We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a

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We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient(配料) in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices(香料) like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too.Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.
1. It was ________that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.
A. The workers in the chocolate factory       B. The Spaniards
C. The people in England                 D. The owner of a chocolate factory
2. According to the passage which of the following statements is true?
A. Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century.
B. The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word.
C. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them.
D. Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste.
3. The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because________
A. it was strong and bitter.   B. it was good for digestion.
C. it cured man’s diseases.    D. it was a kind of drink for good health.
4. Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.
b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.
c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.
d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.
e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.
A. a-b-c-d-e　          B. c-d-e-b-a　　 C. c-d-a-b-e　　        D. c-d-b-e-a
5. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar
B. Mexicans like chocolate very much
C. chocolate is a product of the cacao tree
D. people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk

答案

1-5 DDACB

解析

1.   事实细节题。根据第5段首句 In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao 可知在十九世纪英国一家巧克力厂的厂主发现糖能把可可豆的苦味除掉。故答案为 D。
2.   推理判断题。由第一题可知 A 不对；根据第 3段首句 The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. 可知选项 B 不对；根据第2段 2 句 The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away 可知猴子不喜欢，故排除 C；故答案为 D。也可根据第 2 段最后两句 Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste 得出答案。
3.   事实细节题。根据第4段 When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine 可知答案。
4.    推理判断题。根据第 4 段 When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too 可知 c 是在16世纪；根据5段前两句 In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink 可知 d是在 19 世纪而且 a 在 d 后面；由此可判断答案为 C。
5.    推理判断题。根据第1段最后两句 Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices(香料) like chili peppers 可推知墨西哥湾人非常喜欢吃巧克力。

举一反三

A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset as well as others’. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to doing one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.
12. What is an unpunctual person like?
A. He always does a thing when it should be done. B. He is always very busy.
C. He always does a thing at the wrong time.    D. He always keeps the appointments.
13. Why is unpunctuality very harmful?
A. Because it makes a man lose many chances of doing important affairs.
B. Because it makes a man lose friends.
C. Because it makes a man work quickly.
D. Because it makes a man be more respected by others.
14. According to the passage, which is right?
A. The punctual person has no much work to do.
B. The unpunctual person is very rich
C. The unpunctual person is often respected by his friends.
D. The unpunctual person loses what can’t be regained again.
15. According to the passage, what are good manners when you are invited to a party?
A. Arriving at the appointed time.   B. Arriving before all other guests.
C. Arriving after all other guests.    D. Keeping all other guests waiting.
16. Why is a person always unpunctual?
A. He is too busy.                     B. He has too much work to do.
C. He does care much about time.         D. He doesn’t manage his time properly.

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The students start arriving on our upper playground from about 8:45 am. School begins at 8:55 am.
The children do their early morning work while their class teacher takes the attendance register (记录，登记). The attendance of every child attending school each morning and afternoon is recorded in a special book.
The teacher reads out each child’s name in turn. On hearing his/her name, the child replies "yes Mrs. (teacher"s name)" and the teacher notes down in the book whether the child is in school or not. Sometimes the children will answer their teacher in a different language e.g. French or German.
At 9:10 am the children go to assembly in our main hall. They sit on the floor in rows with the youngest children at the front and the older children at the back. As the children enter the hall they listen quietly to the music playing. Each week has a different musical theme and the children are asked to listen out for particular things.
In our assemblies the children listen to a story, sing a song and pray. The story is either taken from the Christian Bible or is a story with a moral. The songs we sing are particularly chosen with the children in mind. Some of our songs are sung with the English sign language.
To supply for the children of different faiths, some of our assemblies do not have a Christian theme. These assemblies are a time for us to gather together to celebrate the achievements of our children and of the school as a whole.
Every parent has the right to withdraw their child from a school assembly.
1. How many times does the teacher take the registration everyday?
A. Once.                      B. Twice.        C. Three times.             D. Not mentioned.
2. Basing on what do the children line up in the assemblies?
A. Body-weight.           B. Body-height.     C. Ages.                       D. Classes.
3. Where do the students listen to music every day?
A. In their classroom.                                B. In their dormitory.
C. In the main hall.                                   D. On the upper playground.
4. According to the passage, what happens in an Assembly?
A. Tell stories in turns.B. Sing English songs sometimes with gestures.
C. Pray for good luck.          D. Listen to stories taken from the Christian Bible.
5. Which of the following statements are NOT true?
A. All the activities in the assemblies have a theme based on the Bible.
B. The assemblies are for fun to get together.
C. It’s not the duty for the children to attend the assemblies.
D. The assemblies are to celebrate the achievements of our children.

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Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation.(卫生设备)

The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world. Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty.
Consider these facts:
●The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers.
●Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water. and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet.
●Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases.
Here are three ways you can help:
1)Write Congress
Current U.S. foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen. Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad.
2)Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization
Many U.S. religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations abroad. Simply put a single project by a U.S. organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people.
3)Support nonprofit water organizations
Numerous U.S.-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects related to drinking water and sanitation. Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows, some organizations are large, other small-scale, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Support them generously.
1. The three facts presented in the passage are used to illustrate that________.
A. poverty can result in water-borne diseases
B. people have no access to clean drinking water
C. women’s rights are denied in some developing countries
D. safe drinking water should be a primary concern
2. The intended readers of the passage are________.
A. Americans
B. overseas sponsors
C. Congressmen
D . U.S.-based water organizations
3. The main purpose of the passage is to call on people to _________.
A. get rid of water-related diseases in developing countries
B. donate money to people short of water through religious groups
C. fight against the worldwide water shortage and sanitation problem
D. take joint action in support of some nonprofit water organizations
4. What information will probably be provided following the last paragraph?
A. A variety of companies and their worldwide operation.
B. A list of nonprofit water organizations to make contact with.
C. Some ways to get financial aids from U.S. Congress.
D. A few water resources exploited by some world-famous organizations.

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Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.
European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.
What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don"t age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004.
A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex.
"It"s like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy"s University of Pavia.
Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person"s metabolism (新陈代谢) to lower so they would need less energy.
Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system.
There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor (监控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.
According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter"s moon (木星的卫星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.
9. European researchers are conducting hibernation experiments to ________.
A. ensure astronauts to get a complete sleep B. find the secret of some creatures
C. make preparations for the journey to Jupiter’s moon Callisto
D. know if man can sleep for years
10. The sentence “What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely” means ________.
A. Science fiction is people’s imagination.
B. Science fiction is imaginative, but it can be realized.
C. Things seem impossible may come true.
D. Things described in science fiction are sure to become true.
11. The passage is implied but doesn’t states that ________.
A. putting living cells into a sleep-like state is full of failure
B. Biggiogera is confident with the experiment
C. human’s hibernation needs no energy
D. medical research is the key to space flight hibernation system
12. By designing a suitable protective shelter, astronauts can ________.
A. have a good hibernation        B. lessen the pressure of traveling in space
C. feed themselves in spaceship    D. moinitor their body changes
13. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Six humans to fly to Callisto B. Human hibernation improves health
C. Space travel attracts people   D. Deep sleep for deep space travel

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London——Laura Spence has excellent grades, a place at Harvard University and a US $25,000 a year scholarship. The British Government says that is scandal(丑闻).
Not because the 13-year-old girl is going to Harvard, but because she was rejected by Oxford University. Her case makes people talk about the long-running problems about elitism(精英主义) in British education.
“I think it’s a scandal if a child has to go to Harvard rather than getting into Oxford, don’t you?” Education Secretary David Blunkett said on May 26th in an interview on BBC radio.
British Treasury chief Gordon Brown said in a speech on May 25th it was “an absolute scandal”, a girl with those grades was turned down by Oxford’s Magdalen College. He noted that Spence comes from Monkseaton in northeastern England, where people sometimes complain they get fewer chances than people living in the richer, more populous south.
Oxford and Cambridge University now take the majority of their students—53 percent—from publicly funded schools. Elite(精英)private schools such as Eton and Harrow account for the other 47 percent, even though they serve only 7 percent of secondary students.
A BBC reporter had seen notes of Spence’s interview at Magdalen. “As with other comprehensive school pupils, she’s low in confidence and difficult to draw out of herself in spite of being able to think on her feet,” the BBC quoted the notes as saying. Still, the notes concluded that Spence “will be an excellent doctor.”
“It appears as if some of our institutions have admissions procedures which may be because of absurd prejudices against children from comprehensive schools…are not giving these children a fair crack of the whip”, Education Minister Wicks told the BBC.
5.Laura Spence was rejected by Oxford University because.
A.she was a girl of 13 years old       B.she lacked confidence and she couldn’t think by herself
C.she didn’t win excellent grades
D.she was a shy girl from a comprehensive school in the poorer, less populous north
6.If Laura Spence was from such a school as Eton,.
A.she would be admitted to Oxford    B.she would be accepted by Harvard
C.she could cause longrunning problems about elitism in British education
D.she wouldn’t be an excellent doctor
7.What’s the meaning of “a fair crack of the whip”in the last paragraph?
A.A good chance.        B.Warning.           C.Rejection.             D.Admission
8.According to Education Minister Wick’s words, we know he .
A.thought there was something wrong with procedures of admissions to their institutes
B.took the side of Oxford University
C.considered giving up children from comprehensive schools   D.didn’t tell the truth to the BBC

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