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Chocoholics everywhere have a duty to help preserve the world’s dwindling supply of cocoa. Leading chocolatiers offer their advice.
We are running out of chocolate, by 2020 as predicted. Sure, some might say this is due to serious economic and geopolitical reasons – climate change, rising demand in Brazil and China, the spectre of Ebola spreading to west African cocoa-growing nations such as Ivory Coast and Ghana.
We know the real reason. It’s the fault of posh（考究的）choc. In the last 10 to 15 years, we have gone from buying a foil-wrapped bar from the newsagents to an unprecedented age of cocoa decadence – demanding a minimum of 70% cocoa solids.
With the shortage, is it time to dial back on this gourmet choc free-for-all, so when the bad times come, there’s enough cocoa left for Cadbury’s to eke out a few Dairy Milks?
We asked chocolatiers to help create a “code of conduct” for responsible chocolate eating in the event of a shortage …So how best should we use what’s left?
Switch to carob (even if it doesn’t taste very nice)
Carob is a chocolate substitute made from the pods of the carob tree – and it’s been languishing（低迷）in a health-food shop near you for years. “Is carob an alternative?” says Young. “If it was used as an ingredient, in a cupcake or chocolate bread, we could accept it”.
Ration（定量）chocolate in cakes and other dishes
Does that triple chocolate cake you’re making need the choc buttercream, the dark chocolate ganache and the white chocolate curls? Certainly when it comes to bought products, Young thinks “there’ll be a change to the amount of chocolate you get in things like cakes and flavoured milks”. “Revere chocolate more. Cut out all the other stuff,” says Coady.
Be prepared to pay more. A lot more
“A Dairy Milk will be a luxury item – we’ll have to save up!” speculates Young. That would be bad news for consumers, but there is an upside to the looming shortage – it could finally spell good news for cocoa growers, many of whom receive a “small amount” for their product, says Harcourt-Cooze: “If a shortage meant cocoa farmers got high prices, it would make me smile.”
Stop abusing chocolate
Yes, we’re looking at you, ChocoChicken – the restaurant that serves chocolate fried chicken with chocolate ketchup and white choc-fried potatoes. Other offenders we have spotted include white chocolate sauces for meat dishes and Scotch eggs with a cacao nib crust.Which of the following explains the underlined word dwindling?
| A．extreme | B．whole |
| C．increasing | D．decreasing |
What is the root cause of chocolate shortage?
| A．Increasing demand | B．Climate change |
| C．Epidemic disease | D．Excessive consumption |
Which option is NOT correct according to the passage?
| A．“Young” is probably a chocolatier. |
| B．Cocoa farmers might benefit from the shortage. |
| C．Carob is much more delicious than cocoa products. |
| D．Carob can be accepted as an ingredient in a cupcake or chocolate bread. |
Choose the action recommended according to the code of conduct for responsible chocolate eating.
| A．Mary tries to reduce the amount of cocoa when baking cookies. |
| B．Jack often treats himself with a chocolate feast after work. |
| C．Dan refuses to eat carob products as a substitute. |
| D．Rachel throws away chocolate bars which she has not finished. |
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Do dogs understand us?
Be careful what you say around your dog. It might understand more than you think.
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects, say researchers in Germany. The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child. Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee(黑猩猩).
In one experiment, the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided the into 20groups of 10 objects. Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back. In four tests,Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right. As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues, the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words.
In another experiment, the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room
with seven toys whose names the dog already knew. The owner then told Rico to fetch the object, using a word the dog had never heard before.
The correct object was chosen in seven out of l0 tests, suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination(排除法). A month later, Rico remembered half of the new names, which is even more impressive.
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog. For one thing, Rico is a border collie, a breed (种)known for its mental abilities. In addition, the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months.
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say. Even if they do, they can't talk back. Still, it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then. You might just get a big, wet kiss in return!
60. From paragraph 2 we know that ______________.
A. animals are as clever as human beings
B. dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees
C. chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills
D. dogs have 
similar 'learning abilities as 3-year-old children
61. Both experiments show that__________
A. Rico is smart enough to get all commands right
B. Rico can recognize different things including toys
C. Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics
D. Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them
62. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities.
B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training.
C. The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects.
D. Rico is born to understand its owner's commands.
63. What does the writer want to tell us?
A. To train your dog. B. To talk to your dog.
C. To be friendly to your dog. D. To be careful with your dog.
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III. Reading comprehension30%:
WASHINGTON---Worldwide sales of personal computer in 1995 rose 24.7 percent over 1994 with Compaq（美国康柏电脑公司）holding its first—place position while IBM overcame（击败）Apple for the No.2 slot （表上排名）,according to Dataquest.
A total of 59.7 million computers were sold around the world with important gains（获得）in Japan and Europe.
Compaq sold 5.99 million computers ,or 10percent of the market ,unchanged from 1994.
IBM sold 4.7 m
illion with an 8 percent share of the market compared with 8.2 percent in 1994 .
Apple sold 4.7 million ,or 7.8 percent of the trade ,compared with 8.4 percent in 1994.
Their lost market share was taken up by Packard Bell and NEC ,which sold 3.1 million and 2.8 million computers separately.
56．Which company was the first in selling computers in 1994?
A．Compaq B．IBM C．Apple D．NEC
57．Which company sold the third most computers in 1995?
A．Compaq B．IBM C．Apple D．NEC
58．What was the market share of Compaq in 1994?
A．5.99% B．8.2% C．8.4% D．10%
59．Packard Bell and NEC take up about____________ of the market share in 1995.
A．8.2% B．52% C．10% D．5%
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I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
67. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
A. describe the place carefully B. show him a map of the place
C. tell him the names of the streets D. refer to recognizable buildings and places
68. What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A. New York.. B. Los Angeles. C. Kansas. D. Iowa.
69. People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
A. in order to save time B. because of honesty
C. so as to be polite D. for fun
70. What can we infer from the text?
A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C. People have similar understandings of politeness.
D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.
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What is “Walk to School”?
Now we are working on a programme of “Walk to School”. We would like as many parents and children as possible to take part, even if in a small way. Children who walk to and from school along with their parents can learn essential (基本的) road safety and life skills.
You can take part by…
Walking to and from school with your child every day.
■ Walking for one or two days during the week.
■ Encouraging others to walk, if you already do.
Walking is great!
■ Walking is great exercise！A walk is good for your body and can keep you fit.
■ You won’t have to waste time looking for a parking site.
■ It’s free. You’ll save money by not using the car.
■ It’s pollution free.
■ It’s a good chance to talk to your children and to meet other parents, too.
Enjoying walking to school!
Here are some suggestions to help you and your child enjoy walking to school.
■ Plan a safe route together.
■ Teach children what a kerb (马路牙子) is and what it means.
■ Encourage your child to help you choose the safest places to cross the road.
■ Look at and discuss the things you see on your way － especially road signs and what they mean.
Walk to school! Thousands of parents and children already take part, could you?
Please go to www.walktoschool.org.uk for more information.
63. Who are encouraged to take part in the programme of “Walk to School”?
A. Children. B. Parents and children.
C. Bus drivers. D. Teachers.
64. By walking to and from school, children can learn ________.
A. driving skills B. road safety and life skills
C. running skills D. knowledge about science
65. What is the first thing to do if you want to enjoy your walking to school?
A. Plan a safe route with your children.
B. Learn what a kerb is and its meaning.
C. Choose the safest places to cross the road.
D. Find road signs and know their meanings.
66. According to the writer, you can learn more about “Walk to School” by________.
A. reading a newspaper B. making a phone call
C. going to the Internet D. having a traffic lesson
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There’re five people at our table, including myself. I’ve already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we’ve been at sea, although we rarely meet except at meal times.
First of all, there’s Dr Stone. He’s a man of about sixty five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quiet country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the Army and visited many countries. He’s told us a lot about the city to which we are going.
Then there’s “Grandmother”. I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks rather young, not more than fifty, She’s on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen.
Then there’s a man I don’t care for very much, an engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been on leave in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore.
The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I’ve found out hardly anything about her. She’s extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult(咨询)the doctor about children’s various illness. She’s on her way to join her husband in India.
60. What can we know about Mr. Stone?
A. He is a doctor in the Army now.
B. He is going to give up his work.
C. He knows a lot about the city the author is going to.
D. He has been retired for many years.
61. The writer calls the second person “Grandmother” because_______.
A. she looks old B. She has three daughters
C. he respects her D. he can’t think of her name
62. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Dr Stone lives in a quiet village now. B. “Grandmother” is an Australian.
C. Barlow works in Singapore D. Mrs Hunt is a woman of many words.