THE HORNED MELON
The horned melon, also called African
homed cucumber, is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family. It is
considered to be the ancestor of the other cultivated melons. Often known by
its nickname in the southeastern United States, blowfish fruit, it is grown for
its fruit, which look like oval melons with horn like spines.
The fruit of this plant is edible, but
it is used as often for decoration as for food. When ripe, it has a
yellow-orange skin and a lime green, jelly-like fesh with a tart taste, and
texture similar to a cucumber.
In Zimbabwe, this cucumber is called
gaka, and it is primarily used as a fruit-snack, salad, and rarely for
decoration. It is eaten young, mature green, or when ripe bright yellow/orange.
It grows naturally in the fields and also in the bush . however, some people
leave some to rot in the fields for the next summer’s seeds/plant.
As traditional food plant in Africa,
this fruit is potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural
development and support sustainable land care. Along with the Gemsbok cucumber,
it is the only source of water during the dry season in the Kalahari Desert.
Despite the fruit’s colorful appearance, it is not found any significant uses
in Western cuisine and been called “astringent”, and the price is “exorbitant”.
1. The
important things of this fruit besides as a plain fruit in Africa is that ....
A.
it can grow anywhere
B.
it has plain taste
C.
it increases health
D.
it can be eaten raw
E.
it has unique colours
2. How do people
in Zimbabwe get the next summer’s seeds of the horned melon?
A.
They grow the fruit in the bush.
B.
They use the fruit for decoration.
C.
They eat the fruit and leave the seeds.
D.
They improve the nutrition for the fruit.
E.
They leave some fruits to rot in the field.
3. From the last paragraph we
can conclude that western people ... the horned melon.
A.
plant
B.
consume
C.
preserve
D.
do not eat
E.
like eating
Questions 4 to 5 : complete
the following text with the words provided.
Long ago, a rich man wanted the very
best education for this son, and so he sent him abroad to learn other
lenguages. A few yaears later when the young man returned home, the only
language he had learnt was the dog’s language. The fathet was so indignant that
he drove his son out of the house, and said that he wished to have nothing
further to do with him. The young man (4) ... his house with his broken heart.
After a great deal of wandering, the
young man arrived in a village which was terrorized by a group of fierce dogs. Although
everybody had advised him not to wander there, the young man insisted on going
into the wood where dogs lived, and, too much amazement, the returned without
even a (5) ... He said that the dogs has spoken to all the time over a rich
treasure chest bured in the woods. The young man solved all the problems by
digging up the chest for himself, so the dogs troubled the villagers no further
and were free to wander.
4. A. saw
B. left
C. took
D. visited
E. destroyed
5. A. fight
B. bark
C. pack
D. crack
E. scratch
6. Arrange
these sentences below into a good order.
Here is how to polish your shoes to shine.
1. Wipe off
dust with a ddamp cloth. Place some polish on a rubbing instrument.
2. Apply
polish in a small, circular movements to evenly cover each shoe.
3. When the
polish is “gone”, spray each shoe until it is covered with tiny water droplets
and then polish dry.
4. Finally
repeat Steps 2 trough until you reach the level of shine you want or need.
5. Make sure
that polish reaches the creases of each shoe (if they have any).
6. Let the
polish “go off” on each shoe (preferably in the sun or near a warm heater) for
2 to 3 minutes.
A. 1
– 2 – 6 – 5 – 3 – 4
B. 1
– 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6
C. 1
– 2 – 3 – 5 – 4 – 6
D. 1
– 2 – 5 – 3 – 6 – 4
E. 1
– 2 – 5 – 6 – 3 – 4
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