question: (Reuters)--- A Michigan man credited his dog with saving his life by chewing off his diseased big toe as he lay passed out in a drunken stupor Jerry Douthett, 48, who woke up on a Saturday night in late July in his Rockford, Michigan home to find his Jack Russell Terrier, Kiko, had _ his right big toe. "The dog always lies with me on the bed", said Douthett. "That night, I woke up and looked down at my foot, and it was wet. When I looked, it was blood and there was the dog looking at me with a blood moustache." Douthett's wife, Rosee, rushed him to a hospital where doctors found he was suffering from Type 2 diabetes. His toe was badly infected and surgeons amputated the remainder of the toe. Douthett's wife, a registered nurse, had been urging him for weeks to have his infected toe examined by a doctor. On the night Kiko ate his toe, Douthett said he had been out with his wife and drank about six or seven beers and a pair of giant margaritas--big enough to put goldfish in. "I was self-medicating at this point," he said. "The moral of the story is that the dog saved my life, because otherwise I would never have gone to see a doctor." The couple said they were amazed that Kiko appeared to know Douthett had an infection that needed treatment. "He kind of chewed off the infected part and stopped at the good bone," said Rosee. "We joked that we shouldn't have had to pay the co-pay because he did half the job by chewing off half of the toe."
1. Who saved a life?
2. According to whom?
3. How was the animal able to do this?
4. The man didn't try to stop him?
5. What was infected?
6. What did he chew off again?
7. Was the man awake?
8. Why not?
9. Do they know what happened to his foot?
10. Who took him to the doctor?
11. Had he been drinking vodka with her?
12. What were they drinking?
13. Were they small drinks?
14. What size were they?
15. What was the funny part?
16. Why not?
17. Did this happen on a Thursday?
18. When did it happen?
19. What kind of dog is it?
20. What is the dogs name?
****
answer: 1. a dog
2. a Michigan man
3. chewed off the infected part
4. no
5. yes
6. his right big toe
7. no
8. was in a drunken stupor
9. yes
10. his wife
11. no
12. beer and margaritas
13. no
14. big enough to put goldfish in
15. that they shouldn't have had to pay the co-pay
16. the dog did half the job
17. no
18. a Saturday night
19. Jack Russell Terrier
20. Kiko

question: Compact Disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format. The format was originally developed to store and play only sound recordings but was later adapted for storage of data (CD-ROM). Several other formats were further derived from these, including write-once audio and data storage (CD-R), rewritable media (CD-RW), Video Compact Disc (VCD), Super Video Compact Disc (SVCD), Photo CD, PictureCD, CD-i, and Enhanced Music CD. Audio CDs and audio CD players have been commercially available since October 1982.

In 2004, worldwide sales of audio CDs, CD-ROMs and CD-Rs reached about 30 billion discs. By 2007, 200 billion CDs had been sold worldwide. CDs are increasingly being replaced by other forms of digital storage and distribution, with the result that audio CD sales rates in the U.S. have dropped about 50% from their peak; however, they remain one of the primary distribution methods for the music industry. In 2014, revenues from digital music services matched those from physical format sales for the first time.
1. What is a compact disc?
2. What is it's abbreviation?
3. Why was it invented?
4. Any other reasons?
5. Does that disc have a different name?
6. What?
7. Are there other formats?
8. How many?
9. Name two of these?
10. What is VCD?
11. How long have CDs been available to the public?
12. How many sales did it reach in 2004?
13. How many sold around the world by 2007?
14. Are they still as popular?
15. Why?
16. Have sales dropped?
17. By how much?
18. How were sales in 2014?
19. What does CD-RW mean?
20. Name another form?
****
answer: 1. digital optical disc data storage format
2. CD
3. to store and play only sound recording
4. for storage of data
5. Yes
6. CD-ROM
7. Yes
8. 10
9. CD-R and CD-RW
10. Video Compact Disc
11. since October 1982.
12. about 30 billion discs
13. 200 billion
14. No
15. being replaced by other forms of digital storage and distribution,
16. Yes
17. about 50% from their peak;
18. revenues from digital music services matched those from physical format sales for the first time.
19. rewritable media
20. Super Video Compact Disc (SVCD)

question: CHAPTER IX: HONOURS

In half an hour Paolo returned leading two horses. By their trappings and appearance both had evidently belonged to officers.

"Take off the trappings," Hector said, "then put a saddle on one for me; shift your own saddle on to the other, and picket your own with the spare horses of the staff, then we will ride over and get my saddle, bridle, holsters, and trappings. The horse has carried me well ever since I left Paris, and I am grieved indeed to lose it."

"So am I, master; it was a good beast, but I think that either of these is as good, though it will be long before I get to like them as I did Scotty. We shall want housings for this second horse, master."

"Yes; there will be no difficulty about that. There are scores of dead horses on the field; choose one without any embroidery or insignia. You may as well take another pair of holsters with pistols."

Riding across to the spot where Enghien and his officers were forming up the prisoners, talking courteously to the Spanish officers and seeing to the wounded, Hector, leaving Paolo to find his fallen horse and shift his trappings to the one that he rode, cantered up to the spot where Enghien's white plume could be seen in the midst of a group of officers, among whom was General Gassion. He saluted as he came up.

"I am glad indeed to see you, Captain Campbell," Enghien said warmly, holding out his hand; "I feared that you were killed. Some of my friends told me that you were struck down in the third charge, and that they had not seen you since and feared that you were slain."
1. How many horses did Paolo bring?
2. What could be guessed about the horses' origins?
3. How long was he gone?
4. What did he need to ride and fetch?
5. Did he miss his own horse?
6. Where is he from originally?
7. Were there many dead horses in the battlefield?
8. Who was organizing prisoners?
9. What distinguishing feature did he have?
10. Which General saluted them?
11. Was Enghien happy to see him?
12. What rumor had he heard?
13. During which charge?
14. Who had told him this rumor?
15. Where did Hector tell Paolo to take holsters and pistols from?
****
answer:
1. two
2. they had belonged to officers.
3. half an hour
4. saddle, bridle, holsters, and trappings
5. Yes
6. Paris
7. Yes
8. Enghien
9. white plume
10. General Gassion
11. Yes
12. he was killed
13. the third
14. Some of his friends
15. dead horse