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. |
（C）
A Different Roast Every Day
Alan worked in an office in the city. He worked very hard and really wanted to take a holiday.
He usually went to the seaside, but one day he saw an ad（广告） in a newspaper. " Enjoy country life. Spend a few weeks at Willow Farm. Good food, fresh air, horse riding, walking, fishing. Good prices (价格)."
"This sounds like a good idea," he thought. "I'll spend a month at Willow Farm. I'll enjoy horse riding, walking and fishing. They'll make a change from sitting by the seaside."
Four days later he returned home.
"What's wrong with Willow Farm?" his friend Jack asked him. " Didn't you enjoy country life?"
"Country life was fine," Alan said, "but there was another problem."
"Oh, what?"
"Well, the first day I was there a sheep died, and we had roast mutton (烤羊肉) for dinner."
"Fresh meat is the best."
"I know, but on the second day a cow died, and we had roast beef for dinner."
"Lucky you!"
"You don't understand," Alan said. "On the third day a pig died and we had roast pork for dinner."
"A different roast every day," Jack said.
" Let me finish," Alan said, " on the fourth day the farmer died and I didn't dare to stay for dinner!" Where did Alan work? He worked ___.
| A．on a farm | B．at a school |
| C．in a restaurant | D．in an office in a city |
Where did Alan usually go to spend his holiday?
| A．by the seaside | B．in the country |
| C．in the mountains | D．on an island |
Why did Alan decide to spend his holiday at Willow Farm? Because ___.
| A．he lived near there |
| B．he had a good friend there |
| C．he thought it would make a change from sitting by the seaside |
| D．he wanted to enjoy the fresh air in the country |
How many days did he stay on the farm?
| A．A few days. | B．A week. | C．Three days. | D．Four days. |
What made Alan return so soon?
| A．He fell ill. |
| B．The air there was not fresh. |
| C．The prices were too high. |
| D．He was afraid that they would have the dead man for dinner. |
( B )
“Cool”is a word with many meanings．Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold．As the world has changed，the word has had many different meaning．
“Cool”can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything．
When you see a famous car in the street，maybe you will say，“It’s cool．”You may think“He’s so cool，”when you see your favourite footballer．
We all maximize（扩大） the meaning of“cool”．You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”．Here’s an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used．A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall（瀑布）they had visited．On one student’s paper was Just the one sentence，“It’s so cool．Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt．
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words．Without “cool”，some people have no words to show the same meaning．So it is quite important to keep some credibility（可信性）．Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”？ I can．And I think they are also very cool．We know that the word“cool”has had ________.
| A．only one meaning | B．no meanings |
| C．many different meanings | D．the same meaning |
In the passage，the word“express”in second paragraph means“________”.
| A．see | B．show | C．know | D．feel |
If you are _______ something，you may say，“It’s cool．”
| A．interested in | B．angry about |
| C．afraid of | D．unhappy with |
The writer takes an example to show he is ________ the way the word is used．
| A．pleased with | B．strange to |
| C．worried about | D．careful with |
In the passage，the writer suggests（暗示）that the word “cool”________．
| A．can be used instead of many words |
| B．usually means something interesting |
| C．can make your life colourful |
| D．may not be as cool as it seems |
( A )
There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California, the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle, a big city, on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco, also on the Pacific coast, are larger than Seattle. Henry's cousin, Susan, lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington, D. C. It is the capital, but it is much smaller than New York. How many states are there in the U. S. A. ?
A. Five B. Forty- Five. C. Fifty D. Fifteen. Which state is the largest in population?
| A．California. | B．Rhode-Island. |
| C．Alaska | D．Los Angeles. |
Which state is the newest, and the smallest in population?
| A．Rhode Island. | B．Seattle. | C．San Francisco. | D．Alaska. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast. |
| B．Washington is the most important and the largest city. |
| C．New York is the largest city in the United States. |
| D．Henry's cousin lives in the Seattle. |
Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city?
Because _________.
A. it is the largest cityB. it is the largest in population
C. it is the most beautiful cityD. it is the capital of the United States
D
One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. “One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states.” said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.
In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions was the 1994 “Toubon law” in France, but the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often dismissed as futile by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.
It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the “purity” of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but there has not been a barrier to acquiring prestige and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academic Francaise in France.
The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon—especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new modes of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend.Neville Alexander believes that.
| A．mother-tongue education is not practiced in all African countries |
| B．lack of mother-tongue education can lead to economic failure |
| C．globalization has led to the rise of multi-language trends |
| D．globalization has resulted in the economic failure of Africa |
The underlined word “futile” (in paragraph 2) most probably means ““.
| A．useless | B．practical | C．workable | D．unnecessary |
Why do many English-speaking countries not support the language protection efforts described in the passage?
| A．They think language protection laws are ineffective. |
| B．They want their language to spread to other countries. |
| C．They have a long history of taking words from other languages. |
| D．It reduces a language’s ability to acquire international importance. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．English has taken over fields like public communication and education. |
| B．Europeans have long realized the need to protect their national languages. |
| C．Most language experts believe it is important to promote a national language. |
| D．Many aspects of national culture are threatened by the spread of English. |
The main idea of the passage is .
| A．Fighting against the rule of English |
| B．Globalization and multi-language trends |
| C．Protecting local languages and identities |
| D．To maintain the purity of language by law |
C
So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake everything to do for children that only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also a public activity. It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read, however, involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest (探索) for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children.”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of learning to read by reading.The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that
________.
| A．it is one of the most difficult school courses |
| B．students spend endless hours in reading |
| C．reading tasks are assigned with little guidance |
| D．too much time is spent in teaching about reading |
The teaching of reading will be successful if ________.
| A．teachers can improve conditions at school for the students |
| B．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading |
| C．teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading |
| D．teachers can make their teaching activities observable |
The underlined word “scrutiny” most probably means “________”.
| A．inquiry | B．observation | C．control | D．suspect |
According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when
________.
| A．children become highly motivated |
| B．teacher and learner roles are interchangeable |
| C．teaching helps children in the search for knowledge |
| D．reading enriches children’s experience |
The main idea of the passage is that ________.
| A．teachers should do nothing in helping students learn to read |
| B．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible |
| C．reading ability is something acquired rather than taught |
| D．reading is more complicated than generally believed |