Vinegar makes salad，fries and dumplings taste better， and you can even use it to clean your windows． And now， according to scientists， it may even the planet's population survive climate change．
Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science （CSRS） in Japan found that growing plants in vinegar makes them more resistant to droughts． This could mean that in the future， worries about climate change affecting the world's supply of food will be much lower． The discovery was made after the researchers studied the Arabidopsis， a plant known for its ability to survive in dry weather． It was found that when the plant was placed in drought﹣like conditions， it produced a chemical called acetate（醋酸盐）﹣the main component of vinegar．
After discovering this， the scientists experimented further by adding acetate to the soil of other plants， before they stopped giving them water completely． After leaving the plants for 14days， they found that the ones treated with acetate had survived， while the untreated plants had dried up and died．
It's hoped that this simple method of survival could soon be used to help farmers in dry countries keep their crops alive． "In the experiment， we targeted the staple foods of the world﹣rice， wheat and maize﹣and the basic plant of breeding species， rapeseed（油菜籽），" Jong Myong Kim， co﹣author of the study， told Popular Science magazine．
Kim also told the magazine he's already been in touch with people all over the world who are interested in trying this simple and cost﹣effective method out for themselves from flower growing companies to amateur gardeners． Although at this point keeping thirsty plants alive isn't as easy as just pouring vinegar over them， Kim said he and his team are working on making the process as simple as possible． "Now we are trying to cooperate with some farmers， and also some companies， to make a method to apply this system， "he said． And for those of us who always forget to ask our neighbors to water our plants when we goaway， hopefully this means the end of returning home from a trip to find our favorite flowers have died．
1.What is the article mainly about？
A. The world's food supply will be increased．
B. Plants better survive droughts．
C. The Arabidopsis is resistant to droughts．
D. Vinegar could be used to fight droughts．
2.It was discovered that acetate can ．
A. be used by farmers to replace soil
B. only be produced by the Arabidopsis
C. help plants survive dry conditions
D. be used to improve poor soil
3.What are the target plants of the experiment？
A. all breeding species．
B. wheat and Arabidopisis．
C. rice and maize．
D. rapeseed and Arabidopisis．
4.Jong Myong Kim's experiment of trying out the method ．
A. can make people's trips pleasant
B. turned out a worldwide success
C. is as simple as pouring vinegar over the plants
D. appeals to many flower growing companies
Teaching Poetry
No poem should ever be discussed or "analyzed"， until it has been read aloud by someone， teacher or student． Better still， perhaps， is the practice of reading it twice， once at the beginning of the discussion and once at the end， so the sound of the poem is the last thing one hears of it．
All discussions of poetry are， in fact， preparations for reading it aloud， and the reading of the poem is， finally， the most telling "interpretation" of it， suggesting tone， rhythm， and meaning all at once． Hearing a poet read the work in his or her own voice， on records or on film， is obviously a special reward． But even those aids to teaching can not replace the student and teacher reading it or， best of all， reciting it．
I have come to think， in fact， that time spent reading a poem aloud is much more important than "analyzing" it， if there isn't time for both． I think one of our goals as teachers of English is to have students love poetry． Poetry is "a criticism of life"， and "a heightening of lief"． It is "an approach to the truth of feeling"， and it "can save your life"． It also deserves a place in the teaching of language and literature more central than it presently occupies．
I am not saying that every English teacher must teach poetry． Those who don't like it should not be forced to communicate this to anyone else． But those who do teach poetry must keep in mind a few thins about its essential nature， about its sound as well as its sense， and they must make room in the classroom for hearing poetry as well as thinking about it．
1.To have a better understanding of a poem， one should ．
A. analyze it by oneself
B. discuss it with others
C. practise reading it aloud
D. copy it down in a notebook
2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a function of poetry？
A. Extending your life
B. Saving your life
C. Criticizing life
D. Heightening life
3.The last sentence in the third paragraph imply ．
A. The teaching of poetry is more important than any other subject．
B. More importance should be given to the teaching of poetry．
C. Poetry is the foundation of all language and literature courses．
D. One cannot enjoy life fully without an understanding of poetry．
4.The underlined phrase "make room" in the last paragraph could be best replaced by ．
A. provide equipment
B. build a school
C. set up a house
D. leave a certain amount of time
Traveling can be a fun way to gain life experiences，especially during Spring Break﹣a week﹣long school vacation in the United States．But what if you're a student and don't have enough money for a trip？Don't worry．Here are some useful suggestions．
●Save：This probably is the most important preparation for traveling．Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you'll have more choices about where to go and how to get there．
●Plan ahead：Don't wait until the last minute to plan your trip．Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice．Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security and savings．
●Do your homework：No matter where you go，research the places you will visit．Decide what to see．Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants．
●Plan sensibly：Write down how much you expect to spend for food and hotels．Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything．
●Travel in groups：Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places．By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences．
●Work as you go：Need more money to support your trip？Look for work in the places you visit．
●Go off the beaten path：Tourist sites may be expensive．You may want to rethink your trip and go to a less﹣known area．Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights．
●Pack necessary things：The most important things to take are not always clothes．
Remember medicine in case you get sick，and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant．
●Use the Internet：The net can help to save money．Some useful websites include www．travelcity．corn，www．bargainslowestfare．corn and www．economictravelcity．com．
By planning sensibly，even students can enjoy the travel．Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime．
1.This passage is about ．
A. how to plan your travel
B. how to get life experiences
C. how to make your travel interesting
D. how to travel with enough money
2.Before your trip，the most important thing you should do is ．
A. to make a plan of the route
B. to buy tickets in advance
C. to save money before your trip
D. to get information from the Internet
3.The writer advises you ．
A. to share costs with friends
B. not to go to well﹣known places
C. not to visit dangerous places
D. to buy anything you want to buy
In Chinese customs， red is the main color for weddings． It is used in different ways as it signifies love， joy and happiness． The bride's wedding gown（女礼服）is often red， the wedding invitations， gift boxes and envelopes are red and the bride and the groom's homes are decorated in red on the wedding day．
Before the wedding， the married couples from the groom's family visit the bride's place with gifts in red baskets and boxes． One of those baskets has milk honey． Three days before the wedding， the women from the bride's family bring return﹣gifts to the groom's family．
On the wedding day， the groom arrives at the bride's place on his way to the chapel（佛堂）． The groom has to give gifts in cash wrapped in red paper to the bride's friends for letting her go． The bride and the groom then leave for the chapel together．
The wedding ceremony is attended only by the couple's immediate relatives． Just after the wedding ceremony， the bride serves tea to her parents in﹣laws as a tradition． The couples will then go to get wedding pictures． Then a reception（宴会）will follow．
In the reception， a welcome speech is followed by a cake cutting ceremony． A Chinese wedding cake has many layers（层）， and each one represents a step to success for the newly married couples． So couples cut the cake from the bottom
Travour．com describes and provides information on the wedding traditions of the Chinese and around the world． Below are some wedding traditions performed in Italy．
1.This passage mainly talks about ．
A. some Chinese wedding traditions
B. colors in Chinese customs
C. wedding ceremonies in China
D. preparations for a Chinese wedding
2.What does the underlined word "signifies" in the first paragraph mean？
A. brings
B. connects
C. means
D. holds
3.What do we learn about the traditional Chinese wedding from the passage？
A. Both the groom and the bride must wear red clothes
B. The bride can not see the groom before the wedding
C. The bride serves tea to her birth parents after the wedding ceremony
D. The newly married couples usually cut the wedding cake from the bottom
4.What will the passage talk about next？
A. Where the couples spend their honeymoon
B. Some information on other Chinese traditions
C. How a traditional wedding is performed in Italy
D. How people get married in Italy today
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
I am a mother of three and have recently completed my college degree.
The last class I had to take was Sociology(社会学). The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called “Smile.” The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.
I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake. Soon after we were given the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one cold March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.
I did not move a bit… a strong feeling of fear welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a terrible “dirty body” smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was “smiling”. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of hope as he searched for acceptance.
He said, “Good day” as he counted the few coins he had been holding. The second man was obviously mentally disabled. I held my tears as I stood there with them.
The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, “Coffee is all, Miss,” because that was all they could afford (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm.)
Then I really felt it the desire was so great I almost reached out and hugged the little man with the blue eyes.
注意：
（1） 所续写短文的词数应为 l50 左右；
（2） 至少使用 5 个短文中标有下划线的关键词语：
（3） 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
（4） 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.
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Paragraph 2: I turned in “my project” and the instructor read it.
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假设你是李华， 今天下午在回家的公交车上， 你不慎将从留学生 Steve 那里借来的一本英语小说弄丢了。 请你给你写一封电子邮件表示歉意并提出弥补措施。
注意：
1. 词数 80 左右；
2. 首尾句已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Steve,
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Yours,
Li Hua
