1 . Kerala, India, has placed a tax on hamburgers, pizza and other fast food. The 14.5 percent tax will be added to foods at restaurants such as McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and Burger King.
The tax is being called a “fat tax” because it adds cost to foods considered high in fat and calories. It is the first fast food tax enacted in India, where obesity levels are rising in the growing middle class.
Kerala’s Finance Minister Thomas Isaac suggested the tax after learning of similar measures in other countries. He hopes it will get people to choose to eat healthy food, which he said is “going out of fashion.”
Dr. Anoop Misra at New Delhi’s Fortis Hospital strongly supports the “fat tax” as a way to reduce the number of diabetes cases in young people.
A government finance official in central Gujarat says that the state is considering a similar 14.5 percent tax. “This idea can also be adopted in the state, as we also have high consumption of junk and unhealthy food,” the official said.
Critics of the tax say it probably will not stop people from buying fast food. IT engineer Gaurav Singh wants the government to focus on education and awareness instead of taxing fast food.
“The one food that is eaten widely in Kerala is the ‘paratha’, which is basically high in fat, high in refined(精制的) flour, and it is cheap. It can't be taxed because it is highly unorganized.”
Some doctors and health experts say the tax should also include other snack foods and sugary drinks sold across the country.
One fast food customer In New Dehli, Vijay Deoli believes the government should deal with more important issues. “First you have to clear up the air, the water, etc. This is a small thing.”
Others say the government should do more to bring attention to fast food and obesity rather than changing people's choices.
Many health experts agree that bringing attention to the issue is important. But Dr. Misra thinks education alone does not work.
He compared the tax to a law passed several years ago that got people to wear seat belts to avoid paying a fine. “Laws can change people’s habits.”
1. Why did Thomas Isaac introduce the “fat tax”?| A．To follow the latest trend in other countries. |
| B．To prevent young people from getting diabetes. |
| C．To encourage people to change their eating habits. |
| D．To control the development of fast food restaurants. |
| A．Worried | B．Opposed | C．Surprised | D．Suspicious |
| A．education | B．regulations | C．people’s choices | D．people’s awareness |
2 . All hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150, 000 soldiers to Tangshan to help the rescue the workers. Hundreds of thousands of people were helped.
The last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our rights and progress,
3 . Drinks Have No Wings
You may have heard that “Red Bull gives you wings”. But while most people take the advertising slogan as a metaphor(隐喻), some Americans seem to have taken it very seriously.
Benjamin Careathers had been drinking the drink for 10 years, expecting to at least feel more energetic, but nothing happened. Feeling fooled by the ad, he took the issue to court.
In October, the Austria-based company agreed to pay $ 6.5 million (39.7 million yuan) to customers who have bought the drink since 2002. People in the US can apply for a share through energydrinksettlement.com before March 2015.
But is the case really that ridiculous?
Red Bull said they had done nothing wrong and they only paid the money to save the cost and trouble of legal action.
However, the suit(诉讼) told a different story. Even though there is no evidence that Red Bull energy drinks provide more benefit for consumers than a cup of coffee, the company markets their products as a superior source of energy that costs little.
“Such conduct means that Red Bull’s advertising and marketing is not just ‘puffery’ (吹捧) but is misleading and therefore actionable (可诉讼的) ,” the suit said.
The company said that the drink could promote healthy joints and reduce the risk of eye diseases. However, according to the organization, the product contains a lot of sugar, which could actually lead to many health problems.
Coca-Cola agreed to pay $ 1.2 million in compensation in July. But to fully stop the company from linking the drink to health benefit, Truth in Advertising, another non-profit organization, took the issue to court again in late October.
False advertisements have become a common problem around the world. China changed its consumer rights last year to ban advertising companies and media from making or publishing false advertisements. Celebrities are also made responsible if they endorse (代言) false or substandard products.
1. Faced with the suit, the Red Bull company decided to _______________.| A．apologize to its customers and pay for their losses in health |
| B．take full responsibility for the bad effects it has caused to its customers |
| C．give no one but its American customers some money as a reward |
| D．spend some money to save the cost and trouble of legal action |
| A．One can really fly like birds, for it offers you wings. |
| B．Drink it, and one can be forever energetic and young. |
| C．As it contains a lot of sugar, it can make one more powerful. |
| D．Healthy joints can be promoted if one takes this drink. |
| A．in China more companies will be taken to court for failing to live up to their promises |
| B．both Red Bull and Coca-Cola are now winning the consumers’ trust and respect |
| C．Benjamin Careathers has benefited a great deal since he drank Red Bull |
| D．no puffery words have ever appeared in both Red Bull and Coca-Cola’s advertisements |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Favorable. | C．Unbearable. | D．Indifferent. |
4 . Spring soccer season is under way, and many youth leagues are playing under new safety rules. In November, the US Soccer Federation said that players on its teams who are 10 or younger are no longer allowed to head the ball Players ages 11 to 13 have limits on how often they can practice heading. The new rules are made to prevent kids from getting concussions (脑震荡)—injuries caused by a blow to the head that shakes the brain. Common problems include headaches and dizziness. Severe concussions can lead to long brain damage.
Heading the ball can be one of the riskiest parts of soccer. Sometimes the force of hitting the ball with their heads gives players concussions. But more often, players receive concussions when they accidentally knock heads with other players and hit their heads on the grass. “More concussions happen during the act of heading than any other action in soccer,” explains Dr. Robert Cantu, an expert on brain injuries.
So far, the new rules are made only to teams that are part of the US Soccer Federation. But the group says it hopes other leagues will soon follow its example.
Former US soccer star Brandi Chastain is one of the leaders of the activity to ban heading in youth soccer. She applauds the rule change. Last month, Chastain showed her determination of learning more about the effects of heading when she promised to donate her brain to science after she dies.
“If there’s any information to be gathered on the study of someone like me，who has played soccer for 40 years, it feels like my responsibility,” Chastain told The New York Times.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．Players needn’t take the risk of heading the ball in soccer. |
| B．All of the players, headaches result from hitting heads on the grass. |
| C．Players must receive concussions when knocking heads with other players. |
| D．The act 0f heading can cause more concussions than other actions in soccer. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Positive. |
| C．Negative. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Brandi Chastain suffers from very severe concussions |
| B．concussions caused by heading the ball can not be healed |
| C．Brandi Chastain is willing to devote herself to the security of soccer players |
| D．the new rules in soccer have been carried out among all of the American leagues |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（
），并在其下面写出该加的词。删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Get a good educa
tion is more important today than ever before .In Canada mostly children attend public schools. Public schools are mainly found by governments through tax income. Students in Canada taught in English and in French. The rests of Canadian children attend private schools, that are supported mainly by fees paying by parents .By law ,the children must attend the school from age 5 to 16. There are several different levels in the Canadian education system .The first was called Elementary Schools ,which includes kindergartens through grade 7 or 8.
6 . Even in the fanciest pizza restaurant, you will never feel weird if you ask for a box to take your leftovers (剩饭）home. In Italy, that will soon apply everywhere, with a new law that encourages restaurants to give people doggy bags, although in Italy it's called a "family bag."
The new law is designed to reduce food waste and open doors to companies wishing to donate wasted food. Family bags were made to avoid embarrassment at asking for leftovers, turning it from begging into good behavior.
In the U.S., taking uneaten food home is normal. In the U.K. it is fairly common. To the south, though, this practice is rare. In Spain and Italy, people might take the bones from their meat and give them to their dogs, but culturally, it's not the done thing. Also, there aren't often many leftovers, as dishes are sized according to how much people will actually eat and are rarely too big to finish unless you over-order.
In France, the laws are tougher. Last year, the French began to forbid supermarkets to throw away food. They must either give it away to charity, or make it available to be used as animal feed and compost(堆肥），If they fail to follow the law, they will be fined.
Perhaps Italy's new law is right. Food waste is now attracting international attention, but the only way to really stop it lies in whether individuals are willing to change their ways. If it becomes socially unacceptable to waste food, or to serve a huge portion in restaurants, then we have a chance.
1. What does the underlined word “weird” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Difficult. | B．Strange |
| C．Relaxed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．They don’t bother to do it. |
| B．It is their custom to eat food up. |
| C．It is not acceptable in their culture. |
| D．They usually order small portions. |
| A．By introducing stricter laws. |
| B．By donating food to the needy. |
| C．By restaurants only serving small portions. |
| D．By everyone taking action and saying no to it. |
| A．Way of reducing food waste. |
| B．Italy’s plans to use family bags. |
| C．How doggy bags come into being. |
| D．The increasingly serious food waste. |
The expensive trip to church was a surprise for Richard Albert, who lives right on the Canadian border. Like the other half-dozen people of Township 15, crossing the border is a daily occurrence for Albert. The nearby Quebec village of St. Pamphile is where they shop, eat and go to church.
There are many such situations in these areas along the largely unguarded 5,530-mile border between Canada and the US-which in some cases actually runs down the middle of streets or through buildings.
As a result, Albert says he did not expect any problems three weeks ago when he returned home to the US after attending church in Canada, as usual. The US customs（海关）station in this are is closed on Sundays, so be just drove around the locked gate, as he had done every weekend since the gate appeared last May, following a tightening of border security. Two days later. Albert was told to go to the customs office, where an officer told him be had been caught on camera crossing the border illegally（非法）.
Ottawa has given out special passes to some 300 US citizens in that area so they can enter the country when Canadian customs stations are closed, but the US stopped a similar program last May. That forces the people to a 200-miledetour along hilly roads to get home through another border checkpoint.
Albert has requested that the customs office change their decisions on the fine, but he has not attended a Sunday church since. “I feel like I’m living in a prison,” he said.
1. We learn from the text that Richard Albert is .
| A．an American living in Township 15 |
| B．a Canadian living in a Quebec village |
| C．a Canadian working in a customs station |
| D．an American working in a Canadian church |
| A．failed to obey traffic rules | B．broke the American security rules |
| C．worked in St. Pamphile without a pass | D．damaged the gate of the customs office |
| A．a drive through the town | B．a race across the fields |
| C．a roundabout way of travelling | D．a journey in the mountain area |
| A．A Cross-country Trip | B．A Special Border Pass |
| C．An Unguarded Border | D．An Expensive Church Visit |
8 . Good afternoon, and welcome to England. We hope that your visit here will be a pleasant one. Today, I would draw your attention to a few of our laws.
The first one is drinking. Now, you may not buy wine in this country if you are under 18 years of age, nor may your friends buy it for you.
Secondly, noise. Enjoy yourselves by all means, but please don’t make unnecessary noise, particularly, at night. We ask you to respect other people who may wish to be quiet.
Thirdly, crossing the road. Be careful, the traffic moves on the left side of the road in this country. Use pedestrian crossing and don’t take any chance when crossing the road.
My next point is about rubbish. It isn’t lawful to drop rubbish in the street. When you have something to throw away, please put it in your pocket and take it home, or put it in a dustbin.
Finally, as regards smoking, it is against law to buy cigarettes or tobacco if you are under 16 years of age.
I’d like to finish by saying that if you require any sort of help or assistance, you should contact the police, who will be pleased to help you. You can call, write or directly go to ask any policeman.
1. “take any chance” means .
| A．冒险，碰运气 | B．趁机 | C．失去机会 | D．生气 |
| A．A guide. |
| B．A person who makes the law. |
| C．A teacher. |
| D．An English officer. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．tell people those above 18 can smoke and drink there |
| B．declare the different laws of England |
| C．give advice to travelers to the country |
| D．warn people against going to the country |
| A．in the country, if you are 18 years of age, you may not buy wine, but your friends can buy it for you |
| B．you may not buy cigarettes or tobacco unless you are above 16 years of age |
| C．because the traffic moves on the left side of the road, you must use pedestrian when crossing the road |
| D．you can’t make a noise except at night |
