Have you ever wondered where the chocolate in your favorite candy bar comes from? Choco-

late comes from the cacao tree, which grows in warm, tropical areas of West Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, and South America. And who eats the delicious chocolate made from the cacao grown in these places? The majority of chocolate is consumed in Europe and North America. This probably sounds like a familiar story-developing countries produce inexpensive raw materials that are manufactured and sold as finished goods in developed countries, and generally, that is what happens with chocolate. Large chocolate companies buy cacao beans at a low price and produce cocoa and chocolate products to sell at a relatively high price.

But the familiar story has a new chapter. Beginning in the 1980s, some consumers learned that cacao farmers were living difficult and uncertain lives. The farmers received money for their crops based on world markets, and the market price for cacao was sometimes so low that farmers received less for their crops than the crops had cost to produce. In response, groups of consumers in Europe and the United States developed "fair trade" organizations to guarantee that farmers of cacao, as well as coffee and tea, would receive fair and consistent prices for their crops.

Fair trade organizations benefit farmers by buying cacao beans or other products from them directly at higher-than-market prices and eliminating(消除)“middle men" such as exporters. Fair trade organizations also encourage farming techniques that are not harmful to the environment or to farm workers. for example, growing cacao without chemical pesticides or fertilizers in the shade of rain forest trees.0ne organization, Equal Exchange, helps farmers set up farming cooperatives in which they can share resources and work on projects such as community schools. Another, Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International(FLO),guarantees that products bearing its label meet standards that improve the lives of growers and producers.

The results of fair trade are a better standard of living for some farmers and nicer chocolate bars made with organically produced cocoa that consumers don't feel guilty about buying. And al- though fair trade chocolate is somewhat more expensive than other chocolate and now makes up only 1% of chocolate sold, the fair trade idea is spreading quickly. You may soon see fair trade chocolate right next to the more famous bars in your favorite store.

1.The underlined word“that”in Paragraph l refers to

A. the unfair trade between countries

B. the high price of chocolate products

C. the traditional production of raw materials

D. the major consumption of the finished food

2.The organization Equal Exchange aims to

A. promote chocolate sales

B. offer support to the farmers

C. reduce the cost of growing crops

D. increase the production of chocolate

3.What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A. There will be more fair trade chocolate ill the future.

B. Fair trade chocolate is not as tasty as other chocolate.

C. Consumers feel guilty about buying fair trade chocolate.

D. There is probably no reason to worry about cacao farmers.

4.The passage mainly talks about

A. giving tips on how to undertake fair chocolate trade

B. advising people to join in Fair trade organizations

C. encouraging farmers to adopt organic farming

D. informing people of fair trade chocolate

Nowadays kids can access various websites. However, they also need to aware of some websites that may bring them bad influences. There are a lot of good websites for kids that can be useful for their overall development.

Kids, national geographic

National Geographic Kids is one of the best websites for kids to stay updated with latest information on a wide range of topics. Every kid will surely find something important when he/she visits this website. It covers exciting information about activities, animals, education, fun and intellectual games, people and places, science and technology, stories, etc.

Factmonster

We know how much kids hate to study. If you also find it hard to make your kids study, you can ask him to visit Factmonster. This website is a fun way to study on all the school subjects. Kids will not have any punishments or long hours of lectures, but instead they will learn in a free way to study on their own!

Clubpenguin

Clubpenguin is an entertaining website, operated by Disney. As the name suggests, kids need to create a penguin alter ego (密友)and play online games and chat with fellow penguins, or friends. So, if you are looking for the chat rooms for kids only, then club penguin is a great choice for you! The best part is that all the chat information and history can be monitored by parents, in any time they want. Along with online chatting with friends, your kids can also participate in various activities that take place on club penguin, like drawing, painting! etc.

1.Kid. national geographic is a good website for kids because ______.

A. it enjoys the largest amount of topics

B. it provides online teaching by educators

C. it is good for kids’ over-all development

D. it has academic papers written by scientists

2.If the parents want their kids to learn in a more relaxing way, then they can visit _________.

A. Ebay B. Factmonster

C. Clubpenguin D. Kids. national geographic

3.Why is Clubpenguin better than other websites that have chat rooms?

A. It can useful for children’s intelligence

B. Kids can change their names as penguins

C. Kids can play online games with their friends

D. Parents get all the chatting records of their kids

4.The passage is most probably taken from ______.

A. education report B. science news report

C. ad for some websites D. Internet training course

Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I’ve ever had: Be bold and brave — and mighty forces will come to your aid.

Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.

Boldness means a decision to bite off more than you can eat. And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas — even physical strength greater than most of us realize.

Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. “In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line,” said Tim. “I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet — and stopped him cold.”

Boldness — a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme—is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks (挫折) and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.

So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities—and you’ll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed.

1.Why was the author sometimes unable to reach his goal in the past?

A. He faced huge risks.

B. He lacked mighty forces.

C. Fear prevented him from trying.

D. Failure blocked his way to success.

2.What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?

A. Swallow more than you can digest.

B. Act slightly above your abilities.

C. Develop more mysterious powers.

D. Learn to make creative decisions.

3.What can be learned from Paragraph 5?

A. Confidence grows more rapidly in adults.

B. Trying without success is meaningless.

C. Repeated failure creates a better life.

D. Boldness can be gained little by little.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A. To encourage people to be courageous.

B. To advise people to build up physical power.

C. To tell people the ways to guarantee success.

D. To recommend people to develop more abilities.

Jessica Westervelt,a Spanish teacher at Bethlehem High School in New York,created an activity called “House Hunters”,which was inspired by the popular television show “House Hunters International”,for her Spanish class about four years ago.

Similar to the show,students work in groups,pretending to be real house agents,and look for three houses in Spanish-speaking countries.She uses the activity to teach vocabulary related to the home,chores,travel and vacation.She created the exercise because she wanted to incorporate her students’ interests into the curriculum.At the time,a group of her students were big fans of the show.

The students look for a house for Westervelt to buy to live in,or rent for vacation.She tells them what she is looking for in a home and gives them a budget.Students work in groups of three,and each student is responsible for finding one house in a Spanish-speaking country that fits the requirements.

The groups usually make a brochure describing the houses they find.Each group presents their findings to the class,while the other students take notes.The entire activity is done in Spanish,so students get to practice their writing,listening and conversation skills.They also get some cultural education when researching homes in Spanish-speaking countries.Westervelt says that students planning to take the class look forward to her project.

Westervelt says,“I think any time that you can find a way to link into something that they are interested in outside of school,it makes it more realistic for them and it makes that activity much more enjoyable for them.”

1.How did Westervelt come up with the idea of the activity?

A. She got it from a TV program. B. She was inspired by her students.

C. She learned it from a house agent. D. She was taught that in high school.

2.Which of the following can replace the underlined word “incorporate” in Paragraph 2?

A. change B. absorb

C. force D. persuade

3.What are the students supposed to do with the houses they find?

A. Rent the houses for their vacation. B. Live in the houses for a while.

C. Write an introduction to the houses. D. Choose and buy one for their teacher.

4.What do Westervelt’s words in the last paragraph mean?

A. Most school activities are not enjoyable.

B. Students should be realistic about study.

C. Out-of-school activities are very important.

D. Learning should be combined with interest.

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