【推荐1】Cotton farmers in some Indian villages are busily buying Coca-Cola and Pepsi, believing that the sugar in the fizzy (有泡沫的) drinks kills pests.

Farmers say scientists advised them to mix pesticides with a sugary juice to control pests, and they found the mixture cheaper and more effective than pure chemicals — although soft drink makers and scientists dismissed the remarks. N. Hamunayya, who has become a famous person in his village in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, said his crop survived an attack of pests which had resisted other pesticides. “We found that all the colas had uniform effect on pests. The pests became dead and fell to the ground,” he said. He said the drinks had all the elements they needed: they were cheaper, sticky, fizzy, and attracted ants, which ate the young of the pests. But Thinupathi Reddy, assistant director of the Regional Agri-Research Station, Guntur, says tests had proved such results wrong. “We conducted some field trials on cotton crop at our research station. There was no obvious productivity or destruction of pests, ”he says.

Statements from Pepsi and Coca-Cola said there was “no scientific basis” for this practice. But their dealers are enjoying increasing sales. Mantan Wall, who sells soft drinks in 17 villages in the region, said sales rose up, thanks to the farmers. “For the 10 days between August and September I had successful business. Instead of just 30 cases (each containing a dozen one-litre bottles) of cola, I started selling almost 200 cases,” he said. “We expected the sales to drop after the news over pesticide residues (残 留) in the cola drinks. Now I have to keep extra supply for the cotton farmers,” he said.

In February, an Indian environment group made a report saying drinks made by Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained pesticides and called for tougher safety standards. The U. S firms strongly rejected the findings of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment and said their products were safe.

1. The writer’s purpose of writing this passage is to        .

A．tell an interesting incident

B．warn people that some drinks might be dangerous to health

C．suggest using Coca-Cola to kill pests.

D．announce a new discovery of Coca-Cola

2. The drink makers would not accept the fact that their drinks could kill pests because      .

A．they thought it went against science

B．they believed that the farmers didn’t tell the truth

C．they might fear that it could bring harm to their business

D．they insisted that no poison was left in their products

3. The underlined part in Para. 3 “this practice” probably refers to         .

A．testing the mixture

B．selling more drinks in India

C．mixing the drinks with the pesticide

D．attracting ants to eat the young pests

4. The drinks can kill pests because         .

A．there is some pesticide left in them

B．they are sticky and fizzy

C．they have elements that kill pests

D．they made the pesticide more effective

【推荐2】New York—A truck struck a 56-year-old woman riding a Citi Bike through Midtown Thursday morning, and officers Dimitri Coutsouvelis and Thomas Demery came to her rescue, officials said.

Two counter-terrorism policemen on Sixth Ave. near W. 47th St. spotted the white truck dragging the Citi Bike about 9:30 a. m. — moments after it struck the woman, who was found lying on the street with an injured right leg, frightened witnesses said.

“She was just lying there in a lot of pain,” said Stanford Dawson, 57, who sells goods on the comer of Sixth Ave. and 48th St. “You could see her leg was turned back and the knee bones were sticking out through the skin.’’

One of the policemen ran after the truck and forced it to stop while the other tended to the woman.

“The driver acted a little confused about what happened,” said Police Officer Thomas Demery, who ran to stop the truck after hearing the “sound of the bike being dragged.”

“The woman suffered a deep gash on her leg from her knee to her hip,” said the policeman. “I kept telling her not to look at it, that it’s going to be fine. I kept comforting her.”

The ambulance rushed her to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. The driver of the truck remained at the scene, policemen said. No charges were immediately filed.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of the work that the Critical Response Team does each and every day protecting New York City. Generally, people think they always face danger all day and sometimes they shall feel bored in the street,” said Counter-terrorism Chief James Waters. “They always perform admirably, including today.”

“It feels really good to be a part of helping fellow New Yorkers. That’s what we guys want to express most,” Demery said.

Cars have struck and killed many bicyclists so far this year, and the reported number of deaths is a 21 % increase compared to the 13 killed during the same time last year.

1. Which is right about the truck driver?

A．His over-speeding made the accident happen.

B．He kept driving, not knowing the accident.

C．He was arrested shortly after the accident.

D．He had his leg hurt in the accident.

2. Who ran to take care of the injured woman?

A．Thomas Demery.

B．James Waters.

C．Stanford Dawson.

D．Dimitri Coutsouvelis.

3. What do the policemen think of their work on the street?

A．Rewarding.

B．Boring.

C．Acceptable.

D．Dangerous.

4. What can be inferred about the woman?

A．She was struck by a truck.	B．She was badly injured in the foot.
C．She was lucky to get timely help.	D．She was unconscious in hospital.

【推荐1】B
IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer, and the man behind it is Ingvar Kamprad, one of the world’s most successful businessmen. Born in Sweden in 1926, Kamprad was a natural businessman. As a child, he enjoyed selling things and made small profits from selling matches, seeds, and pencils in his community. When Kamprad was 17, his father gave him some money as a reward for his good grades. He used it to start up a business—IKEA. IKEA's name comes from Kamprad's initials (I.K.) and the place where he grew up ('E' and 'A').
IKEA first began to sell furniture through a mail-order book in 1947. The furniture was all designed and made by manufacturers near Kamprad’s home. Initial sales were very encouraging, so Kamprad expanded the product line．Furniture was such a successful aspect of the business that IKEA became a pure furniture company in 1951.
In 1956 Kamprad saw a man disassembling a table to make it easier to transport. Kamprad was inspired. The man had given him a great idea:________ Flat packaging would mean lower shipping costs for IKEA and lower prices for customers. IKEA tried it and sales boosted. The problem was that people had to assemble furniture themselves, but over time, even this grew into an advantage for IKEA. Nowadays, IKEA is often seen as having meanings of self-sufficiency. This image has done wonders for the company, leading to better sales and continued expansion．
Today there are over 200 stores in 32 countries. Amazingly, Ingvar Kamprad has managed to keep IKEA a privately-held company. In 2004 he was named the world’s richest man. He currently lives in Switzerland and is retired from the day-to-day operations of IKEA. IKEA itself, though, just keeps on growing.
1. The author states in Paragraph 4 that flat packaging___________.

A．needs large space to store furniture

B．is a business concept inspired by Kamprad

C．helps reduce transportation costs

D．makes the company self-sufficient

2. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Ingvar Kamprad established IKEA and succeeded.

B．IKEA is the world’s largest furniture retailer.

C．The advantages of IKEA’s furniture.

D．Ingvar Kamprad was a natural businessman.

3. What can you learn about IKEA form the passage?

A．The starter kept IKEA a company operated by a few people

B．The furniture was made by manufacturers in Kamprad’s home

C．The starter made a big fortune when he was a child

D．The goods sold in IKEA are limited and not welcomed

4. The passage is written mainly in terms of ___________.

A．examples that illustrate a problem

B．order of events

C．analysis of a process

D．comparison and contrast

【推荐2】Mr. Selfridge, the Wisconsin-born retailer (零售商) who left school at 14, rose to become a partner in Marshall Field's. Chicago. Founded in 1852, it was one of the first and most ambitious US department scores. Mr. Selfridge had done well with Marshall Field's. He liked to say, “The customer is always right,” which made the Chicago store popular. And he is believed to have invented the phrase “Only [so many] Shopping Days until Christmas”.
When he visited London on holiday in 1906 he was surprised to find most of the city's department stores were no match of their American and Parisian competitors. This led Selfridge to leave the US and establish Selfridges. a department store named after him. at the west end of London's Oxford Street. In Oxford Street, Selfridge's design team shaped an ambitious classical palacc building with a wall of plate glass windows.
Opened in 1909, Selfridges offered customers a hundred departments along with restaurants, a roof garden, reading and writing rooms, reception areas for foreign visitors, a first aid room and. most importantly, a small army of knowledgeable floor-walking assistants who served as guides as well as being thoroughly instructed in the art of making a sale.
Mr. Selfridge did much to make the department store a destination rather than just a big and comprehensively stocked city shop. It became a place to meet and for ladies to lunch. Mr. Selfridge later introduced the department store as a key element of the 20th Century culture, and Chaplin acknowledged the growing trend for shopping in the department store in his film The Floorwalker.
1. What can be learned about Mr. Selfridge from Paragraph I ?

A．lie was well-educated.

B．He was a gifted businessman.

C．He was a modest man.

D．He was dishonest.

2. What made Selfridge build a department store in London?

A．The large population in London.

B．His desire to own a department store.

C．His confidence in business success.

D．Affection for London architecture.

3. What was Selfridges' most impressive characteristic?

A．The number of departments.

B．The broad choice of goods.

C．The small group of guards.

D．The well-trained sales guides.

4. What is the main purpose of the article?

A．To introduce the history of Selfridge .

B．To compare different department stores.

C．To encourage readers to spend more.

D．To explain how to start a department store.

【推荐3】Would you leave a six-figure job to feed the homeless? This 27-year-old did. Robert Lee’s idea is seemingly simple: Get restaurants to make better use of their leftovers (剩饭菜).

When in primary school, Robert Lee would stare in disbelief at his classmates throwing away half-eaten sandwiches after lunch. His immigrant parents had taught him and his older brother not to waste food. “They said it was a bad habit,” says Robert, 27.

While studying finance and accounting at New York University, Robert remembered this lesson and joined Two Birds One Stone, a food-rescue club on campus that delivered, five days a week, uneaten pasta, vegetables, and other leftovers from the dining hall to nearby homeless shelters. In July 2013, with the $1,000 prize won in the a college entrepreneurship (创业) contest, Robert and fellow club member Louisa Chen founded Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC). In just the first few weeks, Robert’s team delivered a donation of food to feed 20 people in line at a New York City homeless shelter that had run out of food.

As an analyst at J.P. Morgan, Robert devoted his spare time to creating a network of New York City restaurants that agreed to donate food, and he enlisted (招募) volunteers to make food deliveries to homeless shelters. Two years after being founded, RLC had already distributed more than 250,000 pounds of food.

Only a year into his finance job, Robert gave up his six-figure salary to focus on RLC. “I compared one hour of impact at J.P. Morgan to one hour at RLC, and the difference was just tremendous,” he says. The organization now reaches 16 cities around the country.

“One shelter told us that our donations allow them to provide entire dinners for more than 300 people, three nights a week,” Robert says. “Things like that make me glad I quit my job.”

1. What did Lee do to help the homeless?

A．He worked with with other countries.

B．He built up a network of supermarkets.

C．He employed volunteers to deliver goods.

D．He co-founded Rescuing Leftover Cuisine.

2. What does the underlined word “tremendous” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Slight.	B．Huge.
C．Basic.	D．Delicate.

3. What can we learn from Lee’s words in the last two paragraphs?

A．Being a volunteer is of great benefit.

B．People should follow in his footsteps.

C．Everyone can make their contributions,

D．It’s worthwhile sacrificing his well-paid job.

4. Which of the following can best describe Lee?

A．Devoted.	B．Hardworking.
C．Patient.	D．Optimistic.