B
Taste is such a subjective matter that we don’t usually conduct preference tests for food．The most you can say about anyone’s preference is that it’s one person’s opinion．But because the two big cola companies-Coca-Cola and Pepsi Cola-are marketed so aggressively, we’ve wondered how big a role taste preference actually plays in brand loyalty．We set up a taste test that challenged people who identified themselves as either Coca-cola or Pepsi fans: Find your brand in a blind tasting．
We invited staff volunteers who had a strong liking for either Coca-Cola Classic or Pepsi, Diet Coke, or Diet Pepsi．These were people who thought they’d have no trouble telling their brand from the other brand．
We eventually located 19 regular cola drinkers and 27 diet cola drinkers．Then we fed them with four unidentified samples of cola one at a time, regular colas for the one group, diet versions for the other．We asked them to tell us whether each sample was Coke or Pepsi; then we analyzed the records statistically to compare the participants’ choices with what mere guesswork could have accomplished．
Getting all four samples right was a tough test, but not too tough, we thought, for people who believed they could recognize their brand．In the end, only 7 out of 19 regular cola drinkers correctly identified their brand of choice in all four trials．The diet-cola drinkers did a little worse-only 7 out of 27 identified all four samples correctly．
Both groups did better than chance would predict, but nearly half the participants in each group made the wrong choice two or more times．Two people got all four samples wrong．Overall, half the participants did about as well on the last round of tasting as on the first, so tiredness, or taste burnout, was not a factor．Our preference test results suggest that only a few Pepsi participants and Coke fans may really be able to tell their favorite brand by taste and price．
41．According to the passage the preference test was conducted in order to ________．
A．show that a person’s opinion about taste is mere guesswork
B．compare the ability of the participants in choosing their drinks
C．find out the role taste preference plays in a person’s drinking
D．reveal which cola is more to the liking of the drinkers
42．The statistics recorded in the preference tests show that________．
A．there is not much difference in taste between Coca-Cola and Pepsi
B．few people had trouble telling Coca-Cola from Pepsi
C．people’s tastes differ from one another
D．Coca-Cola and Pepsi are people’s two most favorite drinks
43．It is implied in the first paragraph that________．
A．the competition between the two colas is very strong
B．blind tasting is necessary for identifying fans
C．the purpose of taste test is to promote the sale of colas
D．the improvement of quality is the chief concern of the two cola companies
44．The underlined word “burnout” here refers to the state of________．
A．being seriously burnt in the skin
B．being badly damaged by fire
C．being unable to burn for lack of fuel
D．being unable to function because of too much use
45．The author’s purpose in writing this passage is to________．
A．emphasize that taste and price are closely related to each other
B．recommend that blind tasting be introduced in the quality control of colas
C．show that taste preference is highly subjective
D．argue that taste testing is an important marketing strategy
You will enjoy a wonderful summer vacation with these easy tips.
1. Fly into Alternate Airports
Most major destinations are served by more than one airport. Flying into a less popular one can result in cheaper tickets. Another added perk of quieter airports? Shorter check-in and security lines, and less waiting around.
2. Use Public Transportation for City Travel to Save Time and Money
When possible, take public transportation from the airport to your hotel. For example, the London-Heathrow express train takes just 15 minutes to get from airport to city and costs under 20 pounds. By contrast, “A taxi costs about 70 pounds and takes 40 minutes,” reports DiScala.
3. Eat Smart, Explore…and Save
Look for ways to take your order in pricey restaurants and you can avoid “Are we about to run out of money?” “Don’t order an appetizer. Don’t drink a lot of booze,” says DiScala.
Also, cover more ground by spreading out your snack places. “Have dessert at a café or ice cream stand, instead of at the dinner restaurant,” suggests DiScala. You’ll see more of the city and decisions about where to go for dinner will be less worrying.
4. Hit the Market
Much like reading the local newspaper, visiting a market gives context to a foreign country. Even the smallest villages tend to have a weekly open-air market(often on Saturday mornings), while in larger towns and cities, expect additional market days, as well as big supermarkets.
Markets also sell amazing, wallet-friendly souvenirs. Think about sea salt, local spices or sauces, and regional oils and vinegars. Eatable gifts are almost always appreciated, saving you the stress of finding the “perfect” gift for each person on your list.The passage aims to tell the readers how to________.
| A．take a plane without waiting for long |
| B．spend your holidays abroad economically |
| C．eat in a pricey restaurant at the smallest expense |
| D．save money to buy eatable gifts in a foreign market |
What does the underlined word “perk” in Line 4 mean?
| A．Special benefit. | B．Strict standard. |
| C．Common scene. | D．Extra trouble. |
Which of the following will best help you save time and money?
| A．Choosing a bigger airport. |
| B．Visiting local markets. |
| C．Having dinner at the hotel. |
| D．Taking an express train. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Having coffee at a cafe will cost more money. |
| B．Souvenirs bought at local markets are expensive. |
| C．You will run out of your money if you eat out. |
| D．Markets help you understand your tourist destination. |
As an American artist and writer of children’s books, Tasha Tudor’s art and nineteenth-century lifestyle have fascinated adults and children for decades. She received many awards and honors for her contributions to children’s literature. When people talk about her creativity in artwork, she said, “I do it to support my dogs and my four children.” Her great publishing record, the number of magazine stories that have been written about her over the years, and her admirers have no effects on her at all.
Much of Tasha’s artwork and her reading are done in the wintertime. “I love winter. It’s delightful,” she says. “I don’t have to go anywhere because I work at home. If I’m snowed in, I can stay this way for months.” She hopes for early, deep snow to protect her garden from the hardship of the New England winter, and when it comes she puts on snowshoes when she needs to get down the mile-long dirt path that leads to the road.
Given her enjoyment of winter and her fantasy(梦幻)way of life, it’s not surprising that Tasha’s Christmas is a storybook holiday. She hangs flowers over the front door. Her tree comes from the woods, and it goes up on Christmas Eve, lit by homemade candles and decorated with her great- grandmother’s collection that dates from 1850. In a place of honor on the tree are large cookies cut into the shapes of her animals.
The grandchildren and friends get presents from Tasha’s old dolls; so do the animals and they have their own Christmas tree. “Of course, it’s a known fact that all the animals talk on Christmas Eve,” she has written. Small, handmade gifts fill a big wooden box.
At the end of each year, Tasha can look back and know that her life is perfect, that she has again ignored the twentieth century, and that the magic continues. And for the rest of us，here’s a bit of advice, Tasha style: “Nowadays, people are so restless. If they took some tea anti spent more time rocking on the porch(门廊) in the evening listening to light music, they might enjoy life more.”
Tasha loved winter because it allowed her to ________.
| A．read stories to her grandchildren |
| B．show her DIY snowshoes to kids |
| C．stay indoors working mid reading |
| D．enjoy bicycle tiding along the path |
From the passage, we can learn that Tasha’s life is ________.
| A．modern and fashionable |
| B．simple and fantastic |
| C．lonely and hard |
| D．adventurous and inspiring |
Which of the following is TRUE about Tasha?
| A．She cared little about fame. |
| B．She created an animal fund. |
| C．She wrote many stories for magazines. |
| D．She bought presents for her relatives. |
In which section of a paper can you probably read the article?
| A．Travel. | B．Sports. | C．Economy. | D．People. |
Indeed, many failures are experienced in our lives and the effect could be extremely unpleasant. I do have a share of my experience and you might have yours too. As the sayings goes, “Experience is the best teacher.” Many people believe it’s the other way around. Experience, in fact, can be the worst teacher since it takes the first before you learn the lesson.
Often, when people around us try to comfort us that we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves, we say “sure”, yet we are doing otherwise. We are becoming too hard on ourselves because failure is something that wouldn’t leave your mind quickly. Failure is something that can make you regret spending money, time, and effort but all go down the drain. But it is common everywhere and it usually leads us to success.
“There were once two prison men sitting behind the bars. One saw mud while the other saw stars.” In this story, those two prison men were paying the costs of their actions. However, as they faced their situation, one prisoner was completely defeated by his depression. But the other prisoner held his head up with his hopes and dreams. As you may well notice, failure happens, but people deal with it quite differently.
However, true failure comes in when you react negatively to the situation. True failure is about giving up completely. It is about being unable to recognize that if you look at the midnight skies, the stars are still shinning. See, no matter how disheartening and discouraging your fall was true failure is about not getting up and not moving on. You must accept failure as a great opportunity for you to learn. You will also be able to learn from the failures of other people. But it’s your own failure that will help you meaningfully.
| A．experience is really good at teaching |
| B．the best teacher usually experiences a lot |
| C．something valuable can be learned from failure |
| D．the worst teacher can teach you how to be successful |
| A．listing some true facts |
| B．mentioning a story |
| C．showing some figures |
| D．blaming the two prison men |
| A．We can’t live without failure |
| B．It is easy to get rid of failure |
| C．People should try to avoid failure |
| D．People should treat failure properly |
| A．Failure opens the door to learning |
| B．Experience is interesting and pleasant |
| C．Success is not easy for us to achieve |
| D．Everything comes from failure |
New Zealand
【What can you see? Mountains, volcanoes, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, forests, beaches. Both islands are mountainous. In fact, only 30% of New Zealand is flat.】
The Maoris
When the Maoris first arrived in New Zealand, they lived in villages and were excellent fishermen, hunters and farmers. About 50 years ago many Maoris started to live and work in the large cities and took jobs in government, industries, medicine and education. They are proud of their culture and are determined to keep many of the customs which are part of their way of life.
Who can you meet? Most people live on North Island. Eighty-five percent of New Zealanders are “pakeha” (“white men”), which means their “great grandfathers” came from Europe. Ten percent are Maoris. The Maoris came to New Zealand from the Polynesian islands probably around the tenth century. The “pakeha” started to arrive in New Zealand from Europe about 200 years ago as farmers and traders.
Fact box: New Zealand
Position: South of the Equator ;
Nearest neighbor: Australia, 1600 km away.
Size: Two main islands — North Island and South Island: together they are 268.680 sq. km.
Population: 4 million
Capital: Wellington
Languages: English and Maori
| A．20% of the population being Maoris. |
| B．Four million white people. |
| C．About 1600 km south of the Equator. |
| D．Nearly 1/3 of the country being plains. |
| A．1000 years ago. | B．200 years ago. |
| C．85 years ago. | D．50 years ago. |
| A．Living in small villages. | B．Developing farming skills. |
| C．Keeping their own culture. | D．Taking up government jobs. |
When Frida Kahlo’s paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “a ribbon (丝带)around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City, Kahlo suffered from polio (小儿麻痹症)at the age of seven. Her spine (脊柱)became bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influence on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and 1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last.
| A．a far better artist |
| B．a far more gifted artist |
| C．a much stronger person |
| D．a much more famous person |
| A．polio | B．her bent spine |
| C．back injuries | D．the operations she had |
| A．1930s | B．1940s |
| C．1950s | D．1970s |
| A．Devotion | B．Sympathy |
| C．Worry | D．Encouragement |