上海初三英语中级难度首字母训练

30

In February last year, my wife lost her job. Just as suddenly, the owner of the

greenhouse where I worked as manager died of heart attack. His family announced that

they were going to close the business because no one in the family wanted to run it. Things

looked pretty gloomy (令人沮丧的). My wife and I read the want a____1____ each day.

Then one morning, as I was hanging out the "Going Out of Business" sign at the

greenhouse, the door opened, and in walked a c____2____. She was an office manager

whose company had just moved into the new office park on the edge of town. She was

looking for pots and plants to place in the reception (接待) a____3____ in the offices. “I

don't know anything about plants,” she said, “I'm sure in a few weeks they'll all be dead.”

While I was helping her choose her purchases, my m____4____ was racing. Perhaps as

many as a dozen companies have r____5____ opened offices in the new office park, and

there were several hundred more estates with construction underway. That afternoon, I

drove out to the office park. By six o'clock that evening, I had signed contracts (合同) with

seven companies to rent plants from me and pay me a fee to maintain them. Within a

week, I had worked out an a____6____ to lease (租) the greenhouse from the owner's family. Business is now i____7____ rapidly, and one day, we hope to be the proud owners

of the greenhouse.

31

You have a stomach-ache, diarrhea (腹泻) and a fever at night after you eat or drink

something. You might have food poisoning (中毒)! What should you do? Before going to see the doctor, you may do the following:

• Put your f____1____ into your throat (喉咙). It may help you t____2____ up what

you have eaten.

• Drink salty w____3____.

• If the a____4____ two ideas don't help, go to see the doctor at once.

The best way is to try to stop it before it h____5____.

• Wash your hands if you're helping mum cook.

• Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.

• Take a c____6____ look or smell at the food in the fridge. If it doesn't look or smell

g____7____, you'd better not eat it.

• Only cat foods that are cooked well.

32

One day you may be able to live to 125, without illnesses.

A team of Spanish scientists has made a genetic breakthrough (突破). They say it

could a____1____ humans to live longer and even protect them against cancer.

They carried out gene (基因) e____2____ on mice. Results show that the mice lived 45

percent longer and were free from cancer.

The researchers are c____3____ that this could also work on humans --- perhaps

within 20 years. There are genes for long life in both mice and humans and they play

similar roles. And they say that the breakthrough could one day see all humans benefiting

from a longer and h____4____ life.

Leading geneticists and cancer experts say the development is both a____5____ and

exciting.

Normally, mice live for an a____6____ of three years. The researchers managed to

c____7____ mice, which lived around four-and-a-half years. Scientists say this is about

125 years of age for humans.

33

Italian "noodles" are different from Chinese noodles.

Italian pasta (通心粉面条) comes in an almost infinite (无限的) number of forms, not just long strands (细条). Italian people make pastas that look like shells, bows, ribbons,

flowers and many other s____1____ to hold sauces better.

Pasta also comes in different colours. It can be red, green or black, with vegetables,

spices, eggs or man-made colouring in it. Sauce is important in s____2____ pasta. Some

say it's the sauce that makes Italian pasta s____3____. People use not only pork or

vegetables, as you do with Chinese noodles, but also cream, olives (橄榄) and seafood!

It is s____4____ that there are more than 500 kinds of Italian pasta. But if you add

different sauces, the number could be more than 1,000.

You cook Chinese noodles and Italian pasta similarly, except that you let the water go

before m____5____ the pasta with sauce.

If you're not s____6____ whether pasta is done, just throw a piece at the wall. If it

s____7____, it's time to prepare plates!

34

Life is not easy as a Junior 3 student. You have the pressure (压力) of study and

exams. From time to time, you may feel depressed (沮丧的). If that happens, you have to take measures (ttj5fe) to fight it. Eating salt might help you c____1____ up, scientists

have found.

While too much salt can 1____2____ to high blood pressure and heart disease, not

enough can cause depression, a study has reported.

Researchers at the University of Lowa in the US did the study. They found that

w____3____ enough salt in their bodies, rats don't do things they normally enjoy, like drinking sweet water.