Many years ago，a French naturalist，the Count de Buffon，wrote some books about natural history．The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them．Some critics said，“Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist．”
Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．
This troubled Thomas Jefferson．He too was a naturalist，as well as a farmer，inventor，historian，writer and politician．He had seen the natural wonders of Europe．To him，they were no more important than those of the New World．
In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．”
Noah Webster，the American word expert，liked this word．He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806，“Belittle—to make small，unimportant．”
Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．In 1797，the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported．“He is an honorable man，”the paper wrote，“so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please．”
In 1872，a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word．He said，“Belittle has no chance of becoming English．And as more critical writers of America，like those of Britain，feel no need of it，the sooner it is forgotten，the better．”
This expert failed to kill the word．Today．belittle is used where the English language is spoken．Why did Thomas Jefferson disagree with the Count de Buffon?
| A．The Count said something silly about the Atlantic． |
| B．The Count wasn’t a true scientist in natural history． |
| C．The Count was a poet from a different country． |
| D．The Count belittled the natural wonders in America． |
We can infer that Jefferson created the word“belittle”out of his ___________．
| A．anger | B．excitement |
| C．kindness | D．responsibility |
From the text we can know that ______________．
| A．all critics thought little of the Count de Buffon |
| B．Europe has better wonders than the New World |
| C．the word“belittle”survived from disagreements |
| D．word experts can change the future of a new word |
Which of the following is true of the word“belittle”?
| A．It is gradually accepted by people． |
| B．It was invented by the Count de Buffon． |
| C．It was used to describe nature． |
| D．The Independent Chronicle made it popular． |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．How the word“belittle”came into being． |
| B．The argument about natural wonders． |
| C．Every word has a long history behind． |
| D．Noah Webster supported Jefferson’s idea． |
The American local food movement has been all about buying seasonal food from nearby farmers. Now, thanks to the Web, it is expanding to include far-away farmers too. A new start-up, Foodzie, is an online farmers market where small food producers and growers can sell their products.
Foodzie was started by Mr LaFave and two of his friends, who met during college at Virginia Tech, where they would pay frequent visits to farmers markets. Last year, while living in North Carolina, one of them, Emily Olson, now 24, came up with one idea. She was working as a brand manager for a gourmet grocery chain and realized that people who enjoyed fine food but didn’t work in the business had no way to discover handmade foods outside their local farmers markets. Small farmers had no way of finding or selling to faraway customers, either.
Mr LaFAve and the third co-founder, Nik Bauman, both 25, worked in corporate sales and software development. “With business, food and computer science backgrounds, we figured we had everything we needed.” Mr LaFAve said.
The three quit their jobs, and opened this site to the public in December and the site has had 43,000 visitors in the past month. So far, 29 sellers have opened shops and 41 are in the process of opening them. The founders recently hired a fourth employee to help Ms Olson recruit(吸收) new food producers at farmers markets and food shows. Mr LaFAve is convinced that the recession(经济衰退) will not reduce people’s interest in buying locally grown and handmade food. “There is misunderstanding that all these foods are more expensive than mass-produced alternatives,” he said. “People are pouring their heart and soul into these products, and they are of the highest quality. ” The passage is mainly about _______________.
| A．how an online farmers’ market works |
| B．the American local food movement |
| C．three youths starting an online farmers’ market |
| D．the reasons why people are interested in local food |
Why did the founders start the online farmers’ market?
| A．Because it met the need of the market. |
| B．Because the founders were interested in seasonal food. |
| C．Because some people wanted to buy locally grown food. |
| D．Because farmers wanted to sell their foods. |
The underlined word in Paragraph 2 can be used to describe ______________.
| A．food of high quality | B．terrible food | C．food of low fat | D．fried food |
The founders of the site employed another person to help _______________.
| A．open new shops in faraway markets |
| B．buy locally grown and handmade food |
| C．find more food outside their local farmers’ markets |
| D．find more food growers to open shops on their site |
About the three founders, we know that ________________.
| A．they are of the same age | B．to start the website they gave up their work |
| C．they used to be colleague | D．they majored in farming at college |
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(强调) the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusingexperience.
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be astonished. Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought, perhaps this is not an appropriate(适当的) topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic.” So I said to him. “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was magnificent.”He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was interrupted again by his words：“You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t request you to do so, ”he answered, greatly surprised.I said, “Didn’t you say’ you don’t say？”Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really!’It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.”Only then did I know I had made a fool of myself. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the English teachers said is always right to us students. A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms because ____________.
| A．English idioms were not important | B．I was not careful with English idioms |
| C．my teacher didn’t emphasize the importance of them | D．I had no interest in them |
At first, on hearing “You don’t say,” I thought the foreigner meant _____________.
| A．he was not interested in the topic | B．he was only interested in the Great Wall |
| C．I had talked too much | D．I had to stop talking |
Which of the following is true according to the passage？
| A．The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
| B．The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
| C．The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
| D．The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, ________________.
| A．I thought the Englishman had made me a fool | B．the Englishman became a real fool. |
| C．I felt very silly | D．I became more carefully in everything |
Shift Happens by Robert HoldenPrice: $ 6.49It’s an excellent book that will greatly improve your life. It has insightful (富有洞察力的) wisdom that is easy toapply in everyday life. It’s written in a very thoughtful and humorous way. Read it when you are stressed and it will help you remember what is important in your life.Balancing Work & Life by Robert HoldenPrice: $ 10.50The book deals with the key challenges of our life. It is a must-read for anyone who is trying to balance work success, family joy and daily life.★Practical techniques show you how to set your goals and make proper choices.★Clear text and illustrations (图表) cover every aspect of defining success and achieving balance.★Accessible (易懂的) charts and diagrams explore different choices for taking actions and provide examples.Happiness Now by Robert HoldenPrice:$8.00This book explains what holds us back from being happy in our lives. Holden analyzes these similar questions and inthe process you will become more informed about what’s really going on in your mind. This is a must-have book for anyone wanting to understand how your thoughts keep you from your happiness.The Secrets of Relationships by RenshawPrice: $9.50Are you looking for a satisfying relationship? If so, you should read this book and discover:★The secret of findingthe right partner★The secret of communicating successfully★The secret of getting along well with others★The secret of getting what you want This book is your passport to a whole new relation-ship experience.Order online now and you can get a 20% discount.For more information, please click here.If you find it hard to get along with others, which book can offer you help?
| A．Happiness Now | B．Balancing Work & Life |
C．Shift Happens | D．The Secrets of Relationships |
All of these books mainly help people ______________.
| A．to make friends easily | B．to improve their quality of life |
C．to find a better job | D．to achieve their goals |
If you want to buy two copies of Balancing Work & Life and one copy of Happiness Now online, how much would you have to pay?
| A．$29 | B．$23.20 | C．$26.50 | D．$22.40 |
All people need to sleep. Sleep is a necessary process that promotes proper body functioning and can improve the quality of your life. Not only is the quantity of sleep important, but also the quality of sleep.
Your bedroom should be shaped to your taste and allow you to sleep in a peaceful environment. One of the biggest mistakes people make in their sleep is to use their bedroom for activities other than sleep. If your bedroom also functions as a command station for your life and work, the likelihood（可能性）of your sleeping being poor is rather high. Bedrooms should be designed, decorated and used for sleep mainly.TVs, computers and other things should not be in your bedroom if at all possible.
Establishing regular sleeping and waking times can help improve the quality of your sleep especially for those suffering from sleeplessness. Avoid hot food, caffeine, sugar and alcohol at least 4 to 6 hours before your sleep time.Develop a regular exercise program.Proper exercise and nutrition will help improve sleeping patterns. However, avoid exercising 2 hours before sleeping, since this may stimulate（刺激）your body and make sleeping more difficult.
Establish a pre-bedtime rule that will help you focus on sleep. You can try meditation (沉思), reading or deep breathing and relaxation. Your bedtime rule should be yours. Do not worry about it fitting into a specific category（种类）.Do what is best for you.
Things such as room temperature, noise and light levels and even your bed mattress（垫子） can have a lot of effect on the quality of sleep that you experience. Block out distracting（使人分心的） noises and lights. You are in your bedroom to sleep and not be distracted by environmental interferences (干扰).Which of the following is the best title for the text?
| A．How to Improve Sleep Quality？ | B．What Is the Process of Sleep? |
| C．Where Should We Sleep? | D．How to Deal with Sleep Problems? |
According to the author, __.
| A．the bedroom has many functions than expected |
| B．computers can make people sleep fast |
| C．the bedroom is better used only for sleep |
| D．amusements are forbidden in the bedroom by law |
If you have sleep problems, __.
| A．a well-decorated bedroom is important to you |
| B．you’d better have steady sleeping and waking time |
| C．cold food and sugar are good for you |
| D．you need proper exercise just before sleep |
The main idea of the last paragraph is ___.
| A．a good sleep environment contributes to good sleep |
| B．blinding lights can make for a good sleep |
| C．bed mattress plays a key part in sleep |
| D．distracted people are sleepless |
Not all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares（噩梦）.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly wipe out, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing (释放) chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are wiped out. They are not sure to what degree people’s memories are affected.
The research has caused a great deal of argument（争议）. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it. Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that maybe the pills can change people’s memories and changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were terrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist. The passage is mainly about.
| A．a new medical invention | B．a new research on the pill |
| C．a way of wiping out painful memories | D．an argument about the research on the pill |
The drug tested on people can.
| A．cause the brain to fix memories | B．stop people remembering bad experiences |
| C．stop body producing certain chemicals | D．wipe out the emotional effects of memories |
We can infer from the passage that.
| A．people doubt the effects of the pills |
| B．the pill will certainly stop people's emotional memories |
| C．taking the pill will do harm to people's physical health |
| D．the pill has already been produced and used by the public in America |
Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with in the last paragraph ?
| A．some memories can ruin people's lives. |
| B．people want to get rid of bad memories. |
| C．experiencing bad events makes us different from others. |
| D．the pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories. |
You may probably read the passage in a __________
| A．guidebook | B．medical magazine | C．textbook | D．science fiction |