Is It Worth Buying Organic Food? Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is increasingly popular nowadays. Consumers have been willing to pay up to twice more for goods with organic labels (商标). However, if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious and safer product, you might want to save your money. A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren't necessarily more nutritious, and they're no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria, either.
The latest results, published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine, suggest that buyers may be wasting their money. "We did not find strong evidence that organic food is more nutritious or healthier," says Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler from Stanford. "So consumers shouldn't assume that one type of food has a lower risk or is safer."
For their new study, Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories of research, including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products, and 223 studies that analyzed the nutritional content of the foods, including key vitamins, minerals and fats.
While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content, they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces. Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards. And both organic and traditional meats, such as chicken and pork, were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates. The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, these nutritional differences were too small, and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.
Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices, but that doesn't always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste." Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed as organic.
1.The new research questions whether organic food __________.
A.should replace traditional food B.has been overpriced by farmers
C.is grown with less harmful chemicals D.is really more nutritious and healthier
2.Smith-Spangler and her colleagues found that __________.
A.organic food could reduce the risk of heart disease
B.traditional food was grown with more natural methods
C.both organic and traditional food they examined were safe
D.there was not a presence of any forms of bacteria in organic food
3.Which of the following is relatively healthier according to the passage?
A.Organic chicken and pork. B.Organic milk and chicken.
C.Traditional chicken and pork. D.Traditional fruit and vegetables.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward organic food?
A.Sceptical B.Neutral
C.Unconcerned D.Approving
Australia and New Zealand’s health organizations have given their advice on when to use sunscreen (防晒霜), suggesting Australians apply it every day to avoid bad health effects.
A Sunscreen Summit took place in the Australian State of Queensland. During the summit, representatives from some of Australia’s leading research, medical and public health organizations examined the evidence on sunscreen use the determined that in most parts of the country it is beneficial to apply sunscreen every day.
“Up until now, public health organizations have recommended applying sunscreen ahead of planned outdoor activities but haven’t recommended applying it every day as part of a morning routine (惯例),” professor Rachel Neale from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute said. “In recent years, it has become clear that the DNA damage causes skin cancer and melanoma (黑色素瘤), which is caused by repeated small exposure to sunlight over a period of time,” Neale said. “In Australia, we get a lot of sun exposure from everyday activities such as walking to the bus stop or train station,” Neale said.
A study showed that one in two Australians believed it was unhealthy and potentially dangerous to use sunscreen every day. However, Terry Slevin from the Public Health Association of Australia says it is wrong. “There is consistent and compelling evidence that sunscreens are safe,” Slevin said. “Importantly, medical trials have found that people who use sunscreen daily have the same levels of vitamin D as those who don’t,” Slevin added.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, which is made worse by the country’s close to Antarctica where there is a hole in the ozone layer (臭氧层), letting in higher numbers of UV rays.
1.What made Australian health organizations advise Australians to use sunscreen?
A.The makers of sunscreen.
B.Australian government.
C.The Sunscreen Summit.
D.New Zealand’s researchers.
2.What is not recommended before the Sunscreen Summit?
A.Using sunscreen as a morning routine.
B.Using sunscreen before outdoor activities.
C.Reducing the use of sunscreen.
D.Reducing outdoor activities.
3.What is the misunderstanding of many Australians?
A.Sunscreen will never take effect.
B.Sunscreen is bad for people’s health.
C.People using sunscreen have the same levels of vitamin.
D.D. People using sunscreen won’t have skin cancer.
4.Which of the following best explains “compelling” underlined in paragraph 4?
A.Interesting. B.Disappointing.
C.Boring. D.Convincing.
When bicycle-sharing company oBike pulled out of Singapore abruptly last year, it left the city with unattended bicycles everywhere. Myanmar businessman Mike Than Tun Win saw the perfect opportunity to turn trash (垃圾) into treasure. “What if these bicycles could be distributed to poor students in villages so they can cycle to school?” he thought.
Mr Than, 33, grew up in Mandalay, where he used to walk to school as a student. While traveling through rural (乡村的) areas in Myanmar over the last few years he saw things had not changed. Long lines of children in rural villages continue to walk 30 minutes to an hour just to get to school. “I thought if we could just reduce the time they take, they could spend more time studying, gain more knowledge and increase their chances of getting out of poverty (贫困),” he said.
With that, he started a movement called Lesswalk with the intention of buying bicycles from bike-sharing firms oBike and ofo-which have stopped operations in Singapore — and shipping them to Yangon. He would renew the bicycles before distributing them to teenagers and families living in rural villages in Myanmar, beginning with villages in Mandalay and Sagaing areas.
Over the last three months, the businessman has bought 10,000 bicycles in Singapore and Malaysia. He paid for 5,000 of the bicycles out of his own pocket, with other sponsors paying for the rest.
Mr Than plans to modify (修改) the bicycles so that they can better suit the needs of the children in villages, most of the time they ride around with their little brothers and sisters. I’m planning to add an extra seat at the back so that they can go to school together,” he said. He also plans to remove the digital locks and give each a new one that works better in villages.
Including the cost of shipping, modification and distribution, Mr Than thinks each bicycle might cost him around US $35 to US $40. “I might have to spend more money, but it is better that these bicycles are going to help some people rather than going to waste,” he said.
1.What's the author’s main purpose of writing the first two paragraphs?
A.To show Myanmar’ s hard rural life.
B.To explain how to turn trash into treasure.
C.To call on more people to follow Mr Than.
D.To state the background of starting Lesswalk.
2.How does Mr Than plan to adapt the bicycles?
A.By painting them in a colorful way.
B.By adding a bright light to each of them.
C.By adding two extra seats to each of them.
D.By changing the digital locks into new ones.
3.What can we infer from Mr Than’s words in the last paragraph?
A.He has a high opinion of himself.
B.He feels regret about what he has done.
C.He is a man with strong social responsibility.
D.He has decided to keep on working with oBike.
4.What's the best title for the text?
A.More unattended bicycles are attracting big attention
B.Bicycle-sharing companies are forced to leave Singapore
C.Rural villages in Myanmar are sponsored out of poverty
D.Businessman donates recycled bicycles to poor students
Contact CCA’s Special Programs to learn more about our wide range of credit and noncredit opportunities for academic and personal development.
Summer Program
Exceptional 4-week program for students currently completing their study of high school. Earn 3 college credits!
Our setting is CCA’s Oakland campus, where studio-focused, college-level courses help you push beyond concepts to portfolio (作品集)-ready pieces. On-campus Housing & Scholarships available!
Summer courses
CCA offers about 35 for-credit degree courses each summer, scheduled on the San Francisco and Oakland campuses.
Undergraduate and graduate students can work with a visiting artist, develop skills and stay on track for graduation by earning credits ... all while still allowing time to visit family, work, travel, etc.
For information about summer housing, please contact the Office of Residential Life at 510594722 or housing@ cca. edu.
Summer Start
Summer Start is a six-week program designed specifically for international undergraduate and graduate students. This is a for-credit program; students receive six credits towards their degree. During the program, you must live on CCA’s San Francisco campus.
Tuition includes six units of discounted graduate college credit, which will include books, field trip expenses and one-on-one tutoring. Housing fees include six weeks at CCA’s San Francisco Panoramic Residence.
Company-Customized Programs
CCA’s Office of Special Programs can design customized workshops to develop andstrengthen employee skills within your company. Customized programs have included:
* An Ideation Sketching class, for the design team of a national clothing retailer, scheduled Friday afternoons on San Francisco campus.
* Software-specific workshops, for designers from a national paper products and gifts retailer, scheduled in a two-day workshop format during the week on our Oakland campus.
1.Who can apply for Summer Program?
A.Undergraduate students.
B.International students.
C.High school students.
D.College students.
2.What can students do if they take summer courses?
A.Get some credits.
B.Visit famous artists.
C.Make some friends.
D.Go on a field trip.
3.What does Summer Start require students to do?
A.Live on one of the campuses.
B.Pay school fees in advance.
C.Read as many books as possible.
D.Complete the courses on time.
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。
Once upon a time, there was an old man who couldn’t read or write. When he was little, his family was so poor that he couldn’t attend school. But he always dreamed of being able to read.
One day, he took his seven-year-old grandson to school.
Since he didn’t have anything to do that day, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he stood outside his grandson’s classroom and looked in through the window.
The kids’ teacher, who was an old man in his fifties, entered the classroom when the class began. The teacher was wearing thick glasses. He started teaching. Through watching him, the old man found something interesting. He noticed that the teacher could read nothing without putting his glasses on. As soon as he put on his glasses, he could read very well.
“How amazing!” said the old man to himself.
He waited outside the classroom until the class was over and stopped the teacher.
“Excuse me, sir,” said the old man to the teacher.
“Yes?” said the teacher.
“I noticed something amazing. You can’t read without the glasses, right?” said the old man.
“Yes, that’s true. I can read nothing without them,” replied the teacher.
“But you can read once you put them on, can’t you?” asked the old man.
“Yes, that’s true, too,” replied the teacher, wondering why the old man was asking such strange questions.
The teacher looked at the old man, who left in a hurry with a big smile on his face.
The old man, who was extremely happy, decided to go to town to find an eyeglasses store. After being unable to read so many years, he finally found an easy way to read, which cheered him up. He realized what he needed to read was just a pair of glasses.
“I can finally read,” said the old man to himself when walking to the town.
Finally, the man arrived at the town. He looked around and soon found a store with glasses in it. The man happily entered the store.
注意：
1. 所续写短文的词数应为150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:
After the old man entered the store, the store owner greeted him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
The store owner, thinking the old man didn’t like that pair, picked another pair for him.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假如你是张文，你的美国笔友Jack—家人要来扬州度暑假，特别来信询问特色旅游的情况。请你给他回复一封电子邮件。内容包括：
1. 推荐地点；
2. 推荐理由。
注意：1.词数80左右；2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
