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[
"had more influence over the selection of political candidates",
"spent more money to promote their political candidates",
"attracted more members",
"received more money"
] | It can be inferred that before the introduction of television, political parties | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 0 |
[
"allowed",
"increased",
"required",
"started"
] | The word accelerated in line 5 is closest in meaning to | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 1 |
[
"an event created by politicians to attract media attention",
"an interactive discussion between two politicians",
"a kind of political presentation typical of the nineteenth century",
"a style of speech common to televised political events"
] | The author mentions the stump speech in line 7 as an example of | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 2 |
[
"added interest to",
"modified",
"imitated",
"been replaced by"
] | The phrase given way to in line 10 is closest in meaning to | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 3 |
[
"audience",
"broadcast news",
"politician",
"advertisement"
] | The word that in line 12 refers to | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 0 |
[
"allowing news coverage of political candidates",
"placing political issues within a historical context",
"making politics seem more intimate to citizens",
"providing detailed information about a candidates private behavior"
] | According to the passage , as compared with televised speeches, traditional political discourse was more successful at | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 1 |
[
"make claims without providing reasons for the claims",
"take stronger positions on issues than in the past",
"enjoy explaining the issue to broadcasters",
"dislike having to explain their own positions on issues to citizens"
] | The author states that politicians assert but do not argue line 18. in order to suggest that politicians | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 0 |
[
"abundance",
"clarification",
"dependence",
"information"
] | The word Reliance in line 21 is closest in meaning to | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 2 |
[
"politicians will need to learn to become more personal when meeting citizens",
"politicians who are considered very attractive are favored by citizens over politicians who are less attractive.",
"citizens tend to favor a politician who analyzed the issue over one who does not",
"citizens will need to learn how to evaluate visual political images in order to become better Informed."
] | The purpose of paragraph 4 is to suggest that | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 3 |
[
"create more time to discuss political issues",
"obtain more television coverage for themselves",
"spend more time talking to citizens in person",
"engages in debates with their opponents"
] | According to paragraph 5, staged political events are created so that politicians can | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 1 |
[
"Political presentations today are more like advertisements than in the past.",
"Politicians today tend to be more familiar with the views of citizens than in the past.",
"Citizens today are less informed about a politician's character than in the past.",
"Political speeches today focus more on details about issues than in the past."
] | Which of the following statements is supported by the passage ? | Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is disseminated, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen's patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television diminished the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen's focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 11/2 to 2 hours, which characterized nineteenth-century political discourse, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second sound bite in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a snippet of the speech on the news.
In these abbreviated forms, much of what constituted the traditional political discourse of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In snippets, politicians assert but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate medium, speaking through it require a changed political style that was more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a word in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television's pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events, called pseudo-event, designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements. | 1984.txt | 0 |
[
"make herself beautiful",
"keep active",
"earn more money",
"become famous"
] | According to the passage, Grandma Moses began to paint because she wanted to. | Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said of herself：" I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children , of whom five survived ; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroldery pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures： detailedand lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of colour and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it." she said. | 1137.txt | 1 |
[
"nursing",
"painting",
"embroidering",
"farming"
] | Grandma Moses spent most of her life. | Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said of herself：" I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children , of whom five survived ; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroldery pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures： detailedand lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of colour and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it." she said. | 1137.txt | 3 |
[
"independent",
"pretty",
"rich",
"nervous"
] | From Grandma Moses' description of herself in the first paragraph, it can be inferred that she was. | Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said of herself：" I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children , of whom five survived ; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroldery pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures： detailedand lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of colour and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it." she said. | 1137.txt | 0 |
[
"Grandma Moses： Her Life and Pictures.",
"The Children of Grandma Moses.",
"Grandma Moses： Her Best Exhibition.",
"Grandma Moses and Other Older Artists."
] | Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? | Grandma Moses is among the most famous twentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said of herself：" I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me." No one could have had a more productive old age.
She was born Anna Mary Robertson on a farm in New York State, one of five boys and five girls. At twelve she left home and was in domestic service until, at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the hired hand of one of her employers. They farmed most of their lives, first in Virginia and then in New York State, at Eagle Bridge. She had ten children , of whom five survived ; her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroldery pictures as a hobby, but only changed to oils in old age because her hands had become too stiff to sew and she wanted to keep busy and pass the time. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Three of the pictures exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, and in 1940 she had her first exhibition in New York. Between the 1930's and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures： detailedand lively portrayals of the country life she had known for so long, with a wonderful sense of colour and form. "I think really hard till I think of something really pretty, and then I paint it." she said. | 1137.txt | 0 |
[
"Thetelephone has helped to save people from illness and fire.",
"Thetelephone has helped to prevent wars and conflicts.",
"Thetelephone has made the modern city neither better nor worse.",
"Thetelephone has had positive as well as negative effects on us."
] | What is the main idea of this passage? | What has thetelephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A feweffects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word ofillness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator tomake possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has madepossible for better or worse -- the modem city. By bringing about a great leapin the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it hasgreatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growthin industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancientart of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons withnormal social impulses ; by so doing, it has played a role in one of thegreatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generationalhousehold. It has made the war chillingly more efficient than formerly.Perhaps, though not provably, it has prevented wars that might have arisen outof intemational misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps―again not provably―by magnifying and extendingirrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars.Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially disseminates the useful knowledge of scientists andthe nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice of the malicious. | 1699.txt | 3 |
[
"has madeletter writing an art",
"hasprevented wars by avoiding written communication",
"has madethe world different from what it was",
"hascaused wars by magnifying and extending human conflicts"
] | According to the passage, it is the telephonethat _ . | What has thetelephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A feweffects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word ofillness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator tomake possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has madepossible for better or worse -- the modem city. By bringing about a great leapin the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it hasgreatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growthin industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancientart of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons withnormal social impulses ; by so doing, it has played a role in one of thegreatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generationalhousehold. It has made the war chillingly more efficient than formerly.Perhaps, though not provably, it has prevented wars that might have arisen outof intemational misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps―again not provably―by magnifying and extendingirrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars.Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially disseminates the useful knowledge of scientists andthe nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice of the malicious. | 1699.txt | 2 |
[
"itincreases the danger of war",
"itprovides services to both the good and the malicious",
"it makesdistant communication easier",
"it breaksup the multi-generational household"
] | The telephone hasintensified conflicts among people because _ . | What has thetelephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A feweffects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word ofillness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator tomake possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has madepossible for better or worse -- the modem city. By bringing about a great leapin the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it hasgreatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growthin industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancientart of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons withnormal social impulses ; by so doing, it has played a role in one of thegreatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generationalhousehold. It has made the war chillingly more efficient than formerly.Perhaps, though not provably, it has prevented wars that might have arisen outof intemational misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps―again not provably―by magnifying and extendingirrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars.Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially disseminates the useful knowledge of scientists andthe nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice of the malicious. | 1699.txt | 1 |
[
"saveslives of people in remote places",
"enablespeople to live alone if they want to",
"spreadsboth love and ill will",
"replacesmuch written communication"
] | The author describes thetelephone as impartial because it _ . | What has thetelephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A feweffects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word ofillness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator tomake possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has madepossible for better or worse -- the modem city. By bringing about a great leapin the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it hasgreatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growthin industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancientart of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons withnormal social impulses ; by so doing, it has played a role in one of thegreatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generationalhousehold. It has made the war chillingly more efficient than formerly.Perhaps, though not provably, it has prevented wars that might have arisen outof intemational misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps―again not provably―by magnifying and extendingirrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars.Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially disseminates the useful knowledge of scientists andthe nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice of the malicious. | 1699.txt | 2 |
[
"affectionate",
"disapproving",
"approving",
"neutral"
] | The writer's attitudetowards the use of the telephone is _ | What has thetelephone done to us, or for us, in the hundred years of its existence? A feweffects suggest themselves at once. It has saved lives by getting rapid word ofillness, injury, or fire from remote places. By joining with the elevator tomake possible the multi-story residence or office building, it has madepossible for better or worse -- the modem city. By bringing about a great leapin the speed and ease with which information moves from place to place, it hasgreatly accelerated the rate of scientific and technological changes and growthin industry. Beyond doubt it has seriously weakened if not killed the ancientart of letter writing. It has made living alone possible for persons withnormal social impulses ; by so doing, it has played a role in one of thegreatest social changes of this century, the breakup of the multi-generationalhousehold. It has made the war chillingly more efficient than formerly.Perhaps, though not provably, it has prevented wars that might have arisen outof intemational misunderstanding caused by written communication. Or perhaps―again not provably―by magnifying and extendingirrational personal conflicts based on voice contact, it has caused wars.Certainly it has extended the scope of human conflicts, since it impartially disseminates the useful knowledge of scientists andthe nonsense of the ignorant, the affection of the affectionate and the malice of the malicious. | 1699.txt | 3 |
[
"usually intelligent and wise",
"usually very religious",
"less likely to get heart diseases",
"not likely to be mistreated by others"
] | According to the author, people with trusting hearts are _ . | For well over 2000 years the world's great religions have taught the virtues of a trusting heart. Now there is another reason to merit the wisdom of the ages: scientific evidence indicates that those with trusting hearts will live longer, healthier lives.
As a result of the work published in the 1970s by two pioneering heart specialists, Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, nearly every American is aware that blood Type. A people are impatient, and easily moved to hostility and anger. Many have come to believe that Type As are at a much higher risk of suffering heart attack or dying of heart disease than others.
The driving force behind hostility is a cynical mistrust of others. If we expect others to mistreat us, we are seldom disappointed. This generates anger and leads us to respond with hostility.
The most characteristic attitude of a cynic is being suspicious of the motives of people he doesn't know. Imagine you are waiting for an elevator and it stops two floors above for longer than usual. How inconsiderate You think. In a few seconds, you have drawn hostile conclusions about unseen people and their motives.
Meanwhile, your cynical mistrust is leading to noticeable physical consequences. Your voice rises. The rate and depth of your breathing increases. Your heart is beating faster and harder, and the muscles of your arms and legs become tight. You feel "charged up", ready for action.
If you frequently experience these feelings, you may be at increased risk of developing serious health problems. Anger can add to the risk of heart and other diseases. | 3222.txt | 2 |
[
"friendliness and hostility",
"trust and mistrust of people",
"heart diseases and death rate",
"people's characters and their blood types"
] | The book by Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman most probably discusses _ . | For well over 2000 years the world's great religions have taught the virtues of a trusting heart. Now there is another reason to merit the wisdom of the ages: scientific evidence indicates that those with trusting hearts will live longer, healthier lives.
As a result of the work published in the 1970s by two pioneering heart specialists, Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, nearly every American is aware that blood Type. A people are impatient, and easily moved to hostility and anger. Many have come to believe that Type As are at a much higher risk of suffering heart attack or dying of heart disease than others.
The driving force behind hostility is a cynical mistrust of others. If we expect others to mistreat us, we are seldom disappointed. This generates anger and leads us to respond with hostility.
The most characteristic attitude of a cynic is being suspicious of the motives of people he doesn't know. Imagine you are waiting for an elevator and it stops two floors above for longer than usual. How inconsiderate You think. In a few seconds, you have drawn hostile conclusions about unseen people and their motives.
Meanwhile, your cynical mistrust is leading to noticeable physical consequences. Your voice rises. The rate and depth of your breathing increases. Your heart is beating faster and harder, and the muscles of your arms and legs become tight. You feel "charged up", ready for action.
If you frequently experience these feelings, you may be at increased risk of developing serious health problems. Anger can add to the risk of heart and other diseases. | 3222.txt | 3 |
[
"to be disappointing",
"to be pleasing",
"to be wrong",
"to be so"
] | According to the passage, if you have a fixed idea in mind that people will mistreat you, you will always find it _ . | For well over 2000 years the world's great religions have taught the virtues of a trusting heart. Now there is another reason to merit the wisdom of the ages: scientific evidence indicates that those with trusting hearts will live longer, healthier lives.
As a result of the work published in the 1970s by two pioneering heart specialists, Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, nearly every American is aware that blood Type. A people are impatient, and easily moved to hostility and anger. Many have come to believe that Type As are at a much higher risk of suffering heart attack or dying of heart disease than others.
The driving force behind hostility is a cynical mistrust of others. If we expect others to mistreat us, we are seldom disappointed. This generates anger and leads us to respond with hostility.
The most characteristic attitude of a cynic is being suspicious of the motives of people he doesn't know. Imagine you are waiting for an elevator and it stops two floors above for longer than usual. How inconsiderate You think. In a few seconds, you have drawn hostile conclusions about unseen people and their motives.
Meanwhile, your cynical mistrust is leading to noticeable physical consequences. Your voice rises. The rate and depth of your breathing increases. Your heart is beating faster and harder, and the muscles of your arms and legs become tight. You feel "charged up", ready for action.
If you frequently experience these feelings, you may be at increased risk of developing serious health problems. Anger can add to the risk of heart and other diseases. | 3222.txt | 3 |
[
"who is always ready to fight",
"who usually has doubts about the people around him",
"whose behaviour usually leads to serious health problems",
"whose behaviour usually seems strange to the people he knows"
] | A cynic, in the passage, is a person _ . | For well over 2000 years the world's great religions have taught the virtues of a trusting heart. Now there is another reason to merit the wisdom of the ages: scientific evidence indicates that those with trusting hearts will live longer, healthier lives.
As a result of the work published in the 1970s by two pioneering heart specialists, Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, nearly every American is aware that blood Type. A people are impatient, and easily moved to hostility and anger. Many have come to believe that Type As are at a much higher risk of suffering heart attack or dying of heart disease than others.
The driving force behind hostility is a cynical mistrust of others. If we expect others to mistreat us, we are seldom disappointed. This generates anger and leads us to respond with hostility.
The most characteristic attitude of a cynic is being suspicious of the motives of people he doesn't know. Imagine you are waiting for an elevator and it stops two floors above for longer than usual. How inconsiderate You think. In a few seconds, you have drawn hostile conclusions about unseen people and their motives.
Meanwhile, your cynical mistrust is leading to noticeable physical consequences. Your voice rises. The rate and depth of your breathing increases. Your heart is beating faster and harder, and the muscles of your arms and legs become tight. You feel "charged up", ready for action.
If you frequently experience these feelings, you may be at increased risk of developing serious health problems. Anger can add to the risk of heart and other diseases. | 3222.txt | 2 |
[
"advise people to be patient",
"analyze the danger of heart diseases",
"persuade people to be trustful",
"praise the wisdom of the old people"
] | The author's intention in writing the passage is to _ . | For well over 2000 years the world's great religions have taught the virtues of a trusting heart. Now there is another reason to merit the wisdom of the ages: scientific evidence indicates that those with trusting hearts will live longer, healthier lives.
As a result of the work published in the 1970s by two pioneering heart specialists, Meyer Friedman and Ray H. Rosenman, nearly every American is aware that blood Type. A people are impatient, and easily moved to hostility and anger. Many have come to believe that Type As are at a much higher risk of suffering heart attack or dying of heart disease than others.
The driving force behind hostility is a cynical mistrust of others. If we expect others to mistreat us, we are seldom disappointed. This generates anger and leads us to respond with hostility.
The most characteristic attitude of a cynic is being suspicious of the motives of people he doesn't know. Imagine you are waiting for an elevator and it stops two floors above for longer than usual. How inconsiderate You think. In a few seconds, you have drawn hostile conclusions about unseen people and their motives.
Meanwhile, your cynical mistrust is leading to noticeable physical consequences. Your voice rises. The rate and depth of your breathing increases. Your heart is beating faster and harder, and the muscles of your arms and legs become tight. You feel "charged up", ready for action.
If you frequently experience these feelings, you may be at increased risk of developing serious health problems. Anger can add to the risk of heart and other diseases. | 3222.txt | 2 |
[
"first hand report",
"dramatic description",
"tall tale",
"vivid world picture"
] | The first paragraph catches the reader's attention with a _ | Nature's Gigantic Snow Plough
On January 10, 1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the mountain, it had taken the lives of 4,000 people.
This disaster is one of the most "devastating"examples of a very common event: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration will send it sliding into the valley below.
Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke off weighed three million tons. As it crashed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough, it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.
At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they are very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try to understand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can be found and removed before they take human lives. | 20.txt | 0 |
[
"violently ruinous",
"spectacularly interesting",
"stunning",
"unpleasant"
] | In this passage "devastating" means _ . | Nature's Gigantic Snow Plough
On January 10, 1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the mountain, it had taken the lives of 4,000 people.
This disaster is one of the most "devastating"examples of a very common event: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration will send it sliding into the valley below.
Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke off weighed three million tons. As it crashed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough, it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.
At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they are very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try to understand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can be found and removed before they take human lives. | 20.txt | 0 |
[
"avalanches",
"glaciers",
"Peru",
"mountains"
] | The passage is mostly about _ . | Nature's Gigantic Snow Plough
On January 10, 1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the mountain, it had taken the lives of 4,000 people.
This disaster is one of the most "devastating"examples of a very common event: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration will send it sliding into the valley below.
Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke off weighed three million tons. As it crashed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough, it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.
At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they are very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try to understand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can be found and removed before they take human lives. | 20.txt | 0 |
[
"Its defensive behavior",
"It interactions with other gull species",
"Its nesting habits",
"Its physical difference from other gull species"
] | What aspect of the kittiwake gull does the passage mainly discuss? | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 2 |
[
"visit",
"watch",
"reverse",
"raise"
] | The word "rear" in line 2 is closest in meaning to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 3 |
[
"climb",
"avoid",
"approach",
"measure"
] | The word "scale" in line 8 is closest in meaning to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 0 |
[
"distance",
"transition",
"protection",
"reminder"
] | The word "immunity" in line 9 is closest in meaning to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 2 |
[
"The kittiwakes can see the ravens approaching the nest.",
"The ravens cannot land on the narrow ledges where kittiwakes nest.",
"The kittiwakes' eggs are too big for the ravens to carry.",
"The female kittiwakes rarely leave the nest."
] | Why is it difficult for ravens to steal the kittiwakes' eggs? | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 1 |
[
"demonstrate that kittiwakes are not concerned about predators",
"prove how busy kittiwakes are in caring for their offspring",
"show a similarity to other types of gulls",
"illustrate kittiwakes' lack of concern for their chicks"
] | The author mentions that eggshells litter around the nests of kittiwakes in order to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 0 |
[
"Bonaparte's gulls",
"Atlantic puffins",
"Kittiwake gulls",
"Northern gannets"
] | According to the passage , it can be inferred that which of the following birds conceal their nest? | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 0 |
[
"location",
"edge",
"nest",
"practice"
] | The word "it" in line 17 refers to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 2 |
[
"disordered",
"suspicious",
"noticeable",
"appealing"
] | The word "conspicuous" in line 18 is closest in meaning to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 2 |
[
"therefore",
"however",
"for example",
"by no means"
] | The phrase "On the other hand" in line 19 is closest in meaning to | Among the species of seabirds that use the windswept cliffs of the Atlantic coast of Canada in the summer to mate, lay eggs, and rear their young are common murres, Atlantic puffins, black-legged kittiwakes, and northern gannets. Of all the birds on these cliffs, the black-legged kittiwake gull is the best suited for nesting on narrow ledges. Although its nesting habits are similar to those of gulls that nest on flat ground, there are a number of important differences related to the cliff-nesting habit.
The advantage of nesting on cliffs is the immunity it gives from foxes, which cannot scale the sheer rocks, and from ravens and other species of gulls, which have difficulty in landing on narrow ledges to steal eggs. This immunity has been followed by a relaxation of the defenses, and kittiwakes do not react to predators nearly as fiercely as do ground-nesting gulls. A colony of Bonaparte's gulls responds to the appearance of a predatory herring gull by flying up as a group with a clamor of alarm calls, followed by concerted mobbing, but kittiwakes simply ignore herring gulls, since they pose little threat to nests on cliffs. Neither do kittiwakes attempt to conceal their nest. Most gulls keep the nest area clear of droppings, and remove empty eggshells after the chicks have hatched, so that the location of the nest is not given away. Kittiwakes defecate over the edge of the nest, which keeps it clean, but this practice, as well as their tendency to leave the nest littered with eggshells, makes its location very conspicuous.
On the other hand, nesting on a narrow ledge has its own peculiar problems, and kittiwake behavior has become adapted to overcome them. The female kittiwake sits when mating, whereas other gulls stand, so the pair will not overbalance and fall off the ledge. The nest is a deep cup, made of mud or seaweed, to hold the eggs safely, compared with the shallow scrape of other gulls, and the chicks are remarkably immobile until fully grown. They do not run from their nests when approached, and if they should come near to the cliff edge, they instinctively turn back. | 2090.txt | 1 |
[
"Because under his leadership there is a sign that the company will soon stop losing money.",
"Because Airbus put on a good show in Paris in which it received a large number of orders.",
"Because Airbus launches its recovery plan that would surely bring a great amount of profit.",
"Because the company is in better situation as it succeeded in slowing down the annual loss."
] | How can Louis Gallois be confident that Airbus is "fully back"? | Whatever else, Airbus cannot be accused of failing to put on a brave face at this week's Paris Air Show, held every two years. Louis Gallois is the troubled European airframe-maker's third chief executive within 12 months. But still he declared: "I can tell you with full confidence that Airbus is back and fully back." Supporting his confident public message was an extraordinary flow of orders and commitments for over 600 aircraft accumulated in time for the show by the firm's super-salesman, John Leahy.
Although it is heading for a second successive loss-last year it plunged €572m ($718m) into the red-Airbus is undoubtedly in better shape than it was 12 months ago when wiring problems delayed the A380 and the weak dollar exposed the firm's bloated cost base. It has begun the "Power8" recovery plan, intended to save €2 billion annually by cutting 10,000 jobs and auctioning off six factories to partners. And the giant A380 will begin commercial service with Singapore Airlines in the autumn, although being two years late.
In the contest between the twin-engined wide-body Boeing 787 and the A350 XWB, Mr Gallois struggles to be as positive. The 787 is already a sales phenomenon, with over 630 firm orders even before the plane's roll-out next month. The airlines are excited by its revolutionary use of a composite material called carbon-reinforced plastic (CRP). Five years behind the 787, which will enter service next year, the A350 contains a similar share of composite material, but is based on a less advanced structural design that involves hanging CRP panels on a titanium frame. Boeing acknowledges that the A350 may be as light as the 787, but argues that it will be a less pleasant plane to fly in and a more difficult one to maintain.
Mr Gallois admits that following Boeing's approach would have been too expensive and risky for Airbus. At the same time Mr Gallois bemoaned the advantage his rival has in government-supported research and development. Boeing, he claims, receives about $800m a year-ten times as much as Airbus. Earlier in the week, during meetings with ministers representing the four Airbus partners (France, Germany, Britain and Spain), he asked them to fund half the company's planned €600m-a-year investment in research and technology. He is not hopeful.
But for the moment what matters most for Airbus is that the market stays strong and that it gets to grips with its costs. This may require going further in imitating Boeing's risk-sharing partner (RSP) model than Airbus seems willing to contemplate. According to some estimates, about 80% of the work on the 787 is outsourced to RSPs, saving Boeing both precious development time and working capital.
What this week has shown is that for all the success of the 787 and the mistakes of Airbus, the competitive duopoly of the past decade is still firmly in place. But will things stay that way? That depends partly on whether Airbus really has learnt its lessons and partly on who else wants to get into the game. Boeing reckons that in 20 years, 36% of the market will be in the Asia-Pacific region. For the time being, the Chinese, the Indians and others are happy to be partners and customers. But that could change. | 3626.txt | 3 |
[
"Critical",
"Indifferent",
"Optimistic",
"Supportive"
] | How does Boeing feel about the coming A350 by Airbus? | Whatever else, Airbus cannot be accused of failing to put on a brave face at this week's Paris Air Show, held every two years. Louis Gallois is the troubled European airframe-maker's third chief executive within 12 months. But still he declared: "I can tell you with full confidence that Airbus is back and fully back." Supporting his confident public message was an extraordinary flow of orders and commitments for over 600 aircraft accumulated in time for the show by the firm's super-salesman, John Leahy.
Although it is heading for a second successive loss-last year it plunged €572m ($718m) into the red-Airbus is undoubtedly in better shape than it was 12 months ago when wiring problems delayed the A380 and the weak dollar exposed the firm's bloated cost base. It has begun the "Power8" recovery plan, intended to save €2 billion annually by cutting 10,000 jobs and auctioning off six factories to partners. And the giant A380 will begin commercial service with Singapore Airlines in the autumn, although being two years late.
In the contest between the twin-engined wide-body Boeing 787 and the A350 XWB, Mr Gallois struggles to be as positive. The 787 is already a sales phenomenon, with over 630 firm orders even before the plane's roll-out next month. The airlines are excited by its revolutionary use of a composite material called carbon-reinforced plastic (CRP). Five years behind the 787, which will enter service next year, the A350 contains a similar share of composite material, but is based on a less advanced structural design that involves hanging CRP panels on a titanium frame. Boeing acknowledges that the A350 may be as light as the 787, but argues that it will be a less pleasant plane to fly in and a more difficult one to maintain.
Mr Gallois admits that following Boeing's approach would have been too expensive and risky for Airbus. At the same time Mr Gallois bemoaned the advantage his rival has in government-supported research and development. Boeing, he claims, receives about $800m a year-ten times as much as Airbus. Earlier in the week, during meetings with ministers representing the four Airbus partners (France, Germany, Britain and Spain), he asked them to fund half the company's planned €600m-a-year investment in research and technology. He is not hopeful.
But for the moment what matters most for Airbus is that the market stays strong and that it gets to grips with its costs. This may require going further in imitating Boeing's risk-sharing partner (RSP) model than Airbus seems willing to contemplate. According to some estimates, about 80% of the work on the 787 is outsourced to RSPs, saving Boeing both precious development time and working capital.
What this week has shown is that for all the success of the 787 and the mistakes of Airbus, the competitive duopoly of the past decade is still firmly in place. But will things stay that way? That depends partly on whether Airbus really has learnt its lessons and partly on who else wants to get into the game. Boeing reckons that in 20 years, 36% of the market will be in the Asia-Pacific region. For the time being, the Chinese, the Indians and others are happy to be partners and customers. But that could change. | 3626.txt | 0 |
[
"By mastering advanced technology that can compete with or excel Boeing.",
"By receiving more financial and other kinds of support from the partner governments.",
"By adopting the RSP model so as to cut costs and improve the efficiency of its working process.",
"By reducing cost through its recovery plan and relevant policies."
] | According to Mr Gallois, how can Airbus catch up with Boeing? | Whatever else, Airbus cannot be accused of failing to put on a brave face at this week's Paris Air Show, held every two years. Louis Gallois is the troubled European airframe-maker's third chief executive within 12 months. But still he declared: "I can tell you with full confidence that Airbus is back and fully back." Supporting his confident public message was an extraordinary flow of orders and commitments for over 600 aircraft accumulated in time for the show by the firm's super-salesman, John Leahy.
Although it is heading for a second successive loss-last year it plunged €572m ($718m) into the red-Airbus is undoubtedly in better shape than it was 12 months ago when wiring problems delayed the A380 and the weak dollar exposed the firm's bloated cost base. It has begun the "Power8" recovery plan, intended to save €2 billion annually by cutting 10,000 jobs and auctioning off six factories to partners. And the giant A380 will begin commercial service with Singapore Airlines in the autumn, although being two years late.
In the contest between the twin-engined wide-body Boeing 787 and the A350 XWB, Mr Gallois struggles to be as positive. The 787 is already a sales phenomenon, with over 630 firm orders even before the plane's roll-out next month. The airlines are excited by its revolutionary use of a composite material called carbon-reinforced plastic (CRP). Five years behind the 787, which will enter service next year, the A350 contains a similar share of composite material, but is based on a less advanced structural design that involves hanging CRP panels on a titanium frame. Boeing acknowledges that the A350 may be as light as the 787, but argues that it will be a less pleasant plane to fly in and a more difficult one to maintain.
Mr Gallois admits that following Boeing's approach would have been too expensive and risky for Airbus. At the same time Mr Gallois bemoaned the advantage his rival has in government-supported research and development. Boeing, he claims, receives about $800m a year-ten times as much as Airbus. Earlier in the week, during meetings with ministers representing the four Airbus partners (France, Germany, Britain and Spain), he asked them to fund half the company's planned €600m-a-year investment in research and technology. He is not hopeful.
But for the moment what matters most for Airbus is that the market stays strong and that it gets to grips with its costs. This may require going further in imitating Boeing's risk-sharing partner (RSP) model than Airbus seems willing to contemplate. According to some estimates, about 80% of the work on the 787 is outsourced to RSPs, saving Boeing both precious development time and working capital.
What this week has shown is that for all the success of the 787 and the mistakes of Airbus, the competitive duopoly of the past decade is still firmly in place. But will things stay that way? That depends partly on whether Airbus really has learnt its lessons and partly on who else wants to get into the game. Boeing reckons that in 20 years, 36% of the market will be in the Asia-Pacific region. For the time being, the Chinese, the Indians and others are happy to be partners and customers. But that could change. | 3626.txt | 1 |
[
"It oursources a large portion of work to its partners.",
"It invests in technology research and development.",
"It receives much support from the government.",
"It expands production by looking for more orders."
] | What is Boeing's strategy of cutting cost? | Whatever else, Airbus cannot be accused of failing to put on a brave face at this week's Paris Air Show, held every two years. Louis Gallois is the troubled European airframe-maker's third chief executive within 12 months. But still he declared: "I can tell you with full confidence that Airbus is back and fully back." Supporting his confident public message was an extraordinary flow of orders and commitments for over 600 aircraft accumulated in time for the show by the firm's super-salesman, John Leahy.
Although it is heading for a second successive loss-last year it plunged €572m ($718m) into the red-Airbus is undoubtedly in better shape than it was 12 months ago when wiring problems delayed the A380 and the weak dollar exposed the firm's bloated cost base. It has begun the "Power8" recovery plan, intended to save €2 billion annually by cutting 10,000 jobs and auctioning off six factories to partners. And the giant A380 will begin commercial service with Singapore Airlines in the autumn, although being two years late.
In the contest between the twin-engined wide-body Boeing 787 and the A350 XWB, Mr Gallois struggles to be as positive. The 787 is already a sales phenomenon, with over 630 firm orders even before the plane's roll-out next month. The airlines are excited by its revolutionary use of a composite material called carbon-reinforced plastic (CRP). Five years behind the 787, which will enter service next year, the A350 contains a similar share of composite material, but is based on a less advanced structural design that involves hanging CRP panels on a titanium frame. Boeing acknowledges that the A350 may be as light as the 787, but argues that it will be a less pleasant plane to fly in and a more difficult one to maintain.
Mr Gallois admits that following Boeing's approach would have been too expensive and risky for Airbus. At the same time Mr Gallois bemoaned the advantage his rival has in government-supported research and development. Boeing, he claims, receives about $800m a year-ten times as much as Airbus. Earlier in the week, during meetings with ministers representing the four Airbus partners (France, Germany, Britain and Spain), he asked them to fund half the company's planned €600m-a-year investment in research and technology. He is not hopeful.
But for the moment what matters most for Airbus is that the market stays strong and that it gets to grips with its costs. This may require going further in imitating Boeing's risk-sharing partner (RSP) model than Airbus seems willing to contemplate. According to some estimates, about 80% of the work on the 787 is outsourced to RSPs, saving Boeing both precious development time and working capital.
What this week has shown is that for all the success of the 787 and the mistakes of Airbus, the competitive duopoly of the past decade is still firmly in place. But will things stay that way? That depends partly on whether Airbus really has learnt its lessons and partly on who else wants to get into the game. Boeing reckons that in 20 years, 36% of the market will be in the Asia-Pacific region. For the time being, the Chinese, the Indians and others are happy to be partners and customers. But that could change. | 3626.txt | 0 |
[
"Airbus might make more mistakes.",
"the markets in Asia-Pacific region might shrink.",
"the competitive duopoly by Boeing and Airbus might change.",
"Chinese and Indians might become the two companies' strong competitors."
] | By "But will things stay that way?" (Line 2, Paragraph 6), the author means _ | Whatever else, Airbus cannot be accused of failing to put on a brave face at this week's Paris Air Show, held every two years. Louis Gallois is the troubled European airframe-maker's third chief executive within 12 months. But still he declared: "I can tell you with full confidence that Airbus is back and fully back." Supporting his confident public message was an extraordinary flow of orders and commitments for over 600 aircraft accumulated in time for the show by the firm's super-salesman, John Leahy.
Although it is heading for a second successive loss-last year it plunged €572m ($718m) into the red-Airbus is undoubtedly in better shape than it was 12 months ago when wiring problems delayed the A380 and the weak dollar exposed the firm's bloated cost base. It has begun the "Power8" recovery plan, intended to save €2 billion annually by cutting 10,000 jobs and auctioning off six factories to partners. And the giant A380 will begin commercial service with Singapore Airlines in the autumn, although being two years late.
In the contest between the twin-engined wide-body Boeing 787 and the A350 XWB, Mr Gallois struggles to be as positive. The 787 is already a sales phenomenon, with over 630 firm orders even before the plane's roll-out next month. The airlines are excited by its revolutionary use of a composite material called carbon-reinforced plastic (CRP). Five years behind the 787, which will enter service next year, the A350 contains a similar share of composite material, but is based on a less advanced structural design that involves hanging CRP panels on a titanium frame. Boeing acknowledges that the A350 may be as light as the 787, but argues that it will be a less pleasant plane to fly in and a more difficult one to maintain.
Mr Gallois admits that following Boeing's approach would have been too expensive and risky for Airbus. At the same time Mr Gallois bemoaned the advantage his rival has in government-supported research and development. Boeing, he claims, receives about $800m a year-ten times as much as Airbus. Earlier in the week, during meetings with ministers representing the four Airbus partners (France, Germany, Britain and Spain), he asked them to fund half the company's planned €600m-a-year investment in research and technology. He is not hopeful.
But for the moment what matters most for Airbus is that the market stays strong and that it gets to grips with its costs. This may require going further in imitating Boeing's risk-sharing partner (RSP) model than Airbus seems willing to contemplate. According to some estimates, about 80% of the work on the 787 is outsourced to RSPs, saving Boeing both precious development time and working capital.
What this week has shown is that for all the success of the 787 and the mistakes of Airbus, the competitive duopoly of the past decade is still firmly in place. But will things stay that way? That depends partly on whether Airbus really has learnt its lessons and partly on who else wants to get into the game. Boeing reckons that in 20 years, 36% of the market will be in the Asia-Pacific region. For the time being, the Chinese, the Indians and others are happy to be partners and customers. But that could change. | 3626.txt | 2 |
[
"he was afraid that he was unable to prevent the company from continuing steeper losses.",
"he found there were few more coveted resources in banking industry.",
"he had already led Citigroup into enormous losses.",
"he was forced to leave the position because of poor management."
] | Chuck Prince left the boss's office at Citigroup probably because _ | On November 4th Chuck Prince left the boss's office at Citigroup, the world's largest bank. A week earlier, Stan O'Neal lost his job at Merrill Lynch after leading the investment bank to a loss with $8.4 billion of write-downs. However churlish you may feel about Wall Street's new axiom-"the higher they fly, the bigger the parachute"-the departure of two of America's most senior bankers in a week is a good sign. Accountability, after all, is a step towards clarity, and there are few more coveted resources in today's fog-strewn and stormy banking industry. Both departures were accompanied by revelations of much steeper losses from American subprime mortgages than either Citi or Merrill had owned up to just weeks before. That attempt at honesty may have spooked the market because it showed how unsure the banks remain about how to value their subprime-related assets, but that is no reason to shy away from such disclosures.
Coming clean will be difficult, because for the time being the disclosures have provided more questions than answers. First, just how much do banks stand to lose? The latest confessions show that a whole new constellation of credit instruments, known as collateralised-debt obligations (CDOs), are far less secure than had been assumed even at the end of September. These include supposedly impregnable "super-senior" and AAA-rated tranches of CDOs that a short time ago were prized by the world's banks, insurance companies and mutual funds. In some cases their values have shrunk to a sliver of their original price since a series of downgrades by rating agencies last month. Citi, one of the biggest issuers of such CDOs, estimated this week that the losses on CDOs and other assets at other banks could reach $64 billion-to which its own potential write-downs must be added.
Second, do banks have enough capital to survive the crisis? At some institutions, mounting losses are making the cushions of capital held for times of crisis look increasingly threadbare. Wall Street firms and European banks use a special accounting provision for securities they consider hardest to value, which appears mainly to involve educated guesswork. On Wall Street the amount of securities in this category has ballooned and could easily wipe out the big firms' core capital if they were written down to zero-which is improbable but no longer thought impossible. To make matters worse, bond insurers, which rate America's $2.5 trillion municipal-bond market, are also up to their necks in CDOs. They were told this week that they might lose their coveted AAA ratings unless their shareholders provide more capital, which would cast a cloud over municipal bonds.
Third, how hard might the broader economy be hit? The flimsier the banks' capital base, the less freely they can lend to firms and households, putting both consumer spending and corporate investment at risk. Already there is evidence that credit conditions are tightening well beyond the housing market. A survey this week found that American banks have been tightening lending standards on everything from mortgages to commercial property to business and industrial loans. In Europe too, credit conditions have tightened. In Britain the withdrawal of a bid for J. Sainsbury, a supermarket chain, by a Qatari-backed investment group was the latest sign that life has almost been squeezed out of the buy-out business. | 3558.txt | 2 |
[
"the higher the bankers' position, the bigger loss they will make.",
"the higher the bankers' position, the bigger their backstage bosses.",
"the higher the bankers' position, the safer they will be.",
"the higher the banker's position, the more dangerous they will be."
] | Wall Street's new axiom-"the higher they fly, the bigger the parachute" means that _ | On November 4th Chuck Prince left the boss's office at Citigroup, the world's largest bank. A week earlier, Stan O'Neal lost his job at Merrill Lynch after leading the investment bank to a loss with $8.4 billion of write-downs. However churlish you may feel about Wall Street's new axiom-"the higher they fly, the bigger the parachute"-the departure of two of America's most senior bankers in a week is a good sign. Accountability, after all, is a step towards clarity, and there are few more coveted resources in today's fog-strewn and stormy banking industry. Both departures were accompanied by revelations of much steeper losses from American subprime mortgages than either Citi or Merrill had owned up to just weeks before. That attempt at honesty may have spooked the market because it showed how unsure the banks remain about how to value their subprime-related assets, but that is no reason to shy away from such disclosures.
Coming clean will be difficult, because for the time being the disclosures have provided more questions than answers. First, just how much do banks stand to lose? The latest confessions show that a whole new constellation of credit instruments, known as collateralised-debt obligations (CDOs), are far less secure than had been assumed even at the end of September. These include supposedly impregnable "super-senior" and AAA-rated tranches of CDOs that a short time ago were prized by the world's banks, insurance companies and mutual funds. In some cases their values have shrunk to a sliver of their original price since a series of downgrades by rating agencies last month. Citi, one of the biggest issuers of such CDOs, estimated this week that the losses on CDOs and other assets at other banks could reach $64 billion-to which its own potential write-downs must be added.
Second, do banks have enough capital to survive the crisis? At some institutions, mounting losses are making the cushions of capital held for times of crisis look increasingly threadbare. Wall Street firms and European banks use a special accounting provision for securities they consider hardest to value, which appears mainly to involve educated guesswork. On Wall Street the amount of securities in this category has ballooned and could easily wipe out the big firms' core capital if they were written down to zero-which is improbable but no longer thought impossible. To make matters worse, bond insurers, which rate America's $2.5 trillion municipal-bond market, are also up to their necks in CDOs. They were told this week that they might lose their coveted AAA ratings unless their shareholders provide more capital, which would cast a cloud over municipal bonds.
Third, how hard might the broader economy be hit? The flimsier the banks' capital base, the less freely they can lend to firms and households, putting both consumer spending and corporate investment at risk. Already there is evidence that credit conditions are tightening well beyond the housing market. A survey this week found that American banks have been tightening lending standards on everything from mortgages to commercial property to business and industrial loans. In Europe too, credit conditions have tightened. In Britain the withdrawal of a bid for J. Sainsbury, a supermarket chain, by a Qatari-backed investment group was the latest sign that life has almost been squeezed out of the buy-out business. | 3558.txt | 3 |
[
"\"Super-senior\" and AAA-rated tranches of CDOs were affected the most.",
"It was CDOs that played the major role of Citi's tremendous losses.",
"The earlier expectation far exceeded the actual security of CDOs.",
"CDOs led to the devaluation of many companies in banking industry."
] | Which one of the following statements is TRUE of CDOs? | On November 4th Chuck Prince left the boss's office at Citigroup, the world's largest bank. A week earlier, Stan O'Neal lost his job at Merrill Lynch after leading the investment bank to a loss with $8.4 billion of write-downs. However churlish you may feel about Wall Street's new axiom-"the higher they fly, the bigger the parachute"-the departure of two of America's most senior bankers in a week is a good sign. Accountability, after all, is a step towards clarity, and there are few more coveted resources in today's fog-strewn and stormy banking industry. Both departures were accompanied by revelations of much steeper losses from American subprime mortgages than either Citi or Merrill had owned up to just weeks before. That attempt at honesty may have spooked the market because it showed how unsure the banks remain about how to value their subprime-related assets, but that is no reason to shy away from such disclosures.
Coming clean will be difficult, because for the time being the disclosures have provided more questions than answers. First, just how much do banks stand to lose? The latest confessions show that a whole new constellation of credit instruments, known as collateralised-debt obligations (CDOs), are far less secure than had been assumed even at the end of September. These include supposedly impregnable "super-senior" and AAA-rated tranches of CDOs that a short time ago were prized by the world's banks, insurance companies and mutual funds. In some cases their values have shrunk to a sliver of their original price since a series of downgrades by rating agencies last month. Citi, one of the biggest issuers of such CDOs, estimated this week that the losses on CDOs and other assets at other banks could reach $64 billion-to which its own potential write-downs must be added.
Second, do banks have enough capital to survive the crisis? At some institutions, mounting losses are making the cushions of capital held for times of crisis look increasingly threadbare. Wall Street firms and European banks use a special accounting provision for securities they consider hardest to value, which appears mainly to involve educated guesswork. On Wall Street the amount of securities in this category has ballooned and could easily wipe out the big firms' core capital if they were written down to zero-which is improbable but no longer thought impossible. To make matters worse, bond insurers, which rate America's $2.5 trillion municipal-bond market, are also up to their necks in CDOs. They were told this week that they might lose their coveted AAA ratings unless their shareholders provide more capital, which would cast a cloud over municipal bonds.
Third, how hard might the broader economy be hit? The flimsier the banks' capital base, the less freely they can lend to firms and households, putting both consumer spending and corporate investment at risk. Already there is evidence that credit conditions are tightening well beyond the housing market. A survey this week found that American banks have been tightening lending standards on everything from mortgages to commercial property to business and industrial loans. In Europe too, credit conditions have tightened. In Britain the withdrawal of a bid for J. Sainsbury, a supermarket chain, by a Qatari-backed investment group was the latest sign that life has almost been squeezed out of the buy-out business. | 3558.txt | 2 |
[
"is mainly composed of various speculations.",
"is based on unreliable experience.",
"is a trick played around by educated accountants.",
"has big problems that threaten to swallow big companies' core capital."
] | The author thinks the special accounting provision for the hardest securities adopted by Wall Street firms and Europan banks _ | On November 4th Chuck Prince left the boss's office at Citigroup, the world's largest bank. A week earlier, Stan O'Neal lost his job at Merrill Lynch after leading the investment bank to a loss with $8.4 billion of write-downs. However churlish you may feel about Wall Street's new axiom-"the higher they fly, the bigger the parachute"-the departure of two of America's most senior bankers in a week is a good sign. Accountability, after all, is a step towards clarity, and there are few more coveted resources in today's fog-strewn and stormy banking industry. Both departures were accompanied by revelations of much steeper losses from American subprime mortgages than either Citi or Merrill had owned up to just weeks before. That attempt at honesty may have spooked the market because it showed how unsure the banks remain about how to value their subprime-related assets, but that is no reason to shy away from such disclosures.
Coming clean will be difficult, because for the time being the disclosures have provided more questions than answers. First, just how much do banks stand to lose? The latest confessions show that a whole new constellation of credit instruments, known as collateralised-debt obligations (CDOs), are far less secure than had been assumed even at the end of September. These include supposedly impregnable "super-senior" and AAA-rated tranches of CDOs that a short time ago were prized by the world's banks, insurance companies and mutual funds. In some cases their values have shrunk to a sliver of their original price since a series of downgrades by rating agencies last month. Citi, one of the biggest issuers of such CDOs, estimated this week that the losses on CDOs and other assets at other banks could reach $64 billion-to which its own potential write-downs must be added.
Second, do banks have enough capital to survive the crisis? At some institutions, mounting losses are making the cushions of capital held for times of crisis look increasingly threadbare. Wall Street firms and European banks use a special accounting provision for securities they consider hardest to value, which appears mainly to involve educated guesswork. On Wall Street the amount of securities in this category has ballooned and could easily wipe out the big firms' core capital if they were written down to zero-which is improbable but no longer thought impossible. To make matters worse, bond insurers, which rate America's $2.5 trillion municipal-bond market, are also up to their necks in CDOs. They were told this week that they might lose their coveted AAA ratings unless their shareholders provide more capital, which would cast a cloud over municipal bonds.
Third, how hard might the broader economy be hit? The flimsier the banks' capital base, the less freely they can lend to firms and households, putting both consumer spending and corporate investment at risk. Already there is evidence that credit conditions are tightening well beyond the housing market. A survey this week found that American banks have been tightening lending standards on everything from mortgages to commercial property to business and industrial loans. In Europe too, credit conditions have tightened. In Britain the withdrawal of a bid for J. Sainsbury, a supermarket chain, by a Qatari-backed investment group was the latest sign that life has almost been squeezed out of the buy-out business. | 3558.txt | 1 |
[
"foreign investment group has smelled the danger of investing in America.",
"the other business is also affected by the impact of American subprime mortgages event.",
"Europe's credit conditions are also facing great danger as affected by American subprime mortgages event.",
"Credit conditions in Europe have also tightened."
] | By the abortion of the bid for J. Sainsbury, the author intends to imply that _ | On November 4th Chuck Prince left the boss's office at Citigroup, the world's largest bank. A week earlier, Stan O'Neal lost his job at Merrill Lynch after leading the investment bank to a loss with $8.4 billion of write-downs. However churlish you may feel about Wall Street's new axiom-"the higher they fly, the bigger the parachute"-the departure of two of America's most senior bankers in a week is a good sign. Accountability, after all, is a step towards clarity, and there are few more coveted resources in today's fog-strewn and stormy banking industry. Both departures were accompanied by revelations of much steeper losses from American subprime mortgages than either Citi or Merrill had owned up to just weeks before. That attempt at honesty may have spooked the market because it showed how unsure the banks remain about how to value their subprime-related assets, but that is no reason to shy away from such disclosures.
Coming clean will be difficult, because for the time being the disclosures have provided more questions than answers. First, just how much do banks stand to lose? The latest confessions show that a whole new constellation of credit instruments, known as collateralised-debt obligations (CDOs), are far less secure than had been assumed even at the end of September. These include supposedly impregnable "super-senior" and AAA-rated tranches of CDOs that a short time ago were prized by the world's banks, insurance companies and mutual funds. In some cases their values have shrunk to a sliver of their original price since a series of downgrades by rating agencies last month. Citi, one of the biggest issuers of such CDOs, estimated this week that the losses on CDOs and other assets at other banks could reach $64 billion-to which its own potential write-downs must be added.
Second, do banks have enough capital to survive the crisis? At some institutions, mounting losses are making the cushions of capital held for times of crisis look increasingly threadbare. Wall Street firms and European banks use a special accounting provision for securities they consider hardest to value, which appears mainly to involve educated guesswork. On Wall Street the amount of securities in this category has ballooned and could easily wipe out the big firms' core capital if they were written down to zero-which is improbable but no longer thought impossible. To make matters worse, bond insurers, which rate America's $2.5 trillion municipal-bond market, are also up to their necks in CDOs. They were told this week that they might lose their coveted AAA ratings unless their shareholders provide more capital, which would cast a cloud over municipal bonds.
Third, how hard might the broader economy be hit? The flimsier the banks' capital base, the less freely they can lend to firms and households, putting both consumer spending and corporate investment at risk. Already there is evidence that credit conditions are tightening well beyond the housing market. A survey this week found that American banks have been tightening lending standards on everything from mortgages to commercial property to business and industrial loans. In Europe too, credit conditions have tightened. In Britain the withdrawal of a bid for J. Sainsbury, a supermarket chain, by a Qatari-backed investment group was the latest sign that life has almost been squeezed out of the buy-out business. | 3558.txt | 1 |
[
"show people how to take fine pictures",
"tell people photography is now a big business",
"tell people the club can do many things for you",
"encourage people to join the photograph club"
] | The purpose of passage is to _ . | Are all your photographs good?Be honest withyourself. Aren't some of your pictures too dark, andothers too light?How many times have you thrownaway a photo?We, the Fine Photograph Club, canhelp you. We meet every Wednesday in ourcomfortable club room in Bridge Street. At 7:30 p.m.a
member of the club or a visitor would give a talk, and then we have coffee. Our memberswill advise you on all the latest cameras and films. They will help you to develop your films orenlarge your pictures. What does it all cost?Only 5 pounds a year.
Photography is now a big business. Do you know, for instance, that there are 15 millioncameras in our country?And that 700 million photographs are taken a year, more than one-thirdof them in color?Think of the amount of photography in television, the cinema, newspapers,books, advertisements and so on. In modern life people learn a lot from pictures, sophotography is more and more important. It is also more complicated and more expensivethan it used to be. You may only want to take good photographs of faces and places. If so, wecan help you to get better results. You needn't waste any more money. If you want to learnmore about photography and how it is used, join the club please. You won't be disappointed.Write now to the Secretary, Fine Photograph Club. Bridge Street. | 2618.txt | 3 |
[
"must be good at photography",
"must know about the latest cameras and films",
"must pay a little money a year",
"must be honest with yourself"
] | If you want to join the club, you _ . | Are all your photographs good?Be honest withyourself. Aren't some of your pictures too dark, andothers too light?How many times have you thrownaway a photo?We, the Fine Photograph Club, canhelp you. We meet every Wednesday in ourcomfortable club room in Bridge Street. At 7:30 p.m.a
member of the club or a visitor would give a talk, and then we have coffee. Our memberswill advise you on all the latest cameras and films. They will help you to develop your films orenlarge your pictures. What does it all cost?Only 5 pounds a year.
Photography is now a big business. Do you know, for instance, that there are 15 millioncameras in our country?And that 700 million photographs are taken a year, more than one-thirdof them in color?Think of the amount of photography in television, the cinema, newspapers,books, advertisements and so on. In modern life people learn a lot from pictures, sophotography is more and more important. It is also more complicated and more expensivethan it used to be. You may only want to take good photographs of faces and places. If so, wecan help you to get better results. You needn't waste any more money. If you want to learnmore about photography and how it is used, join the club please. You won't be disappointed.Write now to the Secretary, Fine Photograph Club. Bridge Street. | 2618.txt | 2 |
[
"say if your photos are good or bad",
"tell how much money you waste",
"help the Fine Photograph Club",
"know the latest development in cameras"
] | You are able to be honest so that you can _ . | Are all your photographs good?Be honest withyourself. Aren't some of your pictures too dark, andothers too light?How many times have you thrownaway a photo?We, the Fine Photograph Club, canhelp you. We meet every Wednesday in ourcomfortable club room in Bridge Street. At 7:30 p.m.a
member of the club or a visitor would give a talk, and then we have coffee. Our memberswill advise you on all the latest cameras and films. They will help you to develop your films orenlarge your pictures. What does it all cost?Only 5 pounds a year.
Photography is now a big business. Do you know, for instance, that there are 15 millioncameras in our country?And that 700 million photographs are taken a year, more than one-thirdof them in color?Think of the amount of photography in television, the cinema, newspapers,books, advertisements and so on. In modern life people learn a lot from pictures, sophotography is more and more important. It is also more complicated and more expensivethan it used to be. You may only want to take good photographs of faces and places. If so, wecan help you to get better results. You needn't waste any more money. If you want to learnmore about photography and how it is used, join the club please. You won't be disappointed.Write now to the Secretary, Fine Photograph Club. Bridge Street. | 2618.txt | 0 |
[
"coffee",
"amusement",
"advice",
"information"
] | The club can give the following service except _ . | Are all your photographs good?Be honest withyourself. Aren't some of your pictures too dark, andothers too light?How many times have you thrownaway a photo?We, the Fine Photograph Club, canhelp you. We meet every Wednesday in ourcomfortable club room in Bridge Street. At 7:30 p.m.a
member of the club or a visitor would give a talk, and then we have coffee. Our memberswill advise you on all the latest cameras and films. They will help you to develop your films orenlarge your pictures. What does it all cost?Only 5 pounds a year.
Photography is now a big business. Do you know, for instance, that there are 15 millioncameras in our country?And that 700 million photographs are taken a year, more than one-thirdof them in color?Think of the amount of photography in television, the cinema, newspapers,books, advertisements and so on. In modern life people learn a lot from pictures, sophotography is more and more important. It is also more complicated and more expensivethan it used to be. You may only want to take good photographs of faces and places. If so, wecan help you to get better results. You needn't waste any more money. If you want to learnmore about photography and how it is used, join the club please. You won't be disappointed.Write now to the Secretary, Fine Photograph Club. Bridge Street. | 2618.txt | 1 |
[
"If you are a member of Fine Photograph Club, it will cost you only 5 pounds to buy a camera.",
"All the members of Fine Photograph Club can take free photographs of faces and places.",
"More than a third of 700 million color photographs are taken a year.",
"If you write to the photograph club, you will be very good at photographing."
] | Which statement of the following is true? | Are all your photographs good?Be honest withyourself. Aren't some of your pictures too dark, andothers too light?How many times have you thrownaway a photo?We, the Fine Photograph Club, canhelp you. We meet every Wednesday in ourcomfortable club room in Bridge Street. At 7:30 p.m.a
member of the club or a visitor would give a talk, and then we have coffee. Our memberswill advise you on all the latest cameras and films. They will help you to develop your films orenlarge your pictures. What does it all cost?Only 5 pounds a year.
Photography is now a big business. Do you know, for instance, that there are 15 millioncameras in our country?And that 700 million photographs are taken a year, more than one-thirdof them in color?Think of the amount of photography in television, the cinema, newspapers,books, advertisements and so on. In modern life people learn a lot from pictures, sophotography is more and more important. It is also more complicated and more expensivethan it used to be. You may only want to take good photographs of faces and places. If so, wecan help you to get better results. You needn't waste any more money. If you want to learnmore about photography and how it is used, join the club please. You won't be disappointed.Write now to the Secretary, Fine Photograph Club. Bridge Street. | 2618.txt | 2 |
[
"13%",
"460/o",
"18%",
"6%"
] | Heart disease takes up about _ of the in-flight medical emergencies on US flights. | A study published in the New England journal of Medicine estimated that there are an average of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not grave; fainting, dizziness and hyperventilation are the most frequent complaints, But 13% of them-roughly four a day-are serious enough to require a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies include heart trouble (46%), strokes and other neurological problems (18%), and difficult breathing (6%).
Let's face it: plane riders are stressful. For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly what they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty easily, but passengers with heart disease may experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. Low pressure can also cause the air in body cavities to expand-as much as 30%+ Again, most people won't notice anything beyond mild stomach cramping. But if you've recently had an operation, your wound could open. And if' a medical device has been implanted in your body-a splint, a tracheotomytube or a catheter -it could expand and cause injury.
Another common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis-the so-called economy-class syndrome, When you sit too long in a cramped position. the blood in our legs tends to clot. Most people just get sore calves. But blood clots, left untreated, could travel to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and even death. Such clots are readily prevented by keeping blood flowing; walk and stretch your legs when possible,
Whatever you do, don't panic. Things are looking up on the in-flight-emergency front. Doctors who come to passengers' aid used to worry about getting sued; their fears have lifted somewhat since the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act gave them"good Samaritan" protection. And thanks to more recent legislation, flights with at least one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits with automated defibrillators to treat heart attacks.
Are you still wondering if you are healthy enough to fly? If you can walk 150 it. or climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you'll probably do just fine, Having a doctor close by doesn't hurt, either. | 201.txt | 3 |
[
"heart attack",
"chest pain",
"stomach cramping",
"difficult breathing"
] | According to the passage, the expansion of air in body cavities can result in _ . | A study published in the New England journal of Medicine estimated that there are an average of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not grave; fainting, dizziness and hyperventilation are the most frequent complaints, But 13% of them-roughly four a day-are serious enough to require a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies include heart trouble (46%), strokes and other neurological problems (18%), and difficult breathing (6%).
Let's face it: plane riders are stressful. For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly what they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty easily, but passengers with heart disease may experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. Low pressure can also cause the air in body cavities to expand-as much as 30%+ Again, most people won't notice anything beyond mild stomach cramping. But if you've recently had an operation, your wound could open. And if' a medical device has been implanted in your body-a splint, a tracheotomytube or a catheter -it could expand and cause injury.
Another common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis-the so-called economy-class syndrome, When you sit too long in a cramped position. the blood in our legs tends to clot. Most people just get sore calves. But blood clots, left untreated, could travel to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and even death. Such clots are readily prevented by keeping blood flowing; walk and stretch your legs when possible,
Whatever you do, don't panic. Things are looking up on the in-flight-emergency front. Doctors who come to passengers' aid used to worry about getting sued; their fears have lifted somewhat since the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act gave them"good Samaritan" protection. And thanks to more recent legislation, flights with at least one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits with automated defibrillators to treat heart attacks.
Are you still wondering if you are healthy enough to fly? If you can walk 150 it. or climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you'll probably do just fine, Having a doctor close by doesn't hurt, either. | 201.txt | 2 |
[
"Because the economy class is not spacious enough.",
"Because there are too many economy-class passengers.",
"Because passengers are not allowed to walk during the flight.",
"Because the low pressure in the cabin prevents blood flowing smoothly."
] | According to the passage, why does deep venous thrombosis usually happen? | A study published in the New England journal of Medicine estimated that there are an average of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not grave; fainting, dizziness and hyperventilation are the most frequent complaints, But 13% of them-roughly four a day-are serious enough to require a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies include heart trouble (46%), strokes and other neurological problems (18%), and difficult breathing (6%).
Let's face it: plane riders are stressful. For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly what they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty easily, but passengers with heart disease may experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. Low pressure can also cause the air in body cavities to expand-as much as 30%+ Again, most people won't notice anything beyond mild stomach cramping. But if you've recently had an operation, your wound could open. And if' a medical device has been implanted in your body-a splint, a tracheotomytube or a catheter -it could expand and cause injury.
Another common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis-the so-called economy-class syndrome, When you sit too long in a cramped position. the blood in our legs tends to clot. Most people just get sore calves. But blood clots, left untreated, could travel to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and even death. Such clots are readily prevented by keeping blood flowing; walk and stretch your legs when possible,
Whatever you do, don't panic. Things are looking up on the in-flight-emergency front. Doctors who come to passengers' aid used to worry about getting sued; their fears have lifted somewhat since the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act gave them"good Samaritan" protection. And thanks to more recent legislation, flights with at least one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits with automated defibrillators to treat heart attacks.
Are you still wondering if you are healthy enough to fly? If you can walk 150 it. or climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you'll probably do just fine, Having a doctor close by doesn't hurt, either. | 201.txt | 0 |
[
"do not have to be worried even if they give the patients improper treatment",
"will not be submitted to legal responsibility even if the patients didn't recover",
"are assisted by advanced emergency medical kits",
"will be greatly respected by the patient and the crew"
] | According to the J998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act, Doctors who came to passengers' aid _ . | A study published in the New England journal of Medicine estimated that there are an average of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not grave; fainting, dizziness and hyperventilation are the most frequent complaints, But 13% of them-roughly four a day-are serious enough to require a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies include heart trouble (46%), strokes and other neurological problems (18%), and difficult breathing (6%).
Let's face it: plane riders are stressful. For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly what they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty easily, but passengers with heart disease may experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. Low pressure can also cause the air in body cavities to expand-as much as 30%+ Again, most people won't notice anything beyond mild stomach cramping. But if you've recently had an operation, your wound could open. And if' a medical device has been implanted in your body-a splint, a tracheotomytube or a catheter -it could expand and cause injury.
Another common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis-the so-called economy-class syndrome, When you sit too long in a cramped position. the blood in our legs tends to clot. Most people just get sore calves. But blood clots, left untreated, could travel to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and even death. Such clots are readily prevented by keeping blood flowing; walk and stretch your legs when possible,
Whatever you do, don't panic. Things are looking up on the in-flight-emergency front. Doctors who come to passengers' aid used to worry about getting sued; their fears have lifted somewhat since the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act gave them"good Samaritan" protection. And thanks to more recent legislation, flights with at least one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits with automated defibrillators to treat heart attacks.
Are you still wondering if you are healthy enough to fly? If you can walk 150 it. or climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you'll probably do just fine, Having a doctor close by doesn't hurt, either. | 201.txt | 1 |
[
"falling over",
"being out of breath",
"spraining the ankle",
"moving in a curving line"
] | The phrase "getting winded" (Line 2. Para. 5) is closest in meaning to _ . | A study published in the New England journal of Medicine estimated that there are an average of 30 in-flight medical emergencies on U.S. flights every day. Most of them are not grave; fainting, dizziness and hyperventilation are the most frequent complaints, But 13% of them-roughly four a day-are serious enough to require a pilot to change course. The most common of the serious emergencies include heart trouble (46%), strokes and other neurological problems (18%), and difficult breathing (6%).
Let's face it: plane riders are stressful. For starters, cabin pressures at high altitudes are set at roughly what they would be if you lived at 5,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level. Most people can tolerate these pressures pretty easily, but passengers with heart disease may experience chest pains as a result of the reduced amount of oxygen flowing through their blood. Low pressure can also cause the air in body cavities to expand-as much as 30%+ Again, most people won't notice anything beyond mild stomach cramping. But if you've recently had an operation, your wound could open. And if' a medical device has been implanted in your body-a splint, a tracheotomytube or a catheter -it could expand and cause injury.
Another common in-flight problem is deep venous thrombosis-the so-called economy-class syndrome, When you sit too long in a cramped position. the blood in our legs tends to clot. Most people just get sore calves. But blood clots, left untreated, could travel to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and even death. Such clots are readily prevented by keeping blood flowing; walk and stretch your legs when possible,
Whatever you do, don't panic. Things are looking up on the in-flight-emergency front. Doctors who come to passengers' aid used to worry about getting sued; their fears have lifted somewhat since the 1998 Aviation Medical Assistance Act gave them"good Samaritan" protection. And thanks to more recent legislation, flights with at least one attendant are starting to install emergency medical kits with automated defibrillators to treat heart attacks.
Are you still wondering if you are healthy enough to fly? If you can walk 150 it. or climb a flight of stairs without getting winded, you'll probably do just fine, Having a doctor close by doesn't hurt, either. | 201.txt | 1 |
[
"parents are eager to choose books for their children",
"slide enjoys greater popularity among poor children",
"many schools choose to close the library to save money",
"children‘s reading skills decline without book reading"
] | Several studies reveal that during summer vacations, _ . | Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.
But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a "summer slide" in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.
Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs - and allowing them to choose books that most interested them - had a significant effect on the summer reading gap. The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.
The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who weren‘t given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.
The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.
Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study. One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically weren‘t selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.
But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.
At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.
"If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter," Dr. McGill-Franzen said. "Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids‘ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children‘s choices in books." | 3998.txt | 3 |
[
"schools provide free books to children",
"children read in company with their parents",
"children discuss with friends after reading",
"parents buy some classics for their children"
] | To solve the summer reading slide, researchers at the University of Tennessee suggest _ . | Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.
But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a "summer slide" in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.
Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs - and allowing them to choose books that most interested them - had a significant effect on the summer reading gap. The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.
The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who weren‘t given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.
The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.
Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study. One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically weren‘t selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.
But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.
At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.
"If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter," Dr. McGill-Franzen said. "Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids‘ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children‘s choices in books." | 3998.txt | 0 |
[
"they come from low-income families",
"the books are offered to them for free",
"they are allowed to select their own books",
"they read much and perform well in tests"
] | In the study, children are divided into two groups according to whether _ . | Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.
But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a "summer slide" in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.
Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs - and allowing them to choose books that most interested them - had a significant effect on the summer reading gap. The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.
The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who weren‘t given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.
The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.
Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study. One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically weren‘t selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.
But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.
At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.
"If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter," Dr. McGill-Franzen said. "Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids‘ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children‘s choices in books." | 3998.txt | 2 |
[
"Children tend not to read the curriculum books in summer.",
"Poor students get the lowest scores in the reading test.",
"Children given choice in books improve their reading.",
"Teachers‘ summer reading assignment fails to work on children."
] | What conclusion of the study is worthy of notice according to the passage? | Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.
But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a "summer slide" in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.
Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs - and allowing them to choose books that most interested them - had a significant effect on the summer reading gap. The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.
The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who weren‘t given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.
The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.
Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study. One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically weren‘t selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.
But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.
At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.
"If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter," Dr. McGill-Franzen said. "Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids‘ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children‘s choices in books." | 3998.txt | 2 |
[
"Parents oppose giving children a choice in books.",
"Reading about fictional figures makes children smarter.",
"Many children books are undervalued in bookstores.",
"There exists generation gap in selecting reading material."
] | What does Anne McGill-Franzen‘s experience in the bookstore illustrate? | Although adults often jump at the chance to catch up on their reading during vacations, many children and teenagers, particularly those from low-income families, read few, if any, books during the summer break from school.
But the price for keeping the books closed is a high one. Several studies have documented a "summer slide" in reading skills once school lets out each spring. The decline in reading and spelling skills are greatest among low-income students, who lose the equivalent of about two months of school each summer, according to the National Summer Learning Association, an education advocacy group. And the loss compounds each year.
Now new research offers a surprisingly simple, and affordable, solution to the summer reading slide. In a three-year study, researchers at the University of Tennessee found that simply giving low-income children access to books at spring fairs - and allowing them to choose books that most interested them - had a significant effect on the summer reading gap. The study, financed by the federal Department of Education, tracked the reading habits and test scores of more than 1,300 Florida children from 17 low-income schools. At the start of the study, 852 randomly selected first- and second-graders attended a school book fair in the spring where they were allowed to browse from 600 book titles. A variety of books were offered. The children chose 12 books.
The researchers also selected at random a control group of 478 children who weren‘t given reading books. Those children were offered free activity and puzzle books.
The book fairs and activity book giveaways continued for three summers until the study participants reached the fourth and fifth grades. Then the researchers compared reading test scores for the two groups.
Children who had received free books posted significantly higher test scores than the children who received activity books. The difference in scores was twice as high among the poorest children in the study. One of the most notable findings was that children improved their reading scores even though they typically weren‘t selecting the curriculum books or classics that teachers normally assigned for summer reading. That conclusion confirms other studies suggesting that children learn best when they are allowed to select their own books.
But giving children a choice in the books they read is a message many parents resist.
At a bookstore recently, a study co-author, Anne McGill-Franzen, professor and director of the reading center at the University of Tennessee, said she witnessed an exchange between some mothers encouraging their fifth- and sixth-grade daughters to read biographies of historical figures, when the girls wanted to select books about Hannah Montana, a character played by the pop star Miley Cyrus.
"If those books get them into reading, that has great repercussions for making them smarter," Dr. McGill-Franzen said. "Teachers and middle-class parents undervalue kids‘ preferences, but I think we need to give up being so uptight about children‘s choices in books." | 3998.txt | 0 |
[
"which encourages free trade at home and abroad",
"where people's chief concern is how to make money",
"where all businesses are managed scientifically",
"which normally works according to the federal budget"
] | The United States is a typical country _ . | Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business-referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing-the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high-creates feelings of insecurity for many. | 1268.txt | 3 |
[
"most newspapers are run by big businesses",
"even public organizations concentrate on working for profits",
"Americans of all professions know how to do business",
"even arts and entertainment are regarded as business"
] | The influence of business in the U.S. is evidenced by the fact that _ . | Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business-referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing-the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high-creates feelings of insecurity for many. | 1268.txt | 2 |
[
"they can start profitable businesses there",
"they can be more competitive in business",
"they will make a fortune overnight there",
"they will find better chances of employment"
] | According to the passage, immigrants choose to settle in the U.S., dreaming that _ . | Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business-referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing-the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high-creates feelings of insecurity for many. | 1268.txt | 1 |
[
"working people are discouraged to fight for their fights",
"there are many industries controlled by a few big capitalists",
"there is a conflicting relationship between big corporations and labor",
"public services are not run by the federal government"
] | Henry Ford's statement can be taken negatively because _ . | Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business-referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing-the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high-creates feelings of insecurity for many. | 1268.txt | 2 |
[
"reduction in the number of employees",
"improvement of working conditions",
"fewer disputes between labor and management",
"a rise in workers' wages"
] | A company's efforts to keep expenses low and profits high may result in _ . | Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business-referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing-the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high-creates feelings of insecurity for many. | 1268.txt | 3 |
[
"Recent developments in camera technology.",
"How to make white light.",
"The additive and subtractive methods of producing color.",
"The discovery of the spectrum."
] | What does the passage mainly discuss? | There are two ways to create colors in a photograph. One method, called addi tive, starts with three basic colors and adds them together to produce some othe r color. The second method, called subtractive, starts with white light (a mixtu re of all colors in the spectrum) and, by taking away some or all other colors, leaves the one desired.
In the additive method, separate colored lights combine to produce various other colors. The three additive primary colors are green, red and blue (each providi ng about onethird of the wavelengths in the total spectrum). Mixed in varying proportions, they can produce all colors. Green and red light mix to produce yel low; red and blue light mix to produce magenta; green and blue mix to produce cy an. When equal parts of all three of these primarycolored beams of light overl ap, the mixture appears white to the eye.
In the subtractive process colors are produced when dye (as in paint or colo r photographic materials) absorbs some wavelengths and so passes on only part of the spectrum .The subtractive primaries are cyan (a bluish green), magenta (a p urplish pink) and yellow; these additive primaries or dyes that absorb red, gree n and blue wavelengths respectively, thus subtracting them from white light. The se dye colors are the complementary colors to the three additive primaries of re d, green, and blue. Properly combined, the subtractive primaries can absorb all colors of light, producing black. But, mixed in varying proportions, they too ca n produce any color in the spectrum.
Whether a particular color is obtained by adding colored lights together or by subtracting some light from the total spectrum. The result looks the same to the eye. The additive process was employed for early color photography. But the subtractive method, while requiring complex chemical techniques, has turned out to be more practical and is the basis of all modern color films. | 15.txt | 2 |
[
"Red.",
"Cyan.",
"Magenta.",
"Yellow."
] | What color filter would absorb red wavelengths? | There are two ways to create colors in a photograph. One method, called addi tive, starts with three basic colors and adds them together to produce some othe r color. The second method, called subtractive, starts with white light (a mixtu re of all colors in the spectrum) and, by taking away some or all other colors, leaves the one desired.
In the additive method, separate colored lights combine to produce various other colors. The three additive primary colors are green, red and blue (each providi ng about onethird of the wavelengths in the total spectrum). Mixed in varying proportions, they can produce all colors. Green and red light mix to produce yel low; red and blue light mix to produce magenta; green and blue mix to produce cy an. When equal parts of all three of these primarycolored beams of light overl ap, the mixture appears white to the eye.
In the subtractive process colors are produced when dye (as in paint or colo r photographic materials) absorbs some wavelengths and so passes on only part of the spectrum .The subtractive primaries are cyan (a bluish green), magenta (a p urplish pink) and yellow; these additive primaries or dyes that absorb red, gree n and blue wavelengths respectively, thus subtracting them from white light. The se dye colors are the complementary colors to the three additive primaries of re d, green, and blue. Properly combined, the subtractive primaries can absorb all colors of light, producing black. But, mixed in varying proportions, they too ca n produce any color in the spectrum.
Whether a particular color is obtained by adding colored lights together or by subtracting some light from the total spectrum. The result looks the same to the eye. The additive process was employed for early color photography. But the subtractive method, while requiring complex chemical techniques, has turned out to be more practical and is the basis of all modern color films. | 15.txt | 1 |
[
"Yellow and blue.",
"Magenta and green.",
"Black and white.",
"Cyan and red."
] | Which of the following is NOT a pair of additive and subtractive prim ary colors? | There are two ways to create colors in a photograph. One method, called addi tive, starts with three basic colors and adds them together to produce some othe r color. The second method, called subtractive, starts with white light (a mixtu re of all colors in the spectrum) and, by taking away some or all other colors, leaves the one desired.
In the additive method, separate colored lights combine to produce various other colors. The three additive primary colors are green, red and blue (each providi ng about onethird of the wavelengths in the total spectrum). Mixed in varying proportions, they can produce all colors. Green and red light mix to produce yel low; red and blue light mix to produce magenta; green and blue mix to produce cy an. When equal parts of all three of these primarycolored beams of light overl ap, the mixture appears white to the eye.
In the subtractive process colors are produced when dye (as in paint or colo r photographic materials) absorbs some wavelengths and so passes on only part of the spectrum .The subtractive primaries are cyan (a bluish green), magenta (a p urplish pink) and yellow; these additive primaries or dyes that absorb red, gree n and blue wavelengths respectively, thus subtracting them from white light. The se dye colors are the complementary colors to the three additive primaries of re d, green, and blue. Properly combined, the subtractive primaries can absorb all colors of light, producing black. But, mixed in varying proportions, they too ca n produce any color in the spectrum.
Whether a particular color is obtained by adding colored lights together or by subtracting some light from the total spectrum. The result looks the same to the eye. The additive process was employed for early color photography. But the subtractive method, while requiring complex chemical techniques, has turned out to be more practical and is the basis of all modern color films. | 15.txt | 2 |
[
"Subtractive colors are more realistic.",
"The subtractive process is more efficient.",
"Additive chemical techniques are too complex.",
"The additive process is still being developed."
] | What explanation is given for the use of the subtractive method in mo dern color films? | There are two ways to create colors in a photograph. One method, called addi tive, starts with three basic colors and adds them together to produce some othe r color. The second method, called subtractive, starts with white light (a mixtu re of all colors in the spectrum) and, by taking away some or all other colors, leaves the one desired.
In the additive method, separate colored lights combine to produce various other colors. The three additive primary colors are green, red and blue (each providi ng about onethird of the wavelengths in the total spectrum). Mixed in varying proportions, they can produce all colors. Green and red light mix to produce yel low; red and blue light mix to produce magenta; green and blue mix to produce cy an. When equal parts of all three of these primarycolored beams of light overl ap, the mixture appears white to the eye.
In the subtractive process colors are produced when dye (as in paint or colo r photographic materials) absorbs some wavelengths and so passes on only part of the spectrum .The subtractive primaries are cyan (a bluish green), magenta (a p urplish pink) and yellow; these additive primaries or dyes that absorb red, gree n and blue wavelengths respectively, thus subtracting them from white light. The se dye colors are the complementary colors to the three additive primaries of re d, green, and blue. Properly combined, the subtractive primaries can absorb all colors of light, producing black. But, mixed in varying proportions, they too ca n produce any color in the spectrum.
Whether a particular color is obtained by adding colored lights together or by subtracting some light from the total spectrum. The result looks the same to the eye. The additive process was employed for early color photography. But the subtractive method, while requiring complex chemical techniques, has turned out to be more practical and is the basis of all modern color films. | 15.txt | 1 |
[
"he found a new kind of microorganism",
"he contributed much to environmental protection",
"he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time",
"he could encourage microbes growth in an easier way"
] | Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair because _ . | We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans，killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16yearold Canadian high school student，Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as few as 3 months，a finding that won him first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair，a $10 000 prize，a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms . If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted a solution of household chemicals, yeast and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally，he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags，exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap：maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
"Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer：not much. So I decided to do something myself."said Daniel Burd. | 3034.txt | 2 |
[
"make the live bacteria work better",
"test how effective his method was",
"know which bacteria worked faster",
"control the temperature in the process"
] | Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to | We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans，killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16yearold Canadian high school student，Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as few as 3 months，a finding that won him first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair，a $10 000 prize，a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms . If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted a solution of household chemicals, yeast and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally，he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags，exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap：maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
"Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer：not much. So I decided to do something myself."said Daniel Burd. | 3034.txt | 1 |
[
"plastics can get hot easily",
"microbes can produce heat themselves",
"much carbon dioxide is produced",
"the temperature can be controlled"
] | Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because _ . | We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans，killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16yearold Canadian high school student，Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as few as 3 months，a finding that won him first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair，a $10 000 prize，a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms . If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted a solution of household chemicals, yeast and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally，he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags，exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap：maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
"Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer：not much. So I decided to do something myself."said Daniel Burd. | 3034.txt | 1 |
[
"his school textbook",
"the failure of researchers",
"his everyday work",
"the practice of other people"
] | Daniel Burd got his idea from _ . | We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans，killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16yearold Canadian high school student，Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute, has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade in as few as 3 months，a finding that won him first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair，a $10 000 prize，a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms . If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted a solution of household chemicals, yeast and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally，he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags，exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap：maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
"Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer：not much. So I decided to do something myself."said Daniel Burd. | 3034.txt | 2 |
[
"it was hotter in early August 2003 than ever before",
"it is urgent to prevent the coming of a warmer future",
"the catastrophe in Europe in 2003 was heartbreaking",
"Europe suffered from more heat deaths than anywhere else"
] | The death toll in several European countries is noted to show that_ | The heat wave in Europe in early August 2003 was a catastrophe of heartbreaking proportions. With more than 3,500 dead in Paris alone, France suffered nearly 15,000 fatalities from the heat wave. Another 7,000 died in Germany, 8,000 in Spain and Italy, and 2,000 in the United Kingdom. Understandably, this event has become a psychologically powerful metaphor for the frightening vision of a warmer future and our immediate need to prevent it.
For Europe as a whole, about 200,000 people die from excess heat each year. However, about 1.5 million Europeans die annually from excess cold. That is more than seven times the total number of heat deaths. Just in the past decade, Europe has lost about 15 million people to the cold, more than 400 times the iconic heat deaths from 2003. That we so easily neglect these deaths and so easily embrace those caused by global warming tells us of a breakdown in our sense of proportion. examda.
How will heat and cold deaths change over the coming century with global warming? Let us for the moment assume--very unrealistically--that we will not adapt at all to the future heat. Still, the biggest cross-European cold/heat study concludes that for an increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the average European temperatures, our data suggest that any increases in mortality due to increased temperatures would be outweighed by much larger short-term declines in cold-related mortalities. -o For Britain, it is estimated a 3.6F increase will mean 2,000 more heat deaths but 20,000 fewer cold deaths. Likewise, another paper incorporating all studies on this issue and applying them to a broad variety of settings in both developed and developing countries found that global warming may cause a decrease in mortality rates, especially of cardiovascular diseases. examda.
But of course, it seems very unrealistic and conservative to assume that we will not adapt to rising temperatures throughout the 21st century. Several recent studies have looked at adaptation in up to 28 of the biggest cities in the United States. Take Philadelphia. The optimal temperature seems to be about80~F. In the 1960s, on days when it got significantly hotter than that (about 100~F), the death rate increased sharply. Likewise, when the temperature dropped below freezing, deaths increased sharply.examda.
Yet something great happened in the decades following. Death rates in Philadelphia and around the country dropped in general because of better health care. But crucially, temperatures of 100F today cause almost no excess deaths. However, people still die more because of cold weather. One of the main reasons for the lower heat susceptibility is most likely increased access to air-conditioning. ~ Studies seem to indicate that over time and with sufficient resources, we actually learn to adapt to higher temperatures. Consequently we will experience fewer heat deaths even when temperatures rise.[465 words] | 1216.txt | 1 |
[
"we have lost our sense of proportion",
"it is irrational to embrace heat deaths",
"cold deaths should claim due attention",
"the heat deaths in 2003 were only iconic"
] | The author believes that_ | The heat wave in Europe in early August 2003 was a catastrophe of heartbreaking proportions. With more than 3,500 dead in Paris alone, France suffered nearly 15,000 fatalities from the heat wave. Another 7,000 died in Germany, 8,000 in Spain and Italy, and 2,000 in the United Kingdom. Understandably, this event has become a psychologically powerful metaphor for the frightening vision of a warmer future and our immediate need to prevent it.
For Europe as a whole, about 200,000 people die from excess heat each year. However, about 1.5 million Europeans die annually from excess cold. That is more than seven times the total number of heat deaths. Just in the past decade, Europe has lost about 15 million people to the cold, more than 400 times the iconic heat deaths from 2003. That we so easily neglect these deaths and so easily embrace those caused by global warming tells us of a breakdown in our sense of proportion. examda.
How will heat and cold deaths change over the coming century with global warming? Let us for the moment assume--very unrealistically--that we will not adapt at all to the future heat. Still, the biggest cross-European cold/heat study concludes that for an increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the average European temperatures, our data suggest that any increases in mortality due to increased temperatures would be outweighed by much larger short-term declines in cold-related mortalities. -o For Britain, it is estimated a 3.6F increase will mean 2,000 more heat deaths but 20,000 fewer cold deaths. Likewise, another paper incorporating all studies on this issue and applying them to a broad variety of settings in both developed and developing countries found that global warming may cause a decrease in mortality rates, especially of cardiovascular diseases. examda.
But of course, it seems very unrealistic and conservative to assume that we will not adapt to rising temperatures throughout the 21st century. Several recent studies have looked at adaptation in up to 28 of the biggest cities in the United States. Take Philadelphia. The optimal temperature seems to be about80~F. In the 1960s, on days when it got significantly hotter than that (about 100~F), the death rate increased sharply. Likewise, when the temperature dropped below freezing, deaths increased sharply.examda.
Yet something great happened in the decades following. Death rates in Philadelphia and around the country dropped in general because of better health care. But crucially, temperatures of 100F today cause almost no excess deaths. However, people still die more because of cold weather. One of the main reasons for the lower heat susceptibility is most likely increased access to air-conditioning. ~ Studies seem to indicate that over time and with sufficient resources, we actually learn to adapt to higher temperatures. Consequently we will experience fewer heat deaths even when temperatures rise.[465 words] | 1216.txt | 2 |
[
"mortality rates will remarkably decrease",
"there will be less cardiovascular diseases",
"people will surely adapt to the future heat",
"temperature will rise 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit"
] | In the author's opinion, with global warming, _ | The heat wave in Europe in early August 2003 was a catastrophe of heartbreaking proportions. With more than 3,500 dead in Paris alone, France suffered nearly 15,000 fatalities from the heat wave. Another 7,000 died in Germany, 8,000 in Spain and Italy, and 2,000 in the United Kingdom. Understandably, this event has become a psychologically powerful metaphor for the frightening vision of a warmer future and our immediate need to prevent it.
For Europe as a whole, about 200,000 people die from excess heat each year. However, about 1.5 million Europeans die annually from excess cold. That is more than seven times the total number of heat deaths. Just in the past decade, Europe has lost about 15 million people to the cold, more than 400 times the iconic heat deaths from 2003. That we so easily neglect these deaths and so easily embrace those caused by global warming tells us of a breakdown in our sense of proportion. examda.
How will heat and cold deaths change over the coming century with global warming? Let us for the moment assume--very unrealistically--that we will not adapt at all to the future heat. Still, the biggest cross-European cold/heat study concludes that for an increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the average European temperatures, our data suggest that any increases in mortality due to increased temperatures would be outweighed by much larger short-term declines in cold-related mortalities. -o For Britain, it is estimated a 3.6F increase will mean 2,000 more heat deaths but 20,000 fewer cold deaths. Likewise, another paper incorporating all studies on this issue and applying them to a broad variety of settings in both developed and developing countries found that global warming may cause a decrease in mortality rates, especially of cardiovascular diseases. examda.
But of course, it seems very unrealistic and conservative to assume that we will not adapt to rising temperatures throughout the 21st century. Several recent studies have looked at adaptation in up to 28 of the biggest cities in the United States. Take Philadelphia. The optimal temperature seems to be about80~F. In the 1960s, on days when it got significantly hotter than that (about 100~F), the death rate increased sharply. Likewise, when the temperature dropped below freezing, deaths increased sharply.examda.
Yet something great happened in the decades following. Death rates in Philadelphia and around the country dropped in general because of better health care. But crucially, temperatures of 100F today cause almost no excess deaths. However, people still die more because of cold weather. One of the main reasons for the lower heat susceptibility is most likely increased access to air-conditioning. ~ Studies seem to indicate that over time and with sufficient resources, we actually learn to adapt to higher temperatures. Consequently we will experience fewer heat deaths even when temperatures rise.[465 words] | 1216.txt | 2 |
[
"rising temperatures will cause more deaths",
"people still die more because of cold weather",
"rising temperatures will cause no excess deaths",
"people will be less susceptible to ring temperatures"
] | The example of Philadelphia is used to illustrate that_ | The heat wave in Europe in early August 2003 was a catastrophe of heartbreaking proportions. With more than 3,500 dead in Paris alone, France suffered nearly 15,000 fatalities from the heat wave. Another 7,000 died in Germany, 8,000 in Spain and Italy, and 2,000 in the United Kingdom. Understandably, this event has become a psychologically powerful metaphor for the frightening vision of a warmer future and our immediate need to prevent it.
For Europe as a whole, about 200,000 people die from excess heat each year. However, about 1.5 million Europeans die annually from excess cold. That is more than seven times the total number of heat deaths. Just in the past decade, Europe has lost about 15 million people to the cold, more than 400 times the iconic heat deaths from 2003. That we so easily neglect these deaths and so easily embrace those caused by global warming tells us of a breakdown in our sense of proportion. examda.
How will heat and cold deaths change over the coming century with global warming? Let us for the moment assume--very unrealistically--that we will not adapt at all to the future heat. Still, the biggest cross-European cold/heat study concludes that for an increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the average European temperatures, our data suggest that any increases in mortality due to increased temperatures would be outweighed by much larger short-term declines in cold-related mortalities. -o For Britain, it is estimated a 3.6F increase will mean 2,000 more heat deaths but 20,000 fewer cold deaths. Likewise, another paper incorporating all studies on this issue and applying them to a broad variety of settings in both developed and developing countries found that global warming may cause a decrease in mortality rates, especially of cardiovascular diseases. examda.
But of course, it seems very unrealistic and conservative to assume that we will not adapt to rising temperatures throughout the 21st century. Several recent studies have looked at adaptation in up to 28 of the biggest cities in the United States. Take Philadelphia. The optimal temperature seems to be about80~F. In the 1960s, on days when it got significantly hotter than that (about 100~F), the death rate increased sharply. Likewise, when the temperature dropped below freezing, deaths increased sharply.examda.
Yet something great happened in the decades following. Death rates in Philadelphia and around the country dropped in general because of better health care. But crucially, temperatures of 100F today cause almost no excess deaths. However, people still die more because of cold weather. One of the main reasons for the lower heat susceptibility is most likely increased access to air-conditioning. ~ Studies seem to indicate that over time and with sufficient resources, we actually learn to adapt to higher temperatures. Consequently we will experience fewer heat deaths even when temperatures rise.[465 words] | 1216.txt | 3 |
[
"all deaths should be treated with equal concern",
"it is vital to avoid many more dying from cold",
"heat waves will no longer cause excess deaths",
"excess cold will cause more deaths in the future"
] | The author argues that_ | The heat wave in Europe in early August 2003 was a catastrophe of heartbreaking proportions. With more than 3,500 dead in Paris alone, France suffered nearly 15,000 fatalities from the heat wave. Another 7,000 died in Germany, 8,000 in Spain and Italy, and 2,000 in the United Kingdom. Understandably, this event has become a psychologically powerful metaphor for the frightening vision of a warmer future and our immediate need to prevent it.
For Europe as a whole, about 200,000 people die from excess heat each year. However, about 1.5 million Europeans die annually from excess cold. That is more than seven times the total number of heat deaths. Just in the past decade, Europe has lost about 15 million people to the cold, more than 400 times the iconic heat deaths from 2003. That we so easily neglect these deaths and so easily embrace those caused by global warming tells us of a breakdown in our sense of proportion. examda.
How will heat and cold deaths change over the coming century with global warming? Let us for the moment assume--very unrealistically--that we will not adapt at all to the future heat. Still, the biggest cross-European cold/heat study concludes that for an increase of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the average European temperatures, our data suggest that any increases in mortality due to increased temperatures would be outweighed by much larger short-term declines in cold-related mortalities. -o For Britain, it is estimated a 3.6F increase will mean 2,000 more heat deaths but 20,000 fewer cold deaths. Likewise, another paper incorporating all studies on this issue and applying them to a broad variety of settings in both developed and developing countries found that global warming may cause a decrease in mortality rates, especially of cardiovascular diseases. examda.
But of course, it seems very unrealistic and conservative to assume that we will not adapt to rising temperatures throughout the 21st century. Several recent studies have looked at adaptation in up to 28 of the biggest cities in the United States. Take Philadelphia. The optimal temperature seems to be about80~F. In the 1960s, on days when it got significantly hotter than that (about 100~F), the death rate increased sharply. Likewise, when the temperature dropped below freezing, deaths increased sharply.examda.
Yet something great happened in the decades following. Death rates in Philadelphia and around the country dropped in general because of better health care. But crucially, temperatures of 100F today cause almost no excess deaths. However, people still die more because of cold weather. One of the main reasons for the lower heat susceptibility is most likely increased access to air-conditioning. ~ Studies seem to indicate that over time and with sufficient resources, we actually learn to adapt to higher temperatures. Consequently we will experience fewer heat deaths even when temperatures rise.[465 words] | 1216.txt | 0 |
[
"Reserved consent.",
"Enthusiastic support.",
"Strongly alarmed.",
"Slight contempt."
] | What is Rupert Murdoch's attitude towards the popularity of Facebook? | Older people in particular are often surprised by the speed with which the Internet's" next big thing" can cease being that. It even happens to Rupert Murdoch, a seventy-year-old media mogul. Two years ago he bought MySpace, a social-networking site that has become the world's largest. The other day, however, Mr. Murdoch was heard lamenting that MySpace appears already to be last year's news, because everybody is now going to Facebook, the second-largest social network on the web, with 31m registered users at the last count.
Facebook was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard and not even 20 at the time, along with two of his friends. The site requires users to provide their real names and e-mail addresses for registration, and it then links them up with current and former friends and colleagues with amazing ease. Each Facebook" profile" becomes both a repository of each user's information and photos, and a social place where friends gossip, exchange messages and" poke" one another.
Facebook is generating so much excitement this summer that bloggers are comparing Mr. Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, the charismatic boss of Apple, and calling his company" the next Google" on the assumption that a stockmarket listing must be soon. It may be. Mr. Zuckerberg has rejected big offers from new- and old-media giants such as Yahoo! and Viacom. One of his three sisters, who also works for Facebook, has posted a silly video online that makes fun of Yahoo!'s takeover bid and sings about" going for IPO" . And Facebook has advertised for a" stock administration manager" with expertise in share regulations.
And yet Mr. Zuckerberg insists that he is" a little bit surprised about how focused everybody is on the ‘exit'." The truth is that he is sick of talking about it. The venture capitalists backing Facebook may want to cash out, but Mr. Zuckerberg is only 23 and doesn't need the money. He also happens to believe-rather as Google's young founders do-that he can, and should, change the world.
Facebook is distinctive in several ways. First, it is currently considered classier than, say, MySpace. One academic researcher argues that Facebook is for" good kids" , whereas MySpace is for blue-collar kids and" gangstas" . Facebook's roots are indeed college students. Mr. Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard, after all. From there it spread to other elite universities, and it only opened up to the general population last September.
Mr. Zuckerberg, however, thinks that the bigger difference is that Facebook is now becoming a" platform" . By this he means that it is evolving into a technology on top of which others can build new software tools and businesses. In May Mr. Zuckerberg opened Facebook up for outsiders to do just that, promising that any advertising revenues that third parties collect within Facebook are theirs to keep. Already, thousands of little tools have been created that allow Facebook users to share and discover music, play Sudoku, lend each other money, and so on. | 490.txt | 2 |
[
"It is a safe online community because everyone has to register with their real names.",
"It is a platform full of fun with the assistance of diversified software tools.",
"One might be able to find their primary school classmates whom they have lost contact with for years.",
"One can share pictures, songs, etc., with friends as well as starting their own businesses."
] | Which of the following is NOT a good reason to use Facebook? | Older people in particular are often surprised by the speed with which the Internet's" next big thing" can cease being that. It even happens to Rupert Murdoch, a seventy-year-old media mogul. Two years ago he bought MySpace, a social-networking site that has become the world's largest. The other day, however, Mr. Murdoch was heard lamenting that MySpace appears already to be last year's news, because everybody is now going to Facebook, the second-largest social network on the web, with 31m registered users at the last count.
Facebook was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard and not even 20 at the time, along with two of his friends. The site requires users to provide their real names and e-mail addresses for registration, and it then links them up with current and former friends and colleagues with amazing ease. Each Facebook" profile" becomes both a repository of each user's information and photos, and a social place where friends gossip, exchange messages and" poke" one another.
Facebook is generating so much excitement this summer that bloggers are comparing Mr. Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, the charismatic boss of Apple, and calling his company" the next Google" on the assumption that a stockmarket listing must be soon. It may be. Mr. Zuckerberg has rejected big offers from new- and old-media giants such as Yahoo! and Viacom. One of his three sisters, who also works for Facebook, has posted a silly video online that makes fun of Yahoo!'s takeover bid and sings about" going for IPO" . And Facebook has advertised for a" stock administration manager" with expertise in share regulations.
And yet Mr. Zuckerberg insists that he is" a little bit surprised about how focused everybody is on the ‘exit'." The truth is that he is sick of talking about it. The venture capitalists backing Facebook may want to cash out, but Mr. Zuckerberg is only 23 and doesn't need the money. He also happens to believe-rather as Google's young founders do-that he can, and should, change the world.
Facebook is distinctive in several ways. First, it is currently considered classier than, say, MySpace. One academic researcher argues that Facebook is for" good kids" , whereas MySpace is for blue-collar kids and" gangstas" . Facebook's roots are indeed college students. Mr. Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard, after all. From there it spread to other elite universities, and it only opened up to the general population last September.
Mr. Zuckerberg, however, thinks that the bigger difference is that Facebook is now becoming a" platform" . By this he means that it is evolving into a technology on top of which others can build new software tools and businesses. In May Mr. Zuckerberg opened Facebook up for outsiders to do just that, promising that any advertising revenues that third parties collect within Facebook are theirs to keep. Already, thousands of little tools have been created that allow Facebook users to share and discover music, play Sudoku, lend each other money, and so on. | 490.txt | 0 |
[
"Mr. Zuckerberg does not need money since he is still a young student",
"Mr. Zuckerberg is too young to manage too much money",
"Mr. Zuckerberg does not need money for maintaining Facebook since it is a non-profit website",
"Mr. Zuckerberg is young enough to afford any failure and start again"
] | The expression" Mr. Zuckerberg is only 23 and doesn't need the money" （Line 3, Paragraph 4）most probably indicates _ . | Older people in particular are often surprised by the speed with which the Internet's" next big thing" can cease being that. It even happens to Rupert Murdoch, a seventy-year-old media mogul. Two years ago he bought MySpace, a social-networking site that has become the world's largest. The other day, however, Mr. Murdoch was heard lamenting that MySpace appears already to be last year's news, because everybody is now going to Facebook, the second-largest social network on the web, with 31m registered users at the last count.
Facebook was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard and not even 20 at the time, along with two of his friends. The site requires users to provide their real names and e-mail addresses for registration, and it then links them up with current and former friends and colleagues with amazing ease. Each Facebook" profile" becomes both a repository of each user's information and photos, and a social place where friends gossip, exchange messages and" poke" one another.
Facebook is generating so much excitement this summer that bloggers are comparing Mr. Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, the charismatic boss of Apple, and calling his company" the next Google" on the assumption that a stockmarket listing must be soon. It may be. Mr. Zuckerberg has rejected big offers from new- and old-media giants such as Yahoo! and Viacom. One of his three sisters, who also works for Facebook, has posted a silly video online that makes fun of Yahoo!'s takeover bid and sings about" going for IPO" . And Facebook has advertised for a" stock administration manager" with expertise in share regulations.
And yet Mr. Zuckerberg insists that he is" a little bit surprised about how focused everybody is on the ‘exit'." The truth is that he is sick of talking about it. The venture capitalists backing Facebook may want to cash out, but Mr. Zuckerberg is only 23 and doesn't need the money. He also happens to believe-rather as Google's young founders do-that he can, and should, change the world.
Facebook is distinctive in several ways. First, it is currently considered classier than, say, MySpace. One academic researcher argues that Facebook is for" good kids" , whereas MySpace is for blue-collar kids and" gangstas" . Facebook's roots are indeed college students. Mr. Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard, after all. From there it spread to other elite universities, and it only opened up to the general population last September.
Mr. Zuckerberg, however, thinks that the bigger difference is that Facebook is now becoming a" platform" . By this he means that it is evolving into a technology on top of which others can build new software tools and businesses. In May Mr. Zuckerberg opened Facebook up for outsiders to do just that, promising that any advertising revenues that third parties collect within Facebook are theirs to keep. Already, thousands of little tools have been created that allow Facebook users to share and discover music, play Sudoku, lend each other money, and so on. | 490.txt | 3 |
[
"MySpace is more welcomed by lower class people because it is less classic than Facebook.",
"Facebook first became popular among those who received higher education since it was only confined to a bunch of universities.",
"Facebook's popularity in universities is merely due to the fact that its creator is an elite student.",
"Facebook is reluctant but forced to open to the public."
] | What can we learn from Paragraph 5? | Older people in particular are often surprised by the speed with which the Internet's" next big thing" can cease being that. It even happens to Rupert Murdoch, a seventy-year-old media mogul. Two years ago he bought MySpace, a social-networking site that has become the world's largest. The other day, however, Mr. Murdoch was heard lamenting that MySpace appears already to be last year's news, because everybody is now going to Facebook, the second-largest social network on the web, with 31m registered users at the last count.
Facebook was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard and not even 20 at the time, along with two of his friends. The site requires users to provide their real names and e-mail addresses for registration, and it then links them up with current and former friends and colleagues with amazing ease. Each Facebook" profile" becomes both a repository of each user's information and photos, and a social place where friends gossip, exchange messages and" poke" one another.
Facebook is generating so much excitement this summer that bloggers are comparing Mr. Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, the charismatic boss of Apple, and calling his company" the next Google" on the assumption that a stockmarket listing must be soon. It may be. Mr. Zuckerberg has rejected big offers from new- and old-media giants such as Yahoo! and Viacom. One of his three sisters, who also works for Facebook, has posted a silly video online that makes fun of Yahoo!'s takeover bid and sings about" going for IPO" . And Facebook has advertised for a" stock administration manager" with expertise in share regulations.
And yet Mr. Zuckerberg insists that he is" a little bit surprised about how focused everybody is on the ‘exit'." The truth is that he is sick of talking about it. The venture capitalists backing Facebook may want to cash out, but Mr. Zuckerberg is only 23 and doesn't need the money. He also happens to believe-rather as Google's young founders do-that he can, and should, change the world.
Facebook is distinctive in several ways. First, it is currently considered classier than, say, MySpace. One academic researcher argues that Facebook is for" good kids" , whereas MySpace is for blue-collar kids and" gangstas" . Facebook's roots are indeed college students. Mr. Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard, after all. From there it spread to other elite universities, and it only opened up to the general population last September.
Mr. Zuckerberg, however, thinks that the bigger difference is that Facebook is now becoming a" platform" . By this he means that it is evolving into a technology on top of which others can build new software tools and businesses. In May Mr. Zuckerberg opened Facebook up for outsiders to do just that, promising that any advertising revenues that third parties collect within Facebook are theirs to keep. Already, thousands of little tools have been created that allow Facebook users to share and discover music, play Sudoku, lend each other money, and so on. | 490.txt | 1 |
[
"Negative.",
"Supportive.",
"Objective.",
"Apprehensive."
] | What is the author's attitude towards the development of Facebook? | Older people in particular are often surprised by the speed with which the Internet's" next big thing" can cease being that. It even happens to Rupert Murdoch, a seventy-year-old media mogul. Two years ago he bought MySpace, a social-networking site that has become the world's largest. The other day, however, Mr. Murdoch was heard lamenting that MySpace appears already to be last year's news, because everybody is now going to Facebook, the second-largest social network on the web, with 31m registered users at the last count.
Facebook was started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard and not even 20 at the time, along with two of his friends. The site requires users to provide their real names and e-mail addresses for registration, and it then links them up with current and former friends and colleagues with amazing ease. Each Facebook" profile" becomes both a repository of each user's information and photos, and a social place where friends gossip, exchange messages and" poke" one another.
Facebook is generating so much excitement this summer that bloggers are comparing Mr. Zuckerberg to Steve Jobs, the charismatic boss of Apple, and calling his company" the next Google" on the assumption that a stockmarket listing must be soon. It may be. Mr. Zuckerberg has rejected big offers from new- and old-media giants such as Yahoo! and Viacom. One of his three sisters, who also works for Facebook, has posted a silly video online that makes fun of Yahoo!'s takeover bid and sings about" going for IPO" . And Facebook has advertised for a" stock administration manager" with expertise in share regulations.
And yet Mr. Zuckerberg insists that he is" a little bit surprised about how focused everybody is on the ‘exit'." The truth is that he is sick of talking about it. The venture capitalists backing Facebook may want to cash out, but Mr. Zuckerberg is only 23 and doesn't need the money. He also happens to believe-rather as Google's young founders do-that he can, and should, change the world.
Facebook is distinctive in several ways. First, it is currently considered classier than, say, MySpace. One academic researcher argues that Facebook is for" good kids" , whereas MySpace is for blue-collar kids and" gangstas" . Facebook's roots are indeed college students. Mr. Zuckerberg started Facebook at Harvard, after all. From there it spread to other elite universities, and it only opened up to the general population last September.
Mr. Zuckerberg, however, thinks that the bigger difference is that Facebook is now becoming a" platform" . By this he means that it is evolving into a technology on top of which others can build new software tools and businesses. In May Mr. Zuckerberg opened Facebook up for outsiders to do just that, promising that any advertising revenues that third parties collect within Facebook are theirs to keep. Already, thousands of little tools have been created that allow Facebook users to share and discover music, play Sudoku, lend each other money, and so on. | 490.txt | 2 |
[
"make people alert to the potential danger.",
"attract the readers' attention by presenting an interesting phenomenon.",
"make people realize the graveness of the issue by showing a similar case.",
"make the passage more vivid by imparting new knowledge to readers."
] | The author makes mention of dorsal fins which are irrelevant to the topic in order to _ | When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.
It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.
The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.
Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.
Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. "We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans," says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.
If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins. | 3521.txt | 0 |
[
"the deterioration of the subprime mortgage.",
"the inadequate ability of card borrowers.",
"the influence of the technical factors.",
"the change in relevant laws."
] | Rises in the charge-off and delinquency rate indicate _ | When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.
It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.
The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.
Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.
Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. "We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans," says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.
If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins. | 3521.txt | 1 |
[
"there is a change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws.",
"the charge-offs and delinquencies are still low.",
"the influence of the personal-bankruptcy laws has been digested.",
"the overall conditions for borrowers are getting worse."
] | According to the third paragraph, the number of bankruptcy fillings would be rising again because _ | When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.
It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.
The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.
Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.
Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. "We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans," says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.
If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins. | 3521.txt | 2 |
[
"the fall of asset values affects the card borrowers' creditworthiness.",
"the decrease in the mortgage payment leads to the rises of the card debt.",
"the drying up of the home-equity loans spur consumers' incectives to repay the card debt.",
"the falling house prices makes the card debt rising higher."
] | The subprime-mortgage crisis influnces the credit-card market in that _ | When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.
It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.
The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.
Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.
Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. "We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans," says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.
If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins. | 3521.txt | 2 |
[
"a gradual downward tendency.",
"a rapid collapse.",
"a sustained trend of lowering price.",
"the accumulation of economic recession."
] | According to the author, the credit-card market will more likely be threatened by _ | When there is blood in the water, it is only natural that dorsal fins swirl around excitedly. Now that America's housing market is ailing, predators have their sights on the country's credit-card market. Analysts at Goldman Sachs reckon that credit-card losses could reach $99 billion if contagion spreads from subprime mortgages to other forms of consumer credit. Signs of strain are clearly visible. There are rises in both the charge-off and delinquency rates, which measure the share of balances that are uncollectable or more than 30 days late respectively. HSBC announced last month that it had taken a $1.4 billion charge in its American consumer-finance business, partly because of weakness among card borrowers.
It is too early to panic, though. Charge-offs and delinquencies are still low. According to Moody's, a rating agency, the third-quarter delinquency rate of 3.89% was almost a full percentage point below the historical average. The deterioration in rates can be partly explained by technical factors. A change in America's personal-bankruptcy laws in 2005 led to an abrupt fall in bankruptcy filings, which in turn account for a big chunk of credit-card losses; the number of filings (and thus charge-off rates) would be rising again, whether or not overall conditions for borrowers were getting worse.
The industry also reports solid payment rates, which show how much of their debt consumers pay off each month. And confidence in credit-card asset-backed securities is pretty firm despite paralysis in other corners of structured finance. Dennis Moroney of TowerGroup, a research firm, predicts that issuance volumes for 2007 will end up being 25% higher than last year.
Direct channels of infection between the subprime-mortgage crisis and the credit-card market certainly exist: consumers are likelier to load up on credit-card debt now that home-equity loans are drying up. But card issuers look at cash flow rather than asset values, so falling house prices do not necessarily trigger a change in borrowers' creditworthiness. They may even work to issuers' advantage. The incentives for consumers to keep paying the mortgage decrease if properties are worth less than the value of the loan; card debt rises higher up the list of repayment priorities as a result.
Card issuers are also able to respond much more swiftly and flexibly to stormier conditions than mortgage lenders are, by changing interest rates or altering credit limits. That should in theory reduce the risk of a rapid repricing of assets. "We are not going to wake up one day and totally revalue the loans," says Gary Perlin, Capital One's chief financial officer.
If a sudden subprime-style meltdown in the credit-card market is improbable, the risks of a sustained downturn are much more real. If lower house prices and a contraction in credit push America into recession, the industry will undoubtedly face a grimmer future. Keep watching for those dorsal fins. | 3521.txt | 0 |
[
"has become a heavy burden on many middle income families with college-age children",
"has ballooned due to a robust stock market",
"has brought more endowments to the top universities",
"has increased relatively slowly in the past few years"
] | We learn from the beginning of the passage that college tuition _ . | After years of sharp increases, some colleges are trying to ease the burden on middle-class families
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universit
ies-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking. | 1109.txt | 0 |
[
"it is a big challenge facing colleges and universities",
"it has increased twice as much as the median income of families in the past 2 decades",
"changes are taking place as schools are looking for sources to control it",
"it will not stop increasing until parents are unaffordable"
] | Speaking of college cost, the author implies that _ . | After years of sharp increases, some colleges are trying to ease the burden on middle-class families
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universit
ies-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking. | 1109.txt | 2 |
[
"it is unnecessary to control tuition increases because even needy students can pay their tuition",
"students in need can not benefit much from the efforts of keeping tuition constant",
"schools should provide more scholarships to students instead of cutting down tuition",
"using endowments to freeze tuition will only add to student¡¯ economic burden"
] | In the view of Harold Shapiro, _. | After years of sharp increases, some colleges are trying to ease the burden on middle-class families
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universit
ies-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking. | 1109.txt | 1 |
[
"big, heavy animal",
"urgent issue",
"tough problem",
"unwanted situation"
] | The phrase ¡°800-lb gorilla¡± (line 6, paragraph 3) most probably means _ . | After years of sharp increases, some colleges are trying to ease the burden on middle-class families
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universit
ies-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking. | 1109.txt | 2 |
[
"tuition in Rice University has dropped",
"government will take measures to punish schools that allow their tuition to increase steeply",
"the public will urge government to tackle tuition increase if schools can not handle it",
"there will be more middle-income students on college campus if tuition can be curbed"
] | We learn from the last paragraph that _ . | After years of sharp increases, some colleges are trying to ease the burden on middle-class families
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ,BEST OF TIMES for many of the nation's top universit
ies-and the worst of times for middle income families struggling to afford them. Thanks to a robust stock market, school endowments have ballooned. Yet few institutions have held down steep increases in tuition. But that may be changing.
Williams College, a prestigious liberal arts school in Massachusetts, announced last month that for the first time in 46 years, its tuition would remain steady at $31,520. Last week students at Princeton University learned that their annual $31,599 tuition, room and board will rise just 3.3%-the smallest hike in 30 years.
These shows of restraint may signal a turnaround from the whopping tuition increases of recent years, as some schools now consider using their endowments to control price hikes. Since 1980, college costs have more than doubled, after adjustment for inflation, while the median income of families with college-age children has increased only 12%. Last year tuition rose an average of 4.6%, the lowest jump in 12 years-but still more than twice the rate of inflation. "Remaining affordable for middle-class parents is the 800-lb. gorilla facing colleges and universities," says Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the American Council on Education in Washington.
Williams held its tuition flat by paying more of its bills with the investment profits on its $1.1 billion endowment and with contributions from alumni. But college officials who oppose using endowments to freeze tuition say the students most vulnerable to hikes are not affected by them. "If we were to keep tuition constant, would it change the situation here for students in need?" asks Princeton president Harold Shapiro. "No, because their tuition is fully covered." The school plans to boost scholarships to needy students this year as much as $2,250 a person. To be sure, there is no shortage of families who can afford elite institutions. Despite annual tuition hikes at Harvard, its applicant pool swelled from 13,029 in 1992 to 18,167 last year. Families that equate price with quality have allowed costs at elite schools to be on "autopilot," says Gordon Winston, an economist at Williams College. Most wealthy families can afford the high tuitions, and poor families get financial aid, but middle-income families get squeezed-and even squeezed out.
One reason colleges are curbing tuition increases is to attract those middle-income students. Rice University in Houston uses its $3 billion endowment to guarantee that tuition for sophomores, juniors and seniors will not leap ahead of the consumer price index. Another reason for restraint is concern that public outrage will prompt government intervention. Congress is already tackling the issue during two days of hearings this week, and President Clinton recently proposed a $31 billion package to make higher education more affordable. Now if only someone could do something about campus parking. | 1109.txt | 3 |
[
"new computers had been installed in the buildings",
"it occurred in the residential areas rather than on the highways",
"large numbers of Los Angeles residents had gone for a holiday",
"improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways"
] | One reason why the loss of lives in the Los Angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that ________. | After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll could have been much worse.
More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, as earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city's highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.
Despite the good new, civil engineers aren't resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.
In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes. | 4089.txt | 3 |
[
"counterbalance an earthquake's action on the building",
"predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracy",
"help strengthen the foundation of the building",
"measure the impact of an earthquake's vibrations"
] | The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to ________. | After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll could have been much worse.
More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, as earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city's highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.
Despite the good new, civil engineers aren't resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.
In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes. | 4089.txt | 0 |
[
"would cause serious financial problems",
"would be worthwhile though costly",
"would increase the complexity of architectural design",
"can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes"
] | The smart buildings discussed in the passage ________. | After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll could have been much worse.
More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, as earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city's highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.
Despite the good new, civil engineers aren't resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.
In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes. | 4089.txt | 1 |
[
"the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction",
"the development of flexible building materials",
"the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations",
"early forecasts of earthquakes"
] | It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing the damage caused by earthquakes attention should be focused on ________. | After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll could have been much worse.
More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, as earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.
Injuries and deaths were relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the city's highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes.
Despite the good new, civil engineers aren't resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints for improved quake-resistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.
In the past, making structures quake-resistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports. Called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake's vibrations. When the ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.
The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes. | 4089.txt | 2 |
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