“Clean your plate!” and “Be a member of the clean-plate club!” Just about every kid in the US heard this from a parent or grandparent. Often, it’s accompanied by an appeal(呼吁): “Just think about those starving orphans in Africa.” Sure, we should be grateful for every bite of food. Unfortunately, many people in the US take too many bites. Instead of “cleaning the plate’, perhaps we should save some food for tomorrow.
According to news reports, US restaurants are partly to blame for the growing bellies(胃口,食欲). A waiter puts a plate of food in front of each customer, with two to four times the amount recommended by the government, according to a USA Today story. Americans traditionally associate quantity with value and most restaurants try to give them that. They prefer to have customers complain about too much food rather than too little.
Barbara Rolls, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University, told USA Today that restaurant portion(一分,份额) sizes began (or grew) in the 1970s, the same time that the American waistline(腰围) began to expand.
Health experts have tried to get many restaurants to serve smaller portions. Now, apparently, some customers are calling for this too. The restaurant industry trade magazine QSR reported last month that 57 percent of more than 4,000 people surveyed believe restaurants serve portions that are too large; 23 percent had no opinion; 20 percent disagreed. But a closer look at the survey indicates that many Americans who can’t afford fine dining still prefer large portions. Seventy percent of those earning at least $150,000 per year prefer smaller portions; but only 45 percent of those earning less than $25,000 want smaller.
It’s not that working-class Americans don’t want to eat healthily. It’s just that, “after long hours at low-paying jobs, getting less on their plate hardly seems like a good deal. They live from paycheck, happy to save a little money for next year’s Christmas presents.”Parents in the United States tend to ask their children _______.
| A．not to save food |
| B．to wash the dishes |
| C．not to eat too much |
| D．not to waste food |
Why do American restaurants serve large portions?
| A．Because Americans associate quantity with value. |
| B．Because Americans have big bellies. |
| C．Because Americans are good eaters. |
| D．Because Americans are greedy. |
Which of the following is NOT true of working-class Americans?
| A．They work long hours. |
| B．They live from paycheck to paycheck. |
| C．They don’t want to be healthy eaters. |
| D．They want to save money for their children. |
What happened in the 1970s?
| A．The US government recommended the amount of food a restaurant gave to a customer. |
| B．Health experts persuaded restaurants to serve smaller portions. |
| C．The United Stated produced more grain than needed. |
| D．The American waistline started to expand. |
The baby is just one day old and has not yet left hospital. She is quiet but alert (警觉). Twenty centimeters from her face researchers have placed a white card with two black spots On it. She stares at it carefully. A researcher removes the card and replaces it by another, this time with the spots differently spaced. ①As the cards change from one to the other, her gaze(凝视) starts to lose its focus — until a third, with three black spots, is presented. Her gaze returns；she looks at it for twice as long as she did at the previous card. Can she tell that the number two is different from three, just 24 hours after coming into the world?
Or do newborns simply prefer more to fewer? The same experiment, but with three spots shown before two, shows the same return of interest when the number of spots changes. Perhaps it is just the newness? When slightly older babies were shown cards with pictures of objects (a comb, a key, an orange and so on), changing the number of objects had an effect separate from changing the objects themselves. ②Could it be the patternthat two things make, as opposed to three? No again. Babies paid more attention to squares moving randomly on a screen when their number changed from two to three, or three to two. The effect even crosses between senses. Babies who were repeatedly shown two spots became more excited when they then heard three drumbeats than when they heard just two; likewise (同样地) when the researchers started with drumbeats and moved to spots. The experiment described in Paragraph 1 is related to the baby’s__.
| A．sense of hearing |
| B．sense of sight |
| C．sense of touch |
| D．sense of smell |
Babies are sensitive to the change in______.
| A．the size of cards |
| B．the colour of pictures |
| C．the shape of patterns |
| D．the number of objects |
Why did the researchers test the babies with drumbeats?
| A．To reduce the difficulty of the experiment. |
| B．To see how babies recognize sounds. |
| C．To carry their experiment further. |
| D．To keep the babies’ interest. |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．Science fiction. |
| B．Children’s literature. |
| C．An advertisement. |
| D．A science report. |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had meetings in New York. So I had to get back. But that didn’t mean my husband and my son couldn’t stay. I took my nine-month-old and took off for home.
The next day, my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged—okay, ordered—them to wait it out at the airport to “earn” more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
①Now some people may think I’m a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I’ve made a living looking for the best deals and exposing (揭露) the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC’s Today show for over a decade. I have written a couple of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in.
②I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn’t hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its shape longer, and it’s the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author’s family credits?
| A．They took a later flight. |
| B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| B．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| C．She is very strict with her children. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She’s a teacher. |
| B．She’s a housewife. |
| C．She’s a media person. |
| D．She’s a businesswoman. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to expose bad tricks. |
| B．How to reserve airline seats. |
| C．How to spend money wisely. |
| D．How to make a business deal. |
Fund Tianhong Zenglibao has become the first fund in China to hit 100 billion yuan (＄16.30 billion) of sales thanks to its cooperation with Yu’ebao, Alibaba’s wealth management product.
Alipay(支付宝), attached to the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, announced in June it would offer its users the option to directly invest with the private Tianhong Fund using spare cash from Alipay accounts. The business is called Yu’ebao.
The past five months have seen this fund blossom, owing to the prosperous Interet e-commerce platform, and the Singles Day shopping spree on November 11 had helped Yu’ebao. In the process of a deal on Taobao, once the buyer pays for the order, his or her money is first accepted by Alipay, then after he or she receives the goods, a final confirmation is made and Alipay then gives the money to the seller. If a buyer forgets to confirm payment, the money is transferred into the seller’s account after 10 days by the system.
The Singles Day had a total volume of 35 billion yuan(＄5.75 billion) and thus a large amount of money passed through Alipay’s account. Analysts estimated that Alipay may have also bought the fund using the extra income, which powerfully enlarged the scale of Yu’ebao. Profit purchasing investors tend to choose safe financial management tools. The relatively stable yields of Yu’ebao is favored by most customers, the report said.
Chinese e-commerence giant Alibaba allows consumers to invest their spare cash in the money market funds through its Alipay online payment service. The product, called Yu’ebao, or “Leftovers Treasure,” has netted 130 billion yuan so far, making the fund’s management firm, Tianhong Fund, the country’s largest fund management company.
Meanwhile, due to the cooperation with Alipay, the management scale of Tianhong monetary fund has doubled from 55.653 billion yuan at the end of September to over 100 billion yuan. During the Singles Day, the frequency of payment of Alipay and Yu’ebao exceeded 188 million and 16.79 million with total transaction volume at 35 billion yuan and 6 billion yuan. The fund has been successful so far mainly because ________.
| A．it is the country’s largest fund management fund. |
| B．it was the first fund in China to cooperate with Yu’ebao. |
| C．consumers can directly invest the spare cash in it through online payment service. |
| D．The online shopping is prosperous and the Singles Day shopping makes great contribution. |
From the passage, we can know that Alipay ________.
| A．allows sellers to invest their spare cash in the money market funds |
| B．offers the business called Yu’ebao |
| C．has doubled to 55.653 billion yuan at the end of September |
| D．transfers the money from the buyer to the seller directly |
Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
| A．Yu’ebao, the right choice to invest |
| B．Alibaba helps make China’s largest fund |
| C．Celestica, the largest fund in China |
| D．Alipay, a branch of Alibaba group |
Get up close and very personal with the Aquarium’s largest exhibit and its biggest predators(食肉动物) with the new Shark Keeper program! After each participant prepares to feed the sharks and other fishes in the 120,000-gallon Lost City of Atlantis Exhibit, they will then get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to feed our sand tiger sharks! Participants will also experience a tour of other behind-the-scenes animal care work areas and take home a real-life shark tooth.
Program Outline:
﹡Greeting from Educator
﹡Educational Program: misunderstandings about sharks, biology, pictures, shark tooth comparisons, animal overview, what to expect during the experience.
﹡Behind-the-scenes food prep
﹡Brief overview of Safety and Policies
﹡Feeding
Schedule:
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 3:40 pm
Session: 3:40 pm
Length: 60 minutes
Requirements: All participants must be 16＋.
Price: $50.00, plus Admission(Members: $45.00). Space is currently limited to three participants per scheduled session.
How to Book: Phone: 631 208 9200,ext.H2O(426)
Online: When purchasing your Admission ticket, please select the Shark Keeper add-on under the Aquatic Adventures section of the shopping cart.
Guests with Special Needs:
Long Island Aquarium＆Exhibition Center makes every effort to accommodate guests with special needs. Please be aware that to participate in this program, guests must be able to navigate the animal habitat spaces with minimum assistance, and must be able to understand and take direction in English from staff members. To ensure the best experience, please contact the Call Center at 631 208 9200, ext. H2O(426) to discuss your individual needs.
Cancellations(取消):
There is a 72-hour cancellation policy. Any cancellation made within 72 hours will not be refunded. No-shows will not be refunded or rescheduled. Guests arriving late (after the required program check-in time) will not be permitted to participate in the program and will not be refunded or rescheduled. We encourage guests to arrive at the Aquarium with plenty of time to park, enter, and check into the program. Adventurers should report to the Main Entrance at least ten minutes ahead. The sessions will begin quickly at the scheduled time. Please plan accordingly.After joining the program, you will _______.
| A．feed sharks once a life time |
| B．get a real shark tooth as a souvenir |
| C．meet the biggest predators of sharks |
| D．draw some pictures of sharks |
As a guest with special needs, you are expected to _______.
| A．make sure of your individual needs |
| B．move around the center alone |
| C．follow the directions of staff members |
| D．seek as much assistance as possible |
If you want to give up the program, you’d better _______.
| A．report it to the center 10 min before the session |
| B．manage your plan again with 72 hours |
| C．expect to refund from the center |
| D．report the center 3 days in advance |
What information can we learn from the program?
| A．You can book the program in advance online. |
| B．There is no limit to the age of participants. |
| C．You need to pay ＄95 at least for the program. |
| D．A session is scheduled for 3 children every week. |
Selena Gomez and I are scheduled to meet at a low-key coffee shop in Encino. Not wanting to keep the superstar waiting, I arrived at nine, 20 minutes early. As I was catching up on e-mails, Selena quietly scooted into the seat next to me. No bodyguard. Not even a drop of makeup. She was ten minutes early and so inconspicuous that no one else in the restaurant looked up so much. Selena was wearing Bebe shorts. She had a baby face and ordered a hot chocolate.
After making small talk about what she wore for the shoot, she dived into the subject of her career. Selena declared 2012 the year of movies. She filmed three: Spring Breakers, a drama; The Getaway, an action flick; and Hotel Transylvania, a comedy. Each is a marked move away from the teen style that made her a household name.
Now that her Disney days are behind her, Selena is at that unstable point in a child star’s career where she is trying to grow up---both as a person(she turned 20 in July)and as an artist. “Being part of the Disney Channel was such a blessing, and I’m super happy with what my show accomplished, but acting is something I would like to take on more seriously.” She continued, “I don’t necessarily feel accomplished. I want to creat a whole different persona when it comes to acting.”
Selena has been working fulltime since she was seven years old and scored a role on Barney&Friends. In 2007, when she was offered the lead in Wizards of Waverly Place, Selena, her mother, and her stepfather uprooted from Grand Prairie, Texas, to LA, where they are settling now.When was it that Selena arrived at the low-key coffee shop?
| A．At ten. |
| B．At ten to nine. |
| C．At ten past nine. |
| D．At thirty past nine. |
Which of the following statements is ture according to the second paragraph?
| A．Selena went into her film career as soon as we met in the coffee shop. |
| B．Three famous films filmed in 2012 have shown her teen style. |
| C．The film Hotel Transylvania is an action flick filmed in 2012 |
| D．Each of the three films marks Selena’s move away from her teen style. |
How did Selena think of Disney days which were behind her?
| A．She thought of playing in Disney a blessing. |
| B．She didn’t feel very satisfied with her show in Disney. |
| C．She found her not accomplished in her performance in Disney. |
| D．She believed her being part in Disney Channel a blessing. |
The underlined word in the last paragraph probably means “ _______”.
| A．moved | B．picked | C．changed | D．informed |