Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don’t act soon.
There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage --- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.
Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.
To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.
First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.
To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, there is now hope!The first paragraph tells us that______.
| A．chocolate is healthier than vegetables |
| B．the world could soon be without chocolate |
| C．people love vegetables more than chocolate |
| D．it’s not necessary to eat so much chocolate |
In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?
| A．Venezuela and Indonesia. | B．Ivory Coast and Ghana. |
| C．Indonesia and China. | D．China and India. |
Cocoa farmers are choosing to grow rubber and corn because these crops______.
| A．can make them more money |
| B．need less rain to grow |
| C．can be planted more times each year |
| D．are not damaged by plant diseases |
How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?
| A．6 months. | B．12 months. | C．24 months. | D．30 months. |
What is one of the purposes of the Cocoa Control Centre?
| A．To introduce cocoa production to more countries. |
| B．To provide more chocolate for British people. |
| C．To produce stronger types of cocoa plants. |
| D．To make sure that cocoa is healthy to eat. |
Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually have two cars. When the family is large, one of the cars is sold and they will buy a van(住房汽车).
A small car can hold(容纳)four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded(拥挤). A van hold seven persons easily, so a family with three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday travel. They could all travel together.
Mr.Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell a second car and bus a van. Their children sixth and seventh seat are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases(衣箱)when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents’ home , the suitcases are brought into the two seats can then carry the grandparents.
Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks. All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes.From the passage, a van is also called ____________.
| A．a motor car | B．a motor home |
| C．a motorbike | D．a big truck |
A motor home is usually owned by a family with__________.
| A．a baby | B．much money |
| C．more than two children | D．interest in vans |
Motor homes have become popular because___________.
| A．they can take people to another city when people are free |
| B．they can let families have a happier life when they go out for their holidays |
| C．some people think motor homes are cheap |
| D．big families can put more things in motor homes |
| Lost My name is Mary. I lost a black bag with some money and a phone in it on May 27. If you find it, please come to Room 322, or call me at 323-3789. |
Sunny Seafood Restaurant Quality seafood buffet(自助餐) Price: ￥55/ person Address: 50 Haier Road Tel: 223-3561 |
| A Football Game Beijing Vs Shanghai Place: Bird’s Nest Stadium(鸟巢) Time: May 27, 3:30 pm Price: ￥50 Tel: 325-6789 |
Waiters Wanted Age: between 20 and 40 Language: one foreign language (English or Japanese) Working place: Red Rose Restaurant Tel: 586-5552 |
If you want to find a job as a waiter, you can go to __________.
| A．50 Haier Road | B．Red Rose Restaurant |
| C．Bird’s Next Stadium | D．Sunny Seafood Restaurant |
If Tom and his father go to watch the football game, they will pay _________.
| A．￥50 | B．￥55 | C．￥100 | D．￥110 |
Father’s Day is coming, and Jenny wants to invite her father to dinner. She should call _______.
| A．586-5552 | B．223-3561 |
| C．325-6789 | D．323-3789 |
On the Earth, everyone has a home. While in space, there is also a home. It is nearly as big as a soccer field and larger than a six-bedroom house. It is the International Space Station(ISS).
The ISS is home to astronauts. Usually, there are three to six astronauts on board. Astronauts in the space station are very busy. They do many science experiments in biology and physics, and study the effects on the human body after long exposure(暴露) to microgravity(微重力). Sometimes they go on spacewalks to work outside the station.
As a groundbreaking scientific research facility, the ISS benefits(使受益) people on the Earth. Robots on the ISS have inspired medical technology. Now it is possible for patients to receive certain surgery(外科手术) by a robotic arm, which performs better than humans. The ISS also helps to watch the Earth’s ecosystems(生态系统) and warns us of volcano eruptions(火山爆发) and earthquakes.
For children, the ISS plays an important part in education. Children can ask astronauts in the ISS any question with the help of satellites. For example, what do you eat? How do you sleep? This is a good way to improve children’s interest in science and technology.
The ISS is expected to remain in operation until at least 2020, China Daily reported. Russia may build a new space station to replace it at that time.
In the future, space will be home to more stations like the ISS. China is also planning to build its own space station, and the launch of Tiangong-1 in 2011 was the first step. It is expected that China will complete the space station by 2023.
| The International Space Station(ISS) |
|
| Home to astronauts (5-6 astronauts |
1.They do many experiments in different scientific fields. 2.They study 3.They go on spacewalks. |
| Benefit people on the Earth |
1. Robots on the ISS have inspired 2. Help to watch the earth’s ecosystems. 3. Warns us of volcano eruptions and earthquake. |
| Help children in education |
A good way to |
Two men in Shanghai have been said dead from H7N9, while a woman in Anhui province is seriously ill from the virus, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Sunday.
This is the first time a human from H7N9 has been detected (确诊).Little research has been done on this unknown bird flu, and there are no vaccines (疫苗) against the virus.
The reported deaths were of an 87-year-old man who was found ill on Feb 19 and died on March 4, and a 27-year-old man who was found ill on Feb 27 and died on March 10.The third person, a 35-year-old woman from Chuzhou, Anhui province, is in hospital in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.
It is still unknown how the three became ill, and experts said there is no evidence that they caught the illness from each other. There is also no evidence of anyone who stay closely with them being ill.
To be away from H7N9 and stay healthy, remember the following things.
1.Go to crowded places as less as possible, especially the elderly and children. Pay attention to personal self-protection.
2.Keep the air in door fresh. Often wash your hands. Cover the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing (打喷嚏).Wash hands after cleaning the nose and mouth.
3.Eat clean food. Don’t put raw (生的) and cooked food together. And do not eat raw or undercooked meat, eggs and other food.
4.Do sports. Take more exercise, have enough sleep and rest, so that you can get yourself stronger.
根据短文内容, 从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中, 选择最佳答案。(10分)How do people know about H7N9?
| A．People know H7N9 very well. |
| B．No people have heard about it. |
| C．People know little about it. |
| D．Only Chinese people know about it. |
When did the 27-year-old man die?
| A．On February 19 | B．On March 10 |
| C．On March 4 | D．On February 27 |
Where is the 35-year-old woman from?
| A．Shanghai | B．Nanjing |
| C．Putian | D．Chuzhou |
What does the underlined word “undercooked” mean in Chinese?
| A．夹生的 | B．煮熟的 |
| C．未煮过的 | D．在下面煮的 |
Which is NOT suggested in the passage to be away from H7N9?
| A．Don’t go to crowed places. |
| B．Don’t mix raw and cooked food together. |
| C．Do more exercise to keep fit. |
| D．Close the window so that birds can’t fly in. |
Reading is the key to school success and, like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking. Educators call it “automaticity (自动性)”.
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With practice, he stumbles less and less, reading by the phrase. With automaticity, he doesn’t have to think about the meaning of words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount of time a child spends reading , not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 to 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.“Reading is the key to school success” means that reading ______.
| A．helps school develop faster |
| B．is a key to a successful school |
| C．helps students go to a key school |
| D．can improve students’ learning results |
Children with “automaticity” can read faster because they ______.
| A．know how to read the words |
| B．do not have to think while reading |
| C．read by themselves without any help |
| D．pay attention to the meaning of the text |
Rossman tells that any child who ______ will possibly be an automatic reader.
| A．turns off TV one night 4 weeks |
| B．reads books by the word quickly |
| C．spends an hour reading every day |
| D．gets the same grades as others in exams |
The underlined word “stumble” in the passage means “______” in Chinese.
| A．结结巴巴地读 | B．全神贯注地读 |
| C．心不在焉地读 | D．声情并茂地读 |
The best title for the passage is “______”.
| A．IQ Is the Key to the Automaticity |
| B．TV Is Bad for Children’s Reading |
| C．Automaticity Depends on Practice |
| D．Automatic Reads Will Be Successful |