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In this task, you're given an article and an answer. Your task is to generate the fill-in-the-blank question for this answer based on the given article. The blanks are always at the end of the question, and can be filled with more than one word or phrase.
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Article: Our first winter in Canada was the happiest we have experienced. We were living in the countryside then and had just arrived from Hong Kong that autumn. One evening in mid December snow began to fall. When we looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing, we all cheered. It was the first snow we had ever seen and we were excited. We could hardly wait for the snow to stop so that we could go out to play. Next morning when we woke up, it was still snowing. We switched on the radio and learned that more than ten inches of snow had falled during the night and that since the roads were blocked there would be no school that day. We jumped up and down for joy and begged mother to let us go outside to play in the snow. She said we could go out after breakfast if we dressed ourselves warmly and promised to come back as soon as we felt cold. When we went out, the snow had almost stopped. The roads , paths, gardens, and playing grounds were all hidden under a white blanket of soft snow. It was the most beautiful sight we had ever seen. Just then, we saw some neighbour's children coming out to play. We ran over to join them. Together we built a snowman and a snow house. After that, we took turns sliding down a hill on a large piece of cardboard. We were having so much fun when supper time came. Mother almost had to force us to go in and eat.
Answer: it was the first time they had seen snow
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The children all cheered when they saw the snow because _ .

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Article: Well I decided to cut my front lawn today, especially since I live on a main street downtown with lots of traffic. Anyway, I finished mine and decided to cut my neighbor--Jean's grass while I was at it. She is a sweet person who has gone through some _ times in the last year. Her brother passed away of cancer last year; her sister (who lives with her) is mentally challenged--yet so sweet! It was a difficult time with physical and mental challenges that led her employer in our local hospital to let her go after 25 years of service! Lastly, my neighbor Jean, who is a nurse in our local hospital, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in December. She went through radiation and a long recovery--but thankful she is in remission . Anyway, in short I was leaving my house this afternoon and she stopped me to thank me for cutting her grass. She told me her dad passed away on Friday and she just arrived home from the funeral service, so she didn't know when I would have time to cut her grass. So, when she arrived home and saw it cut she was more than happy and grateful! I said to her "You are welcome, just a small act of kindness for a neighbor." I did it for exercise and shared pleasure not knowing it meant more to her than just doing a neighbor a favor!
Answer: optimistic
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Although a lot of unfortunate matters happened to Jean, she is still _ .

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Article: Dear Reader, I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all--there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked. Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started. As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.) Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early--as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction in trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living. Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either--you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true--books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send signatures--I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren. Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet. But real life is only one kind of life--there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too--truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act. Yours sincerely:E.B. White
Answer: he felt sorry for not being able to send books to his readers
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The author wrote the letter because _ .