In England, traffic keeps on the left. Cars and buses and bikes all move on the left side of the road.
So when you are in England, you must be very careful in the streets. Before you cross a street you must
stop and look both ways. Look right and look left and look right again. If the traffic lights are red, the
traffic must stop. Then the people on foot can cross the road. If the traffic lights are green, the traffic
can go. People on foot mustn't cross. 
     In the morning and in the evening, when people go to or come from work, the streets are very busy.
Traffic is the most dangerous then.
     When you go by bus in England, you have to be careful, too. Always remember the traffic moves on
the left. Have a look first or you will go the wrong way.
      In many English cities, there are big buses with two floors. You can sit on the second floor. From
there you can see the city very well. It's very interesting.

1. When you are in English you must remember that _____.

A. you'd better go by bus
B. the traffic goes on the left
C. the streets are very busy
D. there are many cars and buses on the road

2. People on foot can go across the road when _____.

A. the traffic lights are red
B. they look to the right
C. they come from work
D. the traffic lights are yellow

3. When you go by bus in England, you must be careful because _____.

A. you may go the wrong way
B. there are too many buses there
C. there are big buses with two floors
D. there are not any traffic lights

4. Some people enjoy sitting on the second floor of a big bus because ______.

A. it is less dangerous
B. it can make roads safer
C. they can have a better view of the city
D. there are fewer passengers there

5. The best title for this passage is _____.

A. Buses in England
B. Traffic in England
C. Traveling in England
D. Traffic Lights in England

     In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience four seasons in one day.
In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later clouds come, and then it rains hard.
In the afternoon, the sky will be clear, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be sunny at this time of the day.?
      In England, you can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter you can swim
sometimes, and in summer sometimes you should take warm clothes with you. When you go to England,
you'll see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them on a sunny morning, but
you should not laugh at them. If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you’ll regret (后悔) later in the day.?
(     )1. It’s usually warm in the morning in England.?
(     )2. In summer, it’s usually too hot in England.?
(     )3. In England, sometimes it’s hot in winter.?
(     )4. Some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat
           with them because it often rains in England.
(     )5. If someone takes an umbrella or a raincoat, he'll regret later in the day.

      There are four seasons in a year in China. Spring comes in February. May, June and July make the
summer season. August, September and October make the autumn season. November, December and
January make the winter season. In different seasons people wear different clothes and do different things.
For example, the weather is hot, so people usually wear cool clothes and do things like swimming, boating
or surfing.
      Near the North Pole there are only two seasons. They are winter and summer. In winter, nights are
long. For more than two months you can't see the sun, even at noon. In summer, the days are long. For
more than two months the sun never goes down and there is no night.?
     The people living near the North Pole are called Inuit. In summer they live in tents and catch deers for
food. In winter they live in small round snow houses. They can build a snow house in two hours. They
travel around by using dogs to carry their things. They make holes in the ice and catch fish and seals.
They eat much meat but not many vegetables.?

1. The two seasons near the North Pole are _____.

A. spring and autumn
B. summer and winter?
C. rainy season and dry season
D. spring and winter

2. You can't see the sun for _____ in North pole in a year.?

A. a season
B. half a year?
C. more than two months
D. half a year

3. Autumn in China _____. ?

A. is cold
B. lasts from August to October
C. hot
D. come after spring

4. Near the North Pole _____ in summer.

A. the days aren't long?
B. the nights are long?
C. there's no night for more than two months
D. 24 hour days last two months 

5. The people in the North Pole eat much _____.

A. vegetables
B. meat
C. milk
D. bread

     All over the world people enjoy sports. Sports help people to keep healthy, happy and to live longer.
     Many people like to 1_______ (观看) others play sport games. They buy tickets or turn on their TV
set to watch the games. They often 2_______ (感到) very very happy when "their" player or team wins. 
     People play different games in winter and summer. Summer is 3_______ (有利于) swimming. And in
winter people often go skating.
      Some sports are very interesting and people everywhere are in them. 4_______ (例如), football is
very popular. In China most people, men, women, boys and girls like to watch football games. They often
5_______ (谈论) it. Some people often 6_______ (踢足球). Running and jumping began 7_______
(很久，很久以前). But basketball and volleyball are rather new. People began to play them 8_______
(不久以前). And people are starting new sports or games all the time. Water skiing is one of the
9_______ (最新的).
      People from 10_______ (不同的国家) may not be able to understand each other, but after a game
they often become friends.
1._______ 2._______ 3._______ 4._______ 5._______
6._______ 7._______ 8._______ 9._______ 10._______

     Chess must be one of the oldest games in the world. An Arab traveler in the year 900 wrote that it
was played "long long ago". Chess was probably invented in India, and it has been played everywhere
from Japan to Europc since 1400. The name "chess" is interesting. When one player is attacking the
other's king, he says, in English, "check". When the king has been caught and cannot move anywhere,
he says "check mate". These words come from Persian (波斯语). It means "the king is dead". That is
when the game is over, and one player has won.
     Such an old game changes very slowly. The rules have not always been the same as they are now.
For example,at one time the queen could only movc one square (方块) at a time. Now she is the
strongest piece on the board. It would be interesting to know why this has happened! Chess takes time
and thought, but it is a game for all kinds of people. You don't have to be a winner in order to enjoy it.
Two people sitting at the same table do not always play it. The first time the Amcricans beat the Russians
was in a match played by radio. Some people are able to play with many people at the same time. One
man played 400 games! It is said that some people play chess by post. This must make chess the
slowest game in the world.

1. Chess _____.

[     ]

A. is an old Indian game for travel
B. is the oldest game in the world
C. was played in India long before 900
D. was played in Japan and Europe before 1400

2. "At one time the queen could only move one square at a time.
     Now she is the strongest piece on the board."
     This example is used to show _____.

[     ]

A. chess is an interesting game
B. chess changes very slowly
C. how this rule has happened
D. there have been some changes of rules in chess

3. "You don't have to be a winner in order to enjoy it." means _____. 

[     ]

A. Only a winner can enjoy chess
B. You can enjoy chess only when you lose a game
C. You can enjoy chess even if you are not a winner
D. You can enjoy chess when you play with a winner

4. The writer tries to tell us _____.

[     ]

A. some interesting facts about chess 
B. how the rules of chess have changed
C. how to play chess
D. how people enjoy chess

5. For the first time the Americans _____ the match.

[     ]

A. beat
B. got
C. had
D. won

     Beijing's battle to correct English-language signs before the 2008 Olympics has started.
     By the end of the year, all public "WC" in the city will be called "toilets". In Western countries people
don't use "WC", because it is quite rude in English.
      Road signs are also on the list. These signs will be changed into real English words. For example,
"Dong Chang' an Jie" will become "East Chang'an Avenue".
      But there is still a question. What to do about menus? Thousands of tourists, athletes and reporters
will visit the city, and most of them can't speak Chinese or understand Chinese characters.
     Now linguists (语言学家) are trying hard to translate popular Chinese dishes like "ants climbing the
tree" into good English.
     Chinese children will be able to get a taste of adult working life in the Kids City. It will allow children
aged 5 to 10 to try out different jobs after it opens.
     The world's first Kids City was opened in Mexico City in 1999. In 2006, Kids City opened its Tokyo
Park in Japan. It became an attraction to kids. Now it will begin in China. It will offer more than 50 jobs,
including pilots, doctors, police officers and lawyers. Inside the city, every kid would get a bank
account (账户) holding special money. And they can only spend the money in the park. They could
earn more money by working in different places.                          (written in 2007)