You’ve heard of fast food, but what about slow food?

Slow food is an international movement. It promotes home cooking, and the use of fresh, unprocessed produce. It was founded as reaction to the popularity of unhealthy fast food. It also encourages people to buy food from local businesses, rather than large supermarkets.

The movement began in 1986. At that time, McDonald’s wanted to open a restaurant in the centre of Rome (Italy). Food writer Carlo Perini, along with others, was against this. So, the Slow Food Organization was born. Today, it has overt 100,000 members in 132 countries. And its symbol is one of the world’s slowest moving creatures, the snail. The organization’s website explains, “The snail was chosen because it moves slowly, and calmly eats its way through life.”

But Slow Food isn’t just about the food we eat. It’s also about how we eat it. Slow foodies say that in our fast-food world with very little time, we’ve forgotten that eating should be a social activity. They believe families should eat together and talk, rather than watch TV with their dinner while sitting in front of it. In fact, research has shown that if children grow up in a family that eats together at the table, they are more likely to do well in school, and less likely to have behavioral problems or develop eating disorders.

And there’s more! Slow Food has sparked an entire Slow Food Movement. This encourages people to slow down the pace of their busy lives. And now, within the movement, there’s Slow Money, Slow Travel, Slow Parenting, Slow Art and Slow Media, among many others. In 1999 the World Institute of Slowness was formed. One of the Institute’s slogans is a quotation by the famous American actress Mae West. She said, “Everything worth doing in life is worth doing slowly.” Do you agree? No need to answer straight away. Have a long hard thought about it. Take your time. And get back to us when you can.

51. If you are a member of the Slow Food Organization, you may _______.

A. react to fast food slowly                                 B. buy food from large supermarkets

C. like the animal of snails                                   D. like to cook at home

52. Why did people start the Slow Food Movement?

A. Because food writers are against fast food restaurant everywhere.

B. Because they have plenty of time to enjoy their dinner.

C. Because they think eating should be an enjoyable family occasion.

D. Because they want to slow down the development of society.

53. What can we infer from the text?

A. Slow Food Movement has little effect on the whole society.

B. Children growing in slow food families usually behave well.

C. Mae West thought that everything should be done slowly.

D. Slow foodies don’t like to watch TV and other entertainment.

54. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

A. To call on people to join Slow Food Movement.

B. To tell people what Slow Food Movement is about.

C. To tell people to think about their life and their food.

D. To call on people to object to fast food.

My father is a smart man. He spent many years of his life listening to people’s arguments, first as assistant district lawyer and then as a judge. My dad knows rubbish rhetoric when he hears it.
One of his favorite phrases is: “If you don’t have anything smart to say, then don’t say it at all.” Yet, for all of his legal training and life experience, he can’t help but keep talking about the Mega Millions jackpot.
We all know the odds(几率)of winning the jackpot this evening with one ticket are extraordinarily low ... 1 in 175, 711, 536, to be exact. Still, people go out and buy hundreds of tickets with the hopes of becoming wealthier beyond their dreams. Why? There are two possible explanations for this “irrationality”(不理智).
One idea is that the way we calculate odds in our heads has nothing to do with mathematical odds in the traditional sense. We don’t go to the mathematical odds table and say, “Well, this would be a terrible investment. I think I’m better off putting my money in the bank!” Rather, it has everything with the ability to picture an event happening.
My father, for instance, watches the news every night and sees people winning the lottery(彩票). Therefore, he thinks the chance of him winning the lottery is much higher than they actually are.
The second thought is that the expected effect of playing cannot be represented merely by the odds. My father and, I’m sure, others get a thrill from the mere idea of winning. He loves imagining what it would be like to actually win and losing doesn’t really affect him. Sure, he’s disappointed, but it’s “better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” When you combine the utility of thinking you can win with the utility of actually winning (no matter how small the chance of that occurring), it’s worth it for many people to spend the one dollar on a ticket.
My analysis is that both factors are at play in taking a chance on the lottery. My father and others really do underestimate the odds of winning, but the thrill of participation is not denied by a realistic assessment of the odds. Still, I would probably put my finger on the scale for the first explanation.
All told, a review of the odds of other events happening confirms that there just aren’t many events that occur with less frequency than your winning the Mega Millions jackpot. Look at the graph below, you may understand some:

In many ways, it’s like the lottery, something that features often on television and about which people fantasize, but that rarely happens.
So, when you watch, along with my Pa, to see if your lucky number is drawn this evening, keep in mind three things: that your number almost certainly won’t come up; that you are still going to have fun; and that, finally, a lot of other things are more likely to happen—but getting eaten by a shark isn’t one of them.
【小题1】It can be learned from the article that ________.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

The word addiction usually makes you think of alcohol or drugs．    1      Some people are compulsive （难以自制的） shoppers．Others find it impossible to pull themselves away from their work．Still others spend countless hours watching TV or playing computer games.

    2     Many people enjoy going to malls or stores more and more every day, but it’s more than a common hobby for some of them．They have turned into shopaholics．They are people who simply enjoy shopping and walking around spending money without being able to stop doing it．They are hooked on shopping and usually buy things that they don’t need．Even though they don’t have enough money, they buy everything they want.

The question is: why do they have this addiction? There isn’t a specific answer．Some people go shopping when they are sad, worried, upset or lonely and they want to feel better．They use this activity as a way to forget their problems．Shopaholics say that they feel more important and better after they buy something．    3 

Shopaholism seems to be a harmless addiction, but it can bring out problems．Some of them can be psychological．If this is the case, people addicted to shopping should go to a support group to help them break this habit．However, the process, like for most addictions, is long, and they suffer a lot．    4     They just think about satisfying their feelings, so they spend money they don’t have．    5 

       A．Once you are addicted to alcohol or drugs, it is difficult to get rid of.

       B．Over the years, shopping has become a very common activity.

       C．They also tend to have this addiction when they feel guilty.

       D．However, in modern-day society we are seeing some new kinds of addictions.

       E．People addicted to computer games consider the games as great ways to amuse themselves.

       F．They get deep in debt, and they can even go bankrupt（破产） and get sent to prison.

       G．It can also cause financial problems.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

The word addiction usually makes you think of alcohol or drugs.           Some people are compulsive (难以自制的) shoppers. Others find it impossible to pull themselves away from their work. Still others spend countless hours watching TV or playing computer games.

           Many people enjoy going to malls or stores more and more every day, but it’s more than a common hobby for some of them. They have turned into shopaholics. They are people who simply enjoy shopping and walking around spending money without being able to stop doing it. They are hooked on shopping and usually buy things that they don’t need. Even though they don’t have enough money, they buy everything they want.

The question is: why do they have this addiction? There isn’t a specific answer. Some people go shopping when they are sad, worried, upset or lonely and they want to feel better. They use this activity as a way to forget their problems. Shopaholics say that they feel more important and better after they buy something.          

Shopaholism seems to be a harmless addiction, but it can bring out problems. Some of them can be psychological. If this is the case, people addicted to shopping should go to a support group to help them break this habit. However, the process, like for most addictions, is long, and they suffer a lot.          They just think about satisfying their feelings, so they spend money they don’t have.       

A. Once you are addicted to alcohol or drugs, it is difficult to get rid of.

B. Over the years, shopping has become a very common activity.

C. They also tend to have this addiction when they feel guilty.

D. However, in modern-day society we are seeing some new kinds of addictions.

E. People addicted to computer games consider the games as great ways to amuse themselves.

F. They get deep in debt, and they can even go bankrupt(破产) and get sent to prison.

G. It can also cause financial problems.

阅读理解

　　Sometime today－perhaps several times－Dick Winter will think about the 19-yearold who saved his life.

　　Because of this young man, Winter enjoys things like friendships, colours and laughter every day.

　　The young man saved Winter's life by signing an organ donor card(器官捐献卡).

　　“I can't say thank you enough.” Winter said yesterday at a news conference marking the tenth anniversary of the Multi Organ Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital.

　　What Winter knows of the 19-year-old who saved his life is only that he died in a car accident and that his family was willing to honour his wishes and donate his organs for transplantation.

　　His liver(肝脏) went to Winter, who was dying from liver trouble. “Not a day goes by that I don't think of what a painful thing it must have been for them.” Winter said yesterday.

　　“They are very, very special people.”

　　Winter, 63, is fitter now than he was 10 years ago, when he got the transplant. He has five medals from the 1995 World Transplant Games in swimming and hopes to collect some more next year in Japan.

　　“At one time, we were probably strange people in the eyes of other people. Now it's expected you should be able to go back and do everything you did before, only better.”

　　The biggest change for Winter, however, isn't that he has become a competitive athlete. The biggest change is how deeply he appreciates every little thing about his life now.

　　“I have no time for arguments,” said Winter.

　　“You change everything. Material things don't mean as much. Friendships mean a lot.”

　　Also at yesterday's news conference was Dr Gray Levy, Winter's doctor.

　　Levy said he has bitter-sweet feelings when he looks at Winter and hears of his athletic exploits.

　　Levy knows that for every recipient(接受者) like Winter, there are several others who die even though they could be saved because there aren't enough donated organs.

　　“For every Mr Winter, we have five to ten people that will never be given the chance that Mr Winter was given,” Levy said.

　　Levy said greater public awareness and more resources are needed. He noted that in Spain and the United States, hospitals receive $ 10, 000 per donor to cover the costs of the operating room, doctors, nurses and teams to work with the donors' families.

1．Which of the following is TRUE about the 19-year-old?

[　　]

A．He died of liver trouble.

B．He got wounded in a battle.

C．He was willing to donate his organs.

D．He became a recipient of a prize.

2．What do we learn about Dick Winter?

[　　]

A．He is becoming less competitive now.

B．He is always thinking about his early life.

C．He knows all about the young man and his family.

D．He values friendships more than material things.

3．Dr Levy would agree that ________.

[　　]

A．Spanish hospitals have more favorable conditions for organ transplant

B．the Canadian public have realised the importance of organ donation

C．Spanish hospitals received more money from the donors

D．Canadian hospitals now have, enough donated organs

4．What's the author's purpose in writing this article?

[　　]

A．The public should give more support to organ transplant.

B．Transplant patients are thankful for the help they receive.

C．Transplant can change a patient's life greatly.

D．It is not easy to get organs for transplant.