题目内容
by chanceValentine’s Day is named for Saint Valentine, an early Christmas churchman who helped young lovers. Valentine was killed for his Christian beliefs on February 14 more than 1700 years ago, but the day which is named after him is even earlier than that.
More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Romans celebrated a holiday for lovers. As part of the celebration, girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper became his lover or sweet heart for a year.
Now, lovers still put their names on pieces of paper and they sent each other Valentine’s Day cards that tell of their love. Sometimes they also send gifts, like flowers or chocolate candies. Americans usually send these gifts and cards through the mail system. But some use another way to send this message. They have it printed in a newspaper. The cost is usually a few dollars. Some of the messages are simple and short, “Jane, I love you very much”. Others say more. This one, for example, “Dan, Roses are red. Violets are blue. I hope you love me as much as I love you. Forever, May.”
Most of the newspapers that print such messages are local, but USA Today is sold throughout the United States and 90 other countries. This means someone can send a Valentine message to the lover in a far-away place almost anywhere in the world. These messages cost 80 dollars and more. An employee of USA Today says readers can have a small heart or rose printed along with their messages this year. Will this kind of Valentine’s Day message reach the one you love? Well, just make sure he or she reads the newspaper.
【小题1】When was the day named after Valentine?
A.More than 1700 years ago before Valentine’s death. | B.More than 2, 000 years ago. |
C.On February 14. | D.It is not mentioned in the passage. |
A.Girls put paper with their names into a container. |
B.Boys and girls became sweet hearts by chance. |
C.Girls and boys chose life lovers in the holiday. |
D.It was celebrated as a holiday for lovers. |
A.like what the ancient Romans did | B.by sending gifts to each other |
C.by printing newspapers | D.by spending lots of money |
A.The ancient Roman girls were more easy-going. |
B.Valentine was killed for not helping the government. |
C.USA Today helps readers to send roses with printed messages. |
D.Valentine was honored for his Christian belief and warm heart. |
A.tell us something about Valentine’s Day | B.advertise for USA Today |
C.tell us that Americans are open to express love | D.sell roses on Valentine’s Day |
Between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, some humans discontinued their wandering hunting and gathering and settled down to farm. Grain was the first domesticated crop that started that farming process.
The oldest proven records of brewing are about 6,000 years old and refer to the Sumerians. Sumeria lay between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers including Southern Mesopotamia. It is said that the Sumerians discovered the fermentation (发酵) process by chance. No one knows today exactly how this occurred, but it could be that a piece of bread or grain became wet and a short time later, it began to ferment.
The Sumerians were able to repeat this process and are assumed to be the first civilized culture to brew beer. They had discovered a “divine drink” which certainly was a gift from the gods. The word beer comes from the Latin word bibere, meaning “to drink”, and the Spanish word cerveza originates from the Greek goddess of agriculture, Ceres.
A vitamin-rich porridge, used daily, beer is reported to have increased health and longevity and reduced disease and malnutrition (营养不良). The self-medicating properties of alcohol-rich beer also eased the tensions and stresses of daily living in a hostile world. The use of yeast (酵母) was not yet known at that time. The success of the fermentation process was left to chance, as the brewers unknowingly relied on yeast particles in the air.
Considerable scientific research took place in breweries (酿酒厂) in the 19th century. A famous work from 1876 by Louis Pasteur was Studies Concerning Beer where he revealed his knowledge of micro-organisms. By establishing that yeast is a living microorganism, Pasteur opened the gates for accurately controlling the conversion (转换) of sugar to alcohol.
Another discovery in beer brewing was the work of Christian Hansen, a Danish scientist, who successfully isolated a single yeast cell and induced it to reproduce on an artificial culture medium. With the resulting yeast multiplication (繁殖) methods, the purity of the fermenting process has been improved.
【小题1】According to the passage, who was the first to brew beer?
A.The Greeks. | B.Christian Hansen. |
C.Louis Pasteur. | D.The Sumerians. |
A.the function of micro-organisms |
B.the success of the fermentation process |
C.two scientific discoveries about brewing |
D.the results of yeast multiplication methods |
A.Grain was the first crop used to brew beer. |
B.There are some yeast particles in the air. |
C.The word “beer” originates from Latin. |
D.Modern beer contains more alcoholic. |
A.The beer culture. | B.The history of beer. |
C.The earliest brewery. | D.Methods of brewing beer. |