1 . What comes into your mind when you think of British food? Probably fish and chips, or a Sunday dinner of meat and two vegetables. But is British food really so uninteresting? Even though Britain has a reputation for less-than-impressive cuisine, it is producing more top class chefs who appear frequently on our television screens and whose recipe books frequently top the best seller lists.

It’s thanks to these TV chefs rather than any advertising campaign that Britons are turning away from meat-and-two-veg and ready-made meals and becoming more adventurous in their cooking habits. It is recently reported that the number of those sticking to a traditional diet is slowly declining and around half of Britain’s consumers would like to change or improve their cooking in some way. There has been a rise in the number of students applying for food courses at UK universities and colleges. It seems that TV programmes have helped change what people think about cooking.

According to a new study from market analysts, 1 in 5 Britons say that watching cookery programmes on TV has encouraged them to try different food. Almost one third say they now use a wider variety of ingredients (配料) than they used to, and just under 1 in 4 say they now buy better quality ingredients than before. One in four adults say that TV chefs have made them much more confident about expanding their cookery knowledge and skills, and young people are also getting more interested in cooking. The UK’s obsession (痴迷) with food is reflected through television scheduling. Cookery shows and documentaries about food are broadcast more often than before. With an increasing number of male chefs on TV, it’s no longer “uncool” for boys to like cooking.

1. What do people usually think of British food?

A．It is simple and plain.	B．It is rich in nutrition.
C．It lacks authentic tastes.	D．It deserves a high reputation.

2. Which best describes cookery programme on British TV?

A．Authoritative.

B．Creative.

C．Profitable.

D．Influential.

3. Which is the percentage of the people using more diverse ingredients now?

A．20%.

B．24%.

C．25%.

D．33%.

4. What might the author continue talking about?

A．The art of cooking in other countries.	B．Male chefs on TV programmes.
C．Table manners in the UK.	D．Studies of big eaters.

2 . With gas prices rising and airport security lines snaking longer than ever, why not book your next domestic vacation on a train? Compared to other alternatives, it’s comfortable and relaxing. Here is some advice on how to make a trip by rail as pleasant as possible.

Plan ahead. Most long-distance trains, especially the sleeping car accommodations, sell out very quickly.     1     But no matter when you travel, it’s a good idea to make your reservations at least 90 days in advance.

Use a travel agent. Consider turning your travel plan over to a travel agent and letting him double-check all the details, make suggestions, and then handle the actual reservations. A good one can sometimes find you discounted tickets.     2     Then you won’t have to walk through several cars on a moving train three times a day for your meals.

Bring a blanket. When you’re riding on trains, you won’t be provided with a blanket for free, even if your trip is an overnight one.     3     In the summer in particular, the air conditioning can make them quite cold.

Arrive early. Most trains operate just once a day and some run only three times a week, so missing yours can be a disaster.     4     Note: The times listed on the schedules are departure times, not arrival times.

Have fun.     5     Read a book, knit, do a crossword puzzle, or simply watch the world unfold outside the window. To calculate your speed as you do, divide 3,600(the number of seconds in an hour)by the number of seconds it takes you to travel one mile(the distance between two mileposts). If it takes the train 53 seconds to travel one mile, you’re going 67.92 mph.

A．Train trips aren’t for impatient types.

B．You’ll have views from both sides of the train.

C．The temperature on rail cars is often hard to control.

D．That’s particularly true during busy summer months.

E．You might have to wait longer than 24 hours to catch the next one.

F．Chances are the cost will be a lot less than the cost of one bedroom.

G．He may also book you in a sleeping car that’s right next to the diner.

3 . ________ his restless students occupied with an indoor sport on rainy days, James Naismith created basketball.

A．To be kept

B．Kept

C．To keep

D．Keeping

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Seeing these “gardens” is like looking at a universe in a plant pot. The miniature (微型的) branches spread and twist,       1       (demonstrate) the beauty of nature, so as to allow viewers to stop and reflect on the circle of life. The potted landscape of penjing.     2       (be) a representative of top-ranking garden art ever since its existence.

    3     (expected), the Suzhou-style penjing cultivation technique was listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) in 2011.     4     penjing, Suzhou gardens wouldn’t be as charming as they are today. Once the construction of a garden is completed, its buildings are set, but planting can grow and change, which makes gardens     5     (live).

The history of penjing     6       (date) back to the Tang Dynasty when the great poet Bai Juyi used some stones     7       (create) miniature landscapes in pots. And the Ming Dynasty marked a boom in the economy of Suzhou, the very period       8     turned the city into a major cultural center. Because of that long history, Suzhou-style penjing is often seen as       9     fundamental school of Chinese planting art.

Penjing works are beautiful, but people think that they were owned by the rich. However, only when they are enjoyed by general     10       (consume) can they benefit from being part of people's wider modern artistic taste.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

My first visit to China

I was really excited when I     1     (offer) the opportunity to go to Guangzhou in China for my work and I spent a lot of time visiting schools and observing lessons. The schools I visited were all     2     (good) equipped with computers, video screens and interactive whiteboards in most of the rooms. The buildings were     3     good condition and there were spaces for the children to play badminton or basketball.

I noticed some interesting differences in the school routine. When it was time for a class to begin or end, music was played on the intercom. I thought this was a really nice idea. There were also short breaks for eye exercises with music     4     (play) on the intercom. This was something I had never seen     5     heard of before so I was very interested in it. In some of the schools I visited, the habit of     6     (take) a nap at lunchtime is something I really like. The schools made us     7     (feel) very welcome and the children took great interest in us. They were very keen to practise their English and ask us questions. The pupils seemed to be very     8    (enthusiasm) about their English classes.

I really enjoyed my 10 days in China. It was a great experience and opened my eyes to a very different culture. In some ways it was better to be there on work than as a tourist. You learn something about people’s everyday     9     (life). If you go on work I think you learn more about the real culture of a place because you can see normal people doing normal things in normal places.     10    , next time I go to China I would like to spend some time as a tourist rather than working all the time.

6 . Unexpectedly, I’m face-to-face with the gorilla, who begins screaming at ________ top of her lungs. (用适当的词填空)

7 . You oughtn’t to have gone out without a coat yesterday. It isn’t surprising ________ you caught a cold.

A．whether

B．why

C．how

D．that

8 . The number of firms selling computers in this region ________ since January 2012.

A．are dropping

B．is dropping

C．have dropped

D．has dropped

9 . Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.

Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.

The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”

The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom built up to dangerous levels.

1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house ________.

A．is well worth the money spent on its construction

B．is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation

C．failed to meet energy conservation standards

D．was designed and constructed in a scientific way

2. What made the Ouchidas’ new house a horrible dream?

A．Poor quality of the air inside.	B．Poor quality of the construction.
C．Gas leakage in the kitchen.	D．The newly painted walls.

3. The word “accentuate” (Para. 3) most probably means “________”.

A．relieve

B．accelerate

C．worsen

D．improve

4. Why were cracks in old houses not a big concern?

A．Because indoor cleanliness was not emphasized.

B．Because energy used to be inexpensive.

C．Because environmental protection was given top priority.

D．Because they were technically unavoidable.

5. This passage is most probably taken from an article entitled ________.

A．Energy Conservation	B．House Building Crisis
C．Air Pollution Indoors	D．Traps in Building Construction

10 . The girl ________ in an orange astronaut suit was the only student at her school to join the important activity on April 20.

A．dressing

B．to be dressed

C．having dressed

D．dressed