People are being invited to sit down to eat with their neighbors in a nationwide lunch party designed to promote community spirit. The Big Lunch is the idea of the Eden Project in Cornwall. It aims to persuade people up and down the country to hold street lunch parties.
Tens of thousands of vegetables, fruits and flowers were used to construct a giant 2,000-square-foot lunch invitation in London’s Convent Garden. More than 9,000 cauliflowers and 800 bananas were used.
According to the organizers, people who decide to take part in the activity will get support from large companies which will supply many of the necessities, including plants to be given out to people to grow. The organizers think that the Big Lunch is a great opportunity for people to get together and spend time with their neighbors, friends and families. Events like this also help build strong communities. People can show their talents, get over their embarrassment, shake hands and get to know their neighbors, and realize that the neighborhood where they live can be a great source of happiness and enjoyment.
The Eden Project’s leader, Tim Smith, says, “It’s a good way to face this recession. Imagine a day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together with our neighbors in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks, and on every patch of common ground. We’ll have cooked our own food, made our own entertainment, and created our own decorations. It will be a day to share bread with our neighbors, and put a smile on Britain’s face.”
62. The Big Lunch aims to _____.
A. persuade people to eat healthy food B. encourage people to cook at home
C. help poor people in the community D. develop community spirit
63. Which of the following is false?
A. Large companies will give participants enough money to hold the lunch parties.
B. The Big Lunch may be a good opportunity to show talents and make friends.
C. The Big Lunch is a nationwide activity designed by The Eden Project.
D. The giant lunch invitation in London used a lot of vegetables, fruits and flowers.
64. Big Lunch is a good opportunity for people to _____.
A. enjoy free food B. have fun with neighbors and families
C. shop on the street D. eat without cooking
65. The underlined word “recession” in the last paragraph probably means_____.
A. nice environment B. grand ceremony
C. rapid progress D. economic decline
We were driving on the right road when, all of a sudden, a black car pulled out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver stepped on his brake, skidded(打滑), and missed the black car’s back end by just inches! The driver of the black car, who almost caused a major accident, turned his head angrily and started shouting bad words at us.
My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, my taxi driver was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to hospital!” And the following is what my taxi driver told me, which I now call “the law of the Garbage Truck”.
“Many people are like garbage(垃圾) trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump(倾卸)it. And if you let them, they dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish him well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier.”
So this is “The Law of the Garbage Truck”. I started thinking: How often do I let “Garbage Trucks” run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was then that I said, “I’m not going to do it any more.”
I began to see “Garbage Trucks”. I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my taxi driver, I don’t make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, and move on.
Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. What about you? The mark of a successful person is how quickly he can get back his focus on what’s important.Who acted like a garbage truck in the accident described in the first two paragraphs?
A.The author. | B.The driver of the black car. | C.The taxi driver. | D.Both drivers. |
The reason why the taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy is that ______.
A.the black car was full of garbage |
B.the driver of the black car didn’t cause any damage to the taxi |
C.the taxi driver didn’t want his mood ruined |
D.the driver of the black car was angry and the taxi driver felt a little frightened |
The underlined part “the load” in Paragraph 5 refers to _____.
A.waste materials | B.excitement | C.new products | D.bad mood |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.Always be kind and hardworking. |
B.Try to be good leaders as well as good parents. |
C.Ignore unpleasantness and stick to(坚持) your tasks. |
D.Do things quickly so as to be ready for the next. |
Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
A second study ,looking at nearly 1000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year -olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood .But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don’t ride out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年轻人)may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages 5 and 15. These with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per week night during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school.
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest.
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedroomsAccording to the California study, the low-scoring group might ____________ .
A.have had computers in their bedrooms | B.not be interested in math |
C.be unable to go to college | D.have watched a lot of TV |
What is the researchers’ understanding of the New Zealand study results?
A.The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain |
B.Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest |
C.TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. |
D.Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV. |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A.More time should be spent on computers. |
B.TV sets shouldn't be allowed in children’s bedrooms. |
C.Children should be forbidden from watching TV. |
D.Further studies on high-achieving students should be done |
What would be the best title for this text?
A.Computers or Television | B.Studies on TV and College Education |
C.Effects of Television on Children | D.Television and Children’s Learning Habits |
It was Monday. Mrs. Smith’s dog was hungry, but there was not any meat in the house. Considering that there was no better way, Mrs. Smith took a piece of paper, and wrote the following words on it “Give my dog half a pound of meat.” Then she gave the paper to her dog and said gently, “Take this to the butcher(屠夫), and he’s going to give you your lunch today.” Holding the piece of paper in its mouth, the dog ran to the butcher’s. It gave the paper to the butcher. The butcher read it carefully, recognized that it was really the lady’s handwriting and soon did it as he was asked to. The dog was very happy, and ate the meat up at once. At noon, the dog came to the shop again. It gave the butcher a piece of paper again. After reading it, he gave it half a pound of meat once more. The next day, the dog came again exactly at noon. And as usual, it brought a piece of paper in the mouth. This time, the butcher did not take a look at paper, and gave the dog its meat, for he had regarded the dog as one of his customers(顾客). But, the dog came again at four o’clock. And the same thing happened once again. To the butcher’s more surprise, it came for the third time at six o’clock, and brought with it a third piece of paper. The butcher felt a bit puzzled. He said to himself, “This is a small dog. Why does Mrs. Smith give it so much meat to eat today?”
Looking at the piece of paper, he found that there were not any words on it!The little dog went to the butcher’s ________ altogether during the two days.
A.three times | B.four times | C.five times | D.six times |
The butcher did not give any meat to the dog __________.
A. before he felt sure that the words were really written by Mrs. Smith on Monday
B when he found that the words on the paper were not clear
C. because he had sold out all the meat in his shop
D. until he was paid enough by Mrs. SmithFrom the story, we can know that the dog was very ___________.
A.honest | B.kind | C.clever | D.foolish |
At the end of the story, you’ll find that __________.
A.the dog was clever enough to write on the paper |
B.the dog dared not go to the butcher’s any more |
C.the butcher was told not to give any meat to the dog |
D.the butcher found himself cheated by the dog |
One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister.On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend.I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children.Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out.I called home with this happy news.But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m.,when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone.“I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside.Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a winter night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered.“Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone.I was not my usual calm, rational(理智的)self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers.“Where are the children?” I said.He said they were with him.They had done nothing wrong.My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake.This was too good to be believed. Well, it turns out that I shouldn’t have believed it.It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday.My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts.Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions.They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.The author went out and left her eldest son in charge of the younger children because.
A.she knew that her eldest son was a good baby-sitter |
B.she thought it no hard work to take care of the younger ones |
C.she believed he could do well with his girlfriend’s help |
D.she could not find a baby-sitter on that winter night |
When the author called home that evening, she found that .
A.two younger children had already been in bed |
B.the children were preparing a birthday gift for her |
C.her son was quarrelling with his girlfriend |
D.there was no one answering the telephone |
What might the children do that evening?
A.They had a birthday party. | B.They framed some photographs. |
C.They had their pictures taken. | D.They made some beautiful clothes. |
What does the author intend to tell us by the story?
A.Modern teenagers are not worth trusting. |
B.It is no easy job to look after young children. |
C.It’s no good to have a girlfriend at an early age. |
D.Her children have a caring and tender heart. |
A three-year independent investigation into the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon has yielded new eyewitness evidence which, according to the Southern California-based researchers who conducted the investigation conclusively (and unfortunately), establishes as a historical fact that the violence which took place in Arlington that day was not the result of a surprise attack by suicide hijackers, but rather a military black operation involving a carefully planned and skillfully executed deception."
A CNN Reporter at the scene states that there is no evidence that a 757 hit the Pentagon.
What hit the Pentagon? A Boeing 757 loaded with passengers and fuel right? Who was on Flight 757? According to the Flight Information there were No Arabs on it. That makes me wonder if Flight 757 actually existed at all.
From the pictures and the videos, people can find that there are several doubtful points that need to be taken into consideration, for example the marker line on the grass in the satellite and ground pictures, the different colors of the smoke, the hole which the plane impacted, and the standing pylons (架线塔).
Also, from the comparison of the different pictures, people can find some other strange points. For example, the gear (齿轮) is not the matching one. The wreckage of the plane is not the one from the American Airlines. The glass on the pavement of the pole is another doubtful point. The last thing that need considering is about the collapse. One of the gif video shows the plane impacting the Pentagon. The only problem with this video footage is that it has been altered (改变) and can not be fully trusted.
These crash photos and videos shown here clearly have been doctored (篡改) and don't even match the physics of what happened. So where is the real video? It leaves me many questions. Is this a missile? It is a real enigma.Where can you possibly read this article?
A.In a newspaper. | B.In a book. | C.On a website. | D.In a magazine. |
What the word “yielded” mean in the first sentence?
A.given in | B.surrendered | C.given away | D.produced |
Which of the following doubtful points is not mentioned in the passage?
A.the colors of the smoke | B.the model of the plane |
C.the standing pylons | D.the marker line on the grass |
What is the author’s attitude towards the 911 investigation?
A.Positive. | B.Neutral. | C.Skeptical. | D.Negative. |