【推荐1】Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.

Their study found that theobromine, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.

The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful,   it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.

Ten healthy volunteers were given theobromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicine are stopping coughs.

The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin need to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they need only slightly higher levers of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.

The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a verve activity(神经活动), which cause coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.

1. According to Professor Barnes, theobromine ______.

A．cannot be as effective as codeine	B．can be a more effective cure for coughs
C．cannot be separated from chocolate	D．can be harmful to people’s health

2. What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?

A．Capsaicin.	B．Codeine.
C．Theobromine.	D．Placebo.

3. We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment _____.

A．were patients with bad coughs	B．suffered little side effects
C．received standard treatments	D．were divided into the three groups

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Codeine: A New Medicine	B．Cough Treatment: A Hard Case
C．Chocolate May Cure Coughs	D．Theobromine Can Cause Coughs

【推荐2】If you have never heard of pawpaw, you are not alone. Most Americans do not know of the fruit, although it is native to the United States. Once, however, it was one of the most popular fruits in North America. Happily, those who love the pawpaw are trying to return it to its former position in American foods.

The pawpaw is a kind of fruit that grows on trees found all over the eastern United States. It is similar in size to a typical mango. It has a dull green-colored skin, and a soft, almost creamy orange inside. Most people agree that the pawpaw tastes like a combination of bananas, apricots (杏）and mangos. Most people are very surprised by its sweet taste. The fruit has a very short harvest season to three weeks in September and October.

The pawpaw has sold commercially (商品化地).The fruit requires a very special environment—low, wet areas that sometimes flood. In addition, the fruit is good to eat for only two to three days after harvesting. This makes it hard to sell anywhere distant from the pawpaw trees.

Planters are again growing pawpaw trees and harvesting the fruit In several states farmers have organized pawpaw festivals to reintroduce the food to people.

Farmers are trying to grow different kinds of pawpaws that will be easier to ship and sell commercially.   Donna and Jim Davis are pawpaw fanners in Westminster, Maryland. They told National Public that they purchased their pawpaw trees in the 1990s and now sell the fruit at farmer markets and online.

So, who knows? Maybe the pawpaw will up soon at a market near you.

1. What is the pawpaw's most outstanding ?

A．It is very rich in sugar.

B．Its sour taste is like an apricot

C．It grows on trees all over the US.

D．It I like a combination of bananas and mangos.

2. Why difficult for the pawpaw to become a big business?

A．It has to be sold far from the pawpaw tree.

B．It is hard to keep its freshness for long.

C．It is difficult to harvest in the low and wet areas.

D．It needs expensive transportation to the market

3. What do farmers do to deal with the disadvantage of pawpaws?

A．They advertise on National Public Radio.

B．They organize pawpaw festivals.

C．They plant improved pawpaw trees.

D．They sell the fruit at farmer markets.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A traditional fruit has changed people's diet

B．Most people have hardly eaten fresh pawpaws.

C．Fruit of pawpaw ploys an important part in America.

D．A forgotten American fruit is becoming popular again.

【推荐3】Moutai, China’s largest baijiu maker, and domestic coffee brand Luckin Coffee on Monday launched in China a latte advertised as containing the fiery Chinese spirit baijiu, as the Chinese luxury liquor maker aims to pull in younger consumers. And the truth is, once released, the drink quickly sold out.

The latte, decorated with the iconic Moutai logo, contains less than 0.5 percent (alcohol by volume) of 53 degree Moutai, and soon became one of the most discussed topics on Chinese social media with people curious about how traditional Chinese liquor would taste with coffee.

In Beijing, the Moutai-flavored latte sold out in some Luckin Coffee locations before midday. And many had to shut down their online ordering system as orders surged. “It seems that people prefer iced latte, so we quickly used up the ice in the branch. The number of orders is scary, ” said a barista (咖啡师) surnamed Zhang. She said she had no choice but to temporarily stop the online ordering system at around 1:30 pm because there were more than 200 orders still to be completed and almost all of them were for the Moutai-flavored latte.

People have been sharing their reactions after trying the latte on social media, with most agreeing that the aroma of the baijiu is very strong. Some people said they even felt dizzy after drinking the coffee due to its alcohol content.

Some also wondered whether they would be allowed to drive after drinking the latte. In response, Luckin Coffee stated that underage people, pregnant women, drivers and those who are allergic to alcohol are advised not to order the drink. On Monday, an officer from the Beijing Traffic Administration Bureau also asked people not to drive, no matter how much alcohol is actually in the latte.

1. What is the netizens reaction to the combination of liquor and coffee?

A．They are indifferent to the new latte.	B．They strongly support its update.
C．They have a strong desire to taste.	D．They think it is too tradition to try.

2. What does the underlined word “surged” mean?

A．Declined suddenly.	B．Moved quickly.
C．Emerged orderly.	D．Increased greatly.

3. Who is not recommended to try the Moutai-flavored latte?

A．Students who are in primary school.	B．Elders who are healthy enough.
C．Women who have given birth for years.	D．Passengers who are taking a bus.

4. What is the purpose of the passage?

A．To advertise.

B．To introduce.

C．To persuade.

D．To entertain.

【推荐1】So you thought the hamburger was the world’s most popular fast food? After all, McDonald’s Golden Arches span the globe. But no, there is another truly universal fast food, the ultimate（极好的）fast food. It’s easy to make, easy to serve, much more varied that the hamburger, can be eaten with the hands, and it’s delivered to your front door or served in fancy restaurants. It’s been one of America’s favourite foods for over 50 years. It is, of course, the pizza.
It’s kind of silly to talk about the moment when pizza was “invented”. It gradually evolved over the years, but one thing’s for certain—it’s been around for a very long time. The idea of using pieces of flat, round bread as plates came from the Greeks. They called them ‘plakuntos’and ate them with various simple toppings such as oil, garlic, onions, and herbs. The Romans enjoyed eating something similar and called it ‘picea’. By about 1000 a.d. in the city of Naples, ‘picea’ had become ‘pizza’ and people were experimenting with more toppings: cheese, ham, anchovies, and finally the tomato, brought to Italy from Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. Naples became the pizza capital of the world. In 1889, King UmbertoⅠand Queen Margherita heard about pizza and asked to try it. They invited pizza maker, Raffele Esposito, to make it for them. He decided to make the pizza like the Italian flag, so he used red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese, and green basil leaves. The Queen loved it and the new pizza was named ‘Pizza Margherita’ in her honour.
Pizza migrated to America with the Italians at the end of the nineteenth century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in 1905 at 53 Spring Street, New York City, by Gennaro Lombardi. But the popularity of pizza really exploded when American soldiers returned from Italy after World WarⅡ and raved about ‘that great Italian dish’. Americans are now the greatest producers and consumers of pizza in the world.
1. When did pizza become really popular in the United States?

A．After 1945.	B．At the end of nineteenth century.
C．In 1905.	D．In 1889.

2. What do the Italian flag and a Pizza Margherita have in common?

A．There is a picture of a Pizza Margherita on the flag.

B．They have the same colours.

C．Both of them represent Italy.

D．They are as popular as each other in Italy.

3. Which one is the correct timeline of the evolvement of pizza?

A．pizza, plakuntos, picea

B．picea, plakuntos, pizza

C．plakuntos, pizza, picea

D．plakuntos, picea, pizza

4. Why are Mexico and Peru important in the development of pizza?

A．Because pizza was invented in these countries.

B．Because the people in these countries are the greatest consumers of pizza in the world.

C．Because one kind of toppings was brought to Italy from these countries.

D．Because pizza first became popular in these two countries.

5. Which one is the best title for the passage?

A．McDonald’s and Pizza.

B．The Popularity of Pizza in the United States.

C．Global Pizza.

D．How to Make Pizza.

【推荐2】阅读理解。
Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea．People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive．It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity．Some of them were not sure how to use it．They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves．Then they served them mixed with butter and salt．They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches．
Tea remained scarce and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century．During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it．
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea．Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added．She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk．Because she was such a great lady that her friends thought they must copy everything she did, they also drank their tea with milk in it．Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk．
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening．No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess（公爵夫人）found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it．She invited her friends to have this new meal with her and so, tea-time was born ．
1. This passage mainly discusses ______．

A．the history of tea drinking in Britain

B．how tea became a popular drink in Britain

C．how the Britons got the habit of drinking tea

D．how tea-time was born

2. Tea became a popular drink in Britain ______．

A．in the sixteenth century

B．in the seventeenth century

C．in the eighteenth century

D．in the late seventeenth century

3. People in Europe began to drink tea with milk because ______．

A．it tasted like milk

B．it tasted more pleasant

C．it became a popular drink

D．Madame de Sevinge was so great that people tried to copy the way she drank tea

4. We may infer from the passage that the habit of drinking tea in Britain was mostly due to the influence of ______．

A．a famous French lady

B．the ancient Chinese

C．the upper(上层的) social class

D．people in Holland

【推荐3】Tea is currently the world’s most popular drink, only after water. However, there was a time when tea was known only to the Chinese. So, how did tea originate in China? And how did it get to conquer the world to the extent that people often describe something they really like as their “cup of tea”?

While we know that tea drink started in China, its true origin remains something unknown. Legend has it that about 5, 000 years ago, Shennong came across tea when dried leaves blew into a pot of boiling water. Following his discovery, tea was used as medicine, included in meals and later offered as a refreshing drink to officials and noblemen. Eventually, it became a common drink enjoyed by all Chinese people.

The love of tea inspired many people to write about it. Over the years, tea drinking became an important part of China’s rich culture. The great poet Du Fu described his tea-drinking experience in poetic language. Lu Yu, a tea master, wrote The Classic of Tea, which remains the earliest and most famous detailed study on tea in the world.

It is then not surprising that the beauty of tea was eventually spread to a wider world. Tang and Song Dynasties needed strong Tibetan horses, so the Tea Horse Road was born. Porters (脚夫) carrying back-breaking loads of tea bricks made their way through dangerous snow-covered mountain passes, to trade Sichuan and Yunnan tea for horses. Over time, the gift of tea was further delivered to Western Asia and Easten Africa. As early as the Tang Dynasty, Saicho, a Japanese monk came to study in China and took tea seeds and tea-making customs to Japan. Around the 1600s, tea was shipped to Europe from China by Portuguese and Dutch sea traders.

1. What was tea first used as in China?

A．Medicine.

B．Drink.

C．Food.

D．Goods.

2. Who wrote the earliest detailed study on tea?

A．Shennong.

B．Saicho.

C．Du Fu.

D．Lu Yu.

3. How was tea spread to Europe?

A．Taken by monks.	B．Carried by porters.
C．Shipped by traders.	D．Delivered by horses.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To study the customs of tea.	B．To introduce the history of tea.
C．To show the importance of tea.	D．To describe different uses of tea.

【推荐3】I arrived at my mother’s home for our Monday family dinner. The smells of food flew over from the kitchen. Mother was pulling out quilt (被子) after quilt from the boxes, proudly showing me their beauties. She was preparing for a quilt show at the Elmhurst Church. When we began to fold and put them back into the boxes, I noticed something at the bottom of one box. I pulled it out. “What is this?” I asked.

“Oh?” Mom said, “That’s Mama’s quilt.”

I spread the quilt. It looked as if a group of school children had pieced it together; irregular designs, childish pictures, a crooked line on the right.

“Grandmother made this?” I said, surprised. My grandmother was a master at making quilts. This certainly didn’t look like any of the quilts she had made.

“Yes, right before she died. I brought it home with me last year and made some changes,” she said. “I’m still working on it. See, this is what I’ve done so far.”

I looked at it more closely. She had made straight a crooked line. At the center of the quilt, she had stitched (缝) a piece of cloth with these words: “My mother made many quilts. She didn’t get all lines straight. But I think this is beautiful. I want to see it finished. Her last quilt.”

“Ooh, this is so nice, Mom,” I said. It occurred to me that by completing my grandmother’s quilt, my mother was honoring her own mother. I realized, too, that I held in my hands a family treasure. It started with the loving hands of one woman, and continued with the loving hands of another.

1. Why did the author go to mother’s home?

A．To see her mother’s quilts.	B．To help prepare for a show.
C．To get together for the family dinner.	D．To discuss her grandmother’s life.

2. The author was surprised because      .

A．the quilt looked very strange	B．her grandmother liked the quilt
C．the quilt was the best she had seen	D．her mother had made some changes

3. The underlined wood “crooked” in the passage most probably means       .

A．unfinished

B．broken

C．bent

D．unusual

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Quilt Show

B．Mother’s Home

C．A Monday Dinner

D．Grandmother’s Quilt