My interest in Chinese food started years a90, when l was a young reporter for the Washington Post. Our office wasn’t far from Chinatown, where I found some very good Chinese restaurants．
The first time I ever ate Chinese food I loved it. I noticed the fresh taste of the meat and vegetables. When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why it has this special feature.
Many years ago, China had an energy crisis because it lost much of its wood due to over population and poor management of its forests. This loss was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get，so the Chinese had to either find a substitute for their valuable wood，or learn how to use it better. There weren’t any substitutes so people found ways to economize.
In order to economize in cookin9, they had to use very little wood. So they started cutting their meat and vegetables into small pieces before they put them in the hot oil．That way，the food cooked faster and they saved their fuel. The food prepared in this way kept its fresh flavor一and it's this flavor that attracts people from other countries to the art of Chinese cooking. This text is mainly about________.
| A．what caused Chinese food to taste fresh |
| B．how Chinese food is cooked in the US |
| C．when the author started to make Chinese food |
| D．why most foreigners like cooking Chinese food |
The author mentioned the energy crisis to show________.
| A．it is important to protect the forests |
| B．it is necessary to find substitutes for wood |
| C．why the Chinese changed their way of cooking |
| D．what problems a big population is causing China today |
It can be inferred from the text that before the energy crisis Chinese food________.
| A．was cooked in rather large pieces |
| B．was cooked in water but not oil |
| C．didn’t taste good |
| D．didn’t look fresh |
When Denis Hennequin took over as the European boss of McDonald's in January 2004, the world's biggest restaurant chain was showing signs of recovery in America and Australia, but sales in Europe were sluggish or declining．One exception was France, where Mr．Hennequin had done a reliable job as head on the group's French subsidiary（子公式） to sell more Big Macs to his relatives, His task was to copy this success in all 41 of the European countries where anti-globalisers’ favourite enemy operates．
So far Mr．Henncquin is doing well．Last year European sales increased by 5．8% and the number of customers by 3．4%, the best annual results in nearly 15 years．Europe accounted for 36% of the group's profits and for 28 of its sales．December was an especially good month as customers took to seasonal menu offerings in France and Britain, and to a promotion in Germany based on the game of Monopoly（垄断）．
Mr．Hennequin's recipe for revival（复兴） is to be more open about his company's operations, to be "locally relevant", and to improve the experience of visiting his 6.400 restaurants． McDonaId's is blamed for making people fat, exploiting workers, treating animals cruelly, polluting the environment and simply for being American．Mr．Hennequin says he wants to engage in a dialogue with the public to address these concerns．
He introduced "open door" visitor days in each country which became hugely popular．In Poland alone some 50,000 visitors came to McDonaId's through the visitors' program last year．The Nutrition Information Initiative（倡议）launched last year, put detailed Sables on McDonaId's packaging with data on calories, protein, fat, carbohy drates and salt content, "the details are also printed on tray-liners．Which of the following statement is RIGHT?
| A．Denis Hennequin has been boss of McDonald since 2004． |
| B．The sales of McDonald is increasing in France． |
| C．Denis Hennequin tries his best to increase the sales of McDonald in the world． |
| D．The nutrition information is always launched on McDonald products． |
McDonaId's is blamed in Europe for the following reasons EXCEPT.
| A．making people fat | B．exploiting workers |
| C．treating animals cruelly | D．earning too much |
Which of the following is not included in the McDonaId's packaging?
| A．attentions | B．fat | C．protein | D．salt content |
What did Denis Hennequin do to increase the sales of McDonald in Europe?
| A．He visited all the McDonaId's branches in Europe． |
| B．He introduced "open door" visitor's days in each country． |
| C．He had done a reliable job as head of the group's French subsidiary． |
| D．He engaged in a dialogue with the public． |
| A．organized | B．in disorder | C．free | D．busy |
Which is NOT TRUE according to the tips?
| A．The more you sleep, the less stressed you will feel． |
| B．A balanced diet will make you energetic． |
| C．Regular exercise will help you feel relaxed． |
| D．Everything in a mess will increase one's stress． |
What does the underlined word " procrastinate" mean?
| A．ahead of time． | B．delay． |
| C．give up． | D．make up． |
If your good friend invites you to do something while you are busy．what should you do so as not to increase stress?
| A．You should accept the invitation． | B．You had better say "no"． |
| C．You should keep silent． | D．You should feel bad． |
Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.
Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.
Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.
As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.
Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.
Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House. The passage is probably taken from _____.
| A．a radio | B．a magazine | C．TV | D．a paper |
What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?
| A．nurses | B．doctors | C．hospitals | D．points |
Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______
| A．his hard work | B．his teacher | C．his mother | D．his father |
What’s the aim to write the passage?
| A．To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson. |
| B．To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements. |
| C．To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded |
| D．To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work |
Dye (染料) can bring a little color to life. Most clothing is colored with dyes. Modern, manufactured dyes can be costly. Natural dyes from plant and animal products have been used since ancient times. So this week, we describe a natural way to dye wool.
There are several methods to put dye onto material. The vat method, for example, can be used to dye wool with onionskins. For this example, use one hundred grams of natural wool. The wool must be clean. Leave it overnight in water and liquid soap. Then wash it with clean water that is a little warm. Gently squeeze out the extra water.
A solution called a mordant (媒染) is used in the dying process. A mordant helps fix the dye to the material. Traditionally, mordants were found in nature. Wool ash is one example. But chemical mordants such as alum are popular today. Alum is sold in many stores. It is often mixed with cream of tartar, a fine powder commonly used in cooking.
Mix eight grams of alum with seven grams of cream of tartar in a small amount of hot water. Add the solution to a metal pan of cool water. Next, add the wool and place the mixture over heat. Slowly bring the liquid to eighty-two degrees Celsius. Heat the mixture for forty-five minutes. After it cools, remove the wool and wash it.
To prepare the dye solution, cover thirty grams of onionskins with water. Use only the dry, brown outer skins. Boil the liquid until the onionskins lose their color, about forty-five minutes. Remove the skins after the dye cools.
Now it is time to dye the wool. Place the wool into the dye and heat the mixture. Bring it to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to eighty-two degrees. Now heat the dye for about forty-five minutes or until the wool is the desired color. Keep in mind that wet wool looks darker than it is.
Once the dye cools, remove the wool and wash it. Now the wool is orange or yellow. Or at least it should be.
57. According to the passage, mordants are ________.
A. dyes used in the dying process
B. materials which will be put dye to
C. wood ashes used in the dying process
D. not dyes but play an important role in the dying process
58. Which of the following statements about “natural dyes” is true?
A. They might be cheaper than chemical dyes.
B. They are more expensive than chemical dyes.
C. They have been used for only recent years.
D. They are all made from animal products.
59. As for the vat method, which of the following statements is NOT necessarily needed?
A. Ash. B. Water. C. Mordant. D. Temperature.
60. Choose the proper order of dying wool:
a. boil the liquid with onionskins.
b. add mordants to a metal pan of cool water.
c. wash the wool with clean water.
d. put the wool into the liquid and heat it
e. heat the mixture and then wash it.
A. c, b, e, a, d B. e, b, c, d, a C. b, e, a, d, c D. a, b, e, c, d
In nineteen ninety-nine, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms. Just three years later, estimates were almost double that.
A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.
Some middle and high schools in Texas have also joined the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.
Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.
Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria Stamison, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.
She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.
In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon Pate found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise Hughes found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.
Sociologist David Brunsma has studied school uniform policies since nineteen ninety-eight. He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in rural Pennsylvania required uniforms.
Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David Brunsma and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.
52. What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the US.
B. Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance.
C. Researchers in the US argue for school uniform policies.
D. Evidence for school uniform policies in the US is seen as weak.
53. Which was/were the first in the US to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools?
A. Six big-city Ohio public schools.
B. The school district in Long Beach, California.
C. Some middle and high schools in Texas.
D. Some elementary and middle schools in Florida.
54. Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?
A. Viktoria Stamison and Sharon Pate.
B. Sharon Pate and David Brunsma.
C. Eloise Hughes and Sharon Pate.
D. Viktoria Stamison and David Brunsma.
55. The underlined word “misbehavior” in the sixth paragraph probably means ______.
A. serious crime B. bad performance
C. absence for class D. action against wearing uniforms
56. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. more work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect
B. the number of schools requiring uniforms in the US will decline sharply
C. wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning
D. politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies