Can you imagine that several hundred years ago, tomatoes were seen as _ food in Europe? What made Europeans believe this was John Gerard's publication of Herbal in 1597. Gerard wrote: "The leaves and stalks of the tomato plant are toxic." Undoubtedly, Gerard's opinion was based on a misunderstanding of tomatoes. But his opinion was widely spread in Britain and North America for over two hundred years. In the late 1700s, a lot of Europeans held more fears for tomatoes. A nick name for the fruit was "poison apple" because it was believed that aristocrats got sick and died after eating them. But the actual reason was the pewter plates they used. Since tomatoes are high in acidity, when placed on the plates, the lead in the plates would dissolve . This caused many deaths. Unluckily, no one knew this at that time. So the innocent tomatoes were picked as the killer. Today, more than one and a half billion tons of tomatoes are produced every year around the world. Tomatoes are cooked in various ways. This healthy and tasty food finally wins its innocence back. Which of the following can be the best title for this passage? A) Europeans' fears for tomatoes B) History of tomato planting C) Why do people eat so many tomatoes D) How did the tomato prove its value
A
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world. Maybe that doesn't sound very interesting. But when you're joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can send E-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (www). There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people's desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself. There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at any time. Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. You can buy or sell whatever you want on the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow? What does the writer try to tell us in the last two sentences? A) English is important in using the Internet. B) The Internet is more and more popular. C) Most of the information is in English. D) Every computer must have the Internet.
A
Q: Bill and his family has been living in the six-family building for years. All the neighbors got along fairly well with each other until recently. An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor. Bill's mother and the old lady were good friends. Unfortunately the lady died last month. Her husband could not live alone, so he had his grandson move over and live with him. The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbors, especially to Bill's family. The walls of the building are thin and he is noisy. Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to listen to the radio late at night. Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise. That is too much for Bill's family. Bill's mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night, but obviously the man didn't understand what she meant. If he did and spoke to his grandson, the young man obviously didn't listen, since things haven't changed any. Everyone in Bill's family agrees that something must be done though they don't want to hurt the kind old man. It seems that _ to solve the problem. A) anyone is able B) only the grandfather is going C) Bill's mother is able D) nobody is likely
A: D
(Question)
Is pricing a plane ticket based on the passenger's weight fair? If you're taking an international flight on Samoa Air today, your fare will be based on your weight, along with that of your luggage. The cost is 93 cents to $1.06 for each kilogram. The average American woman weighs 75.5 kilograms, far from the ideal weight for her average height. Her ticket on Samoa Air, at the $1 a kilogram rate, would cost $75.50. But let's be honest here. Since the average American woman is overweight, the ticket will cost her more. Samoa Air Chief Executive Chris Langton said, "Planes are run by weight and not by seat. The plane can only carry a certain amount of weight and that weight needs to be paid."He believes other airlines should adopt the policy. It' s not a new idea. I remember a newspaper columnist years ago who put forth the idea that the heavier among us should pay more for their seats on planes, trains and buses. Who hasn' t been squeezed into a middle seat between two plus-sized folks on a flight? It' s happened to me; one time my married seatmates had purposefully chosen their seats to have more space until a sold-out flight put me between them. Not one of my better flying experiences. What if such a policy is adopted by some airlines in the United States? Could such pricing provide a much-needed motivation for Americans to reduce body weight? I hope so. But, as we know, more than one-third of us are obese and another third are overweight. The high probability is that the heavy customers will not suddenly lose weight or stop flying, but will instead choose a different airline, simply moving the supposed problem elsewhere. There's no doubt that the heavier will suffer more discrimination . Discrimination against the overweight in the United States has increased by 66 percent over the last decade --"and is comparable to rates of racial discrimination, especially among women,"wrote Yale University researcher Rebecca M. Puhl. Your weight can affect your salary, your chances for employment, how others view you... Which best describes the British editorial writer's attitude to Samoa Air's policy? A) Optimistic. B) Defensive. C) Disapproving. D) Casual.
(Answer)
C