Americans in Italy seed food, not ruins

       More and more Americans are visiting Italy not to see the sites of ancient Rome but to taste the delights of the rest of the country, according to a new survey. Not only are long waits under the hot summer sun to get into sites such as the Colosseum（羅馬大劇場）turning visitors away , but the attractions of good wine ,pasta and Parmesan chese are drawing people to other ,lesser-known destinations. A little over a quarter of those surveyed said they were choosing alternative locations because they wanted to get to know Italian cuisine (cooking )better .Another 21 percent said it was much more relaxing to be in the countryside eating wholesome Italian food after leaving stressful jobs and unhealthy diets in the United States .And 17 percent said they were following in the footsteps of their Hollywood heroes .For years, Hollywood stars have enjoyed low-key vacations at quiet but luxurious（豪華的）villas in rural (countryside)Italy ,and it appears the trend is rubbing off on Americans. “Americans are realizing that the Mediterranean diet is the best way to stay in shape and that courses in Italian cooking are better for handling stress than visiting a psychologist（心理學(xué)家）,” a statement accompanying the survey said.

1．What are more and more Americans aiming at in Italy?

       A．Historic Roman ruins.                          B．Famous Italian delights.

       C．Pasta and Parmesan cheese.                  D．Good and nice psychologists.

2．Why do some Americans choose to visit less famous locations according to the writer?

       A．To search for the unknown scenic spots.

       B．To make some changes for variety.

       C．To experience more Italian cuisine.

       D．To relax themselves in expensive villas.

3．What kind of life is a “l(fā)ow-key” life?

       A．Free from public attention.                    B．Luxurious and expensive.

       C．Aware of by most people.                     D．Concerned by the society.

4．What does the writer intend to tell us?

       A．There are still about 40% of the Americans interested in ruins.

       B．Hollywood stars are in Italy mainly for keeping their shape.

       C．People’s tastes have grown multi-colored and more practical.

       D．The Mediterranean scenic spots are more attractive than diets.

Since the beginning of history, man has been attracted by the idea of living forever, of winning the fight against death and disease. So far, this has only remained a dream. Many people have wondered whether it would be possible to find a way to preserve human bodies, and what would be the best way.
It has long been known that meat of fruit can be kept fresh for long periods by freezing; in ancient China, for example, food was stored with ice to keep it fresh. This method could also be useful for preserving humans.
However, most living beings that exist under warm conditions die when frozen. This is because of the harmful effects of freezing ice crystals(晶體), which not only are larger than the volume(體積) of the water originally in the cells, but also form sharp cutting shapes that harm the cells.
In the 1940s Dr B.J. Luyet and a group of scientists in England were working on the problem of freezing cells without damaging them. Since the harm caused by ice crystals was the main cause of damage, Luyet suggested removing some or all of the water from the cells before freezing them.
Using living cells form chicken, Luyet and his assistants discovered that they could partly dry the chicken cells, using a mixture of the white part of an egg and glycerin (丙三醇). Some success was obtained. The chicken cells were dried, frozen for a period of time, and then carefully unfrozen. Almost all the cells recovered when they reached normal temperatures.
Since then, the cooling of whole animals to a temperature far below freezing point for later unfreezing has become more of a possibility, and the glycerin method would probably be used to accomplish this. When this can be done completely and successfully, science will have moved much closer to its aim of freezing and storing incurable patients until the day they can be cured.
【小題1】What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Easy but practical ways to remove water from living cells.

B．The possibility of preserving human bodies by freezing.

C．The practice of preserving food by freezing.

D．The harmful effects of freezing.

【小題2】The idea of freezing human bodies to preserve them ______________.

A．has already been realized

B．was invented in ancient China

C．has its roots in the way of storing food

D．is widely accepted by the scientific world

【小題3】According to the text, freezing _________________.

A．is harmful to living cells

B．is the best way of preserving food

C．reduces the volume of water in living cells

D．is a way of removing water from living cells

【小題4】What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It is impossible to have whole animals frozen.

B．It remains unknown how to unfreeze frozen animals.

C．Freezing incurable patients for later treatment is still an idea.

D．The glycerin method has already been adopted to treat patients.

Since the beginning of history, man has been attracted by the idea of living forever, of winning the fight against death and disease. So far, this has only remained a dream. Many people have wondered whether it would be possible to find a way to preserve human bodies, and what would be the best way.

It has long been known that meat of fruit can be kept fresh for long periods by freezing; in ancient China, for example, food was stored with ice to keep it fresh. This method could also be useful for preserving humans.

However, most living beings that exist under warm conditions die when frozen. This is because of the harmful effects of freezing ice crystals(晶體), which not only are larger than the volume(體積) of the water originally in the cells, but also form sharp cutting shapes that harm the cells.

In the 1940s Dr B.J. Luyet and a group of scientists in England were working on the problem of freezing cells without damaging them. Since the harm caused by ice crystals was the main cause of damage, Luyet suggested removing some or all of the water from the cells before freezing them.

Using living cells form chicken, Luyet and his assistants discovered that they could partly dry the chicken cells, using a mixture of the white part of an egg and glycerin (丙三醇). Some success was obtained. The chicken cells were dried, frozen for a period of time, and then carefully unfrozen. Almost all the cells recovered when they reached normal temperatures.

Since then, the cooling of whole animals to a temperature far below freezing point for later unfreezing has become more of a possibility, and the glycerin method would probably be used to accomplish this. When this can be done completely and successfully, science will have moved much closer to its aim of freezing and storing incurable patients until the day they can be cured.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Easy but practical ways to remove water from living cells.

B．The possibility of preserving human bodies by freezing.

C．The practice of preserving food by freezing.

D．The harmful effects of freezing.

2.The idea of freezing human bodies to preserve them ______________.

A．has already been realized

B．was invented in ancient China

C．has its roots in the way of storing food

D．is widely accepted by the scientific world

3.According to the text, freezing _________________.

A．is harmful to living cells

B．is the best way of preserving food

C．reduces the volume of water in living cells

D．is a way of removing water from living cells

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It is impossible to have whole animals frozen.

B．It remains unknown how to unfreeze frozen animals.

C．Freezing incurable patients for later treatment is still an idea.

D．The glycerin method has already been adopted to treat patients.

 

Legends about the development of coffee are varied and interesting, involving chance occurrences, political tricks, and the pursuit of wealth and power.

According to one story, a sheepherder named Kaldi, as he tended his sheep, noticed the effect of coffee beans. He noticed that the sheep became excited after eating the red “cherries" from a certain plant when they changed pastures (牧場). He tried it himself, and was soon as overactive as his sheep. Another story relates that a monk happened to discover that this fruit from the shiny green plant could help him stay awake.

Another legend gives us the name for coffee, “mocha”. Omar, an Arabian was thrown to the desert with his followers to die of starvation. In desperation, Omar had his friends boil and eat the fruit from an unknown plant. Not only did the soup save the group, but the residents of the nearest town, Mocha, took their survival as a religious sign. The plant and its beverage (飲料) were named Mocha to honor this event.

Coffee was introduced much later to countries beyond Arabia, whose inhabitants believed it to be a tasty thing and guarded its secret as if they were top secret military plans. The government forbade transportation of the plant out of the Moslem nations. The actual spread of coffee was started illegally. One Arab named Baba Budan smuggled (走私) beans to some mountains near Mysore, India, and started a farm there. Early in this century, some of those original plants were found still growing fruitfully in the region.

Coffee today is grown and enjoyed worldwide, and is one of the few crops that small farmers in third-world countries can profitably export.

1.What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A. A sheepherder used coffee beans to keep sheep excited.

B. Coffee was a special kind of red cherry from a certain plant.

C. A sheepherder and a monk accidently discovered coffee’s effect.

D. Sheep ate a lot of coffee beans while they changed pastures.

2.Which of the following involves political tricks?

A. Kaldi’s story. B. The monk’s story.

C. Omar’s story. D. Baba Budan’s story.

3.Mocha is originally the name of ______.

A. a town  B. an Arabian    C. a kind of coffee    D. a sheepherder

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. The Secret of Coffee     B. The Tales of Coffee

C. People’s Love for Coffee        D. The Function of Coffee