Shake Shack is a new kind of restaurant becoming more popular in the U.S. The restaurants are not“fast food” . They are known as“fast casual” .
Observers say Americans want more choices and fresh food when choosing where and what to eat. This trend is one reason why the fast food restaurant McDonald’ s has struggled financially. In the last quarter of 2014, McDonald’ s net income dropped by about $300 million. The January earnings report brought more bad news. Worldwide sales dropped for the eighth month in a row and even more than expected. While McDonald’ s is struggling to get their customers back, Shake
Shack, is doing well in making money. The New York-based burger chain had a very successful IPO, or initial public offering, of shares at the end of January. On its first day of trading, Shake Shack went from $21 a share to just under $46 a share. Being part of the “fast casual ”trend has helped Shake Shack. Other fast casual restaurants in the U.S. include Chipotle and Panera.
Bonnie Riggs, a restaurant expert with NPD has studied Americans’ restaurant habits for almost 30 years. She says one reason why Americans like fast casual food is that it’ s new. It’ s creative, it’ s something different and people like to try new things. Her study shows Americans made 61 billion visits to restaurants last year. Three out of four visits were to fast food restaurants, like McDonald’ s. Fast casual is still a small percentage of restaurant visits, but it has developed fast. Just as Ms. Riggs says,“It’ s growing by leaps and bounds, because they meet consumers’ needs. They know it’ s being prepared while they wait, it’ s fresh, quality food, good tasting food at what they say are reasonable and affordable prices.”
Many Americans still like their fast food. They just are not going as often. They are finding other ways to have a meal.
1.What’ s the trouble with McDonald’ s?
A. Its share goes down to $21.
B. Shake Shack has taken its place.
C. It’ s not popular with Americans.
D. Its sales and income have dropped.
2.We can learn from Bonnie Riggs that Americans ________.
A. don’ t like fast food any more
B. care only about the quality
C. like to try something new
D. pay more restaurant visits to fast casual
3.What does the underlined phrase“by leaps and bounds”in Para. 3 mean?
A. Steadily. B. Rapidly.
C. Slowly. D. Normally.
4.Which of the following best describes fast casual?
A. Fresh-made and tasty.
B. High-quality and expensive.
C. Farm-to-table and traditional.
D. Time-consuming and special.
We don’ t always get a second chance to achieve our dreams. But some people are lucky, like Matthew McConaughey. Once almost unknown, the actor has recently found himself back on the list of the best actors in Hollywood. His new movie Interstellar is just another sign that his career reinvention has been an incredible success. “The film relies on McConaughey’ s performance to hold together the emotional story of a father and his daughter against the background of space travel and the end of the world,”Forbes commented.
But only years ago, the Texas native was often the butt of jokes（笑柄）about being too handsome. In 1993, after meeting with director Richard Linklater, McConaughey starred in Dazed and Confused. And a Hollywood career was born, mostly in romantic comedies. For a long time, the whole world believed McConaughey was just a handsome guy with comic talent.
But McConaughey stopped starring in that type of movie, and began to use his looks differently. Slowly he built up his reputation as a serious actor. In 2013, McConaughey was offered to play an AIDS activist in Dallas Buyers Club. The role saw the normally muscular actor losing 50 pounds in order to appear sick. His performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
The actor gave thanks to someone he has always looked up to as a hero during his Oscar acceptance speech. When he was 15, the actor said, he decided that his hero would be himself in 10 years. But 10 years later, he pushed the deadline ahead another decade. Then 10 years later, another decade.“My hero’ s always 10 years away,” he said. “I’ m never going to attain that. That keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.”Or perhaps constantly chasing the chance to be his own hero has given him a second chance to follow his dreams.
1.Why was McConaughey often the butt of jokes in his early career?
A. He was limited to handsome roles.
B. He was unknown to the audience.
C. He played in romantic comedies.
D. He was handsome and emotional.
2.What role won Mc Conaughey an Oscar for Best Actor?
A. A caring father. B. An AIDS activist.
C. A serious buyer. D. A strong hero.
3.What can we learn about McConaughey？
A. He was born in Hollywood.
B. He has become a hero of his own.
C. He wasn’ t famous until recently.
D. He isn’ t content with his achievements.
4.Which of the following can be the best title?
A. McConaughey, a Romantic Comedian
B. McConaughey, a Man Making a Hit
C. McConaughey, a Man Daring to change
D. McConaughey, Handsome and Talented
90后出生的学生，思想特殊、行为方式和价值观令人担忧。假如你是一名90后出生的学生刘林，请根据下表中所提供信息以"Do trust us-a generation born in the 90s"为题写一篇英语演讲稿，以消除人们的忧虑。
90后的境遇：面临更多的升学和就业烦恼，所处环境竞争更加激烈。
人们的忧虑：1.注重自我，轻视合作；......
2.缺乏毅力，容易气馁；......
3.盲目追求，渴望成名。......
我们的长处：敢于挑战，......(请考生联系自己拟定内容，再列举两至三点。)
The disease Ebola is spreading in West Africa. The situation frightens both local citizens and travelers.
There is no vaccine or special treatment. It is difficult to stop Ebola from spreading. It moves easily from person to person. The disease strikes its victims through direct contact with the blood or other fluids from the body of an infected person.
The bodies of victims still contain the virus days after they die. Local traditions and burial and funeral customs also make the sickness hard to control. Doctors say it is important to identify an Ebola case early to prevent others from becoming infected. Patients suffer from high body temperature, bleeding and diarrhea(腹泻).
Only a few prevention measures exist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. suggest staying away from countries with confirmed Ebola cases. People at increased threat include those working in animal research, health care workers and others caring for patients in the community.
In the past, cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sudan, and Uganda.
Doctors advise careful protective measures if you must go to an area where Ebola exists.
If Ebola has been identified directly around you, the C.D.C. and W.H.O. strongly suggest wearing protective clothing. Cover your face and hands. Goggles can protect the eyes. Try to remove Ebola germs with cleaners that fight infection.
1.How does the disease Ebola spread? (No more than 16 words)
2.What makes the sickness hard to control? (No more than 10 words)
3.What symptoms do the Ebola patients have? (No more than 7 words)
4.Who are at increased threat according to the passage? (No more than 17 words)
Simply said, Bora Bora is the most beautiful island in the world. Pora Pora ----the ancient name, meaning “first born”, came from legends describing this as the first island to rise. Although the first letter “B” does not exist in the Tahitian language, when Captain Cook first heard the name he mistook the softened sound of “P” for “B” and called the island Bora Bora.
Bora Bora often reminds people of images of a heaven on earth. For this reason, travelling to Bora Bora is popular with honeymooners and anyone who wishes to be surrounded by amazing beauty. Bora Bora is a destination that is small enough to explore in a few days. However, because of the island’s friendly people and fun activities, you might be willing to extend your plan of Bora Bora journey for weeks.
The landscape consists of a mountainous centre that is completely surrounded by a lagoon(环礁湖，濒海湖)，which is then surrounded by a coral reef. These natural features make Bora Bora perfect for diving. The central feature of Bora Bora is Mount Otemanu, a huge rock that stands 2,379 feet tall.
Your Bora Bora vacations won’t be complete if you don’t visit the beaches and lagoons. Perhaps one of the best known features of Bora Bora is its white sand beaches. The most popular beach is Point Matira, located at the southern end of the island. The beach stretches for over two miles and is lined with palm trees.
There is more to do on Bora Bora vacations than lie on the beach. Hiking is an activity that Bora Bora’s 7,000 residents as well as Bora Bora travel enthusiasts, enjoy. If you’re up for a challenge, take the route from Vaitape to the top of Mount Otemanu. If you’re an inexperienced hiker, you might need the help of a guide.
Bora Bora---- The Romantic Island
1. of the name of the island | ·Pora Pora: meaning “first born” in 2. ----the first island to rise ·Bora Bora: Captain Cook’s 3. “P” for “B” |
4. for the popularity among travelers | ·images of a heaven on earth ·a 5. to explore in a few days · 6. ·fun activities |
7. | ·a mountainous centre---- Mount Otemanu ·a lagoon ·a coral reef · 8. |
9. | ·diving ·lying on the beaches ·visiting the lagoons · 10. |
Quickly ask yourself: What did you eat today? Now tell me how you actually feel. If you’re complaining of stress, anxiety, depression, aches and pains, foggy thinking, or just a general lack of energy, a new medical theory will blow your mind. The chances are that those disease-like symptoms are all the result of what’s called hidden food allergies(过敏反应).
This is what Ken Drew found out when he was lucky enough to be recommended to medical practitioner Dr. Patel. Patel is considered something of a genius, and has been called a modern day Louis Pasteur. You’ve heard of him, of course—Pasteur figured out how to keep milk from getting spoiled. Dr. Patel is like a Louis Pasteur for keeping your body from getting spoiled from chronic(慢性的) diseases.
“Foggy thinking, slightly constipated(便秘的), heart pain,…you name it. It’s part of getting old,” you say. “It’s just stress.” Most of the body’s immune defenses are all located in your stomach, so when you have a hidden food allergy and you expose yourself to harmful foods, your defenses malfunction(故障) and disease-carrying bacteria take over. Had you not eaten that one food you were allergic to for breakfast, you would never have got sick.
Together, Dr Patel and Ken Drew have developed the Reverse My Disease program, which claims it can bulletproof your body against diseases like arthritis(关节炎), Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and cancers. You won’t need a prescription and there isn’t any kind of medical procedure involved. There’s no medical jargon, no complicated diet to do. What it does do is claim to tell you how to hack your body’s natural defense system.
Dr. Patel has remained under the radar of the entire medical establishment because his ideas are so threatening to doctors who don’t want you to stop being sick enough for them to write you prescriptions. Those doctor visits cost you, so check out Reverse My Disease if you want to prevent disease by learning how to eat food that won’t harm your body.
1.We can learn from the passage that Louis Pasteur ________.
A. made great contributions to keeping human body from getting spoiled from chronic diseases.
B. has developed the Reverse My Disease program with Dr. Patel.
C. recommended Ken Drew to Dr. Patel.
D. might be a great scientist who did research on bacteria.
2.According to Ken Drew and Dr. Patel, people get slightly constipated and have heart pain because _______.
A. they are getting old.
B. their immune defenses are all located in your stomach.
C. they don’t eat the right food.
D. they are involved in a medical procedure.
3.What does the underlined word “bulletproof” most probably mean?
A. damage B. defend
C. diagnose D. demand
4.What can we know from the passage?
A. Once you get sick or depressed, you should go to the doctor for a prescription.
B. You can find a prescription or a complicated diet from the Reverse My Disease program.
C. Exposing yourself to harmful foods causes problems to your defense system.
D. Reverse My Disease program has been well-accepted by doctors.
5.What is the author’s attitude towards Reverse My Disease?
A. Unconcerned. B. Supportive.
C. Cautious. D. Negative
