Article: It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather.Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr.Johnson's famous comment that"When two English meet,their first talk is of weather."Though Johnson's observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago,most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weatherspeak. Bill Bryson,for example,concludes that,as the English weather is not at all exciting,the _ with it can hardly be understood.He argues that"To an outsider,the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it." Simply,the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles. Jeremy Paxman,however,disagrees with Bryson,arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive.Bryson is wrong,he says,because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena."The interest is less in the phenomena themselves,but in uncertainty."According to him,the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider. Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weatherspeak among the English.Both commentators,somehow,are missing the point.The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all.English weatherspeak is a system of signs,which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other.Everyone knows conversations starting with weatherspeak are not requests for weather data.Rather,they are routine greetings,conversation starters or the blank "fillers".In other words,English weatherspeak is a means of social bonding. Question: What is the author's main purpose of writing the passage? Yes or no, is the answer "To explain what English weatherspeak is about."?
Yes
------
Article: Even though Brisbane is all about sun and surfing during the summer, spring time still brings a nice change to the place. That entire region is known as the gold coast, and it extends miles and miles of beaches with some of the best surfing condition in the world. In fact, you would be more pressed for time if you are just visiting, because there is so much for the nature _ to see. They can see the wild animals and quiet and beautiful environment, and there are many interesting activities for them to do. If you are going there to relax then it's probably safe to say that you want your hotel with a quiet and relaxing environment. You may even want to stay at a place like Urban Hotels located in Brisbane. You have everything you need right there in the hotel. A trip to Brisbane should not be spent indoors, especially during spring time when you have all of that natural beauty that surrounds you. The Botanical Gardens is a must to see during spring because plants have come to life from the cold weather and you get to see more flowers after a boring and cold winter. There are plenty of sports sites for you to visit, where you can do some climbing, boating and cycling. You can enjoy the fresh spring air and get some exercise at the same time. If you are in the mood for a bit of culture, then you can visit some of the galleries and museums located throughout the city. You can even go on a cruise up the river. It's not quite the right time for surfing in spring, but surfing is still good in some places if you are brave enough to hit the water. Question: The writer advises you to visit the galleries and museums _ . Yes or no, is the answer "if you are interested in art and culture"?
Yes
------
Article: A new Canada Prize for the Arts and Creativity could be in place by 2010,with large cash prizes for emerging artists in dance,music,theatre and visual arts. The prize is the idea of Tony Gagliano and David Pecaut,founders of the Luminato festival,wh0 were probably able to convince the federal government to back it.The federal budget has allocated$.25 million to support the awards open to emerging artists that have the prestige of a Nobel Prize. "When you think about the major prizes of the world--the Nobel Prize.in Sweden,the Kyoto prizes in Japan or the Booker Prize in the U.K.the bring great,honor and opportunity to the countries that award them,'' Pecaut said."The.idea here is that every year,the Canada prizes will be awarded to the very.best promising emerging artists around the world in those four fields." A jury of international experts would judge the 12 finalists,who would come to Canada and perform or show their work in public to win.the Canada prizes.The performances would be televised,allowing Canadians across the country.to see it. The federal government liked the idea of such an international prize that would advance Canada's brand,draw tourists and arts professionals from around the world.For the Canadian arts people.one of the greatest challenges is connecting to that international arts world to come up with CO--productions and foreign investment and touring chances. A group is working toward establishing the prize by 2010,with potential for semi-final rounds to take place:about the same time as the Vancouver Olympic Games."Thirty or forty years from now,the future outstanding dancers and performers will look back and say.'I broke out on the world scene in Toronto--that's where 1 was discovered'" Question: Why did David Pecaut have the idea of founding a new Ganada Prize? Yes or no, is the answer "To advance Canada's honor and opportunities."?
No
------
Article: Even with the multimedia excitement of the web. Electronic Mail, email, is the most frequently used application of the Internet. Many people who have a chance to use the Internet at school, home, and work. They use the Internet for no other purposes than to send or receive emails. It's all very easy. You prepare the message, log onto the Internet, and send it. The message first goes to your Internet Service Provider's mail server, which in turn sends it to the recipient's mail server. On the way your message may go through several servers, each reading the name in order to send it to the right server. The message then remains in the recipient's mail email server until he requests it by "checking his mail". The benefits of emails are obvious: mostly it's quick. Also, many people feel that the rules for regular mails don't apply to email, making it less formal, which in turn make email easier to write and send. It's not just friends and coworkers that are receiving emails. Wherever you look, the Web is providing email addresses. This has made communication between strangers easier than ever. You can read an interesting article online and immediately send the author an email. Anyone who posts his email address on a Web page is saying he wants to receive email. There are places you can go if you don't know someone's email address. Check out Bigfoot, the Internet Address Finder, or Netscape's Email Directories for more information. Email is one of the services offered by your Internet Service Provider--a service that you're applying for every month. Question: If you don't know someone's email address, _ . Yes or no, is the answer "check on Netscape's Email Directories"?
Yes
------