【推荐2】Many international students choose an English name when they go to the UK. Some of them might have difficulty in picking their English names. Adopting an English name shows a willingness to integrate into British life. However, the process of choosing a name is open to unintended consequences which can result in involuntarily funny names.    1    

Do not name yourself after food items.

Even if you really love food, the name like “Pizza” or “Cheese” are totally inappropriate, not least because your taste in food may change as you get older! Sugar-sounding names such as “Candy” or “Sweetie” are most likely chosen because they sound cute.     2     Because they are quite suggestive names in the UK, often connected to the “Ladies of the night”.

Do not choose an old name.

Many students choose old-fashioned, unusual names which they may have read in an old book or seen in an old film.     3     So if you choose a name which is not commonly used today, it will sound strange and out of place. For English people, the names “Norman” (most popular in 1931) and “Clyde” (most popular in 1904) suggest old men with walking sticks and flat caps.

    4    

Though the idea is nice in theory, “Dumbledore” is not a common name in Britain. By calling yourself “Dumbledore” people may assume that you are associated with the magical. But names like “Harry” from Harry Potter is fine because it is a common English name.     5    

A．Trends in names change over time.

B．The trend of choosing an English name is nothing new.

C．But choosing these sweet names has associated risks.

D．Be cautious when naming yourself after a fictional character.

E．So you should never choose the name of a fictional character.

F．Here are tips on how to avoid misunderstanding when choosing English names.

G．Therefore, just check whether it is a commonly used English name before using.

【推荐1】What’s delicious, healthy to eat and comes in various colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg. It can be steamed, fried or baked. It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables.

Eggplant was first grown in India during the 5th century B.C. Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia. Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe. At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today. Instead, it was like a white egg. Due to this egg-like appearance, eggplant got its name. In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple”. This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one’s health. People actually thought eggplant could cause insanity (精神错乱) and cancer.

Fortunately, today people know that eggplant doesn’t cause insanity or cancer. In fact, eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer. In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this supper vegetable. Since it is high in fiber, eggplant can also improve digestion.

Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today. Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow-white. And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber. Dish diversities (多样性) range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious!

Today, thousands of people are gathering in Loomis, Calif, for the 23rd annual Loomis Eggplant Festival. The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes. There is plenty more to do and see, though. Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children’s activities all “egg-cite” festival-goers. Most people at the festival would agree — eggplant is an “egg-cellent” vegetable!

1. What does the underlined word “versatile” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．simple in shape	B．various in cooking
C．diverse in size	D．flexible in price

2. Which of the following statements about eggplants is TRUE?

A．Eggplant was once misunderstood by the people for its bitterness.

B．Eggplant was introduced into Europe during the 5th century B.

C．C. Eggplant got its name for its nutrition which is as rich as an egg.

D．Eggplant looks like what it used to be in color and shape.

3. Eggplant is so healthy that it can _____________.

A．cure the cancer with certainty	B．do good to digestion
C．replace other vegetables	D．help relieve insanity

4. The diversities of eggplant reflect in many aspects EXCEPT _____________.

A．colors

B．sizes

C．dishes

D．nutrition

5. The passage mainly tells us about __________________.

A．the 23rd annual Loomis Eggplant Festival

B．the general introduction of eggplant

C．the origin of eggplant

D．the benefits of eggplant

【推荐2】It’s normal to long for the taste of French Fries or a cheese-covered pizza. Even though they’re full of calories, being addicted to them occasionally won’t do much harm.    1    The BBC’s Good Food Nation Survey showed that on average, 16- to 20-year- olds ate fast food at least twice a day in the UK.

So what’s behind this fast food craze? WebMD, an online publisher of news and information on human health and well-being, surveyed nearly 600 teenagers and adults in the United States.    2    

More than 92.3 percent of respondents said they were too busy to cook. Many find it challenging to balance work and life, and the convenience of fast food meets their needs. Fast food is readily available in corner stores and vending machines.    3    They’re ready in minutes, and you can store them at home for a long time.

    4    Sarah Toule, head of health information at the World Cancer Research Fund, told the BBC: “It’s frightening that people, especially younger generations, are eating so much fast food loaded with fat, sugar and salt, but offers little nutritional value.” She added, “Especially high in calories, fast food leads to unhealthy weight gain—which in turn increases the risk of cancers later in life.”

    5    Toule suggested that young people should prepare meals in advance and learn to incorporate（融合）the different food groups into their diets.

A．Remember those instant noodle cups from the supermarket?

B．Does healthy eating mean you must avoid fast food?

C．So what is the right thing to do?

D．He found that the most common reason people eat such food is because of their busy lifestyle.

E．Fast food hasn’t changed the way we think about the way we eat.

F．But many people think this trend is dangerous.

G．However, according to the new numbers, young people are eating more fast food than ever.

【推荐3】Are GM（转基因的) foods safe for people? Can they help solve the poverty problem? They have been the subjects of a hot debate.
This debate is related to increasing challenges from rising climatic change, population growth, urbanization（城镇化), and natural resource consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, food production needs to increase by 60 percent by 2050 in order to feed 9 billion people. Scientists and policymakers are searching for effective ways to gain nutritious food, for today and future. Unlike previous agricultural methods (such as the Green Revolution), GM crops are to fight food safety and poverty challenges.
The great expansion of GM crop varieties over the last two decades can be seen easily. The total area devoted to GM crops has increased 100 times from 1.7 million hectares in 1996 to 170 million hectares in 2012. Developing countries now grow more GM crops than developed countries (in terms of area), largely driven by Brazil’s rapid adoption of GM crops. China is home to about 4 percent of the total global area devoted to GM crops. Beans, corn, and cotton are main global GM crops, while China’s focus is on cotton, papaya, and poplar.
Recently, a scientific study shows that GM crops are safe for people and the environment. According to a 2010 report on the safety of GM crops by the EU, “the main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130 research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of research, and involving more than 500 research groups, is that biology methods, are not more risky than traditional planting technologies, for example.” Other international and national scientific bodies, such as the World Health Organization, have reached the same conclusion.
1. Nowadays, people are developing GM foods mainly to fight against______.

A．urbanization

B．population growth

C．rising climatic change

D．natural resource consumption

2. As for GM crops, what do people mainly focus on ?

A．Food production.	B．Food nutrition.
C．Food safety.	D．Food variety.

3. What does Paragraph 3 talk about?

A．More GM crops in developing countries.

B．Less GM crops in developed countries.

C．Rapid adoption of GM crops in Brazil.

D．The expansion of GM crop varieties of the world.

4. From a recent scientific study, we can infer that______.

A．traditional planting technologies are more risky

B．the safety of GM crops has been proved in many ways

C．the safety of GM crops was reported by the EU in 2010

D．present GM crops are safe for people and the environment

5. What’s the writer’s attitude towards GM crops?

A．Supportive.	B．Opposed.
C．Unknown.	D．Indifferent.