假如你是新华中学学生李华，在最近举行的市高中生英语口语大赛中获得了一等奖。某英语...

阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。

[l] We expect companies selling products to make them as available as possible. But now some of them are bringing back rationing(定量供应). As you might expect, it's all part of a plan to make us spend more, not less.

[2]Butter, bacon, sugar, tea and meat were rationed in Britain during World War II, because goods at that time were scarce, and hard to get for all. But nowadays industrial mass production           . Factories all over the world are pumping out bright and beautiful objects.

[3]When everyone has to wait and save up for new things, owning them feels exciting and special. But when lovely things are available every day, they stop being a treat. The other characteristic of consumer society is that we aim for social distinction through what we own. But if everyone has lots of things, how can we impress anyone with our purchases? All of this takes the fun out of shopping and means there's a limit to how much consumerism can grow.

[4] This is deeply worrying to companies, and some of them have started to fight it, by creating artificial scarcity(短缺). For example, Swedish rapper Adam Tensta has limited access to his latest track. Only one person at a time can access it, and fans must take their place in a digital queue.

[5] This hend means we can again own something rare. But the risk for these companies is that in a world of so many things, if they make their products too hard to get, we'll just buy from someone else instead.

1.What is the text mainly about? (no more than 3 words)

2.Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)

3.In which paragraph can the following sentences be put as an example?

In Singapore, a small cafe called Liberty Coffee only opens on random days. It sometimes stays closed for over a week at a time.

4.What are the two characteristics of consumer society? (no more than 15 words)

①                                                                           

②                                                                           

5.What is the risk for the companies creating artificial scarcity ? (no more than l0 words)

Eating foods high in trans-fats(fats present in artificial form in industrially-produced cakes and fast food...) and saturated (饱和的) fats increases the risk of depression, according to a Spanish study, confirming previous studies that linked “junk food” with the disease. Researchers also showed that some products, such as olive oil, can fight against the risk of mental illness.

Authors of the wide-reaching study, from the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas, followed and analyzed the diet and lifestyle of over l2,000 volunteers over six years. When the study began, none of the participants had been diagnosed with depression; by the end, 657 of them were new sufferers.

“Participants with an increased consumption of trans-fats presented up to a 48 percent increase in the risk of depression when they were compared to participants who did not consume these fats,” the head study author said. “The more trans-fats were consumed, the greater harmful effect they produced in the volunteers.”

The research team found, at the same time, that after assessing the effect of polyunsaturated fats made up of larger amounts of fish and vegetable oils and olive oil, these products are associated with a lower risk of suffering depression.

The report, published in the online journal PLOS ONE, noted the research was performed on a European population that enjoys a relatively low intake of trans-fats—making up only 0.4 percent of the total energy taken in by the volunteers. “Despite this, we observed an increase in the risk of suffering depression of nearly 50 percent,” said researcher Miguel Martinez. “On this basis we think it of great importance to take this effect into account in countries like the United States, where the percentage of energy derived from these fats is around 2.5 percent.”

The report pointed out that the current number of depression sufferers in the world is around l50 million people, and has increased in recent years. This rise is attributable, according to the authors, “to great changes in the sources of fats consumed in Western diets, where we have replaced certain types of beneficial fats in nuts, vegetable oils and fish with the saturated and trans-fats found in meats, butter and other products such as mass-produced cakes and fast food.”

1.What's the best title of the text?

A．Junk Food and Depression                B．Depression Prevention

C．Types of Fats and Depression               D．Depression Research

2.Which of the following increases the risk of suffering depression?

A．Fish.             B．Vegetable oil.       C．Olive oil.          D．Butter.

3.The study tells us that         .

A．2.5% Americans suffer mental illness

B．l2,000 volunteers in Navarra took part

C．a minority of participants became new sufferers

D．l50 million Europeans enjoy a healthier lifestyle

4.The underlined word “derived” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to         .

A．obtained          B．chosen           C．separated         D．preserved

5.More and more Westerners are suffering depression because         .

A．they have less time for exercise

B．they eat more nuts, vegetable oils and fish

C．the sources of fats in their diets have changed

D．less meat, butter, and cakes are included in their diets

Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.

In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All this hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(填鸭式) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 pm. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of self-study a night.

The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cut-throat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.

However, there are some similarities in Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the l970s, Finland's educational system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.

1.The students spend the least time in school in         .

A．the UK            B．Finland            C．the USA           D．Korea

2.According to the text, we think in Korea         .

A．students spend more time in studying

B．students are tired of studying in class

C．students leave their school early

D．students are always top scorers

3.The underlined phrase “all this hothousing” in Paragragh 2 probably refers to         .

A．private evening tutoring                  B．self-study at home

C．long-hour study                         D．school study

4.From Paragragh 3, we can know that         .

A．Finnish students are less stressed in study

B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain

C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia

D．British schools are less competitive than universities

5.According to the author, the key to improving education is         .

A．the attitude                            B．the schooling time

C．star pupils                             D．new teaching approach

Success is often measured by the ability to overcome adversity. But, it is often the belief of others that gives us the courage to try.

J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography, she remembers with great fondness when her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, became the first person to encourage her and help build the confidence that one day she would be a very good writer.

“He was the first person with whom I really discussed my serious ambition to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time.”

Despite many setbacks Rowling persevered in her writing, particularly fantasy stories. But it wasn't until l990 that she first conceived the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. To my immense frustration(沮丧), I didn't have a functioning pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details bubbled up in my brain, and this scrawny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who didn't know he was a wizard became more and more real to me.”

That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year battle with multiple sclerosis, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.

During this time, Rowling was diagnosed with clinical depression. Unemployed, she completed her first novel in area cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being rejected by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.

Now with seven books that have sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with her commitment to writing that was fostered by the confidence of a friend !

1.Who believed J. K. Rowling was to be a good writer?

A．Her friend Sean.    B．Her mother.        C．Her daughter.      D．Her husband.

2.Rowling first came up with the idea about Harry Potter         .

A．at the age of 6                          B．on a train journey

C．after her mother's death                  D．in her secondary school

3.She felt frustrated on the train because         .

A．her train was delayed for four hours

B．she didn't have a pen with her

C．her mind suddenly went blank

D．no one would offer her help

4.It can be concluded from Paragraph 5 and 6 that Rowling is         .

A．open-minded      B．warm-hearted      C．good-natured      D．strong-willed

5.The text mainly tells us         .

A．hardship makes a good novelist

B．the courage to try is a special ability

C．you can have a wonderful idea everywhere

D．encouragement contributes to one's success

Anyone who has ever lost keys or money will have wished for a simple but effective way to make sure it never happens again. A US company is trying to help.

Using a tiny microchip which is implanted into the arm, they have come up with a replacement for cash or credit cards that cannot be left at home or dropped on the bus.

The Verichip is about the size of a grain of rice and works using radio frequency  identification technology. At a shop, a radio frequency “reader” would send a signal and the chip in your arm would respond with your unique identity number. That would give the “reader” your financial information, and money could be taken directly from your accounts and you wouldn't even have to reach for your wallet.

The company also hopes to include other information on the chip, such as medical records, building security codes(密码) and passwords, making life even easier.

But not everyone is happy with the developments. Critics say that a lot can go wrong with the chip. A clever thief could build a fake(假的) reader that would steal your information without you knowing. So your money could still be stolen. Privacy is a big issue too. Stores, or even the government, only need to track the chip to find out what you buy, how much you spend and where you go.

And if you wanted to get rid of your chip,you would need an operation to remove it.

1.The Verichip is         .

A．the identity number                     B．the security code

C．a tiny microchip                        D．a radio reader

2.Paragraph 3 is mainly about         .

A．how the Verichip works

B．the importance of the Verichip

C．the development of the Verichip

D．how money is taken from your accounts

3.Which is true of the Verichip?

A．Your information on it will always be safe.

B．Medical records have already been included.

C．You can easily reach for your wallet using it.

D．An operation has to be performed to remove it.

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A．All people are satisfied with the chip.

B．The Verichip company has financial problems.

C．The chip needs improving to be widely accepted.

D．Many people have the experience of losing keys or money.

5.The author's purpose of writing the text is most likely to         .

A．warn             B．advertise          C．compare          D．introduce