As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences
when we pay attention to the 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 humans. 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
luck sometimes. 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 is regarded as a symbol (象征) of love in both China and some western countries. People think
the rose stands for (代表) love, peace (和平), 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 how some words are used.

1.  判断正误（“T”表示正确，“F”表示错误）。
     (     ) The word "dog" in Chinese usually has a negative meaning.
2. What does "Every dog has its day.", mean? 
   ____________________________________________________________
3. What do western people usually use "cat" to refer to (指代)?
   ____________________________________________________________
4. What's the best title (标题) for the passage?
    ___________________________________________________________
5. Put the underlined sentence in the passage into Chinese.
    ___________________________________________________________

     The 29th Olympic Games was held in our country in 2008. It had twenty-eight different sports. More than
ten thousand athletes competed the Beijing Olympic Games. Every four years the Olympic Games will be held
once. Athletes from all over the world take part in the Olympic Games. The old Olympic Games began in
Greece in 776 BC. Women didn't allowed to compete and only 14 countries took part in the first Olympics.
There was only one sport at the first ancient Olympics. It was the sprint.
     The Olympic Games have changed a lot since they started. The modern Olympic Games started in Athens,
Green in 1896. There were 311 athletes from 13 countries joined the game. In 1992, more than 150 countries
sent over 8,000 athletes to Barcelona for the 25th Summer Olympics. The Olympic motto (格言) is "Higher,
Faster, Stronger". It means that every athlete should try to run faster, jump higher and throw further. They try
their best to win medals. One of the great competitions is not for a medal. It is the competition among countries
to hold the Olympics. To hold the Olympic Games is a rich prize for a country.

1.Where is the 29th Olympic Games held in?

A. Athens
B. Greece
C. Beijing
D. Barcelona

2. How many athletes competed at the 2008 Olympics?

A. Over 776
B. Over 311
C. Over 8,000
D. Over 10, 000

3. What was the sport at the first ancient Olympics?

A. Diving
B. Running
C. Sprint
D. Long jump

4.Which of the following is right?

A. The Olympic Games became popular since 1896.
B. Few people took part in the Olympic Games in the early years.
C. The modern Olympic Games started in France.
D. Many countries sent their player to the first Olympic Games.

5. The best title for the passage should be _______.

A. The History of the Olympic Games
B. The Changing Olympic Games
C. When to Start the Olympic Games
D. The Ancient Olympic Games

     Computers and internet are very important to us now. People like scientists, teachers, writers and even
students use computers to do many work. But how many of us know the history of the computers and
internet. The internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time computer couldn't do much work. They were
very large and expensive. Very few people were interested in them and knew how to use them.
      At first the internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and
banks were allowed to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and the internet was difficult
to use. Today computers are smaller and cheaper. And the internet is easier to use. Since they are useful, many
people like to use them, even at home. Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the
internet every day. Sending e-mails is more and more popular among young people. The internet has now
become one of the most important parts of people's life.

     1.  题判断正误("T"表示正确,"F"表示错误)；2 题完成句子；3-4题简略回答问题；5 题将文中划
线句子译成汉语.
(     )1. Many people use the computers and internet before 1960s.  
2. Most people don't know _____________the computers in the 1960s.
3. When was the internet set up?
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Was the internet used widely before 1970s?
________________________________________________________________________
5.________________________________________________________________________

                                                               Customs on Eating
      Food in China and western countries is different. China has about 5,000 years' history. They may spend
half of their time on food. Chinese people choose food very carefully. They only use fresh materials (新鲜的材料) to make food. For example, they only eat fresh fish. Chinese have a lot of ideas for cooking. They can
cook a chicken in over ten ways. That's why Chinese food is so popular around the world. Western countries,
like England or America, don't have fresh food because they buy their food from supermarkets which only sell
stored materials (储存的材料). Western people also prefer fast food like hamburgers and chips. They are
unhealthy for man's body. Western people do not have many skills for cooking, mostly they only boil, steam
(蒸) and bake the food. By the way, western people are very good at making desserts and chocolate. They
can make very good cakes and chocolate. These food are very sweet and they can make you become fat
quickly.
     In China, the person who invites other people for meal would pay for the meal, but it's not the same way
in western countries. In western countries, people will think you only invite them but don't need to pay for
them. They can afford it. They won't be happy if you pay for them. In western countries like America or
England, people will always give tips (小费) to the waiter after they finish the meal in a restaurant. If you don't,
the waiter will not be happy. In China this only happens in some top restaurants and hotels in large cities like
Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
     Another difference in eating is that: Chinese people use chopsticks and western people use knives and
forks.   
     Chinese people only have three meals during a day. But western people may have more. They usually have
afternoon tea when they would have fruit, cakes or biscuits with cheese (奶酪饼干).

1. Do Chinese people use fresh materials or stored materials to make food? 
    _________________________________________________________________________
2. Why is Chinese food so popular in the world?
    _________________________________________________________________________
3. What kinds of foods are western people good at making?
    _________________________________________________________________________
4. Will western people be happy if you pay for them?
    _________________________________________________________________________
5. How many meals do Chinese people have during a day? 
    _________________________________________________________________________

     Easter (复活节) is one of the two major (主要的) Christian (基督教的) festivals (节). Easter celebrates
(庆祝) the death (死亡) and resurrection (复活) of Jesus Christ (耶酥基督) 000and Christmas celebrates his
birth (出生). It's not as big a festival as Christmas. It starts usually in late March or early April and the Easter
holiday is Friday , Saturday , Sunday and Monday. It's quite a long holiday for everybody.
     The main (主要的) symbol (象征物) of Easter is the Easter egg. Children like Easter eggs because they are
made of chocolate. Eggs are a symbol of new life.
     Easter is also a time for families to get together like Christmas. Many people see Easter as a nice long
holiday and they have a good time with their families and friends.

1. People love Easter because ___________.

[     ]

A. it's a long holiday
B. it's the birthday of Jesus Christ
C. they can have real eggs on that day
D. everybody believes in Jesus Christ

2. From the passage above, which sentence is wrong?

[     ]

A. Easter is one of the most important festivals in western countries.
B. Easter is a day that everybody gets his resurrection.
C. Easter is a religious (宗教) festival.
D. Most people love Easter.

3. People begin to celebrate Easter in ________.

[     ]

A. Mid-April or late April
B. mid-March or late March
C. late March or early April
D. early March or mid-March

4. Easter eggs are_____________.

[     ]

A. covered by chocolate (巧克力包着的)
B. chocolate eggs
C. a symbol of death
D. not food

5. From the passage above, we can know that __________.

[     ]

A. Jesus Christ died on Christmas Day
B. Jesus Christ was born on Christmas Day
C. Jesus Christ was born on Easter
D. Jesus Christ died and got his resurrection on Christmas Day

     "The history of York (约克) is the history of England." King George VI (乔治六世) said. York was first
built in A.D. 71, and it has a rich and long history of more than 1, 900 years. Its history makes it one of the
most popular cities for visitors in England. People can hear a lot about England's history and they can see it
and walk in it. Thousands of people from different countries take a walk through 1, 900 years of history on
York's city walls."York is a great city with many special buildings, old city walls and a famous university (大
学)-York University. Besides (此外), it has interesting shops and many fine restaurants. It's both old and
modern. I really love it." said Jack Smith, a visitor from the U.S.A.
     It's really easy to come to York. York is between London and Edinburgh (爱丁堡), the capital of Scotland (苏格兰). You can take a train from London to York. If you have enough time, you can also take a bus from
London to go through Cambridge (剑桥) to York. Come and find out more about York's history!

1. How many years of history does York have?

A. Less than 1, 900 years. ?
B. Only 71 years.
C. Less than 71 years.
D. Over 1, 900 years.

2. Where is York? It's _____.?

A. in Cambridge
B. in Scotland?
C. in England
D. in the U.S.A.

3. What did Jack Smith think of York??

A. Very boring.?
B. Very interesting.
C. There is nothing to see.?
D. A little scary.

4. What does the sentence underlined(下画线) mean??

A. You can learn nothing about the history of England in York.
B. Both York and England have short history.
C. You can learn much about the history of England in York.?
D. York is the only place in England.

5. From the passage, we know that _____ is the right map. 

     Now let's come to the Bolshoi Theater (莫斯科大剧院) near the center of Moscow. The inside of the
theater is as brightly golden (金色的) as it was before 1917, but the audience (观众) has changed. Many
of the men are without ties (领带) and the women are wearing dark clothes. In the nineteenth century this
was Moscow's great opera house.
     "Bolshoi" means"big", and the theater can hold 4 000 persons. Culture has always been important to
Russians. That's why through all these years they have been trying to maintain (一直保持) arts, like ballet,
fine opera (歌剧) and plays.
      The government gives the theater 12 000 000 dollars each year. Even the New York Metropolitan Opera
(纽约大都会歌剧院) can only get half of the money. The Bolshoi is very large, and has its own factories
even. About three thousand people work in the theater and 250 ballet dancers are working here and they get
the highest pay.

根据短文内容回答下列问题.
1. Where is the Bolshoi Theater?
________________________________________________________________________
2. What does"Bolshoi" mean?
________________________________________________________________________
3. How many persons can the Bolshoi Theater hold?
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Which theater gets more money from the government, the Bolshoi Theater or the
    New York Metropolitan Opera?
_________________________________________________________________________
5. In the past what kind of people often went to the Bolshoi Theater, the rich people or the poor people?
_________________________________________________________________________