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 |
阅读下面短文，简要回答问题。（共3小题；每小题2分，满分6分）
I was shopping in the supermarket when I．heard a young voice boom from across the aisle．“Mom，come here! There’s this lady here my size！”
The mother rushed to a boy she called Mickey；then she turned to me to apologize．
I smiled and told her，“It’s okay．”Then I talked to the boy，“Hi，Mickey，I’m Darry
Kramer．How are you?”
He studied mc from head to toe，and asked，“Arc you a little mommy?”
“Yes．I have a son”I answered
“Why are you so little?”he asked．
…It s the way I was born．”I said．“Some people are little．Some are tall．I’m just not going to grow any bigger．”After about five more minutes of answering questions，I shook Mickey’s hand, and he returned to his mother．
My life as a little person is filled with stories 1ike that．I enjoy talking to children and Explaining why I look different from their parents．it has taken many years to develop my confidence to be able to do that．
It takes only one glance to see my uniqueness．I stand three feet．nine inches tall I was born an achondroplasia dwarf（侏儒）．Despite this，my parents encouraged me to do all the things the kids around me did when I was growing up When my neighbors got two-wheel bikes，I got a two-wheel bike When they roller-skated, I roller-skated．
I didn’t realize how short I was until I started school There，a few kids 1picked on me，calling me names．Then I knew．After that，I began to hate the first day of school cach year．I didn’t know who was new and would stare at me as I struggled to climb the school bus stairs．
As time went on，I just tried to smile and accept the fact that I was going to be noticed my whole life．I was determined to make my uniqueness an advantage rather than a disadvantage．
What I lacked in height，I made up for in personality．
I’m 47 now，and the stares have not diminished as I’ve grown older．People 1ook in disbelief when they see me get out of my car off the driver’s side．During those times，I try to keep a good attitude When people are rude，I remind myself，“Look what else I have—a great family．Nice friends．”
And it’s the children’s questions that make my 1ife special．When I talk with children．They leave content that their questions have been answered My hope is that in taking time with them，I will encourage them to accept their peers whatever size and shape they come in，and treat them with respect．How was the author brought up?（回答词数不超过9个）
_______________________________________________________________________________Why does the author enjoy talking to children?（回答词数不超过12个）
______________________________________________________________________________Please Use several words to describe the author’s personalities．（回答词数不超过5个）
_____________________________________________________________________________
Alexis De Tocqueville，the French political scientist，，historian，philosopher and politician．Is most famous for a four-volume book he wrote called Democracy in America．He came to America in 1831 to study the American form of democracy’and what it might mean to the rest of the world．After a visit of only nine months,，he wrote a remarkable book which is regarded as a classic．De Tocqueville had unusual powers of observation．He described not only the democratic system of government and how it operated，but also its effect on how Americans think, feel, and act, Many scholars believe he had a deeper understanding of traditional American beliefs and values than anyone else who has written about。the United States．What is so remarkable is that
many of these characteristics which he observed nearly 200years ago are still visible and
meaningful today．His observations are also important because the timing of his visit，the 1830s，was before America was industrialized．This was the era of the small farmer，the small businessman，and the settling of the western frontier．It was the period of history when the traditional values of the new country were newly established．In just a generation，some 40 years since the adoption of the U．S：Constitution．the new form of government had—already produced a society of people with unique values．He was，however，a fair observer and saw both the good and bad sides of these qualities．
The first part of Democracy m America was written in 1831—32 and published in 1835．A highly positive and optimistic account of American government and society，the book was very well received．He attempted to get a glimpse of the core of American society．all the while promoting his own philosophy：the equaling of the classes and the unavoidable depth of aristocratic（贵族的）privilege The rest of the book he labored on for four years．and in 1840 the second part was published．This was substantially more pessimistic than the first，warning of the dangers despotism （暴政）and governmental centralization，and applying his ideas and criticisms more directly to France．As a result, it was not received as well as the first part，except in England where it was highly thought of．What is the passage primarily about?
| A．Alexis De Tocqueville |
| B．Democracy in America |
| C．The progress achieved in America within about 40 years after adoption of the U．S．Constitution． |
| D．The influence of the book Democracy in America |
What in the passage is mentioned as being truly remarkable?
| A．Many of his observations are still visible and meaningful today． |
| B．The book was so detailed and thorough after only such a comparatively short visit． |
| C．That the second volume should be so pessimistic in comparison with the first． |
| D．De Tocqueville’s powers of observation． |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage？
| A．The English don’t like the French |
| B．The book was most important because it was the first time that American values had been clearly documented． |
| C．De Tocqueville was a slow writer． |
| D．De Tocqueville was primarily motivated by an interest in his own country． |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The visit lasted only five months． |
| B．The visit coincided with American industrialization． |
| C．The first part was published in 1835；the second part in 1840． |
| D．The second part was more optimistic than the first． |
International Weather Forecast（January 18 th，2008）
Paris Weather
·Today：Plentiful sunshine High 59F．Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph．
·Tonight：Generally clear．Low near 35F．Winds light and variable．
·Tomorrow：A mainly sunny sky．High 59F．Winds ENE at 5 to l0mph．
·Tomorrow night：A mostly clear sky．Low 36F，Winds light and variable．
New York Weather
·Today：Cloudy with rain and snow showers Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s．Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph．Chance of precip 40％．
·Tonight：Rain and snow showers this evening changing to rain showers overnight Low 34F．Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph Chance of precip 60％．
·Tomorrow：Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day．High around 45F．Winds WNW at l0 to 20mph．
·Tomorrow night：Partly cloudy early with increasing clouds overnight Low 29F．Winds W at 5 to10 mph．
London Weather
·Today：Cloudy and windy．High 56F． Winds WSW at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tonight：Partly cloudy and windy．Low 43F．Winds W at 20 to 30 mph．
·Tomorrow：Windy with occasional light rain．High 58F．Winds SW at 20 to 30 mph．Chance of rain 70％．
·Tomorrow night：Cloudy and windy．Periods of light rain early．Low 54F．Winds WSW
at 20 to 30 mph，Chance of rain 60％．
Sydney Weather
·Today：Cloudy with periods of rain．High 73F．Winds NE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall around a quarter of an inch．
·Tonight：Rain．Low near 70F．Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph．Chance of rain 70％．Rainfall near a quarter of an inch．
·Tomorrow：Showers in the morning with isolated thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon．High 78FWindsNNE at 5 to10 mph．Chance of rain 40％．
·Tomorrow night：An isolated thunderstorm possible during the evening．then occasional showers overnight．Low near 70F．Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph．．Chance of rain 40％．
65．Which city has the strongest wind on January 19th?
A．Paris． B．New York． C．London． D．Sydney．
66．There will be thunderstorms in Sydney oil．
A．the evening of January 18th B．the afternoon of January 18th
C．the morning of January 19th D．the afternoon of January 19th
67．If you go on a tour on January l8th，which of the following places of interest is the most favorable according to the weather report?
A．The Eiffel Tower． B．Statue of Liberty．
C．Big Ben． D．The Sydney Opera House．
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life，one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have．Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment．
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal（叙旧）with the friends，relatives and acquaintances we already have．
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately。is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have gotten too busy，take a good look at how you spend your time．Compare it with your real values and priorities（优先考虑的事）in life．Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends，why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over．committed because you never say“No”to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be delegated to others? If so，why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities．Make sure that you schedule enough time for the things that are truly most important to you．
If you really want to keep friends in your lire，make a space in your schedule，and a space in your heart for them．In this passage the author mainly discusses．
| A．how to balance friendship and work |
| B．how to spend our spare time |
| C．whether we should keep friendship |
| D．whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
| A．You have someone to count on when you are in trouble． |
| B．You have someone to have close talks with． |
| C．You feel depressed with others in life |
| D．You have fun when you are with someone |
The underlined word“delegated”probably means“ ”．
| A．appointed | B．replaced | C．declined | D．handled |
You hear this，“No wonder you are fat．All you ever d0 is eat．”You feel sad．“I skip my breakfast and supper．I run every morning and evening．What else can I do?”
Basically you can do nothing．Your genes，not your life habits，determine your weight and your body constantly tries to maintain it．
Albert Stunkard of the University of Pennsylvania found from experiments that“80 percent of the children of two fat parents become fat，as compared with no more than 14．percent of the children of two parents of normal weight．”
How can obese people become thinner through dieting? Well，dieting can be effective．but the health costs are great．
Jules Hirsch，a research physician at Rockefeller University，did a study of eight fat people．They were．given a liquid formula（配方）providing 600 calories a day．After more than 10 weeks，the subjects lost on average 45 kg．But after leaving the hospital，they all regained the weight．
The results were surprising：by metabolic（新陈代谢的）measurement，fat people who lost large amounts of weight seemed like they were starving．They had psychiatric problems．They dreamed of food or of breaking their diet They were anxious and depressed．Some wanted to kill themselves．They hid food in their rooms．
Researchers warn that it is possible that weight reduction doesn’t result in normal weight，but in an abnormal state lust like that of starved non．obese people．
Thin people, however，suffer from the opposite．They have to make a great effort to gain weight Ethan Sims of the University of Vermont got prisoners to volunteer to gain weight．In four to six months—they ate as much as they could．They succeeded in increasing their weight by 20 to 25 percent. But months after the study ended，they were back to normal weight and stayed there．
This did not mean that people are completely without hope in controlling their weight．It means that those who tend to be fat will have to constantly battle their genetic inheritance（遗传）if they want to significantly 1ower their weight．
The findings also provide evidence for something scientists thought was true—each person has a comfortable weight range．The range might be as much as 9kg．Someone might weigh 60--69kg without too much effort．But，going above or below the natural weight range is difficult.The body resists by feeling hungry or full and changing．the metabolism to push the weight back to the range it seeks．The story is mainly written to。
| A．point out the relations between our body and mind |
| B．warn us it’s extremely harmful to reduce or gain our weight |
| C．tell us that it’s difficult to make a significant change in our weight |
| D．stress that dieting 1s a recommended way to help you reach your desired weight |
Jules Hirsch’s study’found that．
| A．big weight loss could lead to mental problems |
| B．a person’s weight can be decided by their parents’ weight |
| C．only dieting cannot produce a desired result in weight reduction |
| D．big efforts to lose weight may result in a weight much heavier than one’s normal weight |
From the text，we know that the body can still feel comfortable
| A．when the weight goes up or down by 6 kg |
| B．when the weight goes up or down by l0 kg |
| C．when the weight is increased by 20 to 25 percent |
| D．when the weight is decreased by 20 to 25 percent |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．When it comes to weight，naturalness is the healthiest |
| B．Weight reduction could be both risky and painful． |
| C．Seek professional advice when reducing your weight． |
| D．There’s no hope and no point in controlling your weight． |