Many cultures around the world have a grain that is not grown or even known outside its home area. Now, a staple grain native to Ethiopia, teff, is appearing on grocery shelves in America.
Teff has been an important part of the Ethiopian diet for thousands of years. Like rice and wheat, it is a cereal grass. Teff is known for its fine grain and used mainly to make flour. Teff flour is the key ingredient in injera, the large, spongy pancakes that make up a large portion of the Ethiopian diet.
Teff was introduced to the United States by a man named Wayne Carlson, who learned about teff while doing public health work in Africa in the mid-1970s. "I came to know teff because I was eating it all the time and hosted by teff farmers. " he said. In the late 70s, Carlson returned to the U. S. , married and settled in southwest Idaho. Then he came up with an idea to introduce teff grass to his home state. " Geologically, it is very similar to Ethiopia."
Wayne and his wife Elisabeth are not farmers, nor do they want to be. So they convinced actual farmers in Idaho to grow teff on contract for them. The Carlsons milled it themselves.
Wayne went through the Washington, D. C. telephone book and looked for the names that were Ethiopian. And that is how the business slowly grew. Over time, the Teff Company has outgrown four different mills.
Rich Roseberg is a food researcher at Oregon State University. He says teff production has exploded over the past decade in the U. S. He says most teff grown in the U. S. is fed to farm animals. In Idaho, however, where the Carlsons are based, Roseberg believes more of the teff production is for human food. Teff contains lots of calcium, iron, protein and fiber. Roseberg credits Wayne Carlson for being ahead of his time.
1.How do the Ethiopians mainly use teff?
A.By eating the cereal grass. B.By using the flour made from it.
C.By adding the plant into injera. D.By mixing it with rice and wheat.
2.According to Wayne, why is it possible for teff to grow well in Idaho?
A.Idaho is located close to Ethiopia.
B.Teff is easy to survive on its own.
C.Idaho has geographic features similar to Ethiopia.
D.Teff was originally introduced to Ethiopia from Idaho.
3.What can we infer from Paragraph 5?
A.Wayne's teff did not sell well at first.
B.Wayne's teff was sold only to Ethiopians.
C.Wayne sent teff to his Ethiopian friends.
D.Wayne lost control of his Teff Company.
4.What is Rich Roseberg's attitude to Wayne introducing teff into America?
A.Worried. B.Disapproving.
C.Favorable. D.Pessimistic.
Many people have heard the story of Nessie, Scotland’s Loch Ness monster. Yet, have you ever heard of an ice monster in the American state of Alaska?
An ice monster is what many people thought they were seeing when a federal government agency published a strange-looking video. The Bureau of Land Management put the video on its Facebook page.
The pictures were taken in Alaska, the northernmost part of the United States. While winter has yet to officially begin, weather conditions there already are very cold.
In the video, a fish with ice on its back appears to be swimming. The video was only 20 seconds long. But it was enough to get people wondering what they saw.
One person said it showed a shark that lost its way. Someone else thought the video was a prank designed to cheat people. He said the Bureau of Land Management wanted to bring attention to its Facebook page. Other people asked if the video was edited in some way, removing some images or adding others. Perhaps, they reasoned, the bureau was trying to frighten people around the celebration of Halloween. Some people said the ice monster was a large fish: a sturgeon(鲟). Someone even suggested the creature was a crocodile. But such an animal could not survive in Alaska, where it does not get very hot, even in summer. Some readers said it was ice moving in the river current, or ice that was frozen to a rope or some other object.
On October 31, the Bureau of Land Management published an update. It agreed with some of the people who commented on the original piece. An expert from the Department of Fish and Game told the bureau the picture looked “really cool”, but it was probably just ice stuck to a rope. The ice caused the rope to float and move in the river’s current.
Even though the mystery seems to be solved, some people do not seem persuaded. Others are still wishing it was a “real” monster.
1.What is the author’s main purpose in asking the question in Paragraph 1 ?
A.To encourage readers to answer it.
B.To open a discussion among readers.
C.To arouse people’s interest in Nessie.
D.To introduce the topic of the passage.
2.What does the underlined word " prank” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?
A.Puzzle. B.Dream.
C.Trick. D.Advertisement.
3.The monster couldn’t be a crocodile because .
A.a crocodile can’t swim so quickly B.the temperature is too low in Alaska
C.a crocodile only moves in summer D.it doesn’t look like a crocodile at all
4.According to the expert, what is the ice monster most likely to be?
A.A shark losing its way. B.A large fish: a sturgeon.
C.A sea creature like Nessie. D.A piece of ice frozen to a rope.
Getting around in Australia
You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. Following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.
Air
Flying is the best way to cover large distances in a short time. You can spend more time on the Australia's can’t-miss landscapes and relaxing lifestyle. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.
Drive
Australia has a vast network of well-maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. You have no difficulty finding car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.
Bus
Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning ,reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.
Rail
Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australians size and variety, all from the comfort of your carriage. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.
Ferry
The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Sea Jink ferries connect South Australia and Kangaroo Island several times a day. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities.
Walk
With easy — on — the — feet pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities.
Besides all of above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia — impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.
1.If you have only 5 days and want to visit Australia's famous attractions that are far away from each other, which way of travelling best suits you?
A.By air. B.By car. C.By bus. D.On foot.
2.Ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania usually runs .
A.only during rush hours B.at night hours
C.several times a day D.in summer
3.Which of the following is TRUE about travelling in Australia?
A.More travelers make the flying fees among airlines higher than before.
B.You can easily rent a car to explore its most beautiful touring routes.
C.Taking a bus tour is the most comfortable, economical and efficient way.
D.Train services can offer you more comfort than any other means of transport.
假定你是红星中学高三学生李华，你们学校本学期举行“德智体美劳全面发展”的系列主题活动，请根据 以下图的先后顺序，给学校英语报刊投稿，记述活动过程。
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假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Tom参加“汉语桥（Chinese Bridge）”世界大学生中文比赛，获得赛区一等奖进入决赛，现在准备决赛当中的中华才艺展示环节，来信向你咨询，请你给他回信，内容如下：
1.表示祝贺；
2.推荐一项中华才艺展示内容及理由；
注意：词数不少于50；
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Compulsory citywide garbage sorting began in Beijing in April, aided by new guidelines for residents and the start of a three-month inspection campaign to monitor enforcement. The strict garbage sorting rules require residents to classify their domestic trash into four different categories: kitchen waste, recyclables, hazardous waste and other waste. 1.
Communities and villages across the capital must set up four different colored trash bins. 2. To help residents better classify their domestic trash, four supporting measures would specify the management standards and implementation procedures for classifying garbage. For example, a guideline released in April advised residents to have two trash bins and one garbage bag at home to make the separation of different kinds of waste more convenient.
3. The inspection, lasting until the end of July, will focus on mixed waste and its dumping and transport. Meanwhile, the city's market supervision authorities will begin a three-month crackdown on the illegal use and sale of plastic bags.
Under the newly revised domestic waste regulation, supermarkets, shopping malls and trade markets may no longer use super thin or free plastic bags. 4.
By the end of March, there were 44 domestic waste treatment facilities in Beijing, capable of handling 32,711 metric tons of trash a day, the capital's urban management authorities said. The capital collected 10.11 million tons of household waste last year.
Some residential communities in Beijing have introduced incentives（激励）to encourage residents to sort their garbage. 5. Some communities had explored new ways of reusing kitchen waste as fertilizer for the residents' rooftop garden.
A.Law enforcement agencies will launch a three-month inspection to monitor compliance with compulsory trash sorting.
B.Those who fail to sort their garbage properly could face fines of up to 200 yuan （$28）.
C.The community acquired a trash treatment machine last year that can recycle some kitchen waste to produce organic soil in 24 hours as fertilizer for potted plants.
D.Restaurants and hotels must stop offering disposable items unless customers request them.
E.Residents can earn points by classifying their domestic waste correctly and then exchange the points they accumulate for daily necessities such as napkins and soap.
F.The treatment facility makes residents more familiar with the processing of garbage and spur their enthusiasm for trash sorting.
G.Green bins will be for kitchen waste, blue ones for recyclables, red for hazardous waste and gray for other waste.
