New rules will let millions of Americans know where more of their food comes from.The law is known as COOL—Country of Origin Labeling.
American Congress first passed the law in 2002.Stores have had to label seafood by country of origin since 2005.But industry pressure delayed other requirements until last week.
Products that must now be labeled include fresh fruits and vegetables, muscle meats and some kinds of nuts.But the rules are complex, and many foods are excluded.For example, organ meats are free to be labeled.So are processed foods, including cooked or smoked food.
The United States has imported more and more food in recent years to save money and expand choices.Country-of-origin labeling has become more common lately but has still been limited in many stores.
Food safety is one reason why some shoppers pay close attention to where foods came from.For example, when a large number of people recently got sick from salmonella(沙门菌病), officials blamed peppers from Mexico.Yet the last big food scare involved spinach (菠菜) grown in California.But labeling is also a way for people to know they are getting what they want.Some want to buy local foods or foods from a particular country.
The country-of-origin labeling law gives stores 30 days to correct any violations that are found.Stores and suppliers that are found to be deliberately violating the law could be fined 1000 dollars per violation.Federal inspectors are not to take action to enforce the law for six months to give time for an education campaign.
Some food safety activists say they are generally pleased with the law.They call it a good step that will give people more useful information.Why has more and more food been imported to the United States in recent years?
| A.Because it is economical and provides people with more choices. |
| B.Because the United States is short of food supply. |
| C.Because Americans need more and more food recently. |
| D.Because foreign food is of higher quality than native food. |
What’s the regulation in the new rules?
| A.Stores have to label food by its producing date from now on. |
| B.The country-of-origin labeling has to be marked on more food. |
| C.Stores have to label seafood by country of origin. |
| D.Labeling of food should include more useful information. |
The new rules of the country-of-origin labeling law will come into effect ______.
| A.right now | B.in a month |
| C.in three months | D.in half a year |
Consumers are more concerned about where foods came from because ______.
| A.they are curious about the country of the food origin |
| B.they are particular about the tastes of the food |
| C.they are concerned about food safety and want to get what they want |
| D.most of the shoppers are food safety activists themselves |
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e-mail: harcourt@learning.comWhat kind of people will probably answer this advertisement?
| A.College students preparing to work in some big companies. |
| B.college students preparing to study for a degree. |
| C.High school graduates preparing to have at-home training. |
| D.High school graduates preparing for college entrance examinations. |
People can get a Specialized Associate Degree by_______.
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When I was an education official in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our school board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly’s son, Jim had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally disabled and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, “Jim, I love you and I’m very proud of you.”
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good qualities on the scale and try to balance all the irritating phenomena such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn’t to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., your angry feelings won’t amount to much.
I won’t get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, “Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye.” He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all for Jim’s death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially family members, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.According to the passage, we know that ________.
| A.Jim kept to himself |
| B.Jim did very well in his studies |
| C.Jim’s parents were patient with him |
| D.Jim failed to finish his high school. |
The underlined word “irritating” in Paragraph 4 means _________.
| A.annoying | B.aggressive | C.impatient | D.thrilling |
By writing the letter printed in the Palo Alto Times, the mother intends to ______________.
| A.mourn her son’s sudden death in a traffic accident |
| B.remind people to be cautious of motorcycles |
| C.advise people to take the chance to express their love in time |
| D.appreciate more of life than ever before |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A.Love your Family | B.Do it Today |
| C.Walk with Pride | D.Appreciate Smiles |
With the Indian economy predicted to grow by 7.5 percent this year, experts say it could be time for Western CEOs to learn some lessons from Indian CEOs.The key differences between Indian and Western bosses are:
Social purpose
One of the most important things is that Indian leaders lead with a sense of social purpose.Every leader in India gave a specific social purpose as being the goal of their business.Those purposes ranged from improving healthcare to getting cell phones to people who didn't have access to communication tools.Having a social purpose motivates workers.
Invest in employees
Indian firms invest an enormous amount in their employees' training and development.IT firms typically offer 60 days of formal training for newly hired workers and they even spend months training experienced workers.A study said that Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees, seeing it as a waste if they quit.But Indian bosses believe that investing in employees ensures the quality of those who stay at the company.
Take the long view
Indian bosses stress far less on shareholders than it is typical at Western business.As a result they're more able to take a long-term view.Western companies can't just ignore their shareholders, but their CEOs can do more to protect their -employees from short-term financial pressures, letting them get on with their jobs.
Work fromtheir strengths
Western companies often think about strategy in terms of chasing customers or pursuing market opportunities, but Indian firms will more often start by identifying their strengths and customers’ needs, and then try to meet those needs.
Act as a role model
Being a personal role model for their employees is an amazing thing for a CEO.If Western bosses could think of themselves as role models, it would have a real impact on their workers.Indian CEOs use their sense of social purpose to _________.
| A.improve the workers' healthcare system |
| B.provide cell phones to people in need |
| C.motivate and encourage their employees |
| D.promote the development of communication systems |
Western firms have largely abandoned investing in employees’ training and development because _______.
| A.it takes too long to complete the formal training of newly hired workers |
| B.they often hire experienced workers who don't need much training |
| C.they are afraid of the losses brought about by the resignation of employees |
| D.they don't care about the quality of the employees in their firms |
Which of the following is TRUE about Western bosses?
| A.They stress on workers more than shareholders. |
| B.They always act as role models for employees. |
| C.They are good at identifying their own strengths. |
| D.They pay closer attention to market opportunities. |
It takes courage to stand up at work.Now more and more people are standing up when they are working on something important.Standing up is in fashion.Medical researchers have found that people who stand at work tend to be much healthier than those who sit.But I wasn't just looking for better health — standing would also improve how I work and relax my body.
In recent years, many office supply companies have begun to sell adjustable desks.These so-called "sit / stand" models are equipped with an electric motor that lets them shift from chair height to person height at the push of a button.Unfortunately, sit / stand desks tend to be expensive, hard to find and not very easy to test in person.
I discovered that when I worked standing up, my mind was clearer and new ideas kept coming to me.I suspect that this is because when you're standing, you feel a bit unchained from your desk.If I got stuck on a word or sentence as I wrote it, I found myself shaking my arms, bouncing (跳) on my feet or stepping away from the desk for a bit — things I couldn't do in a chair.Often, standing up seemed to relax my mind enough for me to get over creative barriers.
There's another thing about standing for a long time: I tend to get hungrier than I do when I sit on a chair.That feels like confirmation(证实) of the stand-up advocates’ belief that you burn more calories when you stand than when you sit.For this reason alone, I' m hoping that one day mass-market furniture companies can make many low-priced versions of sit / stand desks.We could all work with a bit more standing up.The author likes standing up while working because __________.
| A.he wants to show that he has a lot of courage |
| B.researchers say standing makes one healthier |
| C.he intends to catch up the fashion trend |
| D.he hopes to improve his work and relax himself |
It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A.adjustable desks are mass-produced now |
| B.adjustable desks are easy to operate |
| C.cheaper adjustable desks will soon be available |
| D.adjustable desks can be tried out easily |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A.Standing up at work is a better choice. |
| B.Standing up at work takes courage. |
| C.Standing up at work burns more calories. |
| D.Standing up at work will replace traditional sitting. |
Is there a magic cutoff period when children become responsible for their own actions? Is there a wonderful moment when parents can become spectators (audiences) in the lives of their children and shrug, “It’s their life,” and feel nothing?
When I was in my twenties, I stood in a hospital passage waiting for doctors to put a few stitches(缝线) in my son’s head.I asked, “When do you stop worrying?” The nurse said, “When they get out of the accident stage.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my thirties,I sat on a little chair in a classroom and heard how one of my children talked continually and disrupted the class.As if to read my mind, a teacher said.“Don’t worry.They all go through this stage and then you can sit back, relax and enjoy them.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
When I was in my forties, I spent a lifetime waiting for the phone to ring, the cars to come home, the front door to open.A friend said, “They’re trying to find themselves.Don’t worry; in a few years, you can stop worrying.They’ll be adults.” My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.
By the time I was 50, I was sick and tired of being weak.I was still worrying over my children, but there was a new wrinkle.There was nothing I could do about it.My mother just smiled faintly andsaid nothing.
I continued to suffer from their failures, and be absorbed in their disappointments.My friends said that when my kids got married I could stop worrying and lead my own life.I wanted to believe that, but I was haunted(萦绕心头) by my mother’s warm smile and her occasional “You look pale.Are you all right? Call me the minute you get home.Are you depressed about something?” Can it be that parents are sentenced to a lifetime of worry?
One of my children became quite anxious about me recently, saying, “Where were you? I’ve been calling for three days, and no one answered.I was worried.”
I smiled a warm smile.The author intends to tell us in the passage that_______.
| A.parents long for a period when they no longer worry about their children |
| B.there is no time when parents have no worry about their children |
| C.it’s parents’ duty to worry about their children |
| D.there should be a period when parentsdon’t have to worry about their children |
We can infer from the underlined sentence “My mother just smiled faintly and said nothing.” that ______.
| A.her mother shared the same idea as the nurse |
| B.her mother didn’t agree with the nurse |
| C.her mother thought the nurse was lying |
| D.her mother wouldn’t express her opinion upon the matter |
The author mentioned her ages of twenties, thirties, forties and fifty in order to show_______.
| A.the hard times she experiences in her life |
| B.the different stages of her children |
| C.the support she received from her mother |
| D.she had been worrying about her children in her life |
What can we infer from the last sentence?
| A.The mother was happy that her child began to worry about her, too |
| B.Finally the mother didn’t have to worry about her children |
| C.At last the mother could live her own life without worry. |
| D.The mother succeeded in turning her children into adults. |
Which of the following should be the best title?
| A.Life | B.Parents | C.Worry | D.Children |