As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative(消极的)meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of people. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(积极的)actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good 1uck one day. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog-tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(冷酷的). There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.
The rose(玫瑰)is thought of as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for(代表)love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing(比较)how some words are used.
【小题1】The word “dog” in Chinese usually_________.

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon. They don ’t feel hurt. If the same two people meet again, even years later, they pick up the friendship .This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand .Friendships between us develop more slowly but may become lifelong feelings, extending（延伸）deeply into both families.
There is another difficult point for us to understand . Although Americans treat friends warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to them if it requires a great deal of time. But in China ,we are usually generous with our time. We, as hosts, will appear at an airport even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off from our work to act as guides to our friends .It is opposite in America , Americans can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily plans. They will probably expect the visitors to get themselves from the airport to the hotels. And they expect the visitors will phone them from there. Once the visitors arrive at their homes , the welcome will be full , warm and real. For Americans , it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to restaurants, except for business matters. Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. So accept their hospitality（好客）at home and enjoy your visit in America!
【小题1】The underlined phrase “pick up” in Paragraph 1 may mean “_______”.

The panda is one of the animals most in danger. There are about 1,000 pandas living in nature reserves today. Zoos and research centers look after about 160 pandas. Scientists are studying how they live and more baby pandas are born in the zoos.
Pandas live in the forests and mountains of Southwest China. They mainly live on bamboo, and each panda needs to eat a lot of bamboo every day. The area of bamboo is becoming smaller for many different reasons, so pandas have less and less land to live on. Pandas don’t have many babies, and baby pandas often die. The situation is becoming very serious.
Our government is working hard to save pandas. There are more than 30 nature reserves to protect pandas but these are not enough. The government has made a new plan to help pandas. The nature reserves will be bigger and the bamboo will grow better. Then the pandas will have enough food to eat and enough places to live in. Pandas born in the zoos may go back to live in the nature reserves.
Most people love pandas. The panda is one of the best-known animals in the world. It is the symbol for the World Wide Fund for Nature. The WWF works to protect all animals in danger, so the panda has become the symbol of all animals in danger. There is still a long way to go to save the panda. Think of other animals in danger such as tigers ,whales, turtles and elephant—we need to save the panda, and we need to save them, too.
【小题1】Paragraph 2 is mainly about________.

Is the world too crowded? Well, that’s a hard question to answer. It’s all a matter of perspective(视角).In Montana, you might drive for a mile in any direction and not see another human being. In Macao, 60,000 people live in every square mile!
What is true is that the world’s population doesn’t stay the same. It has been increasing at a very fast rate(比例).That’s in part because in each generation(代) these are more people who then have children than in the last generation.
Five hundred years ago, the population of the world was about 460 million. In 1900,the world’s population was under 2 billion(十亿).Right now it is doubling every 40 years. That means, if this rate of growth continues, when you are a parent, there will be twice as many people on earth as there are now. Wow! Now that’s a whole lot of people! Soon the world’s population will probably reach 7 billion. Some people worry about that! But there is a lot of disagreement about just how many people on earth equals(相当于) too many people. But everyone agrees that the more people there are, the more resources(资源) the world needs to feed, house and take care of all of them, and the more need there is to think carefully about how we live and use the earth’s resources.
【小题1】From the first paragraph we can know that ­________.

【小题1】The picture is about ______
A. fitness clubs      B. language clubs       C. dance clubs
【小题2】What is the percentage(百分比) of students in the clubs ?
A.2.6%         B.13.6%           C.16.9%

Two students started quarreling at school. One student shouted dirty words at the other, and a fight began.
What can be done to stop fights like this at school? In some schools, disputants(争执者) sit down with peer mediators (同龄调解者). Peer mediators are usually students with special training in this kind of problems.
Peer mediators help disputants to talk in a friendly way. Here are some of the ways they use.
1. Express what you think clearly but don't say anything to hurt the other. Begin with "I feel" instead of "You always".
2. Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. Don't stop the other person's words.
3. Keep looking at the other person's eyes when he or she speaks.
4. Try to see the problems on the other person's side.
5. Never put anyone down. Saying things like "You are foolish (愚蠢的)" makes the talk difficult.
6. Try to find a result that makes both people happy.
Peer mediators never decide on the winner. They don't decide who is right or who is wrong. Instead they help disputants to find their own "win-win" result. A "win-win" result can make everyone feel good.
Peer mediators' work is often successful just because it gets disputants to talk to each other. And getting disputants to talk to each other is the first step in finding a "win-win" result.
【小题1】Peer mediators' work is _.

The new book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood is warmly welcomed by the children in China. It sells well across China. You can see and hear the advertisements about the book here and there.
Why is the book so attractive (吸引人的) to children? After reading it, I was attracted by the magic world. I can not help asking: where is our own Harry Potter?
China has a long history and colorful culture. With a large market of teenagers, China published (出版) many popular books among children. However, why are the present books not as good as those foreign ones?
Firstly, quiet a number of children’s are of strong sense of teaching, and they have little interest. Reading them, children often have a feeling of being “educated”. Certainly, they don’t like them. Secondly, fewer children like the same stories, but most Chinese books are usually much the same. One knows the ending as early as in the beginning. Finally, the writers seldom think about children’s needs.
First-class Reading for children should be interesting, and written in their language.
【小题1】About the present Chinese children’s books, which is NOT right?

Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset（不安的）if your English friends don’t invite you home. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you. Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p.m. and end at about 11. Ask your hosts（主人）what time you should arrive. It’s polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift. Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks（小吃）. If you want to be extra polite, say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember－it’s not polite to ask how much things cost. In many families, the husband sits at one of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests. You’ll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you’ll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert（甜点心）, followed by coffee. It’s polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it. Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “thank you” letter. British and American people like to say “thank you, thank, thank you” all the time!
【小题1】If your English friend doesn’t invite you to dinner at home, it means he or she ______.