Cyril was a small town. The houses there were all made of wood; almost everything in the houses such as cupboards, tables and chairs were made of wood, too. And all the houses faced south. The town was never peaceful. Fire broke out once a week on summer afternoons. Residents were puzzled who the real firebug(纵火犯) was.
One day a big fire broke out. It was said that a Negro had jumped out of the house on fire, so the police arrested(逮捕) all the Negroes in the street. However, fire never stopped to breaking out when the Negroes were in prison.
Mauson, a physics teacher didn’t believe that the Negroes were the firebugs, for he really knew about those Negroes, He made up his mind to find out who the real firebug was.
One day he was invited to drink in a pub and happened to notice that many bottles and plastic plates were baked by the hot sunrays. Suddenly he realized what the actual fact was. He jumped with joy, saying, “I’ve got the answer!”
Mauson dashed out of the pub to his friend’s house nearby, which also faced south. He made an experiment there to confirm his idea.
The next Saturday afternoon, Mauson asked some policemen and newsmen to come to the house. They were told that the real firebug would be shown there. At that time the sun was shining full into the house and it became hotter and hotter inside the room.
Someone wanted to draw the curtains together, while another was going to use a bottle to drink water, but neither got permission from Mauson, who wanted to let the firebug in.
“Now,” said Mauson, “this house will soon catch fire.” People looked at each other in surprise. Mauson asked them to look at the bottles and focus on the table cloth. After a while the cloth gave off a burning smell and began to catch fire!
The mystery of fire was discovered, but the police wouldn’t believe him and insisted that Negroes had been the firebugs. Instead they arrested Mauson and put him into prison. But Mauson said he would never turn against science.
The town was never peaceful, for fire broke out .
| A．in the afternoon | B．in summer | C．at any time | D．A and B |
Why did the police arrest all the Negroes?
| A．One of them had jumped out of the home on fire. |
| B．They were suspected to be the firebugs. |
| C．The police hated the Negroes. |
| D．The Negroes knew something about the fires. |
Drinking in a pub, Mauson realized what the actual fact was .
| A．by experiment | B．by backing the bottles |
| C．through the hot sunrays | D．by accident |
By making an experiment, they knew the real firebug was .
| A．the Negroes | B．bottles | C．sunrays | D．plastic plates |
Mauson was put into prison, because .
| A．he had told a lie |
| B．he had fund out the real firebug |
| C．he had turned against science |
| D．he had made friends with the Negroes |
A food additive (添加剂) is any substance that is added to food. Many people are put off by the idea of “chemicals in food.” The truth is that all food is made up of chemicals. Natural substances like milk, as well as man-made ones like drinks on sale in the market, can be described by chemical formulas. Some chemical substances are indeed harmful, but a person who refused to consume any chemicals would find nothing to eat.
The things we eat can be divided into natural and man-made substances. Some people feel that only natural foods are healthy and that all man-made ingredients are to be avoided. But many natural chemicals, found in plants and animals, are harmful when eaten, and some laboratory-made substances increase the nutritional value of food. Other chemicals have natural and man-made forms that are exactly alike: vitamin C is vitamin C, whether it comes from a test tube or from an orange. Like “chemical”, “man-made” doesn’t necessarily mean “not fit to eat”.
Food additives are used for many reasons. We add sugar and salt and other things to foods we prepare at home to make them taste better. Food producers have developed a range of additives that stabilize, thicken, harden, keep wet, keep firm, or improve the appearance of their products. Additives can make food more convenient or nutritious, give it a longer shelf life, and make it more attractive to the consumer, thus increasing the sales and profits of the producers.
Food additives are presently the centre of a storm of serious argument. Food producers have been known to use additives that have not been proved safe; some substances in common use have been proved unsafe and have been taken off the market. Many people feel there’s a risk of eating food to which anything has been added. But food additives are now regulated by the FDA of the federal government, and new additives will go through strict testing before they can be placed on the market. For most people, the chances of developing serious side effects (副作用) from the long-term use of presently approved (批准) food additives are very small.From the passage we can learn that .
| A．natural foods are much safer than man-made ones |
| B．it is right to refuse chemicals in food |
| C．food additives are harmful to our health |
| D．all foods have chemical substances |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Food additives can improve the quality of foods in many ways. |
| B．To ensure food safety, the FDA will stop food additives. |
| C．Foods free of additives can keep a much longer shelf life. |
| D．Foods with more additives have higher nutritional value. |
We can infer from the regulation to the food additives by the FDA that .
| A．new additives will be approved more easily than before |
| B．food with common-used additives will be taken off the market |
| C．food additives will be used in a safer and more scientific way |
| D．food producers won’t be allowed to use new food additives |
According to the writer, the food additive is .
| A．worrying | B．acceptable |
| C．poisonous | D．avoidable |
The last five pounds. The vanity(虚荣) pounds. The dream weight. The fantasy weight. The high school weight. Yes, many names are given to the weight – the five pounds – that seems just out of reach no matter how much we exercise and improve our eating habits.
But why is it out of reach? Is it all in our heads? Or is it because the body has a set-point or ideal weight – a weight to which it doesn’t want to give in?
“There is no such thing as ideal body weight,” says James, author of “Weight Loss That Lasts.” “But your body does resist you when you are trying to lose weight. It gets used to a certain weight over a long period of time and then will defend that weight.”
In other words, the body’s “set point” can be lowered – or raised, he says, but it takes time to reset that new weight. That period of time is at least six months. “I often ask patients, ‘What is the lowest stable weight of your adult life?’ to get an idea of what is realistic” in terms of weight loss and maintenance(保持), James says.
He refers to the body’s refusal to change, weight-wise, as an “biological control system that prevents us from going hungry and dying – part of our primitive(原始的) biology.”
Some people might get down to their dream weight for a short period but then can’t keep it long because the calorie limits are too strict once the body starts defending itself against weight loss.
“That’s why it’s important to set realistic goals,” he says. “The idea of the ‘ideal weight’ or ‘dream weight’ is really just a useless exercise.”
But let’s say your goal is realistic and has been set by a nutritionist (营养师)or other weight-loss professionals and you are still plateauing. What could be going on? The reason is that you need fewer calories the less you weigh. So if you want to continue to drop weight, you have to drop calories and increase calorie-burn.
James encourages people to tell the difference between weight loss goals for health reasons and those to do with vanity. “They are different issues,” James says. “One is where important health benefits are seen and the other is about vanity – wanting to look good in a bathing suit.”What might a” set-point weight” refer to?
| A．A weight that the body doesn’t want to change. |
| B．A weight that you have kept for a long time. |
| C．A weight that you are trying to lose. |
| D．A weight that can be raised or lowered. |
People can’t keep their dream weight for a long time because_________.
| A．the body system stops us from hunger |
| B．the calorie limits are extremely strict |
| C．we haven’t turned to nutritionists for advice |
| D．we can’t keep the habits of dieting for six months |
What does it mean by saying “you are still plateauing” ?
| A．Your weight keeps increasing. |
| B．Your weight remains unchanged. |
| C．You are still worrying. |
| D．You are still dreaming. |
According to the passage, what is James’ most possible attitude towards t weight loss for vanity?
| A．Encouraging. | B．Critical(批判的). |
| C．Supportive. | D．Neutral(中立的). |
If you don’t think technology can improve your trip, meet Judy Williams. When she and her husband recently checked into Blu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked them to sign the dotted line on a room rate hundreds of dollars higher than their online offer.
“It was not a cheap stay,” says Williams, a lawyer from Billings, Mont. But it became more of one after her husband fired up the Booking.com app he’d used to book their room on his smartphone. “As soon as we showed him the cost, he honored it,” Williams says.
Technology may create challenges for travelers but it can also solve them. It’s more than making sure of a hotel cost. The latest Booking.com can help users select hotels by location, make a secure booking and view the confirmed(已确认的) cost so they never need to re-discuss their hotel price.
Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There’s a new app called Commute which is aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. But if you’re headed to Los Angeles or Honolulu, where visitors can easily get stuck in hours of heavy traffic, Commute can help.
Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app will start sending you traffic information 15 minutes before you leave. Testing Commute proved to be a challenge for me, because my home address is about 900 miles from my place of work. But if you have only a short distance to travel through a heavily populated area, you can use Commute to avoid traffic jams.
Another source of travel-related problems is money. That’s particularly true when you’re dealing with a foreign currency. The latest Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency mix-ups. It immediately changes a country’s native currency to yours, so you know exactly how much that Espresso(浓咖啡) in Milan costs in dollars. It can also warn you when you’re overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you’re on vacation. The only catch, of course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.
Taken together, these apps solve some of the most common travel problems. But not all of them. Some things, no smartphone can fix, which means I get to keep my job – for now.What does the writer want to tell through the example of Judy Williams?
| A．The cost of Blu Hotel was higher than that of others. |
| B．The clerk was very friendly and patient. |
| C．The smartphones have many functions. |
| D．Technology can make our trips better. |
Commute is not suitable for those who_________.
| A．have a long journey |
| B．go on the same trip every day |
| C．can easily get stuck in traffic jams |
| D．travel a short distance downtown |
What is the function of Travel Money Tracker?
| A．It tells people how much Espresso costs. |
| B．It changes the native currency to yours. |
| C．It warns people when they are shopping. |
| D．It records all people’s purchases. |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To encourage people to travel. |
| B．To introduce some new apps. |
| C．To help people with technology problems. |
| D．To provide people with traveling information. |
When I started a degree in English language, I hadn’t intended to study abroad, not to mention starting learning German. But having recently returned from my year abroad in Germany, I can say that making the effort to learn the language really enriched my experience.
With language translation technology advancing all the time, it’s convenient to rely on Google Translate and smartphone apps without having to learn the language. But a second language shouldn’t be a luxury(奢侈品). Researchers have discovered that much language learning can increase the size of your brain in as little as three months. From my own experience, learning the language lets you travel beyond the well-known tourist paths, gain a real student experience and widen your social network beyond the international circle.
The process of learning German abroad was completely different from my language course at university, where students sat quietly and stumbled(结巴) through spoken exercises. Instead, language learning abroad was energetic and part of my lifestyle – from chatting with sales assistants to preparing speeches with course mates. It meant being part of the local area.
Visiting language exchange cafés – where international and German students meet to improve their European language – was a great way to practice in a relaxed space and meet a wide range of people. Not being afraid to make mistakes is important to learn a language. By giving up that comfortable phrase “Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch!” (I speak only a little German), I made progress and it was praised by friends and locals alike.
Germany has a lively theater scene and learning the language meant I was able to get more entertainment and an understanding of German culture.
Even when it comes to eating out, knowing the language works to your advantage. In more than a few traditional German restaurants, the English menus didn’t contain all the dishes listed on the German menus.
Learning the language has saved me from getting on the wrong train, after last-minute platform changes were announced in German.
So why not learn the local language in your year abroad? It’ll improve your employability while letting you take part fully in local life.What is the purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To share his or her experience of learning a foreign language. |
| B．To tell the readers the advantages of knowing a foreign language. |
| C．To give the readers an understanding of German culture. |
| D．To advise the readers to learn a local language when abroad. |
What is the writer’s opinion about a second language?
| A．It is not popular any longer. |
| B．It costs a lot of money. |
| C．It is practical and useful. |
| D．It demands much brain to learn. |
When a person says “Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch!”, he feels_________.
| A．comfortable about the situation |
| B．afraid to make mistakes |
| C．satisfied with the progress |
| D．confident about himself |
How does the writer develop his or her argument?
| A．By explaining reasons and results. |
| B．By listing the advantages. |
| C．By comparing different methods. |
| D．By providing scientific discoveries. |
If you have seen or heard of the British TV series Downton Abbey, you have probably noticed an “upstairs-downstairs” class system in which the noble people are upstairs, worrying what clothes they should wear for dinner and the poor people are downstairs, working hard to make food and tea. So it’s not hard to tell that people are divided into different classes. British society has changed a lot since the days of Downton Abbey, but the division still exists and the funny accents do, too.
Nowadays, what divides Britons is the so-called “North-South divide”. As you make your way north from the south coast of England, the accent begins to change. The posh “How are you” in parts of the South becomes “Ahhdu” (how do you do) in the Midlands, “reeit” (are you all right) in the North West, “eyyup” (what’s up) in Yorkshire, and “hou’s it gaun” (how’s it going) in Scotland. Besides accents, the economy also changes. The rich southern city of London slowly becomes the North where people general have less money.
So where does the “South” stop being the “South” and the “North” start being the “North”? Well, depending on where someone comes from in Britain, you’ll get a different answer.
“Anywhere above London is ‘the North’,” you might hear a Londoner say. Or if you’re in Scotland, you might hear, “Southern softer!”, talking about a person from Lancashire or Yorkshire, who think of themselves as “hard (tough) Northerners”. “Anywhere south of Manchester is not northern,” you might hear a person from Manchester say.
Many stereotypes (成见) have come from the “North-South Divide”, too. Often, southerners are seen as being rude and snobbish (势利眼的) by northerners. And northerners are often seen as uneducated by southerners.
Today, the career you have and the person you marry don’t depend on where you were born or what class you are from. But as London is getting richer and people are moving to the South for work, the North-South divide is getting bigger. Yet for all that divides us, the truth is, we couldn’t live without each other!The first paragraph serves to _________.
| A．compare the lives of upstairs with those of downstairs |
| B．explain how the class system worked in the past |
| C．attack the unfair class division |
| D．introduce the topic of the passage |
People from North West greet each other by saying _________.
| A．“hou’s it gaun” | B．“reeit” |
| C．“eyyup” | D．“ahhdu” |
From Paragraph 4 we get to know _________.
| A．Scotlanders think Londoners are not strong enough |
| B．Manchester people think Scotland belongs to the South |
| C．Manchester people regard themselves as Northerners |
| D．there is no such thing as “North-South Divide” |
What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．British accents are different from North to South. |
| B．Class division is getting smaller at present. |
| C．It is about the “North-South Division” and its influence. |
| D．Northerners and Southerners dislike each other in Britain. |
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