It tastes just like 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 it．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 ? 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 cut 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 |
One of the biggest new bands in the UK is Arctic Monkeys.Their first two singles(单曲唱片)went straight to Number One in the charts(排行榜)and their first album “Whatever People Say I Am，That's what I'm No” has become a recordbreaking album.It's the fastest selling debut album(首张专辑)in UK chart history.
Arctic Monkeys are famous because of their great success.They achieved their success thanks to the Internet.Usually a new band signs to a record company and then it is through marketing that people buy their singles.The single sales then get the band into the charts and they become popular that way.
However，Arctic Monkeys became wellknown in a slightly different way.Back in 2003 when the band first started，they handed out CDs at their performing concert.Certain fans liked the music so much that they put the music up on the Web.The general public had access to this music because it was on the Internet and，because people liked the music，the band's popularity increased.The band's popularity was starting to get noticed by major radio stations in the UK.
Arctic Monkeys released(发行)their first single in October 2005.Before that，their music had only been available to download on the Internet.When they did finally release a single and an album，they both rose to the top of the charts.
Music fans welcome the use of the Internet this way—Arctic Monkeys became popular simply because people liked their music when they heard it.There were no ads.As music downloads continue to increase in popularity，we can expect to see more and more bands make it big in this way.Arctic Monkeys gained popularity through __________.
| A．giving away their CDs |
| B．the Internet |
| C．singing to a record company |
| D．marketing and advertisement |
．Before 2005，how can you get Arctic Monkeys' music?
| A．Going to their live music party. |
| B．Download their music from the Internet. |
| C．Buying their singles and albums in a shop. |
| D．Listen to it on the radio in the UK. |
Why did Arctic Monkeys become popular?
| A．People could hear their music often. |
| B．They didn't advertise their music. |
| C．People liked their music. |
| D．The marketing company did well. |
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth.Finances were a constant concern for his family.The expenses of having a large family were too much for his father's salary.In fact, when Charles was just four months old, the family moved to a smaller home to cut expenses.
At a very young age, despite his family's financial situation, Charles dreamed of becoming a gentleman.However, when he was 12, it seemed his dream would never come true.He suffered a lot.Charles' education was unplanned, but he supplemented it with constant reading, particularly of the eighteenthcentury novels in his father's small library.He was poorly clothed, ill fed, forced to live in the cheapest place.
Also,12yearold Charles was removed from school and sent to work at a factory to help support the family.Charles was deeply marked by these experiences.This childhood poverty, although unknown to his readers until after his death, would be a heavy influence on Dickens' later views on social reform and the world he would create through his fiction.He knew those kinds of feelings.He was lost at that time when he worked hopelessly in the factory.That period was so bitter to the sensitive boy.When he was a successful, happy man, he could not look back upon it without tears in his eyes.
Luckily the situation improved within a year.Charles was released from his duties at the factory.As a boy, Charles Dickens' dream was __________.
| A．to be a writer | B．to be a gentleman |
| C．to work in a factory | D．to support his family |
Charles Dickens was removed from school because __________.
| A．he didn't like to go to school at all |
| B．he caused much trouble at school |
| C．he had to make money to support the family |
| D．he liked reading in his father's small library |
What greatly affected Charles Dickens when he was young?
| A．His constant reading. |
| B．His family's frequent move. |
| C．His leaving school to work. |
| D．His father's salary. |
What can we know about Charles Dickens?
| A．He received a good education when young. |
| B．He felt confused when working in the factory. |
| C．He worked in the factory for many years. |
| D．He started to work in the factory in 1826. |
With petroleum reserves (石油储量) decreasing，the search is on to replace gas with a cleaner，greener alternative.Though much eco－talk has centered on biofuels from corn and soybeans，the biofuel that looks more likely to replace petroleum comes from a most unlikely source：algae (藻类)．
Algae，like corn，soybeans，and other crops，grow via photosynthesis (光合作用) and can be processed into fuel oil.However，they yield 30 times more energy than land crops such as soybeans，according to the U．S.Department of Energy.Many algae species also can grow in saltwater and polluted water－while corn and soy require arable land and fresh water that will be in short supply as the world's population balloons.
“If you replaced all the diesel (柴油) in the U．S.with soy biodiesel，it would take half the land mass of the U．S.to grow those soybeans，”says Matt Caspari，chief executive of Aurora Biofuels，a Berkeley，Calif.－based private firm that specializes in algae oil technology.On the other hand，the Energy Department says that if algae fuel replaced all the petroleum fuel in the United States，it would require 15,000 square miles，which is a few thousand miles larger that Maryland (12,407 square miles)，the 42nd state in land area.
Another bonus：Because algae can be grown just about anywhere in a closed space，they 're being tested at several power plants across the nation as a carbon absorber.Smokestack emissions (烟囱排放物) can be pumped directly into the ponds，feeding the algae while keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
Although processing technology for algae fuel—also known as “oilgae” in some environmentalist circles—is improving，it's still years away from reaching your local gas pump.“It's just a question of cost，because no large－scale facilities have been built yet，” Caspari says.The underlined word “yield” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “________”．
| A．control | B．require |
| C．produce | D．grow |
Compared with corn and soybeans，algae ________.
| A．may pollute water and soil |
| B．can grow in poor conditions |
| C．provide much less energy |
| D．need more special care |
According to Paragraph 3，one of the advantages of algae fuel is that ________.
| A．it can be used more widely |
| B．it is more easy to produce |
| C．it needs much less land |
| D．it costs much less money |
What do we learn about algae from Paragraph 4?
| A．Algae help protect the environment. |
| B．People can grow algae anywhere. |
| C．Fish can get more oxygen from algae. |
| D．Algae produce less waste. |
There were a thousand reasons not to stop.I was running late for a very important...well，whatever it was that I was running late for that day.Surely the Highway Patrol would be along soon，and it's their job to help stranded (搁浅) motorists，isn't it?
That made 1,004 reasons not to stop.And here was 1,005：I was the world's worst auto mechanic.The first time I tried to change my car's oil myself I did fine—until I forgot to put the new oil in.The boys down at the garage had a big laugh over that.
I'm not sure how much it would have helped that lady who was stranded by the side of the freeway if I had pulled over.So I drove on by，just like hundreds of other drivers on the freeway that day.Then suddenly I turned off at the next exit and made my way back to see if I could at least give her a lift or something.But by the time I got back to her，a Hispanic (西班牙的) gentleman had pulled in behind her，and was tinkering (修补) with her car's engine.
“Is there anything I can do to help？” I asked.
“No，thank you，”the lady replied.“This nice man says he can fix it.” After the man repaired it，the woman tried to give him some money，but he declined and waved as she drove off.It wasn't until we started walking toward our cars that I noticed he had five more reasons not to stop than I did；his family was sitting in the station wagon，waiting patiently.“Do you stop and help people like this often？”I asked.
“Somebody has to，”he said.“What's she going to do if nobody helps？”And for him，that was enough.By telling the story，the author intends to tell us ________.
| A．we must help someone in trouble even if we have every reason not to do so |
| B．if we don't have the necessary skills or knowledge，we can't help a person much |
| C．what the person in trouble needs most is kindness rather than practical skills |
| D．we much thank the person who has helped us when we are in trouble |
What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The author once helped a person who was in trouble but was laughed at by a boy. |
| B．The author just wanted to find an excuse to stop to help the stranded lady. |
| C．The author doubted whether he had the ability to give the lady some necessary help. |
| D．What the author was running late for made him very angry. |
Why did the author make his way back at the next exit?
| A．Because he wanted to see if anybody else had helped the lady out. |
| B．Because he felt guilty about not helping the lady. |
| C．Because he wanted to help the Hispanic gentleman fix the lady's car. |
| D．Because he had thought of a way to help the lady. |
Money Matters for Students
GETTING A GRANT(补助)
Who pays?
The local education authority (LEA) for the area in which the student is living.
Who can get this money?
Anyone who gets a place on a first degree course，although a student who has already attended a course of advanced further education may not.Students must also have been resident in the UK for at least three years，which can exclude (排除) some students from overseas. SPECIAL CASES
If a student has worked before going to college：
A student who is 26 or more before the course starts and who has worked for at least three of the previous six years will get extra money—￡ 155 a year if 26，increasing to a maximum of ￡ 615 at 29 or more.
If a student is handicapped：
LEAs will give up to ￡ 500 to help meet extra expenses—such as buying a tape recorder for a blind student，extra heating or special food.
Banking：
Most of the big banks offer special services to students who open accounts (in the hope that they will stay with the bank when they become rich officials)．A student won't usually have to pay bank charges as long as the account stays in credit.Some banks allow students to overdraw by ￡ 100 or so，and still don't make charges (though they do charge interest)．A student from Japan who has been staying in England for a year and intends to go to college in a few months will ________.
| A．get money if he is taking a first degree course |
| B．be unable to get money from any LEA |
| C．get money from any LEA when he has finished his course |
| D．have to open a bank account before he gets any money |
A 31 year old nurse wishes to qualify as a doctor at a university.She has worked since she was 25.How much extra money will she get a year?
| A．None. | B．￡ 155. |
| C．￡ 615. | D．￡ 515. |
A student who cannot walk has to buy a wheelchair costing ￡ 750 to go to classes.How much of the cost will he have to pay himself?
| A．￡ 150. | B．￡ 250. |
| C．￡ 500. | D．￡ 750. |
You are a new student.Why may a bank welcome you as a customer?
| A．They know you receive money regularly. |
| B．They charge students extra. |
| C．They hope you will be rich in the future. |
| D．They need students accounts in term－time. |