B

I’m a single mummy blogger.I had been unemployed since November 2011，and eventually started to cook for myself and my three­year­old son on an extremely low budget last summer.

I wrote on my blog back in July 2012，in a post titled Hunger Hurts，that poverty is the sinking and choking feeling when your two­year­old son finishes his one bowl of porridge and says，“Can I have some more please，Mummy?”

With only ￡6 a week，I started to work out my meals.A carrot and bean soup，the carrot，cumin(土茴香籽) and bean hamburger，and onion pasta sauce(意大利面酱).I began to post the recipes on my blogs.Then the Sure Start Children’s Centre referred me to my local food bank for help.As a result，I could write more recipes with 4 more pounds a week to buy more materials.The response was unbelievable.People struggling financially said how much it helped to see recipes made using basic ranges from supermarkets.

There was also criticism.People called my costings dishonest，because “you can’t buy half an onion”.I’ve explained that I’ll use one half for lunch in a soup，and the other half for dinner.Then there’s the ￡3.48 bottle of red wine I put in my dishes.In fact that bottle lasted well over a month.Apparently，that’s still extravagant(奢侈的).

I’ve never sold it as an ideal life—simply how I dealt with mine.Something had to change，so I changed it，and I wrote about it.

Life has taken unexpected turns.I have spoken in Parliament(议会) on food poverty，and been interviewed for an Oxfam report on food banks.Penguin has signed me to write a book.Readers keep asking if I will still live on such a tight budget.Surely yes because I will never forget the tears and happiness I have gone through.

5.What kind of person is the author?

A.Positive and smart.

B.Humorous and energetic.

C.Practical but extravagant.

D.Skillful but dishonest.

6.What makes the author’s blog attractive to so many readers?

A.Articles dealing with an ideal life.

B.The way of feeding her son.

C.Practical recipes posted on her blog.

D.The terrible feeling of being poor.

7.What does the “food bank” in the third paragraph probably do?

A.Sell food to local people.

B.Post blogs of creative food recipes.

C.Educate hungry children.

D.Offer financial help to poor people.

8.We can infer that the author’s book will probably focus on .

A.how to get rid of poverty

B.how to be an honest blogger

C.how to avoid being extravagant

D.how to live on a tight budget

Ⅱ.七选五

Taking good notes is a time­saving skill that will help you to become a better student in several ways. 9 Second，your notes are excellent materials to refer to when you are studying for a test.Third，note­taking offers variety to your study time and helps you to hold your interest.

You will want to take notes during classroom discussions and while reading a textbook or doing research for a report. 10 Whenever or however you take notes，keep in mind that note­taking is a selective process. 11

The following methods may work best for you：

·Read the text quickly to find the main facts and ideas in it.

·Carefully read the text and watch for words that can show main points and supporting facts.

·Write your notes in your own words.

· 12

·Note any questions or ideas you may have about what was said or written.

As you take notes，you may want to use your own shorthand(速记).When you do，be sure that you understand your symbols and that you use them all the time. 13

A.Use words，not complete sentences.

B.There are three practical note­taking methods.

C.You must write your notes on separate paper.

D.Otherwise，you may not be able to read your notes later.

E.You will also want to develop your own method for taking notes.

F.That means you must first decide what is important enough to include in your notes.

G.First，the simple act of writing something down makes it easier for you to understand and remember it.

参考答案

1.mixture　2.advantages　3.have invented　4.updating　5.predicted　6.down　7.for　8.from　9.in　10.the

阅读能力专练

Ⅰ.1.D　[推理判断题。根据第一段尤其是第一段最后一句可推知作者之所以提及宇航员在太空不能做某些事情是为了引出本文的话题，故答案为D项。]

2.C　[细节理解题。根据第二段第一句“About a year ago，NASA offered $125,000 to Anjan Contractor，a 3­D technology expert，to build a device that would allow astronauts to make pizza on demand.”大约一年前，美国宇航局出资十二万五千美元给3D技术专家Anjan Contractor来制造能让宇航员在需要时制作出比萨饼的设备可知，答案为C项。]

3.D　[细节理解题。根据第四段第二句“That’s because he still has to find a solution to make the food container in the printer last for 30 years.”那是因为他还得找到使打印机内的食物容器可持续使用30年的解决方法。故答案为D项。]

4.B　[标题归纳题。文章是围绕在太空用3D比萨打印机这一主题展开的，故本文题目应为：宇航员不久将可能享用热比萨。故答案为B项。]

5.A　[推理判断题。通读全文可知作者虽贫困但对生活的态度是积极的;她能在经济拮据时想出一周只花6英镑的食谱说明她很精明，故答案为A项。]