it tastes just chicken
Away from home, eating is more than just a way to keep your stomach full．It is a language all its own, and no words can say, "Glad to meet you ．．．glad to be doing business with you ．．．" quite like sharing a meal offered by your host．
Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to say, "Thanks, but no thanks．" Acceptance of the food on your plate means acceptance of host, country, and company．So, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, swallow．Or, as one experienced traveler says, "Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything everywhere．"
Often, the food offered represents proudly your host country's eating culture．What would Ataiericans think of a French person who refused to take a bite of homemade apple pie or sirloin? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing itself; it comes from our umamiliarity with it．After all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep's eye; and a first look at a lobster would remind almost anybody of a creature from a science fiction movie, not something you dip in butter and eat．By the way, in Saudi Arabia sheep's eyes are a famous dish and in parts of China it's bear's paw soup．
Can you refuse such food without being rude? Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least a few bites．It helps, though, to slice any item very thin．This way, you minimize the taste and the reminder of where it came from．Or, " Swallow it quickly, " as one traveler recommends．"I still can't tell you what sheep's eyeballs taste like．" As for dealing with taste, the old line that "it tastes just like chicken" is often thankfully true．Even when the "it" is really rat or snake．
Another useful piece of advice is not knowing what you are eating．What's for dinner? Don't ask． Avoid glancing into the kitchen or looking at English-language menus．Your host will be pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really is chicken in that soup．The purpose of the article is to ____．
| A．introduce unfamiliar food |
| B．share the writer's personal experiences |
| C．suggest ways to overcome a cultural barrier |
| D．advise on how to politely refuse to eat foreign food |
According to the writer, people hesitate at strange food mainly due to ____．
| A．the way it looks | B．safety worries |
| C．lack of information about it | D．the unfamiliar atmosphere |
From the article we can infer that ____．
| A．an American may feel comfortable with sirloin |
| B．one should refuse strange food after a few bites |
| C．English-language menus are not always dependable |
| D．one needs a cast-iron stomach to travel in other cultures |
One may say "It tastes just like chicken．" when ____．
| A．showing respect for chicken-loving nations |
| B．greeting people with different dieting habits |
| C．evaluating chefs at an international food festival |
| D．getting someone to try a visually unpleasant meal |
Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.
Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.
Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.
For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks(鹰), the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖) quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.Why do people kill animals?
| A．They kill animals for something they need. |
| B．They kill animals to raise some money. |
| C．Animals destroy their natural resources. |
| D．Animals create many problems. |
Animals are important to us mainly because ______.
| A．they give us a source of food |
| B．they are beautiful and lovely |
| C．they keep the balance of nature |
| D．they give us a lot of pleasure |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．People care much about animals because they need them. |
| B．Once a certain kind of animal is gone forever, there will never be any more. |
| C．Killing all rats and mice may cause some new problems. |
| D．People must not kill any animal or plant. |
“If you want to see a thing well，reach out and touch it！”
That may seem a strange thing to say.But touching things can help you to see them better.
Your eyes can tell you that glass ball is round.But by holding it in your hands，you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is.You can feel how heavy the glass is.
When you feel all these about the ball，you really see it.
With your skin，you can feel better.For example，your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket.You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand，too.
You can even feel sounds against your skin.Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.
All children soon learn what “Don't touch！” means.They hear it often.Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up.In shops，we touch things we might buy，such as food，clothes and so on.To see something well，we have to touch it.
The bottoms of our feet can feel things，too.You know this when you walk on warm sand，cool grass or a bad floor.All feel different under your feet.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling.
One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin.Feel the shoes on your feet，the clothes on your body，the air on your skin.At first，it is not easy to feel these things.You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking.But today some museums have some things to touch.Their signs say，“Do touch! There you can feel everything on show.If you want to see better，reach out and touch.Then you'll really see！”By touching things ________.
| A．you will have a strange feeling |
| B．you will learn how to reach out |
| C．you can tell the difference between them |
| D．you can tell what colors they are |
When people buy things in shops，they often ________.
| A．try them on first |
| B．put their right hand on them |
| C．just has a look |
| D．feel and touch them |
Why does it say，“At first，it is not easy to feel these things？”
| A．The things are used by people，too. |
| B．People are used to the things. |
| C．People know how to use the things. |
| D．The things are easy to feel. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the story?
| A．Touching by Feeling | B．To See or to Feel |
| C．To See Better — Feel | D．Ways of Feeling |
In recent years，American students have fallen behind in many subjects like math，science and reading. In 2005，the U.S. was number nine among the developed countries in the number of students graduating from high school.
American education officials are searching for new ways to help students learn again. One tool that is getting some attention is the use of video games.
Sixteenyearold John Diaz says he loves playing video games but doesn't like traditional schoolwork. During his summer vacation，Diaz is continuing his studies at home. That is because his courses are available on his home computer.
Florida Virtual School's head master，Julie Young，says the school teaches students with the technology they most enjoy using in and out of school.“We have so many students who feel free in our school，” Young said, “They lose interest when they go to school. And we're very hopeful that Conspiracy Code will attract the learners to really get into the detail of learning.”
Conspiracy Code is a video game that teaches U.S. history. Students guide two heroes in a quest to stop a conspiracy to change the past. Along the way，students learn about events such as the Civil War，and report back to their teacher who is a spy ．
John Diaz says he enjoys American history now.“I like to do the game every day，” he said.In the first paragraph，we can learn that American students________.
| A．do better in science than reading |
| B．do not want to go to college |
| C．have been less interested in studies recently |
| D．do worst in math among the developed countries |
How does John Diaz continue to study in summer vacation?
| A．By having an experienced tutor. |
| B．By going to a vacation camp. |
| C．By studying on the computer. |
| D．By watching videos. |
Conspiracy Code is a video game that________.
| A．introduces the ways of finding a spy |
| B．teaches students American history |
| C．helps students learn computers |
| D．trains people to become heroes |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Video games becoming new teaching tools. |
| B．How Conspiracy Code helps students study. |
| C．How Florida Virtual School teaches students. |
| D．American officials caring about education. |
When my son was a teenager he already knew he wanted things. He wanted nice things and he wanted to get them by himself.He never depended upon us to provide for him.He gladly accepted the room and other different necessities we gave him，but when it came to the luxuries (奢侈品)，or the extra things of life，he knew he would have to make his own way.
At the age of 13，he started talking to me about working.His sister had worked at a local amusement park for several years as her first job so he gave that some thought. He had us drive him to the park and he went in and applied. Within two days he was called back to go to work. His sister had been a model employee and the park didn't even ask what he was able to do.
He worked at least 20 hours a week at the local amusement park. With his first week check he came home with a big smile. He had made something like $60 for his four days of afterschool efforts，and he wanted to thank us for our contribution to his wealth. He needed transportation both to and from work so we would take him there and back；no matter when the park closed，we would be there.
With his very first check，he insisted on treating me and his dad. He took us and his sister to an expensive restaurant. We had a wonderful time there and we spent his entire check. He didn't care；he knew he had to take care of those who had made it possible for him to have the check in the first place. He had always been a generous boy，perhaps too generous sometimes，but very loving.In his teens，the boy________.
| A．lived a hard life |
| B．lived an independent life |
| C．never wanted expensive things |
| D．never asked his parents for luxuries |
The boy got a parttime job easily at the amusement park because of________.
| A．his great abilities |
| B．his sister's good example |
| C．his independence |
| D．his sister's good advice |
What does the underlined part “our contribution” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The parents' encouragement. |
| B．The family's support. |
| C．The parents' lift. |
| D．The family's comfort. |
The passage was most probably written by________.
| A．a proud mother | B．a kind father |
| C．a generous woman | D．a generous man |
One evening in February 2007, a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road in Wales. She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path .That’s when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train. Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line. Seconds later, she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.
Ceely’s near miss made the news because she blamed it on her GPS (导航仪). She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing. “I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,” she told the BBC.
Who is to blame here? Rick Stevenson, who tells Ceely’s story in his book When Machines Fail Us, points the finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be a number of other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor singalling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors.
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology.
If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long.What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident？
| A．She was not familiar with the road. |
| B．It was dark and raining heavily then. |
| C．The railway workers failed to give the signal. |
| D．Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing. |
The phrase “near miss” (Paragraph 2) can best be replaced by______.
| A．close hit | B．heavy loss |
| C．narrow escape | D．big mistake |
Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?
| A．Modern technology is what we can’t live without. |
| B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. |
| C．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be. |
| D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely’s accident. |
In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is _______.
| A．one-sided | B．reasonable |
| C．puzzling | D．well-based |
What is the real concern of the writer of this article?
| A．The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts. |
| B．The relationship between human and technology. |
| C．The shortcomings of digital devices we use. |
| D．The human unawareness of technical problems. |