Soap is more popular in liquid form than in bars in the UK – but there are good reasons to stick with the old traditional way of keeping clean， says Gareth Rubin.
According to market research company Mintel， 87% of
Britons usually buy liquid soap， compared to only 13% who buy bars of it. And solid soap is losing the popularity. But why do some people still prefer traditional solid soap?
1. It’s what they’ve always known. 
Some people are just traditionalists. According to Mark Constantine， he thinks it’s always lovely when we’re using something that’s been about for 3，000 years. Solid soap has got a huge history and they’re very beautiful.
2. Solid soap is more pleasant.
Smelling a plastic bottle doesn’t feel very comfortable， while you can get bars of different textures and smells – some bars have sea salt， nuts， fruits or flowers in them for a bit of a surprise. Others come in beautiful or even funny shapes and sizes. You can tie attractive bars of soap up in silk ribbons (丝带) and present them as a gift to a loved one – the effect isn’t quite the same when you do this with a liquid soap.
3. Less packaging (包装) is better for the planet.
All those bottles has to come from somewhere and go somewhere. Recycling can only do so much， whereas typically a bar of soap comes in a little paper wrapper and that’s it. If you care about the environment， you can even buy bars of soap without paper around them. “And about 60% of the cost of a bottle of soap goes on the packaging and the pump (泵头).” says Constantine.
4. The bottles are a little bit difficult.
You can hold a bar of soap in one hand and it works. With the bottles you first have to use both hands to unlock the pump， and shut your eyes to the liquid slowly dropping the sticky thing onto your bathroom floor. When the bar of soap runs down， you can still use it until it is no more， but with the liquid soap it is a difficult task to get the last drop out of the bottom. According to market research company Mintel， ______.
| A．solid soap is as popular as liquid soap |
| B．more people refuse to buy liquid soap |
| C．solid soap is becoming less popular |
| D．solid soap is better for the planet |
Compared to solid soap， liquid soap ______.
| A．has less packaging |
| B．has a much longer history |
| C．is more pleasant in smells |
| D．has less funny shapes and sizes |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．Liquid soap is not worth the price according to Constantine. |
| B．A bottle of liquid soap cannot be a present for a friend. |
| C．More people will buy solid soap without silk ribbons. |
| D．It’s impossible to use up the liquid soap in a bottle. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．People’s preference to soap is changing. |
| B．Liquid soap is still liked by many Britons. |
| C．The advantages and disadvantages of solid soap. |
| D．The reasons why some people still prefer solid soap. |
When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence "How do you do?" as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation (翻译)? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language.
Languages do not just have different sounds, they are different in many ways. It’s important to master(掌握) the rules(规则) for word order (顺序) in the study of English, too. If the speaker puts words in a wrong order, the listener can’t understand the speaker’s sentence easily.Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes. But sometimes the order is changed, the meaning of the sentence doesn’t change.
Let’s see the difference between the two sentences:"She only likes apples. " "Only she likes apples. "
When you are learning English, you must use it as the English speaker does.From the passage we know that _______when we are learning English.
| A．we shouldn’t put every word into our own language |
| B．we should look up (查阅) every word in the dictionary |
| C．we need to put every word into our own language |
| D．we must read word by word |
The writer thinks it is________in learning English.
| A．difficult to understand different sounds |
| B．possible to remember the word order |
| C．important to master the rules in different ways |
| D．easy to master the rules for word order |
We can learn from the passage that_______.
| A．the meaning of an English sentence always changes with the order of the words |
| B．the order of words can never change the meaning of an English sentence |
| C．sometimes different order of words has a different meaning |
| D．if the order of words is different, the meaning of the sentence must be different |
What’s your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to visit the world. So we visit travel companies, compare prices, and pay our money.
We know what our vacation costs us. But do we know what it might cost someone else? It’s true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income. Unfortunately, though, tourism often harms the local(本地的) people more than it helps them.
It might cost their homes and lands. In Myanmar, 5,200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas(佛塔) in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas.
Tourism might also cost the local people their jobs and dignity(尊严). Local workers often find only low-paying jobs in the tourist industry. And most of the money do not help the local economy（经济）. Instead, money return to the tour operators in richer countries, When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to poor places of the city. Others now make a little money selling things or acting for photos.
Problems like these were noticed more than 20 years ago. But now tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them. Tourists, too, are putting on the pressure.
The result is “ethical（合乎职业道德的）tourism”. Ethical tourism has people at its heart. New international agreements and rules can help protect the people’s lands, homes, economies and cultures. The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex(复杂的).
But take heart. The good news is that everyone, including us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit. Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn the money they should get.
They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotel, restaurants and guide services. They can share some money to help the local economy. And they can help the local people plan and manage tourism.
What can tourists do? First, we can ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local people. We can then make our choices and tell them why. And while we’re abroad, we can:
Buy local foods and products.
Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain for the cheapest price.
Ask before taking photographs of people.
They are not just part of the scenery!
Let’s enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too. Which of the following is not mentioned?
| A．Local people protected the pagodas in Bagan well. |
| B．Tourists may stay in hotels opened by local people. |
| C．Local people are mainly provided with low-paying work. |
| D．Tourists had better not bargain with local people for a cheap price. |
The underlined phrase "take heart" means" ".
| A．pay attention | B．take care | C．cheer up | D．give up |
According to the passage, the writer thinks .
| A．tourism is not a promising industry |
| B．dream vacations should be spent abroad |
| C．the problems caused by tourism are easy to settle |
| D．tourists should respect local customs and cultures |
What is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Tourism Causes Bad Effects. | B．Tourism Calls for Good Behavior. |
| C．Vacations Bring a Lot of Fun. | D．Vacations Cost More Than You Think. |
Thinking is something you choose to do as a fish chooses to live in water. To be human is to think. But thinking may come naturally without your knowing how you do it. Thinking about thinking is the key to critical(批判性的) thinking. When you think critically, you take control of your thinking processes（过程）. Otherwise, you might be controlled by the ideas of others. Indeed, critical thinking is at the heart of education.
The word “critical” here has a special meaning. It does not mean taking one view against another view, as when someone criticizes another person for doing something wrong. The nature of critical thinking is thinking beyond the easily seen--beyond the pictures on TV, the untrue reports in the newspapers, and the faulty reasoning.
Critical thinking is an attitude as much as an activity. If you are interested in life and want to dig deeper into it, you are a critical thinker. If you find pleasure in deep thinking about different ideas, characters, and facts, you are a critical thinker.
Activities of the mind and higher-order reasoning（推理）are processes of deep and careful consideration. They take time, and do not go hand in hand with the fast speed in today’s world: fast foods, instant coffee, and self-developing film. If you are among the people who believe that speed is a measure（尺度）of intelligence（智慧）, you may learn something new from a story about Albert Einstein. The first time Banesh Hoffman, a scientist, was to discuss his work with Albert Einstein. Hoffman was too nervous to speak. But Einstein immediately made Hoffman feel comfortable by saying, “Please go slowly. I don’t understand things quickly.” Critical thinking is important to us because if we do not think critically, _______.
| A．it will be hard for us to think naturally and fast |
| B．we might be controlled by other people’s ideas |
| C．we will follow the ideas of others naturally |
| D．we might be fooled by other people’s ideas |
If you are a critical thinker, you will ________.
| A．take one view against another view |
| B．trust the reports in the newspapers |
| C．think deeply about different ideas |
| D．criticize other people for their mistakes |
In the last paragraph, “something new” suggests that ________.
| A．speed can improve intelligence |
| B．intelligence is not decided by speed |
| C．the smarter you are, the faster you do things |
| D．the faster you do things, the smarter you become |
Tom arrived at the bus station quite early for Paris bus. The bus for Paris would not leave until five to twelve. He saw a lot of people waiting in the station. Some were standing in line, others were walking around. There was a group of schoolgirls. Their teacher was trying to keep them in line. Tom looked around but there was no place for him to sit.
He walked into the station cafe. He looked up at the clock there. It was only twenty to twelve. He found a seat and sat down before a large mirror on the wall. Just then, Mike, one of Tom’s workmates, came in and sat with Tom.
“What time is your bus?” asked Mike.
“There’s plenty of time yet,” answered Tom.
“Well, I’ll get you some more tea then,” said Mike.
They talked while drinking. Then Tom looked at the clock again. “Oh! It’s going backward(倒行)!” he cried. “A few minutes ago it was twenty to twelve and now it’s half past eleven.”
“You’re looking at the clock in the mirror.” said Mike. Tom was so sad. The next bus was not to leave for another hour. Since then Tom has never liked mirrors.The bus for Paris would leave at____________.
| A．12: 05 | B．11: 55 | C．11: 30 | D．11: 40 |
Tom went into the station cafe because ______.
| A．Mike asked him to have a cup of tea |
| B．he didn’t like to stay with the schoolgirls |
| C．it was quite early and he could find a seat there |
| D．he wanted to have a drink with his workmate there |
____________, so he was sad.
| A．There was something wrong with the clock |
| B．Tom couldn’t arrive in Paris on time |
| C．Tom couldn’t have coffee with Mike |
| D．The train arrived late that day |
Tom is a very popular young man. He has many friends. He has got four invitations. Here are his replies.
From the replies, we learn that Jim likes _______.
| A．going to parties | B．listening to pop music |
| C．dancing with Tom | D．playing tennis |
Tom will go to the dance with_______.
| A．Kate | B．Susan | C．Jim | D．Cary |
Tom will go to Susan’s birthday party _______.
| A．on Saturday evening | B．this evening |
| C．on Thursday evening | D．on Sunday evening |
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