We all have ideas about what kinds of foods are good to eat. We also have ideas about what kinds of foods are bad to eat. As a result, people from one culture often think the foods that people from another culture eat are nauseating(令人作呕的). When the famous boxer Muhammad Ali visited Africa, for example, one member of his group became quite sick when he saw someone pick up a butterfly and eat it. Many people would find it disgusting to eat rats, but there are forty-two different cultures whose people regard rats as appropriate food.

 Food likes and dislikes do not always seem related to nutrition. For example, broccoli is first on a list of the most nutritious common vegetables, but it is twenty-first on a list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat. Tomatoes are sixteenth on the list of most nutritious vegetables, but they are first on the list of vegetables that Americans like most to eat.

 But dislike is not the only reason why some cultures will not eat a certain food. In some cultures, certain foods are taboo. Some foods are taboo in certain religions, but there are also other food taboos that are not connected to a religion. We do not usually think about why certain things are taboo in our culture. We may not even know why they are taboo. Anthropologists(人类学家) try to discover the hidden reasons for taboos.

Anthropologists believe that most food likes and dislikes are a result of the ways of life of different people. Some people live in areas where there are both large animals and many insects. It is difficult for these people to kill large animals, and it requires a lot of energy. It is easier for them to use insects for food because it is not difficult to catch insects and it does not require a lot of energy. Nomadic(游牧的) people who move around will not want to keep pigs for food. People will not eat pets such as dogs. Americans eat a lot of beef because there is plenty of land for raising cattle and the meat can be shipped cheaply for long distances by railroads.

     What’s the main topic of this passage?

       A. Food and religion.           B. Food and culture.

   C. Nutrition of different foods.       D. Different ways of life.

Which of the following statements is TRUE about food likes and dislikes?

A. They are seldom related to nutrition.

B. They are mostly associated with people’s taste.

C. They are mostly connected with people’s life styles.

D. They are usually related to cultures or religions.

The underlined word “taboo” (Line 3, Para. 3) refers to _____.

       A. something undiscovered    B. certain religions

       C. something forbidden  D. certain foods

What can we infer from the passage?

A. It is believed that brcoccoli is more nutritious than tomatoes.

B. Americans prefer tomatoes to beef.

C. People in Inner Mongolia would probably like to keep pigs for food.

D. The famous boxer Muhamm Ali would like to eat rat rather than butterfly.

Why do Americans prefer to eat beef?

A. Because beef provides a lot of energy people require.

B. Because beef is on the list of the most nutritious foods.

C. Because they have the ideal condition to keep and ship cattle.

D. Because cattle are large animals.

Have you ever wondered?

1.Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?

It can take five hours to go west-east from New York(NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon know as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes movement a constams air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when the air moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.

2 What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?

  Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something round your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the strong go of the string. Things not attacked to the Earth would fly off in a straight line . People in buildings would suddenly shoot  upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things would fly off into space.

1.What information coa we get from the first passage?

       A.tis the iet stoomn that affeets how fast airplanes fly.

       B.Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.

       C.It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.

       D.The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atantic.

2.The word“shoot”underlined in the 2nd passage probably means“__________”.

       A.send for

       B.move quickly

       C.come out

       D.grow quickly

3.It can be interred that without gravity_________.

       A.buildings and other structures would float away

       B.trees and buildings would not so easily fly off

       C.something around your head would not float away

       D.everything outside buildings would fly off into space

4.Where can wemost probably read this text?

       A.In s research paper

       B.In a tort story.

       C.In a travel magazine.

       D.In a student’s book.

We spent a day in the country, picking wild flowers. With the car full of flowers we were going home. On our way back my wife noticed a cupboard (柜厨) outside a furniture shop. It was tall and narrow. “Buy it, ” my wife said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack. I’ve always wanted one like that.”

What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer; and the cupboard was tied on the roof rack. It was six feet long and eighteen inches square, quite heavy too.

In the gathering darkness I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed unusually polite that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.

After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake, I wonder?” In fact a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then, with great kindness, they led us through the rush-hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.

“Right, sir, ” he said. “Do you need any more help?”

I was a bit puzzled. “Thanks, officer, ” I said. “You have been very kind. I live just on the road.”

He was staring at our car, first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well, ” he said, laughing. “It’s a cupboard you’ve got there! We thought it was something else.”

My wife began to laugh. The truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.” I drove home as fast as I could.

1. In fact the husband _______ the cupboard.

A. would like very much to buy           B. badly wanted 

C. was glad to have bought                  D. would rather not buy

2. Other drivers thought they were _______.

A. carrying a cupboard to the church

B. sending flowers to the church

C. carrying nothing but a piece of furniture

D. going to attend a funeral(葬礼) at the church

3. The police will be more polite to those who are _______.

A. driving in gathering darkness                 B. in great sorrow (悲痛)

C. driving with wild glowers in the car        D. carrying furniture

4. What did the husband think of this matter?

A. It was very strange.                               B. He felt ashamed of it.

C. He took great pride in it.                        D. He was puzzled at it.

Have you ever wanted to feel like you were in a western film? Or maybe you wanted to feel like you were a pioneer traveling the west? It is possible to experience such things during a Wild West vacation! Here are four of the best Wild West vacation locations available:
Walk the Lewis and Clark Trail
Walk some or all of the 3,700 miles trail that was traversed by Mariwether Lewis and William Clark, two of the world’s greatest explorers. Though not all the trails are marked, there are various stops that have been preserved by various historic societies. There is also a coach (长途客车) that makes a 16-day trek following the trail. This begins in St. Louis, Missouri, and ends in Astoria, Oregon.
Venture Route 66
Take a tour or go to see it yourself — ride on the famous Route 66. The road is nearly 2,500 miles long. Harley Davidson offers motorcycle tours that last two weeks. Route 66 will provide an experience that may only be found on the open road. The historic road is still well taken care of.
Visit the Grand Canyon
Visit the greatest canyon in the world, located in Northern Arizona. Raft down the Colorado River, or hike the various trails that run throughout the canyon. If walking is not your thing, there are donkey and horse riding adventures available. In addition, there are motorized boats that float down through the canyon in a week’s time.
Visit Deadwood
Located in South Dakota, Deadwood is a historic landmark. It is the kind of town that comes to mind when one thinks of an old western film. Actors who act as gunslingers (杀手) will often be seen in the streets playing their roles. Winter activities are popular in this old town, and there is always something to do.
【小题1】The underlined word “trek” (Para 2) can be replaced by      .

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids but we made them worse. For my naughty boys, I’d know better. I’d really like for them to know about hand-me-down clothes and home-made ice cream and leftover meatloaf. I really would.
My cherished boys, I hope you learn humility (谦逊) by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking. I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl (爬) under the covers (被子) with you because he’s scared, I hope you’ll let him. And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along, I hope you take him.
　　I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely. I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books, and when you learn to use computers, you also learn how to add and subtract (减) in your head.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole (旗杆). I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face. I don’t care if you try beer once, but I hope you won’t like it.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.
I hope your father punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor’s window, and that your mother hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold (一个石膏模型) of your hand.
　 These things I wish for you—tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.
【小题1】Who wrote the letter?