Many people travel to different places in the world by air. Usually it takes a long time, perhaps half a day, for passengers to stay in the plane. So airlines offer passengers food. But it is common that they feel bad about the food taste. Do you agree? To solve this problem, airlines try hard to improve their food. They would like to do so because they don’t want to lose customers.
However, according to scientific research, part of the reason why plane food tastes bad is that at high altitude（海拔）we cannot taste things as well as we do on the ground.
Also scientists have found that our noses become very dry even before a plane takes off.
As the plane moves up, the change in air pressure reduces one third of the sensibility（感觉）of our taste buds（味蕾）. So our taste buds become senseless. The sad fact, however, is that our noses don’t know it.
All of these help explain why food on the plane tastes so bad. They also help explain why airlines choose to offer passengers salty and spicy（辛辣的）food. Without doing so, the food would be tasteless.
Now there are many studies on this. According to one of them, some volunteers are asked to lie with their feet higher than their heads for weeks. And scientists write down their feelings about food taste.
Though scientists try their best, it is not as easy as they thought. Because they can’t deal with the special environment successfully, such as the change in air pressure, making food taste good is still hard for them.
1. In Paragraph 2, “this problem”refers to ________ .| A．passengers stay long in the plane | B．food on the plane tastes bad |
| C．passengers have no food to eat | D．food on the plane is expensive |
| A．Get more customers. | B．Offer more food. |
| C．Improve their food. | D．Reduce the ticket price. |
| A．1/2 | B．1/3 | C．1/4 | D．1/5 |
| A．The volunteers don’t know about food taste. | B．The volunteers don’t understand them. |
| C．They can’t find enough volunteers. | D．They can’t deal with the special environment successfully. |
| A．Taste of Airplane Food | B．Airplane Travel |
| C．Scientific Research on Noses | D．The Change in Air Pressure |
相似题推荐
Have you ever been to the Dead Sea, one of the most famous natural wonders in the world? Have you ever considered why it is called Dead Sea? Does it hold life? Can people swim there? With all these questions in your mind, let’s know something about it!
The Dead Sea is actually a lake in the Middle East. At four hundred meters below sea level, it’s the lowest point on the surface (表面) of the earth. It lies between the borders (边界), Israel, and the West Bank. It’s about 80 kilometers wide at its widest point (包围) by hot, dry desert (沙漠).
Since it’s in a hot desert, water evaporates (蒸发) faster than the lake is refilled. And the area is lower than all the land around, it can only evaporate. And that’s what happens—water continually evaporate. In fact so much water is evaporating from the Dead Sea, it often looks like there’s a cloud of fog hanging over the lake. Anyway, it leaves behind the salt and minerals (矿物质). The water in the Dead Sea is almost six times saltier than ocean water!
Because the Dead Sea is so salty, almost nothing can live there, except for bacteria (细菌，菌类). Any fish or freshwater animals that gets washed into the lake dies almost immediately. And the shores are covered in thick salt crystals (结晶), so animals can’t even near the lake.
Since it’s so salty, why do people go there to cover themselves from head to toe with its mud (泥)? Actually, it is really safe for people. You can even go swimming there if you want, although it’s pretty hard to swim because all that salt makes it much easier to float (漂浮).
Want to know more about it? Just explore it yourself!
1. Why does the writer use four questions in the beginning?| A．To interest readers in natural wonders. |
| B．To lead into the topic of the Dead Sea. |
| C．To introduce the popularity of the Dead Sea. |
| D．To express worries about freshwater animals. |
| A．It’s near the Middle East. | B．It’s far from the desert. |
| C．It’s 11 kilometers wide. | D．It’s the lowest point on land. |
| A．How the Dead Sea is formed. | B．How the Dead Sea gets so salty. |
| C．Why fish can’t live in the Dead Sea. | D．Why the Dead Sea is like a cloud of fog. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| Erhu is a Chinese folk instrument. It is sometimes known as the “Chinese violin” because it sounds like a violin. The Moon over a Fountain is the most famous piece of erhu music. |
| The earliest records of guzheng were found in the Warring States Period. It was used to hit the enemies at that time. Later, guzheng was used as a kind of instrument. Guzheng had 12 strings（弦） in the Han Dynasty. Then a 13-string guzheng was developed in the Tang Dynasty. Now it usually has 21 strings. |
| Xun is one of the oldest Chinese instruments. It has a long history of more than 7, 000 years. Xun comes in different shapes. The most common one is egg-shaped. Each shape produces a different sound. It can be made of stone, jade（玉） and clay. |
| The horse-head fiddle（马头琴） is the traditional musical instrument of the Mongolian ethnic group （蒙古族）. There are two strings on the horse-head fiddle. It has been played for centuries. Once upon a time, a boy had a little white horse. Unluckily, it was killed by a bad guy. The boy made a musical instrument out of its body and carried it all the time, as if it was still with him. |
| A．Erhu. | B．Guzheng. | C．Xun. | D．The horse-head fiddle. |
| A．2 | B．12 | C．13 | D．21 |
① Its shape. ② Its inventor. ③ Its materials. ④The culture behind it.
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．③④ |
| A．The story about the horse-head fiddle. |
| B．The popularity of the horse-head fiddle in the past. |
| C．The traditional way of making the horse-head fiddle. |
| D．The famous pieces of music played with the horse-head fiddle. |
| A．Xun is in the shape of eggs. |
| B．The horse-head fiddle has the longest history. |
| C．The Moon over a Fountain is the famous piece of violin music. |
| D．Guzheng was used as a weapon（武器） in the Warring States Period |
【推荐3】
As the fight against the COVID-19 continues, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM,中医) has been widely used to treat COVID-19 patients in China. It is becoming more and more popular around the world．
With a history of more than 3000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has formed its own system to treat illness. Based on Chinese philosophy (哲学) , TCM looks at everything in two parts: yin and yang. It regards humans and nature as a unity (统一体) . So to keep healthy, we should follow the laws of nature. For example, it is time to sleep at 11 p.m., because yin power starts to regain (恢复) by then. If you often stay up late, your body will lose balance and catch illnesses.
Quite specially, for some health problems, TCM doctors may give you a food plan and right ways to eat. They will look at your overall health and help you regain your balance. For example, it is common to eat on the way to school, at our desk, or in front of the TV. But TCM thinks it’s wrong. Here are the correct ways: sit down to eat. While eating, turn off the TV and get away from the work desk. Do not miss any of the three meals. Also, get your body moving often, just as the saying goes, “Running water is never stale.”
Western doctors check the characteristics (特征) of your bodies, including blood pressure and body temperature and so on. They look for specific indicators (指标) of disease and give treatment. Western medicine focuses on “curing”, while TCM focuses on “conditioning”.
Li Shizhen, one of the most famous doctors in Chinese history, spent 27 years completing his great work Bencao Gangmu. His book is one of the greatest contributions (贡献) of the Chinese people to the medical science of the world.
1. What can we know about Traditional Chinese Medicine from the passage?| A．Traditional Chinese Medicine has a history of about 3,000 years. |
| B．Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on Chinese Philosophy of yin and yang. |
| C．Traditional Chinese Medicine has the same treatment as that of the Western medicine. |
| A．Night and Day | B．Women and Men | C．Water and Wood |
| A．look for specific indicators of disease |
| B．give you a food plan and right ways to eat |
| C．check blood pressure and body temperature |
| A．水到渠成 | B．流水不腐 | C．柔情似水 |
| A．It is about the relationship between man and nature. |
| B．It was an easy task for Li Shizhen to write Bencao Gangmu. |
| C．It is considered one of the greatest achievements of medical science in China. |
【推荐1】There are more than 35,000 museums in the United States. It’s impossible to visit them all, of course, but you can choose the most important ones.
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago was set up in 1879, and is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. Its collection is encyclopedic (百科全书般的) and includes iconic (标志性的) works such as Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Pablo Picasso’s The old Guitarist and Grant Wood’s American Gothic.
Address: 111 S Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60603
Hours: Mon — Tue 10:30 am — 5 pm; Wed — Fri 10:30 am — 8 pm; Sat — Sun 10:30 am — 5 pm
The Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The exhibitions include the earliest fossils (化石), cultures from around the world and interactive (交互式的) programming. The museum attracts up to 2 million visitors every year.
Address: 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605
Hours: Mon 9 am — 5 pm; Tue—Wed Closed; Thu — Sun 9 am — 5 pm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, was founded in 1870, and is the largest art museum in the United States. Its permanent collection includes over 2 million works. The main building is by area one of the world’s largest art galleries (画廊). A much smaller second building has a rich collection of art architecture (建筑) and artifacts (文物) from medieval (中世纪的) Europe.
Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
Hours: Mon — Thu 10 am — 5:30 pm; Fri — Sat 10 am — 9 pm; Sun 10 am — 5:30 pm
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the world’s largest children’s museum. Among the exhibits (展品) are a simulated (模拟的) Cretaceous dinosaur habitat (白垩纪的恐龙的栖息地), a carousel (旋转木马), a steam locomotive (蒸汽机车) and the glass sculpture (雕塑) Fireworks of Glass Tower and Ceiling. The museum’s focus is family learning; most exhibits are designed to allow children and families to actively take part in.
Address: 3000 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN46208
Hours: Mon —Tue Closed; Wed—Sun 10 am — 5 pm
1. If you want to know about art architecture, which museum would you like go to?
| A．The Art Institute of Chicago. |
| B．The Field Museum of Natural History. |
| C．The Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
| D．The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. |
| A．The Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History. |
| B．The Field Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
| C．The Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
| D．The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. |
| A．The Field Museum of Natural History is one of the largest museums in the world. |
| B．You can enjoy Pablo Picasso’s work in the Art Institute of Chicago. |
| C．There are more than two million works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
| D．Families can learn some knowledge about a steam locomotive in the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. |
“Do you know Macao was never my real name. I have been away for too long, mother ...”
Song of Seven Sons — Macao, was written by Wen Yiduo in 1925, is still in the hearts of Macao’s teenagers today. The Basic Law of Macao Special Administrative Region came out in 1993 and to work on Dec, 20, 1999, as Macao returned to China. From then on, it has become much easier to build a closer relationship with their motherland.
Chan U, an 18-year-old, is studying at the University of Macao. She said, “travelling to the Chinese mainland has become easier. Visits to Zhuhai have become a part of the daily life of some people.” Kun Lot U, 25, studies at the South China University of Technology. She said, “Many local people go to Zhuhai to buy vegetables as they are fresher and cheaper than those in local markets. Young people often go to Zhuhai to play jubensha, a role-playing game.”
The number of trips out of Macao in January was 2.23 million, and most of them went to the Chinese mainland. Cities like Chongqing, Changsha and Hangzhou are popular places for young people, according to Chan. Guangdong is also a good choice since the language and food are similar.
“Young people in Macao care a lot about what’s happening on the mainland,” said Kun, “Like the young people on the mainland, they also use apps from the mainland to know the hot issues (话题). They have learned many mainland Internet catchphrases (流行语). I know about the most popular ones such as ‘yyds’, and they make us understand more about people and life on the mainland.”
More than half of the people in Macao use online shopping apps from the mainland. Kun said that it’s because they can find almost everything they need at good prices on the apps. The products are first shipped to a collection station in Macao. It usually takes about three to seven days for local people to get the product. “The connection between Macao and the motherland is getting stronger and stronger,” said Chan.
1. Why does the writer mention Song of the Seven Sons — Macao?| A．To start a story. | B．To explain an idea. |
| C．To introduce a topic | D．To discuss a problem |
| A．Apps from the mainland. | B．Hot issues from the mainland. |
| C．Role-playing games from the mainland. | D．Internet catchphrases from the mainland. |
| A．Most people in Macao enjoy visiting Zhuhai in their daily life. |
| B．In January, 2.23 million people in Macao visited the Chinese mainland. |
| C．The language and food in Guangdong are different from those in Macao. |
| D．Online shopping apps from the mainland are popular with people in Macao. |
| A．The Daily Life of Young People in Macao |
| B．Macao, Staying Connected with the Mainland |
| C．A famous Song, Song of the Seven Sons — Macao |
| D．The Most Popular Places for Young People on the Mainland |
【推荐3】A community becomes better when people love it enough to improve it. Helping your community makes life better for your family and other people who live in it.
Save energy and water. This will be good for your community’s development. Turn off your lights when you’re not using them and take shorter showers.
Do some researches. Maybe there’s a river in your community that’s so polluted that no one can swim there. Whatever it is, work out what needs to be solved where you live.
Choose a way to help. Once you’ve found out the problem, decide how you can fix it, such as through the local radio or the TV station to report the problem.
To achieve these, you’ll probably need some help and money. Ask around to make sure who is as excited to make a difference as you are.
Volunteer for a group. Sharing your time is an excellent way to improve your community, and to keep good relationships with your community members.
1. How many pieces of advice does the passage give?| A．Three. | B．Four. |
| C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．The water pollution. |
| B．The problem in the community. |
| C．The area you often visit. |
| D．The activity you do. |
| A．We should work out all the problems in our community. |
| B．We should learn about our community. |
| C．We should take part in community activities. |
| D．We should protect the river near our community. |
| A．Don’t waste water or energy. |
| B．Do some volunteer work. |
| C．Ask other people for help and money. |
| D．Learn to communicate with community members. |
| A．Do something to improve the environment |
| B．How to get on with others in your community |
| C．How to help your community become better |
| D．Live a healthier life in the community |
