Question

Some people choose to be vegetarian，but others are vegetarian because of their religion（宗教），their culture，or the place they live. There are vegetarians all over the world，but the country with the most vegetarians is India.

About one billion people live in India，and most follow the Hindu religion. Hindus think it is wrong to kill animals or make them suffer. They think if they do so，they will suffer the same way one day. Hindus believe cows are sacred，and they are respected by people. Therefore，most Hindus do not eat beef.

There are different kinds of vegetarians in the world. Some vegetarians do not eat beef or red meat，but they eat chicken and fish. Some do not eat red meat，chicken，or fish but they eat cheese，butter，eggs，milk，and other animal products. Other vegetarians do not use anything that comes from an animal. Some don t wear wool because it harms the sheep，don t use silk because it hurts silkworms，and don t eat honey because they do not want to hurt bees. Other vegetarians only eat vegetables；however they do not kill plants. For example，they will not eat carrots or potatoes because when you pick them，the plants die. They will eat apples or pears because picking them does not harm the plant. Some vegetarians do not kill or hurt any animal一not even a fly or a mosquito！

In India，too，there are different kinds of vegetarians. Some Hindus are strict vegetarians.Other Hindus eat all meat except beef, but they only eat it about once a week. Many families eat chicken or lamb a few times a year on special occasions，like wedding. The Hindus from the upper classes do not eat meat or drink alcohol. However，the lower classes eat all meat except beef. The upper classes, or Brahmans（婆罗门），cannot kill anything that is moving. If they do, they believe they will become that animal in their next lives and will be killed，too.

Hindus follow other rules when they eat. They rinse their mouths，arms，and legs before and after eating to clean themselves. It is a custom for the man of the house to eat thirty two mouthfuls at each meal，chewing carefully and thinking about pleasant things. Strict Hindus do not eat garlic or onions. They believe that foods have characteristics. Some foods are“hot"，others are“cold” They think the strong smells of these foods are too powerful for the mild tastes and smells of other vegetables. Also，in middle class families，many women do not eat meat，but men do. Women think eating meat is something manly. They also connect meat with violence.

Vegetarians are everywhere in both rich and poor countries. In parts of the world such as Africa，the Middle East，and Southeast Asia，meat is uncommon，and therefore it is an easy choice to be vegetarian. Surveys show that in both the United States and Britain about 4 percent of the population is vegetarian. And more and more people are choosing vegetarianism every day. Many people become vegetarian for health reasons. They look and feel better when they stop eating meat. Some famous vegetarians include Leonardo da Vince，Albert Einstein，Thomas Edison.

1.What does the underlined word“sacred" in paragraph 2 mean?

A. Eatable and to be cooked.

B. Dangerous and to be killed.

C. Dirty and not to be eaten.

D. Godly and worth respecting.

2.What can you infer from paragraph 4?

A. Everyone in India eat all meat except beef.

B. Upper classes eat meat on important occasions.

C. Upper classes will become the animals that they eat for food.

D. People don t follow the same rule of being vegetarians in India.

3.What does the writer want to tell us?

A. People should eat less meat and more vegetables

B. There are different types of vegetarians all over the world.

C. Being a vegetarian is a smart choice.

D. Eating meat does harm to people s health.

4.What is NOT a reason why people become vegetarians，

A. They want to be pretty.

B. They want to be more healthy.

C. Meat is not common in their countries.

D. Eating meat is not allowed in their culture.

Answer 1