Can you imagine a world without chocolate? It's not something I'd 1ike to do.so I was relieved to read that there’s a university with a program me to safeguard the future of chocolate!
The University of Reading,in England,has just opened a new clearing house for all the world’s new cocoa varieties.They must be quarantined(隔离检疫)before they can be grown.Why? Cocoa production hit a record high of 4.4 million tons last year but about 30%of the precious crop is regularly lost to pests and diseases.Now we don’t want that,do we?
Demand for chocolate has been increasing faster than the world supply of cocoa and researchers think that new varieties are key to solving this problem.
The University of Reading has been protecting the quality of the new crops since 1985,after it took over the task from the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew,London.And it has improved its facilities.The leader of the institution’s cocoa project,Professor Paul Hadley,says,“One of the main issues concerning cocoa improvement is the supply of reliably clean,healthy,interesting cocoa material.”
The cocoa centre has a collection of 400 plant varieties and their greenhouse uses a lot of energy to keep them in tropical conditions.After up to two years in quarantine,clean and safe seeds are sent to some 20 countries,including several in West Africa.That’s where 75%of the cocoa used for chocolate worldwide comes from.The crop is extremely important for the local economy:it employs about two million people.
Professor Hadley says he works with a small team of skilled technicians who look after the collection.And more of us seem to count on them now.
The scientist says,“there is some concern within the industry that demand is increasing constantly,particularly in countries like China,where the standard of living is increasing and people are getting a taste for different chocolates.”What is the text mainly about?
A.Safeguarding cocoa seeds. |
B.Planting cocoa worldwide. |
C.Keeping cocoa in greenhouse. |
D.Finding the new market for cocoa. |
The institution’s cocoa project is to_______.
A.have cocoa skin removed |
B.offer more jobs to people |
C.ensure the quality of cocoa |
D.supply cocoa for two million people |
What does the last paragraph tell us?
A.The taste of chocolates is changing. |
B.Demand for cocoa is increasing fast. |
C.People are concerned about cocoa varieties. |
D.Chinese have a long history of eating chocolates. |
What’s the purpose of the text?
A.To educate. | B.To advertise. |
C.To warn. | D.To inform. |
Many people who work in London prefer to live outside it, and to go in to their offices or schools every day by train, car or bus, even though this means they have to get up early in the morning and reach home late in the evening.
One advantage of living outside London is that houses are cheaper. Even a small flat in London without a garden costs quite a lot to rent. With the same money, one can get a little house in the country with a garden of one’s own.
Then, in the country one can rest from the noise and hurry of the town. Even though one has to get up earlier and spend more time in trains or buses, one can sleep better at night and during weekends and on summer evenings, one can enjoy the fresh, clean air of the country. If one likes gardens, one can spend one’s free time digging, planting, watering and doing the hundred and one other jobs which are needed in a garden. Then, when the flowers and vegetables come up, one has the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
Some people, however, take no interest in country things: for them, happiness lies in the town, with its cinemas and theatres, beautiful shops and busy streets, dance-halls and restaurants. Such people would feel that their life was not worth living if they had to live it outside London. An occasional walk in one of the parks and a fortnight’s (two weeks) visit to the sea every summer is all the country they want: the rest they are quite prepared to leave to those who are glad to get away from London every night. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.People who like country things prefer to live outside the city. |
B.People who work in London prefer to live in the country. |
C.Because of certain disadvantages of living outside London, some people who work in London prefer to live inside London. |
D.Because of certain advantages of living outside London, many people who work in London prefer to live outside London. |
One can use the same money for ________ to buy a little house with a garden in the country.
A.getting a small flat with a garden | B.having a small flat with a garden |
C.renting a small flat without a garden | D.buying a small flat without a garden |
When the flowers and vegetables in the garden come up, those _______ have the reward of one who has shared the secret of Nature.
A.who live in the country |
B.who have spent time working in the garden |
C.who have a garden of their own |
D.who have been digging, planting and watering |
People who think happiness lies in the town would feel that _______ if they had to live it outside London.
A.their life was meaningless | B.their life was invaluable |
C.they didn’t deserve a happy life | D.they were not worthy of their happy life |
The underlined word “rest” in the last para
graph refers to ________.
A.the rest time | B.the rest people |
C.the rest of the country | D.the rest of the parks and of the sea |
If you were to walk up to Arthur Bonner and say, “Hey, Butterfly Man,” his face would break into a smile. The title suits him. And he loves it.
Arthur Bonner works with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, once thought to have died out. Today the butterfly is coming back — thanks to him. But years ago if you’d told him this was what he’d be doing someday, he would have laughed, “You’re crazy.” As a boy, he used to be “a little tough guy on the streets”. At age thirteen, he was caught by police stealing. At eighteen, he landed in prison for shooting a man.
“I knew it had hurt my mom,” Bonner said after he got out of prison. “So I told myself I would not put my mom through that pain again.”
One day he met Professor Mattoni, who was working to rebuild the habitat for an endangered butterfly called El Segundo blue.
“I saw the sign ‘Butterfly Habitat’ and asked, ‘How can you have a habitat when the butterflies can just fly away?’” Bonner recalls. “Dr. Mattoni laughed and handed me a magnifying glass (放大镜), ‘Look at the leaves.’ I could see all these caterpillars(蝴蝶的幼虫) on the plant. Dr Mattoni explained, ‘Without the plant, there are no butterflies.’”
Weeks later, Bonner received a call from Dr. Mattoni, who told him there was a butterfly which needed help. That was how he met the Palos Verdes blue. Since then he’s been working for four years to help bring the butterfly back. He grows astragals, the only plant the butterfly eats. He collects butterflies and brings them into a lab to lay eggs. Then he puts new butterflies into the habitat.
The butterfly’s population, once almost zero, is now up to 900. For their work, Bonner and Dr. Mattoni received lots of awards. But for Bonner, he earned something more: he turned his life around.
For six years now Bonner has kept his promise to stay out of prison. While he’s bringing back the Palos Verdes blue, the butterfly has helped bring him back, too.When he was
young, Arthur Bonner _______.
A.broke the law and ended up in prison |
B.was fond of shooting and hurt his mom |
C.often laughed at people on the streets |
D.often caught butterflies and took them home |
Bonner came to know the Palos Verdes blue after he _______.
A.found the butterfly had died out |
B.won many prizes from his professor |
C.met Dr. Mattoni, a professor of b![]() |
D.collected butterflies and put them into a lab |
From the last sentence of the text, we learn that raising butterflies has ________.
A.made Bonner famous | B.changed Bonner’s life |
C.brought Bonner wealth | D.enriched Bonner’s knowledge |
What does the underlined phrase “put through” mean in the 3rd paragraph?
A.hurt | B.recall | C.remember | D.experience |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.A Promise to Mom | B.A Man Saved by Butterflies |
C.A Story of Butterflies | D.A Job Offered by Dr. Mattoni |
I was walking along the deserted main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking somewhere to make a phone call. My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to get in touch with the Automobile Association .Low gray clouds were drifting across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea. It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street. I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat.
There was no sign of a call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour I could ask. I had thought I might find a shop selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his job, but the town was completely dead.
Then suddenly I found what I was looking for. There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town’s only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint, I hurried forward but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside. He was very fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat and rubber boots. I could not see his face - he was bending forward over the phone with his back pressed against the glass and didn’t even raise his head at the sound of my coming nearer and nearer. Carefully and surprisedly, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn. It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door.The author was walking through the small seaside town__________.
A.late morning | B.early morning |
C.before midnight | D.late evening |
The weather of the day was ____, when the story happened.
A.windy, cold and cloudy | B.stormy, damp and clear |
C.rainy, cold and clear | D.rainy, windy and cold |
Why was the author astonished when he saw that there was a man in the call box? Because____.
A.the man inside was still wearing a raincoat |
B.he didn’t expect it to be taken up |
C.the man had his back with him |
D.the man did not seem to be moving |
The author waited, standing a few feet away from the box because____.
A.it was not safe to be close to the box |
B.the man didn’t notice his coming |
C.he wanted to have a cigarette to calm himself down |
D.it was bad manners to overhear other’s phone calls |
What do you suppose happened to the man in the call box?
A.He slept. |
B.He had most probably been killed. |
C.He was lost in his important phone call. |
D.He was too fat to move around. |
Diego Maradona acknowledged(承认) that he struck the ball with his hand in the famous “Hand of God “ goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals.
Maradona appeared to hit the ball with his hand into the net, and officials allowed the goal to stand despite protests by the English team. Argentina went on to win the 1986 quarterfinal match 2-1 and then win the World Cup.
In his most detailed comments yet, Maradona said he was unable to reach the ball for a header(头球) when he went up against the taller English goalkeeper, Peter Shilton.
After the score, Maradona said he quickly realized the line referee(裁判) had allowed the goal but none of themselves were figuring the goal would be effective.
“I was waiting for my teammates to hug me and no one came,” said Maradona, who was the team captain. “I told them, ‘Come and hug me or the referee isn’t going to allow it.’”
In his 20-year career before retiring in 1997, Maradona starred at Argentinas Juniors and Boca Juniors and in Europe. He also led Argentina league titles(冠军).
In 1991, Maradona failed a drug test and was banned for 15 months. Nine years later, FiFA chose him and Pele as the best players in soccer history.
Recently, he was appointed vice president of Boca Juniors. And with his new TV show, Maradona, 45, has returned to public eyes after years of dealing with drug and health problems.This passage comes from ________.
A a report of some newspaper. B Maradona’s autobiography
C statement of an official D an interview with Maradona’s teammatesMaradona was chosen as one of the best players in soccer history in ____.
A 1986 B 1997 C 2000 D 2001The underlined word “figuring” is closest in meaning to ____.
A pretendingB thinkingC hoping D celebratingWhich of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A Striking the ball with one’s hand into the net is effective.
B Maradona didn’t pass a drug test.
C Maradona won the 1986 World Cup.
D Maradona retired in 1997.We can learn the following from the passage EXCEPT THAT ___.
A Maradona was once a drug taker.
B Maradona had planned to head the ball but failed.
C his teammates rushed to congratulate him after Maradona had shot the goal.
D Maradona once had some health problems.
“Sesame Street” has been called “the longest street in the world.” That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in so many parts of the world. That program became one of American’s exports soon after it went on the air in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. The viewers include more than half the nation’s pre-school children, from every kind of economic, racial(种族的), and geographical group.
Although some educators object to certain elements in the program, parents praise it highly. Many teachers also consider it a great help, though some teachers find that problems arise when first graders who have learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children who have not watched the program.
Tests have shown that children from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have benefited from watching it. Those who watch it five times a week learn more than occasional(偶尔的)viewer. In the US the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number of children who can watch it regularly.
The programs all use songs stories, jokes and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relationships. But there are some differences. For example, the Spanish program, produced in Mexico City, devotes more time to teaching whole words than to teaching separate letters.
Why has “Sesame Street” been so much more successful than other children’s shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories of its creators, the support by the government and private businesses, and the skillful use of a variety of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch it along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on it. But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more. “Sesame Street” is actually______.
A.a street in the US | B.a program for children |
C.a program of teachers | D.a program for students |
Children who often watch the program______.
A.can have problems in school | B.will find it a great help |
C.will take no interest in their studies | D.will be well educated |
What is special about the program?
A.It offers great fun. |
B.It makes children feel able to learn. |
C.It is shown at different hours during the week. |
D.Children learn and enjoy themselves while watching. |
Why is “Sesame Street” so popular in the world?
A.Because it is supported by the government and businesses. |
B.Because it uses a variety of skillful tricks. |
C.Because mothers watch it along with their children. |
D.Because it makes every child watching it feel able to learn. |
The best title for this passage can be______.
A.TV Programs | B.Educating Children |
C.Sesame Street | D.A Greet Success |