A Chicken feed blamed for tainted eggs Authorities in Northeast China's Dalian City said on Wednesday that fresh eggs found to contain melamine in Hong Kong might be the result of feed contamination(污染) at poultry farms. The contaminated eggs were produced on September 6th by the city's Hanovo Foods Company, and were sent exclusively(排他地，独有地) to the Hong Kong market. The government has ordered the company to recall all tainted eggs, also suspending the company's exports. 72 additional batches（批） of eggs have been inspected for melamine so far, but no further contamination has been identified. On Tuesday, the Hong Kong government said a second batch of mainland eggs had been found to contain excessive amounts of melamine. The eggs were taken from a local restaurant, and were reportedly processed by a company in China's central Hubei province. Questions: 1. What does “melamine” in the first paragraph mean? 2. How many processing eggs companies are involved in the scandal? What are they? 3. What has been done about it so far?
B The orange market is still cooling off even though most of China's southern provinces have entered the harvest season. In order to eliminate public anxiety over food safety, some orange producing provinces such as in Sichuan and Anhui are going all-out to restore consumer confidence. In front of most supermarkets in Chengdu Sunday, the capital city of China's Sichuan Province, about 20 orange stalls were set up with more than 20 tons of local oranges available to taste free of charge. Zhang Zuoha, Vice Governor Sichuan Province, said, Sichuan is a very fertile area for growing oranges and is able to produce a large amount. It is an important channel for farmers to increase their revenue. The diseased fruit are individual cases in Sichuan, and most of the oranges are safe. I think a lot of consumers are doubtful about the safety of the oranges. But I can guarantee that the oranges are safe and therefore they do not need to worry about it.
In the biggest agricultural market in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province, a free and safe orange tasting exhibition has been set up, and more than five hundred kilograms of oranges have been provided. In addition to that, the inspection staff have ensured that all oranges intended for sale have met strict food safety standards. Questions: 1. What is the current situation of the orange market? 2. What has been done by the locals to promote orange sales? 3. After reading this article, will you eat oranges from provinces of Sichuan and Anhui? Why or why not?
C With less than a week to go before the general elections in the US, presidential hopefuls Barack Obama and John McCain are stumping in key swing states, trying to get every last supporter to the polls. At an outdoor event in the state's capital, Raleigh, Obama sharpened his tone against his Republican opponent, and defended his own tax policy. McCain, meanwhile, is fighting for his political survival in another battleground state - the always crucial Florida. In an attempt to target another key sector of the Republican base - the Cuban-American population in Miami - McCain brought up former Cuban President Fidel Castro and his brother. He said he would only negotiate with them after they empty the political prisons. From Florida, McCain is scheduled to return to the hotly contested battleground of Ohio for two more days of campaigning. Questions 1. What are the two presidential hopefuls doing right now? 2. Which states are included in Mc Cain’s schedule?
D Recent rumors(流言) abound that Chinese diving queen Guo Jingjing will marry Kenneth Fok next month, but these were denied by both Kenneth and his father Fok Tsun-Ting on Friday afternoon, according to sina.com. Sina contacted both the father and son this afternoon to seek comment and was told by Kenneth that the couple have made no such plans. His father also denied they had already sent out wedding invitations. The rumor was leaked from 'Wenweipo', one of Hong Kong's mainstream newspapers, and soon after made headlines on the mainland. The article quoted sources as saying Chinese diving queen Guo Jingjing will marry Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, the grandson of the late Hong Kong business tycoon, Henry Fok, in mid next month. It's believed that the Fok family prefer to keep a low profile and avoid media speculation about the wedding. However, unidentified sources have disclosed that many friends of the Fok family have already received wedding invitations. It's also been suggested that Guo will move into 'Fok Villas' in Hong Kong's Sassoon Road, where Hong Kong's wealthy reside, after the marriage. Reportedly, Kenneth Fok is assisting Guo to obtain a Hong Kong ID via the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme. In spite of the rumors about the wedding, some people doubt whether the news is true, saying it is just media guess. Last September, a rumor emerged that Guo was suffering from a detached retina but it was later denied by Guo herself. Meanwhile, Zhou Jihong, team leader of the Chinese diving dream team revealed in a recent interview that she has no idea about Guo's so-called impending wedding. Earlier this month Guo completed the national diving championship tournament in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province, and has no other diving competitions scheduled in the near future. Questions: 1. According to the passage, is Guo’s wedding going to take place next month? 2. In trying to prove Guo’s wedding is likely to take place next month, what proofs are privided in the passage? E A total of 2,000 tents, 3,000 winter clothes and 3,000 quilts were distributed to earthquake-stricken areas in west China on Tuesday. Ministries of finance and civil affairs also allocated 10 million yuan ($1.47 million) from the central
