Who hasn’t enjoyed eating peanuts? Did you know that although peanuts look like nuts and taste like nuts, they aren’t nuts at all? They belong to the pea family, so they are called peanuts. The peanut grows flowers above ground, but its “fruit” grows underground. It grows in more countries than most other “nuts”.
The peanut is a native South American plant. Scientists believe that it grew wild in Brazil long ago. They think that for several thousand years the early peoples of South America made it a part of their diet. These peoples were nomads who moved on when a natural food could no longer be found in one area. Along the way they probably let fall some peanuts, which got into the ground and grew. This is believed to be the way the plant reached the place where the Incas（印加人）lived. The Incas, from about 1100 to 1532, thought highly of peanuts. The peanuts were eaten in several forms and used as sacrificial offerings（祭品）to the Incan Sun God. Later in the 16th century, European soldiers had brought peanuts to other parts of the world, including North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Pacific Islands.
Although peanuts were found native in South America, they are now grown in almost every country that has warm weather. India produces the most peanuts. China’s production is next, followed by the United States.
The peanut is special in more ways than one. It can be eaten raw, boiled, roasted, or fried. Hundreds of widely different products have been made from it. Carver, an American scientist, set himself the task of discovering new uses for eating and for many other products.
Peanuts are very highly nutritious and are also high in protein （蛋白质）. Americans use about seven-tenths of their protein in the form of meat. In India, where the poor can’t pay for meat or milk, peanut meal and peanut milk have been produced. These have been a great help to the poor.
New products are continually being made from peanuts, among them peanut cheese and a powder that becomes peanut butter when water is added. The fact is that peanuts are so healthy that they were used by astronauts. The unusual nut that isn’t a nut is one of nature’s most amazing gifts.
【小题1】 Although we like eating peanuts, many of us don’t know peanuts belong to _______ family.

Who wants to carry a bulky bag to school? No children. Nobody wants one shoulder to be lower than the other, and paining（疼痛）too. In India, most of us would look at the reduction（减少）of textbooks as a way out. But in a country like America, there are always more choices. A company called goReader has created a "school bag" which is the size of a laptop computer（笔记本电脑）, weighing about 2.5 kg. The goReader has a color screen and can "hold" all the textbooks that a student may need, says a report in 'The Asian Age' newspaper.

The company plans to work closely with the publishers（出版商） of textbooks so that these books can be supplied on the Internet. All the students will have to do is to download（下载） their textbooks. Making notes and marking important parts of a lesson can be done just as lots of students have done on their textbooks before.

At present, the plan is being tested out in a university. Richard Katzmann, the owner of the company is having his creation tested at Chicago's DePaul University, where he studied. Does that mean it is goodbye to the new paper, and the smell of the black ink?

1.What does the underlined word “bulky” in the first line mean?

A. light                                 B. small                                C. big and heavy                D. old

2.What would Indians do to solve（解决）the problem?

A. They would reduce the textbooks.                         B. They would tell the parents to help students.

C. They would tell the teachers to help students.  D. They would take students to school by bus.

3. The writer may think that Americans have a ________ way to solve the problem.

A. more stupid                            B. worse                              C. better                              D. quicker

4.The goReader may be a machine ________.

A. that can work as a teacher                                      B. that can be used as textbooks

C. that can cheat students                                           D. that can hurt students

5.When the new machine is used, it is possible that ________.

A. students might study harder                                  

B. students might study at home

C. students might not need teachers                       

D. students might study without paper textbooks

Who wants to carry a bulky bag to school? No children. Nobody wants one shoulder to be lower than the other, and paining（疼痛）too. In India, most of us would look at the reduction（减少）of textbooks as a way out. But in a country like America, there are always more choices. A company called goReader has created a "school bag" which is the size of a laptop computer（笔记本电脑）, weighing about 2.5 kg. The goReader has a color screen and can "hold" all the textbooks that a student may need, says a report in ’The Asian Age’ newspaper.
The company plans to work closely with the publishers（出版商） of textbooks so that these books can be supplied on the Internet. All the students will have to do is to download（下载） their textbooks. Making notes and marking important parts of a lesson can be done just as lots of students have done on their textbooks before.
At present, the plan is being tested out in a university. Richard Katzmann, the owner of the company is having his creation tested at Chicago’s DePaul University, where he studied. Does that mean it is goodbye to the new paper, and the smell of the black ink?
【小题1】What does the underlined word “bulky” in the first line mean?

用括号内所给动词的适当形式填空。
【小题1】The report shows that some animals can _______  (train) to work for people.
【小题2】Those dried flowers _______  (not sell) as well as the fresh ones.
【小题3】Where is Jim? I’m afraid he _______ (forget) the visit to the museum.
【小题4】The passengers were told that the plane _______ (take) off in two hours because of the bad weather.
【小题5】—It is reported the police searched the whole building yesterday but nothing unusual was found there.
—Really? I _______ (think) the thief had already been caught.
【小题6】In order to complete the task, all the club members had no choice but _____ (stay) up late.
【小题7】He failed the math exam again because the bell _______ (ring) before he finished the rest half of the testing-paper.
【小题8】Many scientists are always trying to devote themselves to _____ (study) in different areas.