toledo, Youngstown, and Cleveland, Ohio, became major steel manufacturing centers. Pittsburgh was the greatest steel city of all. | 2542.txt | 1 |
[
"a text book",
"a local newspaper",
"a science magazine",
"a handbook"
] | This passage may probably appear in_ . | The Student Health Center sponsored a stop-smoking rally on the West Mall Wednesday to kick off (…… ) the American Cancer Society's 11th annual Great American Smokeout.
UT football players Darron Norries, Eric Metcalf, Stan Thomas, Gerard Senegal and Jeff Locke participated in the rally and agreed to give up all tobacco for 24 hours.
Former professional and UT football players Earl Campbell and Bill Bradley also pledged to give up tobacco for 24 hours.
" We try to get as many people as possible involved in this," Said Danny Ingram, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
Lisa Kessler, a health center nutrition educator, said smokers who agree to give up cigarettes from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday can register for a drawing on Friday.
Prizes include free exercise classes, a free lunch and a one-year membership at a health club, Kessler said.
"It gives someone trying to quit an extra incentive," she said.
From 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. Health Center volunteers will be passing out smoker "survival kits," to help smokers get through the day without smoking, Kessler said.
The kits will consist of apples and sugarless candy and gum, and will be available at tables on the West Mall and on the patio next to the Jesse H. Jones Communications Center. The American Cancer Society has organized a series of off campus events to promote the smoke-out, Ingram said. More than 50 state agencies and Austin-area business have agreed to help their employees quit smoking, he said.
Mary Pearl Williams, 53rd district judge, adopted three members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds rock group at a kickoff rally Wednesday at Claudia Taylor Johnson Plaza, 601 Colorado St.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Fran Christina vowed to do without cigarettes for 24 hours beginning midnight Wednesday.
The band's manager, Mark Proct, said the society asked the group to participate in the smoke-out while it was on tour last summer. | 1461.txt | 1 |
[
"to urge students to quit smoking",
"to urge district judges to quit smoking",
"to urge all employees in the Austin area to give up smoking",
"to urge all smokers to quit smoking"
] | The main purpose of writing this article is_ . | The Student Health Center sponsored a stop-smoking rally on the West Mall Wednesday to kick off (…… ) the American Cancer Society's 11th annual Great American Smokeout.
UT football players Darron Norries, Eric Metcalf, Stan Thomas, Gerard Senegal and Jeff Locke participated in the rally and agreed to give up all tobacco for 24 hours.
Former professional and UT football players Earl Campbell and Bill Bradley also pledged to give up tobacco for 24 hours.
" We try to get as many people as possible involved in this," Said Danny Ingram, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
Lisa Kessler, a health center nutrition educator, said smokers who agree to give up cigarettes from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday can register for a drawing on Friday.
Prizes include free exercise classes, a free lunch and a one-year membership at a health club, Kessler said.
"It gives someone trying to quit an extra incentive," she said.
From 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. Health Center volunteers will be passing out smoker "survival kits," to help smokers get through the day without smoking, Kessler said.
The kits will consist of apples and sugarless candy and gum, and will be available at tables on the West Mall and on the patio next to the Jesse H. Jones Communications Center. The American Cancer Society has organized a series of off campus events to promote the smoke-out, Ingram said. More than 50 state agencies and Austin-area business have agreed to help their employees quit smoking, he said.
Mary Pearl Williams, 53rd district judge, adopted three members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds rock group at a kickoff rally Wednesday at Claudia Taylor Johnson Plaza, 601 Colorado St.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Fran Christina vowed to do without cigarettes for 24 hours beginning midnight Wednesday.
The band's manager, Mark Proct, said the society asked the group to participate in the smoke-out while it was on tour last summer. | 1461.txt | 3 |
[
"The clothes and other articles needed by smokers",
"A group of young smokers.",
"First-aid boxes to quit smoking.",
"Various substitute foods provided for smokers while they are giving up cigarettes."
] | What does the word "kits" in Para. 8 mean? | The Student Health Center sponsored a stop-smoking rally on the West Mall Wednesday to kick off (…… ) the American Cancer Society's 11th annual Great American Smokeout.
UT football players Darron Norries, Eric Metcalf, Stan Thomas, Gerard Senegal and Jeff Locke participated in the rally and agreed to give up all tobacco for 24 hours.
Former professional and UT football players Earl Campbell and Bill Bradley also pledged to give up tobacco for 24 hours.
" We try to get as many people as possible involved in this," Said Danny Ingram, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
Lisa Kessler, a health center nutrition educator, said smokers who agree to give up cigarettes from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday can register for a drawing on Friday.
Prizes include free exercise classes, a free lunch and a one-year membership at a health club, Kessler said.
"It gives someone trying to quit an extra incentive," she said.
From 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. Health Center volunteers will be passing out smoker "survival kits," to help smokers get through the day without smoking, Kessler said.
The kits will consist of apples and sugarless candy and gum, and will be available at tables on the West Mall and on the patio next to the Jesse H. Jones Communications Center. The American Cancer Society has organized a series of off campus events to promote the smoke-out, Ingram said. More than 50 state agencies and Austin-area business have agreed to help their employees quit smoking, he said.
Mary Pearl Williams, 53rd district judge, adopted three members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds rock group at a kickoff rally Wednesday at Claudia Taylor Johnson Plaza, 601 Colorado St.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Fran Christina vowed to do without cigarettes for 24 hours beginning midnight Wednesday.
The band's manager, Mark Proct, said the society asked the group to participate in the smoke-out while it was on tour last summer. | 1461.txt | 3 |
[
"have a free lunch",
"get a one year membership at a health club",
"have free exercise classes",
"all of the above"
] | Those who agree to give up all tobacco for 24 hours can_ .. | The Student Health Center sponsored a stop-smoking rally on the West Mall Wednesday to kick off (…… ) the American Cancer Society's 11th annual Great American Smokeout.
UT football players Darron Norries, Eric Metcalf, Stan Thomas, Gerard Senegal and Jeff Locke participated in the rally and agreed to give up all tobacco for 24 hours.
Former professional and UT football players Earl Campbell and Bill Bradley also pledged to give up tobacco for 24 hours.
" We try to get as many people as possible involved in this," Said Danny Ingram, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
Lisa Kessler, a health center nutrition educator, said smokers who agree to give up cigarettes from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday can register for a drawing on Friday.
Prizes include free exercise classes, a free lunch and a one-year membership at a health club, Kessler said.
"It gives someone trying to quit an extra incentive," she said.
From 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. Health Center volunteers will be passing out smoker "survival kits," to help smokers get through the day without smoking, Kessler said.
The kits will consist of apples and sugarless candy and gum, and will be available at tables on the West Mall and on the patio next to the Jesse H. Jones Communications Center. The American Cancer Society has organized a series of off campus events to promote the smoke-out, Ingram said. More than 50 state agencies and Austin-area business have agreed to help their employees quit smoking, he said.
Mary Pearl Williams, 53rd district judge, adopted three members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds rock group at a kickoff rally Wednesday at Claudia Taylor Johnson Plaza, 601 Colorado St.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Fran Christina vowed to do without cigarettes for 24 hours beginning midnight Wednesday.
The band's manager, Mark Proct, said the society asked the group to participate in the smoke-out while it was on tour last summer. | 1461.txt | 3 |
[
"The Student Health Center.",
"The American Cancer Society.",
"50 state agencies and Austin-area businesses.",
"The district judge."
] | Who asked the Fabulous Thunderbirds rock group to participate in the smoke-out? | The Student Health Center sponsored a stop-smoking rally on the West Mall Wednesday to kick off (…… ) the American Cancer Society's 11th annual Great American Smokeout.
UT football players Darron Norries, Eric Metcalf, Stan Thomas, Gerard Senegal and Jeff Locke participated in the rally and agreed to give up all tobacco for 24 hours.
Former professional and UT football players Earl Campbell and Bill Bradley also pledged to give up tobacco for 24 hours.
" We try to get as many people as possible involved in this," Said Danny Ingram, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society.
Lisa Kessler, a health center nutrition educator, said smokers who agree to give up cigarettes from midnight Wednesday to midnight Thursday can register for a drawing on Friday.
Prizes include free exercise classes, a free lunch and a one-year membership at a health club, Kessler said.
"It gives someone trying to quit an extra incentive," she said.
From 11 a. m. to 4 p. m. Health Center volunteers will be passing out smoker "survival kits," to help smokers get through the day without smoking, Kessler said.
The kits will consist of apples and sugarless candy and gum, and will be available at tables on the West Mall and on the patio next to the Jesse H. Jones Communications Center. The American Cancer Society has organized a series of off campus events to promote the smoke-out, Ingram said. More than 50 state agencies and Austin-area business have agreed to help their employees quit smoking, he said.
Mary Pearl Williams, 53rd district judge, adopted three members of the Fabulous Thunderbirds rock group at a kickoff rally Wednesday at Claudia Taylor Johnson Plaza, 601 Colorado St.
Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, bassist Preston Hubbard and drummer Fran Christina vowed to do without cigarettes for 24 hours beginning midnight Wednesday.
The band's manager, Mark Proct, said the society asked the group to participate in the smoke-out while it was on tour last summer. | 1461.txt | 1 |
[
"What it intends to reveal is contrary to the reality.",
"It has received good comments from audience.",
"It aims to criticize the poor pension provision in the UK.",
"It reflects the current phenomenon of retirees coming back to work."
] | Which of the following can be inferred from the BBC documentary The Town That Never Retired? | A recent BBC documentary, The Town That Never Retired, sought to show the effects of increasing the state pension age by putting retirees back to work.
Although the results were entertaining, they need not have bothered. Away from the cameras, unprecedented numbers of older people are staying in work .Since the start of the recession that began in 2008, the number of 16-to 24-year-olds in work has fallen by 597,000. Over the same period the number of workers over the age of 65 has increased by 240 o000.
The graying of the British workforce dates back to around 2001, since when the proportion of older people working has nearly doubled. But it has accelerated since the start of the recession. There are several reasons why. Happily, people are living longer and healthier lives, which makes staying in work less daunting than it was. Less happily, low interest rates, a stagnant stock market and the end of many defined-benefit pension schemes make it a financial necessity. And changing attitudes ,spurred by rules against age discrimination, are making it easier than ever.
Most older workers are simply hanging on at the office: 63% of workers over state pension age have been with their employer for more than ten years. Over two-thirds of them work part-time, mostly doing jobs that they once performed full-time. A big advantage is that they do not pay national insurance contributions effectively a second income tax on younger workers.
According to Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce, this flexibility explains why older workers have not suffered so much in the slump. Instead of slashing the workforce, as in previous recessions, many firms have halted recruitment and cut working hours. At small businesses in particular, keeping on older workers is cheaper and less risky than training replacements. Over half of workers over state pension age work for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Christopher Nipper, who owns David Nipper, a womens wear manufacturer based in Derbyshire, prizes his semi-retired workers, who can be employed at short notice and do not need to work full-time to survive. Retired machinists can fill in if there is a surge in orders; former sales advisers can work as part-time consultants. As his competitors have moved production abroad, depleting the pool of trained labour,retaining older workers and their skills has become even more important.
There is scope for the older workforce to expand. Workers over the age of 50 who are made unemployed find it harder to pick up new jobs, which could mean that more oldsters want to work than are able to. That would be good. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, reported on July 12th that an ageing, unproductive population is the biggest long-term threat to Britain's economic health.
Data from the OECD, a think-tank, shows that employment rates among workers approaching retirement age are split in Europe, with old workers hanging on best in the north. Government credit ratings follow a similar pattern. That Britain's ageing workforce more closely resembles Germany's than Italy's could prove the country's salvation. | 895.txt | 0 |
[
"age discrimination",
"the changing attitude",
"a financial necessity",
"staying in work after retiring"
] | According to the passage, "it" ( Line 6, Para. 2 ) refers to _ . | A recent BBC documentary, The Town That Never Retired, sought to show the effects of increasing the state pension age by putting retirees back to work.
Although the results were entertaining, they need not have bothered. Away from the cameras, unprecedented numbers of older people are staying in work .Since the start of the recession that began in 2008, the number of 16-to 24-year-olds in work has fallen by 597,000. Over the same period the number of workers over the age of 65 has increased by 240 o000.
The graying of the British workforce dates back to around 2001, since when the proportion of older people working has nearly doubled. But it has accelerated since the start of the recession. There are several reasons why. Happily, people are living longer and healthier lives, which makes staying in work less daunting than it was. Less happily, low interest rates, a stagnant stock market and the end of many defined-benefit pension schemes make it a financial necessity. And changing attitudes ,spurred by rules against age discrimination, are making it easier than ever.
Most older workers are simply hanging on at the office: 63% of workers over state pension age have been with their employer for more than ten years. Over two-thirds of them work part-time, mostly doing jobs that they once performed full-time. A big advantage is that they do not pay national insurance contributions effectively a second income tax on younger workers.
According to Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce, this flexibility explains why older workers have not suffered so much in the slump. Instead of slashing the workforce, as in previous recessions, many firms have halted recruitment and cut working hours. At small businesses in particular, keeping on older workers is cheaper and less risky than training replacements. Over half of workers over state pension age work for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Christopher Nipper, who owns David Nipper, a womens wear manufacturer based in Derbyshire, prizes his semi-retired workers, who can be employed at short notice and do not need to work full-time to survive. Retired machinists can fill in if there is a surge in orders; former sales advisers can work as part-time consultants. As his competitors have moved production abroad, depleting the pool of trained labour,retaining older workers and their skills has become even more important.
There is scope for the older workforce to expand. Workers over the age of 50 who are made unemployed find it harder to pick up new jobs, which could mean that more oldsters want to work than are able to. That would be good. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, reported on July 12th that an ageing, unproductive population is the biggest long-term threat to Britain's economic health.
Data from the OECD, a think-tank, shows that employment rates among workers approaching retirement age are split in Europe, with old workers hanging on best in the north. Government credit ratings follow a similar pattern. That Britain's ageing workforce more closely resembles Germany's than Italy's could prove the country's salvation. | 895.txt | 3 |
[
"Most of them are loyal to their former employers.",
"Most of them rarely challenge themselves by seeking new types of jobs.",
"They do not have to pay national income tax.",
"63% of them continue to work over the retirement age."
] | According to Paragraph 3, which of the following is TRUE about the older workers in the UK? | A recent BBC documentary, The Town That Never Retired, sought to show the effects of increasing the state pension age by putting retirees back to work.
Although the results were entertaining, they need not have bothered. Away from the cameras, unprecedented numbers of older people are staying in work .Since the start of the recession that began in 2008, the number of 16-to 24-year-olds in work has fallen by 597,000. Over the same period the number of workers over the age of 65 has increased by 240 o000.
The graying of the British workforce dates back to around 2001, since when the proportion of older people working has nearly doubled. But it has accelerated since the start of the recession. There are several reasons why. Happily, people are living longer and healthier lives, which makes staying in work less daunting than it was. Less happily, low interest rates, a stagnant stock market and the end of many defined-benefit pension schemes make it a financial necessity. And changing attitudes ,spurred by rules against age discrimination, are making it easier than ever.
Most older workers are simply hanging on at the office: 63% of workers over state pension age have been with their employer for more than ten years. Over two-thirds of them work part-time, mostly doing jobs that they once performed full-time. A big advantage is that they do not pay national insurance contributions effectively a second income tax on younger workers.
According to Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce, this flexibility explains why older workers have not suffered so much in the slump. Instead of slashing the workforce, as in previous recessions, many firms have halted recruitment and cut working hours. At small businesses in particular, keeping on older workers is cheaper and less risky than training replacements. Over half of workers over state pension age work for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Christopher Nipper, who owns David Nipper, a womens wear manufacturer based in Derbyshire, prizes his semi-retired workers, who can be employed at short notice and do not need to work full-time to survive. Retired machinists can fill in if there is a surge in orders; former sales advisers can work as part-time consultants. As his competitors have moved production abroad, depleting the pool of trained labour,retaining older workers and their skills has become even more important.
There is scope for the older workforce to expand. Workers over the age of 50 who are made unemployed find it harder to pick up new jobs, which could mean that more oldsters want to work than are able to. That would be good. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, reported on July 12th that an ageing, unproductive population is the biggest long-term threat to Britain's economic health.
Data from the OECD, a think-tank, shows that employment rates among workers approaching retirement age are split in Europe, with old workers hanging on best in the north. Government credit ratings follow a similar pattern. That Britain's ageing workforce more closely resembles Germany's than Italy's could prove the country's salvation. | 895.txt | 1 |
[
"Because they can fill in the job vacancy in a brief time.",
"Because the pool of labour in the UK is drained.",
"Because they work harder than the yoking because of economic pressure.",
"Because their working hours can be as flexible as they want."
] | According to Christopher Nieper, why are semi-retired workers favored in hiring? | A recent BBC documentary, The Town That Never Retired, sought to show the effects of increasing the state pension age by putting retirees back to work.
Although the results were entertaining, they need not have bothered. Away from the cameras, unprecedented numbers of older people are staying in work .Since the start of the recession that began in 2008, the number of 16-to 24-year-olds in work has fallen by 597,000. Over the same period the number of workers over the age of 65 has increased by 240 o000.
The graying of the British workforce dates back to around 2001, since when the proportion of older people working has nearly doubled. But it has accelerated since the start of the recession. There are several reasons why. Happily, people are living longer and healthier lives, which makes staying in work less daunting than it was. Less happily, low interest rates, a stagnant stock market and the end of many defined-benefit pension schemes make it a financial necessity. And changing attitudes ,spurred by rules against age discrimination, are making it easier than ever.
Most older workers are simply hanging on at the office: 63% of workers over state pension age have been with their employer for more than ten years. Over two-thirds of them work part-time, mostly doing jobs that they once performed full-time. A big advantage is that they do not pay national insurance contributions effectively a second income tax on younger workers.
According to Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce, this flexibility explains why older workers have not suffered so much in the slump. Instead of slashing the workforce, as in previous recessions, many firms have halted recruitment and cut working hours. At small businesses in particular, keeping on older workers is cheaper and less risky than training replacements. Over half of workers over state pension age work for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Christopher Nipper, who owns David Nipper, a womens wear manufacturer based in Derbyshire, prizes his semi-retired workers, who can be employed at short notice and do not need to work full-time to survive. Retired machinists can fill in if there is a surge in orders; former sales advisers can work as part-time consultants. As his competitors have moved production abroad, depleting the pool of trained labour,retaining older workers and their skills has become even more important.
There is scope for the older workforce to expand. Workers over the age of 50 who are made unemployed find it harder to pick up new jobs, which could mean that more oldsters want to work than are able to. That would be good. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, reported on July 12th that an ageing, unproductive population is the biggest long-term threat to Britain's economic health.
Data from the OECD, a think-tank, shows that employment rates among workers approaching retirement age are split in Europe, with old workers hanging on best in the north. Government credit ratings follow a similar pattern. That Britain's ageing workforce more closely resembles Germany's than Italy's could prove the country's salvation. | 895.txt | 0 |
[
"Britain's ageing workforce is similar to Italy's",
"Britain's credit ratings are higher than Italy's",
"Britain's salvation is better than Germany's",
"Britain's employment rates of ageing workforce are higher than Germany's"
] | It can be concluded from the last paragraph that _ . | A recent BBC documentary, The Town That Never Retired, sought to show the effects of increasing the state pension age by putting retirees back to work.
Although the results were entertaining, they need not have bothered. Away from the cameras, unprecedented numbers of older people are staying in work .Since the start of the recession that began in 2008, the number of 16-to 24-year-olds in work has fallen by 597,000. Over the same period the number of workers over the age of 65 has increased by 240 o000.
The graying of the British workforce dates back to around 2001, since when the proportion of older people working has nearly doubled. But it has accelerated since the start of the recession. There are several reasons why. Happily, people are living longer and healthier lives, which makes staying in work less daunting than it was. Less happily, low interest rates, a stagnant stock market and the end of many defined-benefit pension schemes make it a financial necessity. And changing attitudes ,spurred by rules against age discrimination, are making it easier than ever.
Most older workers are simply hanging on at the office: 63% of workers over state pension age have been with their employer for more than ten years. Over two-thirds of them work part-time, mostly doing jobs that they once performed full-time. A big advantage is that they do not pay national insurance contributions effectively a second income tax on younger workers.
According to Stephen McNair, director of the Centre for Research into the Older Workforce, this flexibility explains why older workers have not suffered so much in the slump. Instead of slashing the workforce, as in previous recessions, many firms have halted recruitment and cut working hours. At small businesses in particular, keeping on older workers is cheaper and less risky than training replacements. Over half of workers over state pension age work for businesses with fewer than 25 employees.
Christopher Nipper, who owns David Nipper, a womens wear manufacturer based in Derbyshire, prizes his semi-retired workers, who can be employed at short notice and do not need to work full-time to survive. Retired machinists can fill in if there is a surge in orders; former sales advisers can work as part-time consultants. As his competitors have moved production abroad, depleting the pool of trained labour,retaining older workers and their skills has become even more important.
There is scope for the older workforce to expand. Workers over the age of 50 who are made unemployed find it harder to pick up new jobs, which could mean that more oldsters want to work than are able to. That would be good. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, reported on July 12th that an ageing, unproductive population is the biggest long-term threat to Britain's economic health.
Data from the OECD, a think-tank, shows that employment rates among workers approaching retirement age are split in Europe, with old workers hanging on best in the north. Government credit ratings follow a similar pattern. That Britain's ageing workforce more closely resembles Germany's than Italy's could prove the country's salvation. | 895.txt | 1 |
[
"The American one and the Canadian one are the same",
"The American one is usually lower than the Canadian one.",
"The two prices reflect the continuing appreciation of the Canadian currency.",
"They are fluctuating with the exchange rate."
] | About the two prices printed on the covers of American books, which one of the following statements is TRUE? | Chris Smith, co-owner of a small bookshop in, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books. But when Mr Smith asked a few regulars, he was shocked to find that they were going online to buy American books from retailers south of the border. In an effort to keep his existing trade, he now uses the much lower American figure as the Canadian price, even though this means selling American books at a loss.
At least this has moved Mr Smith safely to the sidelines as angry Canadians rebel against paying higher prices for American goods now that the loonie has met and surpassed the value of the greenback. The Canadian dollar has been rising steadily against the American dollar since 2002, when it hit a historic low of about $0.62. But this year it has soared by almost 25%, owing to a combination of the American currency's weakness and the high prices of Canadian exports such as oil, gas and metals. Consumer grumbling became a roar when the gap between the two dollars closed in late September, making it easy for shoppers north of the border to see how much more they were paying.
Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. Many went. But cross-border shopping is easier in theory than it is in practice. Canada has stringent limits on the amount shoppers can bring home without paying sales taxes and other duties. Headlights and bumpers on some American cars must be modified for use in Canada. And some firms refuse to honour warranties on imported goods. All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy. Canada Post, the state-owned postal service, has had to add extra shifts at its international mail-sorting centres as a result.
The government hopes that the reduction in January of the national goods and services tax from 6% to 5% will help, and Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has called upon retailers to speed up price reductions. David Dodge, the central bank governor, was more nuanced in his comments, urging Canadians to shop around for the best deal, but also pointing out that prices will never be exactly the same on both sides of the border because there is less competition in Canada. State-owned liquor boards in many provinces, for example, have monopolies. When it comes to passing on currency savings, liquor boards are the worst offenders.
Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.
Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints. | 3560.txt | 3 |
[
"make better deals than buying expensive imported products.",
"make their purchases without paying too much tax.",
"buy cheaper American goods.",
"bargain with the government for cross-boarder shopping."
] | As reported by the newspapers, thousands of Canadian steaming south in order to _ | Chris Smith, co-owner of a small bookshop in, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books. But when Mr Smith asked a few regulars, he was shocked to find that they were going online to buy American books from retailers south of the border. In an effort to keep his existing trade, he now uses the much lower American figure as the Canadian price, even though this means selling American books at a loss.
At least this has moved Mr Smith safely to the sidelines as angry Canadians rebel against paying higher prices for American goods now that the loonie has met and surpassed the value of the greenback. The Canadian dollar has been rising steadily against the American dollar since 2002, when it hit a historic low of about $0.62. But this year it has soared by almost 25%, owing to a combination of the American currency's weakness and the high prices of Canadian exports such as oil, gas and metals. Consumer grumbling became a roar when the gap between the two dollars closed in late September, making it easy for shoppers north of the border to see how much more they were paying.
Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. Many went. But cross-border shopping is easier in theory than it is in practice. Canada has stringent limits on the amount shoppers can bring home without paying sales taxes and other duties. Headlights and bumpers on some American cars must be modified for use in Canada. And some firms refuse to honour warranties on imported goods. All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy. Canada Post, the state-owned postal service, has had to add extra shifts at its international mail-sorting centres as a result.
The government hopes that the reduction in January of the national goods and services tax from 6% to 5% will help, and Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has called upon retailers to speed up price reductions. David Dodge, the central bank governor, was more nuanced in his comments, urging Canadians to shop around for the best deal, but also pointing out that prices will never be exactly the same on both sides of the border because there is less competition in Canada. State-owned liquor boards in many provinces, for example, have monopolies. When it comes to passing on currency savings, liquor boards are the worst offenders.
Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.
Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints. | 3560.txt | 2 |
[
"The government has strict limits on the amount of shoppers who can shop across boarder without paying extra taxes.",
"The standards of some goods are different in two countries.",
"The goods bought across boarder are not guaranteed sometimes.",
"Canada has established some regulations on cross-border shopping."
] | Cross-border shopping is easier in theory than in practice due to the following reasons except _ | Chris Smith, co-owner of a small bookshop in, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books. But when Mr Smith asked a few regulars, he was shocked to find that they were going online to buy American books from retailers south of the border. In an effort to keep his existing trade, he now uses the much lower American figure as the Canadian price, even though this means selling American books at a loss.
At least this has moved Mr Smith safely to the sidelines as angry Canadians rebel against paying higher prices for American goods now that the loonie has met and surpassed the value of the greenback. The Canadian dollar has been rising steadily against the American dollar since 2002, when it hit a historic low of about $0.62. But this year it has soared by almost 25%, owing to a combination of the American currency's weakness and the high prices of Canadian exports such as oil, gas and metals. Consumer grumbling became a roar when the gap between the two dollars closed in late September, making it easy for shoppers north of the border to see how much more they were paying.
Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. Many went. But cross-border shopping is easier in theory than it is in practice. Canada has stringent limits on the amount shoppers can bring home without paying sales taxes and other duties. Headlights and bumpers on some American cars must be modified for use in Canada. And some firms refuse to honour warranties on imported goods. All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy. Canada Post, the state-owned postal service, has had to add extra shifts at its international mail-sorting centres as a result.
The government hopes that the reduction in January of the national goods and services tax from 6% to 5% will help, and Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has called upon retailers to speed up price reductions. David Dodge, the central bank governor, was more nuanced in his comments, urging Canadians to shop around for the best deal, but also pointing out that prices will never be exactly the same on both sides of the border because there is less competition in Canada. State-owned liquor boards in many provinces, for example, have monopolies. When it comes to passing on currency savings, liquor boards are the worst offenders.
Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.
Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints. | 3560.txt | 0 |
[
"People should shop around the country to make the best deal.",
"The government does not have the obligation to encourage competition in domestic market.",
"The Canadian price does not necessarily have to meet the American price.",
"Canadian consumers should accept the high price of national goods."
] | Which one of the following statement is TRUE of the opinion expressed by the central bank governor? | Chris Smith, co-owner of a small bookshop in, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books. But when Mr Smith asked a few regulars, he was shocked to find that they were going online to buy American books from retailers south of the border. In an effort to keep his existing trade, he now uses the much lower American figure as the Canadian price, even though this means selling American books at a loss.
At least this has moved Mr Smith safely to the sidelines as angry Canadians rebel against paying higher prices for American goods now that the loonie has met and surpassed the value of the greenback. The Canadian dollar has been rising steadily against the American dollar since 2002, when it hit a historic low of about $0.62. But this year it has soared by almost 25%, owing to a combination of the American currency's weakness and the high prices of Canadian exports such as oil, gas and metals. Consumer grumbling became a roar when the gap between the two dollars closed in late September, making it easy for shoppers north of the border to see how much more they were paying.
Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. Many went. But cross-border shopping is easier in theory than it is in practice. Canada has stringent limits on the amount shoppers can bring home without paying sales taxes and other duties. Headlights and bumpers on some American cars must be modified for use in Canada. And some firms refuse to honour warranties on imported goods. All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy. Canada Post, the state-owned postal service, has had to add extra shifts at its international mail-sorting centres as a result.
The government hopes that the reduction in January of the national goods and services tax from 6% to 5% will help, and Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has called upon retailers to speed up price reductions. David Dodge, the central bank governor, was more nuanced in his comments, urging Canadians to shop around for the best deal, but also pointing out that prices will never be exactly the same on both sides of the border because there is less competition in Canada. State-owned liquor boards in many provinces, for example, have monopolies. When it comes to passing on currency savings, liquor boards are the worst offenders.
Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.
Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints. | 3560.txt | 2 |
[
"they will suffer the most when it passes on currency savings.",
"Canadians will go elsewhere for shopping liquors.",
"liquor is charged with a too high price.",
"liquor boards are reluctant to have price reductions."
] | Liquor boards are the worst offenders when it passes on currency savings because _ | Chris Smith, co-owner of a small bookshop in, assumed his customers would remain loyal even as the rapid appreciation of the Canadian dollar against its American counterpart made a mockery of the gap between the twin prices printed on the covers of American books. But when Mr Smith asked a few regulars, he was shocked to find that they were going online to buy American books from retailers south of the border. In an effort to keep his existing trade, he now uses the much lower American figure as the Canadian price, even though this means selling American books at a loss.
At least this has moved Mr Smith safely to the sidelines as angry Canadians rebel against paying higher prices for American goods now that the loonie has met and surpassed the value of the greenback. The Canadian dollar has been rising steadily against the American dollar since 2002, when it hit a historic low of about $0.62. But this year it has soared by almost 25%, owing to a combination of the American currency's weakness and the high prices of Canadian exports such as oil, gas and metals. Consumer grumbling became a roar when the gap between the two dollars closed in late September, making it easy for shoppers north of the border to see how much more they were paying.
Talk of hundreds of thousands of Canadians streaming south in search of bargains captured the headlines. Many went. But cross-border shopping is easier in theory than it is in practice. Canada has stringent limits on the amount shoppers can bring home without paying sales taxes and other duties. Headlights and bumpers on some American cars must be modified for use in Canada. And some firms refuse to honour warranties on imported goods. All this is too much for many shoppers, who have either turned on their local retailers and demanded immediate discounts, or turned to the internet, where goods such as books are easy to buy. Canada Post, the state-owned postal service, has had to add extra shifts at its international mail-sorting centres as a result.
The government hopes that the reduction in January of the national goods and services tax from 6% to 5% will help, and Jim Flaherty, the finance minister, has called upon retailers to speed up price reductions. David Dodge, the central bank governor, was more nuanced in his comments, urging Canadians to shop around for the best deal, but also pointing out that prices will never be exactly the same on both sides of the border because there is less competition in Canada. State-owned liquor boards in many provinces, for example, have monopolies. When it comes to passing on currency savings, liquor boards are the worst offenders.
Retailers who face competition have been forced to react, even as they blame wholesalers and distributors, or inventory lag. In the past month, large American-owned chains such as Wal-Mart have announced new prices for products imported from America.
Will all this placate angry consumers? Perhaps. A recent poll by Ipsos Reid showed that most understood that it would take time for Canadian prices to match those in America. But it might not happen. Just as the introduction of the single currency in Europe exposed differences in taxation and regulation among countries, the same is likely to occur in Canada, says Mr Orr. Then it will be the government's turn to deal with consumer complaints. | 3560.txt | 3 |
[
"The emergence of big mass media firms.",
"The popularity of radio and television.",
"The appearance of advertising in newspapers.",
"The increasing number of newspaper readers."
] | According to the passage，what initiated the transformation of coffee-house news to mass-media news? | Three hundred years ago news travelled by word of mouth or 1etter, and circulated in taverns and coffee houses in the form of pamphlets and newsletters. "The coffee houses particularly are very roomy for a free conversation，and for reading at an easier rate all manner of printed news，"noted one observer. Everything changed in 1833 when the first mass-audience newspaper, The New York Sun，pioneered the use of advertising to reduce the cost of news，thus giving advertisers access to a wider audience. The penny press，followed by radio and television，turned news from a two-way conversation into a one-way broadcast，with a relatively small number of firms controlling the media.
Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house. The internet is making news more participatory，social and diverse，reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media. That will have profound effects on society and politics. In much of the world, the mass media are flourishing. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. But those global figures mask a sharp decline in readership in rich countries.
Over the past decade，throughout the western world，people have been giving up newspapers and TV news and keeping up with events in profoundly different ways. Most strikingly, ordinary people are increasingly involved in compiling，sharing，filtering，discussing and distributing news. Twitter lets people anywhere report what they are seeing. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. Mobile phone footage of Arab uprisings and American tornadoes is posted on social-networking sites and shown on television newscasts. Social-networking sites help people find，discuss and share news with their friends.
And it is not just readers who are challenging the media elite. Technology firms including Google，Facebook and Twitter have become important conduits of news. Celebrities and world leaders publish updates directly via social networks；many countries now make raw data available through"open government"initiatives. The internet lets people read newspapers or watch television channels from around the world. The web has allowed new providers of news，from individual bloggers to sites，to rise to prominence in a very short space of time. And it has made possible entirely new approaches to journalism，such as that practiced by WikiLeaks，which provides an anonymous way for whistleblowers to publish documents. The news agenda is no longer controlled by a few press barons and state outlets.
In principle，every liberal should celebrate this. A more participatory and social news environment，with a remarkable diversity and range of news sources，is a good thing. The transformation of the news business is unstoppable，and attempts to reverse it are doomed to failure. As producers of new journalism，individuals can be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources. As consumers，they can be general in their tastes and demanding in their standards. And although this transformation does raise concerns，there is much to celebrate in the noisy, diverse，vociferous，argumentative and stridently alive environment of the news business in the ages of the internet. The coffee house is back. Enjoy it. | 255.txt | 2 |
[
"Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6％between 2005 and 2009.",
"People in the Western world are giving up newspapers and TV news.",
"Classified documents are published in their thousands online.",
"More people are involved in finding，discussing and distributing news."
] | Which of the following statements best supports"Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house"? | Three hundred years ago news travelled by word of mouth or 1etter, and circulated in taverns and coffee houses in the form of pamphlets and newsletters. "The coffee houses particularly are very roomy for a free conversation，and for reading at an easier rate all manner of printed news，"noted one observer. Everything changed in 1833 when the first mass-audience newspaper, The New York Sun，pioneered the use of advertising to reduce the cost of news，thus giving advertisers access to a wider audience. The penny press，followed by radio and television，turned news from a two-way conversation into a one-way broadcast，with a relatively small number of firms controlling the media.
Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house. The internet is making news more participatory，social and diverse，reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media. That will have profound effects on society and politics. In much of the world, the mass media are flourishing. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. But those global figures mask a sharp decline in readership in rich countries.
Over the past decade，throughout the western world，people have been giving up newspapers and TV news and keeping up with events in profoundly different ways. Most strikingly, ordinary people are increasingly involved in compiling，sharing，filtering，discussing and distributing news. Twitter lets people anywhere report what they are seeing. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. Mobile phone footage of Arab uprisings and American tornadoes is posted on social-networking sites and shown on television newscasts. Social-networking sites help people find，discuss and share news with their friends.
And it is not just readers who are challenging the media elite. Technology firms including Google，Facebook and Twitter have become important conduits of news. Celebrities and world leaders publish updates directly via social networks；many countries now make raw data available through"open government"initiatives. The internet lets people read newspapers or watch television channels from around the world. The web has allowed new providers of news，from individual bloggers to sites，to rise to prominence in a very short space of time. And it has made possible entirely new approaches to journalism，such as that practiced by WikiLeaks，which provides an anonymous way for whistleblowers to publish documents. The news agenda is no longer controlled by a few press barons and state outlets.
In principle，every liberal should celebrate this. A more participatory and social news environment，with a remarkable diversity and range of news sources，is a good thing. The transformation of the news business is unstoppable，and attempts to reverse it are doomed to failure. As producers of new journalism，individuals can be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources. As consumers，they can be general in their tastes and demanding in their standards. And although this transformation does raise concerns，there is much to celebrate in the noisy, diverse，vociferous，argumentative and stridently alive environment of the news business in the ages of the internet. The coffee house is back. Enjoy it. | 255.txt | 3 |
[
"Challenging the traditional media.",
"Planning the return to coffee-house news.",
"Providing people with access to classified files.",
"Giving ordinary people the chance to provide news."
] | According to the passage，which is NOT a role played by information technology? | Three hundred years ago news travelled by word of mouth or 1etter, and circulated in taverns and coffee houses in the form of pamphlets and newsletters. "The coffee houses particularly are very roomy for a free conversation，and for reading at an easier rate all manner of printed news，"noted one observer. Everything changed in 1833 when the first mass-audience newspaper, The New York Sun，pioneered the use of advertising to reduce the cost of news，thus giving advertisers access to a wider audience. The penny press，followed by radio and television，turned news from a two-way conversation into a one-way broadcast，with a relatively small number of firms controlling the media.
Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house. The internet is making news more participatory，social and diverse，reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media. That will have profound effects on society and politics. In much of the world, the mass media are flourishing. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. But those global figures mask a sharp decline in readership in rich countries.
Over the past decade，throughout the western world，people have been giving up newspapers and TV news and keeping up with events in profoundly different ways. Most strikingly, ordinary people are increasingly involved in compiling，sharing，filtering，discussing and distributing news. Twitter lets people anywhere report what they are seeing. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. Mobile phone footage of Arab uprisings and American tornadoes is posted on social-networking sites and shown on television newscasts. Social-networking sites help people find，discuss and share news with their friends.
And it is not just readers who are challenging the media elite. Technology firms including Google，Facebook and Twitter have become important conduits of news. Celebrities and world leaders publish updates directly via social networks；many countries now make raw data available through"open government"initiatives. The internet lets people read newspapers or watch television channels from around the world. The web has allowed new providers of news，from individual bloggers to sites，to rise to prominence in a very short space of time. And it has made possible entirely new approaches to journalism，such as that practiced by WikiLeaks，which provides an anonymous way for whistleblowers to publish documents. The news agenda is no longer controlled by a few press barons and state outlets.
In principle，every liberal should celebrate this. A more participatory and social news environment，with a remarkable diversity and range of news sources，is a good thing. The transformation of the news business is unstoppable，and attempts to reverse it are doomed to failure. As producers of new journalism，individuals can be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources. As consumers，they can be general in their tastes and demanding in their standards. And although this transformation does raise concerns，there is much to celebrate in the noisy, diverse，vociferous，argumentative and stridently alive environment of the news business in the ages of the internet. The coffee house is back. Enjoy it. | 255.txt | 1 |
[
"optimistic and cautious.",
"supportive and skeptical.",
"doubtful and reserved.",
"ambiguous and cautious."
] | The author's tone in the last paragraph towards new journalism is | Three hundred years ago news travelled by word of mouth or 1etter, and circulated in taverns and coffee houses in the form of pamphlets and newsletters. "The coffee houses particularly are very roomy for a free conversation，and for reading at an easier rate all manner of printed news，"noted one observer. Everything changed in 1833 when the first mass-audience newspaper, The New York Sun，pioneered the use of advertising to reduce the cost of news，thus giving advertisers access to a wider audience. The penny press，followed by radio and television，turned news from a two-way conversation into a one-way broadcast，with a relatively small number of firms controlling the media.
Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house. The internet is making news more participatory，social and diverse，reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media. That will have profound effects on society and politics. In much of the world, the mass media are flourishing. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. But those global figures mask a sharp decline in readership in rich countries.
Over the past decade，throughout the western world，people have been giving up newspapers and TV news and keeping up with events in profoundly different ways. Most strikingly, ordinary people are increasingly involved in compiling，sharing，filtering，discussing and distributing news. Twitter lets people anywhere report what they are seeing. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. Mobile phone footage of Arab uprisings and American tornadoes is posted on social-networking sites and shown on television newscasts. Social-networking sites help people find，discuss and share news with their friends.
And it is not just readers who are challenging the media elite. Technology firms including Google，Facebook and Twitter have become important conduits of news. Celebrities and world leaders publish updates directly via social networks；many countries now make raw data available through"open government"initiatives. The internet lets people read newspapers or watch television channels from around the world. The web has allowed new providers of news，from individual bloggers to sites，to rise to prominence in a very short space of time. And it has made possible entirely new approaches to journalism，such as that practiced by WikiLeaks，which provides an anonymous way for whistleblowers to publish documents. The news agenda is no longer controlled by a few press barons and state outlets.
In principle，every liberal should celebrate this. A more participatory and social news environment，with a remarkable diversity and range of news sources，is a good thing. The transformation of the news business is unstoppable，and attempts to reverse it are doomed to failure. As producers of new journalism，individuals can be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources. As consumers，they can be general in their tastes and demanding in their standards. And although this transformation does raise concerns，there is much to celebrate in the noisy, diverse，vociferous，argumentative and stridently alive environment of the news business in the ages of the internet. The coffee house is back. Enjoy it. | 255.txt | 0 |
[
"the changing characteristics of news audience.",
"the more diversified means of news distribution.",
"the participatory nature of news.",
"the more varied sources of news."
] | In"The coffee house is back"，coffee house best symbolizes | Three hundred years ago news travelled by word of mouth or 1etter, and circulated in taverns and coffee houses in the form of pamphlets and newsletters. "The coffee houses particularly are very roomy for a free conversation，and for reading at an easier rate all manner of printed news，"noted one observer. Everything changed in 1833 when the first mass-audience newspaper, The New York Sun，pioneered the use of advertising to reduce the cost of news，thus giving advertisers access to a wider audience. The penny press，followed by radio and television，turned news from a two-way conversation into a one-way broadcast，with a relatively small number of firms controlling the media.
Now, the news industry is returning to something closer to the coffee house. The internet is making news more participatory，social and diverse，reviving the discursive characteristics of the era before the mass media. That will have profound effects on society and politics. In much of the world, the mass media are flourishing. Newspaper circulation rose globally by 6% between 2005 and 2009. But those global figures mask a sharp decline in readership in rich countries.
Over the past decade，throughout the western world，people have been giving up newspapers and TV news and keeping up with events in profoundly different ways. Most strikingly, ordinary people are increasingly involved in compiling，sharing，filtering，discussing and distributing news. Twitter lets people anywhere report what they are seeing. Classified documents are published in their thousands online. Mobile phone footage of Arab uprisings and American tornadoes is posted on social-networking sites and shown on television newscasts. Social-networking sites help people find，discuss and share news with their friends.
And it is not just readers who are challenging the media elite. Technology firms including Google，Facebook and Twitter have become important conduits of news. Celebrities and world leaders publish updates directly via social networks；many countries now make raw data available through"open government"initiatives. The internet lets people read newspapers or watch television channels from around the world. The web has allowed new providers of news，from individual bloggers to sites，to rise to prominence in a very short space of time. And it has made possible entirely new approaches to journalism，such as that practiced by WikiLeaks，which provides an anonymous way for whistleblowers to publish documents. The news agenda is no longer controlled by a few press barons and state outlets.
In principle，every liberal should celebrate this. A more participatory and social news environment，with a remarkable diversity and range of news sources，is a good thing. The transformation of the news business is unstoppable，and attempts to reverse it are doomed to failure. As producers of new journalism，individuals can be scrupulous with facts and transparent with their sources. As consumers，they can be general in their tastes and demanding in their standards. And although this transformation does raise concerns，there is much to celebrate in the noisy, diverse，vociferous，argumentative and stridently alive environment of the news business in the ages of the internet. The coffee house is back. Enjoy it. | 255.txt | 2 |
[
"A new medical instrument",
"A new type of talking machine.",
"A new type of cash machine.",
"National Cash Register"
] | What does this passage mainly talk about? | To get cash out in the 21st century, you won't need a bank card, a PIN or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris. For identification purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you've been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: "Would you like cash or a statement?" An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer. | 2848.txt | 2 |
[
"Stella",
"ATM",
"PIN",
"NCR"
] | What is this new machine called? | To get cash out in the 21st century, you won't need a bank card, a PIN or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris. For identification purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you've been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: "Would you like cash or a statement?" An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer. | 2848.txt | 0 |
[
"need a bank card",
"have to put in your PIN",
"move your finger",
"just look directly at the teller machine"
] | When you want to get cash out in the 21st century, you will _ . | To get cash out in the 21st century, you won't need a bank card, a PIN or even have to move a finger. You will simply have to look the cash machine straight in the eye, declares National Cash Registers, a multinational company that makes automated teller machines, or ATMs. NCR has shown its first example machine that is believed to be the future of banking. Instead of asking you for your PIN on a screen, the Super Teller-Stella for short, asks you orally through a loudspeaker to look straight ahead while an infrared camera turns to your head, then your eye, and finally takes an infrared photograph of your iris. For identification purposes, an iris picture is better than a fingerprint, with around 256 noticeable characteristics compared with 40 for fingerprints. This means that the chances of someone else being recognized in your place is about 1 in 1020. Once you've been identified, Stella greets you by name and says: "Would you like cash or a statement?" An infrared port allows the machine to send a bank statement straight to your pocket computer. | 2848.txt | 3 |
[
"It was attacked by Russian torpedoes.",
"Most of its passengers were frozen to death.",
"Its victims were mostly women and children.",
"It caused the largest number of casualties."
] | Why does the author say the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was the worst tragedy in maritime history? | It was the worst tragedy in maritime history, six times more deadly than the Titanic.
When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people - mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany - were packed aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted andbegan to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded fought offthose in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most people froze immediately. Tll never forget the screams," says Christa Ntitzmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave - and into seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.
Now Germanys Nobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead, including more than 4,000 children - with his latest novel Crab Walk, published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesnt dwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: "Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in the West (of Germany) and not at all in the East." The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: "Because the crimes we Germans are responsible for were and are so dominant, we didn\'t have the energy left to tell of our own sufferings.
The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoi dable - and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their countrys monstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize ( ... ) the neo- Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors. Todays unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful
memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they ye now earned the right to discuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy. | 65.txt | 3 |
[
"a strong ice storm tilted the ship",
"the cruise ship sank all of a sudden",
"the badly damaged ship leaned toward one side",
"the frightened passengers fought desperately for lifeboats"
] | Hundreds of families dropped into the sea when | It was the worst tragedy in maritime history, six times more deadly than the Titanic.
When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people - mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany - were packed aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted andbegan to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded fought offthose in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most people froze immediately. Tll never forget the screams," says Christa Ntitzmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave - and into seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.
Now Germanys Nobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead, including more than 4,000 children - with his latest novel Crab Walk, published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesnt dwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: "Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in the West (of Germany) and not at all in the East." The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: "Because the crimes we Germans are responsible for were and are so dominant, we didn\'t have the energy left to tell of our own sufferings.
The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoi dable - and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their countrys monstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize ( ... ) the neo- Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors. Todays unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful
memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they ye now earned the right to discuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy. | 65.txt | 2 |
[
"were eager,to win international acceptance",
"felt guilty for their crimes in World War II",
"~ad been pressured to keep silent about it",
"were afraid of offending their neighbors"
] | The Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy was little talked about for more than half a century because Germans | It was the worst tragedy in maritime history, six times more deadly than the Titanic.
When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people - mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany - were packed aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted andbegan to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded fought offthose in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most people froze immediately. Tll never forget the screams," says Christa Ntitzmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave - and into seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.
Now Germanys Nobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead, including more than 4,000 children - with his latest novel Crab Walk, published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesnt dwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: "Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in the West (of Germany) and not at all in the East." The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: "Because the crimes we Germans are responsible for were and are so dominant, we didn\'t have the energy left to tell of our own sufferings.
The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoi dable - and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their countrys monstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize ( ... ) the neo- Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors. Todays unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful
memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they ye now earned the right to discuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy. | 65.txt | 1 |
[
"By presenting the horrible scene of the torpedo attack.",
"By describing the ships sinking in great detail.",
"By giving an interview to the weekly Die Woche.",
"By depicting the survival of a young pregnant woman."
] | How does Gunter Grass revive the memory of the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy? | It was the worst tragedy in maritime history, six times more deadly than the Titanic.
When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people - mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany - were packed aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted andbegan to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded fought offthose in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most people froze immediately. Tll never forget the screams," says Christa Ntitzmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave - and into seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.
Now Germanys Nobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead, including more than 4,000 children - with his latest novel Crab Walk, published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesnt dwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: "Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in the West (of Germany) and not at all in the East." The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: "Because the crimes we Germans are responsible for were and are so dominant, we didn\'t have the energy left to tell of our own sufferings.
The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoi dable - and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their countrys monstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize ( ... ) the neo- Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors. Todays unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful
memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they ye now earned the right to discuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy. | 65.txt | 3 |
[
"they will be misunderstood if they talk about the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy",
"the Wilhelm Gustloff tragedy is a reasonable price to pay for the nations past misdeeds",
"Germany is responsible for the horrible crimes it committed in World War II",
"it is wrong to equate their sufferings with those of other countries"
] | It can be learned from the passage that Germans no longer think that | It was the worst tragedy in maritime history, six times more deadly than the Titanic.
When the German cruise ship Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by torpedoes fired from a Russian submarine in the final winter of World War II, more than 10,000 people - mostly women, children and old people fleeing the final Red Army push into Nazi Germany - were packed aboard. An ice storm had turned the decks into frozen sheets that sent hundreds of families sliding into the sea as the ship tilted andbegan to go down. Others desperately tried to put lifeboats down. Some who succeeded fought offthose in the water who had the strength to try to claw their way aboard. Most people froze immediately. Tll never forget the screams," says Christa Ntitzmann, 87, one of the 1,200 survivors. She recalls watching the ship, brightly lit, slipping into its dark grave - and into seeming nothingness, rarely mentioned for more than half a century.
Now Germanys Nobel Prize-winning author Gtinter Grass has revived the memory of the 9,000 dead, including more than 4,000 children - with his latest novel Crab Walk, published last month. The book, which will be out in English next year, doesnt dwell on the sinking; its heroine is a pregnant young woman who survives the catastrophe only to say later: "Nobody wanted to hear about it, not here in the West (of Germany) and not at all in the East." The reason was obvious. As Grass put it in a recent interview with the weekly Die Woche: "Because the crimes we Germans are responsible for were and are so dominant, we didn\'t have the energy left to tell of our own sufferings.
The long silence about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff was probably unavoi dable - and necessary. By unreservedly owning up to their countrys monstrous crimes in the Second World War, Germans have managed to win acceptance abroad, marginalize ( ... ) the neo- Nazis at home and make peace with their neighbors. Todays unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history. For that, a half century of willful forgetting about painful
memories like the German Titanic was perhaps a reasonable price to pay. But even the most politically correct Germans believe that they ye now earned the right to discuss the full historical record. Not to equate German suffering with that of its victims, but simply to acknowledge a terrible tragedy. | 65.txt | 0 |
[
"Chemical causes of ice ages",
"Techniques for studying ancient layers of ice in glaciers",
"Evidence of a relationship between levels of carbon dioxide and global temperature",
"Effects of plant life on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere"
] | Which of the following does the passage mainly discuss? | Scientists have discovered that for the last 160,000 years, at least, there has been a consistent relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and the average temperature of the planet. The importance of carbon dioxide in regulating the Earth's temperature was confirmed by scientists working in eastern Antarctica. Drilling down into a glacier, they extracted a mile-long cylinder of ice from the hole. The glacier had formed as layer upon layer of snow accumulated year after year. Thus drilling into the ice was tantamount to drilling back through time.
The deepest sections of the core are composed of water that fell as snow 160,000 years ago. Scientists in Grenoble, France, fractured portions of the core and measured the composition of ancient air released from bubbles in the ice. Instruments were used to measure the ratio of certain isotopes in the frozen water to get an idea of the prevailing atmospheric temperature at the time when that particular bit of water became locked in the glacier.
The result is a remarkable unbroken record of temperature and of atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Almost every time the chill of an ice age descended on the planet, carbon dioxide levels dropped. When the global temperature dropped 9°F (5 °C., carbon dioxide levels dropped to 190 parts per million or so. Generally, as each ice age ended and the Earth basked in a warm interglacial period, carbon dioxide levels were around 280 parts per million. Through the 160,000 years of that ice record, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fluctuated between 190 and 280 parts per million, but never rose much higher-until the Industrial Revolution beginning in the eighteenth century and continuing today.
There is indirect evidence that the link between carbon dioxide levels and global temperature change goes back much further than the glacial record. Carbon dioxide levels may have been much greater than the current concentration during the Carboniferous period, 360 to 285 million years ago. The period was named for a profusion of plant life whose buried remains produced a large fraction of the coal deposits that are being brought to the surface and burned today. | 420.txt | 2 |
[
"spread out",
"changed",
"became denser",
"built up"
] | The word "accumulated" in line 6 is closest in meaning to. | Scientists have discovered that for the last 160,000 years, at least, there has been a consistent relationship between the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and the average temperature of the planet. The importance of carbon dioxide in regulating the Earth's temperature was confirmed by scientists working in eastern Antarctica. Drilling down into a glacier, they extracted a mile-long cylinder of ice from the hole. The glacier had formed as layer upon layer of snow accumulated year after year. Thus drilling into the ice was tantamount to drilling back through time.
The deepest sections of the core are composed of water that fell as snow 160,000 years ago. Scientists in Grenoble, France, fractured portions of the core and measured the composition of ancient air released from bubbles in the ice. Instruments were used to measure the ratio of certain isotopes in the frozen water to get an idea of the prevailing atmospheric temperature at the time when that particular bit of water became locked in the glacier.
The result is a remarkable unbroken record of temperature and of atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Almost every time the chill of an ice age descended on the planet, carbon dioxide levels dropped. When the global temperature dropped 9°F (5 °C., carbon dioxide levels dropped to 190 parts per million or so. Generally, as each ice age ended and the Earth basked in a warm interglacial period, carbon dioxide levels were around 280 parts per million. Through the 160,000 years of that ice record, the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere fluctuated between 190 and 280 parts per million, but never rose much higher-until the Industrial Revolution beginning in the eighteenth century and continuing today.
There is indirect evidence that the link between carbon dioxide levels and global temperature change goes back much further than the glacial record. Carbon dioxide levels may have been much greater than the current concentration during the Carboniferous period, 360 to 285 million years ago. The period was named for a profusion of plant life whose buried remains produced a large fraction of the coal deposits that are being brought to the surface and burned today. | 420.txt | 3 |
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