When most of us hear the word chocolate, the verb that comes to mind is probably “eat”, not “drink”, and the most proper adjective would seem to be “sweet”. But for about 90 percent of chocolate’s long history, it was strictly a beverage (飲料), and sugar didn’t have anything to do with it.
The Origin of Chocolate
Many modern historians have estimated that chocolate has been around for about 2000 years, but recent research suggests that it may be even older.
In the book The True History of Chocolate, authors Sophie and Michael Coe prove that the earliest linguistic (語言學(xué)的) evidence of chocolate consumption dates back three or even four thousand years.
Valuable and Fashionable Chocolate Beverage
It’s hard to discover exactly when chocolate was born, but it’s clear that it was cherished from the start. For several centuries in pre-modern Latin America, cacao beans were considered valuable enough to use as currency. 100 beans could purchase a good turkey hen, according to a 16th-century Aztec document.
Sweetened chocolate didn’t appear until Europeans discovered the Americas and sampled (品嘗) the native cuisine. Chocolate didn’t suit the foreigners’ taste at first — one described it in his writings as “a bitter drink for pigs” — but once mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain. By the 17th century, chocolate was a fashionable drink throughout Europe, believed to have nutritious, medicinal functions. But it remained largely a privilege of the rich until the invention of the steam engine made mass production possible in the late 1700s.
The Birth of Solid Chocolate
In 1828, a Dutch chemist found a way to make powdered chocolate. His product became known as “Dutch cocoa”, and it soon led to the creation of solid chocolate. In 1847, Joseph Fry created the first modern chocolate bar. By 1868, a little company called Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England. Milk chocolate hit the market a few years later.
Prosperous Chocolate Industry
In America, chocolate was so valued during the Revolutionary War that it was used instead of wages. Even now, statistics show that the humble cacao bean is still a powerful economic force. Chocolate manufacturing is a more than 4-billion-dollar industry in the United States, and the average American eats at least half a pound of the stuff per month.
小題1:The earliest chocolate was most probably _________.

A．a(chǎn) dish

B．a(chǎn) drink

C．a(chǎn) bar

D．a(chǎn) candy

小題2: It can be inferred from the passage that ________________.

A．the history of chocolate is at most 4,000 years.

B．people around the world could buy things with chocolate.

C．chocolate was well paid attention to since it was born.

D．a(chǎn)n American at least eats a pound of chocolate per month.

小題3:Why did chocolate suit the Spanish’s taste so quickly? _________

A．Because chocolate was so tasty and bitter.

B．Because chocolate was believed to be a source of nutrition.

C．Because chocolate was sweetened with honey or cane sugar.

D．Because chocolate became a fashionable beverage.

小題4:Which one shows the correct order according to the time of their appearing? _________

A．chocolate beverage----chocolate bar----chocolate candies----milk chocolate

B．chocolate bar----chocolate beverage----chocolate candies----milk chocolate

C．chocolate bar ----chocolate candies ----milk chocolate ---- chocolate beverage

D．chocolate beverage ----chocolate candies----chocolate bar---- milk chocolate

Perfume (香水) has been in existence for a long time. These days, certain perfumes are considered comparable to great works of art. Here are a few of the most famous perfumes in history.
Chanel No.5
This perfume is probably the best-selling scent (氣味) in the history of fragrance (香水). Created by Ernst Beaux for Coco Chanel in 1921, it has been described as “the world’s most legendary fragrance”, and remains the company’s most famous perfume.
Shalimar
Jacques Guerlain created this vanilla (香草) fragrance in 1925. The perfume takes its name from the Garden of Shalimar, which was built by Emperor Shah Jehan for one of his wives. It was an immediate hit in 1925 and is still extremely popular today.
Joy
Joy is famous for having been the most expensive perfume in the world at one point. It was created in 1930 by Henri Alméras for Jean Patou to lift the bad mood that had swept over the world after the 1929 stock market crash.
L’Air duTemps
Francis Farbon created Nina Ricci’s L’Air du Temps in 1948. The fragrance is known for its spicy (香的) carnation (康乃馨) and gardenia (梔子) scents as well as its beautiful crystal (水晶的) bottle (designed by Lalique).
Eternity
Calvin Klein’s second perfume was created by Sophia Grojsman in 1988. Known for its light, flowery scent, the perfume was listed in the Fragrance Hall of Fame in 2003. It is recommended for daytime wear.
Angel
This wildly popular perfume was created in 1992 by Olivier Cresp for Thierry Mugler. The perfume was an instant success. The perfume has often been described as “delicious”, owing to its chocolatey (巧克力味的) scent. The perfume comes in beautiful star-shaped bottles. Angel perfume also comes in several bath and body products.
小題1:Who created Joy?

A．Henri Alméras.	B．Jean Patou.
C．Sophia Grojsman.	D．Jacques Guerlain.

小題2:Which of the following perfumes is known for its wonderful crystal bottle?

A．Shalimar.

B．Chanel No. 5

C．L’Air du Temps.

D．Eternity.

小題3:The Angel perfume has been described as delicious because of __________.

A．its spicy scent	B．its special bottle design
C．its vanilla scent	D．its chocolatey scent

小題4:Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Emperor Shah Jehan created the Shalimar perfume for one of his wives.

B．Joy was created to cheer people up after the stock market crash.

C．Lalique created Nina Ricci’s L’Air du Temps in 1948.

D．Eternity was listed into the Fragrance Hall of Fame in 1988.

小題5:Where can you probably see this article?

A．In a textbook.	B．In the newspaper.
C．In a travel magazine.	D．In a fashion magazine.

President Abraham Lincoln’s first call for volunteers to fight in the Civil War was for whites only.The Civil War was a white man’s war，northern whites insisted.Its purpose was to preserve the Union.It was not being fought to end slavery.But by September of 1862，the sentiment toward black volunteers had changed.Lincoln had hoped that the war would be short，but it had already lasted for a year and a half.Union manpower had fallen dangerously.
Lincoln had a plan.He issued the Emancipation Proclamation.It stated that as of January 1,1863，all slaves living in the rebellious southern states would be forever free.And starting immediately，Union armies would accept black volunteers.
The southern rebels’response to Lincoln’s call for black troops was a deadly one.Captives (俘虜) of any Union regiment (團(tuán)) with black troops were to be given “no quarter”．They were to be put to death immediately.
African­American troops throughout the war distinguished themselves (表現(xiàn)突出) in battle at places like Milliken’s Bend，F(xiàn)ort Wagner，and the Crater at St.Petersburg.As to their conduct on the battlefield，Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote，“Nobody knows anything about these men who has not seen them in battle.No officer in this regiment now doubts that the successful process of the war lies in the unlimited employment of black troops.” By the war’s end,186,000 black men had participated.They made up nearly 10 percent of Union forces.These black soldiers saw action in more than 250 battles.Black soldiers also gave their lives.By the war’s end，about 38,000 black soldiers had died.They died from disease，in battle，and after capture by rebel troops.
小題1:This passage is mainly about________.

A．cause of the Civil War

B．the Emancipation Proclamation

C．black soldiers in the Civil War

D．why Lincoln was a good president

小題2:What does the underlined word “sentiment” in the first paragraph mean?

A．Whites.

B．People who keep watch.

C．Rebels.

D．Thought and feeling.

小題3:What can we conclude from the passage?

A．Lincoln acted too late to free the slaves.

B．Blacks fought well for the Union cause.

C．The Civil War changed American history.

D．The southern rebels nearly won the Civil War.

小題4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Civil War’s purpose was to drive the black away.

B．The Civil War ended just in one year with the help of the blacks.

C．All slaves were set free by September of 1862.

D．Black captives of any Union regiment were killed after Lincoln’s call.

While we are on the subject of crime, our listener question this week comes from Mohamad Firouzi in Iran. He wants to know about the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison that once operated there.
Alcatraz Island is in the harbor of San Francisco, California. It is best known for being a federal prison, which was also called “The Rock.” It was once the most famous prison in America.
Alcatraz was a military prison from the late eighteen fifties until the nineteen thirties. Then it became a federal prison for the country’s worst criminals. These included murderers, bank robbers and kidnappers. One of the main reasons federal officials chose Alcatraz Island to detain these prisoners was because they thought it would be impossible for prisoners to escape.
Cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. Also, the distance between the island and San Francisco is too far for most humans to swim. No prisoner was ever officially reported to have successfully escaped.
However, in nineteen sixty-two, three men broke out of the prison. Each man worked very hard at night for many months to cut through the stone wall of his cell. They made false heads out of paper, paint and hair. On the night of June eleventh, the men placed the heads in their beds to make it look as if they were sleeping. Then, the prisoners escaped through the holes in their cells to get to the water. The men were never seen or heard from again. It is believed that they drowned while trying to swim to San Francisco.
The prison closed in nineteen sixty-three because of the high cost of keeping prisoners there and the need for major repairs. The last prisoners were moved to other jails.
In nineteen seventy-two, the United States Congress passed a bill creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz Island and the old prison are part of this area.
Each year, more than one million people visit Alcatraz to see the prisoners’ cells and listen to stories about the jail’s history. But unlike the prisoners who once lived there, visitors can escape from the prison whenever they want and return back across the harbor to San Francisco.
小題1:The text mainly tells us________.

A．a(chǎn)bout the history of Alcatraz Island and the prison there.

B．a(chǎn)bout the history of Alcatraz Island.

C．a(chǎn)bout a military prison.

D．a(chǎn)bout the subject of crime.

小題2:Why did federal officials make Alcatraz the most famous prison in America?

A．Because no prisoner successfully escaped from the prison.

B．Because Alcatraz was Alcatraz Island.

C．Because Alcatraz was a military prison.

D．Because cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island.

小題3:Paragraph 5 is written to ________.

A．tell us the three prisoners escaped the prison.

B．prove prisoners couldn’t successfully escape from the prison .

C．tell us how prisoners escaped the prison.

D．tell us the three prisoners could make false heads out of paper, paint and hair.

小題4:Now Alcatraz ________.

A．is a place of interest .

B．detains some prisoners.

C．is where the United States Congress is.

D．is still the most famous prison.

Who give us life, raise us and are our constant support and well­wishers？Our mothers. That’s why millions of people across the world take Mother’s Day as an opportunity to express thanks and send best wishes to their moms.
However, the celebration of Mother’s Day is not the recent thing that many believe it to be. It was the ancient Greeks who started the tradition by celebrating their annual spring festival in honor of Rhea, the mother of many gods and goddesses.
Later, in the 1600s, Mothering Sunday came to be celebrated in England. On the fourth Sunday of Lent (大齋期), children brought flowers and special fruitcakes to show their respect for their mothers. It may be the root of the modern Mother’s Day.
Thanks to the great efforts of Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis, Mother’s Day became an official festival in the US. It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Later, many countries began to celebrate this day as Mother’s Day.
Today, Mother’s Day is an international festival honoring mothers. It is celebrated all over the world in different ways. In Western countries，the most common way is to treat mothers with breakfast in bed .Kids often allow their mothers to sleep till late in the morning while they prepare her favorite breakfast with their fathers. Some also make hand­made gifts or buy beautiful carnations (康乃馨). It is the day when you acknowledge your mothers contribution in your life and pay a tribute (禮品) to her, often with flowers and gifts. It complements Father’s Day, the celebration honoring fathers.
Today, Mother’s Day is a day celebrated on various days in many places around the world.
小題1:Why do people across the world celebrate Mother’s Day?

A．Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to their mothers.

B．Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to Rhea.

C．Because Mother’s Day is an official festival in the US.

D．Because Mother’s Day is an international festival.

小題2:The modern Mother’s Day came from________.

A．Greece

B．China

C．America

D．England

小題3:From the passage we can learn that________.

A．Rhea is the mother of many gods and goddesses of England

B．many people wrongly believe Mother’s Day has a short history

C．in America Mother’s day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent

D．on Mother’s day fathers have to get up early to prepare breakfast

小題4:The passage mainly wants to tell us________.

A．how to celebrate Mother’s day

B．what to do on Mother’s day

C．the historical change of Mother’s day

D．the meaning of Mother’s day

Do you read newspapers in modern times while we have TV and other media? The first newspaper was written by hand and put up on walls in public places. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in English was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was Daily Current, which came out in March 1702.
　  In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started Boston Newspaper, the first newspaper published daily in the American Colonies. By 1760, the colonies had had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
　  Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. It sells more than eleven million copies every year.
小題1:The first regularly printed European newspaper was started ______.

A．in Rome in 59 BC	B．in Germany in 1609
C．in Amsterdam in 1620	D．in England in 1621

小題2:The first daily English newspaper was started in _______.

A．1702

B．1760

C．1620

D．1621

小題3:What can we learn from the passage_______?
A. The earliest daily printed newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC.
B. The first regularly published English newspaper was printed in Boston.
C. The first daily English newspaper was printed in the American Colonies.
D. The first American newspaper was stopped before 1704.
小題4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage_______?
A. Newspapers have the longest history in the United States.
B. One English language newspaper has the largest circulation in the world.
C. The first English newspaper was printed in Rome in 59 BC.
D. There are all kinds of newspapers all over the world today.
小題5:What is the best title of the passage_______?

A．History of newspapers.

B．History of daily newspapers.

C．The beginning of daily newspapers.

D．The beginning of newspapers.

The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids(金字塔). They have stood for nearly 5, 000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for thousands of years yet. There are over eighty of them scattered(散布)along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “Step” pyramid and the “Bent” pyramid.

　　Some of the pyramids still look as much alike as they must have been when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or, more often, for stones to use in modern buildings. The dry climate of Egypt has helped to keep the pyramids in good condition, and their very shape has made them less likely to fall into ruin. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important is that they were planned to last forever.
　　The “Step” pyramid had to be on the west side of the Nile, the side on which the sun sets. This was for spiritual reasons. It also had to stand well above the level of the river to protect it against the regular floods. It could not be too far from the Nile, however, as the stones to build it needed to be carried in boats down the river to the nearest point. Water transport was, of course, much easier than land transport. The builders also had to find a rock base, which was not likely to crack(破裂)under the great weight of the pyramid. Finally, it had to be near the capital, or better still near the king’s palace so that he could visit it easily to personally check the progress being made on the final resting place for his body.
小題1:According to the passage, the “Step” pyramid　　　　.

A．is unlikely to fall into ruin in the near future

B．was built on the sand along the Nile

C．is one that was built later than the true pyramids

D．is the most famous of the true pyramids

小題2: The most important reason why some pyramids remain in good condition is that　　　　.

A．people have taken good care of them

B．it doesn’t rain often in Egypt

C．they were well designed

D．the government has protected them from damage

小題3:Most of the damage to the pyramids has been caused by　　　.

A．the regular floods

B．the dry climate of Egypt

C．people searching for gold

D．people in search of building materials

小題4:The Egyptians built the pyramids along the banks of the Nile because　　　　.

A．they believed in their god

B．it was difficult to find a large rock base far from the Nile

C．the river helped a lot in the transport of building materials

D．it was not easy to choose a suitable place for the pyramids

History is full of cases where dreams have been a pathway to creativity and discovery.A striking example is provided by Dr.Otto Loewi，a pharmacologist and winner of a Nobel Prize.Loewi had spent years studying the chemical transmission of nerve impulses (脈搏)．A tremendous breakthrough in his research came when he dreamed of an experiment three nights in a row.The first two nights he woke up and wrote down the experiment quickly and untidily on paper.But the next morning，he couldn't tell what the notes meant.On the third night，he got up after having the dream.This time，instead of making notes he went straight to his laboratory and performed the crucial experiment.Loewi later said that if the experiment had occurred to him while awake he would have rejected it.
Loewi's experiment gives some insight into using dreams to produce creative solutions.Inhibitions (拘謹(jǐn)) are reduced during dreaming，which may be especially useful in solving problems that require a fresh point of view.
Being able to take advantage of dreams for problem solving is improved if you “set” yourself before retiring.Before you go to bed，try to think intently about a problem you wish to solve.Bury yourself in the problem by stating it clearly and reviewing all relevant information.Then use the suggestions listed in the previous section to catch your dreams.Although this method is not guaranteed to produce a novel solution or a new insight，it is certain to be an adventure.About half of a group of college students using the method for a week recalled a dream that helped them solve a personal problem.
小題1:The main idea of this passage is that ________.

A．very little is really known about the meaning of dreams

B．it is possible to “catch” one's dreams by planning before going to sleep

C．dreams can be useful in producing creative solutions to one's problems

D．Loewi's experiment helped in the study of transmision of nerve impulses

小題2:The first paragraph is mainly organized by ________.

A．classifying types of experiments

B．summarizing the work of one researcher

C．comparing and exploring historical cases

D．telling in time order about one man's research

小題3:If Loewi had thought of the experiment while awake，he would have ________.

A．a(chǎn)sked someone else to do it

B．thought it was a bad idea

C．tried it out on his own

D．thought it was a wise idea

小題4:The author probably thinks that ________.

A．Loewi should not have conducted his experiment

B．dreaming is of very little value to most people

C．inhibitions may stop someone thinking of useful ideas

D．college students should not try out dream experiments

Valentine’s Day may come from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia.   36  the fierce wolves roamed nearby, the old Romans called   37  the god Lupercus to help them. A festival in his   38  was held on February 15th. On the eve of the festival the   39  of the girls were written on   40  of paper and placed in jars. Each young man   41  a slip. The girl whose name was   42  was to be his sweetheart for the year.
Legend   43  it that the holiday became Valentine’s Day   44  a Roman bishop named Valentine. Emperor Claudius II   45  the Roman soldiers NOT to marry or become engaged. Claudius felt married soldiers would   46  stay home than fight. When Valentine   47  the Emperor and secretly married the young couples, he was put to death on February 14th, the   48  of Lupercalia. After his death, Valentine became a   49 . Christian bishop moved the holiday from the 15th to the 14th—Valentine’s Day. Now the holiday honors Valentine   50  of Lupercus.
Valentine’s Day has become a major   51  of love and romance in the modern world. The ancient god Cupid and his   52  into a lover’s heart may still be used to   53  falling in love or being in love. But we also use cards and gifts, such as flowers or jewelry, to do this.   54  to give flower to a wife or sweetheart on Valentine’s Day can sometimes be as   55  as forgetting a birthday or a wedding anniversary.

小題1:	A．While B．When C．Though D．Unless

小題2:	A．upon B．back C．off D．a(chǎn)way

小題3:	A．honor B．belief C．hand D．way

小題4:	A．problems B．secrets C．names D．intentions

小題5:	A．rolls B．piles C．works D．slips

小題6:	A．cast B．caught C．drew D．found

小題7:	A．given B．chosen C．elected D．delivered

小題8:	A．tells B．means C．makes D．has

小題9:	A．a(chǎn)fter B．since C．a(chǎn)s D．from

小題10:

A．ordered B．a(chǎn)ppealed C．imagined D．believed

小題11:

A．other B．simply C．rather D．a(chǎn)ll

小題12:

A．disliked B．resisted C．defeated D．dishonored

小題13:

A．celebration B．a(chǎn)rrangement C．feast D．eve

小題14:

A．goat B．saint C．model D．weapon

小題15:

A．because B．made C．instead D．learnt

小題16:

A．part B．representative C．judgment D．symbol

小題17:

A．story B．wander C．a(chǎn)rrow D．play

小題18:

A．describe B．require C．demand D．a(chǎn)larm

小題19:

A．Keeping B．Disapproving C．Supporting D．Forgetting

小題20:

A．constructive B．damaging C．strengthening D．responding

NewYork Tuesday April 12—Dustin Hoffman fan Pamela Crack got the shock of her life when the movie star telephoned her as she was doing her housework.. Crack, 58, said she was “flabbergasted” when she picked up the phone and heard the star at the other end.

“It’s not every day you get a Hollywood superstar phoning you when you’re doing the housework,” Crack told The Sun, “It was a moment I’ll never forget.”
Hoffman was in the back of a London taxi driven by Crack’s husband, Dave, when he made the call after being told Pamela was a fan. Dave Crack later became the star of Hoffman’s speech at the Bafta award ceremony Sunday, where the 62-year-old American actor presented the Best Film award.
“He said to give him a mention,” Hoffman told the audience to a burst of laughter. “Cheers Dave.” Taxi driver Crack said the Hollywood star was a joy to drive from the moment he got into the taxi eating a cheese and tomato sandwich.
“I said ‘You’re that Dustin Hoffman, aren’t you?’ and he said, ‘Yes I am—would you like a sandwich?’ I was a bit surprised but I took a sandwich from him and ate it hungrily.”
小題1:How did Dustin Hoffman learn that Pamela was a fan?

A．He learned it at a dinner party.

B．He learned it from Dave Crack.

C．He learned it when he was at the Bafta ceremony.

D．He learned it when he was watching a Hollywood movie.

小題2:What does the underlined word “flabbergasted” in the first paragraph probably mean?

A．pleased.

B．honored.

C．frightened.

D．surprised.

小題3:What was Hoffman doing when he talked about Dave Crack?

A．He was riding in a taxi.

B．He was presenting the Best Film award.

C．He was talking to Pamela on the phone.

D．He was eating a cheese and tomato sandwich.

小題4:Which of the following is the correct order of events mentioned in the article?
a. Hoffman mentioned Dave’s name in his speech at the ceremony.
b. He got into Dave Crack’s taxi in London.
c. He telephoned Pamela Crack.
d. He talked to Dave Crack.

A．bdca

B．bdac

C．cbda

D．cdba