A Japanese toy maker declares that they have developed a gadget that translates dog barks into human language and plans to begin selling the gadget——under the name of Bowlingual——in U. S. pet stores and gift shops this summer.
Tokyo-based Takara Co. Ltd. says about 300, 000 of the dog translator gadgets have been sold since it was on sale in Japan late last year. It is forecasting far bigger sales once an English language translation for dogs comes to America in August. The United States is home to about 67 million dogs, more than six times the number in Japan.
"We know that the Americans love their dogs so much, so we don't think they will mind spending $ 120 on this product, " the Takara marketing manager said during an interview at a recent pet products conference in Atlanta.
Regarded as one of the coolest inventions of 2002 by Time magazine, Bowlingual is made up of a 3 - inch long wireless microphone that is fastened to a dog collar and sends out sounds to a small console (控制台) that is connected to a database (数据库). The console divides each bark into six emotional types——happiness, sadness, disappointment, anger, threat and desire——and shows common phrases, such as "You're ticking me off," that fit the dog's emotional state.
Takara says it has spent millions of dollars developing the gadget in cooperation（合作）with famous sound experts and animal behaviorists.
One thing that does appear certain is that the markets for animal translation products will likely remain a dog's world since Takara has no plans to develop a similar gadget for cats. "They are too unpredictable (反复无常) , " the marketing manager said.
【小题1】This passage mainly tells us that Bowlingual ___________.

Seven Health Facts about Coffee

When you’re considering your morning coffee, here are some health facts to keep in mind:

1. Coffee Reduces Your Risk of Diabetes (糖尿病)

In a 2005 review of nine studies, researchers found that for those that drank four to six cups of coffee per day, versus only two or fewer, their risk for Type 2 diabetes decreased by almost 30 percent. The number decreased by 35 percent when people drank more than six cups per day. And if you’re picturing yourself running around the office with your eyes bugging out of your head, no worries because caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees provided much the same results.

2. Coffee Fights Free Radicals (自由基)

We often forget that coffee is actually a plant and like all plant foods, the coffee bean contains more than 1,000 naturally occurring substances called phytochemicals, which may help prevent disease. Many of these phytochemicals are antioxidants which protect the cells from damage from free radicals.

3. Coffee Improves Memory and Cognition

Researchers reported that volunteers who drank caffeinated coffee in the morning performed better than nondrinkers on tests that involved learning new information. Coffee can also improve cognitive function as we age. One study found that combining coffee with a sweet treat had an even bigger impact.

4. Coffee Can Increase Osteoporosis (骨质疏松)

It’s true that coffee can cause the body to excrete calcium in urine. We don’t want the body to rid itself of calcium because this can lead to osteoporosis. According to The Diet Channel, about five milligrams of calcium is lost per every six ounces of coffee consumed. But these calcium losses can be counter balanced with two tablespoons of milk or yogurt per cup of coffee.

5. Coffee Causes Wrinkles

Even though coffee has antioxidants, if you drink too much of it, it can cause wrinkling of the skin. This is a result of dehydration (脱水) which is the worst thing for your skin. So when you’re drinking that morning cup or two, make sure that you’re pairing it with water. Even better, add one tablespoon of chia seeds to your water and let them sit for 30 minutes. The chia seeds keep you even more hydrated than regular water.

6. Coffee Can Actually Cause Weight Gain

The blood sugar changes that a caffeine high produces can contribute enormously to a strong desire for it, according to iVillage. Coffee is also socially connected to food. For example, we pair coffee with dessert or that morning powdered doughnut. Additionally, when we crash from our caffeine high that’s when we reach for all sorts of fatty snacks to keep us going.

7. Conventional Coffee Is Laden with Pesticides (杀虫剂)

The coffee plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. It’s coated with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you’d want to be swallowing. If you do drink coffee, make sure that it’s the organic variety, free from assorted chemicals that leech into our ground water and can make us sick down the road.

If you switch to decaffeinated coffee, make sure the caffeine (咖啡因) is removed in a natural way without the use of chemicals to do it. Often times, conventional decaffeinated coffee has more chemicals than regular.

   If you want to decrease the risk of diabetes by 35%, you need to take at least _____ cups of     coffee every day.

    A. seven            B. six          C. five             D. four 

If you are a heavy drinker of coffee, a far better way to avoid wrinkling of your skin is to drink water _____.

    A. less than usual  B. regularly        C. with sugar       D. with chia seeds

   Which of the following statements is wrong?

    A. Adding two spoons of milk to a cup of coffee can prevent calcium losses.

    B. Decaffeinated coffee has different effects from caffeinated coffee as to diabetes.

    C. Many phytochemicals protect the cells from damage from free radicals.

    D. The organic variety of coffee plant is free from assorted chemicals.

   The author has a/an _____ attitude towards drinking of coffee.

    A. positive     B. negative     C. objective        D. imaginative

认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文后图标中的空格里填入最恰当的一个单词。
White-collar workers going to great lengths for stress relief    
A soldier of the South Korean special attack corps paints his eyes during a friendly Taekwondo match at a South Korean Army Base in Pochon, north of Seoul.
Stressed out white-collar workers are scaling（攀登） skyscrapers, camping out on rooftops, smashing up restaurants, pretending to be children and even visiting cemeteries in a bid to relieve the pressure of modern life.
As the country’s economy continues to steam ahead, once popular forms of entertainment, such as karaoke, card games and even boxing bars, appear to be losing their appeal.
Consider the members of Shanghai’s Cat Rain club. By day, this group of young women works executive jobs, but by night they climb buildings so they can spend the night on the roof. "It’s a good way to release our pressure. You feel relaxed when you’re sitting on the roof, looking up to the sky and chatting with intimate（亲密的）friends," said Gong Ying, 25.
The stress of work is not just limited to people in Shanghai. A recently-opened restaurant in Beijing encourages customers to smash plates - as long as they are willing to pay to replace them.
Though there has been some debate about the extravagance（奢侈）of such services, some psychologists say the activity reflects the desire of some white-collar workers to vent their angst.
Some workers even appear eager to return to their childhoods. This May, hundreds of people took part in a festival in which adults pretended to be children. It was an adults-only event, and participants could read comics and eat sweets all day.
Scenic places such as parks and rivers can also help people relax and put things in perspective. But a cemetery? Cemetery companies in Shanghai organized visits to local graveyards for stressed-out workers in March. The participants were taken to quiet spots in the cemetery where they could contemplate （考虑 ）life and their futures.
Roof-camper Chen Bin, an IT marketing professional, said she had camped out on a rooftop about 30 times. When she’s not sleeping out under the stars, she also has several other adrenalin-fueled interests, such as downhill racing and paragliding.
"Pressure may bring us distress, but it doesn’t mean we can’t find ways out," Chen says. "Life should be imaginative."

Businesses are witnessing a difficult time，which has in turn produced influence on consumers’ desire to go green.However，shoppers are still laying stress on environmental concerns.

Two thirds of customers say that environmental considerations inform their purchases to the same degree as they did a year ago，while more than a quarter say that they are now even better aware of the environmental effect on what they buy.

This may help to influence how shops store goods on their shelves.And the companies should still make efforts to become more environmentally friendly.Two out of three people think it is important to buy from environmentally responsible companies，with about one in seven saying that they had even decided to take their custom elsewhere if they felt a company’s environmental reputation was not good enough.

Harry Morrison，chief executive(主管)of the Carbon Trust，sympathizes：“I understand this situation where survival is very important now.But from environmental considerations，the clock is ticking—we don’t have much time.In addition，cutting carbon has an immediate effect as costs drop and a medium?term benefit for the brand.”

Larger companies have an extra motivation to look at reducing their carbon footprint，as new rules next year will require businesses to buy carbon allowances to make up for their emissions(排放)．Those that have taken early action will have a head start.More than two thirds of consumers are not clear about which companies are environmentally responsible.This suggests that firms that are able to relay clearly their message to the public will be in a pole position to attract shoppers.

The Carbon Trust believes that it can help by informing customers about the good work companies are doing.“When companies are granted(授予) the standard，they can use a logo(标识) in all their marketing which makes it clear that they are working towards cutting emissions，” Mr.Morrison said.????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? (2010·福建，C)

1.What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Businesses are finding ways to send their message to the shoppers.

B．Companies will soon get information about cutting carbon emissions.

C．Firms are making efforts to encourage customers to keep goods at home.

D．Firms are urged to cut carbon emissions by shoppers’ environmental awareness.

2.The underlined word “inform” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”．

A．affect? B．change? C．disturb? D．reject

3.According to Harry Morrison，businesses ________.

A．will benefit from cutting carbon emissions

B．should buy carbon allowances for shoppers

C．are required to make up for their carbon emissions

D．have encouraged shoppers to take their custom elsewhere

4.We can learn from the passage that businesses will________.

A．have a strong desire to reduce costs

B．use the same logo in their marketing

C．gain advantages by taking early action

D．attract more shoppers by storing goods

It was Saturday . As always, it was a busy one, for “Six days shall you labor and do all your work” was taken seriously back then. Outside,Father and Mr. Patrick next door were busy chopping firewood. Inside their own houses, Mother and Mrs. Patrick  were engaged in spring cleaning.

      Somehow the boys had slipped away to the back lot with their kites. Now, even at the risk of having Brother caught to beat carpets , they had sent him to the  kitchen for string(线). It seemed there was no limit to the heights to which kites would  fly today.

   My mother looked at the sitting room ,its furniture disorderd for a thorough sweeping, Agun she cast a look toward the window. “Come on, girls ! Let’s take string to the boys and watch them

    On the way we met Mrs. Patrick, laughing guiltily as if she were doing something

wrong, together with her girls.

   There never was such a day for flying kited! We played all our fresh string into  the boys’ kites and they went up higher and higher .We could hardly distinguish   the orange-colored spots of the kites. Now and then we slowly pulled one kite back, watching it dancing up and down it the wind, and finally bringing it down to earth , just for the joy of sending it up again.

   Even our fathers dropped their tools and joined us. Our mothers took their turn, laughing like schoolgirls. I think we were all beside ourselves. Parents forgot their  duty and their dignity; children forgot their everyday fights and little jealousies. “Perhaps it’s like this in the kingdom of heaven,”  I thought confusedly.

   It was growing dark before we all walked sleepily back to house. I suppose we   had some sort of supper. I suppose there must have been a surface tidying-up, for the house on Sunday looked clean and orderly enough. The strange thing was , we didn't mention that day afterward. I flt a little embarrassed .Surely none of the others had been as excited as I. I locked the memory up in that deepest part of me where we  keep“the things that cannot be and yet they are.”

    The years went on, then one day I was hurrying about my kitchen in a city  apartment, trying to get some work out of the way while my three-year-old insistently  cried her desire to “go park ,see duck.”

  “I can’t go!”  I said. “I have this and this to do, and when I’m through I’ll be too  tired to walk that for.”

   My mother , who was visiting us , looked up from the peas she was shelling ,“It’s a wonderful day,”she offered，“Really warm , yet there’s a fine breczc . Do you  remember that day we flew kites?”

   I stopped in my dash between stove and sink . The looked door flew open and  with it a rush of memories. “Come on.”I told my little girl. “You’re right , it’s too  good a day to miss.”

    Another decade passed. We were in the aftermath (余波)of a great war. All evening we had been asking our returned soldier, the youngest Patrick Boy, about  his experiences as a prisoner of war. He had talked freely , but now for a long time  he had been silent . What was he thinking of – what dark and horrible things?

  “Say!” A smile slipped out from his lips . “Do you remember --- no, of course  you wouldn’t . It probably didn’t make the impression on you as it did on me.”

   I hardly dared speak.“Remember what ?”

  “I used to think of that day a lot in POW camp(战俘营), when things weren’t too  good. Do you remember the day we flew the kites?”

1.

Mrs. Patrick was laughing guiltily because she thought       .

A. she was too old to fly kites

B. her husband would make fun of her

C. she should have been doing her housework then

D. her girls weren’t supposed to play the boy’s game

2.

 By“we were all beside ourselves”, the writer means that they all      .

   A. felt confused                    B. went wild with joy

   C. looked on                      D. forgot their fights

3.

  What did the writer think after the kite-flying?

A. The boys must have had more fun than the girls.

B. They should have finished their work before playing.

C. Her parents should spend more time with them.

D. All the others must have forgotten that day.

4.

 Why did the writer finally agree to take her little girl for an outing?

A. She suddenly remembered her duty as a mother.

B. She was reminded of the day they flew kites.

C. She had finished her work in the kitchen.

D. She thought it was a great day to play outside.

5.

The youngest Patrick Boy is mentioned to show that _____ .

A. the writer was not alone in treasuring her fond memories

B. his experience in POW camp threw a shadow over his life

C. childhood friendship means so much to the writer

D. people like him really changed a lot after the war