Although Paris is often considered the city of romance， close to a million adults who call it home are single. Many single people say that France’s capital is one of the most difficult places to meet people. The complaints of this lonely group have inspired a new phenomenon known as “supermarket dating.” At Galerie Lafayette Gourmet，singles can shop for more than just the items on their grocery list. They can look for someone who has blue eyes， brown hair，and is 1.8 meters tall，or whatever may be on their romantic shopping list.
At this Paris location，single people of all ages can schedule their shopping for Thursday nights between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. When they walk through the door，they pick up a purple basket to advise that they are looking for love. They try to arrive early because the baskets disappear quickly, and then they have to wait in line for their turn to wander the store aisles(过道).
With purple baskets in hand， shoppers can consider their romantic options while they pick out their groceries. When they are ready to pay， they can go to the checkout line for singles who want to chat.
Most of the people who look for love in the supermarket are skeptical of Internet dating. They know that it is easy to embellish（美化）one’s appearance or to lie about one’s age over the Internet. The supermarket， on the other hand，is considered a safe and casual environment in which to meet a potential match. In addition， what one finds in another’s grocery basket can say a thing or two about that person’s character or intentions. Buying pet food can be a man’s way of showing a potential match that he has a sensitive side. Women who fill their baskets with low-fat food show their healthy style of living. These ways it’s possible to find much more than food at a grocery store.
1.What do many single people in Paris complain about?
A．The difficulty in meeting people.
B．The idea of supermarket dating.
C．The items on their grocery list.
D．The inconvenience in shopping.
2.Which of the following can be inferred but is not clearly stated in the second paragraph?
A．The dating supermarket is located in Paris.
B．The dating supermarket is open only on Thursday evenings.
C．People looking for love must get a basket of a particular color
D．The dating supermarket has very good business.
3.How do love shoppers meet one another?
A．They schedule their meeting in advance.
B．They go through a special checkout.
C．They pick out their groceries with great care.
D．They dial the phone numbers on their shopping items.
4.According to the writer，a possible way to win a woman’s heart is to .
A．pick up a purple basket B．buy low-fat food
C．embellish your appearance D．buy pet food
5.Why do the people prefer the supermarket dating to Internet dating?
A．The supermarket dating is more convenient.
B．The supermarket dating is more casual.
C．The supermarket dating can be trusted more.
D．The supermarket dating is less expensive.
Howard Dill is a giant among giant pumpkin growers. He grew world champion pumpkins for four years running，from 1979 to 1982，and missed winning the fifth year by a mere 5 pounds. Today，his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds are sold worldwide to more than 50 seed companies. The pumpkins grown from his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds commonly weigh in at over 1,000 pounds.“I don’t have any training in genetics ；it was all trial and error，”Dill says. He inherited his love of pumpkins from his father and has enjoyed growing them for years.
Dill still grows giant pumpkins, but not for competition. In the fall, visitors come to enjoy the pumpkin patch on his 90-acre farm in Nova Scotia，Canada. He plants ten acres of pumpkins for Halloween and two acres of giant pumpkins. One of giant pumpkins was recently baked into 442 pumpkin pies and sold at $ 5 each for charity.
It you want to try growing a giant pumpkin, Dill recommends starting with a soil test and then adding fertilizer as needed. Plant the giant pumpkin seed. A giant pumpkin can gain 15 to 20 pounds a day， so careful watering—every day or two—is essential. You should wait about 130 days until the pumpkin matures and then you can harvest it.
Dill’s favorite pumpkin set the Guinness Book record in 1981. It weighted 493.5 pounds. “I’ve grown them larger since， but that one meant a lot,” he remembers. “I never would have predicted ten years ago that there would be a 1,000-pounder，but there are many of them now，”says Dill。The 2006 world record holder is Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania. He grew a 1,469 pounder. Dill says, “These world champions are grown from my seeds， so I feel like a winner right along with them.”
1.What can we learn about the world champion pumpkin of 1983?
A．It weighed over 1,000 pounds.
B．It was missing after the competition.
C．It was 5 pounds heavier than that of 1982.
D．It was 5 pounds heavier than Dill’s biggest one that year.
2.One of Dill’s giant pumpkins earned .
A．$2210 B．$442 C．$1000 D．$1469
3.In the third paragraph Dill mainly tells about .
A．how to do a soil test B．how to plant the giant pumpkin seed
C．when to water the pumpkin D．how to grow a giant pumpkin
4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A．Howard Dill is well trained in genetics.
B．Howard Dill grows pumpkins just for competiton.
C．Dill felt proud of Larry Checkon’s champion pumpkin.
D．Dill’s favorite pumpkin is the heaviest of all those he has ever grown.
5.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A．Gardening Giant: Howard Dill B．World Champion Pumpkin
C．Dill Atlantic Giant Seeds D．How to Grow Giant Pumpkins
A gentle wind blew through Jennifer’s hair. The golden red sun was 36 . She was on the beach， looking up at the ball. She was amazed by its 37 ， deep red in the middle， 38 fading into yellow. She could hear nothing but the 39 and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.
The atmosphere 40 her. After all she had been through， this is what she 41 . “It’s getting late，”she thought，“I must go home， my parents will be 42 where I am.”She wondered how her parents would react， when she got home after the three days she was 43 .
The sun had set by now and it was getting 44 . She tried to imagine having her favorite 45 on until she saw her front door. It seemed different. 46 had taken care of the outside garden for days. She was 47 : her father was usually so strict about keeping everything clean and tidy， and now… It all seemed 48 . She couldn’t understand what was going on.She entered the 49 . First，she went into the kitchen where she saw a（n） 50 written by her father. It said：“Dear Ellen，there is some coffee ready，I went 51 .” Ellen was her mother but-where was she? On the right side of the hallway was her 52 room. She went in. Then she saw her mother，lying on the bed sleeping. Her
53 looked so tired，as if she hadn’t 54 for days. She was really pale. Jenny just fell asleep beside her. When Jennifer woke up she found something 55 . She was in her cozy bed in her nightclothes.
It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice.“Are you feeling better now， dear? You know you got us very， very scared.”
1. A．rising B．setting C．shining D．smiling
2. A．shape B．shadow C．size D．color
3. A．quickly B．partly C．softly D．probably
4. A．waves B．boats C．trees D．sands
5. A．relaxed B．puzzled C．disappointed D．interrupted
6. A．understood B．considered C．needed D．regretted
7. A．discussing B．finding C．asking D．wondering
8. A．alive B．asleep C．missing D．hardworking
9. A．sunny B．warm C．cold D．cloudy
10. A．glasses B．hat C．skirt D．jacket
11. A．Somebody B．Nobody C．Mother D．Father
12. A．shocked B．scared C．exhausted D．comforted
13. A．beautified B．rearranged C．deserted D．destroyed
14. A．garden B．bedroom C．yard D．house
15. A．book B．note C．article D．poster
16. A．looking B．working C．fishing D．sightseeing
17. A．own B．parents’ C．sister’s D．brother’s
18. A．gesture B．body C．face D．eyes
19. A．studied B．slept C．exercised D．moved
20. A．different B．new C．precious D．dangerous
When ____ to danger and conflict, men tend to increase blood pressure, ______ nervous and anxious.
A．exposed; felt B．exposed; feeling C．exposing; feeling D．exposing; felt
I lost sight of Wang Ping when we reached _________ looked like a large market.
A．that B．which C．what D．where
According to the air traffic rules, you ___ switch off your mobile phone before boarding.
A．may B．can C．would D．shall
