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?

A．12.5% of them	B．25% of them
C．50% of them	D．75% of them

【小题2】American have changed their eating habits in the past twenty years because ______.

A．they want to keep healthy

B．economy develops faster

C．they have different backgrounds

D．they have to work outside

【小题3】The underlined phrase “abstain from” in Para. 1 probably means ______.

A．feel like

B．get close to

C．suffer from

D．get rid of

【小题4】We can infer from the passage ______.

A．some fast foods aren’ t eaten with tools in America

B．Americans always eat fried chicken with a knife

C．Americans prefer to eat outside than at home

D．Americans always go home having meals as a family

【小题5】Which would be the best title of the passage?

A．Fast foods in the US.

B．Various cultures of the US.

C．Diet and eating in America.

D．Changes about Americans eating.

All of them try to use the power of the workstation ___ information in a more effective way.

A. presenting

B. presented

C. being presented

D. to present

 

E

Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity(好奇). Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a chlassroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary(薪水) and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “now that we’ve finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”

After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper(蚱蜢) eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”

This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.

Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, dults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical(符合逻辑的), complete and creative answers.

Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior(行为). But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.

Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target(目标) for your disagreement.

Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass(放大镜), and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates(蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.

57. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is ________.

A. to let them see the world around             B. to share the children’s curiosity

C. to explain difficult phrases about science      D. to supply the children with lab equipment

58. In the last sentece of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by “________”.

A. any questions                            B. any problems

C. questions from textbooks                   D. any number of questions

59. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ________.

A. ask them to answer quickly              B. wait for one or two seconds after a question

C. tell them to answer the next day         D. wait at least for three seconds after a question

60. The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity except that adults should ________.

A. tell their children stories instead of reciting(背诵) facts

B. offer their children chances to see things for themselves

C. be patient enough when their children answer questions

D. encourage their children to ask questions of their own

 

Officials in the Midwestern U. S. town of Joplin, Missouri, say the death from Sundays’ big tornado reaches 116 and that search efforts continue for possible survivors trapped in rubble (碎石). Search and rescue teams are conducting their third sweep through the nearly 10 kilometer – long and one – kilometer wide area of destruction left by the tornado. They are working as quickly as possible while weather conditions remain relatively stable. More storms are forecast for the area.
Joplin Fire Chief Mitch Randles said there are areas with large piles of rubble that might hold survivors. “We are still finding individuals. We did rescue seven individuals from underneath rubble yesterday and, of course, we are also finding dead folks as well.” Said more folks and that is why we are doing these searches. We want to make every opportunity that we can to find everybody that is in the rubble and that has survived to this point.”
Randles said the current sweep involves a slower pace that previous searches and that he plans a fourth search, possibly on Wednesday, using specially trained dogs. “We are searching every structure that has been damaged or destroyed in a more in-depth manner, “he said.” I have dogs and dog handlers coming from all over the country do help us in that effort.”
Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr said the Red Cross and other volunteer organizations are helping people who were left homeless by the tornado and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is on hand to help. “Joplin is a great city. We have suffered a great loss, “said Rohr.” We will recover and we will recover strongly and we have a lot of help and a lot of volunteers to make that easier.”
The tornado that struck Joplin was classified by the Natioonal Weather Service as an F – 4, with winds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. It lasted only 20 minutes, but it killed more that 100 people, injured more than 400 others, and destroyed or heavily damaged some 2,000 homes, businesses, churches and a hospital. Authorities have registered more than 1,700 calls about missing people and they hope to resolvemost of those cases soon, as victims are identified and survivors come forth and reunite with loved ones.
This was the worst tornado to strike the United States in 60 years. It was the latest in a wave of violent storms that have swept Midwestern and southern states in recent weeks, leaving more than 300 people dead an causing more than $2 billion dollars in damage.
【小题1】What kind of disaster (灾害)of this article is talking about?

A．tornado

B．earthquake

C．flood

D．drought

【小题2】The best headline for this newspaper article would be          .

A．Difficulties in the Rescue

B．The Great Loss Brought by the Tornado

C．Search for Survivors After the Disaster

D．Worst Tornado in the USA

【小题3】The word “resolve” in Para 5 probably means         .

A．cover

B．settle

C．overcome

D．challenge

【小题4】The number of death caused by the tornado that struck Joplin reached more than       .

A．100

B．300

C．400

D．1,700

【小题5】From the text, it can be inferred that           .

A．many victims might be under the ruins

B．it was impossible to find out survivors

C．the tornado lasted several weeks

D．the bad weather influenced the rescue greatly

There is a boy called Bill in my gym class who has unbearably yellow teeth that almost make everyone feel unpleasant．Recently another boy told Bill that he should "go Ajax" his teeth．Bill was crushed．If the other boy had been thinking, he would have realized that there is a better way to handle such a situation．He could have dealt with it with tact．He could have showed this hurtful truth in a more careful, sensitive way—that's "tact"．
If a person isn't sensitive to another's feelings, there is no way he or she can be tactful．Yesterday, my 5-year-old brother proudly announced that he had cleaned the screen on our television set．Unfortunately, he used furniture polish, which produced an oily film on the television screen．My mother smiled arid thanked him for his efforts—and then showed how to clean the screen properly．Her sensitivity enables my brother to keep his self-respect．Yet, sensitivity alone does not make tact．
"Tactfulness" also requires "truthfulness"．Doctors, for example must be truthful．If a patient has just been disabled in an accident, a tactful doctor will tell the truth—but express it with sensitivity．The doctor may try to give the patient hope by telling them curing techniques under study or about advanced equipment now available．Doctors must use tact with patients' relatives as well．Instead of bluntly saying, "Your husband is disabled," a doctor might say, "I'm sorry, but your husband has lost feeling in his legs and．．．"
Tact should not be confused with trickery．Trickery occurs when a nurse is about to give a patient an injection（注射） and says, "This won't hurt a bit．" Instead of trickery, the nurse might guarantee the patient that the discomfort of the injection is a small thing compared to the benefits of it．It would also be thoughtful for the nurse to tell the patients about some of these benefits．
Tact is a wonderful skill to have, and tactful people are usually admired and respected．Without tact our society would become an intolerable place to live in．
【小题1】The underlined word "crushed" in the first paragraph probably means____．

A．surprised

B．cheated

C．regretful

D．painful

【小题2】According to the author, his mother's praise for the brother is ____．

A．sensitive and tactful	B．sensitive but not tactful enough
C．truthful but not tactful enough	D．sensitive but trickish

【小题3】Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
（The numbers stand for the paragraphs）