What will we be eating in the future? Here are the top factors that will be affecting the food that ends up on our tables in the new century.
Genetically engineered food Many crops are already genetically engineered, often to produce more food, fight against pests or improve nutrition. But concern is growing over the lasting effects of changing nature. While existing research has found little harm in genetic engineering, a recent study found the flower powder of a genetically engin
eered corn can kill the normal butterfly. This finding made many people nervous and brought attention to the topic.
Dining out Americans are increasingly eating meals away from home, both in sit-down restaurants and in fast food outlets. In the last decade alone there was a 14 percent decrease in the number of meals eaten at home. At the same time, restaurants are just beginning to really open their doors on the Internet. Websites exist to make restaurant reservations (预约), view menus, and get tips from your favorite chefs. The dining out trend and the demand for high-quality, chef-prepared food have encouraged chefs to spend time out of the kitchen — teaching classes, appearing on TV, and writing cookbooks.
Eating in Eating in doesn’t always mean cooking. Ready-made meals and froz
en food sold in supermarkets taste better all the time. Restaurants are offering neatly packaged “food to go”, and meals can be ordered over the Internet. Cooking is not as much as a necessity, as it is a hobby or a special treat.
Agriculture Although American farmers have been hit hard recently by bad weather, low prices and decreasing government help, they can increase grain production not using old farming methods.Which of the following is the main reason for genetically engineered crops?
| A．To lead to more food and better nutrition. | B．To kill the normal butterfly. |
| C．To reduce the harm done by insects. | D．To change the nature of the crops. |
From the passage, we learn that _________.
| A．eating out is not popular among the old people in USA |
| B．it is now easier for people to get information about eating out |
| C．it is popular for restaurants to send out information on the Internet |
| D．the trend of eating out is causing many chefs to give up their jobs |
In the future, cooking at home will probably _________.
| A．still be the job of most housewives |
| B．take up most of people’s free time |
| C．bring much joy to more people |
| D．lead to many restaurants closing down |
According to the passage, farmers should _________ to get a higher grain production.
| A．turn to better farming methods | B．ask for the support of the government |
| C．raise the prices of crops | D．not care about the effects of bad weather |
One of the most important things in the world is friendship. In order to have friends, you have to be a friend. But how can you be a good friend at school?
Listen — Listen when they are talking. Don't say anything unless they ask you a question. Sometimes it's not necessary for you to have anything to say; they just need someone to talk to about their feelings.
Help them — If your friend is ever in need of something, be there to help them. You should try to put them first, but make sure you don't do everything they want you to do. Try to take an extra (额外的) pencil or pen with you to classes in case (以防) they forget one. Have a little extra money in your pocket in case they forget something they need.
Be there for them — Try to make something for your friend to help make them feel better in hard times. Making cards and encouraging them are among the nicest things you can do for a friend. Marilyn Monroe, a famous U．S. actor, once said, “I often make mistakes. Sometimes I am out of control. But if you can't stay with me at my worst, you are sure not to deserve (值得) to be with me at my best.” Always remember this! If you don't want to stay with your friends when they're in hard times, then you don't deserve to be with them when they're having a good time!
Make plans — Try to make plans with your friends. Go shopping, go for ice cream, have a party, go to a movie and so on. Take time to know each other even better by doing something you both enjoy. By planning things together, you both can have a good time. And you'll remember these things when you're all old!While your friend is talking to you about his or her feelings, you should ________.
| A．give him or her some advice |
| B．calm him or her down |
| C．just listen unless asked |
| D．share your feelings as well |
When we provide help for our friends, we should_______
| A．put them before ourselves |
| B．try to do everything for them |
| C．Change their bad habits first |
| D．ignore their faults |
What can we learn from Marilyn Monroe’s words?
| A．Life without a friend is death. |
| B．A friend is easier lost than found |
| C．A man is known by his friends |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．How to find a good friend. |
| B．How to be a good friend. |
| C．How to help friends in trouble. |
| D．How to make more friends. |
A group of graduates, successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor．Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life．
Before offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups — porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking and cheap, some extremely expensive — telling them to help themselves to the coffee．
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones．While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress．The fact is that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee．In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink．What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously(有意识地）went for the best cups．．．And then you began eyeing each other's cups．
Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups．They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not change the quality of life we live．Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us．"God makes the coffee, not the cups．Enjoy your coffee!"The happiest people don't have the best of everything．They just make the best of everything．"
Live simply．Love generously．Care deeply．Speak kindly．Leave the rest to God．What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．the nice-looking cup |
| B．the ordinary-looking cup |
| C．the coffee of good quality |
| D．the coffee of poor quality |
Why did the professor offer his students coffee with varieties of cups?
| A．To give his students many more choices． |
| B．To teach his students how to enjoy coffee． |
| C．To tell his students the right attitude to life |
| D．To show the students his collection of cups． |
According to the professor, the happiest people are the ones who _____．
| A．get the best type of coffee cups |
| B．care about social status and wealth |
| C．have a wide range of coffee cups |
| D．make the best of what they have |
Life affects (影响) friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things around us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.
When we were children we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade (逐渐消失), faces blur (变得模糊不清), and even friends' names from childhood are forgotten.
Do you have a question about friendship? Do you wonder what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly? Perhaps you will see that you can't control others. If someone wants to be your friend, it is their choice. All you can do is treat them well and do the best for them when you are with them. Then you wish them well when they leave.
You can talk to old timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible (难以置信的) joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day become a memory and the sting (痛苦) will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go.Sometimes when they go it will hurt, but you will be okay with it.It's the way life works, after all.The text is most probably taken from a __________
| A．science newspaper | B．novel |
| C．health magazine | D．Psychology book |
What can we learn about friendship, according?
| A．Friends in childhood are sometimes forgotten by us. |
| B．Friends are always around us and will never go away. |
| C．Friends in childhood are the best no matter what happens. |
| D．Friendship can not be easily affected by one’s family. |
What does the underlines words “old timers” mean in the last paragraph?
| A．Rich people | B．Old People |
| C．Kind People | D．Smart People |
The text mainly tells us__________
| A．How to deal with unfriendly People |
| B．that childhood friendship is valuable |
| C．how to face the change in friendship |
| D．how to share happiness with friends |
Smiling girls have their luck. It fits Huang Ruijia well. The 15-year-old student comes from Chengdu Experimental Foreign Language School. On March 22, 2014，she won third place（junior category）at the 12th China Daily “21st Century Lenovo Cup” National High School English Speaking Competition, which was held in Beijing. During the competition, many contestants（选手）kept a serious face. But Huang was smiling all the time. Her good manners also won her the Best Style prize at the contest.
“Smiling shows confidence, which is an important quality for speakers,” said Meng Qingtao, associate research fellow at the National Institute of Education Sciences, and one of the judges（评委）. “Huang’s smile brought judges closer to her, and also cured（消除）her stress.”
Huang only became a smiling girl two years ago. At the time she was busy preparing for a speaking competition. One day, when she was practicing in front of the mirror, she was shocked by what she saw.
“I saw a poker（扑克） face reciting（背诵）a cold speech,” said Huang. “Who would like to listen to a speaker like that?”
Since then Huang decided to face everything with a smile. It has worked in speaking competitions and in many other situations in her life, such as building friendships.
Once Huang and her friend had a fight and were mad at each other. After three days, Huang said she wanted to talk but didn’t know how to start. She then decided to give a smile, the friend smiled back and gave her a hug in return.
“This is the power of smiling,” said Huang. “You can make a difference in your life simply by smiling.”Huang Ruijia succeeded because she was always _______ in the competition.
| A．talking | B．discussing |
| C．cooperating | D．smiling |
Meng Qingtao is a ________ according to the passage.
| A．student | B．judge | C．nurse | D．headmaster |
Huang Ruijia started to smile ________ when she realized her poker face in the mirror.
| A．many years ago |
| B．three months ago |
| C．two days ago |
| D．two years ago |
Huang Ruijia thinks smiling is also helpful when ______.
| A．studying | B．walking |
| C．making friends | D．fighting |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Huang Ruijia is 16 in the year 2015. |
| B．“21st Century Lenovo Cup” English Speaking Competition was held in Beijing. |
| C．Smile can bring closer between people. |
| D．Smile brought back Huang Ruijia’s friend. |
The Ancient Town of Fenghuang, one of China’s most well-known ancient towns, was under water as heavy rain hit the center of the country, with tens of thousands of people leaving from the area. Heavy rain and floods(洪水) lasted for the past few days. Waters in the nearby Tuojiang River rose by almost one meter above warning level(警戒线), causing heavy rainstorms. More than 120,000 local people and tourists have been helped to leave there because of the terrible disaster. And more than 4,000 shops in the town have been shut. Several bridges on the Tuojiang River have been damaged or destroyed. Water has flowed(流) into many bars, restaurants and hotels in its ancient town, and electricity in the ancient town has been cut off. About 128,000 people have been affected by the floods. Though the heavy rains have stopped, but the popular tourist spot remains closed for local people’s safety.
A shoe shop owner named Kuang said the flood was the worst the town had experienced. “The floods came so quickly that I didn’t have time to move the shoes,” he said sadly.
“The flood has led to Fenghuang old town becoming a water town.” said a post on a discussion page on the topic set up on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.
“We could only live in an old factory now where many homeless people have to stay together. The crowded space is full of sadness.” Tang said.
At least 14 people were killed in flooding in Hunan Province and the neighboring province of Jiangxi and region of Guangxi last month, Xinhua reported.Why did many people try to leave the Ancient Town of Fenghuang?
| A．Because of the heavy snow. |
| B．Because of the serious flood. |
| C．Because of the homeless people. |
| D．Because of the crowded space. |
What does the underlined word “disaster” mean?
| A．大雪 | B．灾难 | C．河流 | D．地震 |
How many people were affected by the flood?
| A．120,000. | B．About 128,000. |
| C．More than 4,0000. | D．14. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The flood was not serious at all. |
| B．Fenghuang the ancient town is a water town in Hunan Province. |
| C．This flood which hit Fenghuang is the worst the town has experienced. |
| D．No one died in this flood. |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．The Famous Ancient Town of Fenghuang |
| B．Floods Hit the Ancient Town of Fenghuang |
| C．Fenghuang Is a Wonderland |
| D．Help the Homeless People |