In 1975, George Carlin appeared on a popular TV show, Saturday Night Live, with his famous words about blue food. “Why is there no blue food? I can’t find blue food—I can’t find the flavor of blue! I mean yellow is lemon; orange is orange and red is cherry. Where is the blue food? ”
Well, Carlin pretty much has it right—there’s not no blue food, but there’s certainly not a lot of it. Fresh-picked blueberries are blue, though they become purple when they are turned into jam. The blue in blueberries—like the purple in grapes and the red in tomatoes—is found in nature. But it isn’t a hot color for food. People don’t seem to prefer blue food. Some diet programs even suggest that those determined to lose weight should make their food blue.
Eating, in part, begins with our eyes. Charles Spence—an experimental psychologist from Oxford University—points out that color can change our taste experience. Commonly, we consider red-colored foods up to 20% sweeter than they actually are; and green foods as being more sour. Spence suggests: human expectations may be influenced by our long history of watching - green fruits can become sweet as they grow up and turn red.
But what about blue? Except blueberries, much of the blue food we see these days is dyed blue artificially. Food producers argue that artificial color doesn’t do much harm to health. A lot of research shows that some physical problems of kids are related to food dyes—while other studies show no effects at all. Blue birthday cake or even blue-dyed chicken can be served on the dinner table. So what? George Carlin’s words are placed at the beginning of the passage to _______.
| A．show the author’s opinion |
| B．introduce a TV show |
| C．tell a famous person |
| D．lead in the topic |
. Which of the following statements of blue is true?
| A．Blueberries are always blue, whether fresh or not. |
| B．The blue in blueberries is found unnatural. |
| C．Blue is not a very popular color for foods. |
| D．People often feel cold when they eat blueberries. |
Eating sometimes begins with our eyes because _______.
| A．our taste experience can be influenced by color |
| B．red-colored food are 20% sweeter than green food |
| C．people prefer red-colored food to green food |
| D．before eating, people watch food for a long time |
The underlined words “is dyed” in Para. 4 are closest in meaning to “_______”.
| A．is eaten up | B．has grown up |
| C．is changed in color | D．is harmful to |
Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait(海峡). In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in a battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world.The purpose of Magellan’s expedition was to ________.
| A．sail round the world |
| B．find a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific |
| C．make a voyage to Asia |
| D．carry men to Philippines |
The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ________.
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage concerning the expedition?
| A．Lack of equipment. |
| B．Cold winter in Patagonia. |
| C．The death of Magellan. |
| D．Dangers from rocks and storms. |
The best title for this passage is ________.
| A．The Discovery of Magellan’s Strait |
| B．The Discovery of the Philippines |
| C．The Most Dangerous Expedition |
| D．The First Expedition to Asia |
When newspapers and radio describe the damage caused by a hurricane（飓风） named Hazel, girls named Hazel are probably teased（取笑） by their friends. To keep out of trouble, the Weather Bureau says,“Any resemblance between hurricane names and the names of particular girls is purely accidental.”
Some women became angry because hurricanes are given their names, but many other women are proud to see their names make headlines. They don’t even care that they are the names of destructive storms. Because more women seem to like it than dislike it, the Weather Bureau has decided to continue using girl’s names for hurricanes.
In some ways a hurricane is like a person. After it is born, it grows and develops, then becomes old and dies. Each hurricane has a character of its own. Each follows its own path through the world, and people remember it long after it gone. So it is natural to give hurricanes’ names, and to talk about them almost if they were alive.What happens to girls named Hazel according to the passage?
| A．They suffer from hurricanes. |
| B．The Weather Bureau look for them. |
| C．Others often make fun of them. |
| D．They can’t find boyfriend. |
The underlined word“resemblance”probably means ______.
| A．trouble | B．difference | C．sameness | D．success |
Public opinions make the Weather Bureau ______.
| A．consider the disagreement of some women |
| B．go on naming hurricanes after women |
| C．name hurricanes after men |
| D．look for a new method to name hurricanes |
Switching telephone providers used to be the only way homeowners could save money on telephone bills. Now thanks to new technology, comsumers have another choice-making phone calls over the internet. And this can be completely free if you call another person with an internet phone set-up.
The technology is called voice over internet protocol (协议), or VoIP. In 2005, consumer demand for VoIP dramatically grew. In the US, where popularity has grown faster than here in the UK, 8.4 million are predicted to subscribe this year. For the past couple years, VoIP pioneers such as Skype have accounted for the majority of internet phone subscribers.
VoIP is attractive to consumers because it’s cheaper than traditional phone services. With the basic equipment of PC, microphone and headset, and VoIP software and broadband internet for optimum (最适宜的) voice quality, consumers can save a fortune chatting for free to other internet phone owners and save money calling regular landlines (通讯电缆). But, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Many of these services suffer from uncontinuous lapses (失效) in quality. While some users may tolerate echoes or a dropped call, improved quality is needed to attract more customers.
Computing has examined the benefits of using a PC as a telephone with VoIP in how easy they were to set up, how effective they were and the range of their features.
Skype(www. skype.com) came top for its bother-free approach, easy set-up and exceptional voice clarity. Sipgate (www. sipgate. co. uk), MSN(www. messenger. msn. co. uk) and Yahoo! Messenger (uk. messenger. yahoo. com) provide an audio “wizard” that improves sound levels. Google Talk (www. google. com/ talk) was less helpful and Babble. net (www. babble. net) was let down by its poor help files. Yahoo! Messenger provides some of the best features, including the option of landline calls, webcam chats, instant messaging, voice-mail and conference calls. Which one of the following if you call others?
| A．VolP,voice over internet protocol |
| B．Switching telephone |
| C．New technology |
| D．letters |
The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 implies that ______.
| A．VoIP can save money but it has some disadvantages |
| B．whatever you buy is related to how much you pay |
| C．what you pay for will belong to you forever |
| D．what you buy is not always high in quality |
Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?
| A．Sipgate is less helpful. |
| B．Yahoo! Messenger offers some best features. |
| C．Skype is the best one in the new technology. |
| D．Google Talk provides very good audio “wizard”. |
A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It has changed the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth (广度) of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a basic new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held concepts about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers — all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip (芯片), would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing (制造业) or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant (最重要的). It will be the way you do your job.One of the great changes caused by the knowledge society is that ______.
| A．most people have to take part-time jobs |
| B．people have to change their jobs from time to time |
| C．people’s traditional concepts about work are no longer completely true |
| D．the difference between the employee and the employer has become unimportant |
The future will probably belong to those who ______.
| A．have more brains |
| B．are involved in the service industries |
| C．cast their mind ahead instead of looking back |
| D．possess and know how to make use of information |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Computers and the knowledge society |
| B．Features and meanings of the New Era |
| C．Service Industries in the Modern Society |
| D．Rapid Advancement of Information Technology |
Welcome every morning with a smile. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.
Starting the day right can give good momentum (动力) for the rest of the day. Having a power morning is a key factor for a fruitful day. Here are some tips on getting the most out of the morning.
Wake up early. In theory, there’s no difference in waking up early or late as long as you get the proper amount of sleep. However, there is a psychological advantage when you wake up earlier than the average person and then you’ll have more time to do preparation before engaging in the real world.
Exercise. Good health is always a benefit with exercise, but studies have also shown that morning exercise helps you to sleep better at nights.
Eat breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day. According to the Mayo Clinic, we should choose three from the following four: fruits and vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. Did you know that you can actually gain weight when you skip breakfast?
Take a shower. When you shower, do you do it in the morning or at night? I used to shower in the evenings, but I found that morning showers helped me to be more alert.
Prioritize (优先) your To-Do list. Leo coined the acronym MIT to mean “most important tasks.” Our to-do list might be never ending, but put on top of the list a couple of urgent tasks that will define the day to be a successful one.
Check your emails. Only once. Getting a lot of emails can be very distractive. You actually are more productive when you check them only a few times at fixed time of the day. I only do them 2-3 times a day—once in the morning, once at lunch, and one more as it gets toward the end of the day.The purpose for the author to write this passage is to .
| A．tell you to get up early every day |
| B．offer you the best way to start the day |
| C．give you advice about how to arrange a day |
| D．advise you to prioritize your to-do list every morning |
If you don’t have breakfast, you may .
| A．lose weight. | B．be productive. |
| C．put on weight. | D．be more alert. |
The underlined word “coined” in Paragraph 6 means .
| A．invented | B．designed | C．founded | D．defined |
The author advises you to check your emails only once because .
| A．the emails are not important |
| B．reading e-mails is distractive |
| C．you can only read e-mails at fixed time |
| D．getting so many emails can distract your attention |
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