Most people will tell you that they can’t work without a cup of coffee in the morning. Research has shown that a cup of coffee does give a person slight excitement.
Legend said that Kaldi, an Ethiopian, found his goats happier while enjoying coffee plants. Curiously, he tasted the leaves and began to dance around. Whether the Legend was true or not, the discovery of coffee dates back to 800A. D. Soon Arabians were roasting coffee beans. Muslims were drinking coffee to stay awake by 1000 A.D. A merchant from Venice introduced coffee to Europe in 1615. By 1696, the Dutch started growing the coffee bush in Java. By 1723, coffee plants were introduced to the Americans. Today, coffee is the most popular drink in the world.
Caffeine is the major chemical in coffee. It blocks(阻止) adenosine, a chemical that makes you sleepy. People can get a pick-me-up or stimulation(刺激) from the drink. The stimulation does not last long. Caffeine poisoning can occur if more than 400 milligrams of caffeine is drunk in a short period, which is about four to five cups of coffee. Caffeine will also cause sleep difficulty, so it should not be drunk before bed.
Caffeine has many advantages. Studies have shown that it helps improve some skills in elderly women. Women who drank three cups of coffee daily scored higher on memory tests than women who drank one cup of coffee. According to newser.com, one cup of coffee a day protects the brain. Coffee also can help people keep away from many diseases according to webmd.com.
Large amounts of coffee can cause nervousness, worries and a fast heartbeat. However, if you mix coffee with milk, it’s fine. Caffeine can be addictive like any drug. The more you drink, the more you depend on it. For some people, just one cup of coffee a day is OK.
Who found the most popular drink in the world according to the Legend?
| A．An Ethiopian. | B．Arabians. |
| C．Muslims. | D．The Dutch. |
When was the coffee introduced to Europe?
| A．In the 1710s. | B．In the 1610s. |
| C．In the 1690s. | D．In the 1720s. |
From the third paragraph we can learn ___________.
| A．caffeine can make people sleepy |
| B．adenosine can make people awake |
| C．about four to five cups of coffee will cause sleep difficulty |
| D．coffee is considered harmful if it is taken in a large amount |
The fourth paragraph mainly tells us ___________.
| A．the importance of coffee | B．the good effects of coffee |
| C．the bad effects of coffee | D．the development of coffee |
If you like drinking coffee, you had better_______.
| A．drink it before bed | B．give up this bad habit |
| C．drink one cup of coffee a day | D．drink more coffee than milk |
.British people are famous for drinking tea. But brother and sister, Sarah and Bobby Green, became young millionaires when they opened a chain of American-style coffee shops in the UK.
Having the idea: It started when Sarah took a weekend trip to New York to visit her brother Bobby. One evening, in a Thai restaurant, Sarah told Bobby how much she wished she could buy American-style coffee in London. Bobby suggested they started their own coffee shop. Sarah fell in love with the idea.
Doing the Research: Back in London, she spent a whole day on the London subway, getting off the train at different stations to taste the coffee. “It was terrible, and I knew there was a gap (空缺) in the market.” In 1995, they opened their first Coffee Republic shop in central London.
Making it work: The first year was very difficult. British people were not used to the names of American coffees, like latte and macchiato. But being successful was their dream and they were not going to give up. Today, there are over 100 Coffee Republic shops all over the country and the company has ￡30 million a year.
Advice for others: Sarah has now written a best-selling book about their experience, called Anyone Can Do It ! She hopes it will help other young people to start their own businesses. She says, “If you think you have the energy, then get out and follow your dream.”What kind of company do they run?
| A．A fast-food restaurant. | B．A tea shop. |
| C．A coffee shop. | D．A big hotel. |
Where are their Coffee Republic shops?
| A．All over the UK. | B．All over the US. |
| C．In central London. | D．In New York. |
Which of the following information is mentioned(提到) in the passage?
| A．Sarah was not interested in Bobby’s idea. |
| B．British people never drank coffee before 1995. |
| C．Sarah’s best-selling book is about how to make coffee. |
| D．Sarah found a business chance while doing the research. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Sarah’s life story. | B．Sarah’s weekend trip. |
| C．The American-style coffee. | D．The success of a family business. |
Where may this passage come from?
| A．In a scientific report. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a sports magazine. | D．In a novel. |
The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally, the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle(把手) is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones----8 pairs----are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small company, employing less than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.What is true about Kays?
| A．It is a family business. |
| B．It’s a brand(牌子) of curling stones. |
| C．It’s a place in Scotland. |
| D．It’s the name of a curling stone dealer(业者). |
How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?
| A．8 | B．16 | C．32 | D．96 |
What does the underlined word “sliced” mean in Chinese in the second paragraph?
| A．切割 | B．镶嵌 | C．移开 | D．固定 |
Which of the following statements is NOT RIGHT according to the passage?
| A．Kays of Scotland has been curling stone maker for more than 150 years. |
| B．The weight of each curling stone must be 44 pounds. |
| C．We use a special machine to polish the curling stone. |
| D．The workers in Kays are all experienced. |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The history of curling. |
| B．How to make a curling stone. |
| C．The rules of curling. |
| D．How to become a curling stone maker. |
When people want to know about the weather, they usually go to their radios, TVs, newspapers, or to the Internet. However, you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses. Drops in air pressure produce an effect on small animals in many ways. Mice and deer are good weather indicators. People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that, before a storm, field mice come out of their holes and run around. Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways. For example, some birds become irritable(暴躁) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread. Other birds chirp and sing just before a storm. It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two. Birds also look for safe places before a storm. You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building. Pre-storm low pressure make the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime, rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn. Watch for other weather signs if you see this. If they fly in the wrong direction, they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature, we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.The word “indicators” in paragraph 1 probably means .
| A．maps | B．services | C．signs | D．stations |
How can birds sense the coming of a storm?
| A．By feeling a drop in air temperature. |
| B．By noticing the change of wind directions. |
| C．By feeling a drop in air pressure. |
| D．By noticing the movements of other animals. |
The best title for the text would be .
| A．Signs of a Storm | B．Drops in Air Pressure |
| C．Animals’ Sharp Senses | D．Nature’s Weather Signs |
| Hans Bethe The late German-American physicist Hans Bethe once described himself as “the H-bomb’s midwife（接生婆）”. He left Nazi Germany in 1933, after which he helped develop the first atomic bomb（原子弹）, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for his contribution to the theory of nuclear reactions（核反应）and advised controls over nuclear weapons（武器）for the peaceful use of the nuclear energy. |
| Francis Crick The late Francis Crick, one of Britain’s most famous scientists, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology（生理学）or Medicine in 1962. He is best known for his discovery with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, the double helix structure（双螺旋结构）of the DNA, though he also made important contributions in other fields. He died in 2004. |
| Peter Hall Sir Peter Hall’s life in the theatre has seen him running the Arts Theatre, founding the Royal Shakespeare Company when he was only 29, and directing the National Theatre. He also directed Akenfielf for London Weekend Television and runs the Peter Hall Company, which has 40 productions worldwide to its name. |
The above information is about _________.
| A．famous physicists | B．great people |
| C．great directors | D．Nobel Prize winners |
Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize before ________ years of his death.
| A．32 | B．24 | C．42 | D．45 |
Mrs. Thompson came to the 5th grade class and noticed that Teddy was always alone. Also, he did badly in his studies．When she reviewed Teddy’s past records，she find he was a good child at first，but he began to change when his mother got ill. Finally he lost interest in school after his mother’s death.
Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and felt sorry for him．She felt even worse when her students brought her beautifully-covered Christmas presents．His presents were covered with some old paper. Some children laughed when she found a bracelet(手镯)with some of the stones missing, and a bottle with a little perfume(香水). But she said how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some perfume on her hand．Teddy stayed after school for a long time just to say，“Mrs. Thompson，today you smelled just like my mom used to.”After the child left，she cried for quite a long time.
On that very day，she taught not only knowledge but also children. As she worked with Teddy，his mind seemed to come alive. By the end of the year，Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.
A year later，Teddy left school. She found a note under her door，from Teddy，saying that she was the best teacher he ever had in his life. After that, these words were repeated in each of his letters to her.
Then after he finished college, Teddy wrote telling her that he had met a pretty girl and was going to get married. He explained that his father was dead，and that he wondered if Mrs. Thompson might sit at the wedding in the place for the mother of the groom(新郎).
Of course，Mrs. Thompson did. She wore the bracelet and the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together．
They hugged(拥抱)each other，and Teddy whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear，“Thank you，Mrs. Thompson，for making me feel important，and showing me that I could make a difference．”
Mrs. Thompson，with tears in her eyes，whispered back，“Teddy，it’s not like that. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”What made Teddy change before Mrs. Thompson came?
| A．His mother’s illness and death. | B．His classmates’’ laughing at him. |
| C．His past records by his teachers. | D．His interest in some other things. |
Teddy left a note for Mrs. Thompson when he left school mainly to say _______.
| A．sorry | B．hello | C．thanks | D．goodbye |
What kind of person was Mrs. Thompson?
| A．Wise and humorous. | B．Kind and helpful. |
| C．Selfish and impatient. | D．Strict and stubborn． |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．Mrs. Thompson became Teddy’s mother at last. |
| B．Mrs. Thompson didn’t know how to teach all her life. |
| C．Teddy didn’t finish college before he got married. |
| D．Mrs. Thompson and Teddy each made a difference. |
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