What is the most popular food in western countries? If you are not sure, statistics might give you the answer.
Every year，some 20 million people walk into restaurants and buy 2 billion sandwiches. Americans alone eat more than 1 billion sandwiches annually. If you lined up all the sandwiches Westerners eat in a year, they would go around the world 13 times!
When John Montagu made the very first sandwich in England in 1762, he couldn't have imagined that it would still be very popular almost 250 years later. There is a campaign starting this month in the US to find the healthiest and best tasting sandwich in the country.
Sandwiches are commonly carried to school or work in lunch boxes or brown paper bags to be eaten for lunch. They are also taken on picnics and hiking trips. Their longlasting popularity lies in their convenience and fast preparation time.
You can put everything you want inside a sandwich. They are easy to clean up after, nutritious and come in hundreds of different kinds.
Wellknown American chef Dave Lieberman adds another reason.“I think people like to touch their food, kids especially. It's just a natural instinct. You don't have to use a knife and fork to eat a sandwich，” he said.
Sandwiches can be hot or cold with almost any kind of filling. One of the most popular kinds is the BLT—bacon，lettuce and tomato. Although it is a simple food, it can still be creative. Sandwiches can be served openfaced, with sushi inside or grilled with delicious fillings.The author intends to________.
| A．tell us the history of sandwichmaking |
| B．introduce a popular food in the West |
| C．show how sandwiches are made |
| D．explain why westerners like sandwiches |
What is the main reason for the popularity of sandwiches?
| A．They are healthy and delicious. |
| B．They have a history of about 250 years. |
| C．They are fast and convenient. |
| D．They can be served either hot and cold. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Sandwiches are usually eaten with a knife and fork. |
| B．Children don't like sandwiches so much as the adults. |
| C．Americans started a campaign against sandwiches. |
| D．People are trying to make sandwiches more nutritious. |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．There are many kinds of sandwiches. |
| B．The sandwich is a simple food. |
| C．The BLT is the most popular. |
| D．Sandwiches are mostly openfaced. |
Do you want to help others—but don’t know where to start? Do you feel that the challenges facing us are too big for one person? One advantage of supporting the American Red Cross is that each of our individual contributions is magnified(放大)when we all join together．Another advantage is that it's easy to start helping．You can start this every minute，by using your mobile to send a text message to make a $10 donation to one of our ongoing campaigns．
Donate to Help Victims of Natural Disasters
Text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps people affected by disasters such as floods，earthquakes．wildfires and hurricanes．
Please consider making a donation today to help the thousands of people who have been affected by these disasters．
Donate to Help Reduce Deaths from Measles(麻疹)
Text PREVENT to 90999 to give $ 10 to the Red Cross and help us vaccinate（注射疫苗） children against measles．
Started in 2001．the Measles & Rubella Initiative—led by the American Red Cross， provides technical and financial support to governments and communities for mass vaccination campaigns around the world．The Initiative has supported the vaccination of more than 1 billion children helping to reduce measles deaths by 78％globally(compared to 2000)．
Please consider making a donation today to help us continue this campaign．To learn more，visit www．Measlesrubellainitiative．org．
Important Information for Text Donors
You can make a $ 10 donation to the American Red Cross．Charges will appear on your wireless bill．All purchases must be authorized by account holder．You must be over 18 years old or have parental permission to participate．Text STOP to 90999 to STOP．Text HELP to 90999 for HELP．The text mainly aims to tell us__________________．
| A．how to keep our wireless bill safe when making donation |
| B．how to make a $10 donation by text message |
| C．when to become an authorized account holder |
| D．how to make individual contributions magnified |
We should text_______to 90999 if we want to help victims of natural disasters．
| A．STOP | B．PREVENT | C．HELP | D．REDCROSS |
What does“this campaign”in Paragraph 6 refer to?
| A．Offering help to the disaster victims． |
| B．Supporting the American Red Cross． |
| C．Mass vaccination around the world． |
| D．Applying for charges on wireless bills． |
1f a school boy wants to be a text donor, he should _____________.
| A．get the permission of his parents |
| B．reach the marriage age |
| C．pay ＄10 to own an account |
| D．stop his daily purchases |
Fire Station No．6 in Livermore，California，houses a celebrity—a 107-year-old light bulb(灯泡)that has been on for over a million hours，earning the title of the“World’s longest continuously burning bulb”by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!The bulb also holds the Guinness World Record．
Nobody knows why this bulb has stayed alive for so many years．Most people believe that it is due to two reasons—it has almost never been turned off and it is really well made．Its perfect seal lets no air in．keeping its carbon filament(灯丝)from burning out．
The bulb was first installed at the fire department hose cart house on L Street in 1901．In 1903 it was moved to the new Station 1 on First and McLeod，and survived the renovation(翻修)of the Firehouse in 1937．when it was off for about a week．The last time the bulb was switched off was in July l976，when it was moved to Fire Station No．6．Thousands of people watched as the electrician tried to re-attach the bulb at its new location．At first nothing happened and people thought the bulb had finally died．However，a slight touch of its switch and then，the bulb came on and has been on since．Nobody at the station dares to touch it，even to clean it．
A local reporter first discovered the bulb’s significance in 1972．He recommended his readers to go visit it if they ever went to Livermore．All of a sudden thousands of people came to Fire Station No．6 and the bulb became famous．
Needless to say，the bulb is now a big source of pride and joy for the city of Livermore．So when some folks offered to buy it，the answer from the city was“NO!”Which of the following may not be a reason for the bulb to stay alive for so long?
| A．It was seldom switched off. |
| B．It was made of high quality． |
| C．Its carbon filament was special． |
| D．Its seal was perfect． |
What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
| A．The brief history of the bulb． |
| B．The problems with the bulb． |
| C．The main function of the bulb． |
| D．The location where the bulb is． |
We can learn from the text that the bulb _______________．
| A．will eventually be owned by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not |
| B．is now becoming a proud symbol of the locals in livermore |
| C．has never been touched or cleaned in Fire Station No．6 |
| D．wouldn’t have been discovered without the local reporter |
Georgia Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Please note that hours of operation do vary．Last ticket sold and entry is 30 minutes before closing time．
Regular Hours
Sunday—Friday：10 a．m．—5 P．m．
Saturday：9 a．m．—6 p．m．
Summer Hours：May 27-August 16
Monday-Saturday：9 a．m．—9 P．m．
Sunday：9 a．m．—6 p．m．
Full Price Total Ticket
Adult(ages 13-64)：$38.95
Child(ages 3-12)：$32.95
Senior(age 65+)：$34.95
Total Ticket Online Discount
Adult(ages 13-64)：$35.95
Child(ages 3-12)：$29.95
Senior(age 65+)：$31.95
Animal Encounters：$59.95
Beluga＆Friends Interactive Program：$179.95
Journey with Gentle Giants Immersion Program：$234.95
AT&T Dolphin Tales
Our new dolphin gallery, theater and show are now open．The gallery and viewing window are open to general admission guests periodically throughout the day．Show times vary each day, so check for times when you are purchasing general admission tickets．Don’t forget-AT&T Dolphin Tales is included in Total Ticket general admission，so don’t miss this spectacular show !
4D Theater—Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow Presented by AT&T
With multiple shows throughout the day,be sure to catch this unique experience at Georgia Aquarium．Admission to the 4D Theater is included in Total Ticket general admission!
Journey with Gentle Giants Immersion Program
Swim or scuba dive in the Ocean Voyager exhibit，built by The Home Depot．Swims are daily at 4：30 p．m．，and scuba dives are daily at 3 p．m．and Saturday and Sunday at ll a．m．Spots are limited，so it’s best to book in advance．
Beluga&Friends Interactive Program
Interact with belugas and harbor seals in the Georgia-Pacific Cold Water Quest gallery．This animal interaction occurs daily at 10 a．m．and 1：30 p．m．Spots are limited，so it’s best to book in advance．
Animal Encounters
Interact with a penguin daily at l1：30 a．m．and l：45 p．m．You can also experience a special encounter with a dolphin．Spots are limited，so it’s best to book in advance．How much can they save if grandparents in their seventies with a 10-year-old boy visit Georgia Aquarium with online tickets?
| A．$3． | B．$6． | C．$9． | D．$12 |
Which of the following about AT&T Dolphin Tales is TRUE?
| A．It is open all day long to visitors． |
| B．It is really worth watching for visitors． |
| C．Visitors have to pay extra money to watch it． |
| D．visitors should book their tickets in advance． |
With a Total Ticket，visitors are allowed to visit________．
| A．Animal Encounters |
| B．Beluga&Friends Interactive Program |
| C．4D Theater-Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow |
| D．Journey with Gentle Giants Immersion Program |
A public primary school in New York City has stopped giving its students homework．
P．S．116 Principal Jane Hsu wrote a letter to parents last month explaining that after more than a year of analyzing studies，the school had concluded that students’after-school time would be better spent on activities like reading at their own pace and playing rather than working on homework．
Hsu’s letter says that many studies indicate that there is no connection between homework and academic success．Indeed，there are some studies that show that the link between homework and success is doubtful at the primary school level．
An important 1989 study on homework by Professor Cooper found that doing homework led students to perform better in school as they grew older．In later grades，students who did homework performed increasingly better than students who did not．In 2006，Cooper published a study that analyzed 15 years’worth of data on the effectiveness of homework．He found that homework had a more positive impact on students as they aged，and identified stronger relations between homework and achievement for students in grades seven through 12 than for students in kindergarten through sixth grade．
A 2012 study from the Indiana University School of Education on 10th-graders found little relation between time spent on homework and better course grades，although it did find a positive relation between homework time and standardized test performance．
Some parents of P．S．116 students are not happy with the decision to eliminate homework．
“I think they should have homework—some of it is about discipline．I want(my daughter)to have fun，but I also want her to be working towards a goal，”Daniel Tasman，the father of a second—grader at the schoo1．
“You have to do homework in order to gain；you have to do homework because they may not be able to comprehend everything in school，”Sharon Blake，a grandmother of a P．S．116 student．Principal Jane Hsu wrote the letter to the parents to_________．
| A．analyze the test results of the students |
| B．suggest students’reading at their own pace and playing |
| C．tell them about the conclusion of the research |
| D．give them the reason for the decision of the school |
The decision to stop giving students homework depends upon________．
| A．studies on the link between homework and academic success |
| B．students’wish to spend their time on activities or playing |
| C．Professor Cooper’s research on the effectiveness of homework |
| D．the ideas of both school authorities and parents |
Harris Cooper found in his research that________．
| A．kindergarten students spent too much time doing activities |
| B．doing homework made the kindergarten students cleverer |
| C．only elderly students should be given homework to do |
| D．students benefit more from doing homework as they grow older |
What does the underlined word“eliminate”in Paragraph 6 mean?
| A．Refuse． | B．Cancel． | C．Increase． | D．Reduce． |
October sixteenth is World Food Day．This day is also the anniversary of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(F．A．O．)．The UN agency leads international efforts to defeat world hunger．It was created in 1945．
The F．A．O．says more than one hundred fifty countries are to hold special events to celebrate World Food Day．At F．A．O．headquarters in Rome，for example，runners will compete in a five-kilometer race through the city’s historical area．Events in other countries include discussions among experts，press conferences and musical programs．
The message of this year’s World Food Day is“investing in agriculture for food security”．The F．A．O．says，“During the early 1990s，the foreign aid for agriculture was nine thousand million dollars each year．But now, it has declined to less than five thousand million dollars a year．”Yet, the F．A．O．estimates that more than eight hundred and fifty million people around the world do not get enough food．
The UN agency notes that seventy percent of the world’s hungry lies in the farmers who grow small amount of food．Many also face problems of feeding themselves．The F．A．O．says agricultural aid could help small farmers make a profit from their crops．Farmers would also be able to feed their families throughout the year and re-invest in their farms．They could buy better seeds，equipment and chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow．
Muhammad Yunis．the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to improve the lives of poor people，as well as his Bangladesh microfinance organization，the Grameen Bank，has lent small amount of money to poor people who are unable to get traditional loans，especially women．Minister Yunis says that he plans to give his share of the one million three hundred thousand dollars Nobel award to good causes．He says he wants to establish an eye hospital and start a project to produce low-cost food for the poor．To celebrate the World Food Day, how many kinds of activities are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two． | B．Three． | C．Four． | D．Five． |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A． The F．A．O．is established to invest in agriculture for food security．
B．The foreign aid for agriculture has reduced by nearly 50％in recent decades．
C．The Grameen Bank has provided large amount of loans for poor farmers．
D．Yunis will donate his entire Nobel award to help solve the hunger for the poor．With agricultural aid，farmers can_________________.
| A．promote the production of crops |
| B．produce low-cost food |
| C．invest money in other fields |
| D．help to improve crop seeds |
The writer wrote the passage mainly to____________．
A．give an introduction of the F．A．O．
B．inform us of the situations of the world food
C．appeal for more investment on agriculture
D．show how to deal with the world’s hunger