Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers it could happen if we don’t act soon.
There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage—chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.
Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn or rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.
To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.
First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.
To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Centre are combining the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, there is now hope!
1.The first paragraph tells us that______.
A.chocolate is healthier than vegetables
B.the world could soon be without chocolate
C.people love vegetables more than chocolate
D.it’s not necessary to eat so much chocolate
2.In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?
A.Venezuela and Indonesia. B.Ivory Coast and Ghana.
C.Indonesia and China. D.China and India.
3.Cocoa farmers are choosing to grow rubber and corn because these crops______.
A.can make them more money
B.need less rain to grow
C.can be planted more times each year
D.are not damaged by plant diseases
4.How long does it take scientists at the Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?
A.6 months. B.12 months. C.24 months. D.30 months.
5.What is one of the purposes of the Cocoa Control Centre?
A.To introduce cocoa production to more countries.
B.To provide more chocolate for British people.
C.To produce stronger types of cocoa plants.
D.To make sure that cocoa is healthy to eat.
Yesterday, I met a delightful woman at a work event. As we talked, she talked about her childhood in Manila, Philippines. She spoke about the way her culture values their elders, and she explained that children are educated from the time of birth to honor and respect people older than themselves.
It was refreshing (使振作) to hear that, and I enjoyed listening and learning. Here is the memory she shared that I found, so beautiful:
When she was growing up, her father had three jobs to care for his family. She said her dad never complained, and though he worked very hard, he always had time for them. One day, her father was injured at his full-time job. For several months, he was mailed temporary (暂时的) disability checks(支票) while he recovered.
When her father was able to return to his full-time job, he took all those disability checks that were sent to him while he was recovering and handed them back to the company. He told them that he had two good legs and arms, and did not need this money. He told them to give the money to people who could not work, to people who really needed it.
The woman telling the story was a little girl at that time. She had accompanied her father that very day when he went back to his company with all those unopened checks.
"My father is my hero," she remarked. Lowering her voice, she said she would never forget what he did, and what an inspiration and influential mentor he was on how to live life. From my communication with her, it was very obvious that her father's same sweet spirit had been passed down to this woman, and to her family.
Hearing this story was so refreshing to my soul. I hope it is the same to you too.
1.When the woman was talking about her childhood, the writer was probably ___________.
A.sad and moved B.surprised and angry
C.annoyed and disappointed D.interested and joyful
2.What is implied about the woman's father when she was little?
A.He had little time to care for his family. B.He didn't think work was hard.
C.He did three very dangerous jobs to support the family. D.He thought it was important to spend time with his family.
3.The woman's father took the temporary disability checks back to his company because___________.
A.he felt he was looked down upon
B.he wasn't satisfied with the amount
C.he thought others needed them more than him
D.he felt sorry that he had hurt himself by accident
4.What did the writer find after talking with the woman?
A.The woman didn't know how hard life was.
B.The woman missed her father very much.
C.The woman's father influenced her in a good way.
D.The woman didn't think her father made the right decision.
5.By writing the story, the writer ___________.
A.tries to tell us what we can learn from our parents
B.hopes we can get encouraged by good deeds
C.shows respect for real heroes in our lives
D.wants to ask us to value our family
Students decide to take a job while being in university because of two reasons: on the one hand, they need money; on the other hand, they want to experience something new and they want to see what working means. It is a good chance to know about the society and realize the importance of working with others.
But is it good to take a job while you are a university student? If we were to think about the advantages, we could mention the ones I have just discussed. Having a job at an early age helps us gain experience, which will be very useful to our later life. We may become financially independent and don’t need to ask our parents for money each time we want to go downtown with our friends, or spend the holiday at the seaside or in the mountains.
However, students who take a job might have problems in spending enough time on their study. If they work during the day, they may have to be absent from their classes, and if they work at night they will feel tired the next day. They may choose to stay at home, resting. What’s worse, some students may even get bored with study.
Well, this fact happens every now and then, but there are cases when well-prepared students take a part-time job but at the same time they make time for study, too. And they have good results. Their case is a good example to follow among the students who decide to work while being in university. Anyway, we need to keep in mind that study is the most important job for a student.
1.The author believes that some college students work ______.
A.for further education B.for pleasure
C.to support their family D.to get experience
2.According to the passage, college students who take a job can ______.
A.make more friends B.prepare them for their future careers
C.win free journeys D.have complete independence from their family
3.Taking a job may cause a student to ______.
A.be absent from their exams B.lose their interest in their studies
C.be in conflict with their roommates D.receive punishment from their teachers
4.The author implies(暗示) that college students ______.
A.had better take a part-time job during vacation B.should not take a job
C.should keep a balance between work and study D.should learn by doing
5.From the passage, we can know that taking a job during university years ______.
A.is much like a coin with two sides B.is much like a cake with fruit in it
C.has more negative influences D.has more positive influences
Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs. Most people know that all the other birds do as well. But have you ever thought about other animals that lay eggs? They include bees, snakes and some sea animals.
When a mother lays eggs, many more babies can be born at once, or in a few days, because there is very little development inside the parent. Animals that do not lay eggs often have fewer babies. Animals lay many eggs because other animals may eat the babies. However, even though some of their babies are eaten, they will still have some more to continue their family.
Some animals that lay eggs do not take care of their young. Turtles come onto the beach and dig holes. Then they put their eggs in the sand and leave. A turtle mother can lay as many as 150 eggs. When the babies come out of the eggs, they must find their own way to the ocean. They must learn how to live on their own. Many young turtles get eaten by other animals.
Most eggs have an outside shell that keeps the growing animal inside safe. The egg shell also keeps the young animal from drying out. After the animal is fully developed, it comes out of the egg.
The animal grows bigger and bigger. Then it can have its own young.
1.Which animals lay eggs?
① snakes ② turtles ③ camels ④ bees ⑤ chickens
A.①③④⑤ B.①②③⑤ C.①②④⑤ D.②③④⑤
2.Why do animals lay many eggs?
A.Because other animals may eat their babies.
B.Because they use their eggs for food.
C.Because they want to have fewer babies.
D.Because they want to eat their babies.
3.What do we know about turtles?
A.They don’t look after their babies. B.Baby turtles hate their mother.
C.Other animals can’t eat turtle babies. D.Turtle babies can’t take care of themselves.
4.Egg shells can be used to______.
A.make eggs more beautiful B.make eggs more tasty
C.let the young animals dry D.protect the young animals
5.The passage is probably from___________.
A.a newspaper B.a science book C.a sports magazine D.a story book
完形填空（共10小题； 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1~10各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Kierman was born in Sydney, Australia, and grew up near the sea. For more than 40 years, he raced in international sailing competitions.
In 1987, Kierman was competing in an around-the-world race when he began to_______the huge amount of rubbish in the world’s oceans. When he returned to Australia, he_______to do something about it.
He organized a community_______called “Clean Up Sydney Harbour.” On Sunday, January 8, 1989, more than 40,000 volunteers came out to_______away rubbish. The next year, Kierman made the clean-up a national event. It was a huge_______. Across Australia, about 300,000 people spent the day improving their local_______
Since then, “Clean Up Australia” has got_______every year. In 2002, for example,800,000 people cleaned up almost 15,000 tons of rubbish from Australia’s beaches, parks and streets.
Kierman was_______with the success of his project. In 2003, he started an even bigger program. With the_______of the United Nations Environment Program, he introduced “Clean Up the World”, an international program that supports communities around the world in cleaning up and protecting the environment. “Clean Up the World” has grown________and his wonderful idea has now spread from one city to the whole world.
1.A.save B.collect C.notice D.produce
2.A.refused B.decided C.pretended D.stopped
3.A.law B.party C.company D.event
4.A.clear B.send C.turn D.give
5.A.problem B.success C.surprise D.failure
6.A.culture B.project C.government D.environment
7.A.older B.smaller C.bigger D.faster
8.A.happy B.angry C.disappointed D.concerned
9.A.need B.help C.hope D.action
10.A.loudly B.gently C.rapidly D.busily
I don’t feel like ______ such a long trip. I’d like ____ with my mother at home.
A.to make; to stay B.making; staying C.to make; staying D.making; to stay
