If I ask you to shut your eyes and gave you a piece of apple to eat, would you be able to tell me what it is just by tasting it? Of course, you could. Your tongue is covered with tiny “taste buds” which help you know what different foods taste like. Do you know that foods would taste different if you did not have a nose? This experiment shows how important your nose is when you taste things.

What You Need:

• a friend to help

• small pieces of any food like carrot, orange, banana

• small pieces of apple, raw(生的) potato, and onion

What You Do:

There are actually three different experiments. You and your friend should take turns to try them on each other.

Experiment 1:

Have your friend close her eyes and open her mouth.

Give her a piece of the food and ask her to taste it.

Then, ask her what she thinks it is. She will probably guess correctly.

Experiment 2:

While your friend has her eyes closed, give her a piece of the raw potato. At the same time, hold a piece of apple right under her nose. Ask her to eat the potato (but don’t call it by name) and tell you what she thinks it is. She will say it is a piece of apple!

Experiment 3: (for the brave)

Take a piece of raw onion. You don’t have to close your eyes this time. Squeeze your nose closed with your other hand so that no smells can get into your nose. Now take a nibble of the onion. Surprise! As long as you hold your nose, you will not be able to taste the onion.

The Science Secret

You already know the science secret. Your nose and your tongue work together to make food taste the way it does. Your tongue, however, can taste only certain flavors like salty, bitter, sour, and sweet. All of the other “tastes” are actually “smells,” and you need your nose to “taste” them. Oh, and you might use this science secret the next time you are told to eat something you don’t like the taste of. If you hold your nose while you eat it, you won’t “taste” it at all.

1. According to this article, what could a reader know about food?

A. People hold their noses to eat onions.            B. If you can smell potatoes, you will taste apples.

C. People need a sense of smell to taste some food.   D. If you close your eyes, food will taste better.

2.What is the most likely reason Experiment 3 is called “for the brave”?

A. You keep your eyes open.                           B. You have to eat a raw onion.

C. You have to squeeze your nose.                   D. You do the experiment alone.

3.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Your Eyes Knows                               B. Your Nose Knows  

C. Your Mouth Knows                             D. Your Tongue Knows

 

Is learning a foreign language ever easy? Yes. If you are five and move to another country, you will quickly pick up the language. But what about for the rest of us who are no longer five, and need to be polite when traveling for business or for pleasure? I think that answer is also yes. Language learning can be easy if you don’t want or need to learn too much.
The key to successful language learning in my mind is not to set the goal too high. It is rather like running. Even if you run twice a week, you don’t necessarily want to be able to run a marathon (马拉松). You might just want to keep a level of fitness. I think the same can be true for language learning.
Let’s get back to the goal. If you decide to learn ten words in a foreign language before visiting the country, you know that you will be sure to do this. However, if you decide to talk to people with great fluency (流利), unless you are quite a talented person, you will probably fail and give up in half-way.
It is also far easier to start learning a foreign language than to finish. In other words, the better you are, the slower it can be to improve, because you will not be able to move further because of grammar, making sentences, learning less common words, etc. If you are only trying to learn a few foreign words and sentences, you will enjoy faster progress, have more fun, and won’t have to spend too much time.
The idea of learning only a few hundred words in a language, and then stopping, isn’t the usual way to language learning, but it can be a very meaningful and enjoyable activity.
【小题1】In the writer’s opinion, it is easy for adults to learn English if _______.

A．they are especially talented people

B．they don’t want or need to learn too much

C．they have to spend a lot of time on it

D．they have a chance to go abroad

【小题2】The writer believes that if you want to be good at a foreign language, you will probably _______.

A．forget your own goals

B．become a talented language learner

C．get tired of learning it

D．reach your learning goal

【小题3】The best title of this passage would be _______.

A．Easy Language Learning	B．Hard Language Learning
C．Fluency in a Foreign Language	D．A way of Language Learning

In Britain you may often hear "Drop in any time" or "Come to see me soon", but you can't really do that.  People just say those things to make you feel welcome.  It is better to telephone before visiting someone at home.  If you receive a written invitation to an event that says "RSVP", you should reply to let the person who sent the invitation know whether or not you plan to go.
You should never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go.  You may refuse by saying "Thank you for inviting me, but I will not be able to come. " If, after accepting, you are unable to go, be sure to tell those who are expecting you as soon as possible that you will not be there.  Although it is not necessarily expected that you give a gift to your host, it is considered polite to do so, especially if you have been invited for a meal.  Flowers, chocolate, or a small gift are all appropriate.  A thank-you note or telephone call after the visit is also considered polite and is an appropriate way to express your appreciation for the invitation.
【小题1】What can you do when a British friend says " Drop in any time”?

A． Visit him or her at any time.

B． Say no time to him or her seriously.

C． Telephone him or her before visiting.

D． Visit him or her soon.

【小题2】What does the word "RSVP" probably mean in Chinese ?

A．请自便

B．请回复

C．请审阅

D．请来访

【小题3】What should you do if your British friend sends you an invitation but you do not want to go ?

A． Do not give him or her answer.

B． Tell another friend to go instead of you.

C． Tell him or her that you can't be there for some reason.

D． Tell him or her that you don't want to go there.

【小题4】Which of the following is considered impolite in Britain?

A． Buy small presents when invited.

B． Refuse the invitation without telling anyone.

C． Write a thank-you note after a visit.

D． Give a telephone call after a visit.

【小题5】Where would you probably see this passage?

A． In an invitation.	B． In a guidebook.
C． On a poster.	D． In a newspaper.

 “Who did this?” asked my teacher. Thirty children tried to think about not only what they had done, but also what our teacher         have found out.

“Who did this?” she asked         . She never became         , but she was this time. She help up a piece of broken glass and asked, “Who broke the window?”

“Oh, no,” I thought. I was the one who broke the window. I did not do it on purpose (故意地). It was caused by a         throw （投，掷）of a baseball. But         did it have to be me?

If I admitted （承认）it, I would        into a lot of trouble. How would I be able to      a big window like that? I didn’t want to raise my hand.         , something much stronger than me pulled me up. “I did it.” Then I kept quiet.         was hard enough to say what I felt.

My teacher went to the           and took down a book. She then began walking to my desk. I         she was going to punish （惩罚）me.

“I know           you like birds,” she said as she stood looking down        my face. “Here is a book about birds. It is         now. You will not be punished. But remember, it’s only for your honesty.”

I couldn’t believe it! I wasn’t punished and I was getting a book. I had been saving up all my money to buy       .

1.A. can                       B. might                       C. mustn’t                    D. can’t

2.A. again         B. for          C. about             D. angry

3.A. happy    B. worried    C. angry                 D. anxious

4.A. good     B. bad          C. wonderful                    D. soft

5.A. which    B. what         C. who                           D. why

6.A. have     B. get          C. become                       D. cause

7.A. pay        B. cost         C. afford                D. spend

8.A. But        B. And         C. However                      D. Though

9.A. That       B. I             C. It                   D. She

10.A. bookshelf   B. desk          C. blackboard        D. class

11.A. hoped           B. told          C. escaped                      D. feared

12.A. how       B. what          C. because           D. about

13.A. into              B. after                  C. at                             D. upon

14.A. OK        B. your          C. yours             D. good

15.A. it          B. that           C. this              D. one

 

Is learning a foreign language ever easy? Yes. If you are five and move to another country, you will quickly pick up the language. But what about for the rest of us who are no longer five, and need to be polite when traveling for business or for pleasure? I think that answer is also yes. Language learning can be easy if you don’t want or need to learn too much.

The key to successful language learning in my mind is not to set the goal too high. It is rather like running. Even if you run twice a week, you don’t necessarily want to be able to run a marathon (马拉松). You might just want to keep a level of fitness. I think the same can be true for language learning.

Let’s get back to the goal. If you decide to learn ten words in a foreign language before visiting the country, you know that you will be sure to do this. However, if you decide to talk to people with great fluency (流利), unless you are quite a talented person, you will probably fail and give up in half-way.

It is also far easier to start learning a foreign language than to finish. In other words, the better you are, the slower it can be to improve, because you will not be able to move further because of grammar, making sentences, learning less common words, etc. If you are only trying to learn a few foreign words and sentences, you will enjoy faster progress, have more fun, and won’t have to spend too much time.

The idea of learning only a few hundred words in a language, and then stopping, isn’t the usual way to language learning, but it can be a very meaningful and enjoyable activity.

1.In the writer’s opinion, it is easy for adults to learn English if _______.

A．they are especially talented people

B．they don’t want or need to learn too much

C．they have to spend a lot of time on it

D．they have a chance to go abroad

2.The writer believes that if you want to be good at a foreign language, you will probably _______.

A．forget your own goals

B．become a talented language learner

C．get tired of learning it

D．reach your learning goal

3.The best title of this passage would be _______.

A．Easy Language Learning                   B．Hard Language Learning

C．Fluency in a Foreign Language              D．A way of Language Learning