Article: On October 19, 1959, the first Special English program was broadcast on the Voice of America. It was an experiment. The goal was to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language is not English. Experts said the goal was admirable, but the method would not work. They were proved wrong. The Special English programs quickly became some of the most popular on VOA. And they still are. Forty years later, Special English continues to communicate with people who are not fluent in English. But during the years its role has expanded. It also helps people learn American English. And it provides listeners, even those who are native English speakers, with information they cannot find elsewhere. Today, Special English broadcasts around the world seven days a week, five times a day. Each half-hour broadcast begins with ten minutes of the latest news followed by 20 minutes of feature programming. There is a different short feature every weekday about science, development, agriculture and environment, and on the weekend, about news events and American idioms. Three elements make Special English unique. It has a limited vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science. Special English is written in short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. No idioms are used. And Special English is spoken at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of Standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are English speakers understand complex subjects. Through the years, Special English has become a very popular tool for teaching English, even though it was not designed as teaching program. It succeeds in helping people learn English in a non-traditional way. Individuals record the programs and play them over and over to practice their listening skills. In countries around the world, English... Question: What kind of English is spoken on Special English? Yes or no, is the answer "American English."?
No

Article: There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons , sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which fell on Nov 28,2014, "has become in recent decades a special American holiday", said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation. But why does the shopping festival have such a name? The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day "Black Friday", said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the "red" - that is, debt - and into the "black", or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight. People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, "for it isn't just about the bargains", noted CNN. "For many shoppers, it's just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year's Eve." Question: According to The Huffington Post, the name of "Black Friday" may be first used _ . Yes or no, is the answer "by the police to show their displeasure toward heavy traffic caused by shopping crowds"?
Yes

Q: Article: The word "death" is a word many Chinese friends tell me I should not say aloud. They advise me to avoid the word because only speaking of it may bring ill fortune. I deeply believe, however, that to know how to live, we must also know how to die. The problem is how we talk about death. Like everyone in Taiwan this week, I have had "Tomb Sweeping Day". I am proud to be part of a people whose culture sends millions of families to cemeteries on this special day to share memories and endless love. Today, eight days after the death of Pope John Paul II, millions of people of all backgrounds still grieve his passing away. He was a deeply human person who knew how to laugh and show emotions, a writer with a gift for words a leader who appealed to us by the sheer light of his love for life. On the same day and only hours before the Holy Father left us, a friend of mine named Veronica McBride died of cancer in a small Wisconsin city. My friend Veronica was 52 years old. She was an attractive, humorous young woman who, as the saying goes, "never married". She published several humor books with her mother, Mary McBride. She enjoyed traveling, and for years sent Christmas card photos of herself standing beside monuments or odd animals. She fought cancer for five years. She joked about her treatment keeping her pretty because it kept her thin, and told me she didn't mind losing her hair because of . "I get to wear nice wigs!" The last time I saw Veronica was when I visited her family on a sunny day in August in 2003. When she burst into the front door later and saw me in the living room, she ignored me completely in her hurry to hug her newest baby nephew, leaving me shaking my head in laughter at her. As we look to the significance of the Holy Father and his life, surely we must also keep our eyes open to see the wonder and goodness in ordinary people who show us how to live and how to die. Question: From the phrase "burst into", we can see that Veronica is _ . Yes or no, is the answer "energetic"?
A: Yes

(Q).
Article: New picture The National Gallery now has a fine _ by the 18th century Dutch painter Jan van Os.This large picture (89.1 cm x 71cm) of flowers and fruit is painted in light bright colours on wood.It is one of the first pictures of this type in the Gallery.The picture is signed and dated 1777 and 1778.It is not unusual for a picture to be dated two years: the artist waited for particular flowers to come out in their different seasons in order to paint them.This picture was given to the Gallery by Miss Violet Churchman in memory of her sister Ida Nancy. It is now on show in Room 25. Special exhibition The exhibition "Painting in Spain During the Late 18th Century" opened in the Sunley Room on 15 March.Recently the Gallery has bought works by three Spanish painters of this period--Paret, Melendez and Francisco Bayeu, who are the focus of the exhibition.These three artists are also joined by Francisco's brother Ramon, by Antonio Gonzalez and two Italians who worked in Spain during these years--Corrado Giaquinto and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.The exhibition runs until 31 May. Lecture news Lectures will be given along with the special exhibition every Wednesday.On 8 April, Lizzie Barker will discuss the work of Melendez, while on 15 April, Sarah Symmons will lecture on Luis Patter.On 22 and 29 April, Juliet Wilson will talk about Francisco Bayeu.On 25 April, a Saturday, Erika Langmuir will explain how artists often "tell a story" through their pictures. Question: Which speaker will lecture on a general topic rather than on particular artists? Yes or no, is the answer "Erika Langmuir."?
(A).
No