There are many superstitions(迷信) in Britain, but one of the most widelyheld is that it is unlucky to walk under a ladder—even if it means stepping off the pavement into a busy street!

①Walking under a ladder

If you must walk under a ladder you can avoid bad luck by crossing your fingers and keeping them crossed until you've seen a dog. Alternatively, you must lick your finger and make a cross on the toe of your shoe, and not look again at the shoe until the mark has dried.

②Umbrella

Another common superstition is that it is unlucky to open an umbrella in the house—it will either bring misfortune to the person that opened it or to the household. The superstition could date from the old time when its purpose was to act as a sunshade. If opened indoors, it might be considered to be an attack on the sun. Anyone opening an umbrella indoors in fine weather is unpopular, as it inevitably brings rain!

③Number 13

The number 13 is said to be unlucky for some, and when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, anyone wishing to avoid an inauspicious event had better stay indoors.

④Seven years bad luck

The worst misfortune that can befall you is caused by breaking a mirror, as it brings seven years of bad luck! The superstition is supposed to have originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.

⑤Black cat

In the UK, black cats are generally considered lucky in the UK, even though they are connected with witchcraft(巫术)：You are said to be lucky if a black cat crosses your path.

1. Which experience is considered to be lucky according to the passage?

A. walking under a ladder

B. opening an umbrella in the house

C. breaking a mirror

D. a black cat crossing your path

2. Which of the followings is RIGHT in UK according to the passage?

A. Opening an umbrella in the rain is not acceptable or unpopular.

B. Black cats are generally considered unlucky because they have something with witchcraft.

C. Bad luck brought by walking under a ladder cannot be avoided using certain ways.

D. If you are to open a clothes store on May 13 in Britain, you had better change the date.

3. Which two superstitions are related to history?...

A. ①②    B. ②④

C. ④⑤    D. ③④

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. breaking a mirror will cause bad luck because it shows your disrespect(不敬)for the God

B. crossing your fingers and keeping them crossed can help avoid bad luck brought by walking under a ladder

C. number 13 is always unlucky in any situation

D. opening an umbrella indoors might be considered to be an attack on the sun

Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers conclude that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favourite TV show is over.

According to Dr Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers' markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as highquality meats for each meal.

After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of FrenchWomenDon'tGetFat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.

In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity—or extreme overweight—among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17%—and is growing.

5. In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr Joseph Mercola?

A. They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently.

B. They squeeze eating between the other daily activities.

C. They regard eating as a key part of their life style.

D. They usually eat too much canned and frozen food.

6. This text is mainly the relationship between ________．

A. Americans and the French

B. life style and obesity

C. children and adults...

D. fast food and overweight

7. Where does this text probably come from?

A. A TV interview.    B. A food advertisement.

C. A health report.    D. A book review.

The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid—we simply weigh too much，and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.

However, several types of animals can walk on water.  One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicusbasilicus, a lizard (蜥蜴) native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several metres, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water's surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we'd need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate “hitting”．

But fortunately there is an alternative: corn flour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a “nonNewtonian” liquid that doesn't behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles(粒子) in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick liquid of corn flour.

Fun though all this may sound, it's still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink—and take a shower afterwards!

8. What do we know about Basilicusbasilicus from the passage?

A. It is light enough to walk on water.

B. Its huge feet enable it to stay above water.

C. It can run across water at a certain speed.

D. Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water.

9. What is the function of the corn flour according to the passage?

A. To create a thick liquid.

B. To turn the water into solid.

C. To help the liquid behave normally.

D. To enable the water to move rapidly.

10. What is the author's attitude towards the idea of humans' walking on water?...

A. It is risky but beneficial.

B. It is interesting and worth trying.

C. It is crazy and cannot become a reality.

D. It is impractical though theoretically possible.

Everyone knows that fish is good for health. ___11___ But it seems that many people don’t cook fish at home. Americans eat only about fifteen pounds of fish per person per year, but we eat twice as much fish in restaurants as at home. Buying, storing, and cooking fish isn’t difficult. ___12___This text is about how to buy and cook fish in an easy way.

___13___ Fresh fish should smell sweet: you should feel that you’re standing at the ocean’s edge. Any fishy or strong smell means the fish isn’t fresh. ___14___When you have bought a fish and arrive home, you’d better store the fish in the refrigerator if you don’t cook it immediately, but fresh fish should be stored in your fridge for only a day or two. Frozen fish isn’t as tasty as the fresh one.

There are many common methods used to cook fish.___15___ First, clean it and season it with your choice of spices（调料）.

Put the whole fish on a plate and steam it in a steam pot for 8 to 10 minutes if it weighs about one pound. (A larger one will take more time.) Then, it’s ready to serve.

A. Do not buy it.
B. The easiest is to steam it.
C. This is how you can do it.
D. It just requires a little knowledge.
E. The fish will go bad within hours.
F. When buying fish, you should first smell it.
G. The fats in fish are thought to help prevent heart disease.

Xie lei's ____36____ course is helping her to get used to the _____37_____requirements of a Western university. "I remember the first _____38_____ I did for my tutor." she told me. I found an article on the Internet ____39____ seemed to have exactly the information I needed. So I made a summary of the article, _____40_____ my draft and handed the essay in.

In the 18th century California was ____41____by Spain.Spanish soldiers first arrived in South America in the early 16th century,when they fought against the native people and took their land.Two centuries later,the Spanish _____42_____in most parts of South America and along the northwest coast of ___43___we now call the United States.

Cloning plants is ____44____while cloning animals is very complicated.It is a difficult task to undertake.Many____45____to clone mammals failed.