What would life be like without rich, creamy, mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth
题型：不详难度：来源：
What would life be like without rich, creamy, mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate?
Life would be bitter for most Americans. They spend about $13 billion a year buying all sorts of chocolate treats.
However, for the African children who toil under slavelike conditions on cacao plantations, life is not sweet. The cacao bean is the main ingredient in the chocolate. According to a 2002 survey by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the US Agency for International Development, about 284,000 children work in dangerous conditions on cacao farms in western Africa.
More than half those children are younger than 14. Many were sold into forced labor to work 12 hours or more a day on the cacao plantations.
A number of international organizations, including several African governments, recently began a program to eliminate(消除) child labor on cacao plantations. Under the program, government officials will remove children from abusive working situations while teaching farmers about child labor issues.
The program will also make borrowing money easier for cacao farmers. Officials hope farmers will use the money to invest in their farms and hire paid laborers.
小题1:The cacao bean is the main ingredient in _______.| A．treats | | B．coffee | | C．chocolate | | D．cigarettes |
小题2:How many children under 14 work on cacao farms in western Africa?| A．About 284,000. | | B．About 142,000. | | C．About 467,000. | | D．About 876,000. |
小题3:From the passage, you can reasonably conclude that _______.| A．cacao farms in western Africa rely heavily on child labor | | B．children in Africa know how to make the best chocolate | | C．candy bars sold in the United States are made on plantations in Africa | | D．eating too much chocolate is bad for your health |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:A |
解析
小题1:C细节理解题。结合The cacao bean is the main ingredient in the chocolate可知答案。
小题2:B细节理解题。结合about 284,000 children work in dangerous conditions on cacao farms in western Africa和More than half those children are younger than 14可知答案。
小题3:A推理判断题。结合Many were sold into forced labor to work 12 hours or more a day on the cacao plantations可知答案。 |
举一反三
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules… planning your next move…acting as a team member… these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (协调) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
小题1:Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.| A．be a team leader | | B．obey the basic rules | | C．act as a grown-up | | D．predict possible danger |
小题2:The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can ________.| A．describe life in an exciting way | | B．turn real-life experiences into a movie | | C．make learning life skills more interesting | | D．change people’s views of sporting events |
小题3:According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?| A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country. | | B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. | | C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. | | D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
小题4:Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to ________.| A．bring fun to poor kids | | B．provide soccer balls for children | | C．give poor kids a chance for a better life | | D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
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The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world"s supply of water. With 97% of the world"s water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world"s agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.
Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.
This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers" overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
Saudi Arabia"s attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.
小题1:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?| A．Ways to reduce the costs of building dams. | | B．Steps to improving water use management. | | C．Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages. | | D．Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply. |
小题2:From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.| A．much of the world"s water is available for use | | B．people in high rainfall countries feel lucky | | C．the costs of water redistribution should be considered | | D．water can be easily carried through pipes across the world |
小题3:The text is mainly about________.| A．water supply and increasing population | | B．water shortages and environmental protection | | C．water redistribution and wildlife protection | | D．water use management and agriculture |
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Since ancient times, people have known about its ability to reduce pain and high body temperature. More than 2000 years ago, the Greek doctor Hippocrates advised his patients to chew on the bark and leaves of the willow.
The tree contains a chemical called salicin（柳醇）. From salicin, researchers in the 1800s discovered how to make salicylic acid（酸）. And in 1897, a chemist named Felix Hoffmann at Friedrich Bayer and Company in Germany created acetyl salicylic acid. Later it became the active substance in a new medicine that Bayer called aspirin. The "a" came from acetyl. The "spir" came from the spirea plant, which also produces salicin. And the "in" Well, that is a common way to end medicine names.
In 1982, a British scientist shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in part for discovering how aspirin works. Sir John Vane found that aspirin blocks the body from making natural substances called prostaglandins（前列腺素）.Prostaglandins have several effects on the body. Some cause pain and the expansion, or swelling（ 肿瘤; 膨胀）, of damaged tissue. Others protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine. Prostaglandins also make the heart, kidneys and blood vessels （血管）work well. But there is a problem. Aspirin works against all prostaglandins, good and bad. Scientists learned how aspirin interferes with an enzyme（酶）. One form of this enzyme makes the prostaglandin that causes pain and swelling. Another form of the enzyme creates a protective effect. So aspirin can reduce pain and swelling in damaged tissues. But it can also harm the inside of the stomach and small intestine（肠）.
小题1:What sickness can the medicine from the willow deal with according to the passage?| A．Cold | B．Toothache | C．Cancer | D．Skin disease |
小题2:What can we know about Prostaglandin according to the passage?| A．It results from pain. | | B．It prevents the lining of the stomach and small intestine. | | C．It causes blood vessels to work wrongly. | | D．It is sometimes good but sometimes bad. |
小题3:What can we know about aspirin according to the passage?| A．Aspirin can treat almost diseases. | | B．Aspirin can create the protective enzyme. | | C．Aspirin can harm the inside of the stomach and small intestine. | | D．Aspirin can protect the inside of the stomach and small intestine. |
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Autumn blues? Let the sunshine in falling leaves, flowers, and cold winds. For many people late autumn can be a season of depression.
Those who suffer from “ the autumn blue” are often extremely tired, lack energy, need more sleep, feel increased appetite and gain weight. "The exact cause of this condition, often called seasonal depression or seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is not known yet," says Chen Jue, associate professor at Shanghai Mental Health Center. "But recent studies indicate that weather change is influential and strongly suggest that this condition is caused by changes in the availability(得到) of sunlight."
One theory is that with decreased exposure to sunlight, the biological clock that regulates mood, sleep, and hormones is delayed, running more slowly in winter. Exposure to light may reset the biological clock. Another theory is that brain chemicals that transmit information between nerves, called neurotransmitters (for example, serotonin), may be altered in individuals with SAD. It is believed that exposure to light can correct these imbalances. "It is a sad season, but you can try to make it happy. Remember, spring always lives in your heart," Chen says. “Going outdoors to get some sunlight may reduce the tension that brings you the low spirits. Relax at work. Stretch, breathe deeply. Take a tea break. Think of your next vacation. Color treatment also works in handling low mood. Music also plays a role in treating autumn blues.”
小题1:Autumn blues is also called autumn________.| A．depression | B．sunshine | C．blue music | D．cold winds |
小题2:From the 3rd paragraph we know that there _______ that can help to deal with autumn blues.| A．is no biological clock | B．is a real example | | C．is no possibility | D．are some ways |
小题3:Which of the following is true according to the text?| A．The real cause for autumn blues is still unknown. | | B．Autumn blues can be feelings of happiness. | | C．People feel tired in autumn. | | D．Weather doesn’t change people. |
小题4:Which of the following CAN’T you do in order to deal with autumn blues?| A．Reset the biological clock regulating mood, sleep and hormones. | | B．Eat more food very low in calories and sugar. | | C．Keep the balance of nerves that transmit information. | | D．Take outdoor activities or sports. |
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We had known for along time that flowers of different plants open and close at different time of day. Yet no one really understands why flowers open and close like this at special time. The question is not as simple as we might think, as recent experiments have shown. In one experiment, flowers were kept in constant (持续的）darkness. We might expect that the flowers ,without any information about the time of the day, did not open as they usually do. In fact, they continue to open at their usual time. This shows that they have some special ways of knowing the time. Their sense(感觉) time does not depend on information from the outside world. It is inside them: a kind of "inner (内部的）clock". This discovery may not seem to be very important. However, it is later found that not just plants but animals have this "inner clock" which control（控制）the working of their bodies and influences their activities. Human beings, then, are also influenced by it. Whether we wish or not, itaffectssuch things in our life as our need for sleep or need for food.
小题1:Before the experiment arrived at a conclusion, people had thought that the flowers would____.| A．never open in constant darkness | | B．change their usual time to open | | C．open ahead of the time as they usually did | | D．continue to open at usual time |
小题2:The sense of time that flowers have is connected with_____________.| A．its age and size | | B．light and temperature | | C．a kind of strange power(力量）inside them | | D．some unknown information from the outside world |
小题3:What will happen if we make good use of the "inner clock"| A．We"ll need less sleep or food. | | B．We"ll be able to sleep as long as we wish to. | | C．We"ll be able to change our work time when necessary. | | D．We"ll have more energy to do our work better. |
小题4:What"s the Chinese meaning of the underlined word" affects" |
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