Problem: Dennis Sinar, 51, a doctor from New York, is quick to explain why he took a year-long break from his job. "I was pretty burned out after practicing medicine for 26 years. I needed a recharge." So he took a "gap year", from July 2011 to June 2012, to explore things like ancient buildings, and traditional Eastern medicine, in locations including Alaska, Nepal and Romania.

"Taking a break from work is an excellent way for adults to go into a new career or refresh an old one," said Holly Bull, president of Princeton, N, J. "In recent years, mid-career breaks have been gaining more interest," she said. A report on adult gap years published this year by a market research company also described the potential American market for gap years as a "sleeping giant."

"A gap year is a challenge for the older individual to step out of a comfort zone and take a risk. I enjoyed that side most." said Dr. Sinar, who kept a daily blog about his experience. His time studying Eastern medicine "assured the reasons I went into health care," said Dr. Sinar, who returned to practice medicine at his old job, although he works fewer days. "I use those experiences to provide my patients with more care," he added. "And I listen better than I did before."

George Garritan, chairman of the Department of Leadership and Human Capital Management at New York University, certainly agrees with Dr. Sinar. He said a gap-year experience could be worthwhile for employees and companies. For employees, investing in themselves and improving skill sets is a move that will benefit throughout their career. He added that returning employees feel refreshed and have given more thought to their career. For companies, offering unpaid leaves makes good sense for attracting and keeping talented employees.
1. Where is Dennis Senar from?
Answer: 1. New York

Problem: Golf in the USA was until quite recently the hobby of old,middle class white men.Not any more.The fact that the class,age and race barriers that existed in the sport have finally been broken down is due almost entirely to two people.Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie.

Tiger Woods was born in California in 1975 and is one of the greatest golfers of all time.His ethnic background is marvelously rich and varied.His father Earl was of mixed of black,Chinese and Native American ancestry and his mother Kultida,who was originally from Thailand,also had Chinese and Dutch forefathers.

Woods became a professional golfer in 1996 and,less than a year later,astonished the world easily winning the prestigious Masters Colf Tournament,an annual event which takes place at the Augusta Golf Club in Georgia,USA.At 21,he was the youngest golfer ever to win the tournament,but much more important,he was also the first Asian American to do it.

Woods'amazing achievement is put into perspective when you realize that until 1990,no non-white American had ever been allowed to join Augusta Golf Club.Even in 2000,it only had two black members.In fact,in 1977,Clifford Roberts,the chairman of the club and founder of the Masters Tournament,proclaimed:"As long as 1 am alive,golfers will be white and caddies

will be black."Roberts died not long after making this racist remark...

Fortunately,his views were not shared by his successors and the dramatic appearance of Tiger Woods on the Golf scene radically changed attitudes to the sport and prompted a major surge of interest in the game among ethnic minorities end young people in the USA.

Michelle Wie,a Korean American born in 1989 whose mother was an amateur golf champion in Korea,will probably became the greatest woman golfer of all time.She's 1.85 meters tall and she can play a golf ball further than most men.Like Woods,she has transformed the world of golf,and wants to do so in even more dramatic ways.She has expressed her determination to play on the men's tournament circuit,not just the women's,and has already appeared in several professional men's tournaments.

Thanks to Woods and Wie,golf in America will never be the same again.
1. In what year was Tiger Woods born?
2. In what state?
3. What sport does he play?
4. Is he mixed race?
5. What racial background does his father have?
6. And his mother?
7. From what country is she?
8. What is her name?
9. In what year did Woods start his career in golfing?
10. Did he win a big award within a year of that?
11. Where does it take place?
12. How old was Woods at this time?
13. Was he the first Asian American to win it?
14. Who was chairman of the Augusta Golf Club?
15. What tournament did he establish?
16. In what year was Michelle Wie born?
17. What nationality is she?
18. Was her mother involved in golfing?
Answer: 1. 1975
2. California
3. Golf
4. ethnic background is marvelously rich and varied
5. black,Chinese and Native American
6. Chinese and Dutch
7. Thailand
8. Kultida
9. 1996
10. Masters Colf Tournament
11. Augusta Golf Club in Georgia
12. 21
13. yes
14. Clifford Roberts
15. Masters Tournament
16. 1989
17. 1989
18. Korean American

Problem: Classical music is art music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music, including both liturgical (religious) and secular music. While a similar term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820 (the Classical period), this article is about the broad span of time from roughly the 11th century to the present day, which includes the Classical period and various other periods. The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period. The major time divisions of classical music are as follows: the early music period, which includes the Medieval (5001400) and the Renaissance (14001600) eras; the Common practice period, which includes the Baroque (16001750), Classical (17501820), and Romantic eras (18041910); and the 20th century (19012000) which includes the modern (18901930) that overlaps from the late 19th-century, the high modern (mid 20th-century), and contemporary or postmodern (19752015) eras.[citation needed]
1. Which years are dubbed the common practice period?
2. Which period preceded it?
3. Which years did it encompass?
4. How many total time divisions are there for classical music?
5. Where is classical music rooted?
6. Is all classical music separated from religion?
7. What is the term given to religious music?
8. How many subdivisions are included within the Common Practice period?
9. What are they?
10. Which years were the earliest classical music developed?
11. What was this time period called?
12. In which time division are we currently in?
Answer:
1. 16001910)
2. Renaissance
3. 14001600
4. Nine
5. The traditions of Western music.
6. No
7. Liturgical
8. Three
9. The Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras
10. 11th century
11. Medieval
12. unknown