Jamie Oliver has been invited by Gordon Brown to prepare a banquet at No.10 for President Barack Obama and other leaders of the G20, offering a cut-price menu to reflect times when trade and industry are far from prosperous and the rate of employment is decreasing.
Downing Street sources say Oliver, the well-known chef, will cook using “honest high-street products” and avoid expensive or “fancy” ingredients(材料).
The prime minister is trying to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment last year when he sat down to an 18-course banquet at a Japanese summit to discuss world food shortages.
Obama, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and other leaders will be served by apprentices(
学徒)from Fifteen, the London restaurant Oliver founded to help train young people in poverty in order to make a living by mastering a skill.
Brown wants the dinner to reflect the emphasis of the London summit, which he hopes will lead to an agreement to lift the world out of recession.“To be invited to cook for such an important group of people, who are trying to solve some of the world's major problems, is really a privilege,” said Oliver.
“I'm hoping the menu I'm working on will show British food and produce is some of the best in the world, but also show we have pioneered a high-quality apprentice scheme at Fifteen London that is giving young people a skill to be proud of.”
The chef has not yet finalized the menu, but is expected to draw inspiration from his latest book, Jamie's Ministry of Food, which has budget recipes for beef and ale stew(
啤酒炖菜)and “impressive” chocolate fudge cake.
(1)
The underlined word “recession” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “________”.
[ ]
A.
business
B.
opposition
C.
discussion
D.
depression
(2)
What can we learn about Oliver from the text?
[ ]
A.
He is a well-known American cook.
B.
He is invited to attend the G20 summit.
C.
He has founded the Fifteen London.
D.
He is one of the apprentices serving leaders of the G20.
(3)
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
[ ]
A.
Oliver is honored to be invited to cook for the G20 leaders.
B.
Altogether three presidents are mentioned in the text.
C.
President Barack Obama offers the cut-price menu.
D.
The menu for the G20 dinner banquet has been decided.
Ever felt like destroying the car in front of you when you’re stuck in an endless traffic jam?
Well, the Spanish company StopStress is offering clients the possibility of doing just that-but in controlled, safe conditions.
Clients can also destroy computers, mobile phones and TV sets in what the company calls “destructotherapy”.
“We target the machines that cause the most stress in modern life,” company co-founder Jorge Arribas said in a telephone interview.“People get rid of stress by screaming and beating the machines until they are tired out,” he explained.
The company, based in the northern Spanish city of Sofia, uses deserted cars that still work.Heavy-metal music is used to excite the clients.They are given protective suits and glasses, helmets and huge hammers.
Most people’s rage only lasts for 5 to 10 minutes.But some go on for hours:they beat cars on which they’ve put the names of people or ideas they would like to get rid of.
“Some even get together to turn the car over,” Arribas says.A session costs 60 euros(US$80)per person.
Arribas says the idea came to him when he was having trouble parking his car.
Dozens of people have used the therapy, which helps people become aware of their stress level and helps them to slow down, Arribas explained.
“It’s better to channel violence in a controlled way than to get it out on one’s wife or in a traffic husband and jam,” he added.
StopStress already has branches in three Spanish cities, and is planning to extend its market beyond Spain’s borders.
(1)
The Spanish company StopStress offers people the chance to _________.
[ ]
A.
calm down when they are angry
B.
destroy things they no longer need
C.
get rid of stress by destroying things
D.
get rid of stress by screaming and shouting
(2)
Which of the following is NOT a means used directly to help people get less stressful in StopStress?
[ ]
A.
Heavy-metal music.
B.
Mobile phones.
C.
Deserted cars.
D.
Protective suits and glasses.
(3)
The passage is mainly intended to tell you _________.
[ ]
A.
how to attract potential customers
B.
a special way to get rid of stress
C.
a new and expanding business
D.
how to deal with stress in Spain
(4)
The underlined word “destructotherapy” in paragraph 3 refers to _________.
[ ]
A.
a stress-relief remedy
B.
a destructive behavior
C.
a violent movement
D.
a mental disorder
阅读理解
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke.But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
“Millions of animals die each year on U.S.roads,” the Federal Highway Administration reports.In fact, only about 80 ocelots, an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S.today.The main reason? Road kill.
“Eco-passages” may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars.They are paths both over and under roads.“These eco-passages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents,” said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the eco-passages? The answer is yes.Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an eco-passage that went under a highway.This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of eco-passages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them.Animals seem to be catching on.Animals as different as salamanders(火蜥蜴)and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around.You might see an animals overpass!
(1)
The writer uses the example of “ocelots” to show that ________.
[ ]
A.
an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents
B.
the driving conditions have improved greatly
C.
the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work
D.
wild animals have become more dangerous
(2)
From the news story, we know an eco-passage is ________.
[ ]
A.
an underground path for cars
B.
a fence built for the safety of the area
C.
a pass for animals to cross the road
D.
a bridge for animals to get over a river
(3)
When the writer says that animals seem “to be catching on”, he means ________.
[ ]
A.
animals begin to realize the dangers on the road
B.
animals begin to learn to use eco-passages
C.
animals are crossing the road in groups
D.
animals are becoming safer
(4)
The writer asks visitors and drivers to look around when traveling because ________.
[ ]
A.
wild animals may cause danger
B.
wild animals may jam the road
C.
they may kill the animals
D.
they may see wild animals on eco-passages
(5)
This passage is written to ________.
[ ]
A.
protect the endangered animals
B.
call on drivers to be careful when seeing animals on roads
C.
introduce a new way to help protect animals
D.
tell us the main reason for the killing of aniimals in the US
阅读理解
Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5∶30 and at 6∶30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club.At last, the traffic was moving.She swung quickly racing to her house.As she opened the door, she nearly tripped(绊)over Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking.Obviously, she could hardly breathe.Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet(兽医).
When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day.Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr.Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting.Can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me.Is that OK?”
“Sure.” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes.As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr.Sterne,” said an anxious voice.“I want you to get out of that house immediately,” said the doctor's voice.“I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now.Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched to a stop outside the house.Two policemen got out and ran into the house.Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened.Then the doctor arrived.
“Where's Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She's fine, Joanne.I took out the thing which was choking her, and she's OK now.”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man, who could hardly walk.There was blood all over him.
“My God,” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar.” said the doctor.“I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba's throat:it turned out to be three human fingers.”
(1)
Joanne wanted to get back to her home again ________.
[ ]
A.
to dress up for the meeting
B.
to phone the police station
C.
to catch the badly hurt burglar
D.
to wait for her dog to be cured
(2)
From the passage, we can infer that ________.
[ ]
A.
Sheba fought against the burglar
B.
the police found the burglar had broken in
C.
Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting
D.
the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog
(3)
In this passage, the writer intends to tell us that the dog is ________.