Article: As is known to us, Washington University in St. Louis became the first college in the United States to ban selling bottled water in 2009. Since then, more than a dozen small colleges and schools have done the same. The ban isn't because the schools don't want students to have easy access to water. Instead, the goal is to encourage students to bring reusable bottles to save money and, more importantly, to save the environment. Many people believe that producing and using bottled water not only wastes money but also harms the environment. They say that bottled water is unnecessary because public water supplies in the U.S. are among the best in the world. These people believe that water fountains and reusable bottles with easy access to filling stations are a better choice. But the makers of bottled water argue that plastic bottles make up a small part of the nation's total waste. They say it's unfair to single out their product when so many other items are packaged in plastic containers, and what's more, water is a healthy choice compared to some sodas and juices that are also sold at school. What do you think: Should sales of bottled water be banned from schools? We want to hear your opinion. Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids.com . Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade level and contact information for your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is August 31, 2012. Question: The purpose of the passage is to _ . Yes or no, is the answer "ask for students' opinions"?
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Article: Narayana Hrudayalaya, a complex of health centers based in southern India, offers low-cost, high-quality specialty care in a largely poor country of 1.2 billion people. By thinking differently about everything from the unusually high number of patients it treats to the millions for whom it provides insurance, the hospital group is able to continually reduce costs. Narayana Hrudayalaya's operations include the world's largest and most productive cardiac hospital, where the average open-heart surgery runs less than $2,000, a third or less what it costs elsewhere in India. Narayana Hrudayalaya's origins date back to 2001, when it built its massive cardiac center on the outskirts of Bangalore. But it has expanded since then into what founder Dr. Devi Shetty calls a "health city," a series of centers specializing in eye, trauma, and cancer care. Narayana Hrudayalaya now manages or owns hospitals in 14 other Indian cities. Expanding access is paired with a ongoing focus on efficiency. Typically, says Shetty, private hospitals in India focus on patients who can easily afford treatment. "We did it the other way around," he says. "This hospital is for poor people, but we also treat some rich people. We don't look at people who are sgabbily dressed and have trouble paying as outsiders. " Narayana Hrudayalaya's flagship hospital has 3,000 beds and negotiates for better prices and buys directly from manufacturers, cutting out distributors. In addition to cost-cutting, Narayana Hrudayalaya finds creative ways to make the economics work. The company started a micro-insurance program backed by the government that enables 3 million farmers to have coverage for as little as 22 cents a month in premiums . Patients who pay discounted rates are in effect compensated by those who pay full price Doing something--doing more, actually--is the point. By 2017, Shetty, 58, plans to expand from 5,000 beds throughout India to 30,000. Before becoming one of India's best-known health-care entrepreneurs, Shetty was its best-known heart... Question: Narayana Hrudayalayastarted a micro-insurance to _ . Yes or no, is the answer "make the company run smoothly"?
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Article: As we all know,it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence .He wrote it in two weeks,and after a few changes,it was accepted by the Congress.As a result,he became famous in America's history. Born in Virginia,Thomas Jefferson,a brilliant student at school and almost talented lawyer later,was much interested in politics. Jefferson was elected Governor of Virginia in 1779,and he was sent to France as the Representative of the American Government in 1784.Sixteen years later,at the age of 57,he was elected president after Washington and Adams. Far from a handsome man,he was is tall with long arms and big hands.Jefferson,who was an amusing talker in conversation,but a poor speaker,was generally good-natured. Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom Of America.As a president,he protected the right of speech.Interestingly enough,in his eight years as president,:Jefferson never said "No" to a bill !which the Congress had passed.He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth,1826,the fiftieth anniversary of America's independence. Question: Jefferson's greatest contribution in America's history is that _ . Yes or no, is the answer "he wrote the Declaration of Independence"?
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Article: Most of the news in the newspapers is bad but sometimes there is a story with good news. This is one of those stories. Millions of people around the world suffer from AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and other serious diseases. There are medicines to treat these diseases but for people in poor countries, these medicines are too expensive to buy. When a pharmaceutical company produces a new medicine, they receive a special license called a _ This license means that the new medicine or drug is protected for a period of 20 years. The company that produced the drug can fix the price of the drug and no other company is allowed to produce the same drug or a copy of the drug for 20 years. At the moment, these patents operate all over the world, both in rich countries and in poor countries. The drugs companies say that they need patents so that they can get the money to pay for research to find new drugs and medicines. In rich countries people usually have enough money to pay for these drugs but in poor countries people can't afford to buy them and cannot treat diseases like AIDS and malaria. Last month, however, a group of experts published a report which says that patents are very bad for poor countries. The report says that drug companies do not want to find new medicines for diseases of poor people in poor countries. It says that poor countries should be allowed to buy cheap drugs without patents from other countries. The authors of the report were lawyers, scientists and a senior director from the drug company Pfizer. Of course, the pharmaceuticals industry doesn't agree with the report, "We need patents so that we can develop new medicines to fight disease both in the developed and developing world," said a spokesman. But the report is the first sign that there might be a change in the patent system. This change could save millions of lives in the world's poorest countries. This really is good news. Question: Why do drugs companies need patents? Yes or no, is the answer "To get money to produce new drugs."?
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