Have you heard of the scandal that happened in one of Great Britain’s biggest supermarket chains called Tesco? The British love Tesco as it sells very cheap products and it can be found on almost every corner of a British city or town.
On January 15th 2013 food inspectors discovered 30 % horsemeat in a certain brand of frozen beefburgers that were mostly sold by Tesco in the UK and Ireland.
In times of social media like Facebook and Twitter the news has spread fast and customers have been very concerned about what the food they buy actually contains. Tesco said it had taken away the burgers from the shop shelves immediately, and apologized to their customers. They also promised that they would find out what exactly happened and that they would work harder than ever so this would never happen again. Customers are also able to return the beefburgers and get a refund, that is, their money back.
However, it will be hard for Tesco to get the people’s trust back. Just imagine buying lovely beefburgers that you fry at home and suddenly you find out that you have actually eaten horsemeat! In this case not only horse lovers will be upset!
By the way, why are British people so shocked about eating horsemeat? In history, horses have played great roles as working animals and as an important means of transport. When Britons of today think of horses, they think of majestic animals or cute pets rather than meat.
But this is not the only reason for the protest: Customers also want to be sure that the products they buy contain what it says on the label. Hopefully, supermarkets can avoid mistakes like that in the future. Maybe there should be stricter regulations and more controls of our food? Otherwise we will soon find ourselves eating panda meat instead of pork and parrot instead of chicken. So the next time you are in a supermarket maybe check the ingredients of your food before you buy it or you could get a nasty surprise …
1.What is the scandal?
A. Tesco’s products were much more expensive than they are supposed to be.
B. Tesco didn’t react immediately to a food quality issue.
C. Tesco sold expired food.
D. Horsemeat was found in burgers sold in Tesco.
2.What didn’t Tesco do in response to the scandal?
A. It withdrew the beefburgers.
B. It made an apology to the public.
C. It investigated and found out the cause and effect of the scandal.
D. It returned money to customers who bought the beefburgers.
3.Which statement isn’t among the reasons why customers are furious?
A. People trusted Tesco so much that they never expected a scandal like this.
B. Everyone can call himself or herself a horse lover in the UK.
C. Sellers shouldn’t cheat customers.
D. The horse is humans’ friend.
What is the nature of the scientific attitude, the attitude of the man or woman who studies and applies physics, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, medicine or any other science?
We all know that science plays an important role in our societies. However, many people believe that our progress depends on two different aspects of science. The first aspect is the application of the machines, products and systems of knowledge that scientists and technologists develop. The second is the application of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work.
What are these special methods of thinking and acting? First of all, it seems that a successful scientist is curious - he wants to find out how and why the universe works. He usually pays attention to problems which he notices have no satisfying explanation, and looks for relationships even if the data available seem to be unconnected. Moreover, he thinks he can improve the existing conditions and enjoys trying to solve the problems which this involves.
He is a good observer, accurate, patient and objective（客观的） and uses the facts he observes to the fullest. For example, trained observers obtain a very large amount of information about a star mainly from the accurate analysis of the simple lines that appear in a spectrum（光谱）.
He does not accept statements which are not based on the most complete evidence available. He rejects authority as the only basis for truth. Scientists always check statements and make experiments carefully and objectively.
Furthermore, he does not readily accept his own idea, since he knows that man is the least reliable of scientific instruments and that a number of factors tend to disturb objective investigation.
Lastly, he is full of imagination since he often has to look for relationships in data which are not only complex but also frequently incomplete. Furthermore, he needs imagination if he wants to guess how processes work and how events take place.
These seem to be some of the ways in which a successful scientist or technologist thinks and acts.
1.Many people believe that science helps society to progress through ________.
A. knowledge B. more than one aspect
C. technology D. the use of machines
2.Which of the following statements about a curious scientist is TRUE?
A. He doesn’t find confidence and pleasure in work.
B. He makes efforts to investigate potential connections.
C. He is interested in problems that are explained.
D. He looks for new ways of acting.
3.According to the passage, a successful scientist would NOT ________.
A. easily believe in unchecked statements
B. easily criticize others’ research work
C. always use his imagination in work
D. always use evidence from observation
4.Which word can be used to describe the data that a good scientist uses?
A. complete B. accurate C. objective D. complicated
5.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Application of technology
B. Progress in modem society.
C. Scientists’ ways of thinking and acting
D. How to become a successful scientist.
It is easy for us to tell our friends from our enemies. But can other animals do the same? Elephants can! They can use their sense of vision and smell to tell the difference between people who pose a threat and those who do not.
In Kenya, researchers have found that elephants react differently to clothing worn by men of the Maasai and Kamba ethnic groups. Young Maasai men spear animals and thus pose a threat to elephants; Kamba men are mainly farmers and are not a danger to elephants.
In an experiment conducted by animal scientists, elephants were first presented with clean clothing or clothing that had been worn for five days by either a Maasai or a Kamba man. When the elephants detected the smell of clothing worn by a Maasai man, they moved away from the smell faster and took longer to relax than when they detected the smells of either clothing worn by Kamba men or clothing that had not been worn at all.
Garment color also plays a role, though in a different way. In the same study, when the elephants saw red clothing not worn before, they reacted angrily, as red is typically worn by Maasai men. Rather than running away as they did with the smell, the elephants acted aggressively toward the red clothing.
The researchers believe that the elephants’ emotional reactions are due to their different interpretations of the smells and the sights. Smelling a potential danger means that a threat is nearby and the best thing to do is run away and hide. Seeing a potential threat without its smell means that risk is low. Therefore, instead of showing fear and running away, the elephants express their anger and become aggressive.
1.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. Maasai people are a threat to elephants.
B. Kamba people raise elephants for farming.
C. Both Kamba and Maasai people are elephant hunters.
D. Both Kamba and Maasai people traditionally wear red clothing.
2.How did the elephants react to smell in the study?
A. They attacked a man with the smell of new clothing.
B. They needed time to relax when smelling something unfamiliar.
C. They became anxious when they smelled Kamba-scented clothing.
D. They were frightened and ran away when they smelled their enemies.
3.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Elephants attack people who wear red clothing.
B. Elephants use sight and smell to detect danger.
C. Scientists are now able to control elephants’ emotions.
D. Some Kenyan tribes understand elephants’ emotions very well.
4.What can be inferred about the elephant’s behavior from this passage?
A. Elephants learn from their experiences.
B. Elephants have sharper sense of smell than sight.
C. Elephants are more intelligent than other animals.
D. Elephants tend to attack rather than escape when in danger.
A man claiming to be a pastor(牧师) apparently tried to stiff a waiter on a tip, explaining that his work for God allowed him not to leave one.
A photo of the receipt, posted to Reddit.com, shows a bill for $34.93 with an automatic 18 percent gratuity(小费) (or $6.29) added above a blank space for an additional tip.
“I give God 10%,” the diner wrote on the receipt, scratching out the automatic tip. “Why do you get 18?” He then wrote “Pastor” above his signature, and an emphatic “0” where the additional tip would be. (The automatic gratuity, however, had already been added to the total.)
The Reddit user who submitted the image explained in the comments section that the receipt was part of a total bill for a party of 20, which is why the gratuity was automatically added.
“Parties up to eight ... may tip whatever they’d like, but larger parties receive an automatic gratuity," the server wrote. "It’s in the computer; it’s not something I do.”
The server added: “They had no problem with my service, and told me I was great. They just didn’t want to pay when the time came.”
Scribbling(乱涂) notes on receipts has become something of a trend. Earlier this month, the manager of a North Carolina Red Robin surprised an overdue pregnant woman by comping her meal.
“Once seated, a manager came up to us and started talking,” the woman's husband told Consumerist. “He was extremely friendly and jokingly asked my wife if this was her last meal before heading to the hospital.”
When the check came, a note from the manager next to her portion of the bill read: “MOM 2 BEE GOOD LUC.”
“It was a pleasant surprise and made my tired-of-being-pregnant wife a little more cheery,” the man said.
1.What did the pastor mean by saying, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”
A. He was bargaining with the waiter.
B. He didn’t mean to pay the gratuity at all.
C. God gave him the privilege not to pay a gratuity.
D. The gratuity had already been paid by his friends.
2.What do you learn from the article?
A. The pastor paid ten percent gratuity of the meal to God.
B. A party of six diners can choose whatever gratuity they want to pay.
C. According to the husband, the wife enjoyed the process of being pregnant.
D. The pastor paid $34.93 in total for the meal.
3.What does the underlined word “stiff” mean?
A. amuse B. abuse C. persuade D. fail to pay
School was over and I was both mentally and physically tired. I sat at the very front of the bus because of 11 to get home. Sitting at the front makes you 12 out like a shiny coin in a pile of dull pennies.
Janie, the driver, tries to break the uncomfortable atmosphere by striking the match of 13 .
I try to mind my manners and 14 listen, but usually I am too busy thinking about my day. On this day, 15, her conversation was worth listening to.
“My father’s sick, ”she said to no one in 16 . 1 could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes. With a sudden change of attitude and interest, I asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
With her eyes wet and her voice tight fighting against the tears, she 17, “Heart trouble.” Her eyes 18 as she continued. “I’ve already lost my mum, so I don’t think I can 19 losing him.”
I couldn’t react. I was 20 . My heart ached for her. I sat on the old, smelly seat thinking of the great 21 my own mother was thrown into when my father died.
I saw how hard it was, 22 still is, for her. I wouldn’t like anyone to go 23 that.
Suddenly I realized Janie wasn’t only a bus driver. That was just her job. She had a 24 world of family and concerns too. I had never thought of her as anything but a driver.
I suddenly felt very25. I realized I had only thought of people as 26 as what their purposes were in my life. I paid no attention to Janie because she was a bus driver. I had judged her by her job and just considered her 27.
For all I know, I’m just another person in 28 else’s world, and may not even be important. I 29 not have been so selfish and self-centred. Everyone has places to go to, people to see and appointments to 30 . Understanding people is an art.
1.A. determination B. decision C. attempt D. anxiety
2.A. make B. think C. stand D. find
3.A. topic B. conversation C. discussion D. message
4.A. devotedly B. carelessly C. sincerely D. politely
5.A. therefore B. thus C. otherwise D. however
6.A. common B. silence C. particular D. surprise
7.A. informed B. reminded C. announced D. responded
8.A. lowered B. closed C. widened D. opened
9. A. mind B. regret C. bear D. miss
10.A. angry B. shocked C. curious D. interested
11.A. pain B. pity C. disappointment D. mercy
12.A. yet B. and C. or D. but
13.A. over B. round C. through D. without
14.A. dark B. narrow C. whole D. bright
15.A. confused B. selfish C. worried D. sad
16.A. long B. soon C. well D. far
17.A. unfit B. unselfish C. unnecessary D. unimportant
18.A. someone B. anyone C. no one D. everyone
19.A. might B. must C. need D. should
20.A. stay B. remain C. keep D. put
This article may be some advice about how to _________ oneself in society.
A. behave B. believe C. perform D. operate
