You may be relying more and more on your refrigerator. But you should know there are some things you’d better not put into your refrigerator.
♦1. Nothing dries out bread faster than your refrigerator. If you make sandwiches with the bread, and then place them in the refrigerator, the cold temperature will make the bread hard like nuts. Besides, the coldness makes the bread become hard at a faster speed.
♦Coffee. Since ground coffee like coffee beans require cool, dry and dark spots to keep their taste and freshness, the refrigerator is not a good place for them. Coffee also needs an airtight（密封的）container. But if you have much coffee that you won’t use right away, then you can freeze it. 2. This way, you can store it for up to a month.
♦Tomatoes. 3. But putting them in the refrigerator will cause them to lose all of their good taste. Plus, the cold air in the cooler refrigerator stops the ripening（成熟的）process as well. And as we all know, ripening is what gives every tomato more taste. For best results, keep tomatoes out, and inside a basket or a bowl on your counter.
♦Honey. Make sure that you keep honey in an airtight container. 4. Therefore. storing it in your cooler refrigerator doesn’t make sense. Honey is a naturally preserved food so it needs no help from us. Amazingly enough, placing honey in your refrigerator will in fact speed up the sugar crystallization （结晶）process. 5.
A. Nuts.
B. Bread.
C. We all love tomatoes for their taste.
D. Just make sure to put the coffee in airtight bags.
E. Honey will stay good almost forever in that way.
F. Some of you dislike the tomatoes’ taste because it is a little strange.
G. As a result, the honey will become harder or nearly impossible to eat.
It’s normal for teens to want to stay connected with friends and social circle, but what about that happening in the middle of the night? The Journal of Youth Studies recently published new research showing that one in five teens from 12 to 15 regularly wake to spend all night on social media (社会媒体). Not surprisingly, the research also showed that these social night owls were three times more likely than others to feel tired at school and that girls were more likely than boys to be called to office.
The blue light produced by cell phones and computers makes the brain to stay awake, so it's easy to see why a teen might be up all night. A study in Psychological Science showed the same brain reaction: when teens saw large numbers of “likes” on their posts, they stayed awake with excitement as if they had eaten chocolates or won money. Besides not catching up on sleep and interrupting their sleep cycle, teens may never fully enter deep sleep that may be responsible for brain development and learning.
Considering about 72 percent of children from 6 to 17 sleep with some electronic media in their bedrooms, parents need to set rules sooner rather than later.
“Providing access (使用机会) to social media is a favor that children can earn and also lose,” Janie Feldman, an expert who treats sleep disorders (紊乱), reminds parents, “The bad effect is clear. So teens and parents should discuss and agree on its use, timing and access. When teenagers agree to the rules, it’s easier for parents to control how much time they use the phones or computers.”
1.What does the underlined part “night owls” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A.Girls often called to office.
B.Teens who stay up late on social media.
C.Teens who are busy with their homework at night.
D.Boys regularly waking in the middle of the night.
2.How do teens react when seeing many “likes” on their posts according to the study?
A.They are too excited to go to sleep.
B.They fall asleep easily and happily.
C.They are too excited to go to school.
D.They decide to make more good friends.
3.What suggestion does Janie Feldman give to parents?
A.Making rules about media access together with their children.
B.Getting their children to do homework through computers.
C.Encouraging their children to stay connected with online friends.
D.Stopping their children from using cell phones.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Deep sleep makes a big difference to brain development.
B.Kids are trying to win back the trust of their parents.
C.Social media may have a bad effect on all kinds of people.
D.Social media may cause teens’ sleep disorders.
Scientists say only enlarging the world’s nature reserve to help protect plants and animals may be useless. The main reason is that levels of human activity are rising in and around the nature reserves. In fact, recognizing spaces as protected areas is not reducing human activity there.
The researchers found that a lack of money to pay for land conservation (保护) is affecting conservation efforts. And it is a lack of communication between people who live in protected natural areas and outsiders. About 17 percent of the world is within protected areas, including the national parks, nature reserves and wilderness areas. Protected areas are important for supporting environments with many different kinds of plants and animals.
The researchers again found increasing human activity in most protected areas in every country. However, they said that human activity appeared to be more of a problem in nations with fewer roads and lower life standards on the Human Development Index (指数). The index uses information about life length, education and earnings to grade countries on human development.
Across the northern Australia, protected areas often proved effective at slowing human activity when compared with unprotected areas. But in South America, Southeast Asia and African countries, pressure from human activity inside protected areas was higher.
Experts say governments need to provide fund support to help protected areas. Simply recognizing a place as a protected area can’t be the beginning and the end of a conservation effort. Working with local people to take efforts is also important. If they’re not partners in the protected areas, then wildlife conservation is much more difficult.
1.What are protected areas mainly affected by according to the text?
A.Human activity. B.Climate change.
C.Population growth. D.Environmental pollution.
2.What’s the Human Development Index used to do?
A.Record more roads in the world.
B.Improve education in all countries.
C.Grade countries on human development.
D.Lead more people to make money.
3.What do experts advise governments to do for protected areas?
A.Enlarge protected areas.
B.Offer extra money and work with locals.
C.Attract more people to travel there.
D.Allow local people to farm there.
4.What can be the best title for the text?
A.People May Cause Harm to Plants and Animals
B.Local People Should Focus on the Natural Environment
C.Nature Reserves in the World Should Be Increased
D.Nature Reserves May Not Protect Wildlife Safely
For the first time since my open-heart operation, I have the energy to take my harp (竖琴) to the hospital rooms and play for anyone who likes it.
I checked in with two nurses and they gave me a list of rooms. The first man I played for was a patient who found it difficult to sleep. He smiled and with his eyes closed, he reached out to my harp. He was not interested in my voice, but he appreciated the harp. In the next room was a woman patient. I played some soft music for her and then she slept soundly.
Then I found a lovely elderly woman who was awake. There were flowers everywhere and photos of her and her husband at her bedside. She held my hand and talked for some time and was pleased to receive harp music. Playing for her was a special pleasure. She asked me how long I had been playing the harp, how much the harp weighed, how I learned it and why I wanted to learn it and so on.
We talked about books for a bit as well. I played until her grandson came in and he came back from overseas to see her. This woman was deeply loved—you could see that. She was beautiful and kind. I learn so much from these beautiful people who are brave to face their illnesses. It is always such a great honor to play for them.
1.What do we know about the first man mentioned in the text?
A.He disliked the harp.
B.He was not interested in music.
C.He had some difficulty in sleeping.
D.He played some soft music for the author.
2.How did the author feel when playing for the elderly woman?
A.Sad. B.Worried.
C.Amazed. D.Pleased.
3.What did the author say about the elderly woman?
A.She had no relatives. B.She was loved by her family.
C.She would recover soon. D.She had many hobbies.
4.How many patients did the author play the harp for according to the text?
A.Two. B.Five.
C.Four. D.Three.
Canals in Europe
Gascony, France
Much of the canal is lined with trees, making it perfect for bicycle rides along the two banks. The Saint Louis boat is a great choice for this route. It’s specially driven by a woman. Plus, Captain Wendy used to be a designer. Her eye for design is on the boat, from the hand-painted furniture to the little Flower Festival she prepares every morning.
Canal du Midi, France
The Canal du Midi, the most famous of the French canals, was built in the 17th century. It took 12,000 workers 14 years to dig the 150-mile canal. Today, it’s one of the oldest working canals in the world. It offers a truly historical experience, with visits to the Roman ruins and weekly market at Narbonne.
Dutch Waterways, Holland
For those who prefer a quiet place and want to travel on waterways more frequently by tourist boats, the Netherlands is the perfect choice. The Dutch Waterways are often lined with shops and homes, and you will get the chance to see plenty of people going about their lives as you float by. The best time to visit it is spring.
The Caledonian Canal, Britain
It’s perfect for people who would prefer to sit on the boat drinking and watching the loud water go by. Speaking of lakes, the famous Loch Ness is on this route. You’ll also get to look at castles like Cawdor Castle and Eilean Donan, the latter of which appeared in the James film The World Is Not enough.
1.What is special about Gascony?
A.Few men ride bikes there.
B.a boat there is driven by a woman.
C.It is a place used to shoot a famous film.
D.It is the oldest working canal in the world.
2.What can travelers do when touring Canal du Midi?
A.Learn to build ancient boats.
B.Help workers dig the cave.
C.Visit the Roman ruins.
D.Watch lakes in front of Cawdor Castle.
3.Which of the following is best for those who enjoy quietness to travel?
A.Dutch Waterways. B.Canal du Midi.
C.Gascony. D.The Caledonian Canal.
假设你是李华，你在美国的朋友Jack正在学习中文，他给你写信询问中文中的四字成语，请给Jack写一封回信，介绍一个中文中的四字成语。
注意：1. 词数不少于100；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
词汇：four-word Chinese idiom
Dear Jack,
I admire your passion for the Chinese language and I’m more than happy to give you some help.
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
