Every day, about one-quarter of American adults eat at fast-food restaurants. Cheap, tasty, and convenient, fast food is rich in fat and calories, and it’s low in fiber and nutrients. Thanks in large part to fast food, half of America’s adults and one-quarter of its children are fat, double the rate of a generation ago. In the past two decades, eating habits have changed as people pay more attention to their health. However, many Americans continue to eat red meat (beef in particular) as well as pork, chicken and other foods. Although beer and wine are popular in most areas, many Americans abstain from alcohol, because they think they will become healthier without drinking it. Various kinds of mineral water are commonly available.
Eating styles and habits vary between people of different backgrounds, but Americans generally eat with the fork in the hand with which they write. A knife is used for cutting and spreading; otherwise, it is laid on the plate or table. Fast foods, such as chips, fried chicken, hamburgers, and pizza, tend to be eaten with the fingers. There is an obvious difference between what people may do at home or in a fast-food restaurant, and how they act in a more formal restaurant. Because both parents often work outside the home, some Americans are less likely to sit down as a family to eat once the children are older and able to prepare their own food or serve themselves.
【小题1】How many adults became fat after eating fast foods a generation ago?

Honesty comes in many forms. First there’s self-honesty. Is what people see the real article or do you appear through smoke and mirrors? I find that if I try to be something I’m not. I feel unsure of myself and take out a part from my PBA(personal bank account). I love how singer Judy Garland put it. “Always be a first-class version(版本) of yourself, instead of a second-class version of somebody else. ” Then there’s honesty in our actions. Are you honest at school, with your parents, and with your boss? If you’ve ever been dishonest, I think we all have, try being honest, and notice how whole it makes you feel. Remember, you can’t do wrong and feel right. This story by Jeff is a good example of that
In my second year of study, there were three kids in my math class who didn’t do well. I was really good at it. I would charge them three dollars for each test that I helped them pass. I’d write on a little piece of paper all the right answers, and hand them off. At first I felt like I was making money, kind of a nice job. I wasn’t thinking about how it could hurt all of us. After a while I realized I shouldn’t do that any more, because I wasn’t really helping them. They weren’t learning anything, and it would only get harder down the road. Cheating certainly wasn’t helping me.
It takes courage to be honest when people all around you are getting away with cheating on tests, lying to their parents, and stealing at work. But, remember, every act of honesty is a deposit(储蓄) into your PBA and will build strength.
【小题1】The underlined part “appear through smoke and mirrors” in the FIRST paragraph means________.

"Look, it's Baldy!" A boy shouted in my direction across the playground. Even though I was used to regular insults(侮辱) because of the   11  on my head, it was   12  horrible to hear. I sighed as I headed back to the class.

When I was just 20 months old, I suffered serious   13  after a bowl full of hot oil fell on my head. I was   14  to hospital and had to stay there for weeks while the doctors   15  to save my life. "Holly's very   16  to be alive," they told Mum and Dad. "But she'll be   17  with scars on her head, and of course her hair won't grow there."

As a child, I cared much about my scars, so I   18  wore a scarf to cover them up when I left home.   19  I didn't, people would call me horrible names like Baldy. Although my friends were always comforting me, they never   20  understood how it felt.

Then through the hospital I was   21  to a children's burns camp, where children like me can get any help. There, I   22  14-year-old Stephanie, whose burns are a lot more serious than mine. But she is so   23  that she never lets anyone put her down. "You shouldn't   24  what people say about what you look like because we're not different from anyone else, Holly," she   25  me. "And you don't need to wear a scarf because you look great   26  it!" For the first time in my life I could speak to someone who'd been through something   27 . So weeks later, at my 13th birthday party,   28  by her bravery, I gave up my scarf and showed off my scars. It felt amazing not having to   29  away behind my scarf.

Now, I am   30  of what I look like and much happier, because I have realized it is your personality（个性）that decides who you truly are.

1.                A．hat            B．scarf           C．scars D．cuts

2.                A．still            B．just            C．never    D．seldom

3.                A．hunger         B．cold           C．defeats   D．burns

4.                A．rushed         B．led            C．invited   D．forced

5.                A．learned        B．fought          C．returned  D．decided

6.                A．happy          B．lucky           C．lonely    D．poor

7.                A．pressed        B．occupied        C．left  D．painted

8.                A．possibly        B．usually         C．finally    D．nearly

9.                A．Although       B．Since           C．If    D．Before

10.               A．correctly       B．roughly         C．easily D．really

11.               A．promoted       B．introduced      C．reported  D．carried

12.               A．met           B．recognized      C．remembered   D．caught

13.               A．honest         B．strong          C．active D．young

14.               A．write down      B．agree with      C．pass on    D．listen to

15.               A．promised       B．encouraged     C．ordered   D．calmed

16.               A．in             B．for            C．without   D．beyond

17.               A．similar         B．strange         C．hard  D．important

18.               A．allowed        B．required        C．guided    D．inspired

19.               A．hide           B．give           C．keep D．put

20.               A．sick           B．aware          C．tired  D．proud

There are about fifteen hundred languages in the world. But  21  a few of them are very  22 . English is one of these. Many, many people use it, not only in England and the U.S.A., but in other parts of the world. About 200,000,000 speak it as their own language. It is difficult to say how many people are learning it as a   23  language. Many millions are   24  to do so.
Is it easy or difficult to learn English? Different people may have different   25  . Have you ever   26  ads of this kind in the newspapers or magazines? “Learn English in six weeks, or your   27 back.”.“Easy and funny! Our records and tapes   28   you master(掌握) your English in a month.  29  the first day your   30  will be excellent. Just send us ... ” Of course, it never  31  quite like this.
The only language that seems easy to learn is the mother tongue. We should   32  that we all learned our own language well when we were  33 . If we could learn English in the same way, it would not seem so difficult.   34   what a small child does. He listens to what people say. He tries what he hears. When he is using the language, talking in it,  35  in it all the time. Just imagine how much  36  that gets!
So it is  37  to say that learning English is easy, because a good command of English  38   upon a lot of practice. And practice needs great effort and   39   much time. Good teachers, records, tapes, books, and dictionaries will   40 . But they cannot do the student's work for him.

If you have to miss a meal a day, which meal will cause you fewest health problems if you don’t eat it? If you have to make a decision of this type, most people (especially very busy people) will choose to skip breakfast.
However, many experts in the field of health consider breakfast ( the meal which “break” you “fast” ) to be the most important t meal of the day. If we eat a good breakfast, they say, we will have the energy and nutrients (营养) we need to begin our working day with vigor(活力) and stay hopeful with good honor. However, many people skip breakfast or substitute a cup of coffee for a well balanced meal. What happens if we ignore the importance of breakfast?
One recent study conducted in the United States tested a large number of people. Participants included both males and females who ranged in age from 12 to 83. The results showed that if a person eats an adequate breakfast, he or she will work more efficiently and more productively than if he or she skips breakfast or eats a very poor breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person’s work involves mental(脑力的) activities. The study showed that if school-children eat fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, they will learn more quickly and will be able to concentrate (集中)on their lessons for a longer period of time than if their breakfast is inadequate.
The study also showed that contrary to what people believe, if you skip breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry if they skip breakfast that they eat too much for lunch and end up gaining weight instead of losing. So remember, if you want to lose weight, skipping breakfast will not help you. You will likely lose more weight if you decrease your other meals.
【小题1】According to experts, breakfast is the most important meal of the day because _____.