Have you ever tried to get your desired things at 1 a.m. in the middle of exam season? The ones that convince you to walk to Hillside in the middle of a snowstorm just for a slice of cheesecake?
Well, I have too. But instead of wanting something normal and yummy like ice cream or cookies, I’ve been longing for cauliflower. I know half of you stopped reading just now. It’s okay. Honestly, I get it. For those of you who stuck around, let’s talk vegetables.
Unlike those terrifyingly healthy food bloggers, my recent adventures in vegetables originated from an existential crisis concerning global warming. It turns out food production is one of the highest producers of the greenhouse gases that contribute to the breakdown of Earth’s ozone layer (臭氧层). And one of the simplest ways to make a difference is by eating more vegetables and less meat and cheese. So I’ve been forcing myself to eat more vegetables to convince myself that Earth can exist after 2050. And just like those terrifying food bloggers say, it has become a habit.
Now, I don’t just chow down on raw cauliflower stems for lunch. Instead, I like to dress up the vegetables, and it turns out the real trick to make them taste good is a perfect seasoning blend (调味品).
And let me tell you, I’ve become addicted to one of my own creations: olive oil, garlic salt, white pepper, and dill. The mixture is cooked at 375℉ for 20-30 minutes. This works on just about any vegetable you can roast. Plus, it’s so good it’s been proven to cause longings.
Eating responsibly is about so much more than “eating healthy.” It’s just as important to eat food you enjoy. If you crave cheesecake, eat cheesecake. If you want to opt for the more head of cauliflower, eat cauliflower.
After all, living to 2050 isn’t worth much if you aren’t happy.
1. Why does the author begin to eat vegetables?| A．The author always adores them. |
| B．The author follows the trend. |
| C．The author wants to pass the exams. |
| D．The author thinks it benefits environment. |
| A．The author eats raw vegetables. |
| B．The author toasts vegetables. |
| C．The author boils vegetables. |
| D．The author dresses up to eat vegetables. |
| A．He may be an artist. | B．He may be a cook. |
| C．He may be a student. | D．He may be a clerk. |
| A．Humorous. | B．Critical. |
| C．Confused. | D．Ambiguous. |
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【推荐1】If you are a fan of US TV series, you’ll be familiar with the morning breakfast routine: Each family member pours a mound of cereal into a bowl, adds enough milk to send it flowing over the top, before getting stuck into their sugary start to the day.
For generations, cereal has been the bedrock of the American breakfast, but it now seems to be losing some of its momentum. Sales of breakfast cereals in the US have gone stale, owing to concerns about the morning food’s lack of nutrition, as well as a rise in demand for more convenient options for those constantly in a hurry.
There’s nothing new about cereal being labeled less than nutritious and too high in calories.
But the consumer’s desire for a healthier way to start the day is now at its highest ever. Shoppers are seeking out “high protein and fiber content and natural ingredients,” the US-based research firm Mintel Group Ltd said in a report. “Consumers today believe cereal is overly processed and doesn’t contain enough nutrients.”
“Consumers are increasingly seeking products that match their personal definition of real food, and that can mean foods that are less processed and have simple labels with recognizable ingredients,” Kendall Powell, chairman of the US-based food company General Mills, said at an investors’ conference in July.
However, manufacturers and industry analysts say that if breakfast cereal makers can keep on adapting to changing consumer needs, especially among millennials, the business can grow again.
“While millennials may look at breakfast differently, they are still eating a lot of cereal, just not always for breakfast,” “According to Nielsen data, ready-to-eat cereal is in 90 percent of all households and nearly 94 percent of millennial households.
| A．That means cereal is facing stiff competition from fresh fruit, yogurt, breakfast bars and drinks, and even all-day breakfast meals at McDonalds or other fast-food chains |
| B．Millennials want something quick and simple in the morning, and they love variety. |
| C．Another big challenge for the industry is the ever-changing pattern of breakfast eaters, with an emphasis increasingly being placed on satisfying time-squeezed lifestyles. |
| D．Brand-name cereal prices jumped after the financial crisis in 2008, owing largely to the higher prices of grains and other ingredients. |
| E．For this group, cereal is more than just a breakfast item, it is also a popular snack option. |
| F．Critics for years have been saying that some cereals are laced with too much sugar. |
Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, has an ancient rivalry with Chongqing, a city to its south-east. Residents of Chongqing accuse their Chengdu cousins of being pompous(自大的).
The two cities are among many in China with their own styles of hotpot. The stories behind these dishes reveal how different regions like to see themselves. Chongqing’s is said to highlight the ingenuity(心灵手巧) of the proletariat(工人阶级). Other places describe their hotpots as the sophisticated food of emperors. Some say theirs have military origins: warriors on the march boiling scraps in their helmets. Hotpot contents are equally diverse. To keep warm in winter, Beijingers boil fatty lamb in a berry broth.
| A．A private museum in Chongqing, opened several years ago, makes the case for Chongqing-style hotpot. |
| B．But Chengdu’s plans for a museum suggest that Sichuan hotpot is not only growing in popularity, but is also becoming iconic. |
| C．Not all Chinese warm to hotpot. |
| D．The people of Chongqing are hotheads, Chengdu dwellers shoot back |
| E．Because Sichuan-style broths are the most commonly savoured in China. |
| F．Mint-suffused Yunnanese hotpot reflects the province’s links with South-East Asia. |
【推荐3】Away from home, and eating is more than just a way to keep your stomach full. It is a language all its own, and no words can say ‚”Glad to meet you…glad to be doing business with you…” quite like sharing a meal offered by your heart.
Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to say. “ Thanks, but no thanks.” Acceptance of the host, country, and company. So, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, swallow. Or, as one experienced traveler says, “Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything everywhere.’
Often, the food offered represents proudly your host country’s proudest cooking achievement .What would America think of a French person who refused to take a bite of homemade apple pie or sizzling steak? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing itself; it comes from our unfamiliarity with it. After all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep’s eye, and a first something you dip in butter and eat. By the way, in Saudi Arabia sheep’s eyes are a delicacy, in parts of China it’s bear’s paw soup.
Can you refuse such food without being rude? Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least a few bites. It helps, though, to slice any item very thin. This way, you minimize the texture—gristly（软骨的）,slimy（粘滑的）and so on---and the reminder of where it came from. Or, “Swallow it quickly.” as one traveler recommends, “I still can’t tell you what sheep’s eyeballs taste like.” As for dealing with taste, the old line that “it tastes just like chicken” is often thankfully true. Even when “it” is really rat or snake.
Another useful piece of advice is not knowing what you are eating. What’s for dinner? Don’t ask. Avoid glancing into the kitchen or looking at English-language menus. Your host will be pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really is the chicken in that soup.
1. Who is the passage most probably written for?| A．Those who are going to have trip abroad. |
| B．Those who want to cook food from another country |
| C．Those who are going to teach people from different countries |
| D．Those who want to take part in an international cooking contest |
| A．equipped with iron devices | B．never failing you |
| C．sensitive to various tastes | D．not allergic to iron |
| A．Cutting it into small pieces | B．Swallowing it without hesitation |
| C．Avoid figuring out what it is | D．Pleasing the host while eating |
| A．Chicken is a delicacy for everyone. | B．“It tastes like chicken” may help. |
| C．When in Rome, do as the Romans do. | D．Eating various things can keep you fit. |
【推荐1】China suffers choking smog, mass destruction of habitats and food poisoned with heavy metals. But ask an environmentalist what is the country’s biggest problem, and the answer is always the same. “Water is the worst,” says Wang Tao, of the Carnegie Tsinghua Centre in Beijing, “because of its shortage, and because of its pollution.” “Without water，”agrees Pan Jiahua, of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, “people cannot survive in a desert.” Wang Shucheng，a former water minister, once said, “To fight for every drop of water or die. That is the challenge facing China.” He was not exaggerating (夸大).
China uses 600 billion cubic meters of water a year. The national average hides an even more alarming regional difference. Four fifths of China’s water is in the south, particularly the Yangtze river basin. Half the people and two thirds of the farmland are in the north, including the Yellow River basin. Beijing has the sort of water shortage usually associated with Saudi Arabia: just 100 cubic meters per person a year.
China is using up water at an unsustainable (无法可持续的)rate. As if that were not bad enough, ______. The Yellow River is often called the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, a third of the water is unfit even for agriculture. Four thousand petrochemical factories are built on its banks.
The water available for use is thus so bad. Song Lanhe, chief engineer for urban water quality monitoring at the housing ministry, says only half the water sources in cities are safe to drink. More than half the groundwater in the north China plain cannot be used for industry, while seven tenths is unfit for human contact, even for washing.
The best answer would be to improve the efficiency with which water is used. Only about 40% of water used in industry is recycled，half as much as in Europe. The rest is dumped in rivers and lakes. Wang Zhansheng of Tsinghua University argues that China is neglecting its urban water infrastructure (基础设施)、leading to more waste. Water prices in most cities are only about a tenth of the level in big European cities, yet the government is unwilling to raise them, for fear of a popular criticism. The result is that China’s “water productivity” is low.
Rather than making wise reforms in pricing and water protection, China is focusing on increasing supplies. The best known such project is the Three Gorges dam on the Yangtze. But this year an even vaster project 一 the South North Water Diversion Project (南水北调工程)-is due to start. It will link the Yangtze with the Yellow River, taking water from the wet south to the dry north. When finished, it is intended to deliver 45 billion cubic meters of water a year and to cost a total of 486 billion yuan ($79.4 billion).
The environmental damage could be huge. The Yangtze is already seriously polluted. The project so far has reduced the quantity of underwater life in the Yangtze by over two thirds. And that was before it even opened. Ma Jun. China's best known environmental activist, says the government’s preference for giant engineering projects only makes matters worse, “causing us to hit the limits of our water resources”. The water crisis is driving China to desperate but eventually unhelpful measures.
1. From the first two paragraphs we know that ___________.| A．water is badly polluted in most of the area of China |
| B．the water in China is unfit for people to survive in a desert |
| C．Wang Shucheng was sad about China’s future |
| D．people in North China are facing a more serious water shortage |
| A．China is polluting what little water it has left. |
| B．The biggest damage of the water shortage could be political. |
| C．300 dead bodies were found floating in the Yellow River near Lanzhou. |
| D．The Chinese government has reacted, to water problems by huge but harm fill projects. |
| A．a vast and significant project | B．a huge and promising project |
| C．a giant but unsuccessful project | D．a costly but effective project |
| A．there is no good way for China to solve the problem of water crisis |
| B．more giant projects like the Three Gorges should be built |
| C．it is urgent for China to deal with the crisis of water shortage and pollution |
| D．China should put forward other efficient ways instead of those giant engineering projects |
【推荐2】In 2012, James Cameron, creator of Avatar and Titanic, became the first person to reach the Challenger Deep. When he arrived at the deepest spot on Earth at 7 miles below sea level, he spent hours mapping the region and taking photos and samples.
“As human beings, we’re drawn to absolutes—the deepest, the highest, the coldest, the farthest,” he says. “And as a storyteller and curious monkey, I just wanted to see what was there.” The answer is obvious—plastic and more. “Our so-called civilization is using the ocean as its toilet,” Cameron says. “Unless this changes, ocean ecosystems are going to continue their rapid collapse.”
Despite decades of environmental studies, the impact of plastic and other forms of pollution on oceans are not entirely understood. Initial studies appear to indicate that ingesting(摄取) them—either directly or indirectly—could cause disease. Plastics can also release poisonous substances into the water, which could potentially impact animal populations.
But plastic is just one of the problems facing oceans that have yet to be fully understood. “Plastic waste in the ocean is horrifying but is only the most obvious of our many deadly waste streams, which include carbon that’s heating the atmosphere and making the ocean acidic, and the run-off nutrients from all the world’s agriculture, which is causing anoxic(缺氧的) dead zones the size of countries,” Cameron says.
Oceans, like the rest of the world, are impacted by the burning of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide—about 30 percent of which is absorbed by the sea. This absorption causes ocean acidification, where the pH level is altered to become more acidic. As a result, it’s harder for some creatures to form shells and skeletons and countless species at the base of the food web can struggle to survive, which, scientists say, has the potential to cause huge disruptions to entire ecosystems. Indeed, ocean acidification is thought to have played an important role in Earth’s worst-ever mass extinction event 252 million years ago.
The effect of climate change on the world’s oceans will likely worsen in coming decades. Last June, scientists announced carbon dioxide levels had reached the highest levels since human records began. The last time carbon dioxide levels were this high was during the Pliocene era, between 3 and 5 million years ago, when global temperatures were about 4 degrees Celsius warmer than they are today. Current climate models suggest that if greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current trend, we may be on course to see 4 degrees of warming by 2100.
As a result, understanding the role oceans have on global systems is becoming more and more important.
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The author’s feelings to the ocean. | B．Cameron’s movies and remarks. |
| C．The author’s discoveries under the sea. | D．Cameron’s observation and concern. |
| A．Several countries are suffering from anoxic dead zones. |
| B．More concern should have been given to the pollution on oceans. |
| C．Plastic is supposed to be the most serious environmental problem. |
| D．Ocean acidification removes the nutrients from agricultural products. |
| A．Decreases. | B．Destruction. |
| C．Diseases. | D．Discrimination. |
| A．To call on people to protect sea animals. |
| B．To compare current situations with the past. |
| C．To explain how serious the ocean problem is. |
| D．To prove pollution to be the cause of acidification. |
【推荐3】Eradajere Oleita thinks she may have a partial solution for two of the country’s persistent problems: garbage and poverty. It’s called the Chip Bag Project. The 26-year-old student and environmentalist from Detroit is asking a favor of local snack lovers: Rather than throw your empty chip bags into the trash, donate them so she can turn them into sleeping bags for the homeless.
Chip eaters drop off their empty bags at two locations in Detroit: a print shop and a clothing store, where Oleita and her volunteer helpers collect them. After they clean the chip bags in soapy hot water, they slice them open, lay them flat, and iron them together. They use liners (活衬里) from old coats to line the insides.
It takes about four hours to sew a sleeping bag, and each takes around 150 to 300 chip bags, depending on whether they’re single-serve or family size. The result is a sleeping bag that is “waterproof, lightweight, and portable,” Oleita told the Detroit News.
Since its start in 2020, the Chip Bag Project has collected more than 800,000 chip bags and it created 110 sleeping bags last December.
Sure, it would be simpler to raise the money to buy new sleeping bags. But that’s only half the goal for Oleita — whose family moved to the United States from Nigeria a decade ago to live a better life — and her fellow volunteers. “We are devoted to making an impact not only socially, but environmentally,” she says.
And, of course, there’s the symbolism of saving bags that would otherwise land in the trash and using them to help the homeless. It’s a powerful reminder that environmental injustice and poverty are often closely related. As Oleita told hourdetroit.com: “I think it’s time to show connections between all of these issues.”
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The final goal of Chip Bag Project. | B．The basic rules of Chip Bag Project. |
| C．The main work of Chip Bag Project. | D．The significance of Chip Bag Project. |
| A．It is only made of old coats. | B．It is easy to carry around. |
| C．It has the function of heating. | D．It is the same size as 150 bags. |
| A．Making sleeping bags is easier than buying new ones. |
| B．Poverty and environmental problems go hand in hand. |
| C．Making sleeping bags is the best way to help the homeless. |
| D．Environmental problems have little impact on the homeless. |
| A．Caring and creative. | B．Brave and optimistic. |
| C．Honest and determined. | D．Talented and easy-going |
The two young men waited for a few moments, and then ran quickly and quietly towards Mrs. Riley. The tall one held her from behind while the other one tried to seize her handbag.
Suddenly Mrs. Riley threw the tall one over her shoulder. He crashed into the other one and they both landed on the ground. Without speaking, Mrs. Riley struck both of them on the head with her handbag and walked calmly away.
The two surprised young men were still sitting on the ground when Mrs. Riley crossed the street towards a door with a lighted sign above it. Mrs. Riley paused, turned round, smiled at them and walked into the South West London Judo Club.
1. The two young men were standing in a dark shop doorway because .
| A．they had nothing to do |
| B．they were homeless |
| C．they were waiting for a victim |
| D．they were guarding the shop |
| A．The woman was robbed of her handbag. |
| B．The woman taught the two young men a lesson. |
| C．The woman reported the two young men to the police. |
| D．The woman sent the two young men to a judo club. |
| A．went shopping at night |
| B．was on her way home |
| C．had just left a shopping center |
| D．had a skill of self-defense |
【推荐2】Opportunity arose for a successful experiment in a remote village called Simarkundi surrounded by 1800 acres of jungle which wasn’t even accessible by bicycle — one had to walk 7 km through a dense jungle to reach it. Villagers here were either employed as manual labour in stone mining operations, or in the illegal felling of trees.
Siddharth hadn’t visited the village yet. In one meeting, he asked the local range officer who often interacted with Simarkundi’s residents about what they needed.
What residents needed desperately was a drinking water well. To access water, they had to get it by digging the dry river bed nearby which was then collected in earthen pots. Working with local officials, they began the construction of a 30 - feet drinking water well. Wanting to see if there was any progress on constructing this well, Siddharth visited the village for the first time in January 2006 undertaking a two - hour trek.
The well made him fall in love with the village, and he felt he could succeed unlike his earlier experiments. After the well was constructed, He would walk 14 km to the village back and forth every Sunday. Altogether, he made around 40 such visits on foot and after a few months villagers did some repair work in the forest, which allowed him to visit on a motorcycle. Today, you can visit the village in your car.
There was significant improvement in farm practices and residents raised their income greatly. They stopped cutting trees from the forests. Many backward practices were successfully addressed. They constructed a kuccha road to the village and there isn’t even an inch which isn’t irrigated. All this change happened within two years.
Siddharth was transferred out of Koderma to Ranchi in 2008, but even then he would visit the village every Sunday for the next five years to ensure these changes were permanent.
1. Why did Siddharth come to Koderma?| A．To do scientific experiments. | B．To help develop the backward area. |
| C．To employ local farmers. | D．To do a survey of country life. |
| A．Building roads. | B．Closing stone mines. |
| C．Constructing a drinking well. | D．Stopping destroying the forest. |
| A．Talented. | B．Stubborn. |
| C．Committed. | D．Courageous. |
| A．A rough ride. | B．A long hard walk. |
| C．A dangerous drive. | D．A long mountain trip. |
【推荐3】Captain Henry, a 98-year-old American retired fisherman, has become a first-time author, having written and published his autobiography In a Fisherman's Language after learning to read at the age of 91.
Mr.Henry spent most of his life without even his closest family members knowing he was illiterate. Forced to quit school in the third grade to take odd jobs, he kept the secret close to his chest, only telling his late wife. Henry's granddaughter, Marlisa, told reporters how he used tricks, like waiting for others to order at restaurants first, to avoid the issue.
A family argument in his 90s, she said, aroused his desire for education.“He signed a document he could not read about where he was going to live, Marlisa said. Starting with his name, he eventually moved on to the ABC's and children's books. He put them down since his wife fell ill. After the tragic loss of his wife, he went back to reading and began to log (记录) his life. He wrote about his family's voyage from Portugal to the US, how he went on to captain a boat, and his many journeys at sea.
His life stories have become so popular that nearly 800 copies were sold in the first two weeks after the book's release. One thousand more have since been printed as requests for the book flood in from as far as Germany. And now even Hollywood producers have approached Mr. Henry about buying the rights to his life story for a big screen adaptation.
The family also now has a book agent and a deal in the works to publish a second edition. Meanwhile, the family says they are reconnecting and closer than ever as a result of Henry's late-life efforts.“Everyone has a story,” Marlisa said, “It teaches that when you're down and out, never give up.”
1. When did Henry begin writing his life story?| A．When he was 91 years old. | B．After his wife passed away. |
| C．When he was 98 years old. | D．After he retired from work. |
| A．A Hollywood producer wishes to make a movie out of Henry's book. |
| B．Henry never told anyone that he couldn't read or write. |
| C．Henry began his reading with some famous novels. |
| D．Henry's book was well-received only by Americans. |
| A．The family got more money from the 2nd edition. |
| B．The family ties were rebuilt and strengthened. |
| C．His family moved from Portugal to the US. |
| D．His family story has been made into a movie. |
| A．An idle youth, a needy age. | B．Every coin has two sides. |
| C．Practice makes perfect. | D．It is never too old to learn. |
