Narasimha Das is on his way to feed 169,379 hungry children. Das is in charge of a kitchen in Vrindaban. The town is about a three-hour drive from India’s capital, New Delhi. Das gets to work at 3:00 a.m. Thirty workers are already working to make tens of thousands of rounds of bread. It will be brought to 1,516 schools in and around Vrindaban.
A Growing Problem
Going to school is difficult for more than 13 million children in India. They must go to work instead, or go hungry. That’s why India began the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the largest school-lunch program in the world. A free lunch encourages children to come to school and gives them the energy they need for learning. The program began in the 1960s.
The kitchen in Vrindaban is run by the Akshaya Patra Foundation. It is one of the lunch program’s biggest partners. “Just $11.50 can feed one child for an entire year,” said Madhu Sridhar, president of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
Lunch Is Served!
The Akshaya Patra food truck arrives at Gopalgarh Primary School. Since the program started, the number of underweight children has gone down. The children get foods they need — as long as they finish what’s on their plates.
【小题1】The kitchen in Vrindaban supplies food to _____.

Five people are at our table, including myself. I’ve already learnt a great deal about them in the short time we’ve been at sea, although we rarely meet except at mealtimes.

First of all, there is Dr. Stone. He is a man of about sixty-five, with gray hair and a friendly face. He gave up his work a short while ago and is now traveling round the world before he retires to some quite country village. As a young man, he served for many years as a doctor in the army and visited many countries. He’s told us a great deal about the city to which they are going.

Then there is “Grandmother”. I call her that because her name escapes me. In spite of being a grandmother, she looks remarkable young, no more than fifty. She is on her way to visit a daughter who went to Australia some years ago. Naturally she is very excited at the thought of seeing her again, and her three grandchildren, whom she has never seen.

Then there is a man I don’t care for very much, the engineer by the name of Barlow. He has been on leave in England and is now returning to his work in Singapore.

The other person who sits at our table is Mrs. Hunt. I’ve found out hardly anything about her. She’s extremely quiet and rarely talks, except to consult the doctor about children’s various illnesses. She is on her way to join her husband in India.

1.What can we know about Mr. Stone?

A． He knows a lot about the city the author is going to visit.

B．He is going to give up his work.

C．He has been retired for many years.

D．He is a doctor in the army now

2.Who lives in India?

A．Mrs. Hunt         B．Grandmother       C．The doctor        D．Mr. Hunt

3.The writer calls the second person “Grandmother”because _____.

A. She looks old.           B. he can’t think of her name

C. She has three daughters  D he respects her

4.The underlined phrase“on leave”in Paragragh 4 probably means _____.

A．leaving           B．at home           C．about to leave      D．on vacation

In many countries today, laws protect wildlife. In India, the need for such protection was realized centuries ago.

About 300 B.C. an Indian writer described forest that were somewhat like national parks today. The killing of game beasts was carefully supervised(监视). Some animals were fully protected．Within the forest, nobody was allowed to cut timber(wood for building), burn wood for charcoal(炭), or catch animals for their furs. Animals that became dangerous to human visitors were caught or killed outside the park so that other animals would not become uneasy.

The need for wildlife protection is greater now than ever before. About a thousand species of animals are in danger of extinction, and the rate of extinction was about one species every fifty years from A.D. 1 to 1800, but now it is about one species every year. Everywhere, men are trying to solve the problem of protecting wildlife caring for the rapid growth of the world’s population.

1. In forest of ancient India __________.

   A. people were permitted to hunt for fun              

B. only few kinds of animals could be killed

C. the killing of game beasts was strictly limited

D. no killing of beasts was allowed．    

2.Dangerous animals were caught or killed outside the park so as to __________.

   A. keep human visitors safe      B. free the rest of the animals from worry or fear

C. both A and B               D. supply other animals with more food    

3.The underlined word “extinction” probably means __________.

  A. being hungry                      B. dying out   C. growing slowly   D. being killed 

4.The example of man’s connection with wildlife protection can date back to _______.

   A. the third century                 B. more than 2000 years ago

C. A. D. 1 to 1800                   D. over 300 years ago

In England three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop. They studied the information on the post sign and decided which bus to take. About five minutes later the bus they wanted came along. They prepared to get on. Suddenly people rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted insulting remarks about the foreigners. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus so that the first person who arrived at a bus-stop is the first person to get on the bus.

Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to ensure a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your hosts. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, You might see a man apparently shaking his head at another and assume (认为) that he is disagreeing. But in many parts of India a rotating (旋转) movement of the head is a gesture that express agreement or acceptance. Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty. In that country you shake your head to express “yes” — a nod means “no”.

In Europe it is quite usual to cross your legs when sitting, talking to someone, even at an important meeting. Doing this when meeting an important person in Thailand, however, could cause offence (冒犯). It is considered too informal an attitude for such an occasion. Also when in Thailand avoid touching the head of an adult — it’s just not done.

Attitudes to women vary considerably around the world. In Japan, for example, it is quite usual for men to plan evening entertainments for themselves and leave their wives at home.

Knowing about customs and attitudes is useful when you are travelling, but you also need to know the language used to express different degrees of formality (礼节).

The three foreign gentlemen looked puzzled and ashamed because ________.

A. they didn’t know the English language

B. the bus conductor told them to jump the queue

C. they didn’t know the custom of lining up for a bus

D. they thought they were looked down upon

What’s the meaning of the underlined word “insulting” in Para. 1?

A. Modest.   B. Entertaining.      C. Misunderstanding.      D. Rude.

Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this passage?

A. In Europe, using the left hand is considered less respected.

B. In India, the left hand is not used as a sign of respect to others.   

C. In Thailand, you’d better cross your legs when sitting or talking.       

D. In Japan, it is considered bad manners to touch the head of an adult.

The underlined sentence “Nodding your head when offered a drink in Bulgaria is likely to leave you thirsty” means in Bulgaria _______.

A. you are probably thirsty if you nod your head

B. you’re possibly eager to have a drink if you nod your head

C. you probably refuse to drink when you nod your head

D. you’d like to have a cup of tea because you nod your head

We can infer from the passage that _________.

A. in Asian countries, women are equal to men in every field

B. learning a language well is a necessity before going abroad

C. attitudes to women vary from country to country

D. in Japan, men are still the centre of the family

Steven Jobs, the designer of Apple Computer, was not clever when he was in school. At that time, he was not a good student and he always made troubles with his schoolmates. When he went into college, he didn’t change a lot. Then he dropped out（退学）. But he was full of new ideas.
After he left college, Steven Jobs worked as a video game designer. He worked there for only several months and then he went to India. He hoped that the trip would give him some new ideas and give him a change in his life.
Steven Jobs lived on a farm in California for a year after he returned from India.
In 1975, he began to make a new type of computer. He designed the Apple Computer with his friend in his garage. He chose the name “Apple” just because it could help him to remember a happy summer he once spent in an apple tree garden.
His Apple Computer was so successful that Steven Jobs soon became famous all over the world.
He often said, “I live in order to change the world, there aren’t any other reasons. The only way to have a great achievement is to love your own career. If you can’t find your favorite career, go on looking for it and never give up.”
This is Steven Jobs, though he is dead, his spirit and achievements still influence our lives.
【小题1】Steven Jobs was not a good student in school because he ________.