We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient(配料) in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too. Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.
1.It was ________that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.
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A．The workers in the chocolate factory |
B．The Spaniards |
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C．The people in England |
D．The owner of a chocolate factory |
2.According to the passage which of the following statements is true?
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A．Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century. |
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B．The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word. |
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C．The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them. |
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D．Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste. |
3.The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because________
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A．it was strong and bitter. |
B．it was good for digestion. |
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C．it cured man’s diseases. |
D．it was a kind of drink for good health. |
4.Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.
b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.
c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.
d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.
e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.
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A．a-b-c-d-e |
B．c-d-e-b-a |
C．c-d-a-b-e |
D．c-d-b-e-a |
5.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
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A．chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar |
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B．Mexicans like chocolate very much |
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C．chocolate is a product of the cacao tree |
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D．people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk |
阅读下面的短文，并根据文章后的题目要求回答76-80小题。
Tibet lies high in the mountains, where there are few trees for fuel and the ground is too hard to dig a grave. Therefore, for centuries, one of the most common ways for Tibetans to dispose of dead bodies has been by sky burials. Basically, this means allowing vultures（秃鹰）to eat the corpses.
In many cultures, allowing animals to eat the bodies of relatives would show a lack of respect for them. But Tibetan views on dead bodies are different. Tibetans believe that the body is simply a container for the spirit, and it is only the spirit that is important.
After a Tibetan dies, the body is not touched for three days. The spirit is allowed to leave peacefully. Lengthy prayers are said for the spirit, and then the body is taken for sky burial.
Sky burials take place outside temples, with monks in attendance. People might travel for days with the dead to reach an auspicious（吉利的）temple. In the whole of Tibet there are only three temples that are considered particularly auspicious.
The burial itself takes place quickly, with little ceremony. First the body is stripped naked and placed on holy stones. It is then cut into small pieces and the bones are broken. When everything has been made easy to digest, the monks say prayers for the deceased and move back. Vultures flock to the remains, and within a short time, there is nothing left.
Tibetans believe that ___________________ the body will be returned to the mountains and the spirit will be allowed to fly free.
1.What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 5 words.)
___________________________________________________________________________
2.Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Only three temples are considered very auspicious throughout the Tibet.
_______________________________________________________________________________
3.Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please answer within 10 words.)
___________________________________________________________________________
4.Do you agree with this kind of burial? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)
___________________________________________________________________________
5.Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
___________________________________________________________________________
Most Americans believe that someone isn’t grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.
The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions to grown-up status to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.
“There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions,” said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage.
1.According to the first paragraph, someone is a grown-up when he _______.
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A．has found a full-time job |
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B．has finished his study in university |
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C．can make money and support himself after completing his education |
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D．can support a family and be financially independent after graduation |
2.A young man of 24 may be busy ________.
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A．finding a job |
B．finding a girl friend |
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C．making money |
D．preparing for his wedding |
3.The underlined word “status” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.
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A．position |
B．rank |
C．level |
D．situation |
4.From the passage, we learn that _________.
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A．being grown-up is just a matter of age |
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B．being grown-up is a process which takes some time |
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C．all people think completing education means being grown-up |
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D．the survey found everyone had a different view about being grown-up |
5.The best title for the passage should be “________”
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A．It takes a long time to grown up. |
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B．Are we grown-up yet? |
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C．Getting married means being grown-up. |
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D．Completing education means being grown-up. |
From their beginnings New England towns had a special democratic system of government. At a stated time all the citizens would assemble at a town meeting, where they would discuss local problems and express opinions freely. They also elected the town’s officials at these gatherings and made decisions about the taxes they would pay and about other community matters. These meetings were usually held at the town hall, which was located in the central square.
In the eighteenth-century town meetings, only men who owned property and who were church members actually voted, although everyone present was allowed to express their opinions. Later, all citizens were allowed to vote. Thus the town meeting became truly democratic. Town meetings are still common in New England communities.
In recent years the town meeting idea has been widely imitated. There are open sessions of this kind on radio and television. Occasionally a meeting of this type is called by a government agency in order to give an opportunity for free and open discussion on current problems and policies.
1.At a town meeting, people do the following things EXCEPT __________.
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A．express their opinions about the government |
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B．elect officials of the towns |
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C．make a decision about whom they should marry |
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D．discuss some community matters |
2.In the 18th century, who had the right to vote?
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A．All the citizens. |
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B．All the men except those who were church members. |
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C．The rich. |
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D．The rich men and the church members. |
3.Why has the town meeting been widely imitated?
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A．Because many people are interested in it. |
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B．Because it is very democratic. |
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C．Because many people enjoy themselves at town meetings. |
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D．Because sometimes government agencies call them. |
4.According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
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A．Citizens can elect the officials in the town meeting. |
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B．In recent years, town meetings are often called by a government agency. |
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C．People can say what they want to say at the town meeting. |
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D．Nowadays this kind of meeting is also held on radio and television. |
5.This passage mainly talks about _______.
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A．the New England town meeting |
B．modern town meetings |
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C．a democratic meeting |
D．New England towns |
Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.
Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality; sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.
The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, and our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.
1.If a person has his nose in the air, he ____.
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A．is down to the earth |
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B．is easy to deal with |
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C．always thinks he is more important than others |
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D．is confident |
2.If a person has both feet on the ground, he ____.
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A．is in touch with reality, and doesn’t have any dreams |
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B．has some dreams but he is realistic |
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C．is honest, open and easy to deal with |
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D．is honest, open but hard to deal with |
3.From the second paragraph, we know that sharp words from a teacher can usually ________.
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A．help a student get down to the earth |
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B．wake a student up |
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C．help a daydreaming student come down to the ground |
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D．help a daydreaming student to become more realistic |
4.The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true.” most probably means that ______.
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A．the person who has his nose in the air is not true |
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B．a man with his head in the clouds is often not intelligent |
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C．the opposite direction is always wrong |
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D．a person who has both feet on the ground may not be down-to-earth |
5.From the passage, we can infer the person who is _______ is the most popular kind of person.
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A．down-to-earth |
B．standing on the ground |
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C．with his nose in the air |
D．with his head in the clouds |
The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities.
Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, and no one speaks. In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers.” Needless to say, he was not being serious. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspected.
In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc, often accompanied by appropriate gesture. The Englishman is somewhat different. Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less. This is reflected in his use of language. Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl. A more emotional man might describe her state “Oh, she is a goddess”, whereas an Englishman might just say “Oh, she’s all right.” An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends it to a friend by commenting, “It’s not bad you know”, or on seeing some very unusual scenery he might convey (表达) his pleasure by saying, “Nice, yes, very nice.” The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement. Instead, he must realize that “all right,” “not bad,” and “nice,” very often have the sense of “first-class,” “excellent,” “beautiful”. This unique style of language use is particularly common in England, and is known as restrained statement.
1.According to the passage, the English are different from other nationalities in _______.
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A．habits |
B．attitudes |
C．character |
D．all of the above |
2.The underlined word “restrained” in the second paragraph probably means “ ”.
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A．calm and controlled |
B．polite and friendly |
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C．nervous and quiet |
D．silent and kind |
3.In Britain, if you don’t want other people to think you are strange, you’d better _________.
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A．talk with others as much as possible |
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B．behave just like the English do |
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C．say nothing about yourself |
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D．shake hands with everyone you meet |
4.If an Englishman says “all right”, it may mean “________”.
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A．not bad |
B．correct |
C．quite right |
D．wonderful |
5.From the passage, we can infer that an Englishman _________.
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A．doesn’t like to show his feelings so much |
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B．has less emotion than people of other nationalities |
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C．finds it easy to express his emotion |
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D．likes to have a joke with strangers |
