Nowadays, the food that you buy comes from many different countries. Have a look in your fridge, and fruit bowl and check the origins(来源) of the food. Perhaps there are apples from California, lamb from New Zealand, or potatoes from Egypt. You will probably be surprised how far food travels to get to your plate. This journey, from “field to plate”, is called “food miles”. A food mile is the distance that food travels from the farmer’s field to the person who buys the food. Nowadays, food often travels thousands of miles to get to the consumer(消费者). Why is this, and what are the effects of these long distances?
Traditionally, farmers sold their food in the local market so the food didn’t have to travel very far. The consumers also did not travel very far, because they went to their local market to buy the food. This was a good system for farmers and consumers. However, there were some disadvantages. For example, consumers could only buy food that farmers produced locally. In addition, they could only get food that was in season. Now, because of modern technology, food comes from all over the world. We do not have to wait for spring or summer to buy strawberries or tomatoes. They are available in winter if we want.
Some countries have got most of their food from other countries. This is because they have difficult climates(气候). The United Arab Emirates(UAE), for example, gets 85% of its food from other countries. Even food made in the UAE often uses materials(原料) from other countries.
What’s wrong with “food miles”? Is this not a good way of increasing international trade? I believe these miles are worrying for a number of reasons. First of all, because food travels such long distances, we need more planes, trains, and ships to move the food. This means we use more oil, so there is more pollution and more global (全球的)warming. What’s more, food that travels a long way is not fresh and usually not very tasty. Tomatoes, for example, are picked early and kept for their long journey. For this reason, they are usually tasteless when they get to the consumer. Local food has a better taste, and it also reduces the amount of global pollution.
1.What is called “food miles” according to this passage?
A.The origins of the food. B.The journey from field to plate.
C.The effects of long distances. D.The food from local markets.
2.The underlined word “available” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “________”.
A.impossible to get B.not busy C.not tasty D.easy to get
3.The writer uses the last paragraph mostly to encourage readers to________.
A.buy more local food B.increase international trade
C.travel long distances D.use materials from other countries
4.This passage is mainly about________.
A.how local food travels from field to plate B.what “food miles” is and its effects
C.what is a good system for farmers and consumers D.where different kinds of food come from
You can’t play, walk, skate or ride a bike on the railroad（铁路）. There are many places where the railroad tracks(轨道) cross roads or streets. Many of these railroad crossings are marked with one of the signs in the table below.
| This sign means you are coming to a railroad crossing. Always look both sides and listen carefully to make sure a train is not coming from either direction before crossing the tracks. |
| Many railroad crossings have a gate with flashing(闪光的) lights. The gate will close when a train is coming. ● NEVER go around a closed railroad gate. ● NEVER try to get across the tracks before the train gets there. |
| Some railroad crossings which don’t have gates may have this sign. When the lights are flashing, a train is coming. You should wait until the train passes before trying to cross the tracks. |
Be careful when crossing railroad tracks:
● Railroad tracks are uneven(凹凸不平的). You should not bicycle, skate or run when crossing tracks.
● Trains are very large and heavy, and take a long time to stop.
● Sometimes when a train has just passed from one direction, another train may be coming from the opposite direction. You might not notice the second train because of the noise from the first train.
1.When you see the first sign, you should________.
A.not pass the railroad tracks B.stop to wait for a train to pass
C.make sure no train is coming before you cross the tracks D.pass the railroad tracks at once
2.Where can you see the third sign?
A.On the railroad tracks. B.At the train stations.
C.At railroad crossings that have gates. D.At railroad crossings that have no gates.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.It takes a short time for a train to stop.
B.We might not notice the second train because it travels smoothly and silently.
C.It’s safe to keep away from a closed railroad gate.
D.We should cross the tracks immediately after a train has just passed.
At the age of 5, Nicholas Lowinger visited a homeless shelter(庇护所) with his mom. While being there, he wanted to show off his new shoes. However, with his mom’s guidance, he realized this would not be a good idea. That is because when he looked around, many of the kids did not have shoes or had shoes that were worn out(破烂的).
Nicholas then learned that some of the kids shared their shoes with the member of their family and missed school because another family member was wearing the shoes that day. He noticed that some children had wounds (伤口) on their feet because of wearing shoes that were not the right size. Nicholas then started giving away his used shoes and clothes to the homeless.
A few years later, when it came to perform a service project for his company. Nicholas knew exactly what he wanted to do. It was when his charity (慈善), Gotta Have Sole Foundation, was born.
His charity focuses on providing new shoes for homeless kids to give them something that not only fits them, but is truly theirs. Since he began, his charity has provided new shoes for over 45,000 children in homeless shelters in 38 states across the USA!
Nicholas recently started a new program called Serving Love, which provides sports shoes for poor children so that they can take part in the sport they like.
1.What does the underlined word “this” refer to?
A.Nicholas gave away his new shoes to the kids in the homeless shelter.
B.Nicholas wanted to show off his new shoes in the homeless shelter.
C.Nicholas stayed in the homeless shelter when he was just 5 years old.
D.Nicholas visited a homeless shelter with his mom.
2.Nicholas’ charity focuses on________.
A.inviting more people to join his charity B.providing new shoes for homeless kids
C.helping homeless kids find new homes D.providing food for homeless kids
3.Which is NOT true about Nicholas?
A.He once performed a service project for his company.
B.He has helped over 45,000 homeless children in 38 states across the USA.
C.He started Serving Love to provide sports shoes for poor children.
D.He once had foot wounds for wearing shoes that were not the right size.
Knowing that I failed in entering into the national IT competition I’d applied for(申请), I just sat in the car, lost in thought, and looking outside.
I went home alone and went upstairs, feeling so _____________________. Grandpa’s door was open for me as usual. There, my grandpa was waiting for my arrival with great excitement. I stood silently, forcing a _____________________to cover my sadness. He seemed to _____________________me immediately, giving me a long hug. I was surprised that such a thin body was full of so much energy. Suddenly, I cried. I told him that all my efforts were for _____________________, and that I was feeling so discouraged (气馁的). Grandpa smiled at me___________________and said, “Don’t worry. You’re much stronger than you think.” Then he added, “_______________the way to success can be full of setbacks(挫折) sometimes, life can be full of success. So what we need do is to still have our__________________, forgetting the difficulty that makes us easy to give up. We would succeed some day.” The next day, I ___________________all my problems and worked out a plan. Now, I believe that _________________a positive (积极的) attitude towards failure, I’ll finally reach my goals.
Looking back, I realize that we should share our setbacks and progress in life with our loved ones. As my grandpa showed, the ______________of our family members will benefit (使受益) us forever.
1.A.excited B.happy C.sad D.angry
2.A.smile B.tear C.shout D.pride
3.A.understand B.help C.accept D.beat
4.A.something B.anything C.nothing D.everything
5.A.tightly B.gently C.properly D.exactly
6.A.If B.Until C.Although D.Whatever
7.A.secrets B.habits C.hopes D.inventions
8.A.turned on B.thought about C.turned into D.cared for
9.A.on B.in C.for D.with
10.A.support B.interest C.hate D.happiness
— Hi, Ken. Did Linda tell you________?
—By creating an ad.
A.where she pushed her product B.where did she push her product
C.how did she push her product D.how she pushed her product
The mouse________the meat. The cat has to eat the potato instead of meat.
A.steals B.will steal C.are stealing D.has stolen
