题型:任务型阅读 题类:常考题 难易度:普通
江西省南昌市第十中学2020届高三上学期英语期末考试试卷(含小段音频)
It is believed that raisins (葡萄干) were discovered in the Middle East, where they were treasured. Any food that wouldn't spoil in the hot sun was very valuable. Prehistoric drawings in France show that raisins have been enjoyed in southern Europe for thousands of years. In 1000 B.C. the Jews paid their taxes with raisins. Two jars of raisins in ancient Rome could buy one slave boy.
In North America, the original mistake of leaving grapes to wither (枯萎) on the vine was not the only time raisins accidentally became popular. In the 1870s many people were growing grapes in California. Most Americans had never heard of raisins at that time. In September, 1873 a severe heat wave struck the area. Before the growers could pick all their grapes, they withered on the vine. The grapes were lost. One grower took the dried grapes to a grocer in San Francisco. The new accidental raisins grew into a major industry in California. Today almost all the raisins eaten in the United States are grown in California. California produces a third of the world's raisins.
Raisins also provide potassium, magnesium, calcium and certain B vitamins. Without added preservatives (防腐剂), raisins will stay fresh, delicious and nutritious if kept in a cool place. Raisins are tiny, portable and above all delicious.
A. They have been used for necklaces and as religious symbols.
B. Raisins are children's favorite snacks.
C. The grapes were either eaten as fresh fruit or were made into wine.
D. The grocer was unwilling to buy the dried grapes.
E. Raisins are high in iron, which is important to children's growing bodies.
F. Roman doctors believed raisins could cure anything from mushroom poisoning to old age.
G. The grocer's customers discovered that raisins made a delicious treat.
A. In other words, left-handers are born that way. B. Left-handedness used to be regarded as a disability. C. The unfavorable associations of the use of the left hand among cultures are varied. D. Why do they prefer to use their left hand rather than their right hand for routine activities? E. Why do some parents force their left-handed children to become right-handed when writing? F. In Ghana, pointing, gesturing, giving or receiving items with the left hand is considered rude. G. Fortunately, nowadays most societies and cultures no longer reject left-handedness like before. |
Being Left-handed in a Right-handed World
The world is designed for right-handed people, but why does a tenth of the population prefer the left? {#blank#}1{#/blank#}
The answer to it remains a bit of a mystery. Since scientists have noticed that left-handedness tends to run in families, it's assumed that left-handedness has a genetic (基因的) component to it. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} In fact, identical twins, who share the same genes, can sometimes prefer to use different hands. There are also plenty of theories on what else might determine which hand you write with, but many experts believe that it's kind of random.
Historically, the left side and left-handedness have been considered a negative thing by many cultures. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} In some areas, the left hand became known as the "unclean" hand. In many religions, the right hand of God is the favored hand. For example, Jesus sits at God's right side. God's left hand, however, is the hand of judgement. Various activities and experiences become rude or even signs of bad luck when the left hand becomes involved. In some parts of Scotland, it is considered bad luck to meet a left-handed person at the start of a journey. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} A person giving directions will put their left hand behind them and even physically try to point with their right hand if necessary. In some Asian countries, eating with the left hand is considered impolite.
{#blank#}5{#/blank#} People come to realize that left-handedness is natural. People even noticed that many famous people are left-handed including Benjamin Franklin, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Charlie Chaplin. Some researchers find out that lefties are more creative and can deal with abstract thinking better. The left-handedness is more easily adaptable to the right-handed world as well. Being left-handed is no longer a sad story now; instead, it is a wonderful gift or maybe it is something you should take pride in.
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