The pomegranate is one of the oldest known fruits. Pomegranates are found in ancient writings and pictured in the ancient art of many cultures and religions. The pomegranate is also a symbol of health, fertility and long life.
Experts think the pomegranate is native to northern India, Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. Today it also grows in Southeast Asia, the western U.S., Armenia and parts of Africa, among other places.
The skin of a pomegranate is strong. It can be red, purple or orange-yellow. The inside is filled with beautiful dark red seeds that shine like rubies. It is not easy to get them out. But the reward is great.
Health benefits
The pomegranate grows on trees. Parts of the pomegranate tree and fruit are used to make medicine.
The pomegranate is used for many conditions. However, the U.S National Institutes of Health says there is not enough scientific evidence to rate pomegranates as effective for any of them.
Still, in traditional medicine, the pomegranate is used for conditions of the heart and blood vessels, including high blood pressure and "hardening of the arteries."
The jewel-like seeds of the pomegranate are loaded with many nutrients and chemicals called antioxidants(抗氧化剂). These antioxidants remove poisons from the body.
The antioxidants found in pomegranates may help remove build-up of damage in blood vessels. So, it is a very heart-healthy fruit.
Antioxidants slow the progression of age-related sickness and may slow the growth of cancer cells. Men who have prostate cancer may benefit from a daily serving of pomegranate juice.
Pomegranates are used for weight loss and used as a treatment for sore throat. Pomegranates are also high in vitamin K, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron.
Let's just say pomegranates are loaded with great things for the inside of your body.
Beauty benefits
But let's not forget the outside, too!
Pomegranates are great for the skin. They protect the skin by encouraging new skin growth, healing wounds and repairing tissue. Pomegranates protect the skin against sun damage as well. They may help skin look younger by providing moisture and elasticity.
Recipes for pomegranates
But how does one eat a pomegranate?
Pomegranates seeds are both sweet and tart. A thick liquid, or syrup, from the pomegranate tastes great with lamb, pork or chicken dishes.
Pomegranate seeds provide extra flavor to salads and other vegetable dishes. The seeds are also delicious in rice and grain dishes. And, of course pomegranates make great desserts. In the U.S., pomegranate juice is often added to sparkling drinks, drinks called smoothies and alcoholic drinks.
Fresh pomegranates are only available in the United States from September to January. They can keep, or remain good to eat, in the refrigerator for about two months if kept in a plastic bag.
1.Where does the pomegranate not grow?
A. Pakistan B. The northern Asia
C. Afghanistan D. The western U.S.
2.According to Health benefits, we can learn _____.
A. The pomegranate tree and fruit are used to make medicine.
B. It is very effective to use pomegranates for many conditions.
C. Eating pomegranates may help remove build-up of damage in blood vessels.
D. You can’t grow cancer cells if you eat pomegranates.
3.The pomegranate is beneficial to the following body parts EXCEPT .
A. Heart B. Blood vessels C. Skin D. Head
4.The best title of this article is _______.
A. Pomegranate: Best Fruit
B. Pomegranates’ health benefits
C. Pomegranate: Good Recipes
D. Pomegranate: Still Healthy at 5,000 Years Old
Every year on April 1, April Fools’ Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. In France, it’s called Poisson d’Avril or “Fish of April.” In Scotland, the holiday is often called “Gowkie Day.” In Iraq, the holiday is called Kithbet Neesan or “April Lie.”
History experts say people have celebrated April Fools’ Day for a long time. Some believe the tradition comes from the ancient Romans more than two thousand years ago. It was a day of playing games and pretending to be someone else.
Others say the day for fooling began in France in 1564, when King Charles changed the yearly calendar（日历）. He moved New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Many people did not know about the change because of communication problems back then. Some people continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people called them April Fools and played jokes on them.
In the United States, April Fools’ Day is just a day of joking and playing tricks on friends. These kinds of jokes are also called pranks. These jokes typically end in the prankster shouting “April Fools’!”
Simple pranks, like telling a friend a funny lie or making prank phone calls, are still common. But, major companies also get in on April Fools’ Day fun in a much bigger way. A few years ago, on April 1, Starbucks announced it was introducing new coffee cup sizes -- Plenta and Micra. The very large cups, bigger than a human head, remained useful for customers even after finishing all that coffee. According to Starbucks, the cups could be used as a rain hat, a pot for plants, or a lampshade（灯罩）.
It did not take long for customers to catch on to the prank!
More and more, people use social media or smart phone apps（应用程序）to play pranks on their friends on April Fools’ Day. One very annoying smart phone app, Cat Facts, sends funny facts about cats to your friends’ phones, every day.
1.What is not true about “April Fools’ Day”?
A. It has been celebrated for a long time.
B. Its tradition comes from the ancient Romans.
C. French people celebrated it because of not knowing that King Charles changed the yearly calendar.
D. Different countries have different names for it.
2. In the United States, April Fools’ Day is .
A. a day of joking and playing tricks on friends.
B. a day when you can play jokes on any people.
C. a day when people can’t shout “April Fools’!”
D. a day when Starbucks introduced new coffee.
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “pranks”(para4)?
A. friends B. methods
C. jokes D. jokers
“幽默感”被认为是人类最重要的品质之一。请你用英语写一篇短文陈述幽默的好处。要点如下：
1．促进学习；2. 有益健康；3. 缓解压力；4. 增进友谊。
注意：1. 词数：100左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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下面短文中共有10处错误，错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分
Union is strength. Whenever you’re faced with difficulties, and cooperation plays an important part in getting you out of trouble.
There was a time that I was so proud that I overlooked my classmate, refusing to work together with them.Therefore, it was no doubt that I was left alone,suffering from loneliness and failure. Unluckily, a teacher impressed on me the value of cooperation.From then on, I learned to help others and turn to my friends for the help whenever I had difficulty finish a task on my own. Surely cooperation makes a great difference. Now I am getting on well with his friends.
My experience has teach me that only if we place great stress cooperation can we go beyond ourselves. As the saying go, “United we stand; divided we fall.”
Everyone may have a complex and different process of 1. (grow up). There are many 2. (influence)factors in a person's growth and development of his personality.
As for me,what has affected me most in my growth and personality is my family and friends, the two 3. （equal） important factors. As we know, children who 4. (bring up)in a good atmosphere have a better character than those 5. are not. 6. (fortune), I belong to the former. Besides, friends in some ways affect me a lot. 7. we my have many different opinions and personalities, I have really learned something positive from them. In 8. (conclude), I get lots of valuable things from them. My family offers me warmth and cares, 9. my friends give me 10. (strong) and courage. Both of them have influenced me most since I was born.
Two young girls were proud of their beautiful hands. One put them in shining water, and the 1. looked like diamonds dripping (滴下) from them.“What beautiful hands I have！” she said, and then2. her hands for others to admire. They were very soft and white, for she had done 3. but wash them in clear water.
The other girl crushed some flowers in her hands, and they 4. like perfume (香水). “What beautiful hands I have！” she said. Her hands smelled like flowers, 5. she’d never done anything but wash them with 6. every morning.
Another girl nearby didn’t show her hands. She hid them in the 7. of her coat.
An old woman came down the road and 8. before the girls. The first two 9. their hands and asked her whose hands were more beautiful. She10. her head at them and then asked to see the hands of the11. girl.
“Oh, these hands are clean, 12. ,” said the old woman,“but they are hard from 13. .These hands have been helping the girl’s mother and father dry the dishes, sweep the floor, water the garden, 14. for the baby, and show the little brother 15. to build blocks. These hands have been 16. making the house a happy home.” 17. the old woman brought out a ring set (镶嵌) 18. a diamond.“Here, wear this ring, my child. You deserve the 19. for the most beautiful hands that are always the most 20. .”
