question: James is going to the baseball field with his friend Tommy.

James has to practice because baseball season starts in a week.

He wants to be a good player when the season starts.

James has been lazy in practicing so he is not very good at baseball right now.

He has to make up for it by playing baseball for 5 hours every day for a week.

James thinks this is enough practice for him to catch up and be a good player when the season starts.

So James and Tommy practice every day. They throw the ball around. They practice batting and they practice fielding.

Tommy begins to see that James is getting better every day. He says "I do not believe it, James, but I think you are going to be pretty good when the season starts!"

Usually a week is not enough time to get pretty good at baseball but James is practicing so much he is fitting a month of practice into one week.

Then James has a setback. His glove rips during practice. He can't keep playing with a broken glove!

So Tommy and James go around town collecting bottles to trade in for five cents for each bottle.

James misses a day of practicing but they find enough bottles to turn in for thirty dollars.

This is enough money for James to buy a new glove!

So James buys a new glove and he and Tommy go back to the field and practice some more.

By the time the season comes James is one of the best players on his team.
1. Where was James going?
2. Who with?
3. Why were they going their?
4. When did their season start?
5. Is james a good player?
6. Does he want to be?
7. What is he going to do to improve?
8. What do they do to practice?
9. Does this help james get better?
10. Does Tommy notice?
11. Does he tell him so?
12. Did he have any set backs?
13. What was it?
14. Did they do anything to fix this?
15. What was it?
16. How much did they make collecting them?
17. Was it enough money for a new glove?
18. What did they do after they bought the new glove?
****
answer: 1. the baseball field
2. his friend Tommy.
3. to practice baseball
4. in a week
5. No
6. Yes
7. practicing 5 hours a day for a week
8. They throw the ball around. They practice batting and they practice fielding
9. Yes
10. Yes
11. Yes
12. Yes
13. a broken glove
14. Yes
15. To collect bottle caps?
16. thirty dollars
17. Yes
18. Practiced more

question: I'm a Chinese student studying in Canada. I have been a boarder with the Carsons for more than a year and a half. The Carsons live in their own house, which has four bedrooms including the one in the basement which I live in. Judy does all the work in the house and Andrew is responsible for the work in the garden. When they go out in they evening, they often ask me to look after their children. Judy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morris, lived in another city. Judy was their only child and naturally they doted on Judy's children. They often sent the children presents. Last April Mr. Morris died. Now that Mrs. Morris was quite alone, I expected that Judy would want her to come and live with them. One day, Margaret, Judy's daughter, told me grandma was coming to live with them and her daddy and mummy would want my room back. The news didn't surprise me and the next day I went to Judy and asked her about it. I said I couldn't think of living in their basement room any longer if it was needed for Mrs. Morris. Judy seemed surprised at first. Then she told me there was no deed for me to move, for they hadn't yet come to any decision about her mother coming to live with them. "Naturally I'm worried about my mother. She has been in poor health." She smiled sadly and added. "To be honest, Andrew and my mother have never got on well. We'll wait a bit and see what happens. Perhaps Mohter will be all right living herself, or perhaps they will both change their minds." That was six months ago. During this time I've heard that Mrs. Morris has had two illnesses and that her health has got worse. A nursing home was mentioned once but Mrs. Morris refused to go there. So up to now she's still living alone and I'm still living in the basement room.
1. Where is the student from?
2. where do they study?
3. who do they live with?
4. is the student living in the attic
5. where is their bedroom?
6. how many other bedrooms are there?
7. Whoi works in the garden?
8. Do the Carsons share the housework?
9. who does it?
10. who are Mr & Mrs Morris?
11. are they living near by?
12. Did Judy have lots of brothers and sisters?
13. What month did Mr Morris die?
14. Who is Margaret?
15. What did she say her parents would want?
16. Did Judy say the student would have to move soon?
17. was Mrs Morris healthy?
18. Do Andrew and Mrs. Morris get on?
19. how long ago was that conversation?
20. How many illnesses have there been?
****
answer: 1. China
2. Canada
3. the Carsons
4. No
5. The basement
6. Three
7. Andrew
8. No
9. Judy
10. Judy's parents
11. unknown
12. No
13. April
14. Judy's daughter
15. Her room back.
16. No
17. No
18. No
19. Six months
20. Two

question: A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software: ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help improve software or fix software bugs still present in the software.

Usage of the "alpha/beta" test terminology originated at IBM. As long ago as the 1950s (and probably earlier), IBM used similar terminology for their hardware development. "A" test was the verification of a new product before public announcement. "B" test was the verification before releasing the product to be manufactured. "C" test was the final test before general availability of the product. As software became a significant part of IBM's offerings, the alpha test terminology was used to denote the pre-announcement test and beta test was used to show product readiness for general availability. Martin Belsky, a manager on some of IBM's earlier software projects claimed to have invented the terminology. IBM dropped the alpha/beta terminology during the 1960s, but by then it had received fairly wide notice. The usage of "beta test" to refer to testing done by customers was not done in IBM. Rather, IBM used the term "field test".
1. which company came up with alpha/beta terms?
2. recently?
3. did they use different terms for their hardware?
4. were A test products ready for sale?
5. What term describes differen parts of program development?
6. what are some of the milestones?
7. how ready was an alpha product at IBM?
8. and beta?
9. why would updates be given to software after release?
10. is that part of it's life cycle?
****
answer:
1. IBM
2. No
3. No
4. No
5. A software release life cycle
6. initial development to eventual release
7. pre-announcement
8. general availability.
9. to help improve software
10. Yes