Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties（地方特色菜）in Germany, Spain and France. At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handed frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like making drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television.He says Lieberman’s charisma is key.“Food TV isn’t about food any more,” says Flay. “It’s about your personality and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, Lieberman got the job.We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family __________.
| A．love cooking at home | B．have relatives in Europe |
| C．often hold parties | D．own a restaurant |
The Food Network got to know Lieberman __________.
| A．at one of his parties | B．from his teachers |
| C．on a television program | D．through his taped show |
What does the underlined word “charisma” in the text refer to?
| A．A way to show one’s achievement. |
| B．A natural ability to attract others. |
| C．Lieberman’s after-class interest. |
| D．Lieberman’s fine cooking skill. |
Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?
| A．He could prepare meals in a small kitchen. |
| B．He was famous for his shows on Food TV. |
| C．He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals. |
| D．He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches. |
SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah Jazz basketball team signed a 5-year-old．Free-agent player to a one-day contract for a special performance in October．The Utah Jazz has just made his dream come true．The boy has suffered from blood cancer since 2012．
JP Gibson，who was diagnosed with severe blood cancer，signed his contract with Jazz President Randy Rigby before joining the team for the pre-season training play at Utah Jazz’s sport center．JP was joined by his parents，Josh and Megan，and his 2-year-old sister，Elsie．
The activity was hosted by the Jazz and photographer Jon Diaz’s“Anything Can Be”project，which provides support and hope to families like the Gibsons．Jon Diaz asks children with cancer what their dreams and wishes are，and he writes their stories in a book．
JP，wearing a No．1 shirt，even got to play in the play．He passed the ball，and Rudy obert，a player of Utah Jazz，lifted him up so he could dunk(扣篮)and shake hands with some players as fans were cheerful．
“JP loves most sports，but basketball is absolutely his favorite，” Megan Gibson said in a statement released by the Jazz．“When he was just over one year old，he would sit with my husband，Josh，watching games．He started insisting on shooting hoops(投篮)for an hour each night before bedtime when he was just 15 months old．He knows he has to be 6 before he can play Junior Jazz，and he reminds us all the time that he can’t wait until he’s 6．”Utah Jazz signs a 5-year-old JP Gibson just to _____________．
| A．make the team more famous |
| B．realize the dream of JP Gibson |
| C．satisfy the taste of the fans |
| D．promote the“Anything Can Be” project |
“Anything Can Be”project ____________．
| A．raises money to help the development of NBA |
| B．provides support and hope to kids loving basketball |
| C．has kids with cancer write their stories in a book |
| D．offers assistance to those who are in misfortune |
According to the passage，JP Gibson _____________．
| A．will play on Utah Jazz team when he grows up |
| B．can earn much money by signing Utah Jazz |
| C．has been a basketball lover since very young age |
| D．won’t live long due to his severe blood cancer |
Robots make me nervous-especially the ones which seem to think for themselves．I was embarrassed to admit this till I heard that Bill Gates，the founder of Microsoft，felt the same way．Gates said in an interview with the website Reddit：“I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence．First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent．That should be positive if we manage well．A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern．”
Well，maybe I don’t have to worry about my laptop and kitchen appliances yet．After I use them I can always pull the plug．But in the future，machines might find a way to prevent us from switching them off．There’s a scary thought!
Professor Stephen Hawking warned a few months ago about the possibility that artificial intelligence could evolve and end up beyond human contro1．He suggested that machines could“spell the end of the human race”．
Maybe the problem with computers too clever for us is not that they are evil or rebellious．What could put us in danger is that they might be too efficient．That’s what philosopher Nick Bostrom from the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University believes．He says that machines are indifferent to humans and in pursuit of their own goals，the destruction of people might be just collateral(附带的)damage．A machine would not take pity on you．
I’m glad my machines at home are“dumb”．All my vacuum cleaner wants to take over is the carpet in my living room．Let’s hope they don’t create an appliance which wants to take over the world!We can conclude from Gates’statements that ___________．
| A．he is embarrassed that he is afraid of robots |
| B．he doesn’t think machines are intelligent |
| C．machines should be fully employed |
| D．machines’super intelligence should be a concern |
The underlined word“spell”in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____________．
| A．record | B．cause | C．explain | D．develop |
Why are computers dangerous according to Nick Bostrom?
| A．They are too evil and rebellious． |
| B．They are indifferent to humans． |
| C．They show pity on humans． |
| D．They are too clever and efficient． |
What can be inferred about the author?
| A．He doesn’t agree with Bill Gates． |
| B．He is not content with the present kitchen appliances． |
| C．He is scared about the super intelligence of machines． |
| D．He expects that machines will take place of humans． |
A lot of small business owners put themselves in an embarrassed position in their own companies．Consider this scene：the company owner who has thirty individuals working for him in the business does all the work．
Stop the actual wrong belief that you’re the only one who can do the JOB!
You are an individual．A robot or machine must rest, or be changed．The best way to replace yourself is not through someone else，but with a System! A system or program doesn’t always make reference to something high-tech．It’s more about the actual administration process flow that gets issues running smoothly．
Systemizing your business is vitally important for the success of the company．About 80％of what’s completed in your business can be systemized．Take a moment to determine all of the routine things that are done in your company．Now record the best way to achieve these duties．
However，creating systems isn’t enough．You have to ensure that the methods are simple to follow，and easy to complete．If you do not allow it to be easy，it won’t be done，or at best it won’t be consistent．
With systems and processes in position．it’s simply using a few people to operate individual systems．A great number of companies that possess established systems have made great achievements through the years．Burger King is a good actual life example．
To construct a great business，replace yourself with a good program right now!What does“an embarrassed position”in Paragraph 1refer to?
| A．The employees are made to do all the work． |
| B．Business owners get caught in the trap of doing everything． |
| C．Nobody would like to work for business owners． |
| D．There are not enough employees in the company． |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?
| A．It’s necessary for the company owner to do all the work． |
| B．A robot or machine shall not keep working． |
| C．The company owner should learn to rest． |
| D．A system is important for the company． |
Which of the following is true about“A system”?
| A．It can deal with a11 the routines in the business． |
| B．It is simple to follow or complete a system． |
| C．Your company will be successful so long as you have a system. |
| D．It will help a company run smoothly． |
What is the best advice to the business owners?
| A．Doing all the work by themselves． |
| B．Buying advanced robots or machines． |
| C．Using a good system to operate a company． |
| D．Introducing higher technologies． |
When asked to list typical English gentlemen，for many，Colin Firth immediately comes to mind．
In his recent film，Kingsman：The Secret Service，the 54-year-old actor appears as elegant and violent super spy Harry Hart．One minute he’s calm and polite，and then in the next he’s skillfully violent and aggressive．For example，in one scene he says，“Manners maketh a man”，before severely beating up a group of villains(坏人)．Firth brings out the perfect mix of typical British style and humor through this performance．
Firth began appearing on English TV in the early 1990s，but it wasn’t until he played Mr Darcy，a charming upper class character from Jane Austen’s famous novel“Pride and Prejudice”，that Firth’s career really took off．His portrayal(形象)of the perfect fictional gentleman conquered millions of hearts，especially females’．
In many fans and critics’eyes，Firth has British good looks，British charm，and a gift for characters with a British sense of being reserved(矜持)．Movie reviewer Jason O’Bryan described Firth as“always befitting the calm and stiff-upper-lip British gentlemen character”．
However Firth doesn’t consider himself the authority on gentlemen．“I don’t necessarily approach every challenge like a perfect English gentleman spy．There are many aspects in my personality that are not consistent with someone like Harry Hart，”he said to Dialogue，an English—language show on CCTV News．
But let’s just take his words as another gentlemanly quality-modesty．After all，who might expect an Oscar-winning actor over 50 years old to learn to fight for his first action movie?
To prepare for Kingsman，Firth trained for three hours every day over six months．He broke a tooth and got bruised everywhere，but took the damage as a symbol of his accomplishments．
In Dialogue，Firth said he had many other sides-he’s passionate about literature and literary research．However，to many of his movie fans, he is indeed a gentleman and excellent actor above a11 else. The example given in Paragraph 2 is _____________．
| A．to describe the character of Harry Hart |
| B．to introduce one scene of Kingsman |
| C．to prove Colin Firth a gentleman |
| D．to compare Colin Firth with Harry Hart |
When did Firth come to be famous?
| A．In the early 1990s． |
| B．After he played Mr Darcy． |
| C．When he was 54 years old． |
| D．During his childhood． |
From the text we can infer ______________．
| A．Colin Firth is violent and aggressive |
| B．Colin Firth has many sides in personality |
| C．Colin Firth has similar character to Harry Hart |
| D．Colin Firth has more male fans than females |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．An authority on English gentlemen |
| B．A famous actor |
| C．A charming upper class character |
| D．A super spy |
The latest fashion in the kitchen is the food steamer．All the stores are selling them；everyone wants one．Steaming is one of the simplest and healthiest ways of cooking food．However，that cooking time is usually longer than with other methods．In case you’re thinking of buying a steamer，I’ve done a survey about the steamers available on the market to help you decide which will suit you best．
Folding Steamer
The simplest and least expensive is the folding stainless-steel(不锈钢)version．
Advantages：This is a good，basic design which sits inside a variety of different shapes of pans with the water under it；a ring in the centre allows for easy lifting and it's easy to clean．
Disadvantages：It only holds small dishes．Also，if you put too much water in the pan，it will boil up through the vegetables and they will be watery．If you put too little water in and let it get dry，you will burn the pan and get strange-smelling vegetables．
Steaming Pan
This is a three-layered black Teflon-coated version with a lid and two double-handled steamers，which sits on the oven ring．The brand I bought is called Nutritious Living．
Advantages：This is an excellent steamer, lightweight，easy to clean，and of all the steamers I’ve tried，this cooks the fastest．Fish and chicken can be cooked on the bottom with rice or vegetables on the top．It’s easier to store．
Disadvantages：Water can boil away until the pan is dry，but if you make sure you fill the pan up to the suggested level and do not overcook the food，this should not happen．You cannot see the food cooking from the top．It doesn’t supply a dish for cooking rice．
For serious users of steamers，I recommend having one of each version．If you just want to try it，get the folding stainless-steel type．The food steamer is popular with people because ________________．
| A．it can save time and money |
| B．food can be cooked simply and healthily |
| C．it is easy to clean and store |
| D．it is available in any store |
Which of the following is true about the folding steamers?
| A．They are cheap and easy to use． |
| B．They are difficult to clean． |
| C．They can hold all kinds of dishes． |
| D．You can put little water in the pan． |
When you use the steaming pan，_________
| A．you can overcook the food |
| B．you can only cook rice |
| C．you feel it’s heavy to carry |
| D．you should pour proper amount of water |