Up to two-fifths of a food crop is often wasted because it is “ugly”, a report on food waste has shown.
Produce grown in the UK that does not meet retailer(零售商) standards on appearance is often given to animals or thrown out even though it is healthy to eat.
The report from the UK’s global food security program also showed that the average household throws away more than 5kg of food a week, and nearly two-thirds of that waste is avoidable.
The waste costs £ 480 a year per household on average, and £ 680 per family.
Households throw away a fifth of the food they buy, wasting it for reasons ranging from cooking too much to not using it before it goes bad, the study showed.
Consumption is the top area where food is wasted in the UK, the study said.
Farmers respond to consumer demands for high-quality food with standards that can lead to the crop being wasted. Some supermarkets have started marketing “odd shapes and sizes” of fruit and vegetables, though.
Also, more UK consumers are prepared to accept “ugly” fruit and vegetables, amid concerns over sustainability(可持续发展) and food prices, the research said.
In developing countries, much of the loss of food occurs during post-harvesting storage, processing and packaging.
Tackling waste globally is necessary to feed a growing world population sustainably. One in eight people worldwide doesn’t have enough food, the report said.
Around a third of food produced globally is lost or wasted.
Professor Tim Benton, an expert on food security at the University of Leeds, said: “Over 5 million people in the UK live in poverty, where basic food provision is a daily challenge.”
Nearly 400,000 people used food banks last year, according to the Trussell Trust.
“At the same time, 15 million tons of food is wasted annually, with nearly half thrown away within UK households. Reducing the scale(范围) of losses and waste throughout the food system is a crucial step.”
The report highlights priorities(优先事项) for research to help reduce food waste, including improving harvesting and packaging technologies and seasonal weather prediction.
Food waste in developing nations is mainly due to .
| A．fast growing populations |
| B．huge demand for high-quality foods |
| C．poor technology in food industries |
| D．people’s lack of concern about food shortages |
We can conclude from the article that .
| A．over half of the food produce in the UK is wasted within households |
| B．“ugly” fruits and vegetables are becoming more and more popular in the UK |
| C．avoiding food waste could, by itself, solve food shortage problems around the world |
| D．developing better farming and packaging technologies is key to reducing food waste |
Which of the following statements might Professor Tim Benton agree with?
| A．British farmers should keep up with their high growing standards. |
| B．The number of people living in poverty is growing too fast in Britain. |
| C．There is still much to do to improve British people’s awareness of food sustainability. |
| D．British supermarkets should be encouraged to sell food of odd shapes and sizes. |
What is suggested in the report?
| A．Cutting food prices. |
| B．Using different approaches to reduce food waste. |
| C．Improving the appearance of food. |
| D．Cooking at home more often. |
When several people look at the same person, it is not unusual for each of them to see different things; when you are alone observing one behavior or a person at two different times, you may see different things. The followings are but some of the factors that lead to these varying perceptions(感知,认识):
(1) Each person’s perceptions of others are formed by his or her own cultural conditioning, education, and personal experiences.
(2) Sometimes perceptions differ because of what we choose to observe and how we deal with what’ve observed. It is not necessarily true that person perception is based on observations of a particular person. Your observations may be totally controlled by what others have told you about this person; or you may focus primarily on the situation or role relationship. Most people do not use the same standard to measure their parents, their friends, and strangers.
(3) Sometimes we see only what we want to see or don’t see what may be obvious to others because of our own needs, desires, or temporary emotional states. This is a process known as selective perception. Selective perception is obviously more difficult when contradictory information is particularly obvious, but it can be done. We can ignore the stimulus——“He’s basically a good boy so what I saw was not shoplifting(入店行窃).” We can reduce the importance of the contradictory information ——“All kids get into mischief(顽皮). Taking a book from a bookstore isn’t such a big deal.” We can change the meaning of the contradictory information--- “It wasn’t shoplifting because he was going to pay for it later.”…The first factor given by the author that affects our perception is _____.
| A．our hearing and visual abilities |
| B．cultural background and personal experiences |
| C．the experience one learns from others |
| D．critical measures taken by other people |
While observing a particular person,________.
| A．one is likely to take all aspects into consideration |
| B．one pays more attention to his/her advantages |
| C．children often differ from grown-ups in perception |
| D．one tends to choose certain aspects to look at |
Observation of the same person by two people at the same time may differ because _____.
| A．they follow different standards |
| B．either of them may be slow to catch information |
| C．the time for observation is not long enough |
| D．each of them uses different language to express his/her impressions |
The underlined word “stimulus” in Paragraph 4 refers to _____.
| A．something attractive |
| B．selective perception |
| C．contradictory information |
| D．shoplifting |
The worst thing in selective perception is that ______.
| A．the information received runs against your desire |
| B．facts can be twisted or totally ignored |
| C．importance of the contradictory information can be overrated (估计过高) |
| D．misbehaved children may not be punished |
It was the last day of July and the long hot summer was drawing to a close As for me．1 was out of spirits，and，if the truth must be told, out of money as well，During the past year I had not managed my finances as carefully as usual；and 1 was now limited to spending the autumn economically between my mother’s cottage at Hampstead and my own in town.
My father had been dead for some years，and my sister and 1 were the sole survivors of a family of five children. My father was a drawing-master before me He had been highly successful in his profession and my mother and sister were left economically independent after his death.
The view of London below me had sunk into the black shadow of the cloudy night, when I stood before the gate of my mother’s cottage I had hardly rung the bell．When the house door was opened violently．My worthy Italian friend，Professor Pesca，appeared in the servant’s place，and rushed out joyously to receive me．
I had first become acquainted(熟悉)with my Italian friend at certain great houses，where he taught Italian and I taught drawing What I then knew of the history of his life was that he had left Italy for political reasons and that he had been respectably established for many years in London as a teacher of languages It once happened that I saved him from certain death by drowning while we
were swimming in the sea at Brighton Afterwards he overwhelmed(淹没)me with the wildest expressions of affection and exclaimed passionately, that he would hold his life at my disposal from then on, and declared that he should never be happy again until he had had the opportunity of proving his gratitude．Little did I think that the occasion to serve me was soon to come．
Pesca dragged me in by both hands into the parlor, where my mother sat by the open window, laughing and fanning herself．Pesca was one of her especial favorites，and his wildest strange acts were always pardonable in her eyes．
“Now, my good dears．”began Pesca．“listen to me The time has come I recite my good news．I speak at last…'Hear, hear!”said my mother, humoring the joke“I go back into my life，and I address myself to the noblest of men，who found me dead at the bottom of the sea，and who pulled me up to the top. What did I say when l got into my own life and my own clothes again? I said that my life belonged to my dear friend，Walter, for the rest of my days Now,”cried the enthusiastic little mall at the top of his voice．“happiness bursts out of me at every pore of my skin．For I have found a job for you”The first two paragraphs of the passage serve as an introduction to——
| A．the financial situation the writer then faced |
| B．the season that the story was set in |
| C．the family members of the writer |
| D．the successful profession of the writer’s father |
The underlined word‘‘sole’’in the second paragraph probably means‘‘”
| A．main | B．only | C．lucky | D．possible |
It can be learned from the passage that Pesca
| A．used to be a politician |
| B．was a successful drawing-master |
| C．was quite close to the mother |
| D．wanted to give the writer some money in return |
According to the last paragraph，Pesca was more than happy because
| A．he went back into his life |
| B．he met his dear friend again |
| C．his friend ever saved his life |
| D．he had done something good for his friend |
BEIJING---Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the need to promote the country’s housing security and supply to guarantee people’s basic residential needs
On Tuesday, Xi said that pushing the construction of the housing supply system is a solid project that benefits all people．
‘‘Solving the housing issue is a long-term task,” the president said “China still faces problems such as insufficient affordable housing and imbalances in housing distribution”
Xi said future work will sick to market-oriented reform．and properly handle the roles of government and the market, economic and social functions of housing development，relations of necessity and possibility and the difference between housing security and welfare trap
Meanwhile，he vowed(誓言)the government shall meet the basic housing needs of the group troubled by inadaptable labor skills, lack of job opportunities or low income
Xi pointed out that the general scheme of building China’s housing supply system is that the government realizes most of the basic needs while leaving other diversified demands for the market rules
“China will spare no effort to increase housing supply while pursuing affordable, environmentally friendly and safe living standards in accordance with the country’s practical situation，”he said
According to the country’s 12th five-year plan，China will increase its quantity of affordable housing go that it covers 20 percent of all residential areas by 2015 through construction of 36 million affordable housing units，including renovation(改造)of run-down neighborhoods
Xi said the government will first ensure the quality and safety of these buildings and strive to accomplish the goal while speeding up the construction of public rental and low—rent housing as well as the renovation of run-down neighborhoods
Land and financial policies will be further improved to support the project，Xi said，adding the government will explore and encourage ways for non-profit institutions to participate in the construction and management of affordable housing．
The top leader also stressed that China shall strengthen supervision，establish standard management system and punish illegal occupation of affordable housing units.The housing supply system is constructed to
| A．guarantee people’s basic residential needs |
| B．handle the roles of government and housing market |
| C．improve land and financial policies |
| D．punish illegal occupation of affordable housing units |
As for solving China’s housing problems．President Xi is．
| A．helpless | B．pessimistic | C．determined | D．uncertain |
Building China’s housing supply system will .
A．be put to an end soon
B cover all residential needs by 2015
C．especially benefit low-income people
D．encourage profit-driven organizations What would be the best title for this passage ?
| A．Handle China’s Housing Issues and Policies |
| B．Better China’s Housing Security and Supply System |
| C．Balance the Functions 0foovermnent and Market Rules |
| D．Strengthen Housing Supervision and Management |
Growing strawberries in pots
·The best way to start growing strawberries is to buy pot-grown strawberry plants m spring：5plants are plenty for a hanging basket and 10 for the average 13 inch-sized pot．
·Plant them immediately in soil-based compost(混合肥料) and they will produce a modest crop in their first year．The second year should see a bumper(特大的)crop，followed by a slightly lower yield(产量)the third summer .Then start again with fresh stock
·Careful watering and feeding are essential Ifyou are to harvest a good crop，you must never
let the compost dry out,particularly when the fruit is forming and ripening；if you do．most of your
crop will drop off血e bush almost immediately．
·Water well then leave the pots for up to 3 weeks，until they reach the point of drying out Be
Careful not to overwater them during the winter months．
Pruning apple trees
·A one-year-old tree is known as a “maiden”. It has a single stem when purchased. Immediately after planting, cut it back by about half to leave 4 good buds at the base of the stem.. This will force growth from the base or the plant during the summer.
·In the second year ,prune in winter by cutting all side branches back by about one-third, Make sure each cut is made cleanly just above an outward-facing bud. In the third and fourth years, new side branches will have emerged from the previous year’s growth. Cut back all these new side branches by a third, pruning to an outward-facing bud.
·By the fifth year the tree should have a well-balanced shape. From then on ,cut back all new branches by one-third in winter .Remove any diseased wood and broken branches, and ensure the centre is open to air circulationThe two pieces of advice probably appear in
| A．a scientific repot | B．a gardening guide | C．a book review | D．a fashion column |
A good crop of strawberries mainly depends on
| A．the size of a pot | B．the season of harvesting |
| C．the number of plants in a pot | D．careful watering and feeding |
Cutting back all side branches by a third is to
| A．remove the diseased and broken branches |
| B．keep the whole tree open to air circulation |
| C．force the apple tree to grow from the base in winter |
| D．help the apple tree to form a well-balanced shape |
The two pieces of advice suggest that planting is closely related to
| A．season | B．water | C．compost | D．cutting |
Way back in 1662，John Evelyn，a brilliant Englishman known for his detailed diaries，wrote about disastrous effects of coal-burning on the city of London .In it,he described an infernal scene of smog．air filled with “Columns and Clouds of Smoke’’given out by small industries and residences that burned coal for fuel．
I found the description in the 2003 book When Smoke Ran like Water，by epidemiologist(流行病学家)and environmental advocator(倡导者)Devra Davis．In it,Davis looks back at several historic pollution events and their disastrous effect on human human health-and at how these phenomena were often Ignored or even actively covered up by then people in charge at that time.
As Davis points out，John Evelyn was ahead of his time when writing about how London’s polluted air affected the well-being of its residents．It wasn’t until nearly 300 years later,after what became well-known as the Great Smog of 1952，that the government began to address the problem in a systematic way．
For four days．Between December 5th“and 9th“，due to all accident of the weather pattern，the city was buried in a heavy fog .People were still burning coal for fuel，and low-grade coal at that time， because 0f wartime condition．A temperature inversion(转向)trapped the smoke from the city’s fires， creating a black cloud in which people could barely find their way down the most familiar streets
Some tried to protect themselves，but most people simply went about their business. But l952’s fog was far worse than any other in memory．In the same week of the previous year, 1852 people had died in London；inl952，that number was 4703 And the deaths didn’t stop when the weather changed and the fog lifted．Davis and her colleagues analyzed data from the next several months and found that about 13000 more people died between December and March than one would have predicted from historical averages Many of them died of pneumonia(肺炎)．The government，she writes．Tried to blame a bad flu season．Her detailed analysis found that explanation simply did
not pan out．
Davis writes that even today in this country ,we still have not completely absorbed the lessons of similar events．Sixty years the killer fog lifted in London，people are dying preventable deaths and suffering life．changing illnesses，simply because they must breathe the air of the cities where they liveThe passage is written to
| A．warn people of the danger from air pollution |
| B．introduce London’s Great Smog of l952 |
| C．blame the government for the smog |
| D．explain the reasons for air pollution |
The underlined word‘‘infernal” in the first paragraph probably means“ ”
| A．imaginary | B．adventurous | C．unbelievable | D．annoying |
One of the reasons for the Great Smog of l952wasthat——
| A．people burned wood for fuel |
| B．a forest fire created a black cloud over the city |
| C．the government ignored the smog |
| D．most people went abouttheirbusine00 |
How does the writer feel about the present air condition in London?
A. lndifferent B Concerned C．Hopeless．D. Panic