British potato farmers were taking to the streets to call for the expression "couch potato" to be taken away from the dictionary on the grounds that it harms the vegetable's image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) to replace the expression with the term "couch slouch", with protests planned outside parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press. Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 growers and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
"We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad to you," she said Monday.
"The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary's fault but we want to use another term than couch potato because potatoes are naturally healthy."
The OED says "couch potato" originated as American slang, meaning "a person who spends leisure time passively or idly sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes."
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said "dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses."
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words contained in 20 volumes. But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words, then they are taken out of the smaller dictionaries”, he added. “The first known recorded use of the expression ‘couch potato’ was in a 1979 Log Angeles Times article,” Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.
1.British potato farmers were taking to the streets _____.
A．to advertise their production
B．to call for a higher price for t heir potatoes
C．to remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary
D．to let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives
2.The farmers think that .
A．potatoes have had a bad imagine
B．potatoes are good for people by nature
C．potatoes sometimes do harm to people
D．it's the dictionary's fault to use the expression "couch potato"
3.John Simpson thinks that ___ .
A．the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary
B．dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses
C．little used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries
D．it is impossible to take the word out of the dictionary
4.What is wrong with the expression "couch potato"?
A．It is connected with unfavorable meaning．
B．Potato should be used in the expression．
C．It is borrowed from American English．
D．It refers to a kind of person．
Positive thinkers admit when they feel frustrated（受挫折的） or depressed, they don't ignore it．But they don't blame themselves either．Instead, they try to understand the negative thoughts and feelings and counter（反击） them with more positive ones．
So how do you stay positive, maintain motivated and sustain(保持) healthy behaviors? Here are some tips:
Look for a good role model．There is always someone who seems to be doing just what you want to be doing．Maybe they've scheduled exercise into their workday and switched from coffee to green tea．Learn from a successful friend, family member or colleague．Ask them how they keep healthy and follow in their footsteps．
Try some positive self-talk and avoid negative-talk．Take a minute to give yourself an ego boost．Repeat some motivational words out loud to yourself．Negative talk such as "I can't do it," "I'm fat," is dangerous for your well-being and healthy goals．Try to avoid the negative self-talk before it harms you．Remind yourself that you deserve happiness and can make positive changes．
Get support．Tell your friends and family about your healthy habits．It helps to have an encouraging network．
Reward yourself．Treat yourself to something for your healthy efforts．Take a nice bath, get a massage, and enjoy a new DVD or CD．
Have a plan．Making a plan to exercise or eat healthy lunches with a friend can mean the difference of sticking with your goals or falling off track．If you've planned for an activity, you'll likely stick with it．You may even find that writing down your goals and steps to achieve them can help you stay on track．Take it day by day or week by week．The process of writing down your personal action plan is a good way to keep you honest and watch your progress or failures．
1.By writing the text the author intends to _______．
A．offer some advice on how to stay positive
B．persuade readers to learn from a role model
C．provide some solutions to personal problems
D．inform readers of some tips on physical health
2.What does the phrase “to give yourself an ego boost” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A．to get lost in deep thought． B．to think about the hardships．
C．to check what mistake you made． D．to make you feel better about yourself．
3.Which of the following would the author Not agree to?
A．Saying some positive words to yourself helps you to feel good．
B．By staying with your companion you can avoid the negative-talk．
C．A successful friend, relative or colleague can be your role model．
D．Creating a helpful network is a good way to keep you motivated．
4.To make sure that you always stay on track, what should you do?
A．Eat out with your best friends． B．Relax yourself after a hard day．
C．Write down what you want to achieve D．Modify your plans as often as you can．
In 1988 , Mary Andersen was at the Miami airport checking in for a flight to Norway to be with her husband when she was told she wouldn't be able to check her luggage without paying a $ 100 surcharge （超载）．
Mary had no money as her new husband had left for Norway and she had no one else to call．
"I was completely desperate and tried to think which of my things I could manage without．" says Mary．
As tears ran down her face, a voice behind her said, "That's okay, I'll pay for her．"
Rather surprised, Mary turned around to see a tall man whom she had never seen before．He had a gentle and kind voice mat was firm and decisive．
Although this happened twenty years ago, Mary still remembers the authority that radiated （发出）from the man, Mary was pleased to bring her luggage to Norway and told the stranger she would give his money back．The man wrote his name and address on a piece of paper he gave to Mary．She thanked him repeatedly When she finally walked off towards the boarding gate, he waved goodbye to her．
That man turned out to be Barack Obama．
Mary paid the money back to Obama the day she joined her husband．At that time he had just finished his job as a poorly paid community worker in Chicago, and had started his law studies at Harvard University.
In the spring of 2006 Mary’s parents heard Obama was considering a run for president. They wrote a letter saying that they would support him. At the same time, they thanked Obama for helping their daughter 18 years earlier.
And Obama replied, “ I want to thank you for the lovely things you wrote about me and for reminding me of what happened at Miami airport. I’m happy I could help her then, and I’m delighted to hear that your daughter is happy in Norway. Please send her my best wishes. Sincerely, Barack Obama , United States Senator.”
1.Why did Mary feel completely desperate?
A．She had missed the only flight to Norway．
B．Her new husband abandoned her suddenly．
C．She didn't have the money to buy a ticket．
D．She had no money to pay for the surcharge．
2.How did Mary feel when someone offered to help her"?
A ．Amazed． B．Puzzled． C．Delighted． D．Annoyed．
3.Mary asked the stranger to leave his name and address____,
A．in order to contact him later B．so that she could repay him
C．because impressed her deeply D．because she fell in love with him
4.What’s the passage mainly about?
A．A letter from Barack Obama．
B．Mary's parents support Obama．
C．Obama helped a stranger about 20 years ago．
D．Mary was lucky to get help at the airport．
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My father enjoys bike riding．Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved going biking with my dad．31, as I became a teenager, other things began to draw my 2．It was important to do things with friends 3．I saw my dad every evening at home．Why did I have to 4my Sundays to all-day bike trips with him , too? If my indifference（冷漠） hurt him, my father kept 5, but he would always let me know when he was planning a bike trip 6I wanted to come．
It was a Sunday morning, and I was in low 7．Two of my friends had gone to the movies without inviting me．Just then my father 8my room．“It’s a beautiful day．Want to go for a 9today, Beck?” “Leave me alone! ” I impatiently 10．Those were the last words I said to him before he left the house that 11．
Several hours later, the police called us, 12us that Dad had a traffic accident．My father’s injuries were serious．It took several days before he could 13speak．Beside his bed I held his hand gently, 14of hurting him．
“Daddy … I’m sorry …”
“It’s OK, sweetheart．I’ll be OK．”
“No,” I said, “I 15what I said to you that day．You know, that morning?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t 16anything about that day, not before, during or after the accident．I remember kissing you goodnight the night before, though．” He 17a weak smile．
I felt regretful for my thoughtless remark, for I 18wanted him to leave me alone．My teacher once told me that 19have immeasurable power．They can hurt or they can heal．And we all have the 20to choose our words．I intend to do that very carefully from now on．
1.A．There fore B．Instead C．Besides D．However
2.A．attention B．sight C．effort D．energy
3.A．once again B．all of a sudden C．in time D．on one hand
4.A．start B．save C．devote D．waste
5.A．silent B．busy C．asleep D．awake
6.A．unless B．in case C．so that D．as if
7.A．spirits B．conditions C．emotions D．hopes
8.A．left B．checked C．entered D．knocked
9.A．ride B．walk C．picnic D．game
10.A．whispered B．warned C．announced D．shouted
11.A．moment B, morning C．afternoon D．evening
12.A．convincing B．reminding C．informing D．phoning
13.A．eventually B．generally C．strictly D．broadly
14.A．tired B．afraid C．aware D．sorry
15.A．discuss B．think C．care D．mean
16.A．hate B． forget C．remember D．like
17.A．got B．expressed C．exchanged D．managed
18.A．often B．never C．even D．once
19.A．apologies B．promises C．smiles D．words
20.A．experience B．honor C．power D．desire
—Everyone has periods in their lives everything seems very hard.
A．when B．where C．which D．that
—Is he coming?
—I'm not sure．He may be late or,____, he may not come at all．
A．at present B．at least C．worse still D．for a while
