it tastes just chicken Away from home, eating is more than just a way to keep yo

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it tastes just chicken
Away from home, eating is more than just a way to keep your stomach full．It is a language all its own, and no words can say, "Glad to meet you ．．．glad to be doing business with you ．．．" quite like sharing a meal offered by your host．
Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to say, "Thanks, but no thanks．" Acceptance of the food on your plate means acceptance of host, country, and company．So, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, swallow．Or, as one experienced traveler says, "Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything everywhere．"
Often, the food offered represents proudly your host country"s eating culture．What would Ataiericans think of a French person who refused to take a bite of homemade apple pie or sirloin? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing itself; it comes from our umamiliarity with it．After all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep"s eye; and a first look at a lobster would remind almost anybody of a creature from a science fiction movie, not something you dip in butter and eat．By the way, in Saudi Arabia sheep"s eyes are a famous dish and in parts of China it"s bear"s paw soup．
Can you refuse such food without being rude? Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least a few bites．It helps, though, to slice any item very thin．This way, you minimize the taste and the reminder of where it came from．Or, " Swallow it quickly, " as one traveler recommends．"I still can"t tell you what sheep"s eyeballs taste like．" As for dealing with taste, the old line that "it tastes just like chicken" is often thankfully true．Even when the "it" is really rat or snake．
Another useful piece of advice is not knowing what you are eating．What"s for dinner? Don"t ask． Avoid glancing into the kitchen or looking at English-language menus．Your host will be pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really is chicken in that soup．
小题1:The purpose of the article is to ____．

A．introduce unfamiliar food

B．share the writer"s personal experiences

C．suggest ways to overcome a cultural barrier

D．advise on how to politely refuse to eat foreign food

小题2:According to the writer, people hesitate at strange food mainly due to ____．

A．the way it looks	B．safety worries
C．lack of information about it	D．the unfamiliar atmosphere

小题3:From the article we can infer that ____．

A．an American may feel comfortable with sirloin

B．one should refuse strange food after a few bites

C．English-language menus are not always dependable

D．one needs a cast-iron stomach to travel in other cultures

小题4:One may say "It tastes just like chicken．" when ____．

A．showing respect for chicken-loving nations

B．greeting people with different dieting habits

C．evaluating chefs at an international food festival

D．getting someone to try a visually unpleasant meal

答案

小题1:C
小题1:C
小题1:A
小题1:D

解析

略

举一反三

A lazy Susan is an addition to a table, which is designed to assist in moving food from one person to another while dining. This is accomplished through the use of a turntable(转盘), which usually moves the food in a circle when pushed by those at table. In this way, the food never has to be picked up and passed around the table. Instead, it remains in place as the lazy Susan is turned about.
A lazy Susan may also be a part of a kitchen cabinet. One may spin the lazy Susan in order to find certain goods stored in it. From the outside, a lazy Susan appears to be two cabinets. When one of these cabinets is pushed, however, both doors move an

d the lazy Susan is revealed inside.
Whether the lazy Susan is on a tabletop or within a cabinet, it can be made of a variety of materials. Most commonly, a lazy Susan is made of either plastic, wood or glass. Some people believe that Thomas Jefferson invented the lazy Susan, though it was referred to as a dumb waiter(上菜升降架) at that time. It is said that Jefferson invented the lazy Susan because his daughter complained she was always served last at table and, as a result, never found herself full when leaving the table. Othe

rs believe that Thomas Edison was the inventor, as he is believed to have invented the turntable for his phonograph(留声机), which later developed into the lazy Susan.
Regardless of who invented it, it wasn’t until 1917 that the term lazy Susan was created in an advertisement for the invention. In Britain, however, the term dumb waiter is still used rather than the term lazy Susan. The reason for the name lazy Susan remains a mystery. One theory is that it was named after either Jefferson’s or Edison’s daughter, both of whom were named Susan.
小题1: According to the passage, a lazy Susan _____.

A．is a person who serves food at table

B．is a waitress who helps move dinner tables

C．is an additiona

l round table in a dining room

D．is a turntable that passes food around the table

小题2:Which of the following is NOT true of the lazy Susan?

A．On a tabletop, it is convenient for people to have dinner.

B．Within a cupboard, it is easy for people to see what is inside.

C．The turntable was invented in 1917.

D．It can be made of many kinds of materials.

小题3:Why did Jefferson’s daughter complain she was served last when having meals?

A．Because she was too lazy.

B．Because she was the youngest.

C．Because the table was too tall for her.

D．Because the table couldn’t move food for her.

小题4: From the passage, we can know that _____.

A．the lazy Susan was invented earlier than the phonograph

B．Susan was the name of Jefferson’s and Edison’s daughter

C．Jefferson and Edison invented the lazy Susan at the same time

D．When people talk about a lazy waitress they u

se the term “Susan”

小题5:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．What is a lazy Susan?

B．When was the lazy Susan created?

C．Why do inventions come from the daily life?

D．How was “dumb waiter” replaced by “lazy Susan”?

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Some American parents might think their children need better education to compete with those in China and other countries. But how much do the parents themselves need to change?
A new book called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting. In Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power. In the book, Ms. Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. She said that she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do, such as attending a sleepover, having a play date, watching TV or playing computer games and getting any grade less than an A.
Many people have criticized Amy Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive(辱骂的). She even a

dmits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style. But she says that it was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
Ms. Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting. She says she eased

some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted, “I hate my life! I hate you!”
Ms. Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughters. But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities. “One of the biggest differences I see between Western and Chinese parents is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility(脆弱),” she said.
“The beginning of this intense discussion has to do with what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child,” said Stacy Debroff, who has written four books about parenting.
Ms. Debroff says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants(移民) seeking a better future for their children.
But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacey Debroff advises parents to develop their own styles of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised.
小题1:Amy Chua has been criticized mainly because ____.

A．she looks up to boys and down on girls

B．she has already abused her right as a parent

C．she hasn’t raised her children like her own parents

D．she has fought with her children several times

小题2:Which can best describe Ms. Chua according to the passage?

A．Uneducated.

B．Cruel.

C．Strict.

D．Strong.

小题3: According to Ms. Debroff, _____.

A．Amy Chua’s parenting style should be banned(禁止) in China

B．Amy Chua’s should stop to adopt American parenting styles

C．Amy Chua’s parenting style should be adjusted if possible

D．There isn’t any advantages in Amy Chua’s style

小题4:What does the underlined word “retreat” in Paragraph 5

mean?

A．Give in.

B．Pass away.

C．Cry out.

D．Go ahead.

小题5:What should be the best title of this passage?

A．Some books on studying styles.

B．The disadvantage of Chinese parenting styles

C．Differences between western and eastern parenting styles

D．The comparison between American and Chinese parenting styles

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During the years after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, structural engineers have been trying hard to solve a question that would otherwise have been completely unthinkable: Can building be designed to stand catastrophic blasts (攻击；爆破) by terrorists?
Soon after the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, structural engineers from the University at Buffalo and the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) traveled to ground zero as part of a project

funded by the National Science Foundation. They spent two days beginning the task of formulating (构思) ideas about how to design such structures and to search for clues on how to do so in buildings that were damaged, but still are standing.
“Our objective in visiting ground zero was to go and look at the buildings surrounding the World Trade Center, those buildings that are still standing, but that sustained damage,” said Mr. Bruneau, Ph.D. “Our immediate hope is that we can develop a better understanding as to why those buildings remain standing, while our long-term goal is to see whether earthquake engineering technologies can be married to existing technologies to achieve enhanced performance of buildings in the event of terrorist attacks,” he added.
Photographs taken by the investigators demonstrate the monumental damage to the World Trade Center towers and buildings nearby. One building a block away from the towers remains standing, but was badly damaged. “This building is many meters away from the World Trade Center and yet we see a column (柱子) there that used to be part of that building,” explained A. Whittaker, Ph.D. “The column became a missile that shot across the road, through the window and through the floor.”
The visit to the area also brought some surprises, according to the engineers. For example, the floor framing (框架) system in one of the buildings was quite strong , allowing floors that were pierced by tons of falling debris (残砾) to survive. “Good framing systems may provide a simple, but reliable strategy for blast resistance,” he added. Other strategies may include providing alternate paths for gravity loads in the event that a load-bearing column fails. “We also need a better understanding of the mechanism of collapse,” said A. Whittaker. “We need to find out what causes a building to collapse and how you can predict it.”
A. Reinhorn, Ph.D. noted that “earthquake shaking has led to the collapse of buildings in the past. Solutions developed for earthquake-resistant design may apply to blast engineering and terrorist-resistant design. Part of our mission now is to transfer these solutions and to develop new ones where none exist at present.”
小题1:The question raised in the first paragraph is one _____ .

A．that was asked by structural engineers a month ago

B．that is too difficult for structural engineers a month ago

C．that was never thought of before the terrorist attack

D．that terrorists are eager to find a solution to

小题2:The column mentioned by Dr. Whittaker _____ .

A．was part of the building close to the World Trade Center

B．was part of the World Trade Center

C．was shot through the window and the floor of the World Trade Center

D．damaged many buildings near the World Trade Center

小题3:A surprising discovery made by the investigators during their visit to ground zero is that _____.

A．floors in the faraway buildings remained undamaged

B．some floor framing systems demonstrate resistance to explosion

C．complex floor framing systems are more blast resistant

D．floors in one of the buildings were pierced by tons of debris

小题4: What Dr. Reinhorn said in the last paragraph may imply all the following EXCEPT that _____.

A．blast engineers should develop new solutions for terror-resistant design

B．blast engineering can borrow technologies developed for terror-resistant design

C．solutions developed for earthquake-resistant design may apply to terrorist-resistant design

D．blast engineering emerges as a totally new branch of science

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“It hurts me more than you,” and “This is for your own good.” There are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive(自由的) period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school．The schools and the educators made it easy on us．They taught that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy．We stopped making our children do homework．We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation．
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake．One such teacher is Sharon Clomps who says of her students—“so passive”—and wonders what has happened．Nothing is demanded of them, she believes．Television, says Clomps, contributes to children’s passivity．“We’re talking about a generation of kids who’ vet never been hurt or hungry．They have learned somebody will always do it for them, instead of saying ‘go and look it up’, you tell them the answer．It takes greater energy to say no to a kid．
Yes, it does．It takes energy and it takes work．It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work．It’ s time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it’ s for their own good．It’s time to start telling them no again．
小题1:We learn from the passage that the author’s mother used to lay emphasis on（强调：重视）_______．

A．natural development	B．education at school
C．discipline	D．learning Latin

小题2:Children are becoming more inactive in study because _______．

A．they watch TV too much	B．they have to fulfill too many duties
C．they have done too much homework	D．teachers are too strict with them

小题3:By “permissive period in education” the author means a time _______．

A．when everything can be taught at school

B．when children are permitted to receive education

C．when children are allowed to do what they wish to

D．when every child can be educated

小题4:The main idea of the passage is that _______．

A．It’s time to be more strict with our kids

B．parents should always set a good example to their kids

C．parents should leave their children alone

D．kids should have more activities at school

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LONDON----Here’s a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly.
Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be bad for your health. And it doesn’t matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it occurs. Several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.
　　In an editorial published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin EkblomBak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.
　　While health officials have issued guidelines recommending minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven’t suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.
　　"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating(调节) the amount of glucose（葡萄糖） and fat in the body start to shut down.
　　Even for people who exercise, spending long periods of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day — but still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day, rather than in a single bout.（一回）
　　Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.
　　"We don’t have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad," said Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, who led the Canadian study. "But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary behavior, the better."
　　Figures from a U.S. survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars.
　　Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible tooffset those effects.
　　"People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits," Ekblom-Bak said. "But when they’re in the office, they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible," she said.
小题1:What is the best title for the text?

A．Not Sitting Too Much While Working	B．How To Avoid Sitting Too Much
C．Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly	D．More And More People Sit Too Much

小题2:According to the research,______________.

A．the more time you spend in exercising in a single bout, the healthier you will be.

B．those who often sit too much are sure to grow fat or suffer from a heart attack.

C．regular exercise is effective to get rid of the side effect of sitting too much.

D．you had better not sit for more than four hours in a single bout.

小题3:How does the danger of sitting too much affect the human body?

A．It results in a higher death risk.

B．It increases glucose and fat in the body.

C．It makes a person unable to exercise long enough in a day.

D．It causes the gene to fail to balance the glucose and fat in the body.

小题4:In the opinion of Ekblom-Bak, you’d better have a rest in the office by________.

A．sending your friends e-mails

B．having a walk around your office

C．chatting online or playing computer games

D．listening to music with your head on the desk.

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