Section B (10 marks)

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

The tasty cream-filled golden sponge(海绵) cakes have been an American favorite for decades. These are just a few of the sugary treats made by the beloved Hostess brand. But after more than 80 years, Americans have to say goodbye to these iconic (标志性的) desserts. Early last week, Hostess announced it is going out of business.

"Many people have worked unbelievably long and hard to keep this from happening," said Hostess CEO Gregory F. Rayburn. "Hostess Brand has no other alternative than to begin the process of getting down and preparing for the sale of our iconic brands." Along with Twinkles (奶油蛋糕) and Wonder Bread, cupcakes and other sugary treats may disappear from the shelves.

In the past decade, Hostess has experienced difficulties with its management and high labor costs. The company had money troubles in the past, but this time there was no way to recover. Along with the loss of sugary treats comes the loss of nearly 20,000 jobs. Hostess fans hope that another company will buy out the Hostess.

The downfall of Hostess is due not just to the company's financial problems, but also to a changing America. Our country's tastes and lifestyles are not the same as they were eighty years ago. Americans have become more health-conscious, and they are demanding more healthful food products. As a manufacturer of high-calorie products, Hostess does not fit into this new way of life.

To make matters worse for Hostess, Americans do not eat as much bread as they once did. "More and more people are choosing one-dish meals," said Harry Balzar. "The tradition of bread as a side dish is going out." Americans are finding alternatives to their morning toast too. Instead they’re choosing quick snacks like yogurt and energy bars.

Will Twinkles become an image of a bygone(过去的) America? Hostess fans hope that it will secure its spot on supermarket shelves for years to come. We can only wait. And maybe eat fruit for dessert instead.

1.What caused Hostess to be in trouble in the last 10 years? (no more than 7 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

2.Can you list three disappearing sugary desserts by Hostess? (no more than 5 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

3.What makes Hostess's situation more severe? (no more than 9 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

4.What's the hope of Hostess fans about this spongy snack's future? (no more than 20 words)

_____________________________________________________________________

Wikipedia (维基百科) is a non-profit website funded by donations, started on 15th January, 2001. “Wiki” means “quick” in the Hawaiian language. These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (百科), to look something up. But how reliable is it?

The site attracts 78 million visitors every month, and it is available in more than 270 different languages. It’s one of the most comprehensive (综合的) resources available, and it’s got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can look through and edit the contents or add a new page at any time. And you don’t need any formal training.

Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for horrible comments (such as politicians) are forbidden to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn’t easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it’s also open to “vandals”(故意捣乱者).

Some of the damage is easy to notice. Someone drew horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gates’ photo. But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, with The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Independent all having fallen victim to the tricks. For example, in an obituary (讣告) for British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime song “There’ll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover”. In fact, he did no such thing.

So if you’re going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double-check it first.

1.What do we know about Wikipedia?

A. It makes profits from its users.

B. It is run by the Hawaiian government.

C. It provides a huge amount of information.

D. It is the most popular website worldwide.

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. 78 million people visit Wiki each day

B. To forbid wrong public editings is quite easy

C. Formal education is needed to do editing for Wifi

D. Some people change the information on Wiki just for fun

3. The example of Norman Wisdom’s obituary is used to show _________.

A. Wikipedia sometimes contains false information

B. some newspapers like The Guardian are irresponsible

C. Norman Wisdom is unpopular with some people

D. Wikipedia affects people’s lives greatly

4.What does the author advise readers to do?

A. To look through Wikipedia frequently.

B. To update Wikipedia on a daily basis.

C. To turn to other websites for valid information.

D. To be careful when using the information from Wikipedia.

Hello everybody.You can use this website to learn English and other languages.Click the links below to explore our language learning resources.

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You can speak English online with another person or practice any other language on our Live English Conversation Linkup service through Skype,Google Talk,MSN,etc.You can use the service to get information about travel,language,food,customs,climate,travel,business,work,study etc.Or,you can speak any foreign language on our Live Language Linkup page.

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Real conversations

We provide recordings of real conversations and interviews,with transcripts(文字记录)of the conversations so you can read and listen at the same time.It is a good way to learn real English.

1.This website mainly provides users with _____________.

A.free courses on traveling abroad

B.plenty of language resources

C.interesting conversations

D.1ots of amazing stories

2.If one wants to enrich his grammar and words,he should click _____________.

A.Be Aware B.The Water Car

C.The Business Trip D.Interactive Stories

3.Which of the following is designed for intermediate level learners?

A.The Children of Kenji Takeuehi.

B.A New Life in Mosquito City

C.Hiromi’s Trip to Thailand.

D. Miyako’s Education.

4.Real conversations is a good may to learn real English because ____________.

A.you can read while listening

B.you can see a native speaker

C.you can record your own voice and listen to it

D.you can transcript every word of real speakers

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