Why is the sea salt? Long before we discovered scientific ways of thinking about it, we explained it in a story. Even though the answer isn’t scientific, it holds some other truth in it — especially about the human heart.
Long ago, a poor old couple lived on the coast. One day, an old storyteller came to their village. The old couple gave him a meal. In return, he gave them a coffee mill (磨粉机) and said, “Say, ‘Mill, please grind (磨粉)’,” and it’ll make whatever you want, to stop it, say ‘Mill, please cease (停止) grinding’.”
Soon the old couple had a much better life. They’d been happy people, and they didn’t need much more. But the young couple next door were never satisfied. When they saw the old couple wearing good clothes and buying good food, they burnt with envy (羡慕). So one day, the young husband went to the old couple’s house secretly and heard, “Mill, please grind hot chocolate!” He was surprised to see it coming out.
Then the young couple stole the mill from the old couple. With it, they rode a horse and set off down the coast, where no one would know them. Along the way, the husband showed proudly and asked, “What do you want it to make?” “Oh. I don’t know. Why not salt?” the wife said. “Mill, please grind salt!” he said. “It works!” the wife shouted. But then they noticed the salt went everywhere. “Make it stop,” the wife said. But the husband didn’t know how. “Mill, please stop grinding! Please, no more!” His words didn’t work. The mill kept grinding. Finally, the young husband threw the mill into the sea as far as he could.
And there it’s been, for hundreds of years, endlessly grinding salt. That’s why the sea is salt.
(1). The passage is probably a(n) ________.
| A． |
folk story |
B． |
instruction |
C． |
science fiction |
D． |
science report |
(2). Put the things happened to the mill in correct order.
a. It began to produce salt. b. The young husband threw it.
c. The young couple stole it. d. The old couple got it.
| A． |
b-d-a-c |
B． |
b-a-d-c |
C． |
d-a-c-b |
D． |
d-c-a-b |
(3). What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A． |
The coffee. |
B． |
The horse. |
C． |
The mill. |
D． |
The chocolate. |
(4). How did the young husband’s feelings change?
| A． |
sorry — sad — excited |
B． |
thirsty — excited — afraid |
| C． |
happy — nervous — proud |
D． |
surprised — thankful — happy |
(5). What does the word “truth” in Paragraph 1 imply (暗指)?
| A． |
Being patient. |
B． |
Working properly. |
C． |
Being satisfied. |
D． |
Listening carefully. |
Why do you think people who live in some hot countries eat very spicy(辛辣的)food? Is it because the spices make the food taste better? Is it just because their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents liked hot food，or is there some connection between spices and healthy food? Researchers from Cornell University think that it is because spice plants have some important chemicals. These chemicals can kill bacteria(细菌)which spoil food．
“Most common spices can kill 75 to 100 percent of the bacteria in food，”explains one of the scientists．The bacteria grow more easily and spoil(变质)food more quickly at higher temperatures．For this reason，it is more difficult to keep food from spoiling in hot climates，
Do you like your food spicy? Your answer probably tells something about the country you come from．If you like spicy food，it is possible that hundreds of years ago，when there were no fridges，people in your country started using spices to keep the food from spoiling．The traditional spicy dishes helped those people to live longer，healthier lives．Today，in a time of fridges，the spices just make the food taste good．The chemicals in spices keep food from spoiling by_________．
| A．making food taste better |
| B．making food hotter |
| C．preventing bacteria getting into food |
| D．killing bacteria in food |
Food goes bad more quickly in hot climates because_______．
| A．cold temperature makes bacteria |
| B．bacteria get used to hot food |
| C．high temperature helps bacteria grow faster |
| D．bacteria spoil food only at high temperature |
According to the passage，spices are useful in the following things except_____．
| A．helping you to live longer |
| B．helping to keep you healthier |
| C．making your food taste better |
| D．taking the place of fridges |
Millions of British people have ditched the traditional “thank you” and took the place of it with the less formal(正式的) “cheers”, according to a survey.
Although the common person will say “thank you” nearly 5,000 times a year, one in three are more likely to add a “cheers” or “ta” where it’s needed to show they are fashionable.
One in twenty now say “nice one” instead, while the younger are more likely to offer a “cool” than a “thank you”.
“Merci”, “fab” and even “gracias” were also listed as common expressions to use, as “much appreciated(感激)”.
One in twenty who took part in the survey of 2,000 people by the Food Network UK for Thank You Day, which is marked on November 24, 2011, said a formal “thank you” was now not often needed in everyday conversation. More than one in ten adults said they regularly(有规律地) won’t say thank you if they are in a bad mood. Most people stated(陈述) that saying thank you was something that their parents trained them. A huge 70 percent of those who are questioned will say thank you to a person’s face without even meaning it, while one fifth avoid(避免)saying it when they know they should.
It seems our friends and family get the stress of our bad manners. Half of them admit (承认) they’re not good at thanking those closest to them. Many of them explain that they don’t say thank you because their family “already know I’m thankful”.
When spoken words won’t do, it falls to a nice text to do the job for most people.
One third will still send a handwritten thank-you note---but 45 percent admit it’s been more than six months since they tried to send one.
A quarter of British people say “thank you” with food, with 23 percent cooking a meal to show their appreciation to someone. Another 15 percent make a cake.
It follows that 85 percent of people will be angry because of not getting the gratitude (感激)they feel they should receive. Most of the people who took part in the survey say that they say “thank you” _______.
| A．when they are in good mood |
| B．completely out of habit |
| C．when they feel truly grateful |
| D．purely out of politeness |
The underlined word “ditched” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.
| A．gave up | B．used | C．shared | D．knew |
It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．different ways of expressing gratitude are all fashionable |
| B．people should avoid saying “thank you” nowadays |
| C．a thank-you note is still appreciated by many people |
| D．people in a bad mood never say “thank you” |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Most people express their gratitude to others by buying food for them. |
| B．About fifty percent of people try not to say thank you when they should. |
| C．Most people may feel natural when they fail to receive others’ gratitude. |
| D．Many people think it unnecessary to say thanks to their family members. |
It seems that there’s a good reason why dogs are always seen as man’s best friend. Scientists have found that dogs are the only animals that can read emotion(情感)in faces much like humans. The finding suggests that like an understanding friend, dogs can see if we are happy, sad, pleased or angry.
When humans look at a new face, their eyes usually look across the left, falling on the right hand side of the person’s face first. A possible reason for this is that the right side of the human face is better at expressing emotions.
Scientists have now shown that pet dogs also have “left gaze bias(左视偏好)”, but only when looking at human faces. No other animal has been known to do like this before. Dr. Kun Guo with his team showed 17 dogs the pictures of human, dog and monkey faces as well as something else. The dogs’ eyes and heads show a strong left gaze bias when the animals see human faces. But this did not happen when they were shown other pictures, including those of dogs.
Guo suggests that over thousands of years living with humans, dogs may have developed the left gaze bias as a way to guess our emotions.
“Recent studies show that the right side of our faces can express emotions better than the left. If true, then it makes sense for dogs and humans to see the right hand side of a face first.”Why are dogs seen as man’s best friend according to the passage?
| A．Because dogs are the closest animals to humans. |
| B．Because dogs can read the emotions in humans’ faces easily. |
| C．Because dogs can understand us better when we feel sad. |
| D．Because dogs are good at expressing emotions. |
The dogs’ left gaze bias helps them _______.
| A．get along well with humans |
| B．express emotions quickly |
| C．have more understanding friends |
| D．remember more new faces |
The passage mainly wants to tell us that _______.
| A．dogs have been man’s best friends for thousands of years |
| B．humans have a “left gaze bias” |
| C．the “left gaze bias” works on all animals |
| D．dogs can read emotions the same as humans |
Sir Steven Redgrave—Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病), believing the profession(职业) trained for the whole of my life ended, I felt very sorry. Then one of my friends said there was no reason why I should stop training. That was it—the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering—Swimming World Champion (冠军)
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that amount（总数） of work by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a profession in any field without being well-organized. Make a list of what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kristen Stewart—Actress
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve anything. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to give most of your attention to one thing. When I feel nervous, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and improves my confidence. This is a habit and is a powerful psychological(心理学的) tool.”The underlined word “ distractions” probably means ________.
| A．good habits | B．things that make one tired |
| C．words to enjoy | D．things that turn one’s attention away |
The same character of the three people is________.
| A．humour | B．happiness |
| C．self-confidence | D．wisdom |
The best title for the passage is ________.
| A．Health and Food | B．How to Be a Winner |
| C．Difficulties and Habits | D．Be a Sportsman |
Three rich ladies met every day by the river. They sat there and talked the whole day. Once the three ladies quarreled(争吵). One of them said. “Look, how white and beautiful my hands are!” Another one said, “My hands are more beautiful.” The third one said, “Mine are the most beautiful ones.” An old beggar（乞丐） woman came up to them. “Beautiful ladies,” she said, “I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.”
But the three ladies gave her nothing. They only asked, “Tell me, old woman, which one of us has the most beautiful hands?”
A peasant（农民）woman was also sitting by the river. She was poor and her hands were rough（粗糙的） because of hard work. The old woman came up to her and said, “I’m hungry. Please give me something to eat.” The peasant woman took out her only cake she had and gave her a half.
The old woman ate it and drank some water. Then she took the peasant woman by the hand, brought her before the rich ladies and said, “Now, I shall tell you whose hands are the most beautiful. The hands of the poor peasant woman are rough because of work, but they give us food; they are far more beautiful than your hands which have never done anything.” The three ladies ___________.
| A．had a quarrel every day |
| B．were rich but unkind |
| C．had a talk about their hands every day |
| D．lived by the side of the river |
The old woman asked for something to eat, ___________.
| A．but none of the three rich ladies gave anything to her |
| B．but only one of the three ladies gave her half a cake |
| C．because she wanted to know whose hands were beautiful |
| D．because she wanted to know which lady was the richest |
The peasant woman’s hands were not so white as the three ladies’ ___________.
| A．because of the hard work she had done |
| B．but she was stronger than any of them |
| C．so she didn’t quarrel with the three ladies |
| D．but she was more beautiful than the beggar |
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