D

Is It Worth Buying Organic Food?

Organic food,grown without artificial chemicals,is increasingly popular nowadays.Consumers have been willing to pay up to twice as much for goods with organic labels (商标).However,if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious and safer product,you might want to save your money.A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren't necessarily more nutritious,and they're no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria,either.

The latest results,published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine,suggest that buyers may be wasting their money."We did not find strong evidence that organic food is more nutritious or healthier," says Dr.Crystal Smith-Spangler from Stanford."So consumers shouldn't assume that one type of food has a lower risk or is safer."

For their new study,Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories of research,including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products,and 223 studies that analyzed the nutritional content of the foods,including key vitamins,minerals and fats.

While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content,they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces.Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards.And both organic and traditional meats,such as chicken and pork,were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates.The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids,a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease.However,these nutritional differences were too small,and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.

Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices,but that doesn't always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product.The U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "whether you buy organic or not,finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste." Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed as organic.

1.The new research questions whether organic food __________.

A.should replace traditional food

B.has been overpriced by farmers

C.is grown with less harmful chemicals

D.really more nutritious and healthier

2.Smith-Spangler and her colleagues found that __________.

A.organic food could reduce the risk of heart disease

B.traditional food was grown with more natural methods

C.both organic and traditional food they examined were safe

D.there was not a presence of any forms of bacteria in organic food

3.Which of the following is relatively healthier according to the passage?

A.Organic chicken and pork.

B.Organic milk and chicken.

C.Traditional chicken and pork.

D.Traditional fruit and vegetables.

4.What is the author's attitude toward organic food?

A.Sceptical.

B.Neutral.

C.Unconcerned.

D.Approving.

British writer John Bunyan was born at Elstow, Bedfordshire, England, in November, 1628. His father was a maker and mender of pots and kettles, and the son followed the same trade. Though he is usually called a tinker, Bunyan had a settled home and place of business. He had little schooling, and he describes his early surroundings as poor and mean. He became much interested in religions, but it was only after a tremendous spiritual conflict, lasting three or four years, that he found peace. His struggles are related with extraordinary vividness and intensity in his “Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.” His writing began with a controversy against the Quakers (教友派), and shows from the first the command of a homely but vigorous style.

Like most working men at the time, Bunyan had a deep hatred for the corrupted, hypocritical rich who accumulated their wealth “by hook and by crook.” As a stout Puritan(清教徒), he had made a conscientious study of the Bible and firmly believed in salvation (拯救) through spiritual struggle.

Bunyan’s style was modeled after that of the English Bible. With his concrete and living language and carefully observed and vividly presented details, he made it possible for the reader of the least education to share the pleasure of reading his novel and to relive the experience of his characters.

Bunyan’s works include Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), The Life and Death of Mr. Badman (1680), The Holy War (1682) and The Pilgrim’s Progress (1684).

The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most successful religious allegory (寓言) in the English language. Its purpose is to urge people to observe Christian doctrines and seek salvation through constant struggle with their own weaknesses and all kinds of social evils. It is not only about something spiritual but also bears much relevance to the time. Its predominant metaphor — life as a journey — is simple and familiar. The objects that Christian meets are homely and commonplace, and the scenes presented are typical English ones, but throughout the allegory a spiritual significance is added to the commonplace details. Here the strange is combined with the familiar and the trivial joined to the divine, and, a rich imagination and a natural talent for storytelling also contribute to the success of the work which is at once entertaining and morally instructive.

“The Vanity Fair,” is an excerpt from The Pilgrim’s Progress. The story starts with a dream in which the author sees Christian the Pilgrim, with a heavy burden on his back, reading the Bible. When he learns from the book that the city in which he and his family live shall be burnt down in a fire, Christian tries to convince his family and his neighbors of the oncoming disaster and asks them to go with him in search of salvation, but most of them simply ignore him. So he starts off with a friend, Pliable. Pliable turns back after they stumble into a pit, the Slough of Despond. Christian struggles on by himself. Then he is misled by Mr. Wordly Wiseman and is brought back onto the right road by Mr. Evangelist. There he joins Faithful, a neighbor who has set out later but has made better progress. The two go on together through many adventures, including the great struggle with Apollyon, who claims them to be his subjects and refuse to accept their allegiance to God. After many other adventures they come to the Vanity Fair where both are arrested as alien agitators. They are tried and Faithful is condemned to death. Christian, however manages to escape and goes on his way, assisted by a new friend, Hopeful. Tired of the hard journey, they are tempted to take pleasant path and are then captured by Giant Despair. Finally they got away and reach the Celestial City, where they enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.

1.According to the passage, Bunyan hated the rich people mainly because ______.

A. his father was making and mending pots and kettles

B. Bunyan had poor and mean early surroundings

C. the rich usually got their wealth in dishonest ways

D. Bunyan studied the Bible to save the human souls

2.What are the main characteristics of Bunyan’s works?

① The languages are concrete and living.

② The stories are carefully and vividly described.

③ The plots are romantic and twisting.

④ The works are easy to understand.

A. ①②③ B. ②③④ C. ①③④ D.①②④

3.John Bunyan wrote the book The Pilgrim’s Progress in order to ______.

A. advise people to obey religious principles for salvation

B. tell people that life is a simple and familiar journey

C. add spiritual significance to the commonplace details

D. to combine the strange things with the familiar things

4.What moral does the story of the last paragraph convey to us?

A. Any imaginable things might happen in a pilgrim’s dream.

B. Christian the Pilgrim likes reading the Bible with a burden.

C. People can struggle against weaknesses and evils for salvation

D. People can enjoy eternal life in the fellowship of the blessed.

Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a booklover or merely go there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find shelter from a sudden shower.

Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your surroundings. The desire to pick up a book with an attractive dust-jacket is irresistible, although this method of selection ought not to be followed, as you might end up with a rather dull book. You soon become absorbed in some book or other, and usually it is only much later that you realize you have spent far too much time there and must dash off to keep some forgotten appointment—without buying a book, of course.

This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main attraction of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. You can wander round such places to your heart's content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the unavoidable greeting: "Can I help you, sir?" You needn't buy anything you don't want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but when he has led you there, the assistant should retire considerately and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.

You have to be careful not to be attracted by the variety of books in a bookshop. It is very easy to enter the shop looking for a book on, say ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the latest bestselling novel and perhaps a book about brass-rubbing--something which had only slightly interested you up till then. This volume on the subject, however, happened to be so well illustrated and the part of the text you read proved so interesting that you just had to buy it. This sort of thing can be very dangerous. Apart from running up a huge account, you can waste a great deal of time wandering from section to section.

1.The underlined phrase "dust jacket" means ________.

A. a kind of clothes B. a paper cover of a book

C. a dusty book D. a title of a book

2.You may spend too much time in a bookshop because________.

A. the dust jackets are very attractive

B. you start reading one of the books

C. it is raining outside

D. you have to make sure you won't buy a dull book as a present

3.It can be learned from the text that an assistant should offer you help _______.

A. as soon as you have entered the shop

B. just before you finish browsing

C. only when you have finished reading

D. when he leads you to a particular section

4.The author implies that it is very easy to enter a bookshop and buy ______.

A. a book on ancient coins

B. a best-selling novel on brass-rubbing

C.a book that only vaguely interests you

D. a book that unexpectedly fascinates you

5. The best title for this passage may be________.

A. The Attraction of Bookshops

B. How to Spend Your Time

C. Bookshops and Their Assistants

D. How to Select Books

阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从第1—20 各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C 和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。

There were two teenage girls in the same school. One had _________ appearance, wealthy family background and remarkable study records. She entered a good _________ after high school. The other, who was less attractive, with _________ background and worse records, entered a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and became a receptionist at a five-star hotel.

With no _________, the first girl got a job in a big company, got to know someone who was well-educated, _________ and wealthy. They went on a marriage after a two-year's love relationship. _________ thought it was a marriage that was made by the Heaven.

The other girl got to know a visiting Professor from USA by _________ at work. People had no idea how they would finally get _________ with a large age gap and poorer communications in English, but anyway, both of them seemed to be _________ about each other.

Later on, the first girl gave birth to a baby girl. The _________ had been OK for a few years; however, with the growth of her husband's _________ , the man started having some affairs with other women, which came to light one day and were _________ by a divorce. What's worse, she had no _________ in re-gaining her happiness. Presently she is still alone and lonely.

How about the other one? Later on, she went to the States, and _________ two children. She went to university while looking after her children. Once the children _________ their school age, she had already gained graduate _________ for accounting and went to work more professionally. She had a _________ life (not only in everyday life but also mentally). She now has a good career, _________ life and social circle. Life seems to have been kind to her. But we can see she _________ her own opportunity and happiness.

Life is a long run. The longer distance in a race, the less _________ the starting point is. So just work and try harder.

1.A. poor B. bad C. rich D. good

2.A. family B. university C. hospital D. job

3.A. perfect B. ordinary C. strong D. pretty

4.A. exception B. influence C. connection D. information

5.A. cautious B. handsome C. disabled D. beautiful

6.A. Someone B. Anyone C. Everyone D. No one

7.A. heart B. mistake C. skill D. chance

8.A. praised B. admired C. married D. changed

9.A. happy B. foreign C. lucky D. careful

10.A. marriage B. society C. generation D. influence

11.A. health B. strength C. warmth D. wealth

12.A. quarreled B. argued C. received D. followed

13.A. convenience B. confidence C. patience D. practice

14.A. brought B. provided C. mothered D. occupied

15.A. touched B. reached C. got D. arrived

16.A. certificate B. application C. association D. appetite

17.A. worrying B. disappointing C. satisfying D. discouraging

18.A. daily B. private C. social D. family

19.A. accepted B. relaxed C. created D. missed

20.A. significant B. interesting C. violent D. favorite

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