Lettuce (莴苣)has been eaten for over 4,500 years, and was known to the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Now, people in some countries start the meal with lettuce as part of a salad. There are hundreds of kinds of lettuce. The main ones include head lettuce, such as iceberg, leaf lettuce ,Boston, bibb and romaine.
Experts say lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden. The best time to plant the seeds is during cool weather. The University of Illinois Extension advises that the best planting temperature is 15 0C.
Lettuce seeds are small, so do not place them too deep in the ground. If you plant some seeds every week or two, you will have crops ready to eat one after another.
To start the seeds inside, you can use a seed tray in your home or other shelter. This container should be deep enough to hold at least three centimeters of soil or more. There should be about one centimeter of space between the soil and the top of the container. The container should have holes in the bottom so the extra water can flow out. Drop the seeds over the surface and cover them lightly with soil. If the soil is not already a little wet, give it some water. But do not drown the seeds.
Next, cover the seed tray with paper. When the seedlings have come up far enough to touch the paper, take it off. You can transplant the seedlings into the garden when they are about two to three centimeters tall. Do this when the weather is not too hot and not too cold. Take out as much soil as you can with the seedlings, Then dig a hole in the ground bigger thanthe lettuce roots. Water the plants but not too heavily.
Harvest leaf lettuces when the leaves are big enough to eat. Pull the leaves from the outside of the planting so the inside leaves will keep growing. Or, you can cut off the whole plant. Leave about two or three centimeters above the ground so the plant will re-grow. Cut off head lettuces at ground level.
Lettuce is best when served fresh, so make a salad and enjoy. Experts say lettuce is one of the easiest crops to grow in your garden.Which of the following shows the right order of planting lettuces?
a.Dig a hole in the ground bigger than the lettuce roots.
b.Drop the seeds over the surface.
c.Water the plants.
d.Cover the seed with soil.
e.Take off the paper.
f.Transplant the seedlings into the garden.
A.b, d, e ,f, a, c | B.a, b ,c, d ,e, f |
C.d, e,f, b,a,c | D.b,c, d,e,f,a |
The underlined word “seedlings” in paragraph 5 means______.
A.containers | B.seeds | C.young plants | D.layers |
When eating Iettuce5 you’d better ______ so that it tastes best.
A.store it in plastic bags | B.eat the inside leaves |
C.wrap it in paper | D.eat while it is fresh |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.Lettuce is the easiest crop to grow in your garden. |
B.The lettuce is not hard to plant and store. |
C.We can plant lettuce in a two-centimeter-high tray. |
D.We should water lettuce at least twice a day. |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest problems is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it. Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution.
Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world. Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily. Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air. Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. We are sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in pollution at the same time. _______, our world is becoming much smaller.
A.Because of the rise in pollution |
B.Thanks to science development |
C.Because the earth is being polluted day and night |
D.Because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
Hundreds of years ago, life was __________ it is today.
A.much easier than | B.as easy as |
C.much harder than | D.as hard as |
Pollution comes in many ways. We can even hear it. Here “it” means _______.
A.rubbish(垃圾) | B.noise pollution |
C.air pollution | D.water pollution |
Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because _______.
A.it makes much noise |
B.it makes us angry more easily |
C.it makes our rivers and lakes dirty |
D.it’s bad for all living things in the world |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. |
B.The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world population does. |
C.The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
D.If people could go to work by bus or bike instead of car or motorbike, it would be helpful in fighting against the problem of SO2. |
“The more you learn, the more you earn,” said the pop singer Cyndi Lauper as she accepted her high school diploma(证书) , at the age of 35 ! Although Cyndi made it without a high school degree, most people don't. In the USA today, about 75% of jobs need some education or technical training further than high school. The lowest wage earners in the USA are those without high school degrees; college graduates(毕业生) outearn those without a college education. People with master's degrees(硕士学位)outearn those with only a bachelor (学士学位); and the highest incomes of all are earned by people with advanced professional or academic degrees. These generalizations explain why most of young Americans go to college. However, despite the averages, more diplomas don't always mean more money. Many skilled blue-collar workers, salespeople, business executives, and entrepreneurs(企业家)outearn college professors and scientific researchers. And great athletes and entertainers outearn everyone else! Cyndi Lauper ______.
A.had been studying in high school before she was thirty-five |
B.wasn't clever because she graduated from high school too late |
C.got her high school diploma when she was already thirty-five |
D.didn't like studying |
According to the passage,______.
A.high school diploma and high school degree are the same thing |
B.people can't get both high school diploma and degree |
C.people must get both high school diploma and degree |
D.people can get both high school diploma and degree or either |
Why do most American young people go to college?
A.Because their parents force them to go to college. |
B.Because they can't get a job if they don't go to college. |
C.Because the situation of the society make them go to college. |
D.Because they like studying. |
What may the underlined word “outearn” mean?
A.Earning more money. | B.Earning less money. |
C.Earning no money. | D.Working better. |
Which of the following is right?
A.If you don't have a diploma, you can't earn money. |
B.Those who have diplomas always earn more money than those who don't have diplomas. |
C.Less diplomas always mean less money. |
D.Great athletes may earn more money than other people. |
The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful.
When the White Olympics came, the host countries(东道国) as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics. Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet. Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen. The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics _______.
A.are the same thing | B.are different games |
C.are not held in winter | D.are held in summer |
The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games _______.
A.after the year 1936 | B.after the 3rd White Olympics |
C.before the 3rd White Olympics | D.before the year 1932 |
The Winter Olympics is held once _______.
A.every two years | B.every three years |
C.every four years | D.every five years |
Which of the following is true?
A.Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
B.Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
C.All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games. |
D.Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games |
What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?
A.Basketball. | B.Table tennis. | C.Football. | D.Skating. |
Mr. Lang worked in a factory. As a driver, he was busy but he was paid much. His wife was an able woman and did all the housework. When he came back, she took good care of him and he never did anything at home. So he had enough time when he had a holiday. A few friends of his liked gambling(赌博) and he learned it soon. So he was interested in it and hardly forgot anything except gambling. He lost all his money and later he began to sell the television, watches and so on. His wife told him not to do it but he didn’t listen to her. She had to tell the police. He and his friends were punished for it. And he was hardly sent away. After he came out of lockup(拘留所), he hated her very much and the woman had to leave him.
It was New Year’s Day. Mr. Lang didn’t go to work. He felt lonely and wanted to gamble again. He called his friends and they came soon. But they were afraid the police would come. He told his five-year-old son to go to find out if there were the policemen outside. They waited for a long time and didn’t think the police would come and began to gamble. Suddenly opened the door and in came a few policemen. “I saw there weren’t any policemen outside, daddy,” said the boy, “so I went to the crossing and asked some to come.”Mr. Lang was paid much because _______.
A.he was a driver | B.he worked in a factory |
C.he had a lot of work to do | D.he had worked there for a long time |
Mrs. Lang did all housework because _______.
A.she couldn’t find any work |
B.she thought her husband was tired |
C.her husband spent all time in gambling |
D.she wouldn’t stop her husband gambling |
______, so he was put into lockup.
A.Mr. Lang often gambled |
B.Mr. Lang was late for work |
C.Mr. Lang didn’t help his wife at home |
D.Mr. Lang wasn’t polite to the police |
The woman had to leave Mr. Lang because _______.
A.he didn’t love her any longer |
B.he wouldn’t stop gambling |
C.he had been put into lockup |
D.he was hardly sent away by the factory |
Which of the following is right?
A.The boy hoped his father to be put into lockup again. |
B.The boy thought his father needed some policemen. |
C.The boy hoped his father to stop gambling soon. |
D.The boy hoped his mother to come back. |
A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily,it is a bad thing for young people.Puppy love(早恋)may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression(忧郁症).The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys,and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”.According to the study,even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”,this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls.Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions.They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marianm Kaufman,an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes—and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity(成熟)gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects. What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
B.Parents should forbid their children’s love. |
C.Romance is a twoedged sword for adults. |
D.Romance is good for young people. |
Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A.Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
B.Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
C.Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
D.Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
B.Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
C.Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
D.The older a woman is,the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
A.Confused | B.Disapproving | C.Disinterested | D.Scared |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.There is a direct link between puppy love and high risk of depression. |
B.Parents should encourage their kids’ behaviour when they are informed of their kids’ puppy love. |
C.There is no direct connection between puppy love and high risk of depression. |
D.During growing up, it is not important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. |