Article: Childhood was an illusion and the illusion was this: everything was bigger. No, I mean everything, not just houses and shops and grown-ups, but colors and flowers and journeys, especially journeys which seemed endless. "Are we there yet, Daddy?" Funfairs were huge things that spread for miles around you with noise and lights and exciting danger. Rainy days at home when you were ill seemed to last for ever. Being a grown-up yourself was an unthinkable distant possibility. Every sound was louder, every game was grander, every pain unbearable. As I've grown old, life has become smaller. Tastes have dulled. Surprises have turned into shocks. Days go by unnoticed. How can I regain childhood when it was an illusion? I have only one repeatable and wonderful way and even in this way I can regain only part of that larger world. I can play upon the stage like a child and make the crowd laugh and laugh with them, sometimes helplessly like a child, and then, even though I'm a sixty-one-year-old man, I can almost catch the colors and sounds and stillness of those bigger years when I was little. Question: The world seems to have become smaller to the author because _ . Yes or no, is the answer "life is disappointing"?
No

Article: In business, there's a speed difference: It's the difference between how important a firm's leaders say speed is to their competitive strategy and how fast the company actually moves.The difference is important regardless of industry and company size. Companies fearful of losing their competitive advantage spend much time and money looking for ways to pick up the speed. In our study of 343 businesses, the companies that chose to go, go, go to try to _ ended up with lower sales and operating incomes than those that paused at key moments to make sure they were on the right track.What's more, the firms that "slowed down to speed up" improved their top and bottom lines, averaging 40% higher sales and 52% higher operating incomes over a three-year period. How did they disobey the laws of business physics, taking more time than competitors yet performing better? They thought differently about what "slower" and "faster" mean.Firms sometimes fail to understand the difference between operational speed (moving quickly) and strategic speed (reducing the time it takes to deliver value).Simply increasing the speed of production, for example, may be one way to try to reduce the speed difference.But that often leads to reduced value over time, in the form of lower-quality products and services. In our study, higher-performing companies with strategic speed always made changes when necessary. They became more open to ideas and discussion.They encouraged new ways of thinking.And they allowed time to look back and learn.By contrast , performance suffered at firms that moved fast all the time, paid too much attention to improving efficiency, stuck to tested methods, didn't develop team spirit among their employees, and had little time thinking about changes. Strategic speed serves as a kind of leadership.Teams that regularly take time to get things right, rather than plough ahead full bore, are more successful in meeting their business goals.That kind of strategy must come from the top. Question: What can we learn from the text? Yes or no, is the answer "Firms guided by strategic speed take time to make necessary changes."?
No

Q: Article: In its latest step to attract Chinese smartphone users, e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. said it is planning to launch a mobile gaming service soon. Alibaba is considering integrating its new mobile gaming service into its messaging app, Laiwang, as well as its Mobile Taobao app for online shopping, a person familiar with the matter said. It is also planning to launch the gaming service as a standalone app, the person said. In the world of gaming and other mobile-based services, Alibaba faces powerful competitor Tencent Holdings Ltd., a giant in online gaming and social networking services. Many analysts view Tencent as a leader in mobile-based businesses in China because of its popular WeChat instant-messaging app, which has over 272 million monthly active users worldwide according to the company. Tencent could use WeChat's massive user base to offer additional mobile services such as gaming or e-commerce, analysts say. Alibaba's push into mobile-based services hasn't always been smooth. It launched Laiwang more than a year ago, but the app, which competes against WeChat, struggled to gain popularity. In September, a person familiar with the situation said Alibaba was in talks with China Telecom Corp., to have the app preinstalled in smartphones sold by the country's third-largest mobile carrier. According to Alibaba, Laiwang had more than 10 million registered users as of November. Alibaba dominates China's e-commerce market with its Taobao and Tmall shopping sites, but one of the biggest challenges it faces is how to hold onto its vast user base when more Chinese Internet users access online services from smartphones. To meet this challenge, Alibaba has made several acquisitions to strengthen its mobile-based services. Last year, it took an 18% stake in Sina Corp.'s Twitter-like Weibo service and integrated some of Taobao's e-commerce services with the microblog. It also bought a 28% stake in mobile mapping firm AutoNavi Holdings Ltd., a move that could enable Alibaba to send... Question: Why does Alibaba plan to launch a mobile gaming services? _ Yes or no, is the answer "Alibaba wants to take more shares in the market of mobile-based services"?
A: Yes

Article: Gold Coast theme parks come in all shapes and sizes and whether you like roller coasters or patting furry animals, you're sure to find something. Movie World Movie World is the only movie-related theme park in Australia. With one of the best coasts and a good handful of movie-related rides, you'll experience a fun-filled adventure with the glamour of Hollywood. Get "behind the scenes" movie information and stunt shows to keep the whole family entertained for the best part of a day. Contact Information: Phone: 07--5573--8485 Address: Pacific Motorway, Oxenford, Queensland 4210 Website: www. movieworld.com.au Sea World With an obvious emphasis on things that live in the water, Sea World has a fantastic range of fish, sharks, dolphins, seals, polar bears and other assorted animals in the water. Throw in a bunch of great rides, water slides and roller coasters, and Sea World emerges as perhaps the best all-round theme park on the Gold Coast. Contact information: Phone: 07--5588--2222 Address: Sea World Drive, Main Beach, Queensland 42 Website: www. seaworld. com.au Tropical Fruit World Home of the world's largest varieties of bizarre, and wonderful fruits, or you can pay to check out the plantation safaris , mini-train rides, jungle cruises and fruit tasting shows. Admission is about $32 for adults and %15 for kids and free for kids under 5.anbah Road, Duran Contact Information: Phone: 02--6677--7222 Address: Duranbah Road, Duranbah, NSW 2487 Website: www. tropicalfruitworld. com. au Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Crocodiles, kangaroos, koala and almost all of the other famous Australian native animals are living in Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. You can look at them, feel and pat some of them or just experience the fantastic 27 hectare bush land setting--an oasis of wildlife amidst the Gold Coast bustle. Contact Information: Phone: 07--5534--1266 Address: 28 Tomewin Street Currumbin, Queensland 4223 Website: www. currumbin. sanctuary. org. au Question: If a couple and their 4-year-old son want to visit Tropical Fruit World, they must pay _ . Yes or no, is the answer "$64"?
No