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[
"heir and heritage",
"childrearing practices",
"dream patterns",
"table manners"
]
| It can be inferred that all the following will most probably be included in the seventy-three items except _ . | The concept of culture has been defined many times, and although no definition has achieved universal acceptance, most of the definitions include three central ideas: that culture is passed n from generation to generation, that a culture represents a ready-made prescription for living and for making day-to-day decisions, and, finally, that the components of a culture are accepted by those in the culture as good, and true, and not to be questioned. The eminent anthropologist George Murdock has listed seventy-three items that characterize every known culture, past and present.
The list begins with Age-grading and Athletic sports, runs to Weaning and Weather Control, and includes on the way such items as Calendar, Firemaking, Property Rights, and Toolmaking. I would submit that even the most extreme advocate of a culture of poverty viewpoint would readily acknowledge that, with respect to almost all of these items, every American, beyond the first generation immigrant, regardless of race or class, is a member of a common culture. We all share pretty much the same sports. Maybe poor kids don''t know how to play polo, and rich kids don''t spend time with stickball, but we all know baseball, and football, and basketball. Despite some misguided efforts to raise minor dialects to the status of separate tongues, we all, in fact, share the same language.
There may be differences in diction and usage, but it would be ridiculous to say that all Americans don''t speak English. We have the calendar, the law, and large numbers of other cultural items in common. It may well be true that on a few of the seventy-three items there are minor variations between classes, but these kinds of things are really slight variations on a common theme.
There are other items that show variability, not in relation to class, but in relation to religion and ethnic background-funeral customs and co oking, for example. But if there is one place in America where the melting pot is a reality, it is on the kitchen stove; in the course of one month, half the readers of this sentence have probably eaten pizza, hot pastrami, and chow mein. Specific differences that might be identified a signs of separate cultural identity are relatively insignificant within the general unity of American life; they are cultural commas and semicolons in the paragraphs and pages of American life. | 3229.txt | 2 |
[
"can be interpreted as subculture of American life",
"can be identified as various ways of American life",
"stand for work and rest in American life",
"are preferred in writing the stories concerning American life"
]
| By saying that ""they are cultural commas and semicolons..."" the author means that commas and semicolons _ . | The concept of culture has been defined many times, and although no definition has achieved universal acceptance, most of the definitions include three central ideas: that culture is passed n from generation to generation, that a culture represents a ready-made prescription for living and for making day-to-day decisions, and, finally, that the components of a culture are accepted by those in the culture as good, and true, and not to be questioned. The eminent anthropologist George Murdock has listed seventy-three items that characterize every known culture, past and present.
The list begins with Age-grading and Athletic sports, runs to Weaning and Weather Control, and includes on the way such items as Calendar, Firemaking, Property Rights, and Toolmaking. I would submit that even the most extreme advocate of a culture of poverty viewpoint would readily acknowledge that, with respect to almost all of these items, every American, beyond the first generation immigrant, regardless of race or class, is a member of a common culture. We all share pretty much the same sports. Maybe poor kids don''t know how to play polo, and rich kids don''t spend time with stickball, but we all know baseball, and football, and basketball. Despite some misguided efforts to raise minor dialects to the status of separate tongues, we all, in fact, share the same language.
There may be differences in diction and usage, but it would be ridiculous to say that all Americans don''t speak English. We have the calendar, the law, and large numbers of other cultural items in common. It may well be true that on a few of the seventy-three items there are minor variations between classes, but these kinds of things are really slight variations on a common theme.
There are other items that show variability, not in relation to class, but in relation to religion and ethnic background-funeral customs and co oking, for example. But if there is one place in America where the melting pot is a reality, it is on the kitchen stove; in the course of one month, half the readers of this sentence have probably eaten pizza, hot pastrami, and chow mein. Specific differences that might be identified a signs of separate cultural identity are relatively insignificant within the general unity of American life; they are cultural commas and semicolons in the paragraphs and pages of American life. | 3229.txt | 0 |
[
"prove that different people have different definitions of culture",
"inform that variations exist as far as a culture is concerned",
"indicate that culture is closely connected with social classe s",
"show that the idea that the poor constitute a separate culture is an absurdity"
]
| The author''s main purpose in writing this passage is to _ . | The concept of culture has been defined many times, and although no definition has achieved universal acceptance, most of the definitions include three central ideas: that culture is passed n from generation to generation, that a culture represents a ready-made prescription for living and for making day-to-day decisions, and, finally, that the components of a culture are accepted by those in the culture as good, and true, and not to be questioned. The eminent anthropologist George Murdock has listed seventy-three items that characterize every known culture, past and present.
The list begins with Age-grading and Athletic sports, runs to Weaning and Weather Control, and includes on the way such items as Calendar, Firemaking, Property Rights, and Toolmaking. I would submit that even the most extreme advocate of a culture of poverty viewpoint would readily acknowledge that, with respect to almost all of these items, every American, beyond the first generation immigrant, regardless of race or class, is a member of a common culture. We all share pretty much the same sports. Maybe poor kids don''t know how to play polo, and rich kids don''t spend time with stickball, but we all know baseball, and football, and basketball. Despite some misguided efforts to raise minor dialects to the status of separate tongues, we all, in fact, share the same language.
There may be differences in diction and usage, but it would be ridiculous to say that all Americans don''t speak English. We have the calendar, the law, and large numbers of other cultural items in common. It may well be true that on a few of the seventy-three items there are minor variations between classes, but these kinds of things are really slight variations on a common theme.
There are other items that show variability, not in relation to class, but in relation to religion and ethnic background-funeral customs and co oking, for example. But if there is one place in America where the melting pot is a reality, it is on the kitchen stove; in the course of one month, half the readers of this sentence have probably eaten pizza, hot pastrami, and chow mein. Specific differences that might be identified a signs of separate cultural identity are relatively insignificant within the general unity of American life; they are cultural commas and semicolons in the paragraphs and pages of American life. | 3229.txt | 3 |
[
"Americans seem to be always under pressure.",
"Americans attach less importance to patience.",
"Americans don't care much about ritual socializing.",
"Americans are impolite to their business colleagues."
]
| Which of the following statements is wrong? | A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.
Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don't, waiters will hurry you.
You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain courtesy point.
The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called " a short fuse." We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some re-turnbe this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from lands where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life.
Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. | 700.txt | 3 |
[
"a less important thing",
"a first concern",
"a good business",
"an attractive gift"
]
| In the fourth paragraph, " a high priority" means _ ？ | A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.
Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don't, waiters will hurry you.
You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain courtesy point.
The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called " a short fuse." We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some re-turnbe this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from lands where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life.
Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. | 700.txt | 1 |
[
"through social courtesy",
"through prolonged business talks",
"by establishing business relations",
"by learning about their past performance"
]
| Americans evaluate a business colleague _ . | A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.
Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don't, waiters will hurry you.
You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain courtesy point.
The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called " a short fuse." We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some re-turnbe this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from lands where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life.
Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. | 700.txt | 3 |
[
"how Americans treasure their time",
"how busy Americans are every day",
"how Americans do business with foreigners",
"what American way of life is like"
]
| This passage mainly talks about _ . | A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.
Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don't, waiters will hurry you.
You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain courtesy point.
The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called " a short fuse." We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some re-turnbe this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from lands where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life.
Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. | 700.txt | 0 |
[
"critical",
"ironical",
"appreciative",
"objective"
]
| We can infer from the passage that the author's tone in writing is _ . | A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush-often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going restlessly, seeking attention in a store, and elbowing others as they try to complete their errands. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country.
Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating places are waiting for you to finish so that they too can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. Each person hurries to make room for the next person. If you don't, waiters will hurry you.
You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small courtesies with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain courtesy point.
The view of time affects the importance we attach to patience. In the American system of values, patience is not a high priority. Many of us have what might be called " a short fuse." We begin to move restlessly about if we feel time is slipping away without some re-turnbe this in terms of pleasure, work value, or rest. Those coming from lands where time is looked upon differently may find this matter of pace to be one of their most difficult adjustments in both business and daily life.
Many newcomers to the States will miss the opening courtesy of a business call, for example, They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a café or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over prolonged small talks. We seek out evidence of past performance rather than evaluate a business colleague through social courtesies. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. | 700.txt | 2 |
[
"light",
"common",
"tiny",
"simple"
]
| The word "minute" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 2 |
[
"the temperature of seawater changes too often.",
"seasonal succession usually occurs only in temperate seas.",
"the rate of replacement of dominant species is slower than that of temperature change.",
"certain dominant species have been observed at different temperatures."
]
| According to paragraph 2, one reason temperature is not likely to be the sole cause of seasonal succession in phytoplankton is | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 3 |
[
"increasing",
"necessary",
"varying",
"high"
]
| The word "differing" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 2 |
[
"To argue that the nutrient level not determine phytoplankton succession.",
"To argue that the succession of phytoplankton is actually the cause of changes in the nutrient level.",
"To indicate that phytoplankton populations are very sensitive to changes in the nutrient level.",
"To imply that changes in the nutrient level explain the succession of phytoplankton."
]
| Why does the author provide the information that "phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change"? | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 0 |
[
"They have a less significant effect on the dominant species of phytoplankton than they do on other species of phytoplankton.",
"They affect the growth of phytoplankton living in seawater.",
"They are secreted in small amounts by individual phytoplankton.",
"They cause changes in seawater that result in species succession of phytoplankton."
]
| According to paragraph 4, all of the following are true about metabolites secreted by phytoplankton EXCEPT | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 0 |
[
"They produce toxins that inhibit the growth of other organisms.",
"Each produces a very little amount of toxin.",
"Their toxins can concentrate in clams and mussels.",
"Their toxins are dangerous only to other photosynthetic organisms."
]
| According to paragraph 5, all of the following statements are true about dinoflagellates EXCEPT | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 3 |
[
"enormous",
"total",
"observed",
"increasing"
]
| The word "massive" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 0 |
[
"often",
"a few",
"basic",
"significant"
]
| The word "considerable" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 3 |
[
"It can be followed in a seasonal succession only by another phytoplankton species that cannot produce thiamine.",
"It can never become the dominant species in a seasonal succession.",
"It can be preceded in a seasonal succession only by a phytoplankton species that produces thiamine.",
"It is able to produce B vitamins other than thiamine."
]
| Paragraph 6 supports which of the following statements about a phytoplankton species that cannot produce thiamine? | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 2 |
[
"one type of phytoplankton",
"stationary animals",
"selective grazers",
"invertebrate larva"
]
| The copepods mentioned in paragraph 8 are | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 2 |
[
"without limits",
"at the same time",
"merely",
"spontaneously"
]
| The word "simultaneously" in the passage is closest in meaning to | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 1 |
[
"A description of a phenomenon is provided, forward hypotheses as to the phenomenon's cause.",
"Two phenomena are introduced, and the rest of the passage provides reasons as to why the first is more common than the second.",
"A group of species is discussed, and the rest of the passage explains the environmental factors threatening it.",
"A phenomenon is described, and the rest of the passage discusses effects of that phenomenon on the environment."
]
| Which of the following statements best describes how the passage is organized? | Phytoplankton are minute free-floating aquatic plants In addition to the marked changes in abundance observed in phytoplankton over the course of a year, there is also a marked change in species composition. This change in the dominant species from season to season is called seasonal succession, and it occurs m a wide variety of locations. Under seasonal succession, one or more species dominate the phytoplankton for a shorter or longer period of time and then are replaced by another set of species. This pattern is repeated yearly. This succession is different from typical terrestrial ecological succession in which various plants replace one another until finally a so-called climax community develops, which persists for many years.
What are the factors causing this phenomenon? Considering that seasonal succession is most often and clearly seen in temperate seas, which have a marked change in temperature during a year, temperature has been suggested as a cause. This may be one of the factors, but it is unlikely to be the sole cause because there are species that become dominant species at various temperatures. Furthermore, temperature changes rather slowly in seawater, and the replacement of dominant species often is much more rapid.
Another suggested reason is the change in nutrient level over the year, with differing concentrations favoring different phytoplanklon species. While this factor may also contribute, observations suggest that phytoplankton populations rise and fall much more quickly than nutrient concentrations change.
Yet another explanation is that species succession is a consequence of changes in seawater brought about by the phytoplankton living in it. Each species of phytoplankton secretes or excretes organic molecules into the seawater. These metabolites can have an effect on the organisms living in the seawater, either inhibiting or promoting their growth. For any individual organism, the amount of metabolite secreted is small. But the effect of secretions by all the individuals of the dominant species can be significant both for themselves and for other species.
These organic metabolites could, and probably do, include a number of different classes of organic compounds. Some are likely toxins, such as those released by the dinoflagellates (a species of plankton) during red tides, which inhibit growth of other photosynthetic organisms. In such cases, the population explosion of dinoflagellates is so great that the water becomes brownish red in color from the billions of dinoflagellate cells. Although each cell secretes a minute amount of toxin, the massive dinoflagellate numbers cause the toxin to reach concentrations that kill many creatures. This toxin can be concentrated in such filter-feeding organisms as clams and mussels, rendering them toxic to humans.
Another class of metabolite is the vitamins. It is now known that certain phytoplankton species have requirements for certain vitamins, and that there are considerable differences among species as to requirements. The B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, thiamine and biotin, seem to be the most generally required Some species may be unable to thrive until a particular vitamin, or group of vitamins, is present in the water. These vitamins are produced only by another species: hence, a succession of species could occur whereby first the vitamin-producing species is present and then the vitamin-requiring species follows.
Other organic compounds that may inhibit or promote various species include amino acids, carbohydrates, and fatty acids. Although it is suspected that these organic metabolites may have an important role in species succession and it has been demonstrated in the laboratory that phytoplankton species vary both in their ability to produce necessary vitamins and in their requirements for such in order to grow, evidence is still inadequate as to their real role in the sea.
There is also evidence to suggest that grazers (animals that feed on plants or stationary animals), particularly selective grazers, can influence the phytoplankton species composition. Many copepods (small, herbivorous crustaceans) and invertebrate larvae pick out selected phytoplankton species from mixed groups, changing the species composition.
A growing body of evidence now suggests that all of the factors considered here are operating simultaneously to produce species succession. The importance of any factor will vary with the particular phytoplankton species and the environmental conditions. | 3542.txt | 0 |
[
"preferred quietness to noise",
"enjoyed the sound of the mechanical piano",
"was going back to his hometown",
"wanted to befriend the Davidsons"
]
| It can be inferred from the first paragraph that Dr. Macphail _ . | Text B
It was nearly bedtime and when they awoke next morning land would be in sight. Dr. Macphail lit his pipe and, leaning over the rail, searched the heavens for the Southern Cross. After two years at the front and a wound that had taken longer to heal than it should, he was glad to settle down quietly at Apia
for twelve months at least, and he felt already better for the journey. Since some of the passengers were leaving the ship next day they had had a little dance that evening and in his ears hammered still the harsh notes of the mechanical piano. But the deck was quiet at last. A little way off he saw his wife in a long chair talking with the Davidsons, and he strolled over to her. When he sat down under the light and took off his hat you saw that he had very red hair, with a bald patch on the crown, and the red, freckled skin which accompanies red hair; he was a man of forty, thin, with a pinched face, precise and rather pedantic; and he spoke with a Scots accent in a very low, quiet voice.
Between the Macphails and the Davidsons, who were missionaries, there had arisen the intimacy of shipboard, which is due to proximity rather than to any community of taste. Their chief tie was the disapproval they shared of the men who spent their days and nights in the smoking-room playing poker or bridge and drinking. Mrs. Macphail was not a little flattered to think that she and her husband were the only people on board with whom the Davidsons were willing to associate,and even the doctor, shy but no fool, half unconsciously acknowledged the compliment. It was because he was of an argumentative mind that in their cabin at night he permitted himself to carp .
‘Mrs. Davidson was saying she didn't know how they'd have got through the journey if it hadn't been for us,' said Mrs. Macphail, as she neatly brushed out her transformation . ‘She said we were really the only people on the ship they cared to know.'
‘I shouldn't have thought a missionary was such a big bug that he could afford to put on frills .'
‘It's not frills. I quite understand what she means. It wouldn't have been very nice for the Davidsons to have to mix with all that rough lot in the smoking-room.'
‘The founder of their religion wasn't so exclusive,' said Dr. Macphail with a chuckle.
‘I've asked you over and over again not to joke about religion,' answered his wife. ‘I shouldn't like to have a nature like yours, Alec. You never look for the best in people.'
He gave her a sidelong glance with his pale, blue eyes, but did not reply. After many years of married life he had learned that it was more conducive to peace to leave his wife with the last word.He was undressed before she was, and climbing into the upper bunk he settled down to read himself to sleep.
When he came on deck next morning they were close to land. He looked at it with greedy eyes.There was a thin strip of silver beach rising quickly to hills covered to the top with luxuriant vegetation. The coconut trees, thick and green, came nearly to the water's edge, and among them you saw the grass houses of the Samoaris ; and here and there, gleaming white, a little church. Mrs. Davidson came and stood beside him. She was dressed in black, and wore round her neck a gold chain, from which dangled a cross. She was a little woman, with brown, dull hair very elaborately arranged, and she had prominent blue eyes behind invisible pince-nez. Her face was long, like a sheep's, but she gave no impression of foolishness, rather of extreme alertness; she had the quick movements of a bird. The most remarkable thing about her was her voice, high, metallic, and without inflection; it fell on the ear with a hard monotony, irritating to the nerves like the pitiless clamor of the pneumatic drill.
‘This must seem like home to you,' said Dr. Macphail, with his thin, difficult smile.
‘Ours are low islands, you know, not like these. Coral. These are volcanic. We've got another ten days' journey to reach them.'
‘In these parts that's almost like being in the next street at home,' said Dr. Macphail facetiously.
‘Well, that's rather an exaggerated way of putting it, but one does look at distances differently in the J South Seas. So far you're right.'
Dr. Macphail sighed faintly. | 1855.txt | 1 |
[
"had similar experience",
"liked each other",
"shared dislike for some passengers",
"had similar religious belief"
]
| The Macphails and the Davidsons were in each other'e company because they _ . | Text B
It was nearly bedtime and when they awoke next morning land would be in sight. Dr. Macphail lit his pipe and, leaning over the rail, searched the heavens for the Southern Cross. After two years at the front and a wound that had taken longer to heal than it should, he was glad to settle down quietly at Apia
for twelve months at least, and he felt already better for the journey. Since some of the passengers were leaving the ship next day they had had a little dance that evening and in his ears hammered still the harsh notes of the mechanical piano. But the deck was quiet at last. A little way off he saw his wife in a long chair talking with the Davidsons, and he strolled over to her. When he sat down under the light and took off his hat you saw that he had very red hair, with a bald patch on the crown, and the red, freckled skin which accompanies red hair; he was a man of forty, thin, with a pinched face, precise and rather pedantic; and he spoke with a Scots accent in a very low, quiet voice.
Between the Macphails and the Davidsons, who were missionaries, there had arisen the intimacy of shipboard, which is due to proximity rather than to any community of taste. Their chief tie was the disapproval they shared of the men who spent their days and nights in the smoking-room playing poker or bridge and drinking. Mrs. Macphail was not a little flattered to think that she and her husband were the only people on board with whom the Davidsons were willing to associate,and even the doctor, shy but no fool, half unconsciously acknowledged the compliment. It was because he was of an argumentative mind that in their cabin at night he permitted himself to carp .
‘Mrs. Davidson was saying she didn't know how they'd have got through the journey if it hadn't been for us,' said Mrs. Macphail, as she neatly brushed out her transformation . ‘She said we were really the only people on the ship they cared to know.'
‘I shouldn't have thought a missionary was such a big bug that he could afford to put on frills .'
‘It's not frills. I quite understand what she means. It wouldn't have been very nice for the Davidsons to have to mix with all that rough lot in the smoking-room.'
‘The founder of their religion wasn't so exclusive,' said Dr. Macphail with a chuckle.
‘I've asked you over and over again not to joke about religion,' answered his wife. ‘I shouldn't like to have a nature like yours, Alec. You never look for the best in people.'
He gave her a sidelong glance with his pale, blue eyes, but did not reply. After many years of married life he had learned that it was more conducive to peace to leave his wife with the last word.He was undressed before she was, and climbing into the upper bunk he settled down to read himself to sleep.
When he came on deck next morning they were close to land. He looked at it with greedy eyes.There was a thin strip of silver beach rising quickly to hills covered to the top with luxuriant vegetation. The coconut trees, thick and green, came nearly to the water's edge, and among them you saw the grass houses of the Samoaris ; and here and there, gleaming white, a little church. Mrs. Davidson came and stood beside him. She was dressed in black, and wore round her neck a gold chain, from which dangled a cross. She was a little woman, with brown, dull hair very elaborately arranged, and she had prominent blue eyes behind invisible pince-nez. Her face was long, like a sheep's, but she gave no impression of foolishness, rather of extreme alertness; she had the quick movements of a bird. The most remarkable thing about her was her voice, high, metallic, and without inflection; it fell on the ear with a hard monotony, irritating to the nerves like the pitiless clamor of the pneumatic drill.
‘This must seem like home to you,' said Dr. Macphail, with his thin, difficult smile.
‘Ours are low islands, you know, not like these. Coral. These are volcanic. We've got another ten days' journey to reach them.'
‘In these parts that's almost like being in the next street at home,' said Dr. Macphail facetiously.
‘Well, that's rather an exaggerated way of putting it, but one does look at distances differently in the J South Seas. So far you're right.'
Dr. Macphail sighed faintly. | 1855.txt | 3 |
[
"She was good at making friends",
"She was prone to quarrelling with her husband",
"She was skillful in dealing with strangers",
"She was easy to get along with."
]
| Which of the following statements BEST describes Mrs. Macphail? | Text B
It was nearly bedtime and when they awoke next morning land would be in sight. Dr. Macphail lit his pipe and, leaning over the rail, searched the heavens for the Southern Cross. After two years at the front and a wound that had taken longer to heal than it should, he was glad to settle down quietly at Apia
for twelve months at least, and he felt already better for the journey. Since some of the passengers were leaving the ship next day they had had a little dance that evening and in his ears hammered still the harsh notes of the mechanical piano. But the deck was quiet at last. A little way off he saw his wife in a long chair talking with the Davidsons, and he strolled over to her. When he sat down under the light and took off his hat you saw that he had very red hair, with a bald patch on the crown, and the red, freckled skin which accompanies red hair; he was a man of forty, thin, with a pinched face, precise and rather pedantic; and he spoke with a Scots accent in a very low, quiet voice.
Between the Macphails and the Davidsons, who were missionaries, there had arisen the intimacy of shipboard, which is due to proximity rather than to any community of taste. Their chief tie was the disapproval they shared of the men who spent their days and nights in the smoking-room playing poker or bridge and drinking. Mrs. Macphail was not a little flattered to think that she and her husband were the only people on board with whom the Davidsons were willing to associate,and even the doctor, shy but no fool, half unconsciously acknowledged the compliment. It was because he was of an argumentative mind that in their cabin at night he permitted himself to carp .
‘Mrs. Davidson was saying she didn't know how they'd have got through the journey if it hadn't been for us,' said Mrs. Macphail, as she neatly brushed out her transformation . ‘She said we were really the only people on the ship they cared to know.'
‘I shouldn't have thought a missionary was such a big bug that he could afford to put on frills .'
‘It's not frills. I quite understand what she means. It wouldn't have been very nice for the Davidsons to have to mix with all that rough lot in the smoking-room.'
‘The founder of their religion wasn't so exclusive,' said Dr. Macphail with a chuckle.
‘I've asked you over and over again not to joke about religion,' answered his wife. ‘I shouldn't like to have a nature like yours, Alec. You never look for the best in people.'
He gave her a sidelong glance with his pale, blue eyes, but did not reply. After many years of married life he had learned that it was more conducive to peace to leave his wife with the last word.He was undressed before she was, and climbing into the upper bunk he settled down to read himself to sleep.
When he came on deck next morning they were close to land. He looked at it with greedy eyes.There was a thin strip of silver beach rising quickly to hills covered to the top with luxuriant vegetation. The coconut trees, thick and green, came nearly to the water's edge, and among them you saw the grass houses of the Samoaris ; and here and there, gleaming white, a little church. Mrs. Davidson came and stood beside him. She was dressed in black, and wore round her neck a gold chain, from which dangled a cross. She was a little woman, with brown, dull hair very elaborately arranged, and she had prominent blue eyes behind invisible pince-nez. Her face was long, like a sheep's, but she gave no impression of foolishness, rather of extreme alertness; she had the quick movements of a bird. The most remarkable thing about her was her voice, high, metallic, and without inflection; it fell on the ear with a hard monotony, irritating to the nerves like the pitiless clamor of the pneumatic drill.
‘This must seem like home to you,' said Dr. Macphail, with his thin, difficult smile.
‘Ours are low islands, you know, not like these. Coral. These are volcanic. We've got another ten days' journey to reach them.'
‘In these parts that's almost like being in the next street at home,' said Dr. Macphail facetiously.
‘Well, that's rather an exaggerated way of putting it, but one does look at distances differently in the J South Seas. So far you're right.'
Dr. Macphail sighed faintly. | 1855.txt | 3 |
[
"arrogant",
"unapproachable",
"unpleasant",
"irritable"
]
| All the following adjectives can be used to depict Mrs. Davidson EXCEPT _ . | Text B
It was nearly bedtime and when they awoke next morning land would be in sight. Dr. Macphail lit his pipe and, leaning over the rail, searched the heavens for the Southern Cross. After two years at the front and a wound that had taken longer to heal than it should, he was glad to settle down quietly at Apia
for twelve months at least, and he felt already better for the journey. Since some of the passengers were leaving the ship next day they had had a little dance that evening and in his ears hammered still the harsh notes of the mechanical piano. But the deck was quiet at last. A little way off he saw his wife in a long chair talking with the Davidsons, and he strolled over to her. When he sat down under the light and took off his hat you saw that he had very red hair, with a bald patch on the crown, and the red, freckled skin which accompanies red hair; he was a man of forty, thin, with a pinched face, precise and rather pedantic; and he spoke with a Scots accent in a very low, quiet voice.
Between the Macphails and the Davidsons, who were missionaries, there had arisen the intimacy of shipboard, which is due to proximity rather than to any community of taste. Their chief tie was the disapproval they shared of the men who spent their days and nights in the smoking-room playing poker or bridge and drinking. Mrs. Macphail was not a little flattered to think that she and her husband were the only people on board with whom the Davidsons were willing to associate,and even the doctor, shy but no fool, half unconsciously acknowledged the compliment. It was because he was of an argumentative mind that in their cabin at night he permitted himself to carp .
‘Mrs. Davidson was saying she didn't know how they'd have got through the journey if it hadn't been for us,' said Mrs. Macphail, as she neatly brushed out her transformation . ‘She said we were really the only people on the ship they cared to know.'
‘I shouldn't have thought a missionary was such a big bug that he could afford to put on frills .'
‘It's not frills. I quite understand what she means. It wouldn't have been very nice for the Davidsons to have to mix with all that rough lot in the smoking-room.'
‘The founder of their religion wasn't so exclusive,' said Dr. Macphail with a chuckle.
‘I've asked you over and over again not to joke about religion,' answered his wife. ‘I shouldn't like to have a nature like yours, Alec. You never look for the best in people.'
He gave her a sidelong glance with his pale, blue eyes, but did not reply. After many years of married life he had learned that it was more conducive to peace to leave his wife with the last word.He was undressed before she was, and climbing into the upper bunk he settled down to read himself to sleep.
When he came on deck next morning they were close to land. He looked at it with greedy eyes.There was a thin strip of silver beach rising quickly to hills covered to the top with luxuriant vegetation. The coconut trees, thick and green, came nearly to the water's edge, and among them you saw the grass houses of the Samoaris ; and here and there, gleaming white, a little church. Mrs. Davidson came and stood beside him. She was dressed in black, and wore round her neck a gold chain, from which dangled a cross. She was a little woman, with brown, dull hair very elaborately arranged, and she had prominent blue eyes behind invisible pince-nez. Her face was long, like a sheep's, but she gave no impression of foolishness, rather of extreme alertness; she had the quick movements of a bird. The most remarkable thing about her was her voice, high, metallic, and without inflection; it fell on the ear with a hard monotony, irritating to the nerves like the pitiless clamor of the pneumatic drill.
‘This must seem like home to you,' said Dr. Macphail, with his thin, difficult smile.
‘Ours are low islands, you know, not like these. Coral. These are volcanic. We've got another ten days' journey to reach them.'
‘In these parts that's almost like being in the next street at home,' said Dr. Macphail facetiously.
‘Well, that's rather an exaggerated way of putting it, but one does look at distances differently in the J South Seas. So far you're right.'
Dr. Macphail sighed faintly. | 1855.txt | 1 |
[
"He was sociable.",
"He was intelligent.",
"He was afraid of his wife.",
"He was fun of the Davidsons."
]
| Which of the following statements about Dr. Macphail is INCORRECT? | Text B
It was nearly bedtime and when they awoke next morning land would be in sight. Dr. Macphail lit his pipe and, leaning over the rail, searched the heavens for the Southern Cross. After two years at the front and a wound that had taken longer to heal than it should, he was glad to settle down quietly at Apia
for twelve months at least, and he felt already better for the journey. Since some of the passengers were leaving the ship next day they had had a little dance that evening and in his ears hammered still the harsh notes of the mechanical piano. But the deck was quiet at last. A little way off he saw his wife in a long chair talking with the Davidsons, and he strolled over to her. When he sat down under the light and took off his hat you saw that he had very red hair, with a bald patch on the crown, and the red, freckled skin which accompanies red hair; he was a man of forty, thin, with a pinched face, precise and rather pedantic; and he spoke with a Scots accent in a very low, quiet voice.
Between the Macphails and the Davidsons, who were missionaries, there had arisen the intimacy of shipboard, which is due to proximity rather than to any community of taste. Their chief tie was the disapproval they shared of the men who spent their days and nights in the smoking-room playing poker or bridge and drinking. Mrs. Macphail was not a little flattered to think that she and her husband were the only people on board with whom the Davidsons were willing to associate,and even the doctor, shy but no fool, half unconsciously acknowledged the compliment. It was because he was of an argumentative mind that in their cabin at night he permitted himself to carp .
‘Mrs. Davidson was saying she didn't know how they'd have got through the journey if it hadn't been for us,' said Mrs. Macphail, as she neatly brushed out her transformation . ‘She said we were really the only people on the ship they cared to know.'
‘I shouldn't have thought a missionary was such a big bug that he could afford to put on frills .'
‘It's not frills. I quite understand what she means. It wouldn't have been very nice for the Davidsons to have to mix with all that rough lot in the smoking-room.'
‘The founder of their religion wasn't so exclusive,' said Dr. Macphail with a chuckle.
‘I've asked you over and over again not to joke about religion,' answered his wife. ‘I shouldn't like to have a nature like yours, Alec. You never look for the best in people.'
He gave her a sidelong glance with his pale, blue eyes, but did not reply. After many years of married life he had learned that it was more conducive to peace to leave his wife with the last word.He was undressed before she was, and climbing into the upper bunk he settled down to read himself to sleep.
When he came on deck next morning they were close to land. He looked at it with greedy eyes.There was a thin strip of silver beach rising quickly to hills covered to the top with luxuriant vegetation. The coconut trees, thick and green, came nearly to the water's edge, and among them you saw the grass houses of the Samoaris ; and here and there, gleaming white, a little church. Mrs. Davidson came and stood beside him. She was dressed in black, and wore round her neck a gold chain, from which dangled a cross. She was a little woman, with brown, dull hair very elaborately arranged, and she had prominent blue eyes behind invisible pince-nez. Her face was long, like a sheep's, but she gave no impression of foolishness, rather of extreme alertness; she had the quick movements of a bird. The most remarkable thing about her was her voice, high, metallic, and without inflection; it fell on the ear with a hard monotony, irritating to the nerves like the pitiless clamor of the pneumatic drill.
‘This must seem like home to you,' said Dr. Macphail, with his thin, difficult smile.
‘Ours are low islands, you know, not like these. Coral. These are volcanic. We've got another ten days' journey to reach them.'
‘In these parts that's almost like being in the next street at home,' said Dr. Macphail facetiously.
‘Well, that's rather an exaggerated way of putting it, but one does look at distances differently in the J South Seas. So far you're right.'
Dr. Macphail sighed faintly. | 1855.txt | 3 |
[
"men are always successful but not women",
"women are not willing to stand in front of men",
"women do play an important part in men's lives and work",
"women can be as successful as men"
]
| "Behind every successful man there is a woman" means _ . | People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman."
Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them..
Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.
The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.
A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!"
This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. | 1504.txt | 2 |
[
"Some American women want to work side by side with men and get the same pay for the same work.",
"Most American women want to be more successful than men.",
"Not every American woman wants to get a job.",
"The American women's liberation movement did make some changes in women's lives."
]
| Which of the following is NOT true? | People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman."
Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them..
Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.
The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.
A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!"
This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. | 1504.txt | 1 |
[
"still going a long way to work",
"working at easier jobs than men",
"unwilling to work side by side with men",
"willing to be less important than men as they used to"
]
| According to the passage, many American women today are _ 。 | People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman."
Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them..
Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.
The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.
A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!"
This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. | 1504.txt | 3 |
[
"I'm still going to work farther away from home",
"I'm not going to work far away from home",
"I'm not satisfied with what I've done",
"What I have done is not far from success"
]
| "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go"means _ . | People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman."
Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them..
Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.
The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.
A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!"
This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. | 1504.txt | 2 |
[
"have still a long way to go",
"is a failure",
"was started by many successful women",
"is a new thing not accepted by the writer"
]
| The American women's liberation movement _ . | People used to say, "The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world." and "Behind every successful man there is a woman."
Both these sayings mean the same thing. Men rule the world, but their mothers and wives rule them..
Most American women wish to make their husbands and sons successful, but some of them want more for themselves. They want good jobs. When they work they want to be better paid. They want to be as successful as men.
The American women's liberation movement was started by women who didn't want to stand behind successful men. They wanted to stand beside men, with the same chance for success. They refused to work side by side with men who do the same work for a higher pay.
A liberated woman must be proud of being a woman and have confidence in herself. If somebody says to her, "You have come a long way, baby." she will smile and answer, "Not nearly as far as I'm going to go, baby!"
This movement is quite new, and many American women don't agree yet. But it has already made some important changes in women's lives--- in men's lives, too. | 1504.txt | 0 |
[
"puts forward the subject of the text",
"shows the author's pity on the kid",
"acts as an introduction to the discussion",
"makes a clear statement of the author's views"
]
| According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph-- | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my daddy back."Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate,must have touched every heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars inthe sky.When those who we love depart from us,we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien,the stars are still there,and one day,when you are older and your tears have gone,you will see them again.And,in a strange way,I expect that you willfind your father is there too,in your mind and in your heart.I find that my parents,long dead now,still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor,I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself,that I couldn't wait to cable my
parents.The reply was a long time in coming,but when it did,all Mother said was"I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!"I haven't forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors,and to lay down my life for those in my care?How many people would want me back for Christmas?It's a serious thought,one to give me pause.
I pray silently,sometimes,in the dead of night,that ancient cry of a poet"Deliver my soul from the sword,and my darling from the power of the dog"Yet I know the death comes to us all,andsometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever,but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on,I'm sure,in the lives of those we loved,and therefore we ought to have a caref
or what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true,there might be fewer knives on our streets today. | 3877.txt | 2 |
[
"how much he misses his parents now",
"why his parents often appear in his dream",
"when Lucien will get over all his sadness",
"how proud he was when he succeeded in life"
]
| In th e second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us _ | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my daddy back."Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate,must have touched every heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars inthe sky.When those who we love depart from us,we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien,the stars are still there,and one day,when you are older and your tears have gone,you will see them again.And,in a strange way,I expect that you willfind your father is there too,in your mind and in your heart.I find that my parents,long dead now,still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor,I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself,that I couldn't wait to cable my
parents.The reply was a long time in coming,but when it did,all Mother said was"I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!"I haven't forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors,and to lay down my life for those in my care?How many people would want me back for Christmas?It's a serious thought,one to give me pause.
I pray silently,sometimes,in the dead of night,that ancient cry of a poet"Deliver my soul from the sword,and my darling from the power of the dog"Yet I know the death comes to us all,andsometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever,but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on,I'm sure,in the lives of those we loved,and therefore we ought to have a caref
or what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true,there might be fewer knives on our streets today. | 3877.txt | 1 |
[
"Proud",
"Happy",
"Disappointed",
"Worried."
]
| What feel i ng did the author's mother express in her reply? | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my daddy back."Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate,must have touched every heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars inthe sky.When those who we love depart from us,we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien,the stars are still there,and one day,when you are older and your tears have gone,you will see them again.And,in a strange way,I expect that you willfind your father is there too,in your mind and in your heart.I find that my parents,long dead now,still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor,I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself,that I couldn't wait to cable my
parents.The reply was a long time in coming,but when it did,all Mother said was"I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!"I haven't forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors,and to lay down my life for those in my care?How many people would want me back for Christmas?It's a serious thought,one to give me pause.
I pray silently,sometimes,in the dead of night,that ancient cry of a poet"Deliver my soul from the sword,and my darling from the power of the dog"Yet I know the death comes to us all,andsometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever,but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on,I'm sure,in the lives of those we loved,and therefore we ought to have a caref
or what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true,there might be fewer knives on our streets today. | 3877.txt | 3 |
[
"to leave behind a precious memory to the people related",
"to have a high sense of duty to the w hole society",
"to care what others will remember and treasure",
"to share happiness and sadness with his family"
]
| In the author's opinion,the value of a person's life is | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my daddy back."Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate,must have touched every heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars inthe sky.When those who we love depart from us,we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien,the stars are still there,and one day,when you are older and your tears have gone,you will see them again.And,in a strange way,I expect that you willfind your father is there too,in your mind and in your heart.I find that my parents,long dead now,still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor,I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself,that I couldn't wait to cable my
parents.The reply was a long time in coming,but when it did,all Mother said was"I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!"I haven't forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors,and to lay down my life for those in my care?How many people would want me back for Christmas?It's a serious thought,one to give me pause.
I pray silently,sometimes,in the dead of night,that ancient cry of a poet"Deliver my soul from the sword,and my darling from the power of the dog"Yet I know the death comes to us all,andsometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever,but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on,I'm sure,in the lives of those we loved,and therefore we ought to have a caref
or what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true,there might be fewer knives on our streets today. | 3877.txt | 0 |
[
"Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.",
"Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.",
"Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.",
"Try to keep violence and murder far away from society."
]
| What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem? | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my daddy back."Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gate,must have touched every heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars inthe sky.When those who we love depart from us,we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien,the stars are still there,and one day,when you are older and your tears have gone,you will see them again.And,in a strange way,I expect that you willfind your father is there too,in your mind and in your heart.I find that my parents,long dead now,still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor,I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself,that I couldn't wait to cable my
parents.The reply was a long time in coming,but when it did,all Mother said was"I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!"I haven't forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors,and to lay down my life for those in my care?How many people would want me back for Christmas?It's a serious thought,one to give me pause.
I pray silently,sometimes,in the dead of night,that ancient cry of a poet"Deliver my soul from the sword,and my darling from the power of the dog"Yet I know the death comes to us all,andsometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever,but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on,I'm sure,in the lives of those we loved,and therefore we ought to have a caref
or what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true,there might be fewer knives on our streets today. | 3877.txt | 3 |
[
"The tools he uses.",
"The way he uses his tools.",
"His ways of learning.",
"The various tools he uses."
]
| What makes a scientist according to the passage? | What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is " no" . It is not the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further, he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer can be confirmed by other persons. He also works to fit the answers he gets to many questions into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigations. Einstein's ideas were shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations. | 681.txt | 1 |
[
"the importance of information",
"the importance of thinking",
"the difference between scientists and ordinary people",
"the difference between carpenters and people with other jobs"
]
| " The scientist, however, goes one step further..." . The author says this to show _ . | What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is " no" . It is not the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further, he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer can be confirmed by other persons. He also works to fit the answers he gets to many questions into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigations. Einstein's ideas were shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations. | 681.txt | 3 |
[
"works not only under one set of conditions at one time, but also under the same conditions at other times",
"does not allow any changes even under different conditions",
"can be used for many purposes",
"leave no room for improvement"
]
| A sound scientific theory should be one that _ . | What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is " no" . It is not the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further, he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer can be confirmed by other persons. He also works to fit the answers he gets to many questions into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigations. Einstein's ideas were shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations. | 681.txt | 0 |
[
"the measurements are keys to success in science",
"that accuracy of mathematics",
"that the investigations are important in science",
"that the mathematical calculations may test his investigations"
]
| The author quotes the case of Albert Einstein to illustrate _ . | What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is " no" . It is not the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further, he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer can be confirmed by other persons. He also works to fit the answers he gets to many questions into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigations. Einstein's ideas were shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations. | 681.txt | 2 |
[
"The theory of relativity.",
"Exactness is the core of science.",
"Scientists are different from ordinary people.",
"Exactness and ways of using tools are the keys to the making of a scientist."
]
| What is the main idea of the passage? | What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is " no" . It is not the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further, he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer can be confirmed by other persons. He also works to fit the answers he gets to many questions into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigations. Einstein's ideas were shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations. | 681.txt | 3 |
[
"a newspaper article",
"an advertisement",
"a letter",
"ascientific introduction"
]
| This passage is-- | Does your cordless phone crackle,fade,or go dead when you move onlya few feetfrom the base? If so,we recommend that you try a Techtalk cordlessphone.
Techtalk cordless phones are the only ones with the patented Cellular 6 technology.The result is a phone with excellent clarity,range,and security.
Clarity:It's essential that you communicate efficiently and effectively.No static,echo,or crackling will ever interfere with your conversations on a Techtalkphone.
Range:Techtalk provides up to four times the range of an ordinary cordless phone.It will go anywhere you need it throughout your home,in your yard,even around the block.
Security:Some cordless phones allow other cordless phone users to overhear your conversations.Not Techtalk.We guaranteecomplete privacy whenever you talk to your friends,family,or business associates.
You decide an ordinary cordless phone or Techtalk? Visit your favorite electronics store this month and take a Techtalk home for a 30 day trial.If you don't agree that it's superior to all other cordless phones,return it for a full refund. | 3595.txt | 1 |
[
"A kind of cordless phones.",
"A company that used cordless phones.",
"A new technology that reduces static.",
"A mobile phone with the patented Cellular 6 technology."
]
| What is Techtalk? | Does your cordless phone crackle,fade,or go dead when you move onlya few feetfrom the base? If so,we recommend that you try a Techtalk cordlessphone.
Techtalk cordless phones are the only ones with the patented Cellular 6 technology.The result is a phone with excellent clarity,range,and security.
Clarity:It's essential that you communicate efficiently and effectively.No static,echo,or crackling will ever interfere with your conversations on a Techtalkphone.
Range:Techtalk provides up to four times the range of an ordinary cordless phone.It will go anywhere you need it throughout your home,in your yard,even around the block.
Security:Some cordless phones allow other cordless phone users to overhear your conversations.Not Techtalk.We guaranteecomplete privacy whenever you talk to your friends,family,or business associates.
You decide an ordinary cordless phone or Techtalk? Visit your favorite electronics store this month and take a Techtalk home for a 30 day trial.If you don't agree that it's superior to all other cordless phones,return it for a full refund. | 3595.txt | 0 |
[
"get a reduced price on a Techtalk",
"try a Techtalk at home",
"get any cordless phone which you like",
"exchange a Techtalk phone for an ordinary phone"
]
| This month,you can--. | Does your cordless phone crackle,fade,or go dead when you move onlya few feetfrom the base? If so,we recommend that you try a Techtalk cordlessphone.
Techtalk cordless phones are the only ones with the patented Cellular 6 technology.The result is a phone with excellent clarity,range,and security.
Clarity:It's essential that you communicate efficiently and effectively.No static,echo,or crackling will ever interfere with your conversations on a Techtalkphone.
Range:Techtalk provides up to four times the range of an ordinary cordless phone.It will go anywhere you need it throughout your home,in your yard,even around the block.
Security:Some cordless phones allow other cordless phone users to overhear your conversations.Not Techtalk.We guaranteecomplete privacy whenever you talk to your friends,family,or business associates.
You decide an ordinary cordless phone or Techtalk? Visit your favorite electronics store this month and take a Techtalk home for a 30 day trial.If you don't agree that it's superior to all other cordless phones,return it for a full refund. | 3595.txt | 1 |
[
"rediscovery",
"being free of charge",
"repayment",
"a person who will pay back your money"
]
| The word"refund"in the last paragraph means-- | Does your cordless phone crackle,fade,or go dead when you move onlya few feetfrom the base? If so,we recommend that you try a Techtalk cordlessphone.
Techtalk cordless phones are the only ones with the patented Cellular 6 technology.The result is a phone with excellent clarity,range,and security.
Clarity:It's essential that you communicate efficiently and effectively.No static,echo,or crackling will ever interfere with your conversations on a Techtalkphone.
Range:Techtalk provides up to four times the range of an ordinary cordless phone.It will go anywhere you need it throughout your home,in your yard,even around the block.
Security:Some cordless phones allow other cordless phone users to overhear your conversations.Not Techtalk.We guaranteecomplete privacy whenever you talk to your friends,family,or business associates.
You decide an ordinary cordless phone or Techtalk? Visit your favorite electronics store this month and take a Techtalk home for a 30 day trial.If you don't agree that it's superior to all other cordless phones,return it for a full refund. | 3595.txt | 2 |
[
"New Information about the Sunken Ship.",
"Exploration of the Titanic.",
"To watch the Videotape.",
"To explore the Titanic with High Tech."
]
| What is the best title for this passage? | Exploration of the Titanic
After resting on the ocean floor, split asunder and rusting, for nearly three-quarters of a century, a great ship seemed to cone alive again. The saga of the White Star liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their death, has been celebrated in print and on film, in poetry and song. But last week what had been legendary suddenly became real. As they viewed videotapes and photographs of the sunken leviathan, millions of people around the world could sense her mass, her eerie quiet and the ruined splendor of a lost age.
Watching on television, they vicariously joined the undersea craft Alvin and Jason Jr. (J.J.) as they toured the wreckage of the luxury liner, wandering across the decks past corroded bollards, peering into the officer's quarters and through rust-curtained portholes. Views of the railings where doomed passengers and crewmembers stood evoked images of the moonless night 74years ago when the great ship slipped beneath the waves.
The two-minute videotape and nine photographs, all in color and shot 12,500ft.under the North Atlantic, were a tiny sample of 60 hours of video and 60,000 stills garnered during the twelve-day exploration. They are released at a Washington press conference conducted by Marine Geologist Robert Ballard, 44, who led the teams from the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution that found the Titanic last September and revisited it this July.
Recounting the highlights of what has already become the most celebrated feat of underwater exploration, Ballard revealed some startling new information. His deep-diving craft failed to find the 300-ft. gash that, according to legend, was torn in the Titanic's hull when the ship plowed into the iceberg. Instead, he suggested, the collision had buckled the ship's plates, allowing water to pour in. He also brought back evidence that the ship broke apart not when she hit bottom, as he had thought when viewing the first Titanic images last September, but as she sank: the stern, which settled on the bottom almost 1,800ft. from the bow, had swiveled 180 on its way down. | 226.txt | 3 |
[
"They felt rather sad, and felt they themselves took part in the exploration.",
"They felt keenly for it.",
"They felt rather bad about it.",
"They felt out of spirits."
]
| How did the viewers feel when watching the videotape? | Exploration of the Titanic
After resting on the ocean floor, split asunder and rusting, for nearly three-quarters of a century, a great ship seemed to cone alive again. The saga of the White Star liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their death, has been celebrated in print and on film, in poetry and song. But last week what had been legendary suddenly became real. As they viewed videotapes and photographs of the sunken leviathan, millions of people around the world could sense her mass, her eerie quiet and the ruined splendor of a lost age.
Watching on television, they vicariously joined the undersea craft Alvin and Jason Jr. (J.J.) as they toured the wreckage of the luxury liner, wandering across the decks past corroded bollards, peering into the officer's quarters and through rust-curtained portholes. Views of the railings where doomed passengers and crewmembers stood evoked images of the moonless night 74years ago when the great ship slipped beneath the waves.
The two-minute videotape and nine photographs, all in color and shot 12,500ft.under the North Atlantic, were a tiny sample of 60 hours of video and 60,000 stills garnered during the twelve-day exploration. They are released at a Washington press conference conducted by Marine Geologist Robert Ballard, 44, who led the teams from the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution that found the Titanic last September and revisited it this July.
Recounting the highlights of what has already become the most celebrated feat of underwater exploration, Ballard revealed some startling new information. His deep-diving craft failed to find the 300-ft. gash that, according to legend, was torn in the Titanic's hull when the ship plowed into the iceberg. Instead, he suggested, the collision had buckled the ship's plates, allowing water to pour in. He also brought back evidence that the ship broke apart not when she hit bottom, as he had thought when viewing the first Titanic images last September, but as she sank: the stern, which settled on the bottom almost 1,800ft. from the bow, had swiveled 180 on its way down. | 226.txt | 0 |
[
"In 1912.",
"She sank in its maiden voyage in 1912.",
"She sank in its second voyage in 1912.",
"She sank in its first voyage in 1912."
]
| When did the great ship sink? | Exploration of the Titanic
After resting on the ocean floor, split asunder and rusting, for nearly three-quarters of a century, a great ship seemed to cone alive again. The saga of the White Star liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their death, has been celebrated in print and on film, in poetry and song. But last week what had been legendary suddenly became real. As they viewed videotapes and photographs of the sunken leviathan, millions of people around the world could sense her mass, her eerie quiet and the ruined splendor of a lost age.
Watching on television, they vicariously joined the undersea craft Alvin and Jason Jr. (J.J.) as they toured the wreckage of the luxury liner, wandering across the decks past corroded bollards, peering into the officer's quarters and through rust-curtained portholes. Views of the railings where doomed passengers and crewmembers stood evoked images of the moonless night 74years ago when the great ship slipped beneath the waves.
The two-minute videotape and nine photographs, all in color and shot 12,500ft.under the North Atlantic, were a tiny sample of 60 hours of video and 60,000 stills garnered during the twelve-day exploration. They are released at a Washington press conference conducted by Marine Geologist Robert Ballard, 44, who led the teams from the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution that found the Titanic last September and revisited it this July.
Recounting the highlights of what has already become the most celebrated feat of underwater exploration, Ballard revealed some startling new information. His deep-diving craft failed to find the 300-ft. gash that, according to legend, was torn in the Titanic's hull when the ship plowed into the iceberg. Instead, he suggested, the collision had buckled the ship's plates, allowing water to pour in. He also brought back evidence that the ship broke apart not when she hit bottom, as he had thought when viewing the first Titanic images last September, but as she sank: the stern, which settled on the bottom almost 1,800ft. from the bow, had swiveled 180 on its way down. | 226.txt | 1 |
[
"He revealed some startling information.",
"He said nothing.",
"He complained the exploration was very hard.",
"He revealed the success of their work."
]
| What did Robert reveal at a press conference? | Exploration of the Titanic
After resting on the ocean floor, split asunder and rusting, for nearly three-quarters of a century, a great ship seemed to cone alive again. The saga of the White Star liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their death, has been celebrated in print and on film, in poetry and song. But last week what had been legendary suddenly became real. As they viewed videotapes and photographs of the sunken leviathan, millions of people around the world could sense her mass, her eerie quiet and the ruined splendor of a lost age.
Watching on television, they vicariously joined the undersea craft Alvin and Jason Jr. (J.J.) as they toured the wreckage of the luxury liner, wandering across the decks past corroded bollards, peering into the officer's quarters and through rust-curtained portholes. Views of the railings where doomed passengers and crewmembers stood evoked images of the moonless night 74years ago when the great ship slipped beneath the waves.
The two-minute videotape and nine photographs, all in color and shot 12,500ft.under the North Atlantic, were a tiny sample of 60 hours of video and 60,000 stills garnered during the twelve-day exploration. They are released at a Washington press conference conducted by Marine Geologist Robert Ballard, 44, who led the teams from the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution that found the Titanic last September and revisited it this July.
Recounting the highlights of what has already become the most celebrated feat of underwater exploration, Ballard revealed some startling new information. His deep-diving craft failed to find the 300-ft. gash that, according to legend, was torn in the Titanic's hull when the ship plowed into the iceberg. Instead, he suggested, the collision had buckled the ship's plates, allowing water to pour in. He also brought back evidence that the ship broke apart not when she hit bottom, as he had thought when viewing the first Titanic images last September, but as she sank: the stern, which settled on the bottom almost 1,800ft. from the bow, had swiveled 180 on its way down. | 226.txt | 0 |
[
"existence of hidden parameters in quantum theory",
"probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics",
"idea that quantum mechanics is incomplete",
"results of experiments testing quantum theory"
]
| According to the passage, Einstein posed objections to the | Quantum mechanics is a highly successful theory: it supplies methods for accurately calculating the results of diverse experiments, especially with minute particles. The predictions of quantum mechanics, however, give only the probability of an event, not a deterministic statement of whether or not the event will occur. Because of this probabilism, Einstein remained strongly dissatisfied with the theory throughout his life, though he did not maintain that quantum mechanics is wrong. Rather, he held that it is incomplete: in quantum mechanics the motion of a particle must be described in terms of probabilities, he argued, only because some parameters that determine the motion have not been specified. If these hypothetical "hidden parameters" were known, a fully deterministic trajectory could be defined. Significantly, this hidden-parameter quantum theory leads to experimental predictions different from those of traditional quantum mechanics. Einstein's ideas have been tested by experiments performed since his death, and as most of these experiments support traditional quantum mechanics, Einstein's approach is almost certainly erroneous. | 1882.txt | 1 |
[
"Einstein, had he been alive, would have revised his approach to quantum mechanics.",
"Hidden-parameter theories would have been considered inaccurate descriptions of real-world phenomena.",
"A deterministic description of the motion of a particle might still be considered possible.",
"Quantum mechanics would have ceased to attract the attention of physicists."
]
| The passage suggests that which of the following would have resulted if the experiments mentioned in lines 18-20 had not supported the predictions of traditional quantum mechanics? | Quantum mechanics is a highly successful theory: it supplies methods for accurately calculating the results of diverse experiments, especially with minute particles. The predictions of quantum mechanics, however, give only the probability of an event, not a deterministic statement of whether or not the event will occur. Because of this probabilism, Einstein remained strongly dissatisfied with the theory throughout his life, though he did not maintain that quantum mechanics is wrong. Rather, he held that it is incomplete: in quantum mechanics the motion of a particle must be described in terms of probabilities, he argued, only because some parameters that determine the motion have not been specified. If these hypothetical "hidden parameters" were known, a fully deterministic trajectory could be defined. Significantly, this hidden-parameter quantum theory leads to experimental predictions different from those of traditional quantum mechanics. Einstein's ideas have been tested by experiments performed since his death, and as most of these experiments support traditional quantum mechanics, Einstein's approach is almost certainly erroneous. | 1882.txt | 2 |
[
"He used genetically modified seeds to feed his cattle.",
"He planted soybeans without paying for the patent.",
"He made a profit out of Monsanto?s commercial secrets.",
"He obtained Monsanto?s patented seeds by illegal means."
]
| Why did Vernon Bowman get sued? | Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny of those seeds.
Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto?s critics have attacked the company for its "merciless legal battles against small farmers," and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court?s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.
Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modi- fied seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.
Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal-all the way to the Supreme Court. He said "Monsanto should not be able, just because they?ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats."
The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny ofthose things. Monsanto argues that itspatents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court?s ruling could have "profound effects" on other biotech industries.
If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement. | 1302.txt | 1 |
[
"Allow small farmers to grow genetically modified soybeans.",
"Punish Monsanto for infringing on small farmers' interests.",
"Rule against Monsanto?s excessive extension of its patent rights.",
"Abolish the patent law concerning genetically engineered seeds."
]
| What are Monsanto?s critics hoping the Supreme Court will do? | Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny of those seeds.
Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto?s critics have attacked the company for its "merciless legal battles against small farmers," and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court?s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.
Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modi- fied seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.
Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal-all the way to the Supreme Court. He said "Monsanto should not be able, just because they?ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats."
The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny ofthose things. Monsanto argues that itspatents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court?s ruling could have "profound effects" on other biotech industries.
If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement. | 1302.txt | 2 |
[
"Patent rights should be protected to encourage innovation.",
"Bowman cannot plant the seeds without Monsanto's consent.",
"Monsanto has the right to recover the costs of its patented seeds.",
"Patent law on genetically modified seeds should not be challenged."
]
| What is the argument of Monsanto and its supporters? | Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny of those seeds.
Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto?s critics have attacked the company for its "merciless legal battles against small farmers," and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court?s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.
Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modi- fied seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.
Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal-all the way to the Supreme Court. He said "Monsanto should not be able, just because they?ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats."
The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny ofthose things. Monsanto argues that itspatents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court?s ruling could have "profound effects" on other biotech industries.
If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement. | 1302.txt | 0 |
[
"Whether patent for seeds is harmful to agricultural production.",
"Whether the biotech industry should take priority over agriculture.",
"Whether measures should be introduced to protect small farmers.",
"Whether patent for living things applies to their later generations."
]
| What is the key issue in the Bowman vs. Monsantocase? | Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny of those seeds.
Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto?s critics have attacked the company for its "merciless legal battles against small farmers," and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court?s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.
Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modi- fied seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.
Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal-all the way to the Supreme Court. He said "Monsanto should not be able, just because they?ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats."
The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny ofthose things. Monsanto argues that itspatents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court?s ruling could have "profound effects" on other biotech industries.
If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement. | 1302.txt | 3 |
[
"Hollywood movies usually have an unexpected, dramatic impact on real-life arguments.",
"The Supreme Court will try to change its reputation for supporting large corporations.",
"The Supreme Court is likely to persuade the parties concerned to work out a settlement.",
"The ruling would be in Bowman?s favor if the case were argued in a Hollywood movie."
]
| What do we learn from the last paragraph? | Vernon Bowman, a 75-year-old farmer from rural Indiana, did something that got him sued. He planted soybeans (sold as cattle feed. But Monsanto, the agricultural giant, insists it has a patent on the kind of genetically modified seeds Bowman used―and that the patent continues to all of the progeny of those seeds.
Have we really gotten to the point that planting a seed can lead to a high-stakes Supreme Court patent lawsuit? We have, and that case is Bowman vs. Monsanto, which is being argued on Tuesday. Monsanto?s critics have attacked the company for its "merciless legal battles against small farmers," and they are hoping this will be the case that puts it in its place. They are also hoping the court?s ruling will rein in patent law, which is increasingly being used to claim new life forms as private property.
Monsanto and its supporters, not surprisingly, see the case very differently. They argue that when a company like Monsanto goes to great expense to create a valuable new genetically modi- fied seed, it must be able to protect its property interests. If farmers like Bowman are able to use these seeds without paying the designated fee, it will remove the incentives for companies like Monsanto to innovate.
Monsanto accused Bowman of patent infringement and won an $84,456 damage award. Rather than pay up or work out a settlement, Bowman decided to appeal-all the way to the Supreme Court. He said "Monsanto should not be able, just because they?ve got billions of dollars to spend on legal fees, to try to terrify farmers into obeying their agreements by massive force and threats."
The central issue in the case is whether patent rights to living things extend to the progeny ofthose things. Monsanto argues that itspatents extend to later generations. But Bowman's supporters argue that Monsanto is trying to expand the scope of patents in ways that would enrich big corporations and hurt small farmers. They say that if Monsanto wins, the impact will extend far beyond agriculture―locking up property rights in an array of important areas. Knowledge Ecology International contends that the Supreme Court?s ruling could have "profound effects" on other biotech industries.
If this were a Hollywood movie, the courageous old Indiana farmer would beat the profit-minded corporation before the credits rolled. But this is a real-life argument before a Supreme Court that has a well-earned reputation for looking out for the interests of large corporations. This case gives the court an opportunity to rein in the growing use of patents to protect genetically engineered crops and other life forms―but the court may well use it to give this trend a powerful new endorsement. | 1302.txt | 3 |
[
"weak",
"old",
"new",
"out of date"
]
| The word "obsolete"(Para. 1) most probably means_ . | The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation . We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything-from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries-must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology. | 1783.txt | 3 |
[
"his people no longer taking the lead in industrial innovation",
"his country no longer being a wealthy nation",
"his people forgetting to raise their productivity",
"his country falling behind other industrial nations"
]
| The author is anxious about_ . | The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation . We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything-from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries-must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology. | 1783.txt | 2 |
[
"the proportion of labor force to capital investment is quite low",
"the growth rate of labor force should be greater than that of capital investment",
"the productivity increases should be achieved by the increases of labor force",
"capital investment should have increased more rapidly than labor force"
]
| According to the author, in his country_ .. | The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation . We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything-from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries-must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology. | 1783.txt | 3 |
[
"robot technology seems to be much more promising than computer technology",
"computer technology has less to offer than robot technology",
"robot technology can be compared with computer technology",
"robot technology cannot be compared with computer technology"
]
| So far as the influence on society is concerned, _ . | The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation . We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything-from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries-must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology. | 1783.txt | 2 |
[
"robots will help increase labor productivity",
"robots will rule American factories",
"robots are cheaper than human laborers",
"robots will finally replace humans in factories"
]
| The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to show that_ . | The productivity of Americans employed in private businesses has declined. The productivity of workers in countries such as Japan and Germany is increasing. American machine tools, on average, are old, relatively inefficient, and rapidly becoming obsolete, whereas those of our competitors overseas, in comparison, are newer and more efficient. We are no longer the most productive workers in the world. We are no longer the leaders in industrial innovation . We are an immensely
wealthy nation of educated men and women who seem to have lost sight of the fact that everything-from the simplest necessities to the finest luxuries-must be produced through our own collective hard work. We have come to expect automatic increases in our collective standard of living, but we seem to have forgotten that these increases are possible only when our productivity continues to grow.
One thing that must change is the rate at which we substitute capital equipment for human labor. Simply put, our labor force has increased at a far greater rate than has our stock of capital investment. We seem to have forgotten that our past productivity gains, to a large extent, were realized from substitutions of capital for human labor. Today, 3 times as many robots are listed as capital assets by Japanese firms as by United States firms.
There is no doubt that robots will become a common sight in American factories. Representing a new generation of technology, robots will replace factory labor much as the farm tractor replaced the horse. Robot technology has much to offer. It offers higher levels of productivity and quality at lower costs; in promises to free men and women from the dull, repetitious toil of the factory, it is likely to have an impact on society comparable to that made by the growth of computer technology. | 1783.txt | 0 |
[
"The haute couture business is expanding quickly.",
"The haute couture designers make much profit in their sales.",
"The haute couture designers claim losses in their sales.",
"The haute couture businessmen are happy with their profit."
]
| What is the main idea of the first paragraph? | Given that a good year in the haute couturebusiness is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. "But we don't make any money out of it", the designer assured journalists backstage. "No matter how successful you are, you can't make a profit from couture," explained Jean-Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was Losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread 1 8, 000sequins, and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair price would have been~50, 000, but the couturier could only get~35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry-sponsored inquiries into the surrealworld of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it's not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn't to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrativeassociations and threatened interests that couture represents.
Essentially, the arguments couldn't be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn't change. On the other are those who say it will die if it is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whimsof less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4.000.
To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people. and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional. But the Big Four operators--Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier-increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines. | 1249.txt | 2 |
[
"was very angry as he was losing money.",
"was in a worse financial position than other couturiers.",
"was one of the best-know couturiers.",
"stopped producing haute couture dresses."
]
| According to the second paragraph, Jean-Louis Scherrer_ . | Given that a good year in the haute couturebusiness is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. "But we don't make any money out of it", the designer assured journalists backstage. "No matter how successful you are, you can't make a profit from couture," explained Jean-Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was Losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread 1 8, 000sequins, and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair price would have been~50, 000, but the couturier could only get~35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry-sponsored inquiries into the surrealworld of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it's not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn't to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrativeassociations and threatened interests that couture represents.
Essentially, the arguments couldn't be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn't change. On the other are those who say it will die if it is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whimsof less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4.000.
To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people. and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional. But the Big Four operators--Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier-increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines. | 1249.txt | 0 |
[
"was worth the price that was paid for it.",
"cost more to make than it should have.",
"was never sold to anyone.",
"should have cost the customer than it did."
]
| The writer says that the outfit Jean-Louis Scherrer described_ . | Given that a good year in the haute couturebusiness is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. "But we don't make any money out of it", the designer assured journalists backstage. "No matter how successful you are, you can't make a profit from couture," explained Jean-Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was Losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread 1 8, 000sequins, and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair price would have been~50, 000, but the couturier could only get~35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry-sponsored inquiries into the surrealworld of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it's not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn't to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrativeassociations and threatened interests that couture represents.
Essentially, the arguments couldn't be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn't change. On the other are those who say it will die if it is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whimsof less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4.000.
To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people. and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional. But the Big Four operators--Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier-increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines. | 1249.txt | 3 |
[
"the future of haute couture.",
"the history of haute couture.",
"the real costs of haute couture.",
"the changes that need to be made in haute couture."
]
| The writer says in Paragraph 4 that there is disagreement over_ . | Given that a good year in the haute couturebusiness is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. "But we don't make any money out of it", the designer assured journalists backstage. "No matter how successful you are, you can't make a profit from couture," explained Jean-Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was Losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread 1 8, 000sequins, and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair price would have been~50, 000, but the couturier could only get~35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry-sponsored inquiries into the surrealworld of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it's not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn't to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrativeassociations and threatened interests that couture represents.
Essentially, the arguments couldn't be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn't change. On the other are those who say it will die if it is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whimsof less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4.000.
To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people. and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional. But the Big Four operators--Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier-increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines. | 1249.txt | 0 |
[
"Somewhat ironical",
"Quite supportive.",
"Fairly friendly.",
"Rather indifferent."
]
| What is the writer's tone toward haute couture business? | Given that a good year in the haute couturebusiness is one where you lose even more money than usual, the prevailing mood in Paris last week was sensational. The big-name designers were falling over themselves to boast of how many outfits they had sold at below cost price, and how this proved that the fashion business was healthier than ever. Jean-Paul Gaultier reported record sales. "But we don't make any money out of it", the designer assured journalists backstage. "No matter how successful you are, you can't make a profit from couture," explained Jean-Jacques Picart, a veteran fashion PR man, and co-founder of the now-bankrupt Lacroix house.
Almost 20 years have passed since the unusual economics of the couture business were first exposed. Outraged that he was Losing money on evening dresses costing tens of thousands of pounds, the couturier Jean-Louis Scherrer published of his costs. One outfit he described curtained over half a mile of gold thread 1 8, 000sequins, and had required hundreds of hours of hand-stitching in an atelier. A fair price would have been~50, 000, but the couturier could only get~35, 000 for it. Rather than riding high on the foolishness of the super-rich, he and his team could barely feed their hungry families.
The result was an outcry and the first of a series of government-and industry-sponsored inquiries into the surrealworld of ultimate fashion. The trade continues to insist that couture offers you more than you pay for, but it's not as simple as that. When such a temple of old wealth starts talking about value for money, it isn't to convince anyone that dresses costing as much as houses are a bargain. Rather, it is to preserve the peculiar mystique, lucrativeassociations and threatened interests that couture represents.
Essentially, the arguments couldn't be simpler. On one side are those who say that the business will die if it doesn't change. On the other are those who say it will die if it is highly dated. Huge in its costs, tiny in its clientele and questionable in its influence, it still remains one of the great themes of Parisian life. In his book, The Fashion Conspiracy, Nicholas Coleridge estimates that the entire couture industry rests on the whimsof less than 30 immensely wealthy women, and although the number may have grown in recent years with the new prosperity of Asia, the number of couture customers worldwide is no more than 4.000.
To qualify as couture, a garment must be entirely handmade by one of the 11 Paris couture houses registered to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Each house must employ at least 20 people. and show a minimum of 75 new designs a year. So far, so traditional. But the Big Four operators--Chanel, Dior, Givenchy and Gaultier-increasingly use couture as a marketing device for their far more profitable ready-to-wear, fragrance and accessory lines. | 1249.txt | 0 |
[
"Her house isn't as big as her rich neighbors'.",
"Her son is left alone without anyone in charge.",
"She cannot provide her son with a special playroom.",
"She worried about the effect of her neighbors on her son."
]
| What is the problem with the worried parent in the text? | You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are worried that he will want to live as they do ,and wonder if you should move.
Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they're not as careful as you are with money, but you may. Find that they cook and dig in the garden with their children just as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.
Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in a normal-size house, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn't walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he's still playing that video game.
Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence, but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.
A neighborhood should also provide you with a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn't, you might decide to move. Don't judge your neighborhood too harshly,though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them-like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners-and the way they throw money around-may make your son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don't have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.
Children want---should be provided with-explanations when their parents don't give them what they want. | 3313.txt | 3 |
[
"spend more time with their children",
"give their children more freedom",
"work hard to lead a richer life",
"set an example for their children to follow"
]
| In paragraphs 2 and 3 , the author seems to agree that parents should. | You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are worried that he will want to live as they do ,and wonder if you should move.
Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they're not as careful as you are with money, but you may. Find that they cook and dig in the garden with their children just as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.
Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in a normal-size house, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn't walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he's still playing that video game.
Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence, but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.
A neighborhood should also provide you with a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn't, you might decide to move. Don't judge your neighborhood too harshly,though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them-like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners-and the way they throw money around-may make your son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don't have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.
Children want---should be provided with-explanations when their parents don't give them what they want. | 3313.txt | 0 |
[
"spend money carelessly",
"save money for their children",
"help the poor people willingly",
"leave money all round the house"
]
| By saying "throw money around" (paragraph5), the author means that rich people. | You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are worried that he will want to live as they do ,and wonder if you should move.
Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they're not as careful as you are with money, but you may. Find that they cook and dig in the garden with their children just as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.
Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in a normal-size house, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn't walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he's still playing that video game.
Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence, but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.
A neighborhood should also provide you with a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn't, you might decide to move. Don't judge your neighborhood too harshly,though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them-like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners-and the way they throw money around-may make your son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don't have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.
Children want---should be provided with-explanations when their parents don't give them what they want. | 3313.txt | 0 |
[
"Children are unfortunate to have poor parents.",
"Children should enjoy their comfortable life.",
"Children need proper guidance from their parents.",
"Children feel ashamed of themselves in a rich neighborhood."
]
| What is the main idea the author aims to express in the text? | You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are worried that he will want to live as they do ,and wonder if you should move.
Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they're not as careful as you are with money, but you may. Find that they cook and dig in the garden with their children just as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.
Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in a normal-size house, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn't walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he's still playing that video game.
Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence, but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.
A neighborhood should also provide you with a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn't, you might decide to move. Don't judge your neighborhood too harshly,though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them-like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners-and the way they throw money around-may make your son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don't have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.
Children want---should be provided with-explanations when their parents don't give them what they want. | 3313.txt | 2 |
[
"countering a flawed argument that dismisses a possible solution to a problem",
"reconciling contradictory points of view about the nature of a problem",
"identifying the strengths of possible solutions to a problem",
"discussing a problem and arguing in favor of one solution to it"
]
| The author of the passage is primarily concerned with | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 3 |
[
"the combustion of gasoline releases photochemically active hydrocarbons",
"the combustion of gasoline involves an intricate series of reactions",
"gasoline molecules have a simple molecular structure",
"gasoline is composed of small molecules."
]
| According to the passage, incomplete combustion is more likely to occur with gasoline than with an alternative fuel because | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 1 |
[
"Further attempts to reduce emissions from gasoline-fueled vehicles will not help lower urban air-pollution levels.",
"Attempts to reduce the pollutants that an individual gasoline-fueled vehicle emits have been largely unsuccessful.",
"Few serious attempts have been made to reduce the amount of pollutants emitted by gasoline-fueled vehicles.",
"Pollutants emitted by gasoline-fueled vehicles are not the most critical source of urban air pollution."
]
| The passage suggests which of the following about air pollution? | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 0 |
[
"Although a town reduces its public services in order to avoid a tax increase, the town's tax rate exceeds that of other towns in the surrounding area.",
"Although a state passes strict laws to limit the type of toxic material that can be disposed of in public landfills, illegal dumping continues to increase.",
"Although a town's citizens reduce their individual use of water, the town's water supplies continue to dwindle because of a steady increase in the total population of the town.",
"Although a country attempts to increase the sale of domestic goods by adding a tax to the price of imported goods, the sale of imported goods within the country continues to increase."
]
| Which of the following most closely parallels the situation described in the first sentence of the passage? | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 2 |
[
"It is substantially less expensive than ethanol.",
"It could be provided to consumers through the existing motor fuel distribution system.",
"It has a higher energy content than other alternative fuels.",
"Its use would substantially reduce ozone levels."
]
| The author describes which of the following as the most appealing feature of methanol? | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 3 |
[
"be somewhat lighter in total body weight than a conventional vehicle fueled with gasoline",
"be more expensive to operate than a conventional vehicle fueled with gasoline",
"have a larger and more powerful engine than a conventional vehicle fueled with gasoline",
"average more miles per gallon than a \"gasoline clone\" vehicle fueled with methanol"
]
| It can be inferred from the passage that a vehicle specifically designed to use methanol for fuel would | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 3 |
[
"flawed because of the assumptions on which it is based",
"inapplicable because of an inconsistency in the critics'arguments",
"misguided because of its exclusively technological focus",
"inaccurate because it ignores consumers'concerns"
]
| It can be inferred that the author of the passage most likely regards the criticism of methanol in the last paragraph as | Although, recent years have seen substantial reductions in noxious pollutants from individual motor vehicles, the number of such vehicles has been steadily increasing conse-quently, more than 100 cities in the United States still have levels of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and ozone (generated by photochemical, reactions with hydrocarbons from vehicle exhaust) that exceed legally established limits. There is a growing, realization that the only effective way to achieve, further reductions in vehicle emissions-short of a massive shift away from the private automobile-is to replace conventional diesel fuel and gasoline with cleaner burning fuels such as compressed natural gas,liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol, or methanol.
All of these alternatives are carbon- based fuels whose molecules are smaller and simpler than those of gasoline. These molecules burn more cleanly than gasoline, in part because they have fewer, if and, carbon-carbon bonds, and the hydrocarbons they do emit are less likely to generate ozone. The combustion of larger molecules, which have multiple carbon-carbon bonds, involves a more complex series of reactions. These reactions increase the probability of incomplete com-bustion and are more likely to release uncombusted and photochemically active hydrocarbon compounds into the atmos-phere. On the other hand, alternative fuels do have drawbacks. Compressed natural gas would require that vehicles have a set of heavy fuel tanks-a serious liability in terms of perfor-mance and fuel efficiency and liquefied petroleum gas faces fundamental limits on supply.
Ethanol and methanol, on the other hand, have important advantages over other carbon-based alternative fuels; they have a higher energy content per volume and would require minimal changes in the existing network for distributing motor fuel. Ethanol is commonly used as a gasoline supplement, but it is currently about twice as expensive as methanol, the low cost of which is one of its attractive features. Methanol's most attractive feature, however, is that it can reduce by about 90 percent the vehicle emissions that form ozone, the most serious urban air pollutant.
Like any alternative fuel, methanol has its critics, Yet much of the criticism is based on the use of "gasoline clone" vehicles that do not incorporate even the simplest design improvements that are made possible with the use of methanol. It is true, for example, that a given volume of methanol provides only about one-half of the energy that gasoline and diesel fuel do; other things being equal, the fuel tank would have to be somewhat larger and heavier. However, since methanol-fueled vehicles could be designed to be much more efficient than "gasoline clone" vehicles fueled with methanol, they would need comparatively less fuel. Vehicles incorporating only the simplest of the engine improvements that methanol makes feasible would still contribute to an immediate lessening of urban air pollution. | 1894.txt | 0 |
[
"the high cost of clothing",
"the stronger pound against the dollar",
"its expensive transportation",
"the high prices of fast food meals"
]
| London has become the second most expensive city because of _ . | If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he'd better offer you more money to do so-or even double that depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger is a steal at $4.80.
London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year's study-New York came in15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide. | 3446.txt | 1 |
[
"Tokyo.",
"Hong Kong.",
"Moscow.",
"Sydney."
]
| Which city is the third most expensive on the list? | If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he'd better offer you more money to do so-or even double that depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger is a steal at $4.80.
London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year's study-New York came in15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide. | 3446.txt | 0 |
[
"New York.",
"Los Angeles.",
"San Francisco.",
"Toronto."
]
| Which city has dropped most on the list in North America? | If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he'd better offer you more money to do so-or even double that depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34.4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4,000 a month; a CD $24.83, and an international newspaper $6.30, according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger is a steal at $4.80.
London takes the No.2 place, up from No.5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No.5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year's study-New York came in15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54, down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide. | 3446.txt | 3 |
[
"a family honor",
"a family secret",
"a family story",
"a family treasure"
]
| According to Jessica's mother, "a skeleton in the close" means _ . | "Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeletonin the closet?" Jessica asked. "A skeleton in the closet?" her mother paused thoughtfully. "Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet'. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it."
"Why pick on my family?" Jessica's father said with anger. "Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?" "Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners." "Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now," Jessica cut iin before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank in a faint, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked. "You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum," explained Jessica. "I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad." Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. "They're both crazy," she thought. | 2677.txt | 1 |
[
"They were brought to Australia as prisoners.",
"They were the earliest people living in Australia.",
"They were involved in some crimes in Australia.",
"They were not regarded as criminals in their days."
]
| What can we learn about some Australians' ancestors form Paragraph 2? | "Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeletonin the closet?" Jessica asked. "A skeleton in the closet?" her mother paused thoughtfully. "Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet'. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it."
"Why pick on my family?" Jessica's father said with anger. "Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?" "Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners." "Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now," Jessica cut iin before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank in a faint, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked. "You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum," explained Jessica. "I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad." Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. "They're both crazy," she thought. | 2677.txt | 0 |
[
"knocked",
"frightened",
"injured",
"surprised"
]
| Jessica's mother fell down into a faint because she was _ . | "Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeletonin the closet?" Jessica asked. "A skeleton in the closet?" her mother paused thoughtfully. "Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet'. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it."
"Why pick on my family?" Jessica's father said with anger. "Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?" "Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners." "Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now," Jessica cut iin before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank in a faint, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked. "You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum," explained Jessica. "I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad." Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. "They're both crazy," she thought. | 2677.txt | 1 |
[
"She was curious about it.",
"She planned to keep it for fun.",
"She needed it for her school task.",
"She intended to scare her parents."
]
| Why did Jessica bring a skeleton home? | "Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeletonin the closet?" Jessica asked. "A skeleton in the closet?" her mother paused thoughtfully. "Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet'. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it."
"Why pick on my family?" Jessica's father said with anger. "Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?" "Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners." "Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now," Jessica cut iin before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank in a faint, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked. "You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum," explained Jessica. "I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad." Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. "They're both crazy," she thought. | 2677.txt | 2 |
[
"they were crazy",
"they were over excited",
"they realized their misunderstanding",
"they both thought they had won the quarrel"
]
| Jessica's parents laughed madly at the end of the story probably because _ . | "Mum, what does it mean when someone tells you that they have a skeletonin the closet?" Jessica asked. "A skeleton in the closet?" her mother paused thoughtfully. "Well, it's something that you would rather not have anyone else know about. For example, if in the past, someone in Dad's family had been arrested for stealing a horse, it would be ‘a skeleton in his family's closet'. He really wouldn't want any neighbor to know about it."
"Why pick on my family?" Jessica's father said with anger. "Your family history isn't so good, you know. Wasn't your great-great-grandfather a prisoner who was transported to Australia for his crimes?" "Yes, but people these days say that you are not a real Australian unless your ancestors arrived as prisoners." "Gosh, sorry I asked. I think I understand now," Jessica cut iin before things grew worse.
After dinner, the house was very quiet. Jessica's parents were still quite angry with each other. Her mother was ironing clothes and every now and then she glared at her husband, who hid behind his newspaper pretending to read. When she finished, she gathered the freshly pressed clothes in her arms and walked to Jessica's closet. Just as she opened the door and reached in to hang a skirt, a bony arm stuck out from the dark depths and a bundle of white bones fell to the floor. Jessica's mother sank in a faint, waking only when Jessica put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead. She looked up to see the worried faces of her husband and daughter.
"What happened? Where am I?" she asked. "You just destroyed the school's skeleton, Mum," explained Jessica. "I brought it home to help me with my health project. I meant to tell you, but it seemed that as soon as I mentioned skeletons and closets, it caused a problem between you and Dad." Jessica looked in amazement as her parents began to laugh madly. "They're both crazy," she thought. | 2677.txt | 2 |
[
"They try to change it by facing it bravely.",
"They try to change it by teaching patients how to take good care of their teeth.",
"They try to change it by providing new services to help patients feel relaxed and at home.",
"They try to change it by relieving patients' pain with new pills."
]
| How do Dr. Berland and some other American dentists try to change the image of dentistry? | The countdown goes something like this: 3）IRS auditor, 2）ex-husband's new 20-year-old girlfriend, 1）dentist. The top three people we most hate to see.
" Let's face it," says Dr. Lorin Berland, a dentist in Dallas. " Dentistry can suck." A third of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, haven't even set foot in the dentist's office in the past year. Berland, along with an increasing number of dentists all over the country, is trying to change that. He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.
Spa dentistry, as it's called, means you can enjoy a hot paraffin-wax hand treatment while getting your teeth cleaned. Or you can slip on some virtual-reality glasses and watch your favorite movie. Or you might just lie back and let the scent of lavender and the sound of falling water quiet your anxiety, while a licensed massage therapist eases the crick in your neck. Most vacations aren't this good. In response to spa dentistry's growing popularity, the Chicago Dental Society will teach its first course on the practice at its annual midwinter meeting in February, expected to attract 35,000 industry professionals.
" Some people are born to cater to people, and others have to be taught," says Dr. Grace Sun, a dentist in Los Angeles who, without benefit of a lecture, offers massage, fruit smoothies and movies. In addition, she provides luxury hotel-style concierge services: while you're in the（vibrating, of course）chair, her staff makes dinner reservations, takes your cell-phone calls, baby-sits, dog-sits, orders in food or does just about anything else you ask.
Dr. Debra Gray King of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry calls her practice" the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry" and in fact sends her" dental concierges" to the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center for training in client relations. They're taught to squire each patient as he or she navigates the various rooms of the center's luxe 8,400-sq. -ft. Twelve Oaks-esque mansion. Once in the dentist's chair, King's patients can use the attached flat-panel monitor to watch TV, play a DVD or surf the Web. Can't see the screen? No worries, there's one wired to the ceiling too. Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage." The more relaxed the patient is," says King, " the easier our job."
Patients are responding. Martha Dickey, a magazine publisher in Atlanta, says a hot paraffin-wax treatment can" change your whole feeling about going to the dentist. You feel like you're there to get nurtured and pampered. It's fabulous. Every one of your senses is taken care of." If only the offices of the IRS were as pleasant. | 577.txt | 2 |
[
"A vacation.",
"Spa.",
"Massage.",
"Dental treatment."
]
| Which of the following is NOT a service provided by spa dentistry? | The countdown goes something like this: 3）IRS auditor, 2）ex-husband's new 20-year-old girlfriend, 1）dentist. The top three people we most hate to see.
" Let's face it," says Dr. Lorin Berland, a dentist in Dallas. " Dentistry can suck." A third of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, haven't even set foot in the dentist's office in the past year. Berland, along with an increasing number of dentists all over the country, is trying to change that. He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.
Spa dentistry, as it's called, means you can enjoy a hot paraffin-wax hand treatment while getting your teeth cleaned. Or you can slip on some virtual-reality glasses and watch your favorite movie. Or you might just lie back and let the scent of lavender and the sound of falling water quiet your anxiety, while a licensed massage therapist eases the crick in your neck. Most vacations aren't this good. In response to spa dentistry's growing popularity, the Chicago Dental Society will teach its first course on the practice at its annual midwinter meeting in February, expected to attract 35,000 industry professionals.
" Some people are born to cater to people, and others have to be taught," says Dr. Grace Sun, a dentist in Los Angeles who, without benefit of a lecture, offers massage, fruit smoothies and movies. In addition, she provides luxury hotel-style concierge services: while you're in the（vibrating, of course）chair, her staff makes dinner reservations, takes your cell-phone calls, baby-sits, dog-sits, orders in food or does just about anything else you ask.
Dr. Debra Gray King of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry calls her practice" the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry" and in fact sends her" dental concierges" to the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center for training in client relations. They're taught to squire each patient as he or she navigates the various rooms of the center's luxe 8,400-sq. -ft. Twelve Oaks-esque mansion. Once in the dentist's chair, King's patients can use the attached flat-panel monitor to watch TV, play a DVD or surf the Web. Can't see the screen? No worries, there's one wired to the ceiling too. Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage." The more relaxed the patient is," says King, " the easier our job."
Patients are responding. Martha Dickey, a magazine publisher in Atlanta, says a hot paraffin-wax treatment can" change your whole feeling about going to the dentist. You feel like you're there to get nurtured and pampered. It's fabulous. Every one of your senses is taken care of." If only the offices of the IRS were as pleasant. | 577.txt | 0 |
[
"to meet the requirements of somebody",
"to be somebody's liking",
"to take somebody seriously",
"to serve somebody well"
]
| The expression" cater to" （Line 1, Paragraph 4）most probably means _ . | The countdown goes something like this: 3）IRS auditor, 2）ex-husband's new 20-year-old girlfriend, 1）dentist. The top three people we most hate to see.
" Let's face it," says Dr. Lorin Berland, a dentist in Dallas. " Dentistry can suck." A third of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, haven't even set foot in the dentist's office in the past year. Berland, along with an increasing number of dentists all over the country, is trying to change that. He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.
Spa dentistry, as it's called, means you can enjoy a hot paraffin-wax hand treatment while getting your teeth cleaned. Or you can slip on some virtual-reality glasses and watch your favorite movie. Or you might just lie back and let the scent of lavender and the sound of falling water quiet your anxiety, while a licensed massage therapist eases the crick in your neck. Most vacations aren't this good. In response to spa dentistry's growing popularity, the Chicago Dental Society will teach its first course on the practice at its annual midwinter meeting in February, expected to attract 35,000 industry professionals.
" Some people are born to cater to people, and others have to be taught," says Dr. Grace Sun, a dentist in Los Angeles who, without benefit of a lecture, offers massage, fruit smoothies and movies. In addition, she provides luxury hotel-style concierge services: while you're in the（vibrating, of course）chair, her staff makes dinner reservations, takes your cell-phone calls, baby-sits, dog-sits, orders in food or does just about anything else you ask.
Dr. Debra Gray King of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry calls her practice" the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry" and in fact sends her" dental concierges" to the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center for training in client relations. They're taught to squire each patient as he or she navigates the various rooms of the center's luxe 8,400-sq. -ft. Twelve Oaks-esque mansion. Once in the dentist's chair, King's patients can use the attached flat-panel monitor to watch TV, play a DVD or surf the Web. Can't see the screen? No worries, there's one wired to the ceiling too. Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage." The more relaxed the patient is," says King, " the easier our job."
Patients are responding. Martha Dickey, a magazine publisher in Atlanta, says a hot paraffin-wax treatment can" change your whole feeling about going to the dentist. You feel like you're there to get nurtured and pampered. It's fabulous. Every one of your senses is taken care of." If only the offices of the IRS were as pleasant. | 577.txt | 3 |
[
"Because her\" dental concierges\" are trained at the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center.",
"Because her cosmetic dentistry center provides the kind of concierge services luxury hotels like Ritz-Carlton provide.",
"Because her dentistry center is located in a mansion as large as Ritz-Carlton.",
"Because her patients are also guests at Ritz-Carlton."
]
| Why does Dr. Debra Gray King call her practice" the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry" ? | The countdown goes something like this: 3）IRS auditor, 2）ex-husband's new 20-year-old girlfriend, 1）dentist. The top three people we most hate to see.
" Let's face it," says Dr. Lorin Berland, a dentist in Dallas. " Dentistry can suck." A third of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, haven't even set foot in the dentist's office in the past year. Berland, along with an increasing number of dentists all over the country, is trying to change that. He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.
Spa dentistry, as it's called, means you can enjoy a hot paraffin-wax hand treatment while getting your teeth cleaned. Or you can slip on some virtual-reality glasses and watch your favorite movie. Or you might just lie back and let the scent of lavender and the sound of falling water quiet your anxiety, while a licensed massage therapist eases the crick in your neck. Most vacations aren't this good. In response to spa dentistry's growing popularity, the Chicago Dental Society will teach its first course on the practice at its annual midwinter meeting in February, expected to attract 35,000 industry professionals.
" Some people are born to cater to people, and others have to be taught," says Dr. Grace Sun, a dentist in Los Angeles who, without benefit of a lecture, offers massage, fruit smoothies and movies. In addition, she provides luxury hotel-style concierge services: while you're in the（vibrating, of course）chair, her staff makes dinner reservations, takes your cell-phone calls, baby-sits, dog-sits, orders in food or does just about anything else you ask.
Dr. Debra Gray King of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry calls her practice" the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry" and in fact sends her" dental concierges" to the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center for training in client relations. They're taught to squire each patient as he or she navigates the various rooms of the center's luxe 8,400-sq. -ft. Twelve Oaks-esque mansion. Once in the dentist's chair, King's patients can use the attached flat-panel monitor to watch TV, play a DVD or surf the Web. Can't see the screen? No worries, there's one wired to the ceiling too. Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage." The more relaxed the patient is," says King, " the easier our job."
Patients are responding. Martha Dickey, a magazine publisher in Atlanta, says a hot paraffin-wax treatment can" change your whole feeling about going to the dentist. You feel like you're there to get nurtured and pampered. It's fabulous. Every one of your senses is taken care of." If only the offices of the IRS were as pleasant. | 577.txt | 1 |
[
"Dr. Grace Sun learned her new practice from the course offered by the Chicago Dental Society.",
"The author hopes that dentists' offices can be as comfortable as the offices of the IRS.",
"The patients like the new services provided by the dentists mentioned in the text very much.",
"Dental appointments are often associated with relaxation."
]
| Which of the following is TRUE according to the text? | The countdown goes something like this: 3）IRS auditor, 2）ex-husband's new 20-year-old girlfriend, 1）dentist. The top three people we most hate to see.
" Let's face it," says Dr. Lorin Berland, a dentist in Dallas. " Dentistry can suck." A third of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, haven't even set foot in the dentist's office in the past year. Berland, along with an increasing number of dentists all over the country, is trying to change that. He wants dental appointments to be less about pain and drilling and more about relaxation, foot massage and soothing aromatherapy.
Spa dentistry, as it's called, means you can enjoy a hot paraffin-wax hand treatment while getting your teeth cleaned. Or you can slip on some virtual-reality glasses and watch your favorite movie. Or you might just lie back and let the scent of lavender and the sound of falling water quiet your anxiety, while a licensed massage therapist eases the crick in your neck. Most vacations aren't this good. In response to spa dentistry's growing popularity, the Chicago Dental Society will teach its first course on the practice at its annual midwinter meeting in February, expected to attract 35,000 industry professionals.
" Some people are born to cater to people, and others have to be taught," says Dr. Grace Sun, a dentist in Los Angeles who, without benefit of a lecture, offers massage, fruit smoothies and movies. In addition, she provides luxury hotel-style concierge services: while you're in the（vibrating, of course）chair, her staff makes dinner reservations, takes your cell-phone calls, baby-sits, dog-sits, orders in food or does just about anything else you ask.
Dr. Debra Gray King of the Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry calls her practice" the Ritz-Carlton of dentistry" and in fact sends her" dental concierges" to the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center for training in client relations. They're taught to squire each patient as he or she navigates the various rooms of the center's luxe 8,400-sq. -ft. Twelve Oaks-esque mansion. Once in the dentist's chair, King's patients can use the attached flat-panel monitor to watch TV, play a DVD or surf the Web. Can't see the screen? No worries, there's one wired to the ceiling too. Noise-reduction headphones block the screech of the drill and play a CD of your choice, and the specially constructed dental chair channels the sound waves from the music into a full-body massage." The more relaxed the patient is," says King, " the easier our job."
Patients are responding. Martha Dickey, a magazine publisher in Atlanta, says a hot paraffin-wax treatment can" change your whole feeling about going to the dentist. You feel like you're there to get nurtured and pampered. It's fabulous. Every one of your senses is taken care of." If only the offices of the IRS were as pleasant. | 577.txt | 2 |
[
"is not as coherent as his treatment of Till We Have Faces",
"would have been more appropriate in a separate treatise because of the scope of Pilgrim's Regress",
"demonstrates how Wilson's narrow focus ignores the general themes of Lewis' works",
"was more extensive than warranted because of the relative unimportance of Pilgrim's Regress"
]
| The author of the passage implies that Wilson's examination of Pilgrim's Regress | The sweep of narrative in A. N. Wilson's biography of C. S.Lewis is impressive and there is much that is acute and well argued. But much in this work is careless and unworthy of its author. Wilson, a novelist and an accomplished biographer, has failed to do what any writer on such a subject as Lewis ought to do, namely work out a coherent view of how the various literary works by the subject are to be described and commented on. Decisions have to be made on what to look at in detail and what to pass by with just a mention. Wilson has not thought this problem out. For instance,Till We Have Faces, Lewis' treatment of the Eros and Psyche story and one of his best-executed and most moving works, is merely mentioned by Wilson, though it illuminates Lewis' spiritual development, whereas Lewis' minor work Pilgrim's Regress is looked at in considerable detail. | 1897.txt | 3 |
[
"It is an improvement over the Eros and Psyche story on which it is based.",
"It illustrated Lewis' attempt to involve his readers emotionally in the story of Eros and Psyche.",
"It was more highly regarded by Wilson than by Lewis himself.",
"It is one of the outstanding literary achievements of Lewis' career."
]
| The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which of the following statements regarding Till We Have Faces? | The sweep of narrative in A. N. Wilson's biography of C. S.Lewis is impressive and there is much that is acute and well argued. But much in this work is careless and unworthy of its author. Wilson, a novelist and an accomplished biographer, has failed to do what any writer on such a subject as Lewis ought to do, namely work out a coherent view of how the various literary works by the subject are to be described and commented on. Decisions have to be made on what to look at in detail and what to pass by with just a mention. Wilson has not thought this problem out. For instance,Till We Have Faces, Lewis' treatment of the Eros and Psyche story and one of his best-executed and most moving works, is merely mentioned by Wilson, though it illuminates Lewis' spiritual development, whereas Lewis' minor work Pilgrim's Regress is looked at in considerable detail. | 1897.txt | 3 |
[
"An evaluation is made, and aspects of the evaluation are expanded on with supporting evidence.",
"A theory is proposed, and supporting examples are provided.",
"A position is examined, analyzed, and rejected.",
"A contradiction is described, then the points of contention are evaluated and reconciled."
]
| Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage? | The sweep of narrative in A. N. Wilson's biography of C. S.Lewis is impressive and there is much that is acute and well argued. But much in this work is careless and unworthy of its author. Wilson, a novelist and an accomplished biographer, has failed to do what any writer on such a subject as Lewis ought to do, namely work out a coherent view of how the various literary works by the subject are to be described and commented on. Decisions have to be made on what to look at in detail and what to pass by with just a mention. Wilson has not thought this problem out. For instance,Till We Have Faces, Lewis' treatment of the Eros and Psyche story and one of his best-executed and most moving works, is merely mentioned by Wilson, though it illuminates Lewis' spiritual development, whereas Lewis' minor work Pilgrim's Regress is looked at in considerable detail. | 1897.txt | 2 |
[
"will be more popular than TV",
"will be popular again",
"started in Wales",
"are in the hands of some old people"
]
| Ambrose believes that the art of storytelling _ . | CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition of storytelling.
"It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again," said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival in Wales.
"Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time," he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
"It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here." Ambrose said. | 2928.txt | 1 |
[
"about their life as early as thousands of years ago",
"why they tell the stories in a throat-singing way",
"how cold it has been where the Inuit live",
"how difficult it is to understand the Inuit"
]
| From the tales told by the Inuit, people can learn _ . | CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition of storytelling.
"It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again," said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival in Wales.
"Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time," he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
"It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here." Ambrose said. | 2928.txt | 0 |
[
"Storytelling once stopped in Wales.",
"Storytelling has a long history in Wales.",
"Storytelling is always well received in Wales.",
"Storytelling did not come back until 1993 in Wales."
]
| According to the writer, which of the following is NOT true? | CARDIFF, Wales Poets, singers and musicians from across the globe gathered in Wales to celebrate the tradition of storytelling.
"It might seem strange that people still want to listen in age of watching television, but this is an unusual art form whose time has come again," said David Ambrose, director of Beyond the Border, an international storytelling festival in Wales.
"Some of the tales, like those the Inuit from Canada, are thousands years old. So our storytellers have come from distant lands to connect us with the distance of time," he said early this month.
Two Inuit women, both in their mid 60s, are among the few remaining who can do Kntadjait, or throat singing, which has few words and much sound. Their art is governed by the cold of their surroundings, forcing them to say little but listen attentively.
Ambrose started the festival in 1993, after several years of working with those reviving (coming back into use or existence) storytelling in Wales.
"It came out of a group of people who wanted to reconnect with traditions. and as all the Welsh are storytellers, it was in good hands here." Ambrose said. | 2928.txt | 3 |
[
"Americans are better prepared for death than other people.",
"Americans enjoy a higher life quality than ever before.",
"Americans are over-confident of their medical technology.",
"Americans take a vain pride in their long life expectancy."
]
| What is implied in the first sentence? | It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death
-- and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians -- frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient -- too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age -- say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way," so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general
C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives. | 3379.txt | 2 |
[
"medical resources are often wasted",
"doctors are helpless against fatal diseases",
"some treatments are too aggressive",
"medical costs are becoming unaffordable"
]
| The author uses the example of cancer patients to show that . | It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death
-- and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians -- frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient -- too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age -- say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way," so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general
C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives. | 3379.txt | 0 |
[
"strong disapproval",
"reserved consent",
"slight contempt",
"enthusiastic support"
]
| The author's attitude toward Richard Lamm's remark is one of . | It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death
-- and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians -- frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient -- too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age -- say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way," so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general
C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives. | 3379.txt | 1 |
[
"more flexibly",
"more extravagantly",
"more cautiously",
"more reasonably"
]
| In contrast to the U.S., Japan and Sweden are funding their medical care . | It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death
-- and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians -- frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient -- too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age -- say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way," so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general
C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives. | 3379.txt | 3 |
[
"medicine will further prolong people's lives",
"life beyond a certain limit is not worth living",
"death should be accepted as a fact of life",
"excessive demands increase the cost of health care"
]
| The text intends to express the idea that . | It is said that in England death is pressing, in Canada inevitable and in California optional. Small wonder. Americans' life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past century. Failing hips can be replaced, clinical depression controlled, cataracts removed in a 30-minute surgical procedure. Such advances offer the aging population a quality of life that was unimaginable when I entered medicine 50 years ago. But not even a great health-care system can cure death
-- and our failure to confront that reality now threatens this greatness of ours.
Death is normal; we are genetically programmed to disintegrate and perish, even under ideal conditions. We all understand that at some level, yet as medical consumers we treat death as a problem to be solved. Shielded by third-party payers from the cost of our care, we demand everything that can possibly be done for us, even if it's useless. The most obvious example is late-stage cancer care. Physicians -- frustrated by their inability to cure the disease and fearing loss of hope in the patient -- too often offer aggressive treatment far beyond what is scientifically justified.
In 1950, the U.S. spent $12.7 billion on health care. In 2002, the cost will be $1,540 billion. Anyone can see this trend is unsustainable. Yet few seem willing to try to reverse it. Some scholars conclude that a government with finite resources should simply stop paying for medical care that sustains life beyond a certain age -- say 83 or so. Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm has been quoted as saying that the old and infirm "have a duty to die and get out of the way," so that younger, healthier people can realize their potential.
I would not go that far. Energetic people now routinely work through their 60s and beyond, and remain dazzlingly productive. At 78, Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone jokingly claims to be 53. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is in her 70s, and former surgeon general
C. Everett Koop chairs an Internet start-up in his 80s. These leaders are living proof that prevention works and that we can manage the health problems that come naturally with age. As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age as productively as they have.
Yet there are limits to what a society can spend in this pursuit. As a physician, I know the most costly and dramatic measures may be ineffective and painful. I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives. | 3379.txt | 2 |
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