Organic food, once considered something that only health fanatics desired, is now a regular feature at most supermarkets. And that has created a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, you have a conventionally grown apple. On the other, you have one that’s organic. Both apples are firm, shiny and red. Both provide vitamins and fiber, and both are free of fat, sodium and cholesterol.
Conventionally grown food generally costs less, but is organic food a better choice? The advantages claimed for such foods over conventionally grown and sold food products are now being debated on a large scale. Supporters of organic foods ― a term whose meaning varies greatly ―are frequently telling the world that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.
The growing interest of consumers in the safety and nutritional quality of daily foods is a welcome development. However, much of this interest has been aroused by sweeping claims that the conventional food supply is unsafe or inadequate in meeting nutritional needs.
Almost daily, the public is surrounded by claims for “no-aging” diets, new vitamins and other wonder foods. There are numerous unsubstantiated(没证实的) reports that natural vitamins are superior to man-made ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than those treated with insect spray and the like.
Although most of these claims are not supported by scientific evidence, large amounts of written material about the benefits of organic foods makes it difficult for people to separate fact from fiction. As a result, claims that eating a diet consisting of organically grown foods prevents or cures disease or provides other benefits to health have become widely advertised and form the basis for people’s opinion.
One thing that most organically grown food products seem to have in common is that they cost more than conventionally grown foods. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers, particularly those with limited incomes, distrust the conventional food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead.According to Paragraph 2, which of the following statements about organic food is true?
| A.It hasn’t been used until recent years. |
| B.It has no agreed definition. |
| C.It is popular among producers. |
| D.It is accepted by most nutritionists. |
In Paragraph 4, treated grains are examples of ________.
| A.healthier food | B.organic food |
| C.conventionally grown food | D.expensive food |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A.most doctors believe organic foods prevent disease or provide other benefits to health |
| B.organic foods are actually less nutritious than conventionally grown foods |
| C.people cannot separate fact from fiction because of the TV advertisements |
| D.organic foods cost more but are not necessarily better than conventionally grown foods |
According to the passage, many consumers are attracted by organic foods because they _____.
| A.want to try something new |
| B.have carefully researched the products |
| C.value food safety and nutrition |
| D.expect to save some money |
What is the author’s attitude towards the claims of organic foods?
| A.Doubtful. | B.Enthusiastic. |
| C.Supportive. | D.Uninterested. |
Dear Cary,
I’m writing because I’ve understood you’ve struggled with alcoholism(酗酒).I’ve been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11.After that,I’ve been more or less useless professionally –I’m a lawyer–and have had to resign from my job because I was discovered passed-out drunk in front of my computer. I’ve taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat. I can manage about a month without drinking,but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking.After a week or so of heavy drinking,I start having nightmares of people jumping. After that,it’s a week of not being able to get out of bed.
I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn’t make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room. I have been hiding from my family since then.Fortunately they won’t be expecting me to come back for a week or so. Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes.
I don’t really know what I’m asking you.Cary, I need a way out that doesn’t involve causing pain to my family.I’m taking medicine,but I still have these attacks every few months.If there’s alcohol in the house,I can’t stay away from it.It seems that this will never end. I’m afraid of what will happen if something bad happens,like a family member dying, or getting fired again.
Thanks for reading.
Yours TThe underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT____________.
| A.that the author is a lawyer by profession |
| B.that the author is a lawyer and he seldom gets drunk |
| C.the reason why the author had to resign |
| D.that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish |
The author writes to Cary in order to____________.
| A.offer advice | B.tell a story |
| C.avoid nightmares | D.ask for help |
What is the author worried about?
| A.Losing his job | B.Missing the conference |
| C.Bring pain to his family | D.Giving up drinking |
What do we learn from the passage?
| A.T’s family members don’t want to see him because of his alcoholism. |
| B.Getting drunk once prevented T from attending a conference. |
| C.T will have nightmares when he stops drinking. |
| D.T never attempted to give up his alcoholism. |
We know from the passage that Cary____________.
| A.likes to talk about the details of his life. |
| B.is an expert on treating alcoholism |
| C.is probably a recovered alcoholic |
| D.never suffered from alcoholism |
Many television programmes are very realistic. One who watches TV often feels that whatever happened in the film could well happen to him. With only a little imagination, every man in the street becomes a thief, a spy or a murderer. Jane had been watching a spy film at her friend’s house. In it, a young girl had been followed and murdered. She felt a little frightened, walking to the station. She took a train back to the centre of the city. There were a lot of people traveling with her, so she felt much safer.
A man sitting opposite her, reading a newspaper, glanced at her. She thought nothing of it until she saw him staring at her. Remember the film and feeling very uncomfortable, she got off the train and went to the bus stop. When he got on the same bus as she did, she found that he was following her. As long as she had been with other people she wasn’t frightened. But when she got off the bus, the streets were almost empty. She walked as quickly as she could. She could hear footsteps following her but she didn’t dare to look around. After what seemed to have been hours, she was unable to find them, because she was so frightened. The footsteps stopped behind her. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Instead of feeling hands round her neck, however, she heard a pleasant voice. “I apologize if I frightened you. I’m your new neighbour. I thought I recognized you in the train, but I wasn’t sure.”Jane felt frightened, walking to the station, because ________.
| A.she had seen a murder on television |
| B.she was being followed |
| C.she had been at her friend’s house |
| D.she was a girl of rich imagination |
Jane’s friend lived ______ her.
| A.very near | B.a short distance away from |
| C.a long way from | D.next to |
Jane was really frightened because _______.
| A.the man who followed her was her new neighbour |
| B.the man apologized |
| C.the street was empty |
| D.she thought she met a murderer |
The man put his hand on her shoulder. He meant to _______ Jane.
| A.kill | B.be friendly to | C.frighten | D.play a joke on |
A girl will be frightened if ______.
| A.she often watches TV |
| B.she is followed by a stranger for a long time. |
| C.she meets her neighbour suddenly |
| D.she feels a hand on her shoulder |
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone." Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity(慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
| A.He needs to go to the doctor every day. |
| B.He studies the leading cause of diabetes |
| C.He has a positive attitude to this disease. |
| D.He encourages diabetics by writing articles. |
Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
| A.diabetics to communicate | B.volunteers to find jobs |
| C.children to amuse themselves | D.rock stars to share resources. |
According to the text, Kody ______.
| A.feel lonely because of his illness |
| B.benefits from diabeticrockstar.com |
| C.helps create the online kid’s forums |
| D.writes children’s stories online |
What can we learn about Fight It?
| A.It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties. |
| B.It organizes parties for volunteer once a year. |
| C.It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics. |
| D.It owns a well-known medical website. |
The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
| A.works full-time in a diabetes charity |
| B.employs 22 people for his website |
| C.helps diabetics in his own way |
| D.tries to find a cure for diabetes |
We all, at one time or another, have pretended to be a rock star, singing and dancing along to our favorite song. Most of us have done this in the privacy of our own room when we were kids and as adults, in the privacy of our homes. Me? I love to do that when I drive! I turn on the radio, find a song that I can sing along too and pretty soon my arms are in the air and I am moving along to the rhythm. Most of the time, I do this on my way to work.
Yes, that is true, I will be in my nice work clothes, jamming while driving or stopped at a traffic light I get weird(古怪的)looks from some people and others laugh. Personally, I love to get lost in the rhythm of a song which leads me to share with you the importance of being silly!
The definition for the word silly, according to the dictionary is: stupid, foolish and nonsensical. I know many people do not want to look foolish. So they walk around all serious, which in all honesty, is foolish!
No one is perfect, I repeat: no one is perfect. I don't care how educated, how thin, how beautiful, how simple, how frugal (节俭的), how rich, and so on...No one is perfect! So why pretend to be something you are not?
Life is so short. You never know when this beautiful journey will be over, so why waste a single second on being so full of rigidity(呆板)? Here is a quote by Souza, that I think says it all and is a great recipe for life:
"Dance as though no one is watching you,
Love as though you have never been hurt before,
Sing as though no one can hear you,
Live as though heaven is on earth."
When we were kids, we had no idea of what limitations were and we had no care in the world so we could do things without worrying about how we appeared to others. However, as we grew up, we lost that childlike innocence.
So don't lose the child that still lives within you. The next time you feel down, go turn on your favorite song, and sing and dance along like there is no tomorrow or watch something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine to whatever ails (使……痛苦) you and nothing is better than laughing so hard that your stomach hurts. Trust me, you will feel a whole lot better, and who doesn't want to feel good?According to the text, what does the writer usually do?
| A.He repeats the words of songs. |
| B.He sings songs on his way to work. |
| C.He dances in his own home. |
| D.He shares music with other drivers. |
What does the writer think of the people who look very serious?
| A.They are honest. | B.They are educated. | C.They are perfect. | D.They are foolish. |
The writer quotes Souza to show that____.
| A.life is a beautiful journey | B.life is full of rigidity |
| C.life is to be treasured | D.life is a great recipe |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A.The Innocence of Being a Child | B.The Importance of Being Silly |
| C.No One Is Perfect | D.Life Is Short |
A Hollywood movie was met with an awkward situation last Saturday in China. While fans are standing in long queues to watch the first show, others are advocating a boycott(抵制)on the American movie with Chinese story elements.
After "Kung Fu Panda", a cartoon movie telling about a panda’s Kung Fu master journey, hit China’s silver screens in 2008, its sequel (续集), Kung Fu Panda 2, was released in China just ahead of International Children’s Day, adding more Chinese elements such as shadow play (皮影戏) and lion dancing.
However, some Chinese artists and scholars argue that the movie has twisted (扭曲) Chinese culture and serves as a tool to "kidnap (绑架)" the mind of the Chinese people.
“Children’s Day should be pure. Don’t turn it into a money-making day for Hollywood, and don’ t fool our next generation with American fast food,” according to an open letter to Chinese cinema managers written by Zhao Bandi, an artist hoping to boycott the “Americanized” movie. His move is backed by Kong Qingdong, a professor of the Chinese language in Beijing University, who said Chinese elements have become advertising products to advocate American culture. "It is a cultural invasion," said Kong.
In the movie, the main character called “Po,” a panda, is talkative, humorous, lovely, and is widely believed to be a typical American figure.
However, the panda has won millions of fans in China. On China’s most popular website, comments on the movie reached nearly 270 million entries.
“I won’t call it a cultural invasion,” said Li Jiayi, a Beijing university student. “I see nothing bad for others to use our cultural elements to make a movie. I’ m a huge fan of Po. In spite of being a cartoon, it is still loved by many adults like me,” said the 25-year-old after watching the first show at midnight.
Cao Hui, general manager of Shenzhen Global Digital Creations company, said: “instead of a
‘boycott’, movie producers should learn from the movie to make better use of Chinese story elements. Technically, Kung Fu Panda is not more advanced than Chinese movies, but as for story telling skills, Chinese movies have a long way to go”.Some artists and scholars are against "Kung Fu Panda" because they think_____.
| A.it has added too many Chinese elements |
| B.it has ruined Chinese image deliberately |
| C.it is an exact copy of Chinese culture |
| D.it is advertising American culture |
What does the underlined word “backed” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A.supported | B.criticized | C.released | D.resisted |
This passage can be classified as _________.
| A.an advertisement | B.a feature story | C.a news report | D.a film review |