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| The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for a studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of national integration long before A.I.R and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. |
In the line: 'They were all incandescent lights, so ...', what does 'incandescent' mean?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Though the U.S. prides itself on being a leader In the world community, a recent report shows that it lags far behind other industrialised countries in meeting the needs of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate, a higher proportion of low birth weight babies, a smaller proportion of babies immunised against childhood diseases and a much higher rate of adolescent pregnancies. These findings, described as a "quiet crisis" requiring immediate and far-reaching action, appeared in a report prepared by a task force of educators, doctors, politicians and business people. According to the report, a fourth of the nation's 12 million infants and toddlers live in poverty. As many as half confront risk factors that could harm their ability to develop intellectually, physically and socially. Child immunisations are too low, more children are born into poverty, more are in substandard care while their parents work and more are being raised by single parents. When taken together these and other risk factors can lead to educational and health problems that are much harder and more costly to reverse. The crisis begins in the womb with unplanned parenthood. Women with unplanned pregnancies are less likely to seek prenatal care. In the U.S. 80% of teen-age pregnancies and 56% of all pregnancies are unplanned. The problems continue after birth where un-planned pregnancies and unstable partnerships of ten go hand in hand. Since 1950, the number of single parent families has nearly tripled. More than 25 per cent of all births today are to unmarried mothers. As the number of single parent families grow and more women enter the work force. infants and toddlers are increasingly in the care of people other than their parents. Most disturbingly, recent statistics show that American parents are increasingly neglecting or abusing their children. In only four years from 1987-1991, the number of children in foster care increased by over 50 per cent. Babies under the age of one are the fastest-growing category of children entering foster care. This crisis affects children under the age of three most severely, the report says. Yet, it is this period-from infancy through preschool years-that sets the stage for a child's future. |
The number of children born to married mothers in the U.S. is approximately how many times the number of children born to unwed mothers?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
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| The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for a studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of national integration long before A.I.R and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. |
Who among the following did not assist the Maharashtrian head?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Though the U.S. prides itself on being a leader In the world community, a recent report shows that it lags far behind other industrialised countries in meeting the needs of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate, a higher proportion of low birth weight babies, a smaller proportion of babies immunised against childhood diseases and a much higher rate of adolescent pregnancies. These findings, described as a "quiet crisis" requiring immediate and far-reaching action, appeared in a report prepared by a task force of educators, doctors, politicians and business people. According to the report, a fourth of the nation's 12 million infants and toddlers live in poverty. As many as half confront risk factors that could harm their ability to develop intellectually, physically and socially. Child immunisations are too low, more children are born into poverty, more are in substandard care while their parents work and more are being raised by single parents. When taken together these and other risk factors can lead to educational and health problems that are much harder and more costly to reverse. The crisis begins in the womb with unplanned parenthood. Women with unplanned pregnancies are less likely to seek prenatal care. In the U.S. 80% of teen-age pregnancies and 56% of all pregnancies are unplanned. The problems continue after birth where un-planned pregnancies and unstable partnerships of ten go hand in hand. Since 1950, the number of single parent families has nearly tripled. More than 25 per cent of all births today are to unmarried mothers. As the number of single parent families grow and more women enter the work force. infants and toddlers are increasingly in the care of people other than their parents. Most disturbingly, recent statistics show that American parents are increasingly neglecting or abusing their children. In only four years from 1987-1991, the number of children in foster care increased by over 50 per cent. Babies under the age of one are the fastest-growing category of children entering foster care. This crisis affects children under the age of three most severely, the report says. Yet, it is this period-from infancy through preschool years-that sets the stage for a child's future. |
Children born out of unplanned pregnancies are highly vulnerable because ______.
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| The make-up room had the look of a hair-cutting salon with lights at all angles around half a dozen large mirrors. They were all incandescent lights, so you can imagine the fiery misery of those subjected to make-up. The make-up department was first headed by a Bengali who became too big for a studio and left. He was succeeded by a Maharashtrian who was assisted by a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the usual local Tamils. All this shows that there was a great deal of national integration long before A.I.R and Doordarshan began broadcasting programmes on national integration. |
Who headed the make-up department before Dharwar Kannadiga?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Though the U.S. prides itself on being a leader In the world community, a recent report shows that it lags far behind other industrialised countries in meeting the needs of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate, a higher proportion of low birth weight babies, a smaller proportion of babies immunised against childhood diseases and a much higher rate of adolescent pregnancies. These findings, described as a "quiet crisis" requiring immediate and far-reaching action, appeared in a report prepared by a task force of educators, doctors, politicians and business people. According to the report, a fourth of the nation's 12 million infants and toddlers live in poverty. As many as half confront risk factors that could harm their ability to develop intellectually, physically and socially. Child immunisations are too low, more children are born into poverty, more are in substandard care while their parents work and more are being raised by single parents. When taken together these and other risk factors can lead to educational and health problems that are much harder and more costly to reverse. The crisis begins in the womb with unplanned parenthood. Women with unplanned pregnancies are less likely to seek prenatal care. In the U.S. 80% of teen-age pregnancies and 56% of all pregnancies are unplanned. The problems continue after birth where un-planned pregnancies and unstable partnerships of ten go hand in hand. Since 1950, the number of single parent families has nearly tripled. More than 25 per cent of all births today are to unmarried mothers. As the number of single parent families grow and more women enter the work force. infants and toddlers are increasingly in the care of people other than their parents. Most disturbingly, recent statistics show that American parents are increasingly neglecting or abusing their children. In only four years from 1987-1991, the number of children in foster care increased by over 50 per cent. Babies under the age of one are the fastest-growing category of children entering foster care. This crisis affects children under the age of three most severely, the report says. Yet, it is this period-from infancy through preschool years-that sets the stage for a child's future. |
The task force report seems to be based on the data pertaining to the period ______.
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| (1) | When you grow up in a place where it rains for five months a year, wise elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you that it is ignorance to think that it is the same rain falling every day. Oh no! the rain is always doing different things at different times. There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard and damages the crops. Hence, pray for the sweet rain that helps the crops to grow. |
| (2) | The monsoon in the Naga Hills goes by the native name, Khuthotei (which means the rice- growing season). It lasts from May to early or mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in October announces the end to rain. After that, one might expect a couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and April. Finally, comes the 'big rain' in May; proper rainstorms accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I have stood out in storms looking at lightning arc across the dark skies, a light-and-sound show that can go on for hours. |
| (3) | This is the season when people use the word 'sezuo' and 'suzu' to refer to the week-long rains, when clothes don't dry and smell of mould, when fungus forms on the floor and you can't see the moon or the stars. |
| (4) | The rains are also called after flowering plants and people believe that the blossoming of those plants draws out rain. Once the monsoon sets in, field work is carried out in earnest and the work of uprooting and transplanting paddy in flooded fields is done. The months of hard labour are June, July and August. In August, as the phrogo plant begins to bloom, a rain will fall. This August rain, also called phrogo, is a sign that the time for cultivation is over. If any new grain seeds are sown, they may not sprout; even if they do sprout, they are not likely to bear grain. The rain acts as a kind of farmer's almanac. |
| (5) | The urban population of school-goers and office-goers naturally dislikes the monsoon and its accompanying problems of landslides, muddy, streets and periodic infections. For non-farmers, the month of September can be depressing, when the rainfall is incessant and the awareness persists that the monsoons will last out till October. One needs to have the heart of a farmer to remain grateful for the watery days, and be able to observe from what seems to the inexperienced as a continuous downpour-many kinds of rain. Some of the commonly known rain-weeks are named after the plants that alternately bloom in August and September. The native belief is that the flowers draw out the rain. |
| (6) | Each rain period has a job to fulfil: October rain helps garlic bulbs to form, while kumunyo rain helps the rice bear grain. Without it, the ears of rice cannot form properly. End of October is the most beautiful month in the Naga Hills, as the fields turn gold and wild sunflowers bloom over the slopes, all heralding the harvest. Prayers go up for protecting the fields from storms, and the rains to retreat because the grains need to stand in the sun and ripen. The cycle nears completion a few weeks before the harvest, and the rain does retreat so thoroughly from the reaped furrows that the earth quickly turns hard. The months of rain becomes a distant memory until it starts all over again. |
People pray asking the rain to retreat because ______.
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental debates of our time. Will the West Antarctic ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know it? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Antarctica is a crucial element in this debate — not just because it's the only place in the world, which has never sustained a human population and therefore remains relatively 'pristine' in this respect; but more importantly, because it holds in its ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon record strapped in its layers of ice. If we want to study and examine the Earth's past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go. |
What is the main significance of the passage?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| (1) | When you grow up in a place where it rains for five months a year, wise elders help you to get acquainted with the rain early. They teach you that it is ignorance to think that it is the same rain falling every day. Oh no! the rain is always doing different things at different times. There is rain that is gentle, and there is also rain that falls too hard and damages the crops. Hence, pray for the sweet rain that helps the crops to grow. |
| (2) | The monsoon in the Naga Hills goes by the native name, Khuthotei (which means the rice- growing season). It lasts from May to early or mid-October. The local residents firmly believe that Durga Puja in October announces the end to rain. After that, one might expect a couple of short winter showers, and the spring showers in March and April. Finally, comes the 'big rain' in May; proper rainstorms accompanied by heart-stopping lightning and ear-splitting thunder. I have stood out in storms looking at lightning arc across the dark skies, a light-and-sound show that can go on for hours. |
| (3) | This is the season when people use the word 'sezuo' and 'suzu' to refer to the week-long rains, when clothes don't dry and smell of mould, when fungus forms on the floor and you can't see the moon or the stars. |
| (4) | The rains are also called after flowering plants and people believe that the blossoming of those plants draws out rain. Once the monsoon sets in, field work is carried out in earnest and the work of uprooting and transplanting paddy in flooded fields is done. The months of hard labour are June, July and August. In August, as the phrogo plant begins to bloom, a rain will fall. This August rain, also called phrogo, is a sign that the time for cultivation is over. If any new grain seeds are sown, they may not sprout; even if they do sprout, they are not likely to bear grain. The rain acts as a kind of farmer's almanac. |
| (5) | The urban population of school-goers and office-goers naturally dislikes the monsoon and its accompanying problems of landslides, muddy, streets and periodic infections. For non-farmers, the month of September can be depressing, when the rainfall is incessant and the awareness persists that the monsoons will last out till October. One needs to have the heart of a farmer to remain grateful for the watery days, and be able to observe from what seems to the inexperienced as a continuous downpour-many kinds of rain. Some of the commonly known rain-weeks are named after the plants that alternately bloom in August and September. The native belief is that the flowers draw out the rain. |
| (6) | Each rain period has a job to fulfil: October rain helps garlic bulbs to form, while kumunyo rain helps the rice bear grain. Without it, the ears of rice cannot form properly. End of October is the most beautiful month in the Naga Hills, as the fields turn gold and wild sunflowers bloom over the slopes, all heralding the harvest. Prayers go up for protecting the fields from storms, and the rains to retreat because the grains need to stand in the sun and ripen. The cycle nears completion a few weeks before the harvest, and the rain does retreat so thoroughly from the reaped furrows that the earth quickly turns hard. The months of rain becomes a distant memory until it starts all over again. |
What helps the crops to grow?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
|
One day while talking to his ministers, the Emperor, on a whim, ordered that the merchants of the city would have to guard the city at night. The merchants were deeply concerned to hear this. How could they, who had been selling goods for years suddenly take up the duty of guarding the city? For hours on end they discussed the matter. At last one of them said. "We have no alternative but to obey the Emperor's orders. Let us go to the old commander who lives near the palace and ask him to guide us how to fulfill this task." His idea was met with approval by the other merchants and they proceeded to the commander's house. Upon hearing the merchants' dilemma he said, "Relax. There is no need to worry. Do as I tell you". The merchants agreed. |
Why were the merchants dressed strangely?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| (1) | Andy Dehart is a shark expert and TV presenter who lives in the United States of America. He has had a lifelong interest in sharks and is always trying to look for ways to educate the public about them. Many people think that sharks have little or no intelligence, but Andy points out that recent studies have shown that many shark species possess powerful problem- solving abilities and social skills. "Sharks do not want to attack humans," he asserts. "There is no shark species that eats humans as part of its regular diet. In most shark attack cases, sharks leave after realising that it has mistakenly bitten a human and not its intended prey." |
| (2) | In Andy's opinion, all shark fishing should be stopped until the shark populations have had time to grow again. We then need to do a better job of managing the fishing of sharks. However, even if the direct fishing of sharks is stopped, many will still be killed when they are caught up in the nets of boats fishing for other species of fish. |
| (3) | When Andy was a boy, his father worked for a national oceanic organisation, and Andy travelled with him all over the Caribbean. He grew up by the coast and he has been connected with the sea for as long as he can remember. He also lived near one of the best aquariums in America. Andy then went on to build a career working with sharks in an aquarium environment. More recently, he has been involved with television and the making of programmes about the sharks. |
| (4) | Andy and his wife had their first child two years ago. They were amused and amazed to see what extent their work with animals has proved to be useful in bringing up their daughter. They know how to observe her behaviour and teach her how to do things by rewarding her. |
| (5) | Andy loves sharks and is very passionate about their survival and protection. He feels extremely lucky to have had opportunities working at the National Aquarium and the television station which presents the Nature Channel. He never wastes a moment in either place that could be spent educating people about sharks. He does admit that it is probably not possible for everyone to love sharks as he does. However, he does hope to persuade people personally or through the media to respect sharks and the critical role they play in our environment. His main objective is to keep spreading awareness that sharks are not dangerous man-eaters but essential creatures in our oceans, as they provide ecological balance and help to control other species. |
Why does Andy believe that sharks only attack humans by mistake?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| (1) | A fisherman, enfeebled with age, could no longer go out to sea, so he began fishing in the river. Every morning he would go down to the river and sit there fishing the whole day long. In the evening he would sell whatever he had caught, buy food for himself and go home. It was a hard life for an old man. One hot afternoon while he was trying to keep awake and bemoaning his fate, a large bird with silvery feathers alighted on a rock near him. It was Kaha, the heavenly bird. 'Have you no one to care for you, grandpa?' asked the bird. 'Not a soul'. 'You should not be doing such work at your age, ' said the bird. 'From now on I will bring you a big fish every evening. You can sell it and live in comfort'. true to her word, the bird began to drop a large fish at his doorstep every evening. All that the fisherman had to do was take it to the market and sell it. As big fish were in great demand, he was soon rolling in money. He bought a cottage near the sea, with a garden around it and engaged a servant to cook for him. His wife had died some years earlier. He had decided to marry again and began to look for a suitable woman. |
| (2) | One day he heard the royal courtier make an announcement. 'Our king has news of a great bird called Kaha,' said the courtier. 'Whoever can give information about this bird and help catch it, will be rewarded with half the gold in the royal treasury and half the kingdom !' The fisherman was sorely tempted by the reward. Half the kingdom would make him a prince! |
| (3) | 'Why does the king want the bird ?' he asked. 'He has lost his sight,' explained the courtier. 'A wise man has advised him to bathe his eyes with the blood of Kaha. Do you know where can she be found ?' 'No .. .I mean ... no, no ... ' Torn between greed and his sense of gratitude to the bird, the fisherman could not give a coherent reply. The courtier, sensing that he knew something about the bird, informed the king. The king had him brought to the palace. |
| (4) | 'If you have information about the bird, tell me,' urged the king. 'I will reward you handsomely and if you help catch her, I will personally crown you king of half my domain'. 'I will get the bird for you,' cried the fisherman, suddenly making up his mind. 'But Kaha is strong. I will need help'. The king sent a dozen soldiers with him. That evening when the bird came with the fish, the fisherman called out to her to wait. 'You drop the fish and go and I never get a chance to thank you for all that you've done for me,' he said. 'Today I have laid out a feast for you inside. Please alight and come in'. Kaha was reluctant to accept the invitation but the fisherman pleaded so earnestly that she finally gave in, and alighted. The moment she was on the ground, the fisherman grabbed one of her legs and shouted to the soldiers hiding in his house to come out. They rushed to his aid, but their combined effort could not keep Kaha down. |
| (5) | She rose into the air with the fisherman still clinging onto her leg. By the time he realised he was being carried away, the fisherman was too high in the air to let go. He hung on grimly, and neither he nor Kaha were ever seen again. |
Which of the following is not true about Kaha?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental debates of our time. Will the West Antarctic ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know it? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Antarctica is a crucial element in this debate — not just because it's the only place in the world, which has never sustained a human population and therefore remains relatively 'pristine' in this respect; but more importantly, because it holds in its ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon record strapped in its layers of ice. If we want to study and examine the Earth's past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go. |
What is the most important point in the context of the debate on Antarctica?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| (1) | A fisherman, enfeebled with age, could no longer go out to sea, so he began fishing in the river. Every morning he would go down to the river and sit there fishing the whole day long. In the evening he would sell whatever he had caught, buy food for himself and go home. It was a hard life for an old man. One hot afternoon while he was trying to keep awake and bemoaning his fate, a large bird with silvery feathers alighted on a rock near him. It was Kaha, the heavenly bird. 'Have you no one to care for you, grandpa?' asked the bird. 'Not a soul'. 'You should not be doing such work at your age, ' said the bird. 'From now on I will bring you a big fish every evening. You can sell it and live in comfort'. true to her word, the bird began to drop a large fish at his doorstep every evening. All that the fisherman had to do was take it to the market and sell it. As big fish were in great demand, he was soon rolling in money. He bought a cottage near the sea, with a garden around it and engaged a servant to cook for him. His wife had died some years earlier. He had decided to marry again and began to look for a suitable woman. |
| (2) | One day he heard the royal courtier make an announcement. 'Our king has news of a great bird called Kaha,' said the courtier. 'Whoever can give information about this bird and help catch it, will be rewarded with half the gold in the royal treasury and half the kingdom !' The fisherman was sorely tempted by the reward. Half the kingdom would make him a prince! |
| (3) | 'Why does the king want the bird ?' he asked. 'He has lost his sight,' explained the courtier. 'A wise man has advised him to bathe his eyes with the blood of Kaha. Do you know where can she be found ?' 'No .. .I mean ... no, no ... ' Torn between greed and his sense of gratitude to the bird, the fisherman could not give a coherent reply. The courtier, sensing that he knew something about the bird, informed the king. The king had him brought to the palace. |
| (4) | 'If you have information about the bird, tell me,' urged the king. 'I will reward you handsomely and if you help catch her, I will personally crown you king of half my domain'. 'I will get the bird for you,' cried the fisherman, suddenly making up his mind. 'But Kaha is strong. I will need help'. The king sent a dozen soldiers with him. That evening when the bird came with the fish, the fisherman called out to her to wait. 'You drop the fish and go and I never get a chance to thank you for all that you've done for me,' he said. 'Today I have laid out a feast for you inside. Please alight and come in'. Kaha was reluctant to accept the invitation but the fisherman pleaded so earnestly that she finally gave in, and alighted. The moment she was on the ground, the fisherman grabbed one of her legs and shouted to the soldiers hiding in his house to come out. They rushed to his aid, but their combined effort could not keep Kaha down. |
| (5) | She rose into the air with the fisherman still clinging onto her leg. By the time he realised he was being carried away, the fisherman was too high in the air to let go. He hung on grimly, and neither he nor Kaha were ever seen again. |
Why did the fisherman stammer when asked if he knew about the bird?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental debates of our time. Will the West Antarctic ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know it? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Antarctica is a crucial element in this debate — not just because it's the only place in the world, which has never sustained a human population and therefore remains relatively 'pristine' in this respect; but more importantly, because it holds in its ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon record strapped in its layers of ice. If we want to study and examine the Earth's past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go. |
In the line: '.... a human population and therefore remains relatively 'pristine' in this respect ....' what does 'pristine' refer to?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
|
One day while talking to his ministers, the Emperor, on a whim, ordered that the merchants of the city would have to guard the city at night. The merchants were deeply concerned to hear this. How could they, who had been selling goods for years suddenly take up the duty of guarding the city? For hours on end they discussed the matter. At last one of them said. "We have no alternative but to obey the Emperor's orders. Let us go to the old commander who lives near the palace and ask him to guide us how to fulfill this task." His idea was met with approval by the other merchants and they proceeded to the commander's house. Upon hearing the merchants' dilemma he said, "Relax. There is no need to worry. Do as I tell you". The merchants agreed. |
What made the Emperor ask the merchants to guard the kingdom?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| Climate change is one of the most hotly contested environmental debates of our time. Will the West Antarctic ice sheet melt entirely? Will the Gulf Stream ocean current be disrupted? Will it be the end of the world as we know it? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Antarctica is a crucial element in this debate — not just because it's the only place in the world, which has never sustained a human population and therefore remains relatively 'pristine' in this respect; but more importantly, because it holds in its ice-cores half-million-year-old carbon record strapped in its layers of ice. If we want to study and examine the Earth's past, present and future, Antarctica is the place to go. |
Why has Antarctica never sustained a human population?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
| (1) | We sit in the last row, bumped about but free of stares. The bus rolls out of the dull crossroads of the city, and we are soon in open countryside with fields of sunflowers as far as the eye can see, their heads all facing us. Where there is no water, the land reverts to the desert. While still on level ground, we see in the distance the tall range of Mount Bogda, abrupt like a shining prism laid horizontally on the desert surface. It is over 5,000 metres high, and the peak is under permanent snow, in powerful contrast to the flat desert all around. Heaven Lake lies part of the way up this range, about 2,000 metres above sea level, at the foot of one of the highest snow-peaks. |
| (2) | As the bus climbs, the sky, brilliant before, grows overcast. I have brought nothing warm to wear. It is all down at the hotel in Urumqi. Rain begins to fall. The man behind me is eating overpoweringly smelly goat's cheese. The bus window leaks inhospitably but reveals a beautiful view. We have passed quickly from desert through arable land to pasture and the ground is now green with grass, the slopes dark with pine. A few cattle drink at a clear stream flowing past moss-covered stones; it is a constable landscape. The stream changes into a white torrent, and as we climb higher, I wish more and more that I had brought with me something warmer than just the pair of shorts that have served me so well in the desert. The stream (which, we are told, rises in Heaven Lake) disappears, and we continue our slow ascent. About noon, we arrive at Heaven Lake, and look for a place to stay at the foot, which is the resort area. We get a room in a small cottage, and I am happy to note that there are thick quilts on the beds. |
| (3) | Standing outside the cottage, we survey our surroundings. Heaven Lake is long, sardine- shaped and fed by snow melt from a stream at its head. The lake is intense blue, surrounded on all sides by green mountain walls, dotted with distant steep. At the head of the lake, beyond the delta of the in-flowing stream, is a massive snow-capped peak which dominates the vista; it is part of a series of peaks that culminate, a little out of view, in Mount Bogda itself. |
| (4) | For those who live in the resort, there is a small hall by the shore. We eat here sometimes, and sometimes buy food from the vendors outside, who sell kabab and naan until the last buses leave. The kababs, cooked on skewers over charcoal braziers, are particularly good, highly spiced and well done. Horse's milk is available too from the local Kazakh herdsmen, but I decline this. I am so affected by the cold that Mr. Cao, the relaxed young man who runs the mess, lends me a spare pair of trousers, several sizes too large but more than comfortable. |
The narrator was suffering from ______.
Concept: undefined >> undefined
|
One day while talking to his ministers, the Emperor, on a whim, ordered that the merchants of the city would have to guard the city at night. The merchants were deeply concerned to hear this. How could they, who had been selling goods for years suddenly take up the duty of guarding the city? For hours on end they discussed the matter. At last one of them said. "We have no alternative but to obey the Emperor's orders. Let us go to the old commander who lives near the palace and ask him to guide us how to fulfill this task." His idea was met with approval by the other merchants and they proceeded to the commander's house. Upon hearing the merchants' dilemma he said, "Relax. There is no need to worry. Do as I tell you". The merchants agreed. |
Why did the Emperor withdraw his order?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
|
One day while talking to his ministers, the Emperor, on a whim, ordered that the merchants of the city would have to guard the city at night. The merchants were deeply concerned to hear this. How could they, who had been selling goods for years suddenly take up the duty of guarding the city? For hours on end they discussed the matter. At last one of them said. "We have no alternative but to obey the Emperor's orders. Let us go to the old commander who lives near the palace and ask him to guide us how to fulfill this task." His idea was met with approval by the other merchants and they proceeded to the commander's house. Upon hearing the merchants' dilemma he said, "Relax. There is no need to worry. Do as I tell you". The merchants agreed. |
Why did the Emperor visit the commander?
Concept: undefined >> undefined
