British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day, at a cost of ￡80m a year.
Supermarket Sainsbury’s found that one in three people throw away bananas if there is a single bruise(擦伤) or mark on the skin. More than one in ten customers also admit to throw away the fruit if there is any green on the skin.
The supermarket is making efforts to reduce food waste. It’s pushing British shoppers to make bread and desserts out of bruised and blackened bananas.
Starting from this week, Sainsbury’s will launch hundreds of “banana rescue” stations to encourage shoppers to give bruised bananas a chance. The stations will provide tips and ideas on how to bake with bananas or use them in drinks.
The move is part of the supermarket’s ￡10m “Waste less, save more initiative”, and the stations are already set up in 500 stores nationwide.
The supermarket’s head of sustainability, Paul Crewe, said Sainsbury’s wants to encourage customers to use the fruit in different ways.
“We are determined to help shoppers reduce the number of bananas going to waste at home too,” he said.
“61% of Britons admit they never use the bruised bananas in baking, so we want to encourage customers to use their fruit in different ways. There is no need to throw away the bruised ones anymore.” he added.
1.About _______ of customers throw away bananas if there is a single bruise or mark on the skin.
A.10% B.25% C.33% D.66%
2.What does the underlined word “launch” mean in paragraph 4?
A.下水 B.设立 C.发射 D.销售
3.To help customers give bruised and blackened bananas a chance, which of the following about Sainsbury’s is wrong? ________
A.give tips on how to bake with bananas.
B.give tips on how to make drinks with bananas.
C.encourage customers to use bananas in different ways.
D.launch “banana rescue” stations all over America.
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Banana Rescue B.Bananas In Britain
C.How To Cook Bananas D.The New Way To Store Bananas
Abbey Inn is a special hotel. You might spend a holiday there and never meet any other people. No other guests, sometimes. No full-time employee.
The place looked pretty to Katrina Arthur. So she and her husband booked a weekend holiday last year. However, things started to go wrong as soon as they walked into the room.
“Smelt terrible,” Arthur said, “The air conditioning didn’t work, either. We started checking the sheets and the bed. They were really dirty.” She went to the desk to complain, but no one was there. Arthur found no employees in the hotel at all. So she cleaned the room herself. When they woke the next day, they still found no one else in the hotel. So they put the room key in a drop box and got away.
Later she left a statement online. “I was honest; I wanted people to know.” she said.
The next month, Andrew Szakaly, owner of Abbey, sent a letter to Arthur, saying her statement had caused injury to the hotel, and Szakaly would sue(起诉) her unless she took it down.
Arthur was scared. She deleted(删除) the statement, but still the hotel asked her for an extra $350 anyway.
Now the state is suing Abbey Inn for asking guests for extra money for bad statements.
1.Why did Arthur think Abbey Inn was a pretty place at first?
A.Because it was in the city. B.Because it gave guests a private place.
C.Because it had many guests. D.Because it was free of charge.
2.Arthur and her husband met the following problems, except _______.
A.bad smell B.air conditioning going wrong
C.many mice D.dirty sheets and bed
3.Why would Andrew Szakaly, owner of Abby, sue Arthur?
A.She stole the room key.
B.She didn’t pay the hotel expenses on time.
C.She broke the rules made by Abbey Inn.
D.She left a bad statement online and it caused injury to them.
4.How does the state think of this matter?
A.Arthur is a difficult guest.
B.Arthur shouldn’t leave her statement online.
C.Szakaly shouldn’t ask Arthur for extra payment.
D.Szakaly has a good reason to ask Arthur for extra money.
It was a cold and windy night. My friend and I had met after a long time, and were chatting for hours. We did not notice the time passing by, and soon it was close to ten in the night. We decided to take an auto rickshaw(黄包车) to go to our house.
It started raining, and we hurried to get into an auto rickshaw and reach our place. None of the auto rickshaws stopped for us, except one.
The driver asked us where we wanted to go and we told the place. Without saying anything about the fee, he said, “please get in.”
We thanked him and got in.
Since it was very cold, I asked the driver to stop at any small restaurant or a tea shop. We wanted to have a cup of hot tea. The driver stopped near a small restaurant. We ordered tea and asked the driver to join us and have a cup of tea. The driver refused. I insisted, but he refused again politely.
I was really surprised.
In 15 minutes we reached our house. We paid the fee and the driver thanked us. On an impulse, I stopped him, as I really wanted to ask him why he refused to drink tea with us at the restaurant.
He thought for a moment and replied, “Sir, My son passed away this morning in an accident. I don’t have enough money for his funeral(葬礼), so I made a promise not to drink anything until I earn enough money. That’s why I didn’t drink tea when you offered. Please don’t misunderstand.”
We both were touched and offered him more money for his son’s funeral. He politely refused.
“Thank you for your generosity, sir. In one or two hours, if I get one or two more customers, I will earn the money I need.” Then he left the place.
1.Which of the following is not true?
A.The driver stopped near a small restaurant because of the author’s requirement.
B.The author got into the driver’s auto rickshaws without knowing the fee.
C.The driver accepted the money the author offered him for his son’s funeral.
D.It was a long time before the author and his friend met.
2.Why did the driver refuse to join them and have a cup of tea?
A.Because he didn’t like tea.
B.Because he didn’t like the author.
C.Because he had made a promise to his son that he would never drink tea again.
D.Because he had made a promise not to drink until he earned enough money for his son’s funeral.
3.Which words can best describe the driver?
A.strange and serious. B.unfriendly and greedy.
C.determined and self-respected. D.honest and hard-working.
Love to write? Want to see your work published and win some cash along the way? Then read on. The national Spark a Story writing contest is calling in all young storytellers!
Who can participate?
The contest is open to students in grades 9, 10, 11 or 12, or those who are being home-schooled in the United States.
Deadline and requirements
You’re able to send your short story up to October 7th. It will be judged on creativity, originality and overall quality of writing. Your story must be original works and should be no longer than 5000 words. There is no minimum length requirements.
How can I send my short story?
There are three easy ways to send your short story:
*Online at http: // learn. hmhco.com / hmhsparkamind
*Send your short story as a PDF or Microsoft word document to Sparka@hmhco.com
*Send your short story via U.S. Mail to: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
222 Berkeley Street Boston, MA 02116
What will I win?
The best stories will be published next year. Winners will receive a free copy of the book and cash price of $100.
1.The passage is written for _______ to read.
A.students B.teachers C.parents D.foreigners
2.Which of the following children can take part in the contest?
A.Maria, grade 7, from New York. B.Justin, grade 9, from London.
C.Catherine, grade 11, from Washington D.C. D. Bastian, homeschooled from Paris.
3.Your story will not be acceptable if it is ________.
A.longer than 5000 words B.shorter than 5000 words
C.an original work D.sent before October 7th
4.Which of the following ways is not a correct way to send your story?
A.Sending it online. B.Sending it by email.
C.Sending it by US mail. D.Sending it by fax.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What does the woman want to find out?
A.The suitable work for the man. B.The information on building. C.The nearby workplace.
2.What are the man’s interests?
A.Buying and selling things. B.Building and repairing things. C.Repairing and collecting things.
3.What has the man been doing this year?
A.Delivering newspapers. B.Helping build a house. C.Selling advertising space.
4.In which column does the woman write down “sales”?
A.“Education”. B.“Interests”. C.“Experience”.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What’s the date today?
A.August 17th. B.August 27th. C.September 5th.
2.Why is the woman going to China?
A.To be on business. B.To take a vacation. C.To visit her relatives.
3.What surprises the woman?
A.Amanda’s visit. B.The first-class flight. C.An amazing travel book.
