Instagram is containing so many photos of food---now a pop-up diner in London is taking advantage of this new trend by letting people settle the bill for their meals simply by uploading photos of their dishes to social networks.
I always thought people's taking pictures of their food was kind of silly, but at this new pop-up restaurant in the UK, I'd probably do it too. “The Picture House” is the world's first pay-by-photo restaurant—you order, click a photo of the food, share on Instagram and eat for free!
The restaurant belongs to frozen food giant (巨人）Birds Eye, who came up with the idea to cash in on people’s addiction with photographing food and sharing the pictures online. They conducted a survey and found out that more than half of the British population regularly took pictures of their meals. So they realized it was a better way to advertise their new dining range.
The pop-up diner was open in Soho, London for three days in May, and is now moving to other major UK cities. They serve two-course meals that customers don't have to pay for, if they photo and Instagram it.
The restaurant is a part of Birds Eye’s “Food for Life,” campaign, a new marketing project that aims at changing the way people look at frozen food. “Taking photos of food enables people to show off and to share their mealtime moments—from the everyday to the special,” said marketing director Margaret Jobling.
The reaction to The Picture House has been great so far. And the pay-by-picture concept has proven to be an effective way. Alternative payment methods are actually gaining popularity among a lot of businesses. Last year, in a cafe in Germany customers pay by how much time they spend there, not by what they eat.
1.Instagram probably is_______________.
A. a restaurant free of charge B. a campaign of “Food for Life”
C. a new marketing project D. a program used to share photos
2.“The Picture House” encourages sharing photos of its food to_____________.
A. raise the price of frozen food B. attract more customers
C. create a new social media trend D. reward the regular customers
3.Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?
A. No Need to Pay. B. The Pop-up Diner.
C. Pay by Picture. D. Food for Life.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Every day born a decade from now will have its genetic code(基因编码)mapped at birth, the head of the world’s leading genome sequencing(基因图谱)company has predicted.
A complete DNA read – out for every newborn will be technically possible and affordable in less than five years, promising a revolution in healthcare, says Jay Flatley, the chief executive of Illumina. Only social and legal problems are likely to delay the age of “genome sequences,” or genetic profiles. By 2019 it will have become routine to map infants’ genes when they are born, Dr Flatly told The Times.
This will open a new approach to medicine, by which conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease can be predicted and prevented and drugs used more safely and effectively.
A baby’s genome can be discovered at birth by a blood test. By examining a person’s genome, it is possible to identify raised risks of developing diseases such as cancers. Those at high risk can then be screened more regularly, or given drugs or dietary advice to lower their chances of becoming ill.
Personal genomes could also be used to ensure that patients get the medicine that is most likely to work for them and least likely to have side – effects.
The development, however, will raise legal concerns about privacy and access to individuals’ genetic records.
“Bad things can be done with the genome. It could predict something about someone – and you could possibly hand the information to their employer or their insurance company.” said Dr Flatley.
“People have to recognize that this horse is out of the barn, and that your genome probably can’t be protected, because everywhere you go you leave your genome behind. Complete genetic privacy, however, is unlikely to be possible”, he added.
As the benefits become clearer, however, he believes that most people will want their genomes read and interpreted. The risk is nothing compared with the gain.
1.In the first two paragraphs, the author mainly wants to tell us about__________.
A. the significant progress in medicine
B. the promise of a leading company
C. the information of babies’ genes
D. the research of medical scientists
2.Which of the following is a problem caused by this approach?
A. The delaying in discovering DNA.
B. The risk of developing diseases at birth.
C. The side effects of medicine on patients.
D. The letting out of personal genetic information.
3.What does the underlined sentence “… this horse is out of the barn” mean?
A. Genetic mapping technique has been widely used.
B. people can’t stop genetic mapping technique advancing.
C. People are eager to improve genetic mapping technique.
D. Genetic mapping technique is too horrible to control.
4.What’s Dr Flatley’s attitude towards the technology?
A. Tolerant. B. Conservative. C. Positive. D. Doubtful.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Although Paris is often considered the city of romance, close to a million adults who call it home are single. Many single people say that France’s capital is one of the most difficult places to meet people. The complaints of this lonely group have inspired a new phenomenon known as “supermarket dating”. At Galerie Lafayette Gourmet, singles can shop for more than just the items on their grocery list. They can look for someone who has blue eyes，brown hair, and is 1.8 meters tall, or whatever may be on their romantic shopping list.
At this Paris location, single people of all ages can schedule their shopping for Thursday nights between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. When they walk through the door, they pick up a purple basket to advise that they are looking for love. They try to arrive early because the baskets disappear quickly, and then they have to wait in line for their turn to wander the store aisles. With purple baskets in hand, shoppers can consider their romantic options while they pick out their groceries. When they are ready to pay, they can go to the checkout line for singles who want to chat.
Most of the people who look for love in the supermarket are skeptical of Internet dating. They know that it is easy to embellish (美化) one’s appearance or to lie about one’s age over the Internet. The supermarket, on the other hand, is considered a safe and casual environment in which to meet a potential match. In addition, what one finds in another’s grocery basket can say a thing or two about that person’s character or intentions. Buying pet food can be a man’s way of showing a potential match that he has a sensitive side. Women who fill their baskets with low-fat food show their healthy style of living. These days it’s possible to find much more than food at a grocery store.
1.What do many single people in Pairs complain about?
A. The difficulty in finding a match.
B. The idea of supermarket dating.
C. The items on their grocery list.
D. The inconvenience in shopping.
2.Which of the following can be inferred but is not clearly stated in the second paragraph?
A. The dating supermarket is located in Paris.
B. The dating supermarket is open only on Thursday evenings.
C. Only single people can shop in the supermarket.
D. The dating supermarket has very good business.
3.How do love shoppers meet one another?
A. They schedule their meeting in advance.
B. They go through a special checkout.
C. They pick out their groceries with great care.
D. They dial the phone numbers on their shopping items.
4.Why do the people prefer the supermarket dating to Internet dating?
A. The supermarket dating is more convenient.
B. The supermarket dating is more fun.
C. The supermarket dating is more trustworthy.
D. The supermarket dating is more economical.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Imagine that you’re looking at your company-issued smartphone and you notice an e-mail from Linkedln: “These companies are looking for candidates like you!” You aren’t necessarily searching for a job, but you’re always open to opportunities, so out of curiosity, you click on the link. A few minutes later your boss appears at your desk. “We’ve noticed that you’re spending more time on Linkedln lately, so I wanted to talk with you about your career and whether you’re happy here,” she says. Uh-oh.
It’s an awkward scene. Attrition (损耗）has always been expensive for companies, but in many industries the cost of losing good workers is rising, owing to tight labor markets. Thus companies are intensifying(增强）their efforts to predict which workers are at high risk of leaving so that managers can try to stop them. Tactics (策略）range from electronic monitor to sophisticated(复杂的）analyses of employees’ social media lives.
Some of this work may be a reason to let employees to quit. In general, people leave their jobs because they don’t like their boss, don’t see opportunities for promotion or growth, or are offered a higher pay; these reasons have held steady for years.
New research conducted by CEB, a Washington-based technology company, looks not just at why workers quit but also at when. “We’ve learned that what really affects people is their sense of how they’re doing compared with other people in their peer group, or with where they thought they would be at a certain point in life, says Brian Kropp, who heads CEB’s HR practice. “We’ve learned to focus on moments that allow people to make these comparisons.”
Technology also provides clues about which star employees might be eyeing the exit. Companies can tell whether employees using work computers or phones are spending time on (or even just opening e-mails from) career websites, and research shows that more firms are paying attention to these things. Large companies have also begun tracking badge swipes(浏览痕迹)---- employees’ use of an ID to enter and exit the building or the parking garage---to identify patterns that suggest a worker may be interviewing for a job.
1.From the first paragraph, we can infer Linkedln is___________.
A. an e-mail B. a job from the Internet
C. a professional social network D. a world-famous company
2.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
A. The cost of losing good workers is rising.
B. Companies are stricter with workers than before.
C. Measures have been taken to find the potential workers who want to quit.
D. Finding new jobs has been a trend for most workers.
3.According to the research by CEB, which of the following might be the most probable reason for workers to quit their jobs?
A. They don’t like their bosses. B. Workers are always doing comparisons.
C. Not seeing opportunities for promotion. D. To find a higher-paid job.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To make a review on a phenomenon. B. To tell us the leader’s concerns.
C. To show a new trend in the job market. D. To stress the role of new technologies.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
As I turned off one of the main roads the other day, I noticed something unusual in the parking lot the grocery store.
There’s a wide grassy land in front of their parking lot, where ___often put up signs announcing their yard sales or events, but the ___in front of me was worthy of a double-take. A man in a suit was____a sign into the ground and a homeless man was ___the sign while he hammered.
I was ___by how the two men looked so_____ .one with a soldier suit, snowy white shirt, but the other with_____clothing and uncombed hair waving ____ in the wind. And then the _____humanity of the moment hit me. So many times we____ homeless people and all we see is just homeless people. But on this day, I saw the kindness of a man who walked over to help someone. The moment really______me, and it was a fresh reminder to look______the outward appearance and see the person instead.
A friend and I had the______a few years ago to write a study guide to a book. It’s an amazing book. That was evident from the first page when I read the dedication (题词）and it____,“To Titus, who taught me to cheer for humanity.”
Wow, ____more of us did that? Can you imagine the _____it would make in our world? In one of the chapters, Sammy tells about sitting in large crowds at places, like shops and airports, and _____for humanity. It does_____ things. Just imagine a disobedient(不服从的）teen with the crazy clothes becomes a young man who，s crying out for someone to _____and a homeless person becomes a real person, someone who needs _____and a helping hand.
1.A. soldiers B. folks C. drivers D. kids
2.A. sight B. sign C. scenery D. sale
3.A. burying B. twisting C. knocking D. spinning
4.A. holding B. measuring C. painting D. protecting
5.A. seized B. moved C. choked D. struck
6.A. alike B. opposite C. careful D. hardworking
7.A. traditional B. ordinary C. broken D. ragged
8.A. beautifully B. desperately C. wildly D. frequently
9.A. holy B. merciful C. wise D. meaningless
10.A. give away B. ask for C. depend on D. look at
11.A. upset B. bothered C. touched D. interested
12.A. beyond B. around C. via D. against
13.A. trouble B. deadline C. ability D. opportunity
14.A. wrote B. said C. spoke D. addressed
15.A. what if B. but if C. as if D. only if
16.A. appointment B. discrimination C. difference D. reform
17.A. paying B. scolding C. looking D. cheering
18.A. record B. enlarge C. change D. convey
19.A. fight B. care C. cheat D. interview
20.A. growth B. concern C. reputation D. authority
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Pinyin is a useful tool, which 1. (teach)in China to school kids. It is not merely used by westerners like us. It has proved to be a useful tool for Chinese people 2. (they)to learn standard pronunciation in their early education.
The first step is to learn how 3. (pronounce) each letter in pinyin correctly and the meaning of the tone markers. Then you have to do4. (drill) as many as you can. Turn that into a game. It can be5. (much) fun than you would expect. Start 6.single syllables and to that a lot and then syllable（音节）pairs. Slowly move on to larger groups. Understand the initial, final and the tones.
But most importantly, what you need is good feedback. You’d better have someone that can correct your mistakes immediately.
Find a native Chinese, 7. pronunciation is quite perfect to correct you. If you take Chinese classes, the teacher will8. (probable) have you do exercises every class. Do this very seriously.
If you are self-studying, try to meet native Chinese people and ask them to give you some feedback.
Otherwise, try to be self-critical and listen very carefully. Good9. (listen) is more than 50% of 10. it takes to pronounce correctly.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均限一词。
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I’m Li Hua, a senior three student in our school. Last Monday I received three America students. We had a wonderful time. And I tasted the pleased feeling of friendship.
In the afternoon, after divided into two groups, we began to work for the coming English speech context. Just as I was wondering what to do next, I saw a familiar figure passed by our classroom. It was my English teacher. I wondered that he would say. He said that it was a competition that everyone would like to take part in it. He added that was pretty fluent with English, but I needed to arrange my time good.
In the evening, at about half past ten, we finished working. I don’t know the result, but I’m sure without our help, winning the championship will be the effort.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Alice对中国艺术感兴趣，特写信请你向她介绍中国传统艺术。请依据下列要点，给其写封回信。
要点：1.介绍传统艺术―年画；
2.欢迎Alice来中国体验中国年画的创作。
注意：1.词数100左右。
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
提示词：年画Chinese New Year paintings
Dear Alice,
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析