There it was. A test of will power. I’m on a special diet with foods carefully selected for balanced nutrition and caloric value. A piece of cheese cake is not an option. So here was my dilemma: Should I not eat the cheese cake, feel dissatisfied and take out my frustration on the annoyingly skinny physical instructor at the gym? Or should I eat the cheese cake and work off the calories?
The latter seemed like a win-win solution. Not only would I get to enjoy the cheese cake, but I’d get an exercise session. And then it hit me: a delicate plan to use my cheese cake as an exercise incentive. I plated a thin slice of cheese cake and carefully walked it up the stairs and set it on my bedside table with a small fork. I put on my exercise outfit and went downstairs.
The appeal of the cheese cake got stronger so I launched my plan: I would run up and down the stairs and then back up again. My reward: one small bite of cheese cake. If I wanted another, I’d have to run down and up and down and up again. Off I went. Ah, creamy vanilla goodness without guilt. I wanted another bite so I quickly sprinted through another stair climbing run.
Admittedly, it is harder to enjoy the creaminess of the cheese cake when my tongue was dry from over-breathing. I placed a bottle of water next to the cake.
Down and up and down and up again. When I struggled over to the cheese cake, my hand bypassed the plate and went for the water instead. I didn’t want the cake any more. I wanted all this sweat and effort to do more than cancel the calories from cheese cake. I was exhausted and sure the cheese cake tasted fine but just not good enough to make me run up and down the stairs one more time.
My plan worked. Now, any time I felt tempted to indulge in a former favorite, I remembered my stairs trick.
1.What can we infer about the author from paragraph 1?
A.She has weak will power.
B.She is bad-tempered and very critical.
C.She needs assistance with making the choice.
D.She hesitated over eating something against her diet.
2.What does the underlined word “incentive” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.Motivation. B.Excuse.
C.Substitute. D.Companion.
3.What do we learn about the author’s plan?
A.It involved much energy consumption.
B.It rid the cake of the pleasant taste.
C.It changed the author’s preference for food.
D.It was exhausting and caused suffering.
4.What may be the best title for the passage?
A.A costly dilemma.
B.An evil cheese cake.
C.A trick that worked.
D.A sweating experience.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Eating red meat is linked to cancer and heart disease, but are the risks big enough to justify giving up juicy burgers and delicious steaks? Probably not, according to researchers who reviewed data from 12 clinical trials involving about 54,000 people. In a series of controversial papers, the researchers argue that the increased health risks tied to red meat are small and uncertain, and that cutting back likely wouldn't be worth it for people who enjoy meat.
Those conclusions go against established medical advice. They were swiftly attacked by a group of famous U.S. scientists who took the unusual step of trying to stop the papers from being published until their criticisms were addressed.
The new work does not say red or processed meats like hot dogs and bacon are healthy, or that people should eat more of them. The team’s reviews of past studies generally support the ties to cancer, heart disease and other bad health outcomes. But the authors say the evidence is weak, and that there’s not much certainty meat is really the cause, since other diet and lifestyle factors could be at play.
If the latest example of how divisive nutrition research has become, with its uncertainties leaving the door open for conflicting advice. Critics say findings often aren't backed by strong evidence. Defenders counter that nutrition studies can rarely be conclusive because of the difficulty of measuring the effects of any single food, but that methods have improved.
Based on their analyses, the researchers said people do not have to cut back for health reasons. But they noted that their own advice is weak, and acknowledged that they didn't consider factors such as animal welfare and the environment. Indeed, the case that meat production is bad for animal welfare and the environment is stronger than the case that it's bad for human health, according to an editorial that accompanies the report.
Not all of the report authors agreed with its conclusions. Three of the 14 researchers said they support reducing red and processed meats. A coauthor of one of the reviews is also among those who called for a publication delay.
Those who pushed to postpone publication also questioned why certain studies were included in the reviews while others were left out.
As for his own diet, Dr. Gordon Guyatt, a member of the international research team that conducted the reviews, said he no longer thinks red or processed meats have significant health risks. But he said he still avoids them out of habit, and for animal welfare and environmental reasons.
1.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To introduce a new relationship between health and eating red meat.
B.To urge more people to keep away from eating red meat regularly.
C.To present a new controversial view on impacts of eating red meat.
D.To criticize nutrition studies for lacking of conclusive evidence.
2.What is the author’s attitude towards the new research?
A.Doubtful. B.Positive.
C.Disapproving. D.Objective.
3.Guyatt’s avoiding red meats has the weakest connection with ________.
A.health risks B.diet habits
C.animal welfare D.environmental protection
4.What can we learn from the recent research?
A.Red meats don’t have significant health risks.
B.Reducing meat consumption will be worth it.
C.The report authors have reached a consensus.
D.Consuming red meat will do good to health.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It may seem as if Mother's Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been taking time on the calendar to give a shout-out to Mom for a long time. The Greeks and Romans had mother goddess festivals — although their celebrations didn't involve the menfolk taking their underappreciated mothers out to dinner. A more recent tradition wasMothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday in April, young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were advised to return to their mothers’ houses.
Mother's Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis, a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers' Work Days” to promote health and hygiene(卫生) at home and in the workplace. During the Civil War, Jarvis organized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and after the war she became a peacemaker, furthering the cause by bringing together mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers and promoting a Mother's Day holiday.
Jarvis's work inspired another 19th-century woman, Julia Ward Howe. In 1870 Howe published her “Mother's Day Proclamation”, which envisioned the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace. Howe started holding annual Mother's Day celebrations in Boston, her hometown, but after about a decade she stopped footing the bill and the tradition faded away.
It was Jarvis's daughter Anna who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day recognized as a national holiday. After her mother died, in May 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary and conducting a tireless PR campaign to have the day made a holiday. In 1908 she succeeded in enlisting the support of John W anamaker, the Philadelphia department store magnate and advertising pioneer, and by 1912 West Virginia and a few other states had adopted Mother's Day. Two years later, President Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution declaring the second Sunday in May a national holiday.
It wasn't long, though, before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had been instrumental in creating. “I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,” she said.
1.The first paragraph suggests that .
A.mothers didn't get enough appreciation
B.Mother's Day was invented by Hallmark
C.young people returned to their mothers' houses
D.Greeks and Romans were the first to celebrate Mother's Day
2.Who plays the most important role in creating Mother's Day?
A.Ann Jarvis. B.Julia Ward Howe.
C.Woodrow Wilson. D.Anna Jarvis.
3.Why did Anna Jarvis object to Mother's Day at last?
A.Because it was an emotional day.
B.Because the festival was not profitable.
C.Because the celebrations went against the original spirit.
D.Because the day was buried under greeting cards and candy.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The Objection to Mother’s Day
B.The Argument on Celebrating Mother's Day
C.The Story Behind the Creation of Mother's Day
D.Different Form of Celebrations on Mother's Day
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
New Year’s resolutions（决心）often fail, but now a new study may just provide motivation for you to stick to them. Scientists found that meeting goals — such as giving up drinking or smoking — can slash your risk of cancer.
The large-scale study — of half a million Britons — looked at the effects of quitting tobacco，limiting alcohol intake, maintaining a low body mass index (BMI), exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet. Each individual behaviour was found to bring a decrease in the chance of getting cancer of about eight per cent. But if people carried out all together the overall risk reduction was about a third — and likely a greater cut in deaths from the disease.
The researchers from Cardiff University examined data from 343,150 people from the UK Biobank to identify the five healthy behaviours and compare them to the risk of cancer. The subjects were aged 40 to 69 and 14,285 were diagnosed （诊断）with the disease during an average follow-up of just over five years. The team found that adopting（采用）all the studied healthy behaviours brought a 25 and 35 percent reduction in bowel and breast cancer respectively — two of the most common forms of the disease.
The team said the findings may not sound surprising — but they serve as a reminder of the importance behind turning resolutions into permanent lifestyle choices.
Professor Elwood, the lead researcher，said the real problem for people adopting resolutions was translating the unclear idea of lifestyle choices being “good” into useful evidence — which was what this study provided. “A healthy lifestyle has many additional benefits to cancer reduction — it costs nothing, has no undesirable side effects…and is better than any pill.”
1.What does the underlined word “slash” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Cut. B. Increase.
C. Change. D. Keep.
2.What can be learnt from the passage?
A. Almost half of the subjects of the research got cancer.
B. Bowel cancer and breast cancer are the most common diseases.
C. A healthy habit will bring down the risk of cancer by 33%.
D. The research shows the benefits of carrying out New Year’s resolutions.
3.According to Professor Elwood, the research is mainly aimed at ______.
A. warning people of the risk of cancer
B. removing people’s doubts about healthy lifestyles
C. persuading people into sticking to healthy lifestyles
D. proving the relation between lifestyles and cancer
4.What would probably be the best title?
A. How to Choose Healthy Lifestyles?
B. Quit New Year’s Resolutions? Think Again!
C. Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Wisely!
D. Healthy Lifestyles Bring Down Cancer Risks!
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If you're a junk food lover, you will know this：No matter where you shop or what brand you buy, when you tear（open a bag of potato chips, it's almost always half filled. This can be quite disappointing. I always hope those bags are quite full. But there's actually a god reason for this--and no, the food companies are not pulling a fast one on you.
In the manufacturing industry. “slack fill” is the empty space that's placed around a product on purpose. The idea is that the extra room can "protect" your Lays or Tostitos（brands of chips）. The trip from the production machine to the market can be grille long and hard！If it weren't for "slack fill', your chips would probably look more like breadcrumbs（面包屑）.
But wait, there's more, Think that the bag of potato chips was filled up with air？It actually is nitrogen gas(氮气). Chips manufacturers fill bags with this gas to help kelp chips fresh If it were filled with regular air, the chips would likely turn wet and soft in 1994, scientists found that exposing chips to nitrogen not only heaped to prolong the shelf life（保质期）, but also made them stay crisp（脆的）What's more, nitrogen is a natural gas and completely harmless.
Still feel you are tricked by the empty bag？There's a way to tell the amount of potato chips in your snick bug before you break it open. In 1966, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act was passed. which requires manufacturers to show the net weight of their products' contents. When shopping for your next bag of potato chips, pay attention to the net weight that's printed on the bag. This way you'll be able to know if it is worth your money.
1.What does the underlined phrase in Paragraph 1 mean?
A.Doing a test. B.Playing a trick.
C.Changing its focus. D.Reaching an agreement.
2.What do we know about “slack fill”?
A.It makes the chips’ bag look empty. B.It can shorten the products' trip.
C.It is only used or Lays or Tostitos. D.It can prevent damage to the chips
3.Why do chips' manufacturers choose nitrogen to fill up the bag?
A.To keep chips tasting good. B.To make chips look good.
C.To reduce the products cost. D.To avoid causing harm to humans.
4.What are we advised to do in the last paragraph?
A.Value a product by its net weight. B.Work out the products net weight.
C.Notice the products' shelf life. D.Pay more attention to the empty bag.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
—What about seeing the new movie at the theatre tonight?
—Sounds great, but I ____ work extra hours to finish a report.
A.have got to B.am able to
C.am glad to D.am willing to
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
AI will surely be a feature of future life, but it _____ be used responsibly and in a proper way.
A.can B.need C.must D.will
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If we had paid enough attention to the issue of the heavily-overloaded vehicles, the tragedy of the collapse of an overpass in Wuxi _____ avoided.
A.should B.could be C.should have been D.could have been
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
He ______ writing the paper now. He hadn’t written a single word when I left him ten minutes ago.
A.shouldn’t be B.can’t have finished
C.can’t be D.mustn’t have finished
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The traffic is heavy today. I ____ arrive a bit late, so could you save me a place?
A.can B.must C.dare D.might
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
–Do you know where David is? He is not in the office.
–Well, he ______ have gone far—his coat is still here.
A.shouldn’t B.mustn’t C.can’t D.wouldn’t
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
You _____ be right but I’m going back to check anyway.
A.should B.must C.need D.might
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The phone is ringing! ________ it be your teacher Shawn? He was looking for you the whole morning since you’ve got so many Fails!
A.Can B.Would C.May D.Will
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
More and more countries have come to realize that the world____ do without Huawei and its "more advanced" technology.
A.can’t B.needn’t C.mustn’t D.shouldn't
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
—Must I hand in the homework right now?
—‘That’s the rule． ____________
A.Yes，you can． B.No，you can’t．
C.Yes，you must． D.No，you mustn’t．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It was already dark. Then,I wonder how she ______ through the forest by herself.
A.dared not to go B.dare going C.not dare to D.dared to go
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
He realized that someone __________ his room. Something important was missing.
A. shouldn’t have entered B. could have entered
C. can’t have entered D. must have entered
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
From her knowledge of Douglas's habits，she feels sure that the attacker last night ___________Douglas.
A. mustn't have been B. can't have been
C. shouldn't have been D. wouldn't have been
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
If customers think the services are worthwhile, I do believe many of them ________ accept and pay for them.
A.had better B.may well C.may as well D.may
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
While it wasn’t the goal of the trip, I was rewarded with fresh insights, ones that ________ to me during the regular course of business.
A.might never happen B.could never have happened
C.should not happen D.needn’t have happened
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
—You rang me up at about 10:00 last night, didn't you?
—No, I didn't phone you. It someone else.
A.must have been B.could be C.must be D.could have been
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Tom is nice and lovely, but he be very naughty at times.
A.can B.shall C.must D.should
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
She looks very happy. She_________ the exam.
A.can have passed B.should have passed C.must have passed D.could have passed
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Her companion_____ a trick on her, for she was not in the mood for everything that day.
A.can’t have played B.must have played
C.should have played D.needn’t have played
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Traveling by subway ______ sometimes be quite an adventure, especially during the rush hour.
A.must B.can C.shall D.should
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The notion of building brand personality is promoted by Starbucks as a part of company culture to embed meaning in their products and thus attract more customers.
Starbucks literally changed the definition of “a good cup of coffee”. For Starbucks, the brand had three elements: coffee, ________ and stores. Strict control over the quality and processing of the beans ________ that the coffee would be of the highest possible quality. Outstanding store personnel were employed and trained in coffee knowledge and ________ service. Store design, atmosphere and aroma (浓香) all ________ the “Starbucks Experience”.
Almost all Starbucks stores were corporately owned and controlled. Starbucks prided itself on the “Starbucks Experience”, ________ coffee to provide a unique experience for its customers.
_____ those traditional coffee houses providing you with the grab-and-go service, Starbucks provides you with more than coffee. You get great people, first-rate music, a comfortable and upbeat meeting place, and ________ advice on brewing excellent coffee at home. At home you’re part of a family. At work you’re part of a company. And somewhere in between is a place where you can sit back and be yourself. That’s what a Starbucks store has been ________ to creating for its customers — a kind of “third place” where they can ________, reflect, read, chat or listen.
The green Starbucks logo is a mermaid that looks like the end of the double image of the sea. It was designed by Terry Heckler, who got the ________ from the wooden statue of the sea. Mermaid logo also ________ original and modern meanings: her face is very simple, but with modern abstract forms of packaging; the middle is black and white, the only color on the outside surrounded by a circle.
Starbucks makes the typical American culture gradually broken down into elements of ______: the visual warmth, hearing the way, smelling the aroma of coffee and so on. Just think, through the huge glass windows, watching the crowded streets, ________ sipping a coffee flavor, which is in line with the “Yapi”, the feeling of experience in the ________ life.
But the ________ of Starbucks is not about the coffee, although it’s great coffee. Coffee is only a carrier. Coffee consumption, to a great extent, is an emotional and cultural level of consumption.
1.A.people B.managers C.customers D.clients
2.A.assured B.promised C.ensured D.predicted
3.A.emergency B.environment C.employment D.customer
4.A.consisted of B.benefited from C.contributed to D.headed for
5.A.going beyond B.coming across C.making up D.depending on
6.A.With regard to B.In addition to C.Compared with D.In terms of
7.A.general B.reasonable C.legal D.fascinating
8.A.committed B.alerted C.subjected D.required
9.A.negotiate B.perform C.conceal D.escape
10.A.imagination B.inspiration C.patent D.philosophy
11.A.creates B.cultivates C.credits D.conveys
12.A.brand B.logo C.possession D.experience
13.A.greedily B.gently C.persistently D.indifferently
14.A.busy B.easy C.miserable D.energetic
15.A.product B.vision C.essence D.importance
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。
You may not know the name John Smith Pemberton, but you must know the name of his1.(invent):Coca-Cola.
Pemberton was a US chemist. When he was wounded in the Civil War, he used medicine to ease the pain and gradually got2. (addict) to it. To light the addiction, he created his own drink by3. (use) leaves of coca and nuts of kola. He named4.，“Pemberton’s French Wine Coca”. In the same year, the local government passed a ban on alcohol. Pemberton had to change the recipe to remove the alcohol.
In 1886, Pemberton invited Willis Venable to help him perfect his new recipe. They used carbonated water and finally invented a new drink. It had no alcohol5.could still ease pain and clear the mind. Pemberton decided to sell it6.a drink rather than a medicine. In 1887, Pemberton sold part of the stock of his company to Asa Candler,7.later created the Coca-Cola Company.
Nowadays. Coca-Cola has become one of the most popular8.(drink) in the world. The company only offers semi-finished products to partners and won’t sell the9.(origin) ingredients (成分).Its secret recipe was kept in the Sun Trust Bank in Atlanta for 86 years until the end of 2011. Since then, it10.(keep) in the World of Coca-Cola center in Atlanta.
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。每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仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I have received and read your letter, in which you mention that you wanted to lose weight by diet.
It is only naturally that young girls at your age hope to look beautiful. However, in my opinion, healthy is more important than beauty. For a student, studying is the first thing to consider while appearance is second. So do not let others’ opinions to affect your normal life. Therefore, if you do want to lose weight, it is a good idea to do it by getting more exercise and changing unhealthy eating habits. The most important thing is how you keep a healthy state of mind, as it will help with our studies, and will also help you overcome difficulties in dieting.
I hope my advices will be helpful to you and I’m looking forward to your next letter.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假设你是营养专家，请你根据下面的内容写一篇题目为 “Top Meal of the Day”的文章登在营养杂志上。
现状:许多高中学生不吃早餐（skip breakfast），其结果不仅影响白天的学习，而且导致身体变差。
原因:1.认为早餐不重要，可有可无；
2.早晨时间匆忙，为了节省时间不吃早晨；
3.女孩为了减肥而不吃早晨。
建议:每位学生都应该每天吃早餐。原因……（自定，至少两个）。
要求：1. 请按照要求使文章内容充实，上下文连贯通顺；
2. 词数：100左右。
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
难度: 中等查看答案及解析