Shopping is not as simple as you may think! Much has to be done for the producers before putting the products on the shelf.

Color, for example, changes a lot according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packed in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors.

When some kind of medicine was brought out recently, researchers found that the color of the package(包装) caused the shoppers to lose interest because they made the product look ineffective(无效的). At last, it came on the market in dark blue and white—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.

The size of a package can also attract(吸引) a shopper, although quite often a bottle doesn’t hold as much as it appears to.

It is said that the better-known companies spend about 40 percent of the cost of the product itself on packaging!

The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The head of Pears Soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to sell their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a talent to sell it.”

1. Health foods are usually packed in colors Except ________.

A. green            B. black          C. yellow            D. brown

2.Why did the shoppers lose interest in the medicine?

A. Because of the size of the product.      B. Because of the color of the product. 

C. Because of the color of the package.     D. Because of the cost of the product.

3.If a new product costs $ 60, how much money may be spent on packaging?

A. $ 24            B. $ 36            C. $ 40            D. $ 60

4.Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?

A. The way to sell goods.              B. A good product.

C. The one who makes a product.        D. A nice color.

5.The passage is mainly about ___________on shopping.

A. advantages of products              B. the importance of packaging

C. choices of products                 D. the cost of packaging

 

In the summer of 1978 an English man named Steven was driving his tractor through a field of wheat when he discovered something strange. Some of his wheat was lying on the ground. The flattened wheat formed(形成)a circle about six meters across . Around this circle were four smaller circles of flattened wheat.
　 Three years later a farmer who lived nearby discovered almost the same circles in one of his fields. These circles were larger—nearly 15 meters across . That same year , another English farmer discovered three circles of flattened wheat on his land—one large circle between two small circles. During the following years, farmers in England found circles in their fields more and more often.
　 The circles are called “crop circles” because they usually appear in fields of wheat or corn. The wheat in the circles lies on the ground but is never broken; it keeps on growing, and the farmers can later harvest it. Farmers always discover the crop circles in the morning, so the circles probably form at night. They appear only in the months from May to September. What causes the crop circles?
　 At first, people thought that some kids were making them as a joke, or that farmers were making them to attract tourists.(In fact, in 1991, two men said they made the circles themselves, but many scientists don’t believe them.) People tried to copy them: They tried to make circles exactly like the ones the farmers had found. They couldn’t do it. They couldn’t enter a field of wheat without leaving tracks, and they couldn’t flatten the wheat without breaking it.
　 Several times people reported seeing stranger objects near the fields where crop circles later appeared. Many people believe that these crop circles are the messages sent by living things from outer space(外层空间)or the marks left by their spaceships.
　 Scientists who have studied the crop circles try to find out what causes them. In the summer of 1990 some scientists spent three weeks in the part of England where many circles have appeared. They had all the latest high-tech equipment(最新高科技设备). The equipment—worth 1.8 million dollars—got nothing. But one night, as the scientists were watching a field, crop circles formed in the field behind them, which were quite different from the others. The scientists had neither seen nor heard anything.
　 When Steven discovered the crop circles on his land in 1978, he said, “It was just like something that had landed in the field from the air and gone back up again. I don’t know what to make of these things.”
　 Crop circles have appeared in England, Japan, the United States and Russia. Experts from all over the world have studied them, and they say what Steven said: They don’t know what to make of these things.
【小题1】Which picture is probably the one formed in the field behind the scientists?

【小题2】“Flattened wheat” means ___________.
　　  

A．broken wheat

B．lying wheat

C．harvested wheat

D．growing wheat

【小题3】The passage is mainly about something ___________ .

A．that is done by living things from outer space

B．that cannot be solved but found all around the world

C．that cannot be made clear or understood

D．that is discovered and copied by the farmers

Photography is about taking photographs. In 1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business. But he was not a good artist. So he invented a very simple camera. He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden. That was the first photograph.

The next important date in the history of photograph was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different process. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.

Soon, other people began to use Daguerre’s process. Travelers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.

In about 1840, the process was improved. The photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of films and processing equipment(设备). But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States.

Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality. Brady was also the first person to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and destroyed cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible.

In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photograph. Photographers could buy films readymade in rolls(卷). So they did not have to make the film themselves. Also, they did not have to process(冲洗) the film at once. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later. They did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small hand-held camera made photography less expensive.

Photography is also a form of art. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.

Title: The    1  of Photography

Photography doesn’t only mean taking photographs; it is also a form of art. Photographs showed not only the real world, but also the ideas and feelings.
In 1826	A Frenchman named Niepce invented a very simple camera and the first photograph was    2  by him.
In 1837	Another Frenchman Daguerre invented a kind of photograph called    daguerreotype. People could see    3    things in the pictures.
In 1840	The photographers could take pictures of people and moving things with lots of films and processing equipment.
In 1862	An American photographer Brady took many pictures of real and  4   things in the war. He was the first person to take war pictures.
In the 1880s	There were films readymade in rolls(卷). Photographers did not have to carry lots of equipment any more. The invention of the small  hand-held camera made photography  5 .

 

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is also the second largest lake in the world. It is an important lake because it is one of the sources(源头) for the longest river in the world, the Nile River. Lake Victoria provides a source of water, food, and power(电力) for several African countries. Lake Victoria is a big part of African life.
Unfortunately, Lake Victoria has a problem. It is shrinking. There are several power stations at Lake Victoria in Uganda. These are on the Nile River, and besides producing power, they keep the water of the lake at a certain level. For the past forty years, that level has been 11.9 meters. Over the last several years, the water level has dropped by about 2.5 meters. There seem to be several reasons for this drop.
One possible reason is drought(干旱). Drought has been very bad in the area since 2000. Lake Victoria gets all of its water from rain, so the drought means less water in the lake.
However, some environmentalists believe that the real problem is the power plants(工厂) on Lake Victoria. Uganda depends on those power plants for most of its power, and they made the power plants larger in 2000. Many people believe the power plants have been taking too much water off Lake Victoria. As a result, they have been asked to use less water until Lake Victoria goes back to its old level.
Whether the low water level is caused by drought or power plants, the result is the same. This is already a poor area of Africa, where many people live a really hard life. People, animals and plants around Lake Victoria will suffer even more from low water levels on the lake. Many people need Lake Victoria for fishing or growing food. Fish need the water to live, and animals need it for water. Plants around the lake will die without the water, and then more animals and people will suffer. Unless the lake fills soon, many people will suffer and die.
【小题1】Lake Victoria is __________.

A．an important lake in Africa

B．the largest lake in the world

C．the source of water, food and power for America

D．the only source for the Nile River

【小题2】What does “It is shrinking” most probably mean?

A．It is becoming larger.

B．It is becoming more beautiful.

C．It is becoming smaller.

D．It is becoming more useful.

【小题3】The water level of Lake Victoria is now __________.

A．2.5 meters

B．11.9 meters

C．14.4 meters

D．9.4 meters

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Rain water is the only source for the lake.
B. There has been little rain in the lake area since 2000.
C. The power plants in Uganda provide water for the lake.
D The power plants in Uganda were made larger in 2000.
【小题5】According to the passage, how can we solve the problems around Lake Victoria?

A．People must build more power plants.

B．More sources of water must be found.

C．Every country should offer some money to Africa.

D．All the people living in the area should move to another place.

Shopping is not as simple as you may think! Much has to be done for the producers before putting the products on the shelf.
Color, for example, changes a lot according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packed in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colors.
When some kind of medicine was brought out recently, researchers found that the color of the package(包装) caused the shoppers to lose interest because they made the product look ineffective(无效的). At last, it came on the market in dark blue and white—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a package can also attract(吸引) a shopper, although quite often a bottle doesn’t hold as much as it seems to.
It is said that the better-known companies spend about 40 percent of the cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The head of Pears Soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to sell their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a talent to sell it.”
【小题1】Health foods are usually packed in colors Except ________.

A．green

B．black

C．yellow

D．brown

【小题2】Why did the shoppers lose interest in the medicine?

A．Because of the size of the product.

B．Because of the color of the product.

C．Because of the color of the package.

D．Because of the cost of the product.

【小题3】If a new product costs $ 60, how much money may be spent on packaging?

A．$ 24

B．$ 36

C．$ 40

D．$ 60

【小题4】The passage is mainly about ___________on shopping.

A．advantages of products

B．the importance of packaging

C．choices of products

D．the cost of packaging