I received a call today asking if I would be willing to bring food to a family in need. The mother was having a major operation and would be lying down for several weeks. Of course, I responded with an immediate “Yes!”. As I planned the meal in my head, I reflected on how many times over the years I had been asked to prepare food. I have done so countless times with a very open heart.
But the truly amazing thing is that I have received double over the course of my life. When my mother passed away, our house was filled with fresh dinners for weeks. A woman from the church of our community stopped by each evening with some food. The gift of food was her small way of trying to ease our pain.
Later in my life, when I was on bed rest during my pregnancy with twins, women of the church again stepped in to help. They arranged babysitting for my two-year-old daughter, and brought lovely dinners to our house. Even when I was put in the hospital, my husband would bring cooked meals to my hospital room. How we relied on these dinners to feed my tired husband and young daughter.
Food is all about comfort. It feeds our bodies, but it can also feed our souls. When you hear people talking about their favorite holidays, it usually includes their feelings connected with sharing food. I know that I will have many more opportunities in my lifetime to prepare food for others. It is truly a gift I want to prepare and deliver to someone in need.The author has given lots of food to others because .
| A．she is poor at cooking. |
| B．she is a church member. |
| C．she is friendly to others. |
| D．she has received others’ food. |
We can learn from the first paragraph that the author .
| A．had to stay in bed for several weeks. |
| B．knew the family in need very well. |
| C．was glad to be able to lend a hand. |
| D．was tired of preparing food. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．Her mother died when she was in hospital. |
| B．She didn’t get enough food during her pregnancy. |
| C．She received food as well as comfort in her hard times. |
| D．She thinks offering food is the best way to show love. |
According to the passage, which of the following conclusion can we get?
| A．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| B．One good turn deserves another. |
| C．Actions speak louder than words. |
| D．Every man has his faults. |
If you are looking for the place that has everything, there is only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.
The World of Theater: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!
The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.
The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you will find it in New York.
The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found everywhere, there is world of great taste waiting for you in New York.
The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue (雕塑) of Liberty? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park ? Only in New York !
From the text we know that “Rembrandt” is most likely to be the name of a famous .
| A．actor | B．musician | C．cook | D．painter |
Which of the following can visitors do only in New York?
| A．To see the Statue of Liberty. |
| B．To taste the finest French coq au vin. |
| C．To enjoy a Beethoven concert. |
| D．To eat Roast Beijing Duck. |
This passage may be taken from .
| A．a handbook for English learners |
| B．a guidebook for foreign travellers |
| C．a pocketbook for businessmen |
| D．a storybook for local readers |
I wish there would be a way to describe China in simple terms but that’s impossible. For the most part, Chinese people are friendly, easy-going and optimistic. They are curious and unusually patient and they are also the hardest-working people I have ever met.
In China, family is everything. In my English classes when the students were asked what they would do if they only had a few hours to live, most students told me how they would spend their last few hours with their families and parents. Many times the subjects in the classes center on families and friends. I teach many students a year, talking to them freely.
The cost of living here is very low compared with that of the US. The city of Xiang Fan I live in isn’t large and I live better. Non-imported(非出口的) foods are very cheap, so are clothing and articles of everyday use. The cost of public transportation is very low, too. Chinese value education. However, it is reported that many children can’t afford the expenses of schooling and are forced to leave school in some poor areas in China. But they organized Project Hope many years ago. It creates conditions for the poor children to go back to school. In my opinion, Project Hope is of great importance to the development of the rural education.
When we read news of China in the west, rarely, if ever, will we see anything mentioned of the positive changes China has gone through. While it is true that economic miracles have not reached many areas of China, but we also have the same problems.
When I am asked which country I consider better. China or the US, my answer has always been the same, “We are not worse or better than each other, we are only different.” How does the author find Chinese people ?
| A．He thinks most Chinese people hardly work. |
| B．He praises most Chinese people a lot. |
| C．He thinks most Chinese people are proud. |
| D．He dislikes most Chinese people. |
What are not cheap in China in the author’s opinion?
| A．Imported foods |
| B．Local foods |
| C．Public transportation tickets. |
| D．Clothes and shoes made in China. |
We can infer from the passage that the author thinks________.
| A．the westerners have got to know China well |
| B．China’s economic miracles have appeared everywhere |
| C．the education in rural areas is never cared about in China |
| D．the progress of China is seldom reported in the US |
In the author’ eyes,________.
| A．China is better than the US |
| B．China is different from the US |
| C．Americans are richer than Chinese |
| D．China bears great similarities to the US |
Very soon a computer will be able to teach you English. It will also be able to translate any language for you，too. It's just one more incredible result of the development of microprocessors - those tiny parts of a computer commonly known as "silicon chips". So give up going to classes, stop buying more textbooks and relax. In a couple of years you won't need the international language of English.
Already Texas Instruments in the United States is developing an electronic translation machine. Imagine a Spanish secretary, for example, who wants to type a letter from the boss to a businessman in Sweden. All he or she will have to do is this: first type the letter in Spanish. The letter will appear on a television screen. After a few seconds the translated letter will appear on another television screen in Stockholm in perfect Swedish.
And that's not all. Soon a computer will be able to teach you English, if you really want to learn the language. You'll sit in front of a television screen and practice endless structures. The computer will tell you when you are correct and when you are wrong. It will even talk to you because the silicon chips can change electrical impulses into sounds. And clever programmers can predict the responses you, the learner, are likely to make.
So think of it．You will be able to teach yourself at your own pace．You will waste very little time，and you can work at home．And if after all that，you still can't speak English，you can always use the translating machine．In a few years，therefore，perhaps there will be no need for BBC Modern English，or BBC English by Radio programmes - no more textbooks or teachers of English．Instead of buying an exciting new textbook，the computer will ask you to replace it with a microprocessor．Fast，reliable and efficient language learning and translating facilities will be available to you．Think of that，no more tears or embarrassing moments．One little problem is that a computer can't laugh yet - but the scientists are working on it．Happy learning！According to the writer, "you won't need the international language of English" because _____.
| A．learning English will no longer be a difficult task |
| B．textbooks are no longer necessary |
| C．it's better to buy a computer than to go to classes |
| D．the computer will be able to translate any language for you |
You will _____ if you use a computer to learn the language.
| A．waste much of your time |
| B． speak better English |
| C．need no translating machine |
| D．do everything at your own pace |
This passage is mainly about _____
| A．someone who learns English with the help of a computer |
| B．the computer teaching the language |
| C．fast, reliable and efficient language learning |
| D．what language learning could be like when computerized |
Caffeine not only gives us a daily jump start, but new research suggests it also can strengthen long-term memory.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly 90 percent of people worldwide consume about 200 milligrams of caffeine each day. That' s equivalent to about one strong cup of coffee a day. Writing in " Nature Neuroscience" , Johns Hopkins University researchers say their findings show that caffeine strengthens certain memories for up to 24 hours after being taken in.
" We've always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects (促智效果) , but its particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans, " said senior author of the paper Michael Yassa. " We re- port for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours. " Conducting a double-blind trial, the researchers worked with a test group of people who didn't regularly consume caffeinated products. Five minutes after studying a series of images, the test subjects were given either a placebo(无效对照剂) or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet.
To check the caffeine levels of their test subjects, the research team took saliva samples (唾液样品) from them before they took their tablets and again one, three and 24 hours afterwards.
Both groups of test participants ( those who took the placebo and those who took the caffeine tablet) were tested the following day to see if they could recognize the images they' d seen the previous day.
The test included showing the test subjects another series of images that included some new images , those that were shown the previous day, as well as other images that were similar, but not the same as those they had viewed earlier.
The researchers found that more members of the group who were given the caffeine tablets were able to correctly identify some of the new images as " similar" to previously viewed images rather than incorrectly identifying them as the same.
"We also know that caffeine is associated with health and longevity(长寿) and may have some protective effects from cognitive decline like Alzheimer' s disease (阿尔茨海默症). " said Yassa.
The purpose of the new research is ____________.
| A．to examine caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects in detail |
| B．to write the paper " Nature Neuroscience" |
| C．to prove caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects |
| D．to survey how much caffeine people consume a day |
During the research , the researchers did the following things EXCEPT ________.
| A．giving the test subjects placebos or caffeine tablets |
| B．checking the caffeine levels of the test subjects |
| C．showing the test subjects series of images |
| D．encouraging the test subjects to drink more coffee |
How did the test subjects show the caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects?
| A．By taking the caffeine tablets instead of placebos. |
| B．By recognizing images they ' d seen the previous day. |
| C．By identifying the new images as the same. |
| D．By telling the differences between new images. |
What will the next part of the text possibly talk about?
| A．Ways to achieve health and longevity. |
| B．The harmful effects of cognitive decline. |
| C．The treatment for Alzheimer' s disease. |
| D．The effects caffeine has on health. |
Here is an astonishing and significant fact: Mental work alone can’t make us tired. It sounds absurd. But a years ago, scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲劳). To the amazement of these scientists, they discovered that blood passing through the brain, when it is active, shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer, we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products. But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein, it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned, it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning. The brain is totally tireless. So what makes us tired?
Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional(情绪的) attitudes. One of England’s most outstanding scientists, J.A. Hadfield, says, “The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin. In fact, fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.” Dr. Brill, a famous American scientist, goes even further. He declares, “One hundred percent of the fatigue of sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired Joy Satisfaction No! A feeling of being bored, anger, anxiety, tenseness, worry, a feeling of not being appreciated---those are the emotions that tire sitting workers. Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue. We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.What surprised the scientists a few years ago?
| A．Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood. |
| B．The brain could work for many hours without fatigue. |
| C．Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn after a day’s work. |
| D．A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins. |
According to the author, which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
| A．Challenging mental work. | B．Endless tasks. |
| C．Physical labor. | D．Unpleasant emotions. |
Which of the following is properly used to describe the author’s attitude to the scientists’ idea?
| A．He hesitates to accept them. | B．He doubts them. |
| C．He argues against them. | D．He agrees with them. |
It is implied in the passage that in order to stay energetic, sitting workers need to ___________.
| A．enjoy their work | B．have some good food. |
| C．exercise regularly | D．discover fatigue toxins |
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