Are you aged between 14 and 19 years old? Do you care about your local environment？Would you like to help make the area you live in better, cleaner, safer and more friendly? If your answers are “yes”, “yes” and “yes”, then read on! You may be surprised to hear that you can actually get money for improving your local community.
The “Big Lottery(彩票)” is giving money to a group of teenagers who want to become active citizens. We’re looking for young people to take part in projects near to where they live.
Here are a few easy things you could do to get started:
Meeting the neighbors
Everybody needs good neighbors. Knock on people’s doors and find out what they would like to improve in your area. If you don’t want to go round to their houses, then you could always put a note through their doors.
Neighborhood watch
Neighborhood watch plans are very popular in the UK. If you go away on holiday and leave your house, it’s very nice to know that a neighbor is keeping an eye on it. It’s a good way to make the area you live in safe.
Lending a hand
There are often elderly people living in the neighborhood who may not be able to do the things that you can do. You can offer to do their shopping once a week, look after their gardens for them or maybe walk their dogs!
So, go on…Just tell us what kind of project you want to become involved in, then we’ll send you more details. Take active action and help make your neighborhood a better place to live in.
小题1:Who is needed to take part in the project?

A．Anyone who wants to.

B．All the teenagers.

C．Teenagers from 14 to 19.

D．All the students in the neighborhood.

小题2:If a neighbor is keeping an eye on your house, it means he ________________.

A．wants to look at your house.

B．watches if there is something bad happening to your house.

C．is keeping an eye with you.

D．pays attention to your family members

小题3:What does “lend a hand” mean?

A．It means to lend money to someone who needs help.

B．It means to shake your hands with old people.

C．It means to lend something to someone.

D．It means to help someone who needs help.

Complete the following sentences as required (根据所给要求，完成下列句子。每空格限填一词)  (共14分)
Have you ever seen an exhibition of rare Mexican grey wolves? There are five young male wolves in Brookfield Zoo now. The exhibition is d___小题1:___ into two areas, an indoor room and a peaceful outdoor viewing or playing area. In the indoor area of the exhibition, which is small and can e__小题2:___ become crowded, you can see the wolves t___小题3:___ one-way glass and also enjoy a few different activities.
One of these activities is very interesting. You stand in a dark room, listening to recorded wolf howls（长嚎）. You can really get an idea of what it feels like to be in a dark and d__小题4:__ forest. After about a minute and a half, some wolves in the woods a___小题5:___ on the wall in front of you. It is a great experience for n___小题6:__ lovers.
In the outdoor area of the exhibition, there is a small river, ponds, fallen trees and a wetland. Visitors can walk among lifelike models of wolf prey(猎物), learning about different hunting s___小题7:___ the wolves use, how they store their food and how they communicate, while watching the wolves from behind an electric fence.
After a tour of the exhibition, you can read Wolf Brother written by Paver. It was made into a movie by director Ridley Scott.
Welcome to our exhibition of rare Mexican grey wolves!

The first time I saw Jim Wooten I really understood him. He was a great TV news reporter. When he was reporting in Rwanda, one heartbreaking moment made a deep impression on me. When the camera showed all of the children who were dying, suffered from terrible diseases, Jim ended his piece by saying that when he got home, the first thing he was going to do was to put his arms around his own children. Then I realized that he was different, that he didn’t fall into any of the modern television-news tricks, that he was not giving us any awful, artificial(假的) television-journalist reports out of（出于) pity. Instead, I was watching a real reporter with a gift(天赋) for both words and slight differences.

Then I read his book, We Are All the Same, about his friendship with Xolani Nkosi, a South African boy who became the international spokesman for AIDS(艾滋病). It is about the friendship between Wooten and a black child who was ten years old and already dying of AIDS. It is also a book about a great teacher and his student. But the teacher－the one with real wisdom and understanding about life－is the little boy, not the journalist. And, finally, it’s about a love story of Gail Johnson, Nkosi’s white mother who does her best to save the boy, and their love for each other. When reading the book, I felt touched from time to time.
小题1:How did Jim Wooten feel when he saw the dying children in Rwanda?
__________________________________________________________________.
小题2:What would an ordinary journalist do on TV when he saw these dying children?
_________________________________________________________________.
小题3:How did Jim end his piece when he saw the dying children in Rwanda?
_________________________________________________________________.
小题4:Who is the teacher in the book, the little boy or the journalist?
_________________________________________________________________.
小题5:Why did Nkosi’s mother do everything possible to save the boy?
_________________________________________________________________.
小题6:What’s the writer’s attitude to Jim Wooten? How do you know that?
_________________________________________________________________.

Girls in Japan love the month of March. March the third is Japanese Girls' Day, or people also call it the Doll(洋娃娃) Festival.
On this day, girls wear beautiful kimonos (和服). Their parents put lovely dolls on a shelf. They hope that the dolls can bring health and happiness to their girls. There are seven tiers (层) of dolls. Dolls of the king and queen are always at the top of the shelf.
Girls usually invite good friends to their homes on this day to celebrate(庆祝)it. They sit around the dolls, singing, dancing and talking. The next day parents have to put the dolls away quickly. According to Japanese tradition, if they don't do that, they may find it hard to marry off (嫁出) their daughters later in life.
小题1:When is the Doll Festival?

A．February 3rd.	B．March 3rd.
C．March 2nd.	D．May 3rd.

小题2:What do girls wear on that day?

A．They wear short skirts.

B．They wear new T-shirts.

C．They wear school clothes.

D．They wear traditional (传统) Japanese clothes.

小题3:What is on the top of the shelf?

A．Dolls of the king and queen.	B．Dolls of the parents.
C．Dolls of their daughters.	D．Dolls of the girls' friends.

小题4:Why do parents put dolls on the shelf?

A．Because the dolls are very lovely.

B．Because their daughters ask them to do it.

C．Because the king and the queen want them to do it.

D．Because dolls can bring health and happiness to their daughters.

小题5:Which of the sentences is NOT true?

A．The girls sing and dance around the dolls on that day.

B．The girls invite their friends to celebrate the festival together.

C．The shelf has seven tiers of dolls on it.

D．On March 3rd, parents should put the dolls away quickly.

阅读短文，根据其内容回答问题。
The British are known for their sense of humour. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.  
Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, ‘It’s a little damp (潮湿的) outside.’ Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, ‘She isn’t exactly friendly.’ Understatement is often used in unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humour.
Another key to understanding British humour is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen to our everyday life when someone accidently falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes about people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What’s more, the British love to watch comedies (喜剧) about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedies series Mr Bean is a good example of this kind of humor.
Mr Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr Bean doesn’t talk often, and instead he uses his body movement and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr Bean is popular in many countries round the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humour. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humour.
小题1:Is it difficult for foreigners to understand British jokes?
小题2:What does ‘understatement’ mean?
小题3:What do the British love to watch comedies about?
小题4:How does Mr Bean make people laugh?
小题5:What are the key points for people to understand British humour?

It can be hard to meet people from another culture. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal (信号). Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize（强调）the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural（多元文化）environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
小题1:In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to ______.

A．keep each other company

B．share the same culture

C．get to know each other

D．develop closer relations

小题2:The writer mentions his experience in Thailand to show that ______.

A．too many words are of no use

B．the English prefer to make long speeches

C．even talk and silence can be culturally different

D．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature

小题3:What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Multicultural Environment

B．Cross-Cultural Differences

C．How to Understand Each Other

D．How to Build Up a Relationship

In Britain, the first day of the month of May is known as May Day. May day marks the end of the harsh(严酷的) winter months, welcomes the beginning of Summer, and optimistically looks forward to the bright and productive months.


For their ancestors, largely in rural areas, it was a major annual festival and was celebrated(庆祝) through out the country, especially on the first day of May with music, dancing and games.
How was May Day Celebrated in the past?


May Day began early in the morning. People went out before sunrise in order to gather flowers and plants to make their houses and villages beautiful in the belief that the vegetation spirits(神灵) would bring good luck.
A traditional May Day dance is Maypole Dancing，On May Day, people used to cut down young trees and stick them in the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer.People danced around the tree poles in celebration of the end of winter and the start of the fine weather that would allow planting to begin. Maypoles are still a part of some
village life and on May Day the villagers dance around it.


May Day celebrations have their origins(起源) in the Roman festival of Flora, goddess(女神) of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. So the highlight of the day was the crowning(为…加冕) of the May Queen(女皇), the human replica (模型) of Flora. By tradition she took no part in the games or dancing, but sat like a queen in a flower-decked chair to watch her 'subjects'.
Ever since 1978, for the convenience of the general public, many May Day activities have now been moved to the new May Day holiday on the first Monday of the month. This Monday is a bank holiday, a day off school and work. There are more intereting celebrations on this day.
小题1:In the old days, most people in Britain made their living by             .
A. fishing                B. farming                 C. working in factories
小题2:People in Britain celebrate May Day is to express their         
A. pleasure and hope       B. thanks and harvest       C. freedom and new life
小题3:Britain’s May Day holiday is on          in 2010.
A. May 1^st               B. May 3^rd                 C. May 5^th
小题4:What is not mentioned in this passage?
A. Special food.          B. Special custom.           C. Special activity.
小题5:Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Only children can take part in the Maypole Dancing.
B. The queen of the UK came to watch her “subjects”.
C. Children needn’t go to school on May Day holiday now.

People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout,         and smile. So there are many expressions about mouth. For example, if you say        things about a person, the person will be unhappy and say “Do not bad mouth me.”
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that later they regret       they hurt that person’s feelings. The speaker might say: “ I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this happens, the speaker might feel down in the mouth.
Information is        spread through the mouth. This is general communication        people, like friends talking to each other. “How did you hear about that movie?” Someone might ask. The         may be : “Oh, by word of mouth.” A more official way of getting information is through a company or government mouthpiece.
Sometimes, a person has a bad or unpleasant     with another person. He might say: “It left a bad taste in my mouth.” Or a person might have a very          experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say: “I had my         in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were         into a very rich family. You might say such a person “was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. ” And this rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth.

小题1:	A．dance B．sing C．walk D．think

小题2:	A．beautiful B．nervous C．bad D．crazy

小题3:	A．because B．so C．and D．until

小题4:	A．never B．seldom C．sometimes D．often

小题5:	A．with B．between C．during D．on

小题6:	A．letter B．answer C．key D．report

小题7:	A．experiment B．expression C．experience D．explanation

小题8:	A．frightening B．surprising C．pleasing D．exciting

小题9:	A．eye B．tongue C．finger D．heart

小题10:

A．taken B．brought C．grown D．born

In most languages, a greeting is usually followed by "small talk". Small talk means the little things we talk about at the start of a conversation. In English-speaking countries people often make small talk about the weather: "Nice day, isn't it?" "Terrible weather, isn't it?" But there is something special about small talk. It must be about something which both people have the same opinion about. The purpose of small. talk is to let both people agree on something. This makes meeting people easier and more comfortable. People usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. But people often disagree about religion or politics so these are not suitable topics for small talk in English. The topics for small talk also depend on where the conversation is taking place. At football matches, people make small talk about the game they are watching: "Great game, isn't it?" At bus-stops, people may comment about the transport system: "The bus service is terrible, isn't it?"
Greetings and small talk are an important part of conversation in any language. The way people greet each other and the things they talk about, however, may be different from one language to another. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behavior of the people who speak it.
小题1:The passage suggests that when we learn a language______.

A．we should know the culture about the country

B．we should only master the grammar and vocabulary

C．we should grasp the importance of the language

D．we should learn about the transport system of the country

小题2: When we say "Great game, isn't it?" we in fact______.

A．have a conversation	B．begin a small talk
C．greet each other	D．ask a question

小题3: What we learn from the passage is that______.

A．in English-speaking countries we should talk about the weather

B．different language has different grammar

C．small talk is an important part in a language

D．small talk depends on the purpose of the conversation

Whatever the situation, you need to understand gestures(手势). Many gestures that we use are universal(通用的). Some of them can create wrong meanings to others. Using the wrong gesture could get you into trouble when you communicate with foreigners. Be careful with these gestures：
The ‘thumb up’ sign—In Italy, Germany and Greece, this sign simply means the number one. In Russia the meaning of this expression is ‘good’ or ‘well done’. In Egypt and Iraq, it means perfect or very good. It is widely used between people. But in Iran it is traditionally an obscene(不正经的) gesture.
The ‘OK’ sign—Often used to mean agreement, but it is considered rude in Brazil, southern Italy, Germany and Greece. In Japan, this gesture is a sign of money. In southern France it is used to show that something is worthless.
The victory sign—With the index finger and middle finger rose to form a V. It means victory or peace. Be careful about using it in Britain, however, if the palm is facing toward you, the gesture is considered obscene.
Snapping your fingers(打响指)—Some might use this gesture to get someone’s attention. In France and Belgium it sends a bad message. You would never snap your fingers to get a waiter’s attention.
Hands in the pockets—This is commonly seen in daily life. In Finland, Sweden, France, Belgium, Indonesia and Japan, putting your hands in your pockets would be considered impolite in a business meeting.
The meaning of gestures is not universal. Use these tips to prevent a cultural misunderstand. When in doubt, the best advice would be to ‘keep your hands to yourself.’
小题1:In which country does the ‘Thumb up’ NOT mean good or well done?

A．In Italy.

B．In Russia.

C．In Egypt.

D．In Iran.

小题2:When you want to get a waiter’s attention in France, __________.

A．you can use the ‘OK’ sign

B．you can’t put your hands in the pockets

C．you can’t snap your fingers

D．you can use your fingers to form a V

小题3:Which sign means impolite in a business meeting?

A．The ‘OK’ sign.	B．The victory sign.
C．Snapping your fingers.	D．Hands in the pockets.