My interest in Chinese food started many years ago, when I had my first job. I was a young reporter for the Daily Journal in San Francisco. Our office wasn’t far from Chinatown. I usually managed to arrange my time so that I could go there at least two or three times a week for a good meal.

The first time I ever ate Chinese food I loved it. And since then, it just tastes better and better to me. The first thing I noticed was the fresh tastes of the meat and vegetable. When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why it has this special feature.

 About 5000 years ago, China lost much of its wood because of over population and poor management of its forest. This loss was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get, so the Chinese had to learn how to use it better.

 In order to use less wood in cooking, they started to cut their meat and vegetable into small pieces before they put them in the hot oil. That way, the food cooked faster and they saved their fuel. The food prepared in the manner kept its fresh flavor(风味)--- and its this flavor that attracts people to the art of Chinese cooking.

 I often wonder if the Chinese appreciated their solution to that ancient energy problem as much as I do now --- whenever I eat Chinese food.

1.This passage is mainly about ___________.

A. why Chinese food tastes fresh

B. what Chinese food tastes like

C. how Chinese food is cooked

D. what makes Chinese food special

2.The author got to know Chinese food _______________.

A. when he worked as a reporter in China

B. from a news story in the Daily Journal

C. after he got a taste of it in the Chinatown

D. before he got his first job in San Francisco

3.The author thought the Chinese cut meat and vegetable into small pieces in order to _____________.

A. keeping its fresh flavor

B. saving their hard –to-get wood

C. producing a different kind of food

D. attracting westerners to their food

4.The word “ fuel” in the 4th paragraph most probably means ____________.

A. fresh flavor              B. meat and vegetable

C. hot oil                  D. firewood

5.According to the passage, the special freshness of Chinese food is the result of _______________.

A. the wood used to make the cooking fire

B. the fast speed at which it is cooked

C. the high quality of Chinese meat and vegetable

D. the well –developed art of Chinese cooking

 

As prices and building costs keep rising, “the do-it-yourself”（DIY）trend（趋势） in the US continues to grow.
“We needed furniture for our living room,” says John Kose, “and we didn’t have enough money to buy it.” So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs. John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling （努力）to make a home when the cost of living is very high. The Koses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe-making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420. “I was very upset about it. Now I’ve finished a car repair course. I should be able to fix the car myself. ”
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourself”, you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how to do things yourself.
【小题1】We know from the passage that many people ________ .

A．seldom go to a department store to buy things

B．take DIY courses run by the government

C．like to learn to make their own furniture

D．find it hard to pay for what they need

【小题2】 John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to _______ .

A．improve the quality of life

B．save time and money

C．make or repair things

D．run a DIY shop

【小题3】When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home, he means Jim ______.

A．keeps house and looks after his children

B．does his own car and home repairs

C．does extra work at night

D．make shoes in his home

【小题4】Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourself when ______ .

A．he had to raise the children all by himself

B．he could not possibly do two jobs

C．the car repair class was not helpful

D．his car repairs cost too much

【小题5】How can people learn DIY? 

A．Go to classes.

B．Read books.

C．Go to classes and read books.

D．The passage doesn't tell us.

根据中文提示和英文书信内容，写一封意思连贯、符合逻辑、不少于60词的回信，信的开头和结尾已给出，其字数不计入所完成的回信内。 请不要写出你的姓名和学校。
假设你叫杨洋。是加拿大中学生Paula的笔友，下面是你收到的她的电子邮件。请你根据她来信的内容写一封回信。针对她的问题，谈谈你的看法，同时提出一些帮助她解决问题的建议。
 
I can understand your feeling. But I don’t think it is right for you to do things like that. Don’t worry. Here are some suggestions for you.
As a student, it’s important for you to study hard to get more knowledge. So I think doing homework is necessary and useful. You should do your homework first. If it is not too late, you can play computer games for a while. Remember to go to bed as early as possible, then you won’t feel tired the next day.
In class, you need to listen to the teachers carefully and take notes. What’s more, it’s important to take part in class activities, try to answer at least two questions each class. When you have any problems, ask your teachers or classmates for help. I ’m sure you’ll make great progress and pass the final exam. Good luck!
Dear Paula:
I’m sorry to hear you are in trouble now.___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I believe if you work hard you’ll make some progress. Good luck!
yours Paula
Dear Paula,
Yours,
Yang yang