What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream — as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job: after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No — there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy — working at one cool job.What is John Harrison’s job?
A.An official. | B.An ice-cream taster. |
C.A chemist. | D.An ice-cream manufacturer. |
According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ______.
A.keep a diary of work | B.have a degree in chemistry |
C.have new ideas every day | D.find out new flavors each day |
What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?
A.He stirs the ice cream. |
B.He examines the color of the ice cream. |
C.He tastes the flavor of the ice cream. |
D.He lets the ice cream cool down. |
The chimp didn’t feel well. She fell over, ignoring the other wild chimps. Finally, the sick chimp crawled over to a bush, picked some leaves and swallowed them. By the next afternoon, the chimp was as good as new!
Biologists watching the chimp were surprised. Somehow, the plant had cured the chimp! Did the chimp know the plant would make her feel better? Or was it just a lucky accident?
Many scientists don’t think it has anything to do with luck. They’re discovering that some animals seem to use plants to cure themselves. And these animals are leading scientists to new plants that could cure humans!
Dr. Richard Wrangham, an anthropologist at Harvard University, agrees that animals may know something we don’t know about forest plants.
Wrangham got to know chimps and their diets while studying them for three years in Tanzania. “You must know a lot about an animal’s feeding habits to know what it doesn’t consider food,” Wrangham explains. Every morning, he saw that most chimps ate fruit near their nests. Later on, they ate on leaves.
When he noticed chimps eating the leaves of a plant they usually ignored, Wrangham thought something interesting was going on---especially when he saw that they’d sometimes walk for 20 minutes to find the plant. Another strange thing that caught his eye was how they ate the bitter leaves.
“They swallowed the leaves whole,” explains Wrangham, noting that chimps usually chew their food well. “They seemed to rub(摩擦)the leaves around the roofs of their mouths. They closed their eyes, wrinkled their noses and swallowed slowly. ”
Wrangham wondered what could be so good about something tasting so bad. He had a chemist analyze the leaves. He discovered that the leaves contain a red oil that kills different viruses(病毒). Later tests showed that the oil might even fight cancer and the AIDS virus!
Why don’t the chimps chew the leaves? “Rubbing the leaves between the tongue and the inside of the mouth might allow the chemicals to enter the bloodstream directly,” he suggests, “instead of going to the stomach, where they might get destroyed by acids. The chimps seem to know what they’re doing.”We can learn from the passage that _________.
A.chimps cure themselves by chewing plants |
B.chemicals in plants help cure animals |
C.scientists live with chimps to study their diets |
D.Dr. Wrangham knows a lot about forest plants |
How can Dr. Wrangham tell which plants are medicine for chimps?
A.By talking with the biologists. |
B.By studying the chimps’ feeding habits. |
C.By analyzing the chimps’ favorite food. |
D.By comparing other scientists’ discoveries. |
The author wrote the passage to ___________.
A.provide a solution | B.test a theory |
C.present a finding | D.describe an experiment |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Animal doctors. | B.Forest plants. |
C.Chimp’s diets. | D.A cure for cancer. |
March 21 has been declared World Sleep Day, a time to recognize and celebrate the value of sleep. Many sleep experts hope it will be a wake-up call.
According to a poll (民意调查)by the National Sleep Foundation, nearly 4 in 5 Americans don’t get as much sleep as they should during the workweek. On average, adults are thought to need at least eight hours of sleep a night, although some can manage with less and some won’t do well without more. But the survey found that, on workdays, only 21% of Americans actually get a full eight hours of sleep, and another 21% get less than six.
To many of us, the thought of spending more time sleeping is, well, a big yawn. On the other hand, the thought of being smarter, thinner, healthier and more cheerful has a certain appeal. And those are just a few of the advantages that can be ours if we consistently get enough sleep, researchers say. Also on the plus side: We’re likely to have better skin, better memories, better judgment, and, oh, yes, longer lives.
“When you lose even one hour of sleep for any reason, it influences your performance the next day,” says Dr. Alon Avidan, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center.
A study published last year found the same to be true even of children. When kids aged 8 to 12 slept for just one hour less for four nights, they didn’t function as well during the day.
But sleeping has an image problem. “We see napping or sleeping as lazy,” says Jennifer Vriend, a clinical psychologist in Ottawa, Canada, and the leading author of the study with children. “We put so much emphasis on diet, nutrition and exercise. Sleep is in the back seat.” In fact, she adds, no matter how much we work out, no matter how well we eat, we can’t be in top physical shape unless we also get plenty of sleep.The underlined part in Paragraph 1 means _____.
A.To wake up the sleepers |
B.To draw people’s attention |
C.To serve as a morning call |
D.To declare the special day |
From Paragraph 3 we can infer that _______
A.Being healthier is one of the advantages for us |
B.Sleeping has nothing to do with one’s expectations |
C.Spending more time on sleeping is a waste of time |
D.Enough sleep is the guarantee of the appealing things |
What Jennifer Vriend said in the last paragraph implies that _______.
A.Sleeping is an image problem |
B.People care little about sleeping |
C.Lazy people tend to sleep long |
D.Sleeping is only part of our life |
What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To talk about people’s sleeping problems. |
B.To provide an investigation result of sleeping. |
C.To arouse the awareness of enough sleeping. |
D.To stress the function of sleeping at night. |
One day I was driving home with a woman. She rolled down the window, fifty feet away from the driveway and spit her gum (口香糖)out of the window. “Couldn’t you just wait five seconds and put your gum where it belongs?” I asked, annoyed.
She was not the only one who was gum-lazy. Consider the following. Every time I brush chewed gum under my desk, I shake with fright. At Folsom Middle School, whenever I had to walk by the gum wall next to the girls’ locker room, I felt totally disgusted. When I was young, I walked outside during my dance show in my ballet shoes, always stepping right on a big and juicy piece of bubble gum. I was extremely upset.
The worst part of all these incidents is that a trash can is located near. But some people are too lazy to walk towards it.
If you can’t be a responsible gum chewer, don’t chew at all. That’s all I’m going to say.
Take Singapore as a good example. The chewing gum ban in Singapore was placed. It bans the import and sale of chewing gum in Singapore, whether for the purpose of trade or personal chewing. However, the ban has been partly lifted with some types of gum, such as medical gum, allowable. This comes with the warning that it is sold only by a druggist, who has to take down the names of buyers. Obviously, the Singapore government gets angry at gum stuck in keyholes of mailboxes and on elevator buttons.
Not only is it annoying, but chewing gum can actually do harm to the health. Most gum contains aspartame (阿斯巴甜), a chemical sweetener(增甜剂)that the US government is now deciding whether or not it is a deadly chemical. If it is, it may cause cancer. Other studies suggest that aspartame may cause neurological(神经系统的)disorders. Therefore, aspartame is not allowed to use in the US.
So just say no to chewing gum.What did the author think of the woman’s behavior?
A.It was strange. | B.It was unacceptable. |
C.It was dangerous. | D.It was violent. |
According to Paragraph 2, the author _________.
A.stepped on a piece of gum while dancing |
B.cleaned gum under her desk sometimes |
C.was troubled by chewed gum |
D.often found chewed gum in her locker |
What do we know about aspartame?
A.It is proved to be a harmless chemical. |
B.It is the cause of many kinds of cancer.. |
C.It is being refused by the US government. |
D.It is the main ingredient of chewing gum. |
What is the main purpose of the text?
A.To advise people against chewing gum. |
B.To criticize people who are lazy. |
C.To persuade people to buy medical gum. |
D.To make comments on the ban in Singapore. |
2016 International Summer School
The 2016 University of Cambridge International Summer Schools will run in Cambridge from 6 July to 22 August 2016. Our programs give you the opportunity to meet award-winning lecturers, stay and dine in one of the historic Cambridge Colleges and enjoy a range of weekend excursions(游览)and social activities. To sign up for a program simply apply online, or download an application form from our website. Places on courses and in-college accommodation are limited, so we encourage applicants to apply early to avoid disappointment.
This year we will be offering specialist programs in: Ancient Empires, Literature, History, Medieval Studies and new for 2016, Creative Writing and Hanseatic League. If you are looking to study a number of different subject areas, the Interdisciplinary Summer School is ideal. It is divided into three terms, Interdisciplinary Summer School Term I, Interdisciplinary Summer School Term II and Interdisciplinary Summer School Term III, covering a wide range of subjects including politics, philosophy, economics, literature, history and international relations. You can opt to do one or two terms. But most students choose all the three terms.
The Cambridge English for Academic Purposes program combines a two-week intensive(强化)language course with a two-week academic program. This allows students to put into practice the language skills they have learned during the first two weeks of the program. Applicants will also have the opportunity to sign up for weekend excursions and take part in various events.
If you want to join us in 2016, please click here to download a copy of brochure(手册). If you want to find out more information about 2016 International Summer School, you can visit www.ice.cam.ac.uk/intsummer. (CLICK HERE)
What our students say
“The entire experience was even better than I expected. I absolutely loved it.” Sally, USA
“I believe that the Science International Summer School was a fulfilling experience. I think that everyone should attend this Summer School at least once in a lifetime.” Dominika, PolandWhat should people do if they want to sign up for a program in this ad?
A.They should go to Cambridge by plane. |
B.They should phone Cambridge. |
C.They should call for an application form. |
D.They should apply for the program online. |
Why are the applicants encouraged to apply early?
A.The earlier they apply, the less they will pay. |
B.If they apply late, they have to live out of Cambridge College. |
C.There are not enough places for the courses or in-college accommodation. |
D.The reason is not mentioned in the passage. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word in Paragraph 3?
A.To avoid doing a duty |
B.To choose to do |
C.To decide not to be part of a group |
D.To decide on |
If man’s best friend is a dog, then who is a dog’s best friend? That would be Rover, Glow, Ivan or Raina. They recently donated (捐赠) blood to other dogs. And they did it without having to travel far from home: they visited an animal bloodmobile.
Like the Red Cross vehicles for humans, the University of Pennsylvania’s traveling vet lab goes to where the donors are to make it easier to give. The bloodmobile makes weekly rounds through Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Like humans, not every dog is qualified(合格的) to donate blood. The dogs are examined for health first. Dogs must have the correct blood type, weigh at least 55 pounds and be under 8 year old. About 150 dogs take part in the program. Each donates three or four pints(品脱) a year, which can help animals suffering from illness like cancer or an accident like being hit by a car.
Sandy Lucas brought her 7-year-old dog, Raina, to the bloodmobile last week. She said she wouldn’t have taken the dog to Penn Vet’s animal hospital in downtown Philadelphia, which is twice as far from her home. “I was very, very excited that she had the right blood that was needed to help another dog out,” said Lucas. “We’ll surely do it again.”
Just like people, the donors get a snack and a heart-shaped sticker immediately after giving. What’s more, they receive dog food to take home.
If dogs are doing what they can to save other dogs, why can’t we do it to save other people? Next time you hesitate(犹豫) over whether to donate blood or not, think of the dogs.The writer mentions Rover, Glow, Ivan and Raina in Para. 1 mainly because _________.
A.they are man’s best friends. |
B.they are common names for dogs. |
C.they get along well with other dogs. |
D.they have donated blood to other dogs. |
What do we know about the traveling vet lab?
A.It is a Red Cross vehicle. |
B.It collects dogs’ blood for other dogs. |
C.It travels through Philadelphia every day. |
D.It was donated by the University of Pennsylvania. |
What can we learn from Para.4?
A.Sandy Lucas is unwilling to let her dog donate blood. |
B.The bloodmobile welcomes dogs from anywhere in the city. |
C.Penn Vet’s animal hospital in downtown Philadelphia is popular. |
D.The animal bloodmobile has made it easier for dogs to donate blood. |
By writing the last paragraph, the author wants to ________.
A.ask us to help dogs. |
B.show the importance of dogs. |
C.encourage us to donate blood. |
D.compare humans with dogs. |