Stilton Cheese Rolling
May Day is a traditional day for celebrations, but the 2,000 English villagers of Stilton must be the only people in the world who include cheese rolling in their annual plans. Teams of four, dressed in a variety of strange and funny clothes , roll a complete cheese along a 50-metre course. On the way, they must not kick or throw their cheese, or go into their competitors' lane. Competition is fierce and the chief prize is a complete Stilton cheese weighing about four kilos (disappointingly, but understandably the cheeses used in the race are wooden ones). All the competitors arc served with beer or port wine, the traditional accompaniment for Stilton cheese.
Fiery Foods Festival—The Hottest Festival on Earth
Every year more than 10,000 people head for the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They come from as far away as Australia, the Caribbean and China, but they all share a common addiction—food that is not just spicy ,but hot enough to make your mouth burn, your head spin and your eyes water. Their destination is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival which is held over a period of three clays every March. You might like to try a chocolate-covered habanero pepper—officially the hottest pepper in the world—or any one of the thousands of products that are on show. But one thing's for sure—if you don't like the feeling of a burning tongue, this festival isn't for you!
La Tomatina—The World's Biggest Food Fight
On the last Wednesday of every August, the Spanish town of Bunol hosts Ea Tomatina—the world's largest food fight. A week-long celebration leads up to an exciting tomato battle as the highlight of the week's events. The early morning sees the arrival of large trucks with tomatoes—official fight-starters get things going by casting tomatoes at the crowd.
The battle lasts little more than half an hour, in which time around 50,000 kilograms of tomatoes have been thrown at anyone or anything that moves, runs, or fights back. Then everyone heads down to the river to make friends again—and for a much-needed wash!In the Stilton cheese rolling competition, competitors on each team must .
| A．wear various formal clothes |
| B．roll a wooden cheese in their own lane |
| C．kick or throw their cheese |
| D．use a real cheese weighing about four kilos |
Where is the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival held?
| A．In New Mexico. | B．In the Caribbean. |
| C．In Australia. | D．In China. |
The celebration of La Tomatina lasts .
| A．three days | B．seven days 0 |
| C．less than three days | D．more than seven days |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The chief prize for the Stilton cheese rolling competition is beer or port wine. |
| B．More than 10,000 Chinese take pail in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival. |
| C．Thousands of spicy foods are on show in the Fiery Food and BBQ Festival. |
| D．An exciting tomato battle takes place at the beginning of La Tomatina. |
There is a Web site called the “World Database of Happiness.” It combines and analyzes the results of hundreds of surveys from around the world that have been conducted on life satisfaction. Most of the findings are predictable, but a few are surprising.
The database makes it clear that there is not a strong connection between material wealth and general contentment. It is a cliché to say that money can’t buy happiness, but the old saying seems to be supported by research. Many people still cling to the belief that gaining riches will be the answer to all their problems, yet they are probably mistaken.
Studies have been carried out on people who acquired sudden wealth, such as lottery winners. In most cases, after the initial joy had worn off, people were not left with a sense of lasting happiness. In fact, they tended to revert to the way they felt before they became rich. Previously contented people continue to be contented, while those who were miserable before sink back into misery.
If material wealth does not bring happiness, then what does? Perhaps happiness has something to do with where you live. The authorities at the World Database on Happiness have surveyed levels of happiness in different countries. Apparently, people in America, Canada, and Singapore are very happy; people living in India and Russia, not surprisingly, are not happy.
Other surveys consistently point to the importance of relationships. Family relationships in particular seem to be the key to long-term contentment. The Web site suggests that falling in love and having children are two of the situations that bring the greatest happiness.
Nowadays people look to technology as an alternative source of satisfaction. People increasingly spend more time alone watching TV or surfing the Internet rather than spending time with family. Can technology truly make people happy? It is too difficult to tell, but one thing is sure: If the Web site’s research is accurate, time spent with your family is a better investment than time spent making money.Which description is right according to the passage?
| A．The material wealth and general contentment are strongly connected with each other. |
| B．The more one’s wealth is, the happier he will be. |
| C．Many people have wrong concept towards the relation between love and money. |
| D．Money can solve all the problems. |
Which factor can bring lasting happiness definitely according to the study?
| A．Sudden wealth. | B．Surfing the Internet. |
| C．Family relationship. | D．Winning lottery. |
If you get extra money, ______.
| A．you will be happy permanently |
| B．you will be happy temporarily |
| C．your life will be the same regardless of the extra money. |
| D．you will change your life style for a long run. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards technology according to the passage?
| A．Technology is the key to happiness. |
| B．Technology has nothing to do with happiness. |
| C．Technology can guarantee the long-term contentment. |
| D．The author is not sure about the relationship between technology and happiness. |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Love or money? |
| B．Love and technology |
| C．Material wealth can guarantee happiness |
| D．Studies on sudden wealth |
It’s official, not making your bed keeps you healthy. Dust mites (尘螨) present in everyone’s home can cause asthma, but they can not live in the dry conditions of an unmade bed.
The average bed is home to one and a half million mites, and they cause a number of common allergies (过敏症), as they chomp away on human skin in the night; and then produce the allergens which we inhale (吸入).
Dust mites grow in the warm humid conditions prevalent in the occupied bed, but they cannot multiply without moisture. So leaving the bed unmade during the day means that the water is not retained by the sheets, which means that the mites dehydrate (脱水) and die.
Researcher Dr. Stephen Pretlove who has developed a computer model to track how changes in the home can reduce a numbers of dust mites said, “We know that mites can only survive by taking in water from the atmosphere using small glands on the outside of their body.”
In the next stage of their research, the scientists are putting mite pockets into beds in 36 houses around the United Kingdom. This will test the validity of the computer model and will investigate how people’s daily routines affect mite populations.
Building features such as heating ventilation (空气流通) and insulation (隔热) will also be adjustable to monitor how the mites cope and react to different atmospheres.
Dr. Pretlove said the research had potential to reduce the ￡700 million spent treating mite-induced illnesses each year in the UK.
“Our findings could help building designers create healthy homes and health care workers point out environments most at risk from mites.”
Dr. Matt Hallsworth, of the charity Asthma UK, said, “House-dust mite allergen can be an important trigger for many people with asthma, but at present many people find they are inevitable.”What is the best title of the passage？
| A．The Causes of Asthma |
| B．Research on Allergies |
| C．Don’t make your bed and stay healthy |
| D．The Bad Effects of Mites |
The underlined word “validity” means ______.
| A．confirmation | B．imagination | C．supposition | D．criticism |
Which statement is not true according to the passage?
| A．Building features can affect the growth of mites. |
| B．The research carried out will save a lot of money spent on treating mite-related illnesses. |
| C．At present it is impossible for people to get rid of house-dust mites related asthma. |
| D．Dust mites can survive in all kinds of conditions. |
What can not be inferred from the passage?
| A．Traditionally, people think that making bed can make one healthy. |
| B．Mites can not survive in humid atmosphere. |
| C．people in many fields will benefit from the research. |
| D．The research will change much in people’s concept on mites. |
Which one will not benefit from the research according to the passage?
| A．The patient with asthma. | B．The health-care worker. |
| C．The income of the hospital. | D．The building designer. |
A nurse prepares a polio(小儿麻痹症) vaccination（预防接种）for a baby in the Otash refugee camp in South Darfur.
United Nations and Sudanese agencies will carry out the campaign this week and again in November. Sudan had been polio-free since two thousand and five. The new case of wild polio virus was confirmed last month in South Darfur.
Health officials also announced last month that Nigeria has had almost seventy new cases of polio since two thousand and five. Those cases, however, were caused by the polio vaccine itself.
There are two kinds of polio vaccine（疫苗）. The one given by injection contains killed virus, which cannot cause polio. The one given by mouth contains live but weakened virus. In very rare cases the virus can change and cause polio.
The way to stop the spread now is more vaccinations. But officials worry that people in northern Nigeria may, once again, fear the vaccine. In recent years, local leaders spread stories that Western nations had poisoned the vaccine with the virus that causes AIDS.
The United States Food and Drug Administration had told parents not to give them to children under age two unless a doctor says to use them.
The F.D.A. gave the advice as it announced a meeting of experts to discuss cold medicines for children. That advisory committee met last week -- and voted that these drugs should not be given to children under the age of six.
Members said there is not enough evidence to show that these drugs work in children. They called for more research.
The committee also said that liquid medicines should all use the same measurement terms. This could reduce the risk of parents giving their children too much. In rare cases, deaths have been reported from overdoses.
The drug industry says its products are safe and effective for children. But it says parents need to be better educated about how to use them. A week before the meeting, the industry decided to end sales of cold products for children under two. The underlined word in the second paragraph means_____.
| A．concerned | B．affirmed |
| C．discovered | D．defined |
Which sentence is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Sudan had been polio-charged since two thousand five. |
| B．Nigeria has had already seventy new cases of polio since two thousand and five. last month. |
| C．There are three kinds of polio vaccine. |
| D．The virus can rarely change and cause polio. |
Why do officials worry that people in northern Nigeria may fear the vaccine once again?
| A．Because the vaccine has no effect on polio |
| B．Because the vaccine with the virus can change and cause polio |
| C．Because the stories were spread that western nations had poisoned the vaccine with the virus that causes AIDS. |
| D．The passage doesn’t tell us. |
The underlined sentence in the passage can be replaced by______.
| A．There are many death cases because of taking too much |
| B．Almost no death cases have been found because of taking too much |
| C．Many death cases have been reported |
| D．Death cases have never been reported for taking too much |
We can infer from the passage that______.
A. the United States Food and Drug Administration had told parents not to give them to children under age two
B. there is enough evidence to show that these drugs work in children
C. a week before the meeting, the industry decided to end sales of cold products for children under six
D. the children should be very careful to take cold medicine
D. It should be cautious for children’s taking cold medicine
American scientists say musical training seems to improve communication skills.They found that developing musical skills involves the same process in the brain as learning how to speak.The scientists say that could help children with learning disabilities.
Nina Kraus is a neurobiologist (神经生物学) at Northwestern University in Illinois. She says musical training involves putting together different kinds of information. She says the process involves hearing music, looking at musical notes, touching an instrument and watching other musicians.She says the process is not much different from learning how to speak. Both involve different senses.
Professor Krauss says musical training and learning to speak each make us think about what we are doing.She says speech and music pass through a structure of the nervous system called the brain stem.The brain stem controls our ability to hear.
Until recently, experts have thought the brain stem could not be developed or changed. But Professor Krauss and her team found that musical training can improve a person's brain stem activity.Their study was reported in the Proceedings in the National Academy of Sciences.
The study involved individuals with different levels of musical ability.They were asked to wear an electrical device that measures brain activity.The Individuals wore the electrode (电极) while they watched a video of someone speaking and a person playing a musical instrument -- the cello.Professor Krauss says cellos (大提琴) have sound qualities similar to some of the sounds that are important with speech.
The study found that the more years of training people had，the more sensitive they were to the sound and beat of the music.Those who were involved in musical activities were the same people in whom the improvement of sensory events was the strongest.
Professor Kraus says the study shows the importance of musical training to children with learning disabilities.She says using music to improve listening skills could mean they hear sentences and better understand facial expressions.According to the passage, the new findings about the value of musical training involves ______ aspects.
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．six |
Which is the correct order of the process of musical training?
a. touching an instrument b. watching other musicians
c. hearing music d. looking at musical notes
| A．a→b→c→d | B．b→c→a→d | C．c→d→a→b | D．d→a→b→c |
Scientists say musical training could help children _______ in this article.
| A．improve their grades | B．with disabilities |
| C．with learning disabilities | D．get on well with others |
Professor Krauss says besides musical training, ______ can also let us think about what we are doing.
| A．learning to speak | B．hearing ability | C．musical ability | D．listening skills |
According to the passage we can know that Professor Krauss ______ some experts’ opinion that the brain stem could not be developed or changed.
| A．is in favor of | B．disagrees with | C．ignores | D．thinks highly of |
Since 1989, Dave Thomas, who died at age 69, was one of the most recognizable (or: that can be recognized) faces on TV. He appeared in more than 800 commercials (or: business ads on TV or the radio) for the hamburger chain named for his daughter. “As long as it works,” he said in 1991, “I’ll continue to do those commercials.”
Even though he was successful, Thomas remained troubled by his childhood. “He still won’t let anyone see his feet, which are out of shape because he never had proper-fitting shoes.” Wendy said in 1993. Born to a single mother, he was adopted (or: taken into the family as their own) as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Kalamazoo in Michigan. After Auleva died when he was 5, Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction (or: building) work. “He fed me,” Thomas said, “and if I got out of line, he’d beat me.”
Moving out on his own at 15, Thomas worked, first as a waiter, in many restaurants. But he had something much better in mind. “I thought if I owned a restaurant,” he said, “I could eat for free.” A 1956 meeting with Harland Sanders led Thomas to a career (or: lifetime job) as the manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire (or: a rich man with millions of dollars or pounds) in 1968.
In 1969, after breaking with Sanders, Thomas started the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned hamburgers, in Columbus, Ohio, which set itself apart (or: made itself different from or better than others) by serving made-to-order burgers. With 6,000 restaurants worldwide, the chain now makes $6 billion a year in sales.
Although troubled by his own experience with adoption, Thomas, married since 1954 to Lorraine, 66, and with four grown kids (or: children) besides Wendy, felt it could offer a future for other children. He started the Dave Thomas Foundation (or: organization set up to offer money to help) for Adoption in 1992.
In 1993, Thomas, who had left school at 15, graduated (or: left school) from Coconut Creek High School in Florida. He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party .The kids voted (or: chose formally) him “Most Likely to Succeed.”
“The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave,” says friend Pat Williams. “He wasn’t a great actor or a great speaker. He was just ‘Joe Everybody’.”What is the article mainly about?
| A．The life of Dave Thomas. |
| B．The dream of Dave Thomas. |
| C．The schooling of Dave Thomas. |
| D．The growth of Dave Thomas’s business. |
What do we know about his childhood?
| A． He lived a poor life | B．He had caring parents. |
| C．He stayed in one place. | D．He didn’t go to school. |
Choose the right time order of the following events in Thomas’s life.
a. graduated from high school
b. started his own business
c. became a millionaire
d. started a foundation
e. met Harland Sanders
| A． e, d, c, d, a | B．a, e, c, b, d | C．e, c, b, d, a | D．a, e , b, c, d |
“He was just ‘Joe Everybody’.”(in the last paragraph) means_________.
| A． Dave was famous |
| B． Dave was ordinary |
| C． Dave was showy (or: drawing others’ attention through being bright, colorful or different) |
| D． Dave was shy |
What is the name of Dave Thomas’s business?
| A． Thomas’s | B．Wendy’s | C．Lorraine’s | D．Rex’s |