Cotton farmers in some Indian villages are busily buying Coca-Cola and Pepsi, believing that the sugar in the fizzy(有 泡 沫 的 ) drinks kills pests.
Farmers say scientists advised them to mix pesticides with a sugary juice to control pests, and they found the mixture cheaper and more effective than pure chemicals— although soft drink makers and scientists dismissed the remarks. N. Hamunayya, who has become a famous person in his village in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, said his crop survived an attack of pests which had resisted other pesticides. “We found that all the colas had uniform effect on pests. The pests became dead and fell to the ground, ”he said. He said the drinks had all the elements they needed : they were cheaper, sticky, fizzy, and attracted ants, which ate the young of the pests. But Thinupathi Reddy, assistant director of the Regional Agri-Research Station, Guntur, says tests had proved such results wrong. “We conducted some field trials on cotton crop at our research station. There was no obvious productivity or destruction of pests, ”he says.
Statements from Pepsi and Coca-Cola said there was “ no scientific basis” for this practice. But their dealers are enjoying increasing sales. Mantan Wall, who sells soft drinks in 17 villages in the region, said sales rose up, thanks to the farmers. “ For the 10 days between August and September I had successful business. Instead of just 30 cases( each containing a dozen one-litre bottles) of cola, I started selling almost 200 cases, ”he said. “ We expected the sales to drop after the news over pesticide residues(残 留 ) in the cola drinks. Now I have to keep extra supply for the cotton farmers, ”he said.
In February, an Indian environment group made a report saying drinks made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained pesticides and called for tougher safety standards. The U. S firms strongly rejected the findings of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment and said their products were safe.The writer’ s purpose of writing this passage is to .
A.tell an interesting incident |
B.warn people that some drinks might be dangerous to health |
C.suggest using Coca-Cola to kill pests. |
D.announce a new discovery of Coca-Cola |
The drink makers would not accept the fact that their drinks could kill pests because .
A.they thought it went against science |
B.they believed that the farmers didn’t tell the truth |
C.they might fear that it could bring harm to their business |
D.they insisted that no poison was left in their products |
The underlined part in Para. 3 “ this practice” probably refers to .
A.testing the mixture |
B.selling more drinks in India |
C.mixing the drinks with the pesticide |
D.attracting ants to eat the young pests |
The drinks can kill pests because .
A.there is some pesticide left in them |
B.they are sticky and fizzy |
C.they have elements that kill pests |
D.they made the pesticide more effective |
I arrived at my mother’s home for our Monday family dinner. The smells of food flew over from the kitchen. Mother was pulling out quilt(被子)after quilt from the boxes, proudly showing me their beauties. She was preparing for a quilt show at the Elmhurst Church.
When we began to fold and put them back into the boxes, I noticed something at the
bottom of one box. I pulled it out.“What is this?” I asked.
“Oh?” Mom said, “That’s Mama’s quilt.”
I spread the quilt. It looked as if a group of school children had pieced(拼凑) it together; irregular designs, childish pictures, a crooked line on the right.
“Grandmother made this?” I said, surprised. My grandmother was a master at making quilts. This certainly didn’t look like any of the quilts she had made.
“Yes, right before she died. I brought it home with me last year and made some changes,” she said. “I’m still working on it. See, this is what I’ve done so far.”
I looked at it more closely. She had made straight a crooked line. At the center of the quilt, she had stitched(缝) a piece of cloth with these words: “My mother made many quilts. She didn’t get all lines straight. But I think this is beautiful. I want to see it finished. Her last quilt.”
“Ooh, this is so nice, Mom,” I said. It occurred to me that by completing my grandmother’s quilt, my mother was honoring her own mother. I realized, too, that I held in my hands a family treasure. It started with the loving hands of one woman, and continued with the loving hands of another. Why did the author go to mother’s home?
A.To see her mother’s quilts. |
B.To help prepare for a show. |
C.To get together for the family dinner. |
D.To discuss her grandmother’s life. |
The author was surprised because ______.
A.the quilt looked very strange. |
B.her grandmother liked the quilt. |
C.the quilt was the best she had seen. |
D.her mother had made some changes |
The italic word “crooked” in the passage most probably means ______.
A.unfinished | B.broken | C.bent | D.unusual |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.A Quilt Show | B.Mother’s Home | C.A Monday Dinner | D.Grandmother’s Quilt |
The World Trade Organization (WTO), founded on January 1, 1995, aims to encourage international trade to flow as possible, making sure that trade agreements are respected and that any disputes can be settled.
In the five years since its founding, the WTO has become well known as one of the world’s most powerful economic organizations, taking its place alongside the World Bank and International Money Fund.
The system of global rules for international trade, however, dates back half a century to 1948 when the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade was formed after World War II.
As time went by, it became clear that the GATT had two major drawbacks-the limited areas of trade it covered, and the lack of an effective system to settle disputes.
After seven years of trade talks ending in 1994, the so-called Uruguay Round finally give birth to the WTO, complete with an effective system to settle disputes and new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property.
Even after seven years of talks and 22, 500 pages of agreements, there were still problems, especially the difficulty to deal with areas of agriculture and services, which the member nations agreed to revise in 2000. The WTO, with its head office in Geneva, has 135 members with 30 more waiting to join. From the passage we know that the GATT stopped working ________.
A.soon after World War II ended |
B.a little more than 50 years after World War II |
C.just in the year 1994 |
D.seven years before the Uruguay Round talk |
Compared with the GATT, the WTO _______.
A.didn’t pay enough attention to services and intellectual property |
B.got its members to sign the agreements more easily |
C.has got to many areas of international trade to deal with to work effectively |
D.can do better to settle disputes in more areas of international trade |
In the new century the WTO will ________.
A.take the place of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund |
B.have more members and settle more problems |
C.make complete new rules in every area of international trade |
D.have new rules covering trade in services and intellectual property |
D
As they migrate(迁移),butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with,and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction.This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances.Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are,migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happthousands of feet above ground.Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise,though,the insects weren’t passive travelers on the winds.In autumn,for example,most light winds blew from the east,but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring,when most winds flowed northward,the insects didn’t always go with the flow.If breezes weren’t blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go,the insects changed their body positions to compensate.Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found,butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along.By adding flight speeds to wind speeds,the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour.The findings may have real-world applications.With climate warming,migrating insects are growing in number.Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops.
71.What’s the main idea of the text?
A.Insects migrate with the seasons. B.Wind helps insects greatly in migrating.
C.Windsurfing insects have real direction.D.Scientists have trouble in observing insects.
72.Scientists originally thought that____________.
A.insects always waited for their favourable winds
B.insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C.insects were just blown about by the wind
D.insects positioned themselves in the winds
73.It is not easy to stuay the migrating behavior of the insects because____________
A.the little creatures can fly very fast B.they have no regular migrating courses
C.the wind’s direction is hard to foresee D.their flight is long and high above ground
74.We can learn from the text that______________.
A.insects fly in the way birds do
B.insects travel more easily in autumn
C.insects never position themselves when flying low
D.insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along
75.According to the passage,the findings can.
A.increase insects in number B.instruct farmers when to spray
C.prevent climate warmingD.help protect insects
C
Michelle Obama has just started a campaign against childhood obesity(肥胖)with the admission that she put her girls Malia and Sasha on a diet because they were getting fat.Clearly,childhood obesity must be solved urgently.But is it a good idea for mothers to put their daughters on diets?
Studies show that the more children diet,the more likely they are to become obese as adults.
Research also shows that gifts are highly influenced by their mothers when it comes to eating habits and body image.
This was the case for Carly,40,who blames her mother for her lifelong struggle with weight.“My mother was on a diet the whole time I was growing up,”she says.“And she put me on my first diet when I was 10.I lost puppy fat,gained her approval and never ate normally again.”
America’s First Lady clearly has a vital healthy eating message to convey.But could this be damaging for Malia and Sasha? Could they develop eating disorders because of it?
“It’s wrong just to blame mothers for their daughters’eating disorders,”says Susan Ringwood,chief executive of the eating disorders charity,Beat.“There is a genetic(基因的)component to eating disorders.However,“We do know that parents have a very strong influence over a child’s eating.It's important to realize that you are your daughter’s role model.Girls idolize their mothers.”says Ringwood.
“No food should ever be‘good’ or‘bad’,” Ringwood says.Instead,“You have to make it clear that food is a sociable,healthy and fun part of life,not something to be feared.”
“Talk to her about body image,”Ringwood says.“Talk about how curves are an important and exciting part of being a woman.Show her that anorexic(厌食的)fashion models are not sexy,but ill.The pressure on girls today is immense,”she says.“But don’t forget that you are the authoritative voice,too.”
66.Michelle Obama has started a campaign to_________.
A.solve childhood obesity across the country B.attract the attention of the world
C.show her first lady identity D.please the public
67.The author mentions Carly in Paragraph 3 to show that___________.
A.mothers have a great influence on girls’ eating habits
B.the more you diet,the more weight you will put on
C.mothers are to blame for the unbalanced diet
D.side effects of dieting are hard to avoid
68.According to Ringwood,_____________.
A.food is considered something fearful
B.food can be recognized as“good”or“bad”
C.only slim mothers are role models of their daughters
D.eating disorder has something to do with genetic component
69.The passage tells us that_____________.
A.mothers’ lead is of great importance
B.daughters are victims of mothers’authority
C.dieting teenagers can't turn into obese adults
D.experts have arguements about eating disorder
70.It can be concluded that_______________.
A.eating disorder always goes hand in hand with being slim
B.girls are more concerned about body shapes than boys
C.daughters tend to have a lifelong struggle with weight
D.the author is against children’s dieting
B
Internet dating has become one of the biggest and most successful business ventures on the Internet.Basically,Internet dating is a way to meet people for either friendship or dating without actually having to meet them in person first.
The first thing to do if you decide to try Internet dating is to build your profile(简介)which can include your hobbies,hopes for the future,and so on.A photograph is optional,but many sites claim that a photograph increases the number of people who look at your profile. Many Internet dating sites will charge a one-time registration fee to use their services.
Internet dating makes it possible to meet people from all over the world. You call even narrow the search down to your area by zip code.Another advantage is that you can communicate by email before you meet in person.Thousands of people have met,fallen in love,and married through Intemet dating.It is an excellent way for shy people to meet.It is also a way for people with busy lives to connect with others,and an easy way to meet people who share your interests.
Just as in conventional dating and love,there are some pitfalls to be aware of in Interact daring.The person you have been talking to on the net may not be who they say they are. Be very aware that there are some people who misrepresent their appearance or private details,such as mafital status,income,and so on,for their own reasons.It would not be the first time that someone has been taken in , and talk shows are full of cheating partners who have been caught dating over the Internet in their spare time.Nevertheless,taking a few simple precautions should help ensure that your Intemet dating experience is fun..
61.The purpose of writing the passage is to ________.
A.persuade readers to go dating on the Internet
B.infom us how to date on the Internet
C.warn readers against web love
D.introduce Internet dating to us
62.Which of the following is a must to make an Internet dating possible?
A.A photo. B.A profile. C.Regi stration fee. D.Business experience.
63.One advantage of Internet dating is that________.
A.you can avoid a face-to-face meeting in the beginning
B.you’re sure to find a partner with the same interests
C.you'll find absolutely reliable information of others
D.you’11 gain fame and money overnight
64.The underlined word“pitfalls”in Paragraph 4 most probably means____________.
A.rules B.trends C.problems D.skills
65.What is probably talked about following the last paragraph?
A.Conventional dating. B.Hidden advantages.
C.Safety measures. D.Romantic love.