Nowadays more and more people are talking about genetically modified foods (GM foods).GM foods develop  from genetically modified organisms(有机体)，which have had specific changes introduced into their DNA by genetic engineering techniques.These techniques are much more precise where an organism is exposed to chemicals to create a non-specific but stable change.For many people，the high-tech production raises all kinds，of environmental，ethieal(伦理的)，health and safety problems.Particularly in countries with long farming traditions，the idea seems against nature.

  In fact，GM foods are already very much a part of our lives.They were first put on the market in 1996.A third of the corn and more than half the cotton grown in the U. S.1ast year was the product of biotechnology，according to the Department of Agriculture.More than 65 million acres of genetically modified crops will be planted in the U. S. this year.The genetic genie is out of the bottle.

   However.1ike any new product entering the food chain，GM foods must be subjected to careful testing.In wealthy countries，the debate about biotech is not so fierce by the fact that they have a large number of foods to choose from，and a supply that goes beyond the needs.In developing countries desperate to feed fast-growing and underfed populations，the matter is simpler and much more urgent：do the benefits of biotech outweigh the risks?

  The statistics on population growth and hunger are disturbing.Last year the world’s population reached 6 billion. The U.N.states that nearly 800 million people around the world are unhealthy.About 400 million women of childbearing age don’t have enough iron，which means their babies are exposed to various birth defeats.As many as 100 million children suffer from vitamin A deficiency，a leading cause of blindness.

   How can biotech help? Genetic engineering is widely used to produce plants and animals with better nutritional values.Biotechnologists have developed genetically modified rice and they are working on other kinds of nutritionally improved crops.Biotech can also improve farming productivity in places where food shortages are caused by crop damage attributable to drought，poor soil and crop viruses.

21.The passage mainly talks about______.

A.the world’s food problem        B.the development in biotech

C.the genetically modified foods    D.the way to solve food shortages

22.According to the passage，GM foods______.

A.will replace naturally grown foods

B.are far better than naturally grown foods

C.may help to solve the problem of poor nutrition

D.can cause serious trouble in developing countries

23.The underlined sentence“The genetic genie is out of the bottle.”in Paragraph 2  probably means that_____.

A.GM foods are available everywhere

B.the technology in producing GM foods is advanced

C.genetic technology may have uncontrollable powers

D.genetic technology has come out of laboratories into markets

24.What’s the writer’s attitude towards GM foods?

A.Enthusiastic.  B. Cautious.  C.Disapproving.    D.Unbelievable.

My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork.

  My reply is often a brief“You have as much time as the president.”I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone，and suggest that “not enough time” is not fin acceptable explanation of not getting something done.

  Once in graduate schoo1.I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard.His answer to me was，“That’s irrelevant(无关的).What’s important is the quality of your work.”Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker”dodge(诀窍)，and I have come to some conclusions—all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.

  If you analyze the matter，you can identify two parts of the problem：There is，of course，the matter of“time”，which we can think of as fixed.Then there is the problem of“work”during that time.But，as my professor suggested，it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product，that’s important.

  That led me to a new idea：the quality of the work.That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office：“Don’t work harder.Work smarter.”There is a lot of sense in that idea.

  If you can’t get more time，and few of us can，the only solution is to improve the quality of the work.That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get.That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits.Since“work”for students usually means“homework”，the expression“work habits” should be read as“study habits”.

  Then，as a smart student，you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study.chiefly reading and writing.If you learn to read better and write better，there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies.

25.From the passage，we know that the author is probably    .

A.a poet    B.an educator    C.a novelist    D.an engineer

26.We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that we students still___.

A.have enough time          B.can meet the president

C.get everything done well     D.should accept the explanation

27.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.The author’s students make good use of their time to do all their homework

B.The author tried to tell the professor that he／she (author) had done a good job.

C.You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time.

D.You’ll try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you’re a clever student.

28.What’s the passage mainly about?

A.Students don’t have enough time.      B.Don’t work harder；work smarter.

C.No one,can get more time.            D.Read better and write better.

With their weakening bodies, advanced age or increasing pressure of work or study, people have been advised and usually persuaded to have health care products. Do you remember your first time to take a nutritional supplement(营养补充品)? What was your first impression? 

                                  Posted by Amy, Dec. 23, 2010 8:05 PM

Madeline on Dec. 24, 2010 7:25 PM

Years ago, as a young mom with two small children, I struggled to keep up with the demands of a busy life. One day, I woke up feeling so tired that I knew something had to change!

A friend gave me some Royal Jelly—an amazing substance(物质)from the beehive(蜂房). I was doubtful, but desperate…so I tried it! In time, I began to experience renewed energy and vitality(活力)like never before! Now, over two decades later, I travel all round the country, sharing my life-changing experience. I’m grateful for the energy to keep up and love to share this wonderful discovery with others.

Blanca on Dec. 25, 2010 7:02 PM

Ten years ago, when I was 73, my mind wanted to be busy and useful, but my body didn’t. I became tired and lethargic(无精打采的). That’s when my daughter Madeline tried to persuade me to try her special Royal Jelly. It made such a dramatic(巨大的)difference in her life, so she was sure it could help me too! Hesitating for 2 days, I gave in. She was right! I no longer felt worn out. I had a new, youthful zest(热情)for life and I’ve been OK — thanks to Royal Jelly!

Lori on Dec. 25, 2010 10:27 PM

When my mom Madeline was introduced to Royal Jelly, it affected my life, too! Mom gave me some of her fantastic Royal Jelly. Boy, things did turn around! I had more energy and stamina(耐力)and was finally able to keep up with high school and, eventually, college activities. Today, I’m a busy mom in my mid-thirties with two active boys and a new business! I have enough energy to do it all! I’m glad I took my Mom’s advice.

29.From the text, we learn that ________________.        .

A. Madeline became more than willing to take Royal Jelly at the very beginning

B. Lori was grateful partly because Royal Jelly helped him to improve his studies

C. Royal Jelly is a product that can help renew a person’s energy and vitality  

D. Amy has benefited from Royal Jelly so she posted a topic about the product

30.Which of the following is true of Blanca?

A. She replied to the topic on Christmas Eve.

B. She tried Royal Jelly without hesitation.

C. She is now supposed to be in her seventies. 

D. She was the second one to reply to the topic.

31.What’s the relationship between the Royal Jelly takers?

A. Lori and Blanca are Madeline’s grandchildren.

B. Madeline is Blanca’s daughter and Lori’s mother.

C. Blanca is Lori and Madeline’s great grandmother.

D. They have no blood relationship but friendship.

32.Where can we most probably read this text?

A. In a sports club.                   B. On an Internet page.  

C. In a fiction.                       D. In a travel magazine.

Only after the straight-talking repairman handed me the bill and waved goodbye did I finally acknowledge the painful truth: Our 20-year-old clothes dryer was not going to last.

I turned to my husband. “He says we’re throwing good money after bad,” I sighed. “I think he’s right.”

“When do you want to go shopping for a new one?” my husband asked.

I glanced out the window, appreciating the sunlight dancing on the big-leaf maples in our backyard. Perfect drying weather. Suddenly, I recalled my mother hanging laundry on a clothesline during my childhood. My sister and I had played hide-and-seek among the sweet-smelling sheets waving in the wind.

I suddenly had a plan. After the wash cycle, we covered the maples with damp blue jeans, shirts, socks and towels. The only things that didn’t go outside were my underpants. And I persuaded my shameless husband to let his big boxer shorts(男式平角短裤) stay indoors, too.

There is a secret pleasure to hanging laundry outdoors. It is the perfect excuse to get up from the computer. While checking on the laundry in the backyard, I could commune(亲近) not only with cotton T-shirts, but also my cats. I could watch cautious deer run through the yard with their young, listen to nervous squirrels in trees and observe a family of wild turkeys by the road. I returned to my desk refreshed.

And, except for the sandpaper feel of sun-dried bath towels, the drying method was a complete success. When autumn came, I’d scan the horizon each day to evaluate the chances of sun-drying. One morning I saw rain clouds. I had a load of wet clothes in my arms and no place to put them.

I found my husband. Together we hung laundry throughout the house.

Then my husband gave me a hug and a smile. “I think it’s time to buy a dryer…” he said, “… like, today.”

“Good idea,” I said, just as the infamous Oregon rain started.

Our sun-dried laundry habit was finished for the season.

33.Why did the author want to try sun-drying?

a. Her husband insisted.                  b. She wanted to cut expenses.

c. Their dryer wasn’t working.

d. She had good childhood memories of using a clothesline.

A. b c                          B. c d                            C. a c d                          D. b c d

34.What could the straight-talking repairman have said to the author?

A. “Continue to use it even if it is old.”

B. “You should have taken better care of your dryer.”

C. “You shouldn’t have wasted money on repairing your dryer.”

D. “Just buy a new dryer even if it’s very expensive.”

35.What was the biggest benefit that sun-drying brought to the author besides dry clothes?

A. She loves sun-dried bath towels.

B. She felt healthier and closer to nature.

C. She could bathe in the sunshine, too.

D. It gave her a break from her hard work.

Every student has tests when they are at school. But have you ever been so worried about the tests that you can’t fall asleep at night? Have you ever felt sick or had a headache during a test?   36._  This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry, frustrated, scared, or afraid, which can give you a stomachache or a headache.

 37.__   Good or normal stress might happen when you are called to answer a question in class or when you have to give a speech. This kind of stress can help you to get things better done.   38.__

But bad stress can happen if the stressful feelings keep going over a long time. You may not feel well if your parents are fighting, if a family member is ill, if you are having problems at school, or if you are going through anything else that makes you upset every day.   39.__

  40.__    That means making good decision about how to spend your time. If you are only dealing with school stuff and have no time to play, you can get stressed. Make sure you keep your SELF in mind: Sleep, Exercise, Leisure and Food. If you take care of yourself and get enough sleep and food, and if you exercise and leave time for fun stuff, you will probably be less stressed out!

A. However, there are two different kinds of stress.

B. Can you tell a kind of stress from another one?

C. The best way to keep stress away is to have a balanced life.

D. That kind of stress isn’t going to help you, and it can actually make you sick.

E. Since bad stress is harmful to us, you’d better try to change it into good stress.

F. If so, then you know what stress is. Stress is what you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about something.

G. For example, you may do a better job on your test if the stress pushes you to prepare well before the test.