A locavore is someone who eats foods produced locally. Locavores usually define local as within 160 kilometers. Local is a popular word these days in food advertising. Farmers markets are also popular. These are often held once a week, usually in a big outdoor space. And some people grow their own food at home or in community gardens.
Locally grown food can cost more but locavores find it more satisfying. Not just the taste, but the fact that they are supporting local producers. And some believe eating local foods is healthier. This may be true in terms of freshness, but it also depends on how the food was produced. Restaurants are also joining the local food movement. And local food is involved in another movement—" slow food " ，whose aim is to honor the tradition of foods prepared and enjoyed with time and care, like a fine wine.
The city of Sonoma, California, is getting in the spirit of the local food movement. The city is located in the wine-making Sonoma Valley. Next week, the City Council is expected to approve changes to make it easier to raise chickens and rabbits on smaller properties.
No one is sure how many people want to. But anyone with a single family house and a fenced backyard could keep as many as sixteen chickens and eight rabbits. Larger properties could have more. Either way, a permit and inspection would be required.
Residents could sell eggs but not meat. City officials did re-search about other places with similar rules. They learned that people often end up giving their chickens names and treating them like pets.
If the happens, Sonoma residents will have no trouble finding boy names for roosters. Under the proposed new rules, the city will not permit any roosters other than those now living there. City officials want to avoid early morning wake-up calls for the neighbors. As one Sonoma official explained：”You don't need a rooster to have eggs." The best title of the passage is that _________.
| A．Locavores like their food close to home |
| B．Farmers markets are popular |
| C．How to raise roosters at home |
| D．Locally grown food can cost more |
The advantage of eating locally grown food is _________.
| A．the price is low |
| B．it is fresh |
| C．it can support the local economy |
| D．both B and C |
According to the passage, the following terms have a close connection with local food movement EXCEPT _________.
| A．farmers markets and food advertisements |
| B．locavores and healthy food |
| C．restaurants and slow food |
| D．pets and boy names |
The underlined word " that " in the last paragraph refers to —_________
| A．a permit and inspection would be required |
| B．residents could sell eggs but not meat |
| C．city officials did research about other places with similar rules |
| D．people often end up giving their chickens names and treating them like pets |
Being able to count at least ten people as friends makes us happy，but those with five or fewer are likely to be miserable，researchers say.
Their study of hundreds of men and women also found that people who feel satisfied with their lives always have lots of close friends and regularly make new ones.
While it is not clear whether our friends make us happy or we make friends because we are happy，the researchers say it is clear that we should maintain our friendships. Psychologist Richard Tunney said，“Whatever the reason is，actively working on friendships in the same way as to maintain a marriage is a prerequisite(必备条件) to happiness.”
Dr.Tunney，of Nottingham University，quizzed more than 1,700 people about their satisfaction with their lives and the state of their friendships.Those with five friends or fewer had just a 40 percent chance of being happy. .
In other words they were more likely to be unhappy than happy.Ten was the first number at which people were more likely to be happy than unhappy.The happiest people were those with dozens of friends，according to the study，which was carried out for the National Lottery(彩票)．
For women，this meant having 33 friends；for men，the number was 49. Dr.Tunney said，“People who were extremely satisfied with their lives had twice the number of friends of people who were extremely dissatisfied.” Women tended to have fewer friends than men but formed tighter relationships.
Interestingly，the study found that childhood friends are no more likely to make us happy than people we become close to later in life.Lottery winners，however，have a different opinion on life.They are always happier than others despite spending their time with a small circle of old friends.This could be because they trust people they’ve known for a long time.What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．The Secret to Happiness Is to Make New Friends |
| B．Having at Least 10 Good Friends Makes People Happy |
| C．Why Most People Like to Make Friends Regularly |
| D．Men’s and Women’s Friends Are Different |
Which of the following opinions may Richard Tunney NOT agree with?
| A．People with few friends are sure to be unhappy. |
| B．Our friends can make us happy. |
| C．Happiness may come from a good marriage life. |
| D．We may become happier if we have more friends. |
According to the passage，lottery winners ________.
| A．enjoy making new friends |
| B．make new friends easily |
| C．like staying with old friends |
| D．have no time to make friends |
We can conclude from the passage that ________.
| A．it’s enough for one person to have ten friends |
| B．unhappy people must have few friends |
| C．childhood friends make people happier than adulthood ones |
| D．friendships play a major role in people’s life |
How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times."
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.How did the author get to know America?
| A．From her relatives. | B．From her mother. |
| C．From books and pictures. | D．From radio programs. |
Upon leaving for America, the author felt_______.
| A．confused | B．excited | C．worried | D．amazed |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
A. She worked as a translator.
B. She attended a lot of job interviews.
C. She paid telephone bills for her family.
D She helped her family with her English.The author believes that______.
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working woman in the book business. Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five. Her research before writing takes at least three years. Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to divided into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk.
Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education. After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries. Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for. Her achievements are unbelievable: 390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times bestselling novels, and a series of “Max and Martha” picture books for children to help them deal with the reallife problem of death, new babies and new schools. Her 1998 book about the death of her was shot to the top of the New York Times bestselling list as soon as it came out. Twentyeight of her books have been made into films. She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one of her books being the Times bestseller for 381 weeks straight.
Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by email. While she is often compared to the heroines of her own invention. Her life is undoubtedly much quieter. But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable style. There is only one Danielle Steel.Children who have read “Max and Martha” picture books may know ________.
| A．how to deal with affairs at school |
| B．what to do if Max and Martha die |
| C．what to do when new babies are born into their families |
| D．how to solve the difficult problems in their writing classes |
One of Danielle Steel' a achievements is that ________.
| A．some TV plays were based on her books |
| B．her picture books attracted a lot of young men |
| C．one of her books became a bestseller in 1998 |
| D．she wrote the Guinness Book of World Records |
We can learn from the passage that Danielle Steel ________.
| A．lives an exciting life |
| B．values her readers a lot |
| C．writes about quiet women |
| D．is pleased with her achievements |
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to ￡200 or ￡300 a week. Put an advertisement for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent（出租）a room
Spare room Not only will a lodger（房客）earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first ￡4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Don’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free—but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment (around ￡14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
| A．￡800 | B．￡500 | C．￡4500 | D．￡5000 |
Where can you put an advertisement to rent out a room during a big event？
| A．On Letpark. | B．On Roomspare. |
| C．On Grashpadder. | D．On Roommateeasy. |
If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
| A．sign an agreement with the government |
| B．pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment |
| C．sell the roof to some energy companies |
| D．keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years |
For whom the text most probably written？
| A．Lodgers. | B．Advertisers. |
| C．House owners. | D．Online companies |
Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted (预测) in reaction to climate change, which could have long damaging effects on food chains (链条) and ecosystems.（生态系统）
Global warming is having a great effect on hundreds of plant and animal species around the world, changing some living patterns, scientists say.
Increased carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air from burning coal and oil can have an effect on how plants produce oxygen (氧气), while higher temperatures and changeable rainfall patterns can change their patterns of growth.
“Predicting species’ reaction to climate change is a major challenge in ecology,” said the researches of several U.S. universities. They said plants had been the key object of study because their reaction to climate change could have an effect on food chains and ecosystem services.
The study, published on the Nature website, uses the findings from plant life cycle studies and experiments across four continents and 1,634 species. It found that some experiments had underestimated (低估) the speed of flowering by 8.5 times and leafing（长出叶子） by 4 times.
“Across all species, the experiments under-predicted the speed of the advance —for both leafing and flowering —that results from temperature increases,” the study said.
The design of future experiments may need to be improved to better predict how plants will react to climate change, it said.
Plants are necessary for life on the Earth. They are the base of the food chain, using photosynthesis (光合作用) to produce sugar from carbon dioxide and water. They let out oxygen which is needed by nearly every organism on the planet.
Scientists believe the world’s average temperature has risen by about 0.8℃ since 1900, and nearly 0.2℃ every ten years since 1979.
So far, efforts to cut emissions (排放) of planet-warming greenhouse gases are not seen as enough to prevent the Earth heating up beyond（超出） 2℃ this century —a point scientists say will bring the danger of a changeable climate in which weather extremes are common, leading to drought, floods, crop failures and rising sea levels.What is the key information the author wants to give in Paragraph 1?
| A．Plants’ reaction to weather could have damaging effects on ecosystems. |
| B．The increasing speed of flowering is beyond scientists’ expectation. |
| C．Climate change leads to the change of food production patterns. |
| D．Food chains have been seriously damaged because of weather. |
We can learn from the study published on the Nature website that __________.
| A．plants’ flowering is 8.5 times faster than leafing |
| B．there are 1,634 plant species on the four continents |
| C．scientists should improve the design of the experiments |
| D．the experiments failed to predict how plants react to climate change |
Scientists pay special attention to the study of plants because __________.
| A．they can prove the climate change clearly |
| B．they are very important in the food chainsA |
| C．they play a leading role in reducing global warming |
| D．they are growing and flowering much faster than before |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs about the world’s temperature?
| A．It has risen nearly 0.2℃ since 1979. |
| B．Its change will lead to weather extremes. |
| C．It is 0.8℃ higher in 1979 than that of 1900. |
| D．It needs to be controlled within 2℃ in this century. |