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[
"the careful selection of a proper book",
"the growing popularity of the writers",
"the number of people who benefit from reading.",
"the number of books that each person reads."
]
| According to Nacy,the degree of students of the project is judged by _ . | An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same tome.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools.
The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits,study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong kong.
In Chicago, the mayorappeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the
"One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighbourhood groups sprang up around the city.
Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York ,where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns,where a greater sense of unitycan be achieved.Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point ,putting all their energy
And passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultinatel was Nancy points out,the level of sucicess is not meastured by how many people read a book,but by how many people are enriched by the process.or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word. | 344.txt | 2 |
[
"economically desirable",
"favorable to the environment",
"for holding music performances",
"designed for disaster relief"
]
| "Eco-friendly tents" in paragraph 1 refer to tents _ . | The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City's private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint's directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop's business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. | 3373.txt | 1 |
[
"independently with an interest-free loan from Mint",
"with the approval of the City's administration",
"in partnership with a finance group",
"with the help of a Japanese architect"
]
| Mr. Dunlop established his business _ . | The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City's private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint's directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop's business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. | 3373.txt | 2 |
[
"the weather in the UK is changeable in summer",
"most performances at British festivals are given in the open air",
"the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored",
"cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users."
]
| It is implied in the passage that _ . | The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City's private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint's directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop's business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. | 3373.txt | 2 |
[
"an attempt at developing recyclable tents",
"some efforts at making full use of cardboards",
"an unusual success of a graduation project",
"the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals"
]
| The passage is mainly concerned with _ . | The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City's private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint's directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop's business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. | 3373.txt | 0 |
[
"Computer learning should be made easier.",
"There should be more computer clubs for experts.",
"People should work harder to master computer use.",
"Computers should be made cheaper so that people can afford them."
]
| Which of the following is David Tebbutt's idea on the relationship between people and computers? | Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become "computerliterate". But not all experts (） agree that this is a good idea.
One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that day. He says that Compuutertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them "people literate."
David Tebbutt thinks Computertown are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away nonexperts, who are happier going to Computertown where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any question they have. They are not told what to do, they find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask, people don't have to learn computer terms (）, but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming "peopleliterate". | 3596.txt | 0 |
[
"being able to afford a computer",
"being able to write computer programs",
"working with the computer and finding out its value",
"understanding the computer and knowing how to use it"
]
| We can infer from the text that "computer-literate" means _ . | Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become "computerliterate". But not all experts (） agree that this is a good idea.
One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that day. He says that Compuutertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them "people literate."
David Tebbutt thinks Computertown are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away nonexperts, who are happier going to Computertown where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any question they have. They are not told what to do, they find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask, people don't have to learn computer terms (）, but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming "peopleliterate". | 3596.txt | 3 |
[
"making better use of computer experts",
"improving computer programs",
"increasing computer sales",
"popularizing computers"
]
| David Tebbutt started Computertown UK with the purpose of _ . | Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become "computerliterate". But not all experts (） agree that this is a good idea.
One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that day. He says that Compuutertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to people and make them "people literate."
David Tebbutt thinks Computertown are most successful when tied to a computer club but he insists there is an important difference between the two. The clubs are for people who have some computer knowledge already. This frightens away nonexperts, who are happier going to Computertown where there are computers for them to experiment on, with experts to encourage them and answer any question they have. They are not told what to do, they find out. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to answer all questions people ask, people don't have to learn computer terms (）, but the experts have to explain in plain language. The computers are becoming "peopleliterate". | 3596.txt | 3 |
[
"tear many troubled families apart",
"contribute to enduring family ties",
"bring about a drop in the divorce rate",
"cause a lot of conflicts in the family"
]
| In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to _. | In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.
The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale. For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.
Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.
Today's economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparablyruined. So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created. | 2055.txt | 2 |
[
"starting a new family would be hard",
"they expected things would turn better",
"they wanted to better protect their kids",
"living separately would be too costly"
]
| In the Great Depression many unhappy couples close to stick together because | In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.
The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale. For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.
Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.
Today's economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparablyruined. So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created. | 2055.txt | 3 |
[
"Mounting family debts",
"A sense of insecurity",
"Difficulty in getting a loan",
"Falling housing prices"
]
| In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce? | In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.
The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale. For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.
Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.
Today's economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparablyruined. So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created. | 2055.txt | 3 |
[
"It will force them to pull their efforts together",
"It will undermine their mutual understanding",
"It will help strengthen their emotional bonds",
"It will irreparably damage their relationship"
]
| What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples? | In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.
The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale. For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.
Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.
Today's economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparablyruined. So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created. | 2055.txt | 3 |
[
"The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate",
"Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships",
"A stable family is the best protection against poverty.",
"Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage"
]
| What can be inferred from the last paragraph? | In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.
The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale. For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.
Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.
Today's economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparablyruined. So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have been created. | 2055.txt | 0 |
[
"Beverage companies should be responsible for collecting and reusing discarded plastic soda bottles.",
"Throwaways should be collected by the state for recycling.",
"A fee should be charged on used containers for recycling.",
"Consumers had to pay for beverage containers and could get their money back on returning them."
]
| What regulation was issued by New York State concerning beverage containers? | In 1993. New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage containers. Within a year. Consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty of companies were eager to accept the aluminum and glass as raw materials for new products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound up buried in landfills. The problem was not limited to New York. Unfortunately, there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled in the United States. The reason for the change is that now there are dozens of companies across the country buying discarded plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts, paint brushes, etc.
Shrinking landfill space, and rising costs for burying and burning rubbish are forcing local governments to look more closely at recycling. In many areas, the East Coast especially, recycling is already the least expensive waste-management option. For every ton of waste recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of New York, amounts to saving of more than $100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material. | 2968.txt | 3 |
[
"end up somewhere underground",
"be turned into raw materials",
"have a second-life value",
"be separated from other rubbish"
]
| The returned plastic bottles in New York used to _ . | In 1993. New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage containers. Within a year. Consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty of companies were eager to accept the aluminum and glass as raw materials for new products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound up buried in landfills. The problem was not limited to New York. Unfortunately, there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled in the United States. The reason for the change is that now there are dozens of companies across the country buying discarded plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts, paint brushes, etc.
Shrinking landfill space, and rising costs for burying and burning rubbish are forcing local governments to look more closely at recycling. In many areas, the East Coast especially, recycling is already the least expensive waste-management option. For every ton of waste recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of New York, amounts to saving of more than $100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material. | 2968.txt | 0 |
[
"to sell them at a profitable price",
"how to turn them into useful things",
"how to reduce their recycling costs",
"to lower the prices for used materials"
]
| The key problem in dealing with returned plastic beverage containers is _ . | In 1993. New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage containers. Within a year. Consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty of companies were eager to accept the aluminum and glass as raw materials for new products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound up buried in landfills. The problem was not limited to New York. Unfortunately, there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled in the United States. The reason for the change is that now there are dozens of companies across the country buying discarded plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts, paint brushes, etc.
Shrinking landfill space, and rising costs for burying and burning rubbish are forcing local governments to look more closely at recycling. In many areas, the East Coast especially, recycling is already the least expensive waste-management option. For every ton of waste recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of New York, amounts to saving of more than $100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material. | 2968.txt | 1 |
[
"local governments find it easy to manage",
"recycling ahs great appeal for the jobless",
"recycling causes little pollution",
"other methods are more expensive"
]
| Recycling ahs become the first choice for the disposal of rubbish because _ . | In 1993. New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage containers. Within a year. Consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty of companies were eager to accept the aluminum and glass as raw materials for new products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound up buried in landfills. The problem was not limited to New York. Unfortunately, there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled in the United States. The reason for the change is that now there are dozens of companies across the country buying discarded plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts, paint brushes, etc.
Shrinking landfill space, and rising costs for burying and burning rubbish are forcing local governments to look more closely at recycling. In many areas, the East Coast especially, recycling is already the least expensive waste-management option. For every ton of waste recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of New York, amounts to saving of more than $100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material. | 2968.txt | 3 |
[
"rubbish is a potential remedy for the shortage of raw materials",
"local governments in the U.S. can expect big profits from recycling",
"recycling is to be recommended both economically and environmentally",
"landfills will still be widely used for waste disposal"
]
| It can be concluded from the passage that _ . | In 1993. New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage containers. Within a year. Consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty of companies were eager to accept the aluminum and glass as raw materials for new products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound up buried in landfills. The problem was not limited to New York. Unfortunately, there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled in the United States. The reason for the change is that now there are dozens of companies across the country buying discarded plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts, paint brushes, etc.
Shrinking landfill space, and rising costs for burying and burning rubbish are forcing local governments to look more closely at recycling. In many areas, the East Coast especially, recycling is already the least expensive waste-management option. For every ton of waste recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of New York, amounts to saving of more than $100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material. | 2968.txt | 2 |
[
"is inevitable in radical education reforms",
"is but all too natural in language development",
"has caused the controversy over the counter-culture",
"brought about changes in public attitudes in the 1960s"
]
| According to McWhorter, the decline of formal English . | Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom," for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, "doing our own thing," has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive -- there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms -- he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English "on paper plates instead of china." A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | 3130.txt | 1 |
[
"modesty",
"personality",
"liveliness",
"informality"
]
| The word "talking" (Line 6, Paragraph 3) denotes . | Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom," for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, "doing our own thing," has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive -- there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms -- he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English "on paper plates instead of china." A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | 3130.txt | 3 |
[
"Logical thinking is not necessarily related to the way we talk.",
"Black English can be more expressive than standard English.",
"Non-standard varieties of human language are just as entertaining.",
"Of all the varieties, standard English can best convey complex ideas."
]
| To which of the following statements would McWhorter most likely agree? | Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom," for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, "doing our own thing," has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive -- there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms -- he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English "on paper plates instead of china." A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | 3130.txt | 0 |
[
"interest in their language",
"appreciation of their efforts",
"admiration for their memory",
"contempt for their old-fashionedness"
]
| The description of Russians' love of memorizing poetry shows the author's . | Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom," for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, "doing our own thing," has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive -- there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms -- he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English "on paper plates instead of china." A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | 3130.txt | 1 |
[
"\"temporary\" is to \"permanent\"",
"\"radical\" is to \"conservative\"",
"\"functional\" is to \"artistic\"",
"\"humble\" is to \"noble\""
]
| According to the last paragraph, "paper plates" is to "china" as . | Americans no longer expect public figures, whether in speech or in writing, to command the English language with skill and gift. Nor do they aspire to such command themselves. In his latest book, Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care, John McWhorter, a linguist and controversialist of mixed liberal and conservative views, sees the triumph of 1960s counter-culture as responsible for the decline of formal English.
Blaming the permissive 1960s is nothing new, but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education. Mr. McWhorter's academic speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of "whom," for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.
But the cult of the authentic and the personal, "doing our own thing," has spelt the death of formal speech, writing, poetry and music. While even the modestly educated sought an elevated tone when they put pen to paper before the 1960s, even the most well regarded writing since then has sought to capture spoken English on the page. Equally, in poetry, the highly personal, performative genre is the only form that could claim real liveliness. In both oral and written English, talking is triumphing over speaking, spontaneity over craft.
Illustrated with an entertaining array of examples from both high and low culture, the trend that Mr. McWhorter documents is unmistakable. But it is less clear, to take the question of his subtitle, why we should, like, care. As a linguist, he acknowledges that all varieties of human language, including non-standard ones like Black English, can be powerfully expressive -- there exists no language or dialect in the world that cannot convey complex ideas. He is not arguing, as many do, that we can no longer think straight because we do not talk proper.
Russians have a deep love for their own language and carry large chunks of memorized poetry in their heads, while Italian politicians tend to elaborate speech that would seem old-fashioned to most English-speakers. Mr. McWhorter acknowledges that formal language is not strictly necessary, and proposes no radical education reforms -- he is really grieving over the loss of something beautiful more than useful. We now take our English "on paper plates instead of china." A shame, perhaps, but probably an inevitable one. | 3130.txt | 2 |
[
"they lived healthily in a dirty environment.",
"they thought bath houses were too dirty to stay in",
"they believed disease could be spread in public baths",
"they considered bathing as the cause of skin disease"
]
| The kings of France and England in the 16th century closed bath houses because. | Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546.
Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease.On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground. | 3378.txt | 2 |
[
"Afraid.",
"Curious.",
"Approving.",
"Uninterested."
]
| Which of the following best describes Henry IV's attitude to bathing? | Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546.
Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease.On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground. | 3378.txt | 0 |
[
"By providing examples.",
"By making comparisons.",
"By following the order of time.",
"By following the order of importance."
]
| How does the passage mainly develop? | Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546.
Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease.On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground. | 3378.txt | 2 |
[
"To stress the role of dirt.",
"To introduce the history of dirt.",
"To call attention to the danger of dirt.",
"To present the change of views on dirt."
]
| What is the author's purpose in writing the passage? | Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, there is nothing fixed about attitudes to dirt.
In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, as medical opinion had it that washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. So did the king of England in 1546.
Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. Henry IV, King of France, was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.
Though the belief in the merit of dirt was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbor ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War Ⅱ. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea: clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?
Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease.On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist，encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground. | 3378.txt | 3 |
[
"By making laws.",
"By enforcing discipline.",
"By educating the public.",
"By holding ceremonies."
]
| How do Americans ensure proper respect for the national flag？ | Laws have been written to govern the use of American National Flag, and to ensure proper respect for the flag. Custom has also governed the common practice in regard to its use. All the armed services have precise regulations on how to display the national flag. This may vary somewhat from the general rules. The national flag should be raised and lowered by hand. Do not raise the flag while it is folded. Unfolded the flag first, and then hoist it quickly to the top of the flagpole. Lower it slowly and with dignity. Place no objects on or over the flag. Do not use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform. Do not print it upon cushions, handkerchief, paper napkins or boxes. A federal law provides that the trademark cannot be registered if it comprises the flag, or badgers of the US. When the flag is used to unveil a statue or monument, it shouldn't serve as a covering of the object to be unveiled. If it is displayed on such occasions, do not allow the flag to the ground, but let it be carried high up in the air to form a feature of the ceremony. Take every precaution to prevent the flag from soiled. It should not be allowed to touch the ground or floor, nor to brush against objects. | 726.txt | 0 |
[
"It should be raised by soldiers.",
"It should be raised quickly by hand.",
"It should be raised only by Americans.",
"It should be raised by mechanical means."
]
| What is the regulation regarding the raising of the American National Flag? | Laws have been written to govern the use of American National Flag, and to ensure proper respect for the flag. Custom has also governed the common practice in regard to its use. All the armed services have precise regulations on how to display the national flag. This may vary somewhat from the general rules. The national flag should be raised and lowered by hand. Do not raise the flag while it is folded. Unfolded the flag first, and then hoist it quickly to the top of the flagpole. Lower it slowly and with dignity. Place no objects on or over the flag. Do not use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform. Do not print it upon cushions, handkerchief, paper napkins or boxes. A federal law provides that the trademark cannot be registered if it comprises the flag, or badgers of the US. When the flag is used to unveil a statue or monument, it shouldn't serve as a covering of the object to be unveiled. If it is displayed on such occasions, do not allow the flag to the ground, but let it be carried high up in the air to form a feature of the ceremony. Take every precaution to prevent the flag from soiled. It should not be allowed to touch the ground or floor, nor to brush against objects. | 726.txt | 1 |
[
"It should be attached to the status.",
"It should be hung from the top of the monument.",
"It should be spread over the object to be unveiled.",
"It should be carried high up in the air."
]
| How should the American National Flag be displayed at an unveiling ceremony? | Laws have been written to govern the use of American National Flag, and to ensure proper respect for the flag. Custom has also governed the common practice in regard to its use. All the armed services have precise regulations on how to display the national flag. This may vary somewhat from the general rules. The national flag should be raised and lowered by hand. Do not raise the flag while it is folded. Unfolded the flag first, and then hoist it quickly to the top of the flagpole. Lower it slowly and with dignity. Place no objects on or over the flag. Do not use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform. Do not print it upon cushions, handkerchief, paper napkins or boxes. A federal law provides that the trademark cannot be registered if it comprises the flag, or badgers of the US. When the flag is used to unveil a statue or monument, it shouldn't serve as a covering of the object to be unveiled. If it is displayed on such occasions, do not allow the flag to the ground, but let it be carried high up in the air to form a feature of the ceremony. Take every precaution to prevent the flag from soiled. It should not be allowed to touch the ground or floor, nor to brush against objects. | 726.txt | 3 |
[
"There has been a lot of controversy over the use of flag.",
"The best athletes can wear uniforms with the design of the flag.",
"There are precise regulations and customs to be followed.",
"Americans can print the flag on their cushions or handkerchiefs."
]
| What do we learn about the use of the American National Flag? | Laws have been written to govern the use of American National Flag, and to ensure proper respect for the flag. Custom has also governed the common practice in regard to its use. All the armed services have precise regulations on how to display the national flag. This may vary somewhat from the general rules. The national flag should be raised and lowered by hand. Do not raise the flag while it is folded. Unfolded the flag first, and then hoist it quickly to the top of the flagpole. Lower it slowly and with dignity. Place no objects on or over the flag. Do not use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform. Do not print it upon cushions, handkerchief, paper napkins or boxes. A federal law provides that the trademark cannot be registered if it comprises the flag, or badgers of the US. When the flag is used to unveil a statue or monument, it shouldn't serve as a covering of the object to be unveiled. If it is displayed on such occasions, do not allow the flag to the ground, but let it be carried high up in the air to form a feature of the ceremony. Take every precaution to prevent the flag from soiled. It should not be allowed to touch the ground or floor, nor to brush against objects. | 726.txt | 2 |
[
"Arbitrary.",
"Respect.",
"Happy.",
"Brave."
]
| What is Americans' attitude towards their National Flag? | Laws have been written to govern the use of American National Flag, and to ensure proper respect for the flag. Custom has also governed the common practice in regard to its use. All the armed services have precise regulations on how to display the national flag. This may vary somewhat from the general rules. The national flag should be raised and lowered by hand. Do not raise the flag while it is folded. Unfolded the flag first, and then hoist it quickly to the top of the flagpole. Lower it slowly and with dignity. Place no objects on or over the flag. Do not use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform. Do not print it upon cushions, handkerchief, paper napkins or boxes. A federal law provides that the trademark cannot be registered if it comprises the flag, or badgers of the US. When the flag is used to unveil a statue or monument, it shouldn't serve as a covering of the object to be unveiled. If it is displayed on such occasions, do not allow the flag to the ground, but let it be carried high up in the air to form a feature of the ceremony. Take every precaution to prevent the flag from soiled. It should not be allowed to touch the ground or floor, nor to brush against objects. | 726.txt | 1 |
[
"On Tuesday",
"On a Wednesday",
"On a Thursday",
"On a Friday"
]
| When will the final exam take place? | Now I'd like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays. You'll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive , which means you'll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I'll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I'll see you on Tuesday. | 2082.txt | 2 |
[
"There will be only multiple-choice questions.",
"The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions.",
"The exam will have an oral and a written section.",
"There will be only essay questions."
]
| What will be included in the exam? | Now I'd like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays. You'll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive , which means you'll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I'll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I'll see you on Tuesday. | 2082.txt | 3 |
[
"It will be easy to understand.",
"Students will be tested on all the material discussed in class.",
"It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects.",
"Students must complete all parts of it."
]
| Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive? | Now I'd like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays. You'll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive , which means you'll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I'll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I'll see you on Tuesday. | 2082.txt | 1 |
[
"During the first week of class",
"During midterm week",
"On the last day of class",
"On the last day of exam week"
]
| When was this talk most likely given? | Now I'd like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two of three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the midterm exam, this test will not include multiple --- choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays. You'll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive , which means you'll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your midterm exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project will count as 20 percent and the midterm exam 30 percent. I'll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I'll see you on Tuesday. | 2082.txt | 2 |
[
"accustomed",
"credited",
"exposed",
"transformed"
]
| The word "attributed" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 1 |
[
"It coincided with the beginning of industrialization in China.",
"It prompted speculation about the actual number of people living in China in previous centuries.",
"It continued the steady growth in population of previous centuries.",
"It occurred in the absence of certain conditions generally associated with population growth."
]
| According to paragraphs 1 and 2, which of the following is true of Chinese population growth between 1741 and 1851? | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 3 |
[
"143 million",
"150 million",
"400 million",
"432 million"
]
| According to paragraph2, the estimated population of China in the mid 1700s was ? | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 1 |
[
"unique",
"dominant",
"altered",
"unchanging"
]
| The word "constant" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 3 |
[
"It was troubled by frequent conflicts with foreign nations.",
"It improved its transportation system.",
"It experienced growth in international commerce.",
"It managed to prevent the spread of certain diseases."
]
| Paragraph 3 supports all of the following statements about eighteenth-century Chinese society EXCEPT: | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 0 |
[
"Which figures relating to China's population growth were unreliable",
"Why did Dwight Perkins assume that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million",
"Where in China did most of the population increase take place",
"What factors made China's population growth between 1400 and 1965 possible"
]
| Paragraph 4 answers which of the following questions about China's population growth between 1400 and 1965? | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 3 |
[
"available",
"reliable",
"combined",
"recorded"
]
| The word "aggregate" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 2 |
[
"These crops required much more care than other crops.",
"These crops were consumed in limited quantities.",
"These crops permitted an expansion of the area used for farming.",
"These crops became available all over China within a short period of time."
]
| What can be inferred from paragraph 5 about the introduction of corn and sweet potatoes in China? | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 2 |
[
"proportion",
"availability",
"importance",
"cost"
]
| The word "ratio" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 0 |
[
"The growing of two crops on the same field during the same year",
"The improvement of systems to supply crops with water",
"The application of increasing amounts of fertilizer to the land",
"The reduction in the amount of human labor per unit of land"
]
| Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraphs 5 and 6 as one of the strategies the Chinese applied in agriculture? | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 3 |
[
"It provides evidence of China's emerging foreign trade relations.",
"It illustrates how the Chinese increased their food supply.",
"It provides evidence of why population growth was most noticeable in the south.",
"It shows how foreign crops gradually gained greater acceptance in China."
]
| What purpose does paragraph 5 serve in the larger discussion about China's population growth? | Increases in population have usually been accompanied (indeed facilitateD. by an increase in trade. In the Western experience, commerce provided the conditions that allowed industrialization to get started, which in turn led to growth in science, technology, industry, transport, communications, social change, and the like that we group under the broad term of "development." However, the massive increase in population that in Europe was at first attributed to industrialization starting in the eighteenth century occurred also and at the same period in China, even though there was no comparable industrialization.
It is estimated that the Chinese population by 1600 was close to 150 million. The transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties (the seventeenth century) may have seen a decline, but from 1741 to 1851 the annual figures rose steadily and spectacularly, perhaps beginning with 143 million and ending with 432 million. If we accept these totals, we are confronted with a situation in which the Chinese population doubled in the 50 years from 1790 to 1840. If, with greater caution, we assume lower totals in the early eighteenth century and only 400 million in 1850, we still face a startling fact: something like a doubling of the vast Chinese population in the century before Western contact, foreign trade, and industrialization could have had much effect.
To explain this sudden increase we cannot point to factors constant in Chinese society but must find conditions or a combination of factors that were newly effective in this period. Among these is the almost complete internal peace maintained under Manchu rule during the eighteenth century. There was also an increase in foreign trade through Guangzhou (southern ChinA. and some improvement of transportation within the empire. Control of disease, like the checking of smallpox by variolation may have been important. But of most critical importance was the food supply.
Confronted with a multitude of unreliable figures, economists have compared the population records with the aggregate data for cultivated land area and grain production in the six centuries since 1368. Assuming that China's population in 1400 was about 80 million, the economist Dwight Perkins concludes that its growth to 700 million or more in the 1960s was made possible by a steady increase in the grain supply, which evidently grew five or six times between 1400 and 1800 and rose another 50 percent between 1800 and 1965. This increase of food supply was due perhaps half to the increase of cultivated area, particularly by migration and settlement in the central and western provinces, and half to greater productivity-the farmers' success in raising more crops per unit of land.
This technological advance took many forms: one was the continual introduction from the south of earlier-ripening varieties of rice, which made possible double-cropping (the production of two harvests per year from one fielD. New crops such as corn (maize) and sweet potatoes as well as peanuts and tobacco were introduced from the Americas. Corn, for instance, can be grown on the dry soil and marginal hill land of North China, where it is used for food, fuel, and fodder and provides something like one-seventh of the food energy available in the area. The sweet potato, growing in sandy soil and providing more food energy per unit of land than other crops, became the main food of the poor in much of the South China rice area.
Productivity in agriculture was also improved by capital investments, first of all in irrigation. From 1400 to 1900 the total of irrigated land seems to have increased almost three times. There was also a gain in farm tools, draft animals, and fertilizer, to say nothing of the population growth itself, which increased half again as fast as cultivated land area and so increased the ratio of human hands available per unit of land. Thus the rising population was fed by a more intensive agriculture, applying more labor and fertilizer to the land. | 2078.txt | 1 |
[
"its raising of the corporate stock price",
"its self-examination of soul",
"its neglect of social responsibility",
"its emphasis on creative freedom"
]
| Senator Robert Dole criticized Time Warner for . | No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It's a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company's mountainous debt, which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.
The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company's rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T's violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."
Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month's stockholders' meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society's ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this." | 1194.txt | 2 |
[
"Luce is a spokesman of Time Warner.",
"Gerald Levin is liable to compromise.",
"Time Warner is united as one in the face of the debate.",
"Steve Ross is no longer alive."
]
| According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? | No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It's a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company's mountainous debt, which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.
The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company's rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T's violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."
Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month's stockholders' meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society's ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this." | 1194.txt | 3 |
[
"stuck to a strong stand to defend freedom of expression",
"softened his tone and adopted some new policy",
"changed his attitude and yielded to objection",
"received more support from the 15-member board"
]
| In face of the recent attacks on the company, the chairman . | No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It's a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company's mountainous debt, which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.
The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company's rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T's violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."
Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month's stockholders' meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society's ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this." | 1194.txt | 1 |
[
"A Company under Fire",
"A Debate on Moral Decline",
"A Lawful Outlet of Street Culture",
"A Form of Creative Freedom"
]
| The best title for this passage could be . | No company likes to be told it is contributing to the moral decline of a nation. "Is this what you intended to accomplish with your careers?" Senator Robert Dole asked Time Warner executives last week. "You have sold your souls, but must you corrupt our nation and threaten our children as well?" At Time Warner, however, such questions are simply the latest manifestation of the soul-searching that has involved the company ever since the company was born in 1990. It's a self-examination that has, at various times, involved issues of responsibility, creative freedom and the corporate bottom line.
At the core of this debate is chairman Gerald Levin, 56, who took over for the late Steve Ross in 1992. On the financial front, Levin is under pressure to raise the stock price and reduce the company's mountainous debt, which will increase to $17.3 billion after two new cable deals close. He has promised to sell off some of the property and restructure the company, but investors are waiting impatiently.
The flap over rap is not making life any easier for him. Levin has consistently defended the company's rap music on the grounds of expression. In 1992, when Time Warner was under fire for releasing Ice-T's violent rap song Cop Killer, Levin described rap as a lawful expression of street culture, which deserves an outlet. "The test of any democratic society," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal column, "lies not in how well it can control expression but in whether it gives freedom of thought and expression the widest possible latitude, however disputable or irritating the results may sometimes be. We won't retreat in the face of any threats."
Levin would not comment on the debate last week, but there were signs that the chairman was backing off his hard-line stand, at least to some extent. During the discussion of rock singing verses at last month's stockholders' meeting, Levin asserted that "music is not the cause of society's ills" and even cited his son, a teacher in the Bronx, New York, who uses rap to communicate with students. But he talked as well about the "balanced struggle" between creative freedom and social responsibility, and he announced that the company would launch a drive to develop standards for distribution and labeling of potentially objectionable music.
The 15-member Time Warner board is generally supportive of Levin and his corporate strategy. But insiders say several of them have shown their concerns in this matter. "Some of us have known for many, many years that the freedoms under the First Amendment are not totally unlimited," says Luce. "I think it is perhaps the case that some people associated with the company have only recently come to realize this." | 1194.txt | 0 |
[
"Greater diversity.",
"Intellectual maturity.",
"Exceptional diligence.",
"Higher ambition."
]
| What characterises the business school student population of today? | Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women - the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But, increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach - arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking, consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management - at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability. | 1105.txt | 0 |
[
"It will arouse students' unrealistic expectations.",
"It will produce business leaders of a uniform style.",
"It focuses on theory rather than on practical skills.",
"It stresses competition rather than cooperation."
]
| What is the author's concern about current business school education? | Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women - the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But, increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach - arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking, consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management - at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability. | 1105.txt | 1 |
[
"Age and educational background.",
"Social and professional experience.",
"Attitude and approach to business.",
"Ethnic origin and gender."
]
| What aspect of diversity does Valerie Gauthier think is most important? | Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women - the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But, increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach - arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking, consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management - at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability. | 1105.txt | 2 |
[
"Applicants with prior experience in business companies.",
"Applicants with sound knowledge in math and statistics.",
"Applicants from outside the traditional sectors.",
"Applicants from less developed regions and areas."
]
| What applicants does the author think MBA programmes should consider recruiting? | Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women - the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But, increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach - arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking, consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management - at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability. | 1105.txt | 2 |
[
"It is eradicating the tough aspects of management.",
"It encourages male and female executives to work side by side.",
"It adopts the bully-boy chief executive model.",
"It is shifting towards more collaborative models."
]
| What does Mannaz say about the current management style? | Picture a typical MBA lecture theatre twenty years ago. In it the majority of students will have conformed to the standard model of the time: male, middle class and Western. Walk into a class today, however, and you'll get a completely different impression. For a start, you will now see plenty more women - the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, for example, boasts that 40% of its new enrolment is female. You will also see a wide range of ethnic groups and nationals of practically every country.
It might be tempting, therefore, to think that the old barriers have been broken down and equal opportunity achieved. But, increasingly, this apparent diversity is becoming a mask for a new type of conformity. Behind the differences in sex, skin tones and mother tongues, there are common attitudes, expectations and ambitions which risk creating a set of clones among the business leaders of the future.
Diversity, it seems, has not helped to address fundamental weaknesses in business leadership. So what can be done to create more effective managers of the commercial world? According to Valerie Gauthier, associate dean at HEC Paris, the key lies in the process by which MBA programmes recruit their students. At the moment candidates are selected on a fairly narrow set of criteria such as prior academic and career performance, and analytical and problem solving abilities. This is then coupled to a school's picture of what a diverse class should look like, with the result that passport, ethnic origin and sex can all become influencing factors. But schools rarely dig down to find out what really makes an applicant succeed, to create a class which also contains diversity of attitude and approach - arguably the only diversity that, in a business context, really matters.
Professor Gauthier believes schools should not just be selecting candidates from traditional sectors such as banking, consultancy and industry. They should also be seeking individuals who have backgrounds in areas such as political science, the creative arts, history or philosophy, which will allow them to put business decisions into a wider context.
Indeed, there does seem to be a demand for the more rounded leaders such diversity might create. A study by Mannaz, a leadership development company, suggests that, while the bully-boy chief executive of old may not have been eradicated completely, there is a definite shift in emphasis towards less tough styles of management - at least in America and Europe. Perhaps most significant, according to Mannaz, is the increasing interest large companies have in more collaborative management models, such as those prevalent in Scandinavia, which seek to integrate the hard and soft aspects of leadership and encourage delegated responsibility and accountability. | 1105.txt | 3 |
[
"The cars travel up and down on spinal cord.",
"Spinal cord carries messages from one's brain to all parts of the body.",
"When the spinal cord gets damaged, the patient will become paralysed.",
"When severed, the spinal cord is impossible to be repaired."
]
| Which of the following statements about spinal cord is TRUE? | Seven years ago I stood on a bridge over the M40 doing a "piece to camera" for a report about spinal repair. The aim was to come up with a metaphor for how researchers at University College London were trying to overcome spinal cord paralysis.
It went something like this: "Imagine your spinal cord as a motorway, the cars travelling up and down are the nerve fi bres carrying messages from your brain to all parts of the body. If this gets damaged the cars can't travel. The messages are blocked, the patient is paralysed.
Normally there is no way of repairing a severed spinal cord. But the team at UCL took nasal stem cells, and implanted them into the area of damage. These formed a bridge, along which the nerve fibres re-grew and re-connected.
The research at the Spinal Repair Unit at UCL involved rats, not humans. In my TV report we showed rats unable to climb a metal ladder after one of their front paws had been paralysed to mimic a spinal cord injury. But after an injection of stem cells, the rats were able to move nearly as well as uninjured animals.
The hope then-and now-is that such animal experiments will translate into similar break-throughs with patients. Seven years on and the team at UCL led by Professor Geoff Raisman are still working on translating this into a proven therapy for patients. He told me "this is difficult and complex work and we want to ensure we get things right." So it was with a sense of caution that I approached some Swiss research in the latest edition of the journal Science in which paralysed rats were able to walk again after a combination of electrical-chemical stimulation and rehabilitation training.
The research prompted some newspaper reports talking of "new hope" for paralysed patients. The lead researcher, Professor Gregoire Courtine enthused: "This is the World-Cup of neuro-reha- bilitation. Our rats have become athletes when just weeks before they were completely paralysed."
A brief summary of the research is this: the team at the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in Lausanne injected chemicals into the paralysed rats aimed at stimulating neurons that control lower body movement. Shortly after the injection their spinal cords were stimulated with electrodes.
The rats were placed in a harness on a treadmill which gave them the impression of having a working spinal column and they were encouraged to walk towards the end of a platform where a chocolate reward was waiting. Over time the animals learned to walk and even run again.
The major question is this: What does this mean for humans who are paralysed?
Prof. Courtine said he was optimistic patient trials would begin in "a year or two" at Balgrist University Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Zurich. Other scientists gave a mixed response to the findings. Dr Elizabeth Bradbury, Medical Research Council Senior Fellow, King's College London, described the Swiss experiments as "elegant" and "ground-breaking". But she said questions remained before its usefulness in humans could be determined.
She said: "Firstly, will this approach work in contusion/compression type injuries? These injuries involve blunt trauma, bruising and compression of the spinal cord and are the most common form of human spinal cord injury. Very few human spinal cord injuries occur as a result of a direct cut through spinal tissue (as was the injury model in the Courtine study).
"Secondly, will this technique work in chronic (long-term) spinal injuries? It is not yet known whether it is possible to generate extensive neuroplasticity in a system that has been injured for a long time and now contains many more complications such as abundant scar tissue, large holes in the spinal cord and where many spinal nerve cells and long range nerve fi bres have died or degenerated."
That term "neuroplasticity" is crucial. It refers to the ability of the brain and spinal cord to adapt and recover from moderate injury-something which researchers have been trying to exploit for years.
Prof. Raisman of UCL said few people, even doctors, were aware that around half of all patients who become paralysed will walk again no matter what treatment they have. He questioned whether the improvements in the paralysed rats might in part be due to spontaneous recovery- neuroplasticity-rather than the combination of interventions.
Prof. Raisman is now conducting trials with paralysed patients in Poland, who are all at least 18 months post-injury which removes any doubt that spontaneous repair may be the cause of any improvement.
From BBC, June 1, 2012 | 232.txt | 2 |
[
"proven",
"diffi cult and complex",
"questionable",
"reliable"
]
| According to Professor Geoff Raisman, a therapy for paralyzed patients is _ . | Seven years ago I stood on a bridge over the M40 doing a "piece to camera" for a report about spinal repair. The aim was to come up with a metaphor for how researchers at University College London were trying to overcome spinal cord paralysis.
It went something like this: "Imagine your spinal cord as a motorway, the cars travelling up and down are the nerve fi bres carrying messages from your brain to all parts of the body. If this gets damaged the cars can't travel. The messages are blocked, the patient is paralysed.
Normally there is no way of repairing a severed spinal cord. But the team at UCL took nasal stem cells, and implanted them into the area of damage. These formed a bridge, along which the nerve fibres re-grew and re-connected.
The research at the Spinal Repair Unit at UCL involved rats, not humans. In my TV report we showed rats unable to climb a metal ladder after one of their front paws had been paralysed to mimic a spinal cord injury. But after an injection of stem cells, the rats were able to move nearly as well as uninjured animals.
The hope then-and now-is that such animal experiments will translate into similar break-throughs with patients. Seven years on and the team at UCL led by Professor Geoff Raisman are still working on translating this into a proven therapy for patients. He told me "this is difficult and complex work and we want to ensure we get things right." So it was with a sense of caution that I approached some Swiss research in the latest edition of the journal Science in which paralysed rats were able to walk again after a combination of electrical-chemical stimulation and rehabilitation training.
The research prompted some newspaper reports talking of "new hope" for paralysed patients. The lead researcher, Professor Gregoire Courtine enthused: "This is the World-Cup of neuro-reha- bilitation. Our rats have become athletes when just weeks before they were completely paralysed."
A brief summary of the research is this: the team at the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in Lausanne injected chemicals into the paralysed rats aimed at stimulating neurons that control lower body movement. Shortly after the injection their spinal cords were stimulated with electrodes.
The rats were placed in a harness on a treadmill which gave them the impression of having a working spinal column and they were encouraged to walk towards the end of a platform where a chocolate reward was waiting. Over time the animals learned to walk and even run again.
The major question is this: What does this mean for humans who are paralysed?
Prof. Courtine said he was optimistic patient trials would begin in "a year or two" at Balgrist University Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Zurich. Other scientists gave a mixed response to the findings. Dr Elizabeth Bradbury, Medical Research Council Senior Fellow, King's College London, described the Swiss experiments as "elegant" and "ground-breaking". But she said questions remained before its usefulness in humans could be determined.
She said: "Firstly, will this approach work in contusion/compression type injuries? These injuries involve blunt trauma, bruising and compression of the spinal cord and are the most common form of human spinal cord injury. Very few human spinal cord injuries occur as a result of a direct cut through spinal tissue (as was the injury model in the Courtine study).
"Secondly, will this technique work in chronic (long-term) spinal injuries? It is not yet known whether it is possible to generate extensive neuroplasticity in a system that has been injured for a long time and now contains many more complications such as abundant scar tissue, large holes in the spinal cord and where many spinal nerve cells and long range nerve fi bres have died or degenerated."
That term "neuroplasticity" is crucial. It refers to the ability of the brain and spinal cord to adapt and recover from moderate injury-something which researchers have been trying to exploit for years.
Prof. Raisman of UCL said few people, even doctors, were aware that around half of all patients who become paralysed will walk again no matter what treatment they have. He questioned whether the improvements in the paralysed rats might in part be due to spontaneous recovery- neuroplasticity-rather than the combination of interventions.
Prof. Raisman is now conducting trials with paralysed patients in Poland, who are all at least 18 months post-injury which removes any doubt that spontaneous repair may be the cause of any improvement.
From BBC, June 1, 2012 | 232.txt | 1 |
[
"optimistic",
"doubtful",
"ambiguous",
"critical"
]
| Prof. Courtine's attitude towards the Swiss experiments is _ . | Seven years ago I stood on a bridge over the M40 doing a "piece to camera" for a report about spinal repair. The aim was to come up with a metaphor for how researchers at University College London were trying to overcome spinal cord paralysis.
It went something like this: "Imagine your spinal cord as a motorway, the cars travelling up and down are the nerve fi bres carrying messages from your brain to all parts of the body. If this gets damaged the cars can't travel. The messages are blocked, the patient is paralysed.
Normally there is no way of repairing a severed spinal cord. But the team at UCL took nasal stem cells, and implanted them into the area of damage. These formed a bridge, along which the nerve fibres re-grew and re-connected.
The research at the Spinal Repair Unit at UCL involved rats, not humans. In my TV report we showed rats unable to climb a metal ladder after one of their front paws had been paralysed to mimic a spinal cord injury. But after an injection of stem cells, the rats were able to move nearly as well as uninjured animals.
The hope then-and now-is that such animal experiments will translate into similar break-throughs with patients. Seven years on and the team at UCL led by Professor Geoff Raisman are still working on translating this into a proven therapy for patients. He told me "this is difficult and complex work and we want to ensure we get things right." So it was with a sense of caution that I approached some Swiss research in the latest edition of the journal Science in which paralysed rats were able to walk again after a combination of electrical-chemical stimulation and rehabilitation training.
The research prompted some newspaper reports talking of "new hope" for paralysed patients. The lead researcher, Professor Gregoire Courtine enthused: "This is the World-Cup of neuro-reha- bilitation. Our rats have become athletes when just weeks before they were completely paralysed."
A brief summary of the research is this: the team at the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in Lausanne injected chemicals into the paralysed rats aimed at stimulating neurons that control lower body movement. Shortly after the injection their spinal cords were stimulated with electrodes.
The rats were placed in a harness on a treadmill which gave them the impression of having a working spinal column and they were encouraged to walk towards the end of a platform where a chocolate reward was waiting. Over time the animals learned to walk and even run again.
The major question is this: What does this mean for humans who are paralysed?
Prof. Courtine said he was optimistic patient trials would begin in "a year or two" at Balgrist University Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Zurich. Other scientists gave a mixed response to the findings. Dr Elizabeth Bradbury, Medical Research Council Senior Fellow, King's College London, described the Swiss experiments as "elegant" and "ground-breaking". But she said questions remained before its usefulness in humans could be determined.
She said: "Firstly, will this approach work in contusion/compression type injuries? These injuries involve blunt trauma, bruising and compression of the spinal cord and are the most common form of human spinal cord injury. Very few human spinal cord injuries occur as a result of a direct cut through spinal tissue (as was the injury model in the Courtine study).
"Secondly, will this technique work in chronic (long-term) spinal injuries? It is not yet known whether it is possible to generate extensive neuroplasticity in a system that has been injured for a long time and now contains many more complications such as abundant scar tissue, large holes in the spinal cord and where many spinal nerve cells and long range nerve fi bres have died or degenerated."
That term "neuroplasticity" is crucial. It refers to the ability of the brain and spinal cord to adapt and recover from moderate injury-something which researchers have been trying to exploit for years.
Prof. Raisman of UCL said few people, even doctors, were aware that around half of all patients who become paralysed will walk again no matter what treatment they have. He questioned whether the improvements in the paralysed rats might in part be due to spontaneous recovery- neuroplasticity-rather than the combination of interventions.
Prof. Raisman is now conducting trials with paralysed patients in Poland, who are all at least 18 months post-injury which removes any doubt that spontaneous repair may be the cause of any improvement.
From BBC, June 1, 2012 | 232.txt | 0 |
[
"this technique defi nitely works in long-term spinal injuries",
"contusion/compression type injuries involve blunt trauma, bruising and compression of the spinal cord",
"many spinal nerve cells and long range nerve fi bres have died or degenerated in the spinal cord",
"the trials conducted by Prof. Raisman may prove that the improvements are not due to spontaneous repair"
]
| We can infer from the passage that _ . | Seven years ago I stood on a bridge over the M40 doing a "piece to camera" for a report about spinal repair. The aim was to come up with a metaphor for how researchers at University College London were trying to overcome spinal cord paralysis.
It went something like this: "Imagine your spinal cord as a motorway, the cars travelling up and down are the nerve fi bres carrying messages from your brain to all parts of the body. If this gets damaged the cars can't travel. The messages are blocked, the patient is paralysed.
Normally there is no way of repairing a severed spinal cord. But the team at UCL took nasal stem cells, and implanted them into the area of damage. These formed a bridge, along which the nerve fibres re-grew and re-connected.
The research at the Spinal Repair Unit at UCL involved rats, not humans. In my TV report we showed rats unable to climb a metal ladder after one of their front paws had been paralysed to mimic a spinal cord injury. But after an injection of stem cells, the rats were able to move nearly as well as uninjured animals.
The hope then-and now-is that such animal experiments will translate into similar break-throughs with patients. Seven years on and the team at UCL led by Professor Geoff Raisman are still working on translating this into a proven therapy for patients. He told me "this is difficult and complex work and we want to ensure we get things right." So it was with a sense of caution that I approached some Swiss research in the latest edition of the journal Science in which paralysed rats were able to walk again after a combination of electrical-chemical stimulation and rehabilitation training.
The research prompted some newspaper reports talking of "new hope" for paralysed patients. The lead researcher, Professor Gregoire Courtine enthused: "This is the World-Cup of neuro-reha- bilitation. Our rats have become athletes when just weeks before they were completely paralysed."
A brief summary of the research is this: the team at the Federal Institute of Technology (FIT) in Lausanne injected chemicals into the paralysed rats aimed at stimulating neurons that control lower body movement. Shortly after the injection their spinal cords were stimulated with electrodes.
The rats were placed in a harness on a treadmill which gave them the impression of having a working spinal column and they were encouraged to walk towards the end of a platform where a chocolate reward was waiting. Over time the animals learned to walk and even run again.
The major question is this: What does this mean for humans who are paralysed?
Prof. Courtine said he was optimistic patient trials would begin in "a year or two" at Balgrist University Hospital Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Zurich. Other scientists gave a mixed response to the findings. Dr Elizabeth Bradbury, Medical Research Council Senior Fellow, King's College London, described the Swiss experiments as "elegant" and "ground-breaking". But she said questions remained before its usefulness in humans could be determined.
She said: "Firstly, will this approach work in contusion/compression type injuries? These injuries involve blunt trauma, bruising and compression of the spinal cord and are the most common form of human spinal cord injury. Very few human spinal cord injuries occur as a result of a direct cut through spinal tissue (as was the injury model in the Courtine study).
"Secondly, will this technique work in chronic (long-term) spinal injuries? It is not yet known whether it is possible to generate extensive neuroplasticity in a system that has been injured for a long time and now contains many more complications such as abundant scar tissue, large holes in the spinal cord and where many spinal nerve cells and long range nerve fi bres have died or degenerated."
That term "neuroplasticity" is crucial. It refers to the ability of the brain and spinal cord to adapt and recover from moderate injury-something which researchers have been trying to exploit for years.
Prof. Raisman of UCL said few people, even doctors, were aware that around half of all patients who become paralysed will walk again no matter what treatment they have. He questioned whether the improvements in the paralysed rats might in part be due to spontaneous recovery- neuroplasticity-rather than the combination of interventions.
Prof. Raisman is now conducting trials with paralysed patients in Poland, who are all at least 18 months post-injury which removes any doubt that spontaneous repair may be the cause of any improvement.
From BBC, June 1, 2012 | 232.txt | 3 |
[
"true in all senses",
"refuted by the author",
"medically proven",
"a belief of the author"
]
| The old idea that talented children "burn themselves out" in the early years is . | The old idea that talented children "burn themselves out" in the early years, and, therefore, are subjected to failure and at worst, mental illness is unfounded. As a matter of fact, the outstanding thing that happens to bright kids is that they are very likely to grow into bright adults.
To find this out, l, 500 gifted persons were followed up to their thirty-fifth year with these results:
On adult intelligence tests, they scored as high as they had as children. They were, as a group, in good health, physically and mentally. 84 per cent of their group were married and seemed content with their lives.
About 70 per cent had graduated from college, though only 30 per cent had graduated with honors. A few had even dropped out, but nearly half of these had returned to graduate. Of the men, 80 per cent were in one of the professions or in business management or semiprofessional jobs. The women who had remained single had office, business, or professional occupations.
The group had published 90 books and 1,500 articles in scientific, scholarly, and literary magazines and had collected more than 100 patents.
In a material way they did not do badly either. Average income was considerably higher among the gifted people, especially the men, than for the country as a whole, despite their comparative youth.
In fact, far from being strange, most of the gifted were turning their early promise into practical reality. | 1537.txt | 1 |
[
"find out what had happened to talented children when they became adults",
"prove that talented children \"burn themselves out\" in the early years",
"discover the percentage of those mentally ill among the gifted",
"prove that talented children never burn themselves out"
]
| The survey of bright children was made to . | The old idea that talented children "burn themselves out" in the early years, and, therefore, are subjected to failure and at worst, mental illness is unfounded. As a matter of fact, the outstanding thing that happens to bright kids is that they are very likely to grow into bright adults.
To find this out, l, 500 gifted persons were followed up to their thirty-fifth year with these results:
On adult intelligence tests, they scored as high as they had as children. They were, as a group, in good health, physically and mentally. 84 per cent of their group were married and seemed content with their lives.
About 70 per cent had graduated from college, though only 30 per cent had graduated with honors. A few had even dropped out, but nearly half of these had returned to graduate. Of the men, 80 per cent were in one of the professions or in business management or semiprofessional jobs. The women who had remained single had office, business, or professional occupations.
The group had published 90 books and 1,500 articles in scientific, scholarly, and literary magazines and had collected more than 100 patents.
In a material way they did not do badly either. Average income was considerably higher among the gifted people, especially the men, than for the country as a whole, despite their comparative youth.
In fact, far from being strange, most of the gifted were turning their early promise into practical reality. | 1537.txt | 0 |
[
"bright children were unlikely to be mentally healthy",
"between childhood and adulthood there was a considerable loss of intelligence",
"talented children were most likely to become gifted adults",
"when talented children grew into adults, they made low scores"
]
| Intelligence tests showed that . | The old idea that talented children "burn themselves out" in the early years, and, therefore, are subjected to failure and at worst, mental illness is unfounded. As a matter of fact, the outstanding thing that happens to bright kids is that they are very likely to grow into bright adults.
To find this out, l, 500 gifted persons were followed up to their thirty-fifth year with these results:
On adult intelligence tests, they scored as high as they had as children. They were, as a group, in good health, physically and mentally. 84 per cent of their group were married and seemed content with their lives.
About 70 per cent had graduated from college, though only 30 per cent had graduated with honors. A few had even dropped out, but nearly half of these had returned to graduate. Of the men, 80 per cent were in one of the professions or in business management or semiprofessional jobs. The women who had remained single had office, business, or professional occupations.
The group had published 90 books and 1,500 articles in scientific, scholarly, and literary magazines and had collected more than 100 patents.
In a material way they did not do badly either. Average income was considerably higher among the gifted people, especially the men, than for the country as a whole, despite their comparative youth.
In fact, far from being strange, most of the gifted were turning their early promise into practical reality. | 1537.txt | 2 |
[
"Reflect on the responsibilities they are supposed to take.",
"Pay more attention to the effectiveness of their treatments.",
"Take costs into account when making treatment decisions.",
"Readjust their practice in view of the cuts in health care."
]
| What do some most influential medical groups recommend doctors do? | Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influentialmedical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it,suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent. In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment-at the end of life, for example-is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisionsbased on cost is a form of rationing. Traditionally, guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest ones areexpected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also used by insurancecomoanies to help determine reimbursement policies. Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and fmancial Overseers. "There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget, but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients, "I'm not going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in Massachusetts. " Doctors can face some grim trade-offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, and eye disease. But one costs $ 50 a dose and the other close to $ 2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead of the costlier one, Lucentis. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye. and using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk. Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?"I think ethically we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole," said Dr. Donald Jensen. Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not many others are doing so. "In some ways," said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, "it represents a failure of wider society to take up the issue. " | 1684.txt | 2 |
[
"Specific medicines to be used.",
"Effects of medical treatment.",
"Professional advancement.",
"Patients' trust."
]
| What were doctors mainly concerned about in the past? | Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influentialmedical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it,suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent. In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment-at the end of life, for example-is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisionsbased on cost is a form of rationing. Traditionally, guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest ones areexpected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also used by insurancecomoanies to help determine reimbursement policies. Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and fmancial Overseers. "There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget, but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients, "I'm not going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in Massachusetts. " Doctors can face some grim trade-offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, and eye disease. But one costs $ 50 a dose and the other close to $ 2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead of the costlier one, Lucentis. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye. and using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk. Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?"I think ethically we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole," said Dr. Donald Jensen. Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not many others are doing so. "In some ways," said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, "it represents a failure of wider society to take up the issue. " | 1684.txt | 1 |
[
"The redefining of doctors' roles.",
"Overuse of less effective medicines.",
"Conflicts between doctors and patients.",
"The prolonging of patients' suffering."
]
| What may the new guidelines being developed lead to? | Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influentialmedical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it,suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent. In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment-at the end of life, for example-is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisionsbased on cost is a form of rationing. Traditionally, guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest ones areexpected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also used by insurancecomoanies to help determine reimbursement policies. Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and fmancial Overseers. "There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget, but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients, "I'm not going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in Massachusetts. " Doctors can face some grim trade-offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, and eye disease. But one costs $ 50 a dose and the other close to $ 2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead of the costlier one, Lucentis. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye. and using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk. Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?"I think ethically we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole," said Dr. Donald Jensen. Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not many others are doing so. "In some ways," said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, "it represents a failure of wider society to take up the issue. " | 1684.txt | 0 |
[
"They may be involved in a conflict of interest.",
"They may be forced to divide their attention.",
"They may have to use less effective drugs.",
"They may lose the respect of patients."
]
| What risk do doctors see in their dual role as patient care providers and financial overseers? | Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influentialmedical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it,suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent. In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment-at the end of life, for example-is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisionsbased on cost is a form of rationing. Traditionally, guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest ones areexpected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also used by insurancecomoanies to help determine reimbursement policies. Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and fmancial Overseers. "There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget, but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients, "I'm not going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in Massachusetts. " Doctors can face some grim trade-offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, and eye disease. But one costs $ 50 a dose and the other close to $ 2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead of the costlier one, Lucentis. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye. and using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk. Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?"I think ethically we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole," said Dr. Donald Jensen. Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not many others are doing so. "In some ways," said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, "it represents a failure of wider society to take up the issue. " | 1684.txt | 3 |
[
"It may add to doctors' already heavy workloads.",
"It will help to save money for society as a whole.",
"It results from society's failure to tackle the problem.",
"It raises doctors' awareness of their social responsibilities."
]
| What do some experts say about doctors' involvement in medical cost analysis? | Saying they can no longer ignore the rising prices of health care, some of the most influentialmedical groups in the nation are recommending that doctors weigh the costs, not just the effectiveness of treatments, as they make decisions about patient care.The shift, little noticed outside the medical establishment but already controversial inside it,suggests that doctors are starting to redefine their roles, from being concerned exclusively about individual patients to exerting influence on how healthcare dollars are spent. In practical terms, the new guidelines being developed could result in doctors choosing one drug over another for cost reasons or even deciding that a particular treatment-at the end of life, for example-is too expensive. In the extreme, some critics have said that making treatment decisionsbased on cost is a form of rationing. Traditionally, guidelines have heavily influenced the practice of medicine, and the latest ones areexpected to make doctors more conscious of the economic consequences of their decisions, even though there's no obligation to follow them. Medical society guidelines are also used by insurancecomoanies to help determine reimbursement policies. Some doctors see a potential conflict in trying to be both providers of patient care and fmancial Overseers. "There should be forces in society who should be concerned about the budget, but they shouldn't be functioning simultaneously as doctors," said Dr. Martin Samuels at a Boston hospital. He said doctors risked losing the trust of patients if they told patients, "I'm not going to do what I think is best for you because I think it's bad for the healthcare budget in Massachusetts. " Doctors can face some grim trade-offs. Studies have shown, for example, that two drugs are about equally effective in treating macular degeneration, and eye disease. But one costs $ 50 a dose and the other close to $ 2,000. Medicare could save hundreds of millions of dollars a year if everyone used the cheaper drug, Avastin, instead of the costlier one, Lucentis. But the Food and Drug Administration has not approved Avastin for use in the eye. and using it rather than the alternative, Lucentis, might carry an additional, although slight, safety risk. Should doctors consider Medicare's budget in deciding what to use?"I think ethically we are just worried about the patient in front of us and not trying to save money for the insurance industry or society as a whole," said Dr. Donald Jensen. Still, some analysts say that there's a role for doctors to play in cost analysis because not many others are doing so. "In some ways," said Dr. Daniel Sulmasy, "it represents a failure of wider society to take up the issue. " | 1684.txt | 2 |
[
"Some stars are rendered invisible to observers on Earth.",
"Many visible stars are made to seem brighter than they really are.",
"The presence of hydrogen and helium gas is revealed.",
"The night sky appears dusty at all times to observers on Earth."
]
| According to the passage, which of the following is a direct perceptual consequence of interstellar dust? | The dark regions in the starry night sky are not pockets in the universe that are devoid of stars as had long been thought. Rather, they are dark because of interstellar dust that hides the stars behind it. Although its visual effect is so pronounced, dust is only a minor constituent of the material, extremely low in density, that lies between the stars. Dust accounts for about one percent of the total mass of interstellar matter. The rest is hydrogen and helium gas, with small amounts of other elements. The interstellar material, rather like terrestrial clouds, comes in all shapes and sizes. The average density of interstellar material in the vicinity of our Sun is 1,000 to 10,000 times less than the best terrestrial laboratory vacuum. It is only because of the enormous interstellar distances that so little material per unit of volume becomes so significant. Optical astronomy is most directly affected, for although interstellar gas is perfectly transparent, the dust is not. | 2002.txt | 0 |
[
"higher where distances between the stars are shorter",
"equal to that of interstellar dust",
"unusually low in the vicinity of our Sun",
"not homogeneous throughout interstellar space"
]
| It can be inferred from the passage that the density of interstellar material is | The dark regions in the starry night sky are not pockets in the universe that are devoid of stars as had long been thought. Rather, they are dark because of interstellar dust that hides the stars behind it. Although its visual effect is so pronounced, dust is only a minor constituent of the material, extremely low in density, that lies between the stars. Dust accounts for about one percent of the total mass of interstellar matter. The rest is hydrogen and helium gas, with small amounts of other elements. The interstellar material, rather like terrestrial clouds, comes in all shapes and sizes. The average density of interstellar material in the vicinity of our Sun is 1,000 to 10,000 times less than the best terrestrial laboratory vacuum. It is only because of the enormous interstellar distances that so little material per unit of volume becomes so significant. Optical astronomy is most directly affected, for although interstellar gas is perfectly transparent, the dust is not. | 2002.txt | 3 |
[
"little of the interstellar material in it seems substantial",
"normal units of volume seem futile for measurements of density",
"stars can be far enough from Earth to be obscured even by very sparsely distributed matter",
"interstellar gases can, for all practical purposes, be regarded as transparent"
]
| It can be inferred from the passage that it is because space is so vast that | The dark regions in the starry night sky are not pockets in the universe that are devoid of stars as had long been thought. Rather, they are dark because of interstellar dust that hides the stars behind it. Although its visual effect is so pronounced, dust is only a minor constituent of the material, extremely low in density, that lies between the stars. Dust accounts for about one percent of the total mass of interstellar matter. The rest is hydrogen and helium gas, with small amounts of other elements. The interstellar material, rather like terrestrial clouds, comes in all shapes and sizes. The average density of interstellar material in the vicinity of our Sun is 1,000 to 10,000 times less than the best terrestrial laboratory vacuum. It is only because of the enormous interstellar distances that so little material per unit of volume becomes so significant. Optical astronomy is most directly affected, for although interstellar gas is perfectly transparent, the dust is not. | 2002.txt | 2 |
[
"It is more comfortable and convenient.",
"It saves them a lot of money and time.",
"It offers them a lot more options and bargains.",
"It gives them more time to think about their purchase."
]
| Why do people prefer shopping online according to the author? | In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% .
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively-and therefore make bad decisions-when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase.
When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. Whenever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.
The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and them subtly holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. That's why we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession.
This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience. | 1192.txt | 0 |
[
"They regretted indulging in costly items in the recession.",
"They changed their mind by the time the goods were delivered.",
"They had no chance to touch them when shopping online.",
"They later found the quality of goods below their expectations."
]
| Why do more customers return their purchases bought online? | In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% .
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively-and therefore make bad decisions-when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase.
When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. Whenever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.
The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and them subtly holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. That's why we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession.
This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience. | 1192.txt | 2 |
[
"To test his hypothesis about online shopping.",
"To find out people's reaction to his recent book.",
"To find ways to increase the sale of his new book.",
"To try different approaches to sales promotion."
]
| What is the purpose of author's experiment? | In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% .
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively-and therefore make bad decisions-when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase.
When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. Whenever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.
The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and them subtly holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. That's why we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession.
This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience. | 1192.txt | 0 |
[
"A sense of disappointment",
"More motivated to own it.",
"A subtle loss of interest",
"Less sensitive to its texture."
]
| How might people feel after letting go of something they held? | In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% .
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively-and therefore make bad decisions-when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase.
When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. Whenever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.
The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and them subtly holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. That's why we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession.
This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience. | 1192.txt | 0 |
[
"Conventional letters contain subtle messages.",
"A lack of touch is the chief obstacle to e-commerce.",
"Email lacks the potential to activate the brain.",
"Physical touch helps form a sense of possession."
]
| What does train imaging in a recent study reveal? | In 2011, many shoppers chose to avoid the frantic crowds and do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their computer. Sales at online retailers gained by more than 15%, making it the biggest season ever. But people are also returning those purchases at record rates, up 8% .
What went wrong? Is the lingering shadow of the global financial crisis making it harder to accept extravagant indulgences? Or that people shop more impulsively-and therefore make bad decisions-when online? Both arguments are plausible. However, there is a third factor: a question of touch. We can love the look but, in an online environment, we cannot feel the quality of a texture, the shape of the fit, the fall of a fold or, for that matter, the weight of an earring. And physically interacting with an object makes you more committed to your purchase.
When my most recent book Brandwashed was released, I teamed up with a local bookstore to conduct an experiment about the difference between the online and offline shopping experience. I carefully instructed a group of volunteers to promote my book in two different ways. The first was a fairly hands-off approach. Whenever a customer would inquire about my book, the volunteer would take them over to the shelf and point to it. Out of 20 such requests, six customers proceeded with the purchase.
The second option also involved going over to the shelf but, this time, removing the book and them subtly holding onto it for just an extra moment before placing it in the customer's hands. Of the 20 people who were handed the book, 13 ended up buying it. Just physically passing the book showed a big difference in sales. Why? We feel something similar to a sense of ownership when we hold things in our hand. That's why we establish or reestablish connection by greeting strangers and friends with a handshake. In this case, having to then let go of the book after holding it might generate a subtle sense of loss, and motivate us to make the purchase even more.
A recent study also revealed the power of touch, in this case when it came to conventional mail. A deeper and longer-lasting impression of a message was formed when delivered in a letter, as opposed to receiving the same message online. Brain imaging showed that, on touching the paper, the emotional center of the brain was activated, thus forming a stronger bond. The study also indicated that once touch becomes part of the process, it could translate into a sense of possession.
This sense of ownership is simply not part of the equation in the online shopping experience. | 1192.txt | 3 |
[
"to encourage people to recycle their rubbish",
"to introduce a recycling system for high rises",
"to describe the use of computer technology in recycling",
"to explain the need for rubbish collection in high rises"
]
| The purpose in writing this text is _ . | Excused from recycling because you live in a highrise with a rubbish chute? You won't be for long.Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for thoseliving in tall buildings to use the chute and recycletoo.
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leadsto a pie-shaped container with six boxes that canturn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute andcontainer now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go intoseparate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board fixed next to the chute door. The board has a button foreach class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, amicrocomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning untilthe right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal byphone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables.
Sorting recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materialsrecovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makesrecycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzisbelieves his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective. | 2355.txt | 1 |
[
"you'll soon be living in a cleaner building",
"rubbish chutes will become out of date before long",
"you won't wait long for your turn to recycle rubbish",
"it won't be long before you'll have to recycle your rubbish"
]
| When he says "You won't be for long" the writer means that _ . | Excused from recycling because you live in a highrise with a rubbish chute? You won't be for long.Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for thoseliving in tall buildings to use the chute and recycletoo.
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leadsto a pie-shaped container with six boxes that canturn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute andcontainer now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go intoseparate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board fixed next to the chute door. The board has a button foreach class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, amicrocomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning untilthe right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal byphone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables.
Sorting recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materialsrecovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makesrecycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzisbelieves his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective. | 2355.txt | 3 |
[
"lock the other floors' chute doors",
"check if the container is full",
"press the correct button",
"break up the rubbish"
]
| Before dropping rubbish into the chute you have to _ . | Excused from recycling because you live in a highrise with a rubbish chute? You won't be for long.Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for thoseliving in tall buildings to use the chute and recycletoo.
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leadsto a pie-shaped container with six boxes that canturn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute andcontainer now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go intoseparate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board fixed next to the chute door. The board has a button foreach class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, amicrocomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning untilthe right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal byphone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables.
Sorting recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materialsrecovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makesrecycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzisbelieves his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective. | 2355.txt | 2 |
[
"it reduces the cost of recycling",
"it saves time and space",
"it saves money for people living in high rises",
"it makes better use of the existing recovery equipment"
]
| The biggest advantage of this new system is that _ . | Excused from recycling because you live in a highrise with a rubbish chute? You won't be for long.Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for thoseliving in tall buildings to use the chute and recycletoo.
In Shantzis' Hi-Rise Recycling System, a chute leadsto a pie-shaped container with six boxes that canturn around when operated. The system, which fits in the same space as the chute andcontainer now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go intoseparate boxes.
The system is controlled from a board fixed next to the chute door. The board has a button foreach class of recycling materials (as well as for unrecyclables). At the press of a button, amicrocomputer locks all other floors' chute door and sets the recycling container turning untilthe right box comes under the chute. The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal byphone when the box is full. And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables.
Sorting recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materialsrecovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting. Such equipment often makesrecycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted. Shantzisbelieves his system could help recycled materials become more cost-effective. | 2355.txt | 2 |
[
"a series shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque with boutique quality",
"a mobile dance hall of long history as well as exquisite decoration",
"a troupe performing certain programmes for the public.",
"a traditional form of entertainment derived from some ancient European countries."
]
| According to the passage, Spiegelworld is probably _____ | Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers. Buthere on the East River, among the wailing seagulls, frying fish and tourists, is an enchantingoffer of entertainment. Spiegelworld is back in town for its second summer, with two spicycabaret shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque. Called "Absinthe" and "La Vie",the shows are staged in the anachronistic opulence of a spiegeltent (Flemish for "tent ofmirrors").
Nobody seems to know how many of these European pavilions are left but most peopleagree that there are fewer than 20. Built by hand without nails, spiegeltents are beautifulassemblies of teak, velvet, stained glass and bevelled mirrors, created originally in Belgiumin the early 20th century as mobile dance halls. Only two families in Belgium and theNetherlands still know how to make them, producing one every five or ten years or so, saysVallejo Gantner, one of the show's producers and a long-time spiegeltent aficionado. "Butyou know it when you walk into an old one. They have a special boutique quality."This one, which dates from the 1920s and has a painted art-nouveau façade, lendscontinental glamour to the pier. It holds about 350 people on wooden chairs andbanquettes around a modest, circular stage. And it is this intimacy, this proximity to theperformers, that gives these shows their special feel. Erotic contortionists, balletichand-balancers and bawdy jugglers emanate a sweaty, tangible humanity. Many of them,Mr Gantner explains, have left larger circus troupes, such as Cirque du Soleil, in order tomake eye-contact with their audience. The simplicity of the staging gives theirperformances a gritty authenticity.
Once in a while, a family on a children's outing is fooled by Spiegelworld's festivered-and-blue tent spires. Make no mistake: the shows are for adults. "La Vie", created byLes 7 Doigts de la Main, a Montreal-based troupe, laces an array of artfully sexy circus actswith the premise that everyone is dead and in purgatory, travelling on "a flight to hell thatnever quite gets there". Wearing what looks like a straitjacket, a contortionist moves in ahighly unsettling way to a recording of "Crazy", crooned by Patsy Cline. The show closeswith a steamy pas de deux between the devilish master of ceremonies and the evening'slip-curling seductress.
"Absinthe" is a more explicit grab-bag of stripping, cross-dressing and intrigue, withouta unifying theme. The show's strongest moments come from the acrobats, all of whomcarry a powerful sexual charge. Two women sway with suggestive grace on the trapeze. Anaerialist in black trousers, his sculpted chest glistening, pulls and twists himself up twohanging straps to the lusty music of "Jealous Guy", sung by a transvestite diva.Sexy but not tawdry. Despite colourful language and a brief moment of unnecessarymale nudity in "La Vie", the setting is too elegant and the talent too astonishing for that. It'sa bit of risqué fun that has been warmly received by New Yorkers, many of whom havegrown tired of the wholesome, tourist-friendly fare of Broadway. Last summer "Absinthe"ran for two months to sell-out crowds; this year's two-show programme is for three monthsuntil the end of September. | 754.txt | 2 |
[
"imply that theatre-goers are paying much attention to the environment of performance.",
"show that Pier 17 is not a place for a formal performance of the theatre.",
"prove that the shows in Spiegeltent are very attractive",
"tell us the status of the place where the shows of \"Absinthe\" and \"La Vie\" are presented."
]
| By mentioning that "Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers", the author wants to _____ | Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers. Buthere on the East River, among the wailing seagulls, frying fish and tourists, is an enchantingoffer of entertainment. Spiegelworld is back in town for its second summer, with two spicycabaret shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque. Called "Absinthe" and "La Vie",the shows are staged in the anachronistic opulence of a spiegeltent (Flemish for "tent ofmirrors").
Nobody seems to know how many of these European pavilions are left but most peopleagree that there are fewer than 20. Built by hand without nails, spiegeltents are beautifulassemblies of teak, velvet, stained glass and bevelled mirrors, created originally in Belgiumin the early 20th century as mobile dance halls. Only two families in Belgium and theNetherlands still know how to make them, producing one every five or ten years or so, saysVallejo Gantner, one of the show's producers and a long-time spiegeltent aficionado. "Butyou know it when you walk into an old one. They have a special boutique quality."This one, which dates from the 1920s and has a painted art-nouveau façade, lendscontinental glamour to the pier. It holds about 350 people on wooden chairs andbanquettes around a modest, circular stage. And it is this intimacy, this proximity to theperformers, that gives these shows their special feel. Erotic contortionists, balletichand-balancers and bawdy jugglers emanate a sweaty, tangible humanity. Many of them,Mr Gantner explains, have left larger circus troupes, such as Cirque du Soleil, in order tomake eye-contact with their audience. The simplicity of the staging gives theirperformances a gritty authenticity.
Once in a while, a family on a children's outing is fooled by Spiegelworld's festivered-and-blue tent spires. Make no mistake: the shows are for adults. "La Vie", created byLes 7 Doigts de la Main, a Montreal-based troupe, laces an array of artfully sexy circus actswith the premise that everyone is dead and in purgatory, travelling on "a flight to hell thatnever quite gets there". Wearing what looks like a straitjacket, a contortionist moves in ahighly unsettling way to a recording of "Crazy", crooned by Patsy Cline. The show closeswith a steamy pas de deux between the devilish master of ceremonies and the evening'slip-curling seductress.
"Absinthe" is a more explicit grab-bag of stripping, cross-dressing and intrigue, withouta unifying theme. The show's strongest moments come from the acrobats, all of whomcarry a powerful sexual charge. Two women sway with suggestive grace on the trapeze. Anaerialist in black trousers, his sculpted chest glistening, pulls and twists himself up twohanging straps to the lusty music of "Jealous Guy", sung by a transvestite diva.Sexy but not tawdry. Despite colourful language and a brief moment of unnecessarymale nudity in "La Vie", the setting is too elegant and the talent too astonishing for that. It'sa bit of risqué fun that has been warmly received by New Yorkers, many of whom havegrown tired of the wholesome, tourist-friendly fare of Broadway. Last summer "Absinthe"ran for two months to sell-out crowds; this year's two-show programme is for three monthsuntil the end of September. | 754.txt | 2 |
[
"they are on show in the pier rather than in the theatre.",
"the seats are arranged around the stage so that the audience can watch the performers closely.",
"they are of a sweaty, tangible humanity and a like of enticing simplicity.",
"it is much easier for their performers to make eye-contact with their audience."
]
| The performances staged in the spiegeltents are different from the other ones mainly in that ___ | Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers. Buthere on the East River, among the wailing seagulls, frying fish and tourists, is an enchantingoffer of entertainment. Spiegelworld is back in town for its second summer, with two spicycabaret shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque. Called "Absinthe" and "La Vie",the shows are staged in the anachronistic opulence of a spiegeltent (Flemish for "tent ofmirrors").
Nobody seems to know how many of these European pavilions are left but most peopleagree that there are fewer than 20. Built by hand without nails, spiegeltents are beautifulassemblies of teak, velvet, stained glass and bevelled mirrors, created originally in Belgiumin the early 20th century as mobile dance halls. Only two families in Belgium and theNetherlands still know how to make them, producing one every five or ten years or so, saysVallejo Gantner, one of the show's producers and a long-time spiegeltent aficionado. "Butyou know it when you walk into an old one. They have a special boutique quality."This one, which dates from the 1920s and has a painted art-nouveau façade, lendscontinental glamour to the pier. It holds about 350 people on wooden chairs andbanquettes around a modest, circular stage. And it is this intimacy, this proximity to theperformers, that gives these shows their special feel. Erotic contortionists, balletichand-balancers and bawdy jugglers emanate a sweaty, tangible humanity. Many of them,Mr Gantner explains, have left larger circus troupes, such as Cirque du Soleil, in order tomake eye-contact with their audience. The simplicity of the staging gives theirperformances a gritty authenticity.
Once in a while, a family on a children's outing is fooled by Spiegelworld's festivered-and-blue tent spires. Make no mistake: the shows are for adults. "La Vie", created byLes 7 Doigts de la Main, a Montreal-based troupe, laces an array of artfully sexy circus actswith the premise that everyone is dead and in purgatory, travelling on "a flight to hell thatnever quite gets there". Wearing what looks like a straitjacket, a contortionist moves in ahighly unsettling way to a recording of "Crazy", crooned by Patsy Cline. The show closeswith a steamy pas de deux between the devilish master of ceremonies and the evening'slip-curling seductress.
"Absinthe" is a more explicit grab-bag of stripping, cross-dressing and intrigue, withouta unifying theme. The show's strongest moments come from the acrobats, all of whomcarry a powerful sexual charge. Two women sway with suggestive grace on the trapeze. Anaerialist in black trousers, his sculpted chest glistening, pulls and twists himself up twohanging straps to the lusty music of "Jealous Guy", sung by a transvestite diva.Sexy but not tawdry. Despite colourful language and a brief moment of unnecessarymale nudity in "La Vie", the setting is too elegant and the talent too astonishing for that. It'sa bit of risqué fun that has been warmly received by New Yorkers, many of whom havegrown tired of the wholesome, tourist-friendly fare of Broadway. Last summer "Absinthe"ran for two months to sell-out crowds; this year's two-show programme is for three monthsuntil the end of September. | 754.txt | 1 |
[
"imply that Spiegelworld is characterized by suggestive sexy scenes and is mainly oriented to the adults.",
"showcase the fact that the performance is sexually attractive, but far from tawdry.",
"demonstrate the profound meaning conveyed by the surface of the performance.",
"give a general impression of the specific performance and illustrate that people should not be deluded by the representation."
]
| In the fourth paragraph, the author gives a detailed description of "La Vie" in order to __ | Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers. Buthere on the East River, among the wailing seagulls, frying fish and tourists, is an enchantingoffer of entertainment. Spiegelworld is back in town for its second summer, with two spicycabaret shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque. Called "Absinthe" and "La Vie",the shows are staged in the anachronistic opulence of a spiegeltent (Flemish for "tent ofmirrors").
Nobody seems to know how many of these European pavilions are left but most peopleagree that there are fewer than 20. Built by hand without nails, spiegeltents are beautifulassemblies of teak, velvet, stained glass and bevelled mirrors, created originally in Belgiumin the early 20th century as mobile dance halls. Only two families in Belgium and theNetherlands still know how to make them, producing one every five or ten years or so, saysVallejo Gantner, one of the show's producers and a long-time spiegeltent aficionado. "Butyou know it when you walk into an old one. They have a special boutique quality."This one, which dates from the 1920s and has a painted art-nouveau façade, lendscontinental glamour to the pier. It holds about 350 people on wooden chairs andbanquettes around a modest, circular stage. And it is this intimacy, this proximity to theperformers, that gives these shows their special feel. Erotic contortionists, balletichand-balancers and bawdy jugglers emanate a sweaty, tangible humanity. Many of them,Mr Gantner explains, have left larger circus troupes, such as Cirque du Soleil, in order tomake eye-contact with their audience. The simplicity of the staging gives theirperformances a gritty authenticity.
Once in a while, a family on a children's outing is fooled by Spiegelworld's festivered-and-blue tent spires. Make no mistake: the shows are for adults. "La Vie", created byLes 7 Doigts de la Main, a Montreal-based troupe, laces an array of artfully sexy circus actswith the premise that everyone is dead and in purgatory, travelling on "a flight to hell thatnever quite gets there". Wearing what looks like a straitjacket, a contortionist moves in ahighly unsettling way to a recording of "Crazy", crooned by Patsy Cline. The show closeswith a steamy pas de deux between the devilish master of ceremonies and the evening'slip-curling seductress.
"Absinthe" is a more explicit grab-bag of stripping, cross-dressing and intrigue, withouta unifying theme. The show's strongest moments come from the acrobats, all of whomcarry a powerful sexual charge. Two women sway with suggestive grace on the trapeze. Anaerialist in black trousers, his sculpted chest glistening, pulls and twists himself up twohanging straps to the lusty music of "Jealous Guy", sung by a transvestite diva.Sexy but not tawdry. Despite colourful language and a brief moment of unnecessarymale nudity in "La Vie", the setting is too elegant and the talent too astonishing for that. It'sa bit of risqué fun that has been warmly received by New Yorkers, many of whom havegrown tired of the wholesome, tourist-friendly fare of Broadway. Last summer "Absinthe"ran for two months to sell-out crowds; this year's two-show programme is for three monthsuntil the end of September. | 754.txt | 2 |
[
"Only two families in Belgium and the Netherlands know how to give such performances.",
"The performances are characteristic of erotic shows.",
"The performances are always given with an explicit motif.",
"The performances are mainly given to the mass rather than the elite."
]
| Which one of the following statements is TRUE of the performances staged in spiegeltents? | Pier 17 in downtown Manhattan is not the most likely destination for theatre-goers. Buthere on the East River, among the wailing seagulls, frying fish and tourists, is an enchantingoffer of entertainment. Spiegelworld is back in town for its second summer, with two spicycabaret shows of dance, music, acrobatics and burlesque. Called "Absinthe" and "La Vie",the shows are staged in the anachronistic opulence of a spiegeltent (Flemish for "tent ofmirrors").
Nobody seems to know how many of these European pavilions are left but most peopleagree that there are fewer than 20. Built by hand without nails, spiegeltents are beautifulassemblies of teak, velvet, stained glass and bevelled mirrors, created originally in Belgiumin the early 20th century as mobile dance halls. Only two families in Belgium and theNetherlands still know how to make them, producing one every five or ten years or so, saysVallejo Gantner, one of the show's producers and a long-time spiegeltent aficionado. "Butyou know it when you walk into an old one. They have a special boutique quality."This one, which dates from the 1920s and has a painted art-nouveau façade, lendscontinental glamour to the pier. It holds about 350 people on wooden chairs andbanquettes around a modest, circular stage. And it is this intimacy, this proximity to theperformers, that gives these shows their special feel. Erotic contortionists, balletichand-balancers and bawdy jugglers emanate a sweaty, tangible humanity. Many of them,Mr Gantner explains, have left larger circus troupes, such as Cirque du Soleil, in order tomake eye-contact with their audience. The simplicity of the staging gives theirperformances a gritty authenticity.
Once in a while, a family on a children's outing is fooled by Spiegelworld's festivered-and-blue tent spires. Make no mistake: the shows are for adults. "La Vie", created byLes 7 Doigts de la Main, a Montreal-based troupe, laces an array of artfully sexy circus actswith the premise that everyone is dead and in purgatory, travelling on "a flight to hell thatnever quite gets there". Wearing what looks like a straitjacket, a contortionist moves in ahighly unsettling way to a recording of "Crazy", crooned by Patsy Cline. The show closeswith a steamy pas de deux between the devilish master of ceremonies and the evening'slip-curling seductress.
"Absinthe" is a more explicit grab-bag of stripping, cross-dressing and intrigue, withouta unifying theme. The show's strongest moments come from the acrobats, all of whomcarry a powerful sexual charge. Two women sway with suggestive grace on the trapeze. Anaerialist in black trousers, his sculpted chest glistening, pulls and twists himself up twohanging straps to the lusty music of "Jealous Guy", sung by a transvestite diva.Sexy but not tawdry. Despite colourful language and a brief moment of unnecessarymale nudity in "La Vie", the setting is too elegant and the talent too astonishing for that. It'sa bit of risqué fun that has been warmly received by New Yorkers, many of whom havegrown tired of the wholesome, tourist-friendly fare of Broadway. Last summer "Absinthe"ran for two months to sell-out crowds; this year's two-show programme is for three monthsuntil the end of September. | 754.txt | 3 |
[
"a way to isolate electrons",
"the characteristics of a new kind of crystal",
"the structure of an ionic salt",
"commercial uses for electrides"
]
| The passage is primarily concerned with discussing | One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming, positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.
Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.
Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be "pinned down" to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.
The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer,the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons "delocalize" : they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.
By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability. | 1887.txt | 1 |
[
"introducing a variant on the standard atomic theory",
"describing how chlorine atoms can become negatively charged",
"describing some early research at Michigan State University",
"providing background for the technical discussion to follow"
]
| In the first paragraph, the author is primarily concerned with | One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming, positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.
Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.
Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be "pinned down" to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.
The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer,the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons "delocalize" : they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.
By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability. | 1887.txt | 3 |
[
"Its positive ions are of particularly low mass.",
"Its ions possess identical electrical charges.",
"It contains a framework of regularly stacked ions.",
"Its negative ions consist solely of electrons."
]
| According to the passage, the defining characteristic of an electride is which of the following? | One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming, positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.
Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.
Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be "pinned down" to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.
The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer,the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons "delocalize" : they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.
By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability. | 1887.txt | 3 |
[
"readily lose electrons and become positively charged",
"move freely in and out of their cavities",
"respond to photons by liberating electrons",
"remain fixed relative to their cations"
]
| It can be inferred from the passage that anions behaving as "simple charged spheres" (line 22) could be expected to | One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming, positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.
Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.
Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be "pinned down" to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.
The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer,the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons "delocalize" : they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.
By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability. | 1887.txt | 3 |
[
"The anionic cavities are widely separated.",
"All of the trapped electrons are able to delocalize.",
"The trapped electrons are liberated by impinging photons.",
"The ions are tightly packed together."
]
| It can be inferred from the passage that an electride behaves most like a normal ionic crystal when the electride has which of the following features? | One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming, positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.
Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.
Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be "pinned down" to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.
The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer,the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons "delocalize" : they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.
By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability. | 1887.txt | 0 |
[
"They have proven themselves to be of great commercial value.",
"Their future commercial value is promising but uncertain.",
"They are interesting but of no practical value.",
"They have commercial value mainly in solar-energy applications."
]
| With which of the following statements regarding electrides would the author most likely agree? | One of the simplest and best known kinds of crystal is the ionic salt, of which a typical example is sodium chloride, or ordinary table salt. The fundamental components of an ionic salt are ions: atoms or molecules that have become electrically charged by gaining or losing one or more electrons. In forming sodium chloride, for example, sodium atoms give up an electron (thereby becoming, positively charged) and chlorine atoms gain an electron (thereby becoming negatively charged). The ions are attracted to one another by their opposite charges, and they stack together compactly, like tightly packed spheres.
Recently, scientists at Michigan State University created a new kind of crystal called an electride. In electrides, the anions (negative ions) are completely replaced by electrons, which are trapped in naturally formed cavities within a framework of regularly stacked cations (positive ions). Electrides are the first examples of ionic salts in which all these anionic sites are occupied solely by electrons.
Unlike other types of anions, anionic electrons do not behave as if they were simple charged spheres. In particular, because of their low mass and their tendency to interact with one another over great distances, they cannot be "pinned down" to any one location. Instead, they wander close to and among the atoms lining the cavity and interact with electrons in nearby cavities, perhaps changing places with them.
The properties of an electride depend largely on the distance between the cavities that hold trapped electrons. When the trapped electrons are far apart, they do not interact strongly, and so behave somewhat like an array of isolated negative charges. When they are closer together, they begin to display properties associated with large ensembles of identical particles. When they are still closer,the ensemble properties dominate and the electrons "delocalize" : they are no longer tightly bound within individual cavities but are more or less free to pass through the spaces within the frame-work of positive ions.
By synthesizing electrides from a variety of materials, one can vary the geometry of the anionic cavities and their relation to the surrounding cations. The resulting properties may make it possible for electrides to become a basis for economically useful new materials and devices. For instance, because the electrons in some electrides are very weakly bound, these crystals could be effective as photosensitive detectors, in which an impinging photon liberates an electron, resulting in a small electric current. The same weak binding could also make electrides useful in solar-energy converters and as cathodes in batteries. One obstacle is the tendency of electrides to decompose through reaction with air and water. Researchers are seeking ways to increase their stability. | 1887.txt | 1 |
[
"the strength of its military forces",
"its ability to compete in industry",
"economic markets",
"both a and b"
]
| Now a nation's political influence depends on _ . | Newdays,a standard for measuring power has changed.These changes foretell a new standard for measuring power.No longer will a nation's political influence be based solely on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary primary measure of power.But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. It's often said that without its military the Soviet Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of opwer and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world.
America must recognize this new course of events. Our success in shaping world events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership.
The competitiveness of America's industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society-government,industry,and education. That is not to say that the Defense Department will not be a strong force in the process because we will. But we simply cannot be, nor should we be, looked upon by others as the savior of American industry. | 1634.txt | 3 |
[
"its powerful military forces",
"its vast land",
"its industrial competitiveness",
"its contributions to world peace"
]
| The Soviet Union was not listed as a third-world nation just because of _ . | Newdays,a standard for measuring power has changed.These changes foretell a new standard for measuring power.No longer will a nation's political influence be based solely on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary primary measure of power.But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. It's often said that without its military the Soviet Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of opwer and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world.
America must recognize this new course of events. Our success in shaping world events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership.
The competitiveness of America's industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society-government,industry,and education. That is not to say that the Defense Department will not be a strong force in the process because we will. But we simply cannot be, nor should we be, looked upon by others as the savior of American industry. | 1634.txt | 0 |
[
"other countries",
"the declining U.S. industrial base",
"a new standard for measuring power",
"less advanced technology"
]
| The author indicates that _ is threatening American political power. | Newdays,a standard for measuring power has changed.These changes foretell a new standard for measuring power.No longer will a nation's political influence be based solely on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary primary measure of power.But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. It's often said that without its military the Soviet Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of opwer and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world.
America must recognize this new course of events. Our success in shaping world events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership.
The competitiveness of America's industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society-government,industry,and education. That is not to say that the Defense Department will not be a strong force in the process because we will. But we simply cannot be, nor should we be, looked upon by others as the savior of American industry. | 1634.txt | 1 |
[
"its ability to adapt technology",
"its ability to take advantage of the capabilities of its people",
"its ability to compete in the world markets",
"both a and b"
]
| America succeeded in shaping world events over past 40 years probably because of _ . | Newdays,a standard for measuring power has changed.These changes foretell a new standard for measuring power.No longer will a nation's political influence be based solely on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary primary measure of power.But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. It's often said that without its military the Soviet Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of opwer and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world.
America must recognize this new course of events. Our success in shaping world events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership.
The competitiveness of America's industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society-government,industry,and education. That is not to say that the Defense Department will not be a strong force in the process because we will. But we simply cannot be, nor should we be, looked upon by others as the savior of American industry. | 1634.txt | 3 |
[
"to draw the readers' attention to a new standard for measuring power",
"to demonstrate American political influence in the world",
"to emphasize that efforts must be made to strengthen the declining U.S. industrial base",
"to show American industrial prowess"
]
| The purpose of writing this article is _ . | Newdays,a standard for measuring power has changed.These changes foretell a new standard for measuring power.No longer will a nation's political influence be based solely on the strength of its military forces. Of course, military effectiveness will remain a primary primary measure of power.But political influence is also closely tied to industrial competitiveness. It's often said that without its military the Soviet Union would really be a third-world nation. The new standard of opwer and influence that is evolving now places more emphasis on the ability of a country to compete effectively in the economic markets of the world.
America must recognize this new course of events. Our success in shaping world events over the past 40 years has been the direct result of our ability to adapt technology and to take advantage of the capabilities of our people for the purpose of maintaining peace. Our industrial prowess over most of this period was unchallenged. It is ironic that it is just this prowess that has enabled other countries to prosper and in turn to threaten our industrial leadership.
The competitiveness of America's industrial base is an issue bigger than the Department of Defense and is going to require the efforts of the major institutional forces in our society-government,industry,and education. That is not to say that the Defense Department will not be a strong force in the process because we will. But we simply cannot be, nor should we be, looked upon by others as the savior of American industry. | 1634.txt | 2 |
[
"worse than in the past.",
"as bad as in the past",
"not so dangerous as in the past",
"as necessary as in the past"
]
| This passage implies that war is now _ . | Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient institution, which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always bad and usually foolish, but in the past human race managed to live with it. Modern ingenuity has changed this. Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the most serious danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not as contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in killing people, but by arbitration in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change very old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology would prevent war. I believe this to be a big error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic statements that are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their adherents believe in them so fanatically that they are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past few years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between different countries, but between man and the atom bomb. | 929.txt | 0 |
[
"abolish war",
"improve weapons",
"solve international problems",
"live a peaceful life"
]
| In the sentence " To do this, we need to persuade mankind" (Para 1), " this" refers to _ . | Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient institution, which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always bad and usually foolish, but in the past human race managed to live with it. Modern ingenuity has changed this. Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the most serious danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not as contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in killing people, but by arbitration in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change very old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology would prevent war. I believe this to be a big error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic statements that are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their adherents believe in them so fanatically that they are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past few years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between different countries, but between man and the atom bomb. | 929.txt | 0 |
[
"is an adherent of some modern ideologies.",
"does not think that adoption of any ideology could prevent war.",
"believe that the adoption of some ideology could prevent war.",
"does not doubt the truth of any ideologies."
]
| From Paragraph 2 we learn that the author of the passage _ . | Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient institution, which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always bad and usually foolish, but in the past human race managed to live with it. Modern ingenuity has changed this. Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the most serious danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not as contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in killing people, but by arbitration in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change very old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology would prevent war. I believe this to be a big error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic statements that are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their adherents believe in them so fanatically that they are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past few years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between different countries, but between man and the atom bomb. | 929.txt | 1 |
[
"war is the only way to solve international disputes.",
"war will be less dangerous because of the improvement of weapons.",
"it is impossible for the people to live without war.",
"war must be abolished if man wants to survive."
]
| According to the author, _ . | Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war? War is an ancient institution, which has existed for at least six thousand years. It was always bad and usually foolish, but in the past human race managed to live with it. Modern ingenuity has changed this. Either man will abolish war, or war will abolish man. For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the most serious danger, but bacteriological or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat. If we succeed in abolishing nuclear weapons, our work will not be done. It will never be done until we have succeeded in abolishing war. To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not as contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in killing people, but by arbitration in accordance with agreed principles of law. It is not easy to change very old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted.
There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology would prevent war. I believe this to be a big error. All ideologies are based upon dogmatic statements that are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false. Their adherents believe in them so fanatically that they are willing to go to war in support of them.
The movement of world opinion during the past few years has been very largely such as we can welcome. It has become a commonplace that nuclear war must be avoided. Of course very difficult problems remain in the world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago. It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that negotiations should reach agreements even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory. It has begun to be understood that the important conflict nowadays is not between different countries, but between man and the atom bomb. | 929.txt | 3 |
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