Recently, some concerns have been raised about the health of the world's banana plants. Many media reports have said that bananas may completely disappear in the coming ten years.
Bananas are one of the world's most important food crops. They are also the fourth most valuable export. Bananas do not grow from seeds. Instead, they grow from existing plants. Bananas are threatened by disease because all the plants on a farm are copies of each other. They all share the same genetic weaknesses.
For example, the Cavendish banana is most popular in American markets. It is an important export crop. However, some kinds of fungus (真菌) organisms easily infect the Cavendish. Black Sigatoka disease affects the leaves of Cavendish banana plants. The disease is controlled on large farms by putting chemicals on the plant's leaves. Farmers put anti-fungal chemicals on their crops up to once a week.
Another fungal disease is more serious. Panama disease attacks the roots of the banana plant. There is no chemical treatment for this disease. Infected plants must be destroyed. Panama disease has affected crops in Southeast Asia, Australia and South Africa. There is concern that it may spread to bananas grown in the Americas. This could threaten an important export product for Central and South America.
The International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain, whose headquarter lies in France, supports research on bananas. The group says that more research must be done to develop improved kinds of bananas.
The group says that fungal diseases mainly affect only one kind of banana. In fact, there are five-hundred different kinds of bananas. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the Cavendish banana represents only ten percent of world production.
The UN agency says farmers should grow different kinds of bananas. This protects against diseases that affect only one kind. Experts warn that disease may cause the Cavendish banana to disappear. This has already happened to one popular banana because of its genetic weakness against disease. (words: 335) What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Bananas are the world’s most important food crops. |
| B．There are five hundred different kinds of bananas. |
| C．The risk to a popular banana shows need to grow other kinds. |
| D．How to grow bananas in different countries. |
Bananas are threatened by diseases because __________.
| A．they have genetic weaknesses against disease. |
| B．they are one of the most valuable exports. |
| C．the only way to prevent it is to put chemicals on their leaves. |
| D．they grow from the seed |
Panama disease__________.
| A．doesn’t belong to fungal disease. |
| B．has spread to bananas in the world. |
| C．affects the leaves of banana plants. |
| D．destroys the bananas more seriously than Black Sigatoka disease. |
We can infer from Paragraph 6 that ____________.
| A．the center of the group is in the US. |
| B．the key to solving the disease is to research all kinds of bananas. |
| C．the Cavendish banana covers only a small part of the output of bananas. |
| D．each fungal disease affects five hundred different kinds of bananas. |
According to the passage, which information is right?
| A．The Cavendish banana can be mainly imported from North America and Europe. |
| B．Fungal diseases mainly affect the Cavendish banana. |
| C．The Cavendish banana won’t die out in the future. |
| D．Panama disease affects the leaves of banana plants. |
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true ? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day. They never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason ? No one could be sure. Herpin died at the age of 94. The main idea of this passage is that _______.
| A．large numbers of people do not need sleep |
| B．a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep |
| C．everyone needs some sleep to stay alive |
| D．people can live longer by trying not to sleep |
The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting to _______.
| A．cure him of his sleeplessness |
| B．find that his sleeplessness was not really true |
| C．find a way to free people from the need of sleeping |
| D．find out why some old people didn't need any asleep |
After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin _______.
| A．was too old to need any sleep | B．often slept in a chair |
| C．needed no sleep at all | D．needed some kind of sleep |
One reason that might explain Herpin's sleeplessness was _______.
| A．that he hadn't got a bed |
| B．that he had gradually got tired of the sleeping habit |
| C．his mother's injury before he was born |
| D．his magnificent physical condition |
阅读下面短文，将标有A~F的段落或句子插入文章中题号为1~5的恰当位置，使全篇文章意义完整，结构连贯。注意：1)有一个选项是多余的；2)如选E请填涂AB；选F请填涂CD.
Freezing can keep food fresh and safe to eat. Freezing lowers the food temperature below zero degree Celsius. That is the point where water turns to ice. , it is important to lower the temperature to between minus fifteen and minus twenty degrees Celsius as quickly as possible. The faster the freezing process is, the fresher the taste of the food.
Fruits and vegetables can be spread out inside the freezer. Once the food is frozen, . Fruits are usually not cooked before they are frozen. This allows them to keep their fresh taste. The simplest way to prepare fruits is to cut them up and place them in a container inside the freeze before putting it in the container. This will keep it from sticking to the container. This is called the “dry pack” method.
, The fruit is prepared along with some of its liquid or juice. You can ad some sugar to fruits that are naturally juicy. The sugar sweetens the fruit and brings out its natural juices.
. Blanching means placing the vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes and then quickly placing them into very cold water. Blanching slows down the natural chemical aging process. All extra water should be removed before placing the vegetables into containers and freezing.
.
| A．it should be placed in containers and then stored at a temperature of about minus twenty degrees Celsius |
| B．Vegetables are either cooked or blanched before freezing |
| C．To start the freezing process |
| D．To keep them fresh for a long time |
E. The second way is the “wet pack” method
F. Most foods can be stored frozen for up to one year
I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble.
I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of
my pocket and put it on her desk.
Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed. As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.
Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test.The story took place（发生） exactly ____________ .
| A．in the teacher’s office | B．in an exam room |
| C．in the school | D．in the language lab |
The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because ____________ .
| A．she had not brought a pen with her |
| B．she had lost her own on her way to school |
| C．there was something wrong with her own |
| D．her own had been taken away by someone |
The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy ____________ .
| A．to go on writing his paper |
| B．to stop whispering |
| C．to leave the room immediately |
| D．to stay behind after the exam |
The thing(s) emphasized in her talk was(were) ____________ .
| A．honesty | B．sense of duty | C．seriousness | D．all of the above |
The boy knew everything ____________ .
| A．the moment he was asked to stay behind |
| B．when the teacher started talking about honesty |
| C．only some time later |
| D．when he was walking out of the room |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed宣告 a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation康乃馨.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910，the first Father’s Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to established Father’s Day as a national commemorative纪念的 day in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true ?
| A．It is a day to show love to mothers |
| B．It is a day to wear carnations |
| C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery |
| D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was bought up
| A．a b c d | B．d a b c | C．b a c d | D．d a c b |
Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?
| A．Mrs. Do | B．Margaret Chase Smith |
| C．Ann Jarvis | D．Woodrow Wilson |
From the passage, we know in the U.S ________________.
| A．one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother pass away |
| B．on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues |
| C．on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day. |
| D．The purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents |
The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________
| A．call on people to love and respect their parents. |
| B．introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
| C．tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day |
| D．show how important fathers and mothers are |
When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called “Brownie”, My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games .
Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up(咬破) one of Dad’s shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl.” She looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us.
People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course sh
e'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many dines when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?
| A．Look at them sadly. | B．Keep them company. |
| C．Play games with them. | D．Touch them gently. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that Brownie ______
| A．would eat anything when hungry | B．felt scary for her mistake |
| C．loved playing hide-and-seek | D．disliked the author's dad |
Why does the author say that Browrnie was more than just a family pet?
| A．She was treated as a member of the family. |
| B．She played games with anyone she liked. |
| C．She was loved by everybody she met. |
| D．She went everywhere with the family. |
Some people got frightened by Brownie when she _______
| A．smiled | B．barked | C．rushed to them | D．tried to be funny |
Which of the following best describes Brownie?
| A．Shy. | B．Polite. | C．Brave. | D．Caring. |