1 . People generally like to pick out the best-looking fruits and vegetables when shopping for produce (农产品), but Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws is attracting customers with badly-shaped and faulty produce at the price of 30% lower than normal-looking one.
A trial run of the ugly food line, named “Naturally Imperfect”, began with only apples and potatoes to choose from. Consumer demand has been so huge that Loblaws is going to introduce more ugly vegetables and fruits like onions and mushrooms.
All the produce that will be sold through Naturally Imperfect would otherwise have been used in juices, sauces, or soups, or have not been harvested at all. The director Dan Branson explained that this program benefited both food producers who would otherwise have to let abnormal produce go to waste, and consumers who could buy fresh produce at low prices. And he was right, given how popular the line has become.
“It really went well beyond our expectation,” Branson said. “I think it really spoke to the fact that Canadians are out there really looking for some options.”
Of course, Canadians know that beauty is more than skin deep, and they also recognize that they can get the same flavor and nutritional benefits in spite of appearances. The positive response to the initial offering of apples and potatoes showed the opportunity to expand the line and offer more options at a greater price to Canadian families.
“If you grow produce in your backyard, there will be a lot of produce that won’t look as pretty as what you will see in a grocery store”, said Branson. “And nature doesn’t grow everything perfectly. I’d like to think if somebody were to take a No Name Naturally Imperfect apple, put it right beside a No.1 apple, close his eyes and eat them, there would be no difference.”
1. Loblaws is different from other supermarkets in that ______.A.more fruits are offered at lower prices | B.normal-looking produce is forbidden there |
C.only apples and potatoes are sold every day | D.imperfect produce is sold at lower prices there |
A.prevents people from wasting their food | B.happens to be a win-win mode |
C.teaches food producers how to grow | D.enables consumers to eat more fresh produce |
A.Canadians are used to eating perfect produce. |
B.Smart consumers know the importance of ugly produce. |
C.Loblaws intends to improve customers’ quality of life. |
D.Customers’ support promotes the development of the ugly food line. |
A.Imperfect fruits are as tasty and nutritious as perfect ones. |
B.The world is usually full of imperfect things. |
C.We should eat imperfect apples with our eyes closed. |
D.The fruits grown by ourselves are more nutritious than those in the store. |
2 . Tips for Green Travel with Kids
Travelling doesn’t mean letting go of all the eco-friendly choices we work so hard to achieve in our daily life. Here are a few tips for green travel with kids.
Booking nonstop flights whenever possible will reduce carbon emissions (碳排放). If the closest local airport doesn’t have nonstop flights to a certain place, check with other local airports to see if nonstop flights are available.
It’s easy when travelling to pull in to fast food restaurants for snacks.
A.Walking is good for your health. |
B.Try to cut back to save water and energy. |
C.But you can pack healthy food from home. |
D.Travelling is a great chance to introduce your kids to the world. |
E.Reusable water bottles are easy to bring along wherever you travel. |
F.Save energy by turning off the hotel room lights when you head out for the day. |
G.You might have to drive a bit farther, but saving on carbon emissions makes it worthwhile. |
3 . It’s school time again! You’re probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and even a new school. Luckily, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while. Let’s find out more about going to a new school.
Most teachers kick off the new school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the stuff you’ll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class, too. When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules and school rules so you’ll know what’s allowed and what’s not. Please pay close attention.
You might already know a lot of people in your classes on the first day, but it’s a great day to make a new friend, so try to say hello to kids you know and new ones that you don’t. Make the first move and you’ll be glad you did, and so will your new friend!
Seeing friends you haven’t seen for some time can make the first day a good one. You can make the day feel special by wearing clothes that you really like. Maybe you got a great T-shirt on one of your vacations, or a pair of sneakers (运动鞋). It also can make you feel good to be prepared and have all the things you need, such as pencils, folders, and whatever else you’ll be needing. But make sure that you pack them the night before in case you don’t have time in the morning.
1. The underlined phrase “kick off” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.A.start | B.study | C.find | D.learn |
A.what to know about a new school | B.how to prepare for a new school |
C.what to do on your first day of school | D.how to spend your first day of school |
A.introduce yourself | B.learn about the school rules |
C.make new friends | D.go over your lessons |
A.nervous | B.mad | C.happy | D.upset |
4 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.A.show his magical power | B.pay for the delivery |
C.satisfy his curiosity | D.please his mother |
A.He wanted to have tea there. | B.He was a respectable person. |
C.He was treated as a family member. | D.He was fully trusted by the family. |
A.Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B.It has been driven out of the market. |
C.Its service is getting poor. | D.It is not allowed by law. |
A.He missed the good old days. | B.He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
C.He needed it for his milk bottles. | D.He planted flowers in it. |
When Beethoven was only four, his father decided to make him a musician. Beethoven was made to practice
However, this didn’t stop Beethoven. During his life, he composed about 30 pieces of music. It is
6 . How to Make a Difference to the World
Many people believe that they don’t have what it takes to make a difference to the world.They believe only people like Mother Teresa, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Bill Gates are able to do so.
It need not be an enormous task.
Start now.
There is no one best time to start to make a difference to the world.You don’t need to wait till you have the time to share some love; you don’t have to wait till you earn more money to share a piece of bread. Little efforts count.
As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish; you feed him for a day.Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The good that we seek to do will make more of a difference when there is a longlasting effect rather than a temporary effect.
A.Seek to make a longlasting effect. |
B.Stop complaining and do something. |
C.You can start making small contributions today. |
D.If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. |
E.Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. |
F.The truth is, every one of us can make it in our own unique way. |
G.For example, building a school will benefit many people for years to come. |
7 . Harper Lee (1926—2016) was an American novelist widely known for To Kill a Mockingbird (published in 1960), which won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. The 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck won three Academy Awards.
For decades, the book was Lee’s only major work of published fiction, but it was hugely influential for generations of U.S. readers. It has sold more than 10 million copies, and is one of the most widely taught novels in the U.S. schools. In 2007 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to literature.
Lee wanted to live a simple life and was never comfortable with the attention the novel won her, and she practically disappeared from public life after it appeared. The world, however, continued waiting for a new novel from her, and on occasion she suggested that she was working on another story.
In 2015, a book did come out. Go Set a Watchman was more of a first draft, featuring Scout, the young girl who was the main character of To Kill a Mockingbird. Go Set a Watchman tells a story of Scout as adult.
Though Lee moved to New York in 1949, she spent many years guarding her privacy (隐私) in Monroeville, which served as the clear inspiration for the setting in To Kill a Mockingbird.
In 2007, Lee suffered a stroke (中风), but recovered and later settled in Monroeville permanently to care for her sister, Alice, who died in 2014. She was said to eat breakfast every morning at the same fast-food spot, and was friendly with her neighbors. The countless Americans knew her only through her works, and they will undoubtedly miss her.
1. What can be learned about Harper Lee from the first two paragraphs?A.She was regarded as the greatest writer in America. |
B.She made great contributions to American literature. |
C.She once starred in a film adapted from her own novel. |
D.She is the most popular writer in American schools in history. |
A.She tried to get out of criticism. |
B.She wanted to write another novel. |
C.She suffered a stroke and was in recovery. |
D.She felt uneasy about her novel’s influence. |
A.It is based on her own life story. | B.It is adapted into a famous film. |
C.It won her lots of honors and awards. | D.It continues the story of her earlier novel. |
A.Influential but simple. | B.Ill-tempered but productive. |
C.Caring but stubborn. | D.Inspiring but struggling. |
8 . Taking good notes is a time-saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways.
You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report.
● Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.
●Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.
● Write your notes in your own words.
●
● Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.
As you take notes, you may want to use your own shorthand (速记). When you do, be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time.
A.First, the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it. |
B.There are three practical note-taking methods. |
C.You must write your notes on separate paper. |
D.Otherwise, you may not be able to read your notes later. |
E.You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes. |
F.That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes. |
G.Use words, not complete sentences. |
10 . Physical education, or PE, isn’t required for all high school students. In some schools, it isn’t offered for some different reasons. But should high school students have physical education? The answer is certainly “yes”.
Today many people don’t do sports. But as is known to all. doing sports is very important for an adult. Teaching teens the importance of a healthy lifestyle and making fitness plans now can help teens put exercise in the first place as an adult.
High school isn’t that easy. Many students are under a lot of stress. Stress can be harmful to a student’s studies and life. Doing sports can help them deal with stress better, helping them live a happier life at school.
The American Heart Association says that 10 million kids and teens suffer from obesity (肥胖). Teens should get 60 minutes of physical activity per day to control their weight and to help their bones get stronger. The increase in activities that don’t get teens to move around, such as computer games, means many teens don’t get their required exercise. PE classes act as a public health measure (措施) to encourage physical activities and help teens have healthy weights.
Not doing sports increases teens’ hazard of developing many diseases. An active lifestyle offers a good way of protection from these health problems. As much as 75 percent of health-care spending goes toward treating medical conditions that can be prevented by lifestyle changes, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.
According to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), students who performed five hours of physical activities each week improved their academic (学业的) performance. Students from programs with no physical activity, who used the extra time for classroom study, did not perform better on tests than those who gave up some study time in support of physical education.
1. According to Paragraph 2, what does physical education in high school mean?A.Making teens attach importance to ęxercise later. |
B.Removing the stress faced by teens at school. |
C.Getting teens to encourage adults to exercise. |
D.Helping teens learn to make good plans |
A.Happiness. | B.Risk. | C.Safety. | D.Sadness. |
A.means making students choose between sports and studies |
B.helps students make good use of all their time |
C.means students adjust to their studies better |
D.helps students do better in their studies |
A.Why high school students should receive physical education. |
B.Why some schools consider physical education important. |
C.How schools can help students love doing sports. |
D.How high school students can live a better life. |