TV talk shows dominate daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.

Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as possible. For example, the show takes the forever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.

Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and the quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.

Compared with Oprah, the Jerry Springer looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the main idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.

Clear as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middle-class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tougher problems. The Jerry Springer show, on the other hand, has more of connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drugs. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation (开发，挖掘).

1.Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are _____.

A．more popular

B．less interesting

C．more uninviting

D．more informal

2.What is the audience’s reaction to the social problems that Jerry Springer talks about?

A．They are interested in them.	B．They are not ready to face them.
C．They are cold to them.	D．They want to get away from them.

3.Which of the following topics is the most suitable one for the Oprah show?

A．Cheating.

B．A love story.

C．Mental health.

D．Sex.

4.From the passage we can learn that the two talk shows _____.

A．are the only ones of their kind	B．exploit weaknesses in human nature
C．appear at different times of the day	D．have their own specific viewers

 

Makoto、Mr. Zheng、Mr. Zhu、Jack 和Xiao Wang 正在广州寻找合适的餐厅，下列各题是对他们个人情况的介绍。阅读下列餐厅的信息(A、B、C、D、E、F)， 选出符合他们各人需要的最佳选择。选项中有一项是多余的。

1. Makoto is a Japanese tourist who has stayed in Guangzhou for a few days. He wants to make a tour of North China but unfortunately he has no time. So he would like to find a restaurant where he can taste northern food and experience the life in the north.

78. 2. Mr. Zheng was born in Hunan but went to Japan at an early age. This time he came to Guangzhou to deal with some business affairs. Coming back to his homeland after being away for about 20 years, he hopes to find a restaurant serving food of his home town.

79. 3. It is the first time for Mr. Zhu, who comes from the northeast of China, to visit Guangdong Province. He is interested in traditional Cantonese food and Cantonese lifestyle.

80. 4.Jack is a successful businessman. He is flying to Guangzhou to meet some people, who are likely to sign a contract with him. He wants to find a high quality restaurant. Of course, it is the quality rather than the price that he cares about.

81. 5.Xiao Wang, a migrant worker in Guangzhou, plans to hold a party with his 10 friends. All of them are fond of the Sichuan cuisine. Xiao Wang hopes to spend less than 600 yuan for the dinner.

A Nanhai Yucun Restaurant Founded in 1986, Nanhai Yucun Restaurant has always been one of the gourmets’ choices in Guangzhou. Prices are high, but so is the quality. Just look at the gust list; the King and Queen of Spain, South Korea’s Prime Minister and his wife have eaten here, along with lots of local famous people.

 

B Dongbeiren Dongbeiren is meant for northerners. The decoration is basically red—from the paper cuts and the curtains to the Kang (a bed with a table where people can sit comfortably without shoes and with their legs folded). It is perhaps a way to remind the northerners of home or for other people to get in touch with the north.

 

C Taotaoju Restaurant Taotaoju Restaurant is one of Guangzhou’s most well-known traditional Cantonese restaurants, located in a historic building in the heart of the city’s Xiguan District. You can’t get any more traditional Guangzhou than this, which is a great place for dim sun and seafood. You haven’t lived in Guangzhou until you’ve eaten dim sum in a true local place like Taotaoju. It’s also a popular spot for parties.

 

D Chongqing Xiaodongtian Restaurant It’s one of the top Sichuan cuisine restaurants in Guangzhou, featuring Chongqing flavor. It is a group of chain restaurants in Guangzhou. The food is Sichuan style, but the decoration and surroundings are a bit old. Like most Sichuan restaurants, the pleasant smell of their traditional hot pot spreads throughout the whole place. Food here is medium-priced, around 50 RMB per person.

 

E Maojia Reastaurant Maojia Reastaurant is a local favorite for strong-flavored Hunan dishes. It has a strong cultural atmosphere related to Chairman Mao and also introduces Maojia dishes characteristic of tasty Hunan local flavors, which are a bit softer than the traditional Hunan flavor.

 

F Enmi Japanese Reastaurant The decoration here is beautiful and peaceful. A small “courtyard of bamboo” is refreshing while the space between tables is large and comfortable. The diverse sashimi (raw fish slices) is a must-try here. The food, however, is served slow and the regulated tow hours for ordering is strange.

 

 

Work your brain!

Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder，it controls everything we say，do or think，who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.

The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein，fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells，it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don't die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orange­flavored drinks.

Its intricacies(复杂性)are stunning，far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished(有光泽的) as possible we need to eat right，exercise and keep mentally stimulated(刺激)．

Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone(荷尔蒙)in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.

“It's very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active，” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.

“People cannot stop aging，but you're able to reduce the damage；you're able to keep the function up.”

Following are Dr.Stewart's advice for improving brain health：

Nutrition	Avoid fast food. Follow the old adage(格言，谚语)：For breakfast，eat like a king；for lunch，like a queen；for supper，like a beggar.
Exercise	Do a combination of stretching aerobic and muscle­strengthening every day.
Mental games	Try to have a sense of hope about the future. Do puzzles. Listen to music. Reach out to others to make their lives better.

1.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.

A. inform us how the brain works

B. give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy

C. tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives

D. show how special the brain is to us

2.The word “stunning” in Paragraph 5 means ______.

A. interesting 　       B. strange              C. significant　        D. amazing

3. According to the text，more exercise ______.

A. keeps our mind sharp 　　 

B. helps improve our memory

C. gives our brain a rest 　　 

D. is good for brain cells communicating with each other

4. In order to keep brain healthy，we should avoid ______.

A. eating a good lunch                      B. doing puzzles

C. eating a large supper                    D. taking aerobic exercise

 

As a palace, the Tower of London．was a great place to live．As a prison, it, wasn't so nice ——especially since so many prisoners lost their heads．Today tourists can explore 5the Tower in the

United Kingdom．Here are some reasons why the Tower was and still is a cool place．

Ravens（渡鸦） are like superheroes．

Well, sort of．Legend says if the ravens that live on the Tower grounds ever leave, the Tower will fall apart．No one knows when the ravens first showed up, but Charles II took the legend so seriously that in the 1670s he gave an official order that six ravens be kept there all the time．Today

there are still always six．

You might have lived at a zoo．

In 1204, King John kept a collection of animals, including lions and elephants．About 50 years later, King Henry III received a polar bear．the bear was kept on a piece of rope so it could fish from the Thames River that flows by the Tower．

         If you lived at the Tower today, your mom or dad might be in charge．

The 35 Yeoman Warders（伦敦塔卫士）and their families are among the few still allowed to live at the Tower．Established in 1509 a;? bodyguards! for the king, today they give tours and  manage the day-to-day details of the Tower．They're called "beefeaters," possibly because their job once allowed them to eat beef from the king's; table．

         You need a secret password at night．

Called the "Word," the password changes every 24 hours and is a must-have to enter the Tower

after hours．It's written on a piece of paper and delivered to the Yeoman on duty for, the night．

You could find buried gold．

         In 1662, a goldsmith（金匠） named John Barfcstead supposedly hid more than $40,000 worth of stolen gold somewhere on．the Tower grounds．Many have searched for the gold, but it has never

been found．

1.Charles II decided to keep six ravens in the Tower probably because ____,．         ;

         A．he loved animals a lot          

         B．he believed ravens helped protect the Tower

         C．he wanted to train the ravens to watch the prisoners  

         D．he thought the Tower was a cool place for the ravens to live                        

2.According to the passage, the Yeoman Warders ______． 

         A．have to part from their families to work at the Tower            

         B．are  currently working as bodyguards for the king                                

         C．sometimes serve as tour guides          

         D．are fond of eating beef                            

3.Which of the following is TRUE about the Tower of London?   

         A．King Henry III kept lions and elephants in it．        

         B．It stands on the bank of the Thames River．

         C．Nobody is allowed to enter it at night．           

         D．It is also used as a prison nowadays．

 

The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod : each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad (时尚). Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i” — and many other brands are following suit. The BBC’s iPlayer — which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet — adopted the title in 2008. A lovely bear — popular in the US and UK — that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”. A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”.

   In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use.

   Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name.

   But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i” . Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous. When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines. “Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says.

   “However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability (轻便).” adds Thorne.

   Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual. Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason.

   Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade.

   But as history shows, fads come and go. From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern. However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably（不可避免地）disappeared.

1.People use iPlayer to ____________.

   A. listen to music       B. make a call   C. watch TV programs online  D. read newspapers

2.We can infer that the Independent’s “ i ” is aimed at _____________.

   A. young readers         B. old readers    C. fashionable women     D. engineers

3. Nowadays, the “i” term often reminds people of the products that are ______________.

   A. advanced      B. portable          C. recyclable      D. environmentally friendly

4.The author of the passage would probably agree that _______________.

   A. “i” products are often of high quality      B. all “i” products have something to do with Internet

   C. the popularity of “i” products may not last long   D. iTeddy is a live bear