The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modern females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the taxes produced by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement—continue to enjoy themselves in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers—that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modern feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious,______.
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage. B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage. D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
Is It Worth Buying Organic Food?
Organic food, grown without artificial chemicals, is increasingly popular nowadays. Consumers have been willing to pay up to twice as much for goods with organic labels (商标). However, if you think paying a little more for organic food gets you a more nutritious and safer product, you might want to save your money. A study led by researchers at Stanford University says that organic products aren't necessarily more nutritious, and they're no less likely to suffer from disease-causing bacteria, either.
The latest results, published in the Annuals of Internal Medicine, suggest that buyers may be wasting their money. "We did not find strong evidence that organic food is more nutritious or healthier," says Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler from Stanford. "So consumers shouldn't assume that one type of food has a lower risk or is safer."
For their new study, Smith-Spangler and her colleagues conducted a review of two categories of research, including 17 studies that compared health outcomes between consumers of organic against traditional food products, and 223 studies that analyzed the nutritional content of the foods, including key vitamins, minerals and fats.
While the researchers found little difference in nutritional content, they did find that organic fruit and vegetables were 20% less likely to have chemicals remaining on the surfaces. Neither organic nor traditional foods showed levels of chemicals high enough to go beyond food safety standards. And both
organic and traditional meats, such as chicken and pork, were equally likely to be harmed by bacteria at very low rates. The researchers did find that organic milk and chicken contained higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a healthy fat also found in fish that can reduce the risk of heart disease. However, these nutritional differences were too small, and the researchers were unwilling to make much of them until further studies confirm the trends.
Organic food is produced with fewer chemicals and more natural-growing practices, but that doesn't always translate into a more nutritious or healthier product. The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that "whether you buy organic or not, finding the freshest foods available may have the biggest effect on taste." Fresh food is at least as good as anything marketed as organic.
1.The new research questions whether organic food __________.
A. should replace traditional food
B. has been overpriced by farmers
C. is grown with less harmful chemicals
D. is really more nutritious and healthier
2.Smith-Spangler and her colleagues found that __________.
A. organic food could reduce the risk of heart disease
B. traditional food was grown with more natural methods
C. both organic and traditional food they examined were safe
D. there was not a presence of any forms of bacteria in organic food
3.Which of the following is relatively healthier according to the passage?
A. Organic chicken and pork.
B. Organic milk and chicken.
C. Traditional chicken and pork.
D. Traditional fruit and vegetables.
4.What is the author's attitude toward organic food?
A. Sceptical. B. Neutral. C. Unconcerned. D. Approving.
When the population of the port town began to suffer from poisoning, the police came to find the cause of the poison. They thought someone was poisoning the people on purpose but no one knew how it was possible. Soon people took the position that the pork was poisoned. It was a popular food everyone ate and it could have possibly made everyone sick. Anyone who had possession of pork would throw it out. Even the poorest of the poor wouldn’t eat pork. Signs were posted on poles and letters were sent to everyone to warn people of the pork. Shortly afterwards, even policemen in high positions were also getting sick.
Soon it became political and popular. Politicians rushed to the town to talk about politics and promised how they would find the solution if they were elected. Everyone was so sick that they didn’t care about politics. Everyone was in a position where he or she didn’t know what to do anymore. They went to the post office to mail posts out asking for help. The poor town didn’t know how to deal with the situation.
One day, a well-known scientist from New York came to the town with a huge box containing many instruments and his possessions. He went to pools and the port and made measurements. He was quiet and polite. Then one day he made a speech at a newspaper meeting-room to announce his findings.
“I am sorry to say your water supply is so heavily polluted; it is poisoned. I know who has been poisoning you all for such a long time. It is you who have been poisoning yourselves with pollution. A great deal of rubbish has been thrown into the water day after day. No one here has taken good care of the environment. It is no wonder all of you have been sick.” Shocked at the news, the people present were lost in thought.
1.Which is the correct order of the facts described in the story?
a. People suffered from poisoning.
b. Politicians came to make promises.
c. People began to realize the real cause.
d. Pork was thrown away.
e. The water there was polluted.
f. A scientist came to check the water.
A. e, a, d, b, f, c B. e, a, d, c, f, b C. a, e, b, d, c, f D. f, c, d, b, e, a
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Everyone was so sick of politics that they didn’t care about those politicians.
B. According to the scientist from New York, it was the industry that poisoned the environment of the town
C. The reason why the people in the town got sick was that they ate the pork poisoned by the heavily polluted water.
D. If the people in the town hadn’t polluted the water supply, they would not have suffered from poisoning or sickness.
3.After reading the passage, we can infer that ________.
A. politicians took every chance to make themselves elected
B. pork was the main food of the poorest people in the town
C. people in the town were not well-educated
D. even some police officers were getting ill
iOS 10 The world’s most advanced mobile operating system.
Easy to Use
From the moment you pick up your iOS device, you’re up and running. Tap your favorite app and get right to work — or play. Swipe from the right side of the Lock screen to quickly pull up your camera. Scroll through thousands of photos in seconds. Everything about iOS is designed to look beautiful and work beautifully.
So smooth and responsive you won’t even notice it. And that’s the point.
Because iOS is engineered specifically for iPhone and iPad, everything loo
ks and feels incredibly fluid. iOS uses a framework called Metal to maximize graphics performance. Whether you’re surfing the web, moving from app to app, or playing the most complex 3D video game, the graphics and responsiveness are amazingly smooth. No other mobile operating system is so effortless and natural.
An OS with a remarkably high IQ.
With sophisticated features like proactive(积极主动的) suggestions, predictive typing, and everybody’s favorite personal assistant, Siri, iOS 10 makes everything you do easier, quicker, and more fun.
Nobody understands you quite like Siri.
Siri learns how you talk, not the other way around. Thanks to Apple-developed machine-learning technology, you can simply speak naturally. So whether you say “Get a Lyft to SFO” or “I’d like a ride to SFO using Lyft,” Siri will read you loud and clear.
Siri even works with your favorite apps.
You can ask Siri to send someone a payment using Square Cash, book a reservation through OpenTable, and much more. And the number of apps incorporating Siri is growing every day.
1.Instead of the complicated procedures of starting a camera on an iPhone, you can easily ________.
A. start the camera by tapping the right side of the screen
B. start the camera from the Lock screen
C. start the camera by tapping the app from the Lock screen
D. start the camera by scrolling thousands of photos in seconds
2.Acc
ording to the passage, “Metal” is ______.
A. an app which helps you surf the web
B. a framework which helps everything look more beautiful
C. something that can promote the graphic performance
D. an app helping play the most complex 3D video games
3.Siri can distinguish between different syntaxes(文法) by _________.
A. enabling you to learn how it talks B. machine-learning technology
C. apple-developed multi-tasking technology D. speaking naturally
4.According to the passage, you can easily complete a payment on an iPhone by ____.
A. Square Cash B. Siri C. Opentable D. apps developed only by Apple
假如你是高中二年级的学生李华，你在学校组织了一项“有烦恼向谁说”的调查活动。请用英语给校报编辑写一封信，反映相关的情况。内容包括：调查结果(如图所示)、持相应想法的理由及你对调查结果的看法。
注意：
1．信的开头和结尾已经给出，
但不计入总词数；
2．词数为100左右。
Dear Editor,
I am a Senior Two student. Recently we have carried out a survey—“To whom do you go when in trouble? ” The results are as follows.
Yours sincerely，
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同学之间交换修改作文，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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（/\），并在该句下面写出该加的词。
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。
Not only do our parents give us life, but they also give us endless love and support, always share our happiness and sorrow. I’m very grateful to my parents. They give me so many love and spare no efforts to support me. I still remembered once I was seriously ill, they were so worried and almost kept my company a whole night. Now I’m in Senior 2. Lucky, my parents can understand my stressful condition and often communicate me with encouraging word. Furthermore, they give me enough personal space, that I appreciate so much. What I should do now is to study hardly. When I grow up, I’ll try my best to make my parents to live a happy life.
