How would you like an easy way to earn $2,500? All you have to do is to sit around and wait for your meals. There's a catch however. You have to stay in a chicken cage with a stranger for a whole week. There are no books or television or radio for amusement. You can't leave until the week is up. And a camera will be recording your every move.
Two people actually took the job. The idea came from Rob Thompson, a video artist. He wanted to make a film about the way animals are treated. His goal was to raise people's awareness of the living conditions of animals that are raised for food.
He decided to pay $5,000 out of his own savings to two people who were willing to live like chickens for a week.
To Rob’s surprise, quite a few people answered his advertisement. He had interviewed and selected Eric, a 24-year-old restaurant worker, and Para, a 24-year-old chemist. The plan was for t
hem to spend seven days together in a chicken cage that was six feet long and three feet wide. A camera would record their experiences, which would take place in an art museum.
The week was long and difficult. They slept on a hard wooden floor. They couldn't stand up without hanging their heads. They ate vegetables and drank water from a garden hosepipe. Their only privacy was a toilet surrounded by a curtain. There were no sinks, mirrors, or toothbrushes in the cage. Their only inspiration was the two framed checks that hung on the wall outside the cage. Visitors who came here were warned, “Do not feed the humans.”
Finally it was over, and Para and Eric appeared from their cage. They had survived the week, and they each had a $2,500 check in their hands. When Rob Thompson opened the cage, Eric came out, changed into clean clothes, and ate a chocolate bar right away. “It's great to be able to stand up,” he said. Para just changed her clothes and left. After a week of visitors and reporters watching her, she
didn't want to talk to anyone. What kind of person is Rob Thompson?
| A．He is curious about people's personal life. |
| B．He is kind-hearted to animals. |
| C．He hates people around. |
| D．He likes to help poor people. |
The underlined word “catch” probably means _____.
| A．unsolved problem | B．surprising wonder |
| C．unbelievable fact | D．hidden difficulty |
Rob offered the money because he wanted _____ .
| A．to see if there were any people who would like to live in a cage |
| B．to show the public how terrible animals' life could be |
| C．to make more money by publishing the recorded videotapes |
| D．to improve housing conditions of working people like Eric |
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Easy Way to Earn $ 2,500. | B．Do Not Feed the Humans. |
C．Living Like a Chicken. |
D．Getting Along Well Anyway. |
LONDON (Reuters) ---Organic fruit, carried right to the doorstep. That is what Gabriel Gold prefers , and he is willing to pay for it. If this is not possible, the 26-year-old computer technician will spend the extra money at the supermarket to buy organic food.
“Organic produce is always better,” Mr. Gold said. “The food is free of pesticides(杀虫剂), and you are generally supporting family farms instead of large farms. And more often than not it is locally grown and seasonal, so it is more tasty.” Mr. Gold is one of a growing number of shoppers buying into the organic trend, and supermarkets across Britain are depending on more like him as they grow their organic food business. But how many shoppers really know what they are getting, and why are they willing to pay a higher price for organic produce? Market research shows that Mr. Gold and others who buy organic food can generally give clear reasons for their preferences---but their knowledge of organic food is far from complete. For example, small amounts of pesticides can be used on organic produce. And about three quarters of organic food in Britain is not local but imported to meet the growing need. “The demand for organic food is increasing by about one third every year, so it is a very fast-growing market.” Said Sue Flock, a specialist in this line of business.
1. More and more people in Britain are buying organic food because____________.
A. they are getting richerB. they can get the food anywhere
C. they consider the food free of pollution D. they like home-grown fruit
2. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Those who buy organic food have a complete knowledge of organic food.
B. Some of the organic food is produced outside Britain.
C. Organic produce is not seasonal and tastes more tasty.
D. Organic products are those which are free of pesticides.
3. The underlined words “organic trend” means____________.
A. higher prices of organic food B. better quality of organic food
C. rising market for organic food D. growing interest in organic food
4. The news story is mainly about____________.
A. that more and more people prefer organic food in Britain
B. the production of organic food in Britain
C. the complete knowledge of organic food in Britain
D. good qualities of organic food in Britain
第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of human illness is related to food and forty percent of cancer is related to food as well. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep colour in meats and other food additives（添加剂）caused cancer.
Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings（包装）of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to their animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar things are supplied to animals not for their health, but just to make a profit.
The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.
1. According to this passage, we can know____________.
A. perhaps most of human illness is caused by what we eat
B. perhaps most kinds of cancer are related to what people eat
C. cancer was discovered in 1945 D. science has made food unfit to eat
2. Things that are used to keep colours in meats are____________.
A. harmful B. useless C. helpless D. dangerous
3. All the additives____________.
A. are bright and colourless
B. are not bright and colourful
C. have indirect effects on our health
D. have direct effects on our health
4. Which of the following is not true?
A. Some wrappings of food are harmful.
B. Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals.
C. “The practice continues” means “things are still going on like that”.
D. We needn’t take care of what we eat.
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure — and so soon — that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behaviour. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I'm dead—take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet”when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait I'm not dead yet”quickly goes away. When other ants detect the“dead”chemical without the“not dead yet”chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory , Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the“Wait—I'm not dead yet”chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the“not dead yet”chemical overrides the“dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining“dead”chemical and remove the body from the nest.[
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?
A. Leading the following paragraphs. B. Showing the main idea of the passage.
C. Introducing the background of the passage. D. Giving a summary of the passage.
2. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?
A.is weaker than B. is stronger than C. is better than D. is worse than
3. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.
B. When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.
C. A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.
D. Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.
4. Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?
A. Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.
B. Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.
C. Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory.
D. Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own
A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and loved the boy very much. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for work so he asked the wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. The mother, preoccupied in the kitchen, totally forgot the matter.
The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle and, fascinated with its color, drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed, the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband.
When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just four words. The husband just said ‘I am with you, Darling’. The husband's totally unexpected reaction is proactive behavior. The child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he have taken time to keep the bottle away, this will not have happened. No point in attaching blame. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.
If everyone can look at life with this kind of viewpoint, there would be much fewer problems in the world. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears and you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think. Sometimes we spend time asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.
1. The uncapped medical bottle was not put back into the cupboard because .
A. the husband was careless B. the husband was busy
C. the wife wasn’t informed of the matter D. the wife ignored the matter
2. What do we know about the bottle? .
A. It contained poison only for adults B. It appeared like a nice drink
C. It was broken by the child D. It was kept in the kitchen
3. The husband’s attitude towards his wife can be described as .
A. optimistic B. confident C. considerate D. generous
4. What did the writer intend to tell us about life? .
A. Let go the negative side and we can enjoy life.
B. It is always useless finding who is responsible
C. Think of nothing and life will be easy D. Life should give way to responsibility
Jack lay, quiet and unmoving for thirty minutes while a stranger repeatedly stabbed (刺) him with sharp needles, causing blood to pour steadily out of his leg. Jack was getting a tattoo (纹身). His friend Tony had recently gotten a tattoo, and Jack was so impressed by it that he decided to get one too. Peer pressure, media influence, and personal expression are some of the common reasons for wearing tattoos today.
The desire to be accepted by one’s friends or peers can have a great influence on what a person does. Sometimes, wearing a tattoo can be a sign that you belong to a certain group. Gangs often use special clothes and tattoos to identify their particular group. Some of these groups wear only brand-name clothes. Others wear tattoos. When a person’s friends are all doing something, that person is more likely to do the same thing.
The media is another big influence behind the popularity of tattoos in North America. A wide variety of media images show tattoos－people appearing in commercials selling expensive cars, famous sports heroes with tattoos in magazines, fashion models wearing designer clothes that show their bodies tattooed with detailedand colourful patterns. These media images link tattoos to ideas of wealth, success, and status. As a result, many people decide to get a tattoo for its fashion and status value.
Many people decide to wear tattoos in order to express their artistic nature, their beliefs, or their feelings－in other words, to show their individuality. A musician in a rock band may get a tattoo of a guitar on the arm. Some environmentalists may tattoo pictures of endangered animals on their shoulders. A tattoo can be a public sign to show what is important in a person's life.
As you can see, there are many reasons why young North Americans get tattoos. A tattoo can be part of a group's uniform, a sign of fashion or an expression of individuality. The decision to get a tattoo is most often a result of the influence of friends or media or the desire to express oneself. For Jack, it was a mixture of all three.
1. Jack has got tattoos in order to .
A. show his great bravery B. gain a special experience
C. make himself more healthy D. be different from others
2. According to the passage, media images are linked to .
A. traditional lifestyle B. social positionC. cultural background D. public interest
3. We can infer from the passage that .
A. some people get tattoos out of pressure B. tattoo is related to religious belief
C. getting tattoos costs a lot of moneyD. most people with tattoos are artists
4 Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point C: Conclusion