Surprising uses for lemons
Lemons are tasty and healthy, but they are simply so much more than for making lemonade. 1.
◇Lemons are used to refresh and clean a cutting board.
With garlic and onions being used widely in cooking, the struggle of washing the unpleasant smell out of a cutting board is something many people can relate to. But not only that, the cutting board can be home to all sorts of harmful bacteria.
2. Cut one in half and press the fruit against the board, wipe hard until the juices flow over the board, wash and enjoy your lemon-fresh cutting board.
◇Lemons are used to unclog a drain（疏通排水管）.
First, several lemons are squeezed for their juices into a cup, then the drain is washed with boiling water before being filled with half a box of baking soda（苏打）. Lemon juice is poured over the baking soda, causing it to bubble. 3.
◇Another part of your kitchen you can clean with lemons is your microwave.
Putting some lemon juice into a cup of water and microwaving for 5 minutes not only loosens up stains in the microwave so they are easily wiped away, but leaves a fresh smell behind.
◇4.
If you are lucky enough to have a dishwasher in your house, you can freshen things up by putting a few lemon slices into your dishwasher.
◇Lemons can be used to create a homemade face scrub（磨砂膏）.
First, you need three tablespoons of olive oil, the juice of a lemon, two tablespoons of honey and half a cup of sugar.5. After the time is up, wash to brighten your skin.
A.Luckily, life has brought us lemons.
B.After 15 minutes, water flows smoothly.
C.Here are some different uses for the fruit.
D.Then combine, apply and leave on the face for 15 minutes.
E.Lemons can get rid of unpleasant smells in the kitchen.
F.Lemons can be put into your dishwasher to freshen things up.
G.Cut a lemon and squeeze it over the rubbish before throwing it away.
You are walking over the tan-colored（棕褐色的）sand of the empty desert when a rattlesnake appears out of the sand in front of you. Luckily it had warned you of its presence. Imagine if that same snake were moved to a green leafy rainforest. The colors that helped the snake blend into（融合）the desert would make it stand out against the green environment.
This just goes to show you that camouflage（保护色）doesn't work everywhere. Let's take a look at one animal species that is famous for changing over time to stay camouflaged: the peppered moth. Moth collectors in England noted that most peppered moths collected in the early 1800s were light gray peppered with bits of black. Many years later most of the moths collected were almost completely black. What could have caused the more common light colored moth to become rare?
During the 1800s, Europe and America experienced the Industrial Revolution. One of the new fuel sources that were heavily used during this time period was coal. As the trees darkened with soot（煤烟）, the light-colored moths were easier to see. They were eaten by birds more and more, while the rare dark colored moths blended in better on the darker trees. This made them have a higher survival rate and thus they were more likely to pass their dark colored genes onto their children. Over time, the dark colored moths became the more common of the two color forms. Natural selection favored the dark moths, so they were more successful after the trees changed.
Sound a little hard to believe? Well, more changes have come about since these conditions started to reverse（转变）, starting in the 1950s. Then, a Clean Air Act was introduced. Since that time, technology and cleaner burning fuels have started to decrease pollution in the areas where the peppered moth lives. The black soot no longer settles on the trees. As expected, the light peppered moth has recently been more common in the population. This is because it is better camouflaged.
1.What do we know about the rattlesnake in a desert?
A.It almost has no enemies.
B.It attacks travelers often.
C.It stands out against the environment.
D.It is good at making its presence unknown.
2.The underlined word "This" in Paragraph 3 refers " "
A.the soot-darkened tree
B.the Industrial Revolution
C.dark-colored moths staying camouflaged
D.light-colored moths facing more enemies
3.What did the Clean Air Act bring about?
A.Damage to local ecology. B.More observations of moths.
C.An increase in the variety of moth species. D.A decrease in the number of dark-colored moths.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.Camouflage in the animal world. B.The battle between two moth species.
C.The influence of the Industrial Revolution. D.An excellent example of environmental adaptation.
For some years，my mother worked for a charity as President and Secretary.Selling raffle tickets(兑奖券) was her main means of bringing in the charity’s muchneeded funds.We girls would accompany her，selling tickets with great success.My father made and donated beautiful wooden toys，jewellery boxes and other lovely items as prizes.
Now my sister was always coming up with “good ideas”，most of which didn’t work out to plan.But that didn’t deter her.She had many just waiting to be tested.When she was eight and I was just five，we had a wonderful idea for a business adventure.We decided we would sell raffle tickets for charity，and that charity was us!
So one afternoon，we told our mother we were going to play in the park with our cousins as we did most days after school.But instead，we walked around the streets armed with a raffle book，a pen and a large cloth bag to carry the money.
We’d accompanied our mother many times when she sold tickets，so people were familiar with us when we appeared at their doors.Despite the blank looks they received when asking about the prizes on offer，they were very generous.Although there were no actual prizes，our mother’s previous track record enabled us to sell nearly the whole book of raffle tickets.
Like a little pair of lottery(彩票) winners，we walked home and proudly showed off our takings.But our enjoyment of this sudden wealth was shortlived，and our plans for spending it quickly failed.Our angry mother took us back to every ticket buyer，making us apologise and give the money back.Thankfully，our sweet neighbours didn’t make a big deal of our “clever” misbehavior and thus my mother’s
fundraising career could continue safely.We were taught a good lesson by our mother that day.Also I remember my sister’s entrepreneurial(企业家的) spirit dried up a bit after that.
1.What did the author’s father do?
A.He got prizes ready. B.He sold handmade items.
C.He was in charge of a charity. D.He helped design raffle tickets.
2.What does the underlined word “deter” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Embarrass. B.Shock.
C.Discourage. D.Mislead.
3.What can be learned about the author and her sister while selling raffle tickets?
A.They ran into their mother.
B.They met some generous strangers.
C.They got lost while walking around the streets.
D.They took advantage of people’s trust in their mother.
4.What lesson did the author and her sister learn?
A.Honesty is the best policy. B.What’s done can’t be undone.
C.Misfortune never comes alone. D.Good advice is beyond all price.
Pumpkins of almost any variety have flesh high in fiber and beta carotene(β-胡萝卜素). But we don't eat the vast majority of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. Instead, we, of course, carve faces into them, light them and perhaps leave them to sit outside for days. And then we threw them. But could we be eating more pumpkins?
The Howden pumpkin-the most common variety for decorative uses-has been produced for its size, shape, color and having a handle-like stem for easy carrying, according to Katie Kammler, gardening specialist with the University of Missouri Extension. “If it was my choice, carved pumpkins are not what I'd want to eat,” Kammler says. Instead, she'd prefer one of the smaller and sweeter varieties-like the jack-be-little, Hubbard or kabocha, which have been selected over time for taste.
“You could puree(把……研成糊状) your pumpkin,” she tells The Salt by email. “If you go that route, I'd recommend using the puree for baking; sugar and spices will go a long way in improving the taste.”
Now, admittedly, eating your Halloween pumpkin this way means not carving it. So what if you have already carved it?
We asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whether they recommended eating Halloween pumpkins. Spokeswoman Lauren Sucher said, “They may have been left outside for days and exposed to dirt and insects, and possibly wax and smoke. But we recommend that consumers who want to use their pumpkins for food set aside some parts, such as pumpkin seeds, and roast them soon after carving.”
But this doesn't mean after Halloween there aren't better things to do with your pumpkin than putting it in landfills(垃圾填埋地). Kammler says those in good condition make great farm animal feed.
Another suggestion from Chef Dan Barber. “Donate your pumpkin to compost(堆肥) at your local farmers' market. So if it doesn't feed us at least it's helping crops grow.”
1.What do we learn about the Howden pumpkin?
A.It is most suitable for Halloween. B.It is mainly used for food products.
C.It is more delicious than the jack-be-little. D.It is Kammler's favorite variety of pumpkin.
2.What does Kammler mainly tell The Salt?
A.How to puree your pumpkin. B.How to eat Halloween pumpkins.
C.How to cook uncarved pumpkins. D.How to improve the taste of pumpkins.
3.What is the FDA's attitude to eating carved Halloween pumpkins?
A.Disapproving. B.Dissatisfied.
C.Uncertain. D.Uncaring.
4.What should we do to deal with unwanted pumpkins according to the text?
A.Eat those in good condition. B.Bury them under the ground.
C.Sell them at local farmers' market. D.Give them to farms to improve soil.
Guide to what's worth watching
I Feel Bad
Don't let the depressing name of the show mislead you. Based on the novel I Feel Bad: All Day. Every Day. About Everything, this new half-hour situation comedy finds humor in the endless small failings of its heroine—a working mom in her 40s who depends on her parents for child-care help when she escapes her chaotic family life to manage an all-male team of much younger video-game developers. Sarayu Blue stars. Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 10 pm., NBC.
Dead Lucky
Among plenty of imported police crime dramas, Dead Lucky has one major edge: It has Rachel Griffiths as its lead. The Golden Globe-winning Australian actress plays a moody but gifted detective whose pursuit追捕）of a killer leads into comers of Sydney new to most American viewers. That, and co-star Brooke Satchwell, might be enough. Thursday, Sept 20, Sundance Now.
Art in the Twenty-First Century
Do you suffer from dandruff-like（如同有头屑一样的）symptoms when faced with contemporary art? The series that's long been a cure for such head-scratching returns with new episodes that will focus on innovative创新的）artists in Johannesburg, Berlin, and the San Francisco Bay Area, and on how place shapes the artists* work Friday, Sept 21, at 9 pm., PBS.
Maniac
Psychological dark comedies seem to be trending this fail. In this 10-part series, Emma Stoneand Jonah Hill co-star as unhappy strangers who develop a deep connection when they both volunteer for a drug trial. Saturday, Sept. 22, Netflix.
1.What can be learned about the program that is aired on NBC?
A.It is an amusing B.It is based on a true story
C.It is popular among children. D.It is a Golden Globe-winning series.
2.Which Program would you recommend to someone interested in detective stories?
A.Maniac. B.I Feel Bad.
C.Dead Lucky. D.Art in the Twenty-First Century.
3.On which day can you see a series about artists?
A.Saturday, Sept. 22. B.Friday, Sept. 21.
C.Thursday, Sept. 20. D.Wednesday, Sept. 19.
阅读下面短文, 根据所给情节进行续写, 使之构成一个完整的故事。
It was late spring When my mom and I were driving through the countryside. Back then I was 13 years old and always felt unhappy with Mom. However, little did I know that this trip was going to be a special one.
A pot of flowers sat in her back seat, whose pleasant smell filled the car . Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, my mom pulled over. “What are you doing? “I cried, fearing that the car had broken down and we’d be stuck there, so far from home. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. My mom hopped out of the car, grabbing the flowers from the back seat. “It’ll just be a minute, ”she called back through the open windows.
Impatiently, I cast my eyes towards the edge of the road before they settled on a little sign showing that it was a nursing home. I looked back to the building, somewhat annoyed, as my mom reappeared empty-handed.
Before she started the car, curiosity drove me to ask, “Do you know someone there?” She shook her head. “Then what did you do with the flowers?” She smiled slightly, “I gave them to the receptionist（前台接待员）. ”“What？”She laughed at my confusion. “I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them, especially those who haven’t received any in a while. ”
I kept silent for a moment. Not long after we went on with our driving, I spoke again, “Did you leave your name? “To this she answered instantly, “No. Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good, which is enough of a thank for me. ”
Suddenly, still thinking about Mom’s deeds, I heard something burst loudly. It was our car that broke down! Nothing could be worse, because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it, and we didn’t know where the garage was. It also seemed impossible to wait for any passerby, since we had seen so few along the way.
注意：1. 所续写的短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段, 每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后, 请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1
I let out a sigh while my Mum rooted herself against the car worrying about what could be done. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
As we drove along, a flower shop came into sight on the road. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
