The clock is ticking. David Brunelli has just swallowed a huge burger. The crowd cheers excitedly as he downs fistfuls of fries.
Welcome to the world of competitive eating.
Brunelli is part of a select group who compete to eat massive quantities of food as quickly as possible. Eating contests may seem like harmless fun, but they have a dark side and some critics are saying it’s time for them to stop.
Pouring crazy amounts of food down our throats is nothing new. Gorging banquets (狼吞虎咽会）were a regular part of ancient Roman culture. In the 1800s, some New York City politicians settled bets through eating challenges. Pie-eating contests have been a Fourth of July tradition for more than a century.
For supporters like Brunelli, though, eating contests are more than a custom. They are a path to fortune.
But prize money does nothing to reduce the health risks of competitive eating. Competitive eating can even be life-threatening. In 1991，a man in Virginia suffered a stroke (中风)after eating 38 eggs in 29 seconds; In Florida, in 2012, a man died shortly after winning an eating contest leading a group of doctors to call for a ban on eating contests.
In any event, the risk to competitors is only part of the story. Nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and competitive eating sets a terrible example by encouraging overeating. And in a world where 805 million people go hungry every day, downing ridiculous quantities of food for entertainment seems not just wasteful but also cruel.
For now, though，it seems eating contests are here to stay. Last year, more than three million viewers watched Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV. This year, Matt Stonie ate 182 pieces of bacon in 5 minutes, breaking the world record.
What record will be broken next? Do you really want to find out?
1.What does the author try to express in Paragraph 4?
A. Competitive eating is a tradition.
B. It’s great to learn from ancient people.
C. Competitive eating should be accepted.
D. It’s exciting to challenge others to eat.
2.Why does Brunelli take part in the eating contest?
A. For food. B. For fun.
C. For honor. D. For money.
3.The examples given in Paragraph 6 are used to show eating contests .
A. use unhealthy food. B. waste too much food.
C. put competitors at risk. D. set a bad example to kids.
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. The author hopes to break the record.
B. The author is eager to know the result.
C. The author wants readers to find out the result.
D. The author disapproves of competitive eating.
Bert Katz, my father-in-law, celebrated his 90th birthday in November 2016. Bert loved sports and was an enthusiastic Yankees ( an American professional baseball team based in the New York City ) fan, so it was no wonder that over the years, he was an avid (热切的）listener to WFAN radio and, in particular, the afternoon show hosted by Mike Francesa.
Bert had health issues in his later years that limited his mobility, and when he lost his eyesight three years ago, his attachment to his radio and Francesa became more pronounced. He just loved listening to Mike talk about sports and his Yankees each afternoon. Those hours brought him so much pleasure.
Of course, Mike will be leaving Dec. 15, 2017 after 30 years at the station. Mike lives in the same community where I work on Long Island, and I have gotten to know him over the past 20 years. So when my father-in-law was approaching his special birthday the year before last year, I asked Mike for a favor: to call Bert and wish him a happy birthday.
Mike agreed without hesitation. Two days before the special day, Mike stopped at my workplace. I called Bert at his nursing home and put Mike on the phone. It was a complete surprise to Bert. Mike spent more than 10 minutes wishing Bert a happy birthday, and of course, talking about the Yankees.
When my family celebrated Bert’s birthday two days later, he couldn’t stop talking about the phone call. Over his lifetime, he said it was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for him.
Unfortunately, Bert’s health declined last year and he passed away July 13, 2017. But even in his final months in the hospital and nursing home, he always had a radio set to WFAN to listen each afternoon to Mike Francesa. And he also had the memory of that special phone call for his 90th birthday.
1.What habit did Bert keep for years?
A. Playing baseball.
B. Listening to a sports program.
C. Checking his eyesight regularly.
D. Leading organized cheering for the Yankees.
2.What does the underlined word “pronounced” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Obvious. B. Unusual.
C. Important. D. Understandable.
3.What word can describe the author?
A. Honest. B. Caring.
C. Patient. D. Independent.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. A special gift. B. The call finally arrived.
C. The big dream came true. D. An unforgettable birthday party.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, here are a few of the millions of women that have broken all conventional rules to make a difference in the world.
Susan B. Anthony
Bom on February 15, 1820, Susan B. Anthony was a women’s rights activist in the US. She spent many years campaigning for women’s right to vote. Anthony was also against slavery, helping support the passage of the Civil War Amendments. She also lent her voice to the battle for equal pay and educational opportunities for all.
Anne Frank
Anne Frank grew up in a happy family. However, things changed when Hitler came to power. Anne and her family were forced to hide inside a tiny house, where the young girl recorded her family’s fears and struggles. Even after all these years, her journal, Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, continues to be popular with people across all ages and cultures.
Aung San Sun Kyi
Determined to bring democracy (民主）to Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi founded the National League for Democracy (NLD). Suu Kyi’s open displeasure with the government resulted in her spending much of the time between 1989 and 2010 in prison or under house arrest. In 1991，Suu Kyi received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2015, five years after she had been freed, Suu Kyi’s NLD Party won a great victory in the general elections.
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai was bom to a Pakistani educator and poet. When the Taliban declared that girls should not be educated, the world’s youngest Nobel Prize winner decided to challenge these unfair policies (政策).On October 9, 2012, she was shot and badly injured. Since recovering, Malala continues her fight for girls’ education. Her bravery is encouraging young people all over the world to stand up for what they believe is right.
1.Who made a great contribution to women’s right to vote?
A. Anne Frank. B. Malala Yousafzai.
C. Susan B. Anthony. D. Aung San Suu Kyi.
2.Why was Aung San Suu Kyi put into prison?
A. She refused to leave Myanmar.
B. She demanded that the democrats be freed.
C. She voiced dissatisfaction with the government.
D. She blamed the government for its economic policy.
3.Which of the following can be used to describe the women mentioned in the text?
A. Brave and inspiring. B. Reliable and devoted.
C. Honest and responsible. D. Considerate and optimistic.
假定你是学生会主席李华，你校将设计举行“中华经典诗歌朗诵比赛”活动。现在，请你根据以下信息,给你校交换生David写一封信，邀请他参加比赛，内容包括：
1.举办时间、地点；
2.朗诵内容和形式；
3.期待参与。
参考词汇：朗诵recitation n.
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear David,
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Li Hua
假如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—横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
A lady once wrote a long story and sent to a famous editor．After a few week, the story was returned to her．The lady got very angrily．She wrote to the editor, “Dear sir, how do you know why the story is not good? You didn't read it．After I sent it to you, I pasted pages 21, 22 or 23 together．This was a test to see whether I would really read the story．When it came back, the pages still pasted together．Is this the way in that you read the stories that are sent to you?” The editor writes back, “Dear madam, at breakfast when I open an egg, I don't have to eat the whole egg in order to discover that it is bad.”
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Mr. Johnson lived in the woods with his wife and children. He owned 1. farm, which looked almost abandoned.
2. (lucky), he also had a cow which produced milk every day. He sold or exchanged some of the milk in the towns nearby for other food and made cheese and butter for the family with what 3. (leave). The cow was their only means of support, in fact. One day, the cow was eating grass 4. it began to rain heavily. While 5. (make) great efforts to run away, she fell over the hill and died. Then the Johnson tried to make a living 6. the cow. In order to support his family, Mr.
Johnson 7. (begin) to plant herbs and vegetables. Since the plants took a while to grow, he started cutting down trees 8. (sell) the wood. Thinking about his children’s clothes, he started growing cotton, too. When harvest came around, he was already selling herbs, vegetables and cotton in the market 9. people from the town met regularly. Now it occurred to 10. (he) that his farm had much potential and that the death of the cow was a bit of luck.
