I still remember--my hands and my fingers still remember--what used to lie in store for us on our return to school from the holidays. The trees in the school yard would be in full leaf again and the old leaves would be lying around like a muddy sea of leaves. "Get that all swept up!" the headmaster would tell us. "I want the whole place cleaned up, at once!" There was enough work there, to last over a week. Especially since the only tools with which we were provided were our hands, our fingers, and our nails. "Now see that it's done properly, and be quick about it," the headmaster would say to the older pupils, "or you'll have to answer for it!" So at an order from the older boys we would all line up like peanuts about to cut and gather in crops. If the work was not going as quickly as the headmaster expected, the big boys, instead of giving us a helping hand, used to find it simpler to beat us with branches pulled from the trees. In order to avoid these blows , we used to bribe the older boys with the juicy cakes we used to bring for our midday meals. And if we happened to have any money on us, the coins changed hands at once. If we did not do this, if we were afraid of going home with an empty stomach or an empty purse, the blows were redoubled. They hit us so violently and with such evil enjoyment that even a deaf and dumb person would have realized that we were being whipped not so much to make us work harder, but rather to beat us into a state of obedience in which we would be only too glad to give up our food and money. Occasionally one of us, worn out by such calculated cruelty, would have the courage to complain to the headmaster. He would of course be very angry, but the punishment he gave the older boys was always very small--nothing compared to what they had done to us. And the fact is that however much we complained, our situation did not improve in the slightest. Perhaps we should have let our parents know what was going on, but somehow we never dreamed of doing so; I don't know whether it was... When receiving complaints, the headmaster would deal with the big boys by means of _ . A) slight punishment B) harsh criticism C) complete indifference D) good beatings
A
Winning the lottery is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for many past winners. Sad stories do exist in large numbers for the past lottery winners and that's why some financial experts say "70 percent of lottery winners will squander away winning within a few years." Some end up losing all within two years, family relationships destroyed or even worse. Wayne Schenk was an old soldier diagnosed with lung cancer. When he won a million dollars in a lottery he thought his troubles were over and he would get the advanced medical treatment that might save his life. But Lottery officials refused to pay him the total sum in a single payment and they said they could not make an exception to the regulations. When Schenk died in 2007, he'd only received one payment of $34,000. Another lottery winner, Billy Bob Harrell, Jr. killed himself two years after winning 31 million dollars in the Texas lottery in 1997.He'd spent large amounts of money and given large amounts away, but he didn't end me expected peace that should have come with the freedom of money. Other lottery winners have ended up in prison for crimes. Many suffer bankruptcy after the big jackpot is spent and given away, including some of the eight people who won the 365 million Powerball in 2006. The examples given paint a sad picture of what can happen if you win a big lottery jackpot, but fortunately, these examples don't tell the stories of all jackpot winners. Why did lottery officials refuse to give Wayne Schenk the million dollars in one payment? A) He was diagnosed with lung cancer. B) He was unwilling to give away his money. C) They had to observe the official rules. D) They didn't want to disturb his peace.
C
Q: Aquatic Adventures! Help Us Get Ready for Showtime! Trainer Program What does it take to work with seals or sea lions? Find out with Atlantis Marine World's Trainer Program and go behind the scenes with our Marine Mammal staff and: .Learn how we train our animals and help train our sea lions to learn how to paint .Go into the seal exhibit with trainers .Join in a seal training period - and get to pet and feed one of our harbor seals .Help prepare food for seals .Attend our Sea Lion Show .Get a kiss from sea lion, Java - and take home a photo Summer Adventure Days - Camp! Atlantis Style! Our camp program adds interactive excitement to your child's summer vacation. Children ages 3 to 14 discover the wonders of the sea environment through age - appropriate activities. Pirate Snorkel Adventure Yo-ho-ho, this is a whole lot of fun! Join us this summer for our interactive Pirate Snorkel Adventure and help Captain Poseidon locate missing treasure. While searching our lake, don't miss tropical fish from all around the world. When you're done, you'll walk away with some booty of your own - a $2.00 game card and a pirate eye patch featuring our very own Jolly Poseidon! Smooth Sailing: Taste Long Island Wine Cruise Now Accepting Reservations! Experience the magic of Taste Long Island, a Saturday evening wine and cheese cruise aboard the Atlantis Explorer Tour Boat. Featuring local wines, this adventure along the Peconic River is a relaxing way to enjoy both beautiful scenery and fine wines. Guests 21 and older only. Members and Green Key Cardholders enjoy 25%off. The activities in Summer Adventure Days are divided according to _ . A) children's hobby B) children's age C) the price D) the type of sea animals
A: B
*Question*
Hawking's Five Easy Steps for Making Yourself a Genius As we all know,Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is,most agree,very smart. In his recently published autobiography My Brief History,Hawking offers five life lessons on how to become a genius. 1)Don't miss opportunities by being too cool "We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do. "Seize the moment,as Oxford types would say. 2)Keep it simple When writing A Brief History of Time,he tried to make science understandable for the rest of us. "I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates,but most people cannot follow mathematical equations . "He has trouble with them,too. "This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down,but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it." The moral:You don't have to be a genius to know everything. 3)Have fun Hawking has a long history of being a joker,and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia,Hawking wrote,"but maybe I should have just given him the ashes. "So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too. 4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill) Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk,move his arms,even speak. But,Hawking says,"in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist:I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I... Hawking shows his viewpoint by _ . A) making comparisons B) quoting a famous saying C) talking about his own experience D) listing the numbers and equations
**Answer**
C