Is It Worth Buying Organic Food? Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is increasingly popular nowadays. Consumers have been willing to pay up to twice more for goods with organic labels (商标). However, if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious and safer product, you might want to save your money. A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren't necessarily more nutritious, and they're no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria, either.
The latest results, published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine, suggest that buyers may be wasting their money. "We did not find strong evidence that organic food is more nutritious or healthier," says Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler from Stanford. "So consumers shouldn't assume that one type of food has a lower risk or is safer."
For their new study, Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories of research, including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products, and 223 studies that analyzed the nutritional content of the foods, including key vitamins, minerals and fats.
While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content, they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces. Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards. And both organic and traditional meats, such as chicken and pork, were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates. The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, these nutritional differences were too small, and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.
Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices, but that doesn't always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste." Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed as organic.
1.The new research questions whether organic food __________.
A.should replace traditional food B.has been overpriced by farmers
C.is grown with less harmful chemicals D.is really more nutritious and healthier
2.Smith-Spangler and her colleagues found that __________.
A.organic food could reduce the risk of heart disease
B.traditional food was grown with more natural methods
C.both organic and traditional food they examined were safe
D.there was not a presence of any forms of bacteria in organic food
3.Which of the following is relatively healthier according to the passage?
A.Organic chicken and pork. B.Organic milk and chicken.
C.Traditional chicken and pork. D.Traditional fruit and vegetables.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward organic food?
A.Sceptical B.Neutral
C.Unconcerned D.Approving
I’ve spent over a year in India, and in those 365 plus days, I’ve learned a lot about getting around Indian cities.My biggest lessons have been learned through being cheated, particularly by taxi and rickshaw (人力车) drivers, but that doesn’t mean those are bad ways to travel, as long as you know what you’re doing.Below are the best ways to get around the city of Delhi, India, and tips for how to keep from being the victim of scams (欺骗).
Taking taxis is a great way to get around the city of Delhi and chances are, if you arrive in Delhi by plane, as soon as you make it through customs, you’ll be swarmed by Indian taxi drivers.At the Delhi airport, be sure to arrange for a taxi to your hotel at one of the two Delhi Traffic Police Taxi Booths.One is inside the airport, and one is outside.The key is to make sure to go to a booth run by the police, rather than by independent taxi drivers.
Rickshaws are one of my favorite ways to get around Indian cities, in part because it’s how the locals often travel.Autorickshaws are more common, but bicycle rickshaws are still used in Old Delhi.If you do have a chance to take a bicycle rickshaw, you should do it at least once for a unique experience that should only set you back about 15 rupees.Autorickshaw rates around Delhi range between 30 and 80 rupees, depending on distance.
If you really want to travel around Delhi like the locals, take a public bus.Indian buses become very crowded and most do not have air conditioning.They are, however, very cheap.A bus trip won’t set you back any more than 15 rupees, as long as you stay within the city limits.Since Indian buses get so crowded, try to board the bus at the start of the route so you can get a seat.
The train is a great way to get around within the city of Delhi.Fares are reasonable, between six and 22 rupees.All departure announcements are in both Hindi and English, and tokens can be purchased for between 6 and 22 rupees.
1.To avoid being cheated, you ought to if you want to take a taxi at the Delhi airport.
A.pay more to the drivers to keep safe B.show your ticket to the driver
C.go to a policerun booth D.go out of the airport
2.The author suggests taking a rickshaw in order to .
A.save some money B.enjoy the comfortable trip
C.gain a unique experience D.help the local rickshaw drivers
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A.You won’t have to pay much if you travel around by bus in India.
B.It will be difficult for you to get a seat if you get on the bus halfway.
C.A rickshaw driver only charges whatever amount you give him.
D.You’ll have to speak English if you travel around in India.
4.Which may be the topic that follows?
A.Hotel recommendations in Delhi. B.Weather conditions in Delhi.
C.Food and drink in Delhi. D.Car rentals in Delhi.
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions, but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as members of another culture, but it does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressiveness permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to conclude about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.
1.The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ________.
A.show friendliness to strangers
B.be used to hide true feelings
C.be used in the wrong places
D.show personal habits
2.What should we do before attempting to “read” people?
A.Learn about their relations with others.
B.Understand their cultural backgrounds.
C.Find out about their past experience.
D.Figure out what they will do next.
3.What would be the best title for the test?
A.Cultural Differences
B.Smiles and Relationships
C.Facial Expressiveness
D.Habits and Emotions
Earth's next superpower
The following countries have been sitting on hidden talents. And now they're about to fly.
NIGERIA (尼日利亚)
Nigeria says it pumps out as much oil as the other two oil-producing countries,Kuwait and Iraq. All this oil is cycling cash into the Nigerian economy and creating extremely rich businessmen. Analysts say that if Nigeria can improve its schools and technology，it could balloon into the world's 13th largest economy by 2050，right between Turkey and Italy. If that reason is not enough for optimism，Nigeria's president also has the sunniest name of any world leader: Goodluck Jonathan.
VIETNAM
As agriculture has given way to industry，unemployment in Vietnam has dropped. What's Vietnam's trick? It's ready to work. Other countries' laborers aren't as cheap as they used to be，which makes Vietnam a relative bargain for companies that need new factories abroad. However，the country has almost no railroads，its highways are in poor condition，and its largest city has just one airport，which was built before the Vietnam War. So what's the use of producing export-ready goods if there's no convenient way to ship them? The good thing is that，however，officials are widening highways，building a new airport and so on.
CHILE (智利)
Pipes，computers，motors，and your microwave all have one thing in common: They're made with copper (铜). Copper makes the world go round. And luckily for Chile， it's got about a third of the planet's copper supply. It just needs a way to dig it up and the government is pouring money into the country's mines.
1.Which country will Nigeria be expected to follow in respect of economy by 2050?
A.Kuwait. B.Iraq.
C.Turkey. D.Italy.
2.What's the problem Vietnam is facing?
A.It doesn't have money to build new factories.
B.Its people don't have enough food to eat.
C.It is suffering from the Vietnam War.
D.Its transport system is very poor.
3.What will Chile depend on to get developed?
A.High tech.
B.Natural resources.
C.Investments from other countries.
D.The government's good administration.
4.Which of the following is the best title of the text?
A.Countries with a lot of money B.Developed countries
C.Countries in great need of money D.Countries about to take off
假定你是学生会主席李华,你校将举办主题为“祖国颂”的庆祝建国70周年文艺演出,你将邀请你的英国朋友Joe观看这场演出。请你写封邮件向他介绍有关情况,内容包括：
1．举办的时间和地点;
2．活动的目的;
3．活动的内容。
注意：
1．词数100左右;
2．可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3．参考词汇：祖国颂Ode to Our Motherland;周年纪念日anniversary.
Dear Joe,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
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。
China and Western country may have different cultural beliefs about certain animals. But when it comes to pigs, we somehow reach an agreement that pigs are lazy, ugly, stupidly and shameless. Neither of these words describing pigs are exactly positive. Moreover, the truth is what pigs have some good qualities. And there’s probably no good time to clear their names than now, with the arrival of the Year of the Pig on Chinese Spring Festival, which fell February 5 this year. According to a paper publishing in 2017, pigs can tell between those who treat them well or those who don’t. Perhaps these are the qualities of pigs to keep it in mind—their intelligence, cuteness and patience.
