It tastes just like chicken
Away from home, eating is more than just a way to keep your stomach full．It is a language all its own, and no words can say, "Glad to meet you ．．．glad to be doing business with you ．．．" quite like sharing a meal offered by your host．
Clearly, mealtime is not the time for you to say, "Thanks, but no thanks．" Acceptance of the food on your plate means acceptance of host, country, and company．So, no matter how difficult it may be to swallow, swallow．Or, as one experienced traveler says, "Travel with a cast-iron stomach and eat everything everywhere．"
Often, the food offered represents proudly your host country’s eating culture．What would Ataiericans think of a French person who refused to take a bite of homemade apple pie or sirloin? Our discomfort comes not so much from the thing itself; it comes from our umamiliarity with it．After all, an oyster has remarkably the same look as a sheep’s eye; and a first look at a lobster would remind almost anybody of a creature from a science fiction movie, not something you dip in butter and eat．By the way, in Saudi Arabia sheep’s eyes are a famous dish and in parts of China it’s bear’s paw soup．
Can you refuse such food without being rude? Most experienced business travelers say no, at least not before taking at least a few bites．It helps, though, to slice any item very thin．This way, you minimize the taste and the reminder of where it came from．Or, " Swallow it quickly, " as one traveler recommends．"I still can’t tell you what sheep’s eyeballs taste like．" As for dealing with taste, the old line that "it tastes just like chicken" is often thankfully true．Even when the "it" is really rat or snake．
Another useful piece of advice is not knowing what you are eating．What’s for dinner? Don’t ask． Avoid glancing into the kitchen or looking at English-language menus．Your host will be pleased that you are eating the food he offers, and who knows? Maybe it really is chicken in that soup．
【小题1】The purpose of the article is to ____．

A．introduce unfamiliar food

B．share the writer’s personal experiences

C．suggest ways to overcome a cultural barrier

D．advise on how to politely refuse to eat foreign food

【小题2】According to the writer, people hesitate at strange food mainly due to ____．

A．the way it looks	B．safety worries
C．lack of information about it	D．the unfamiliar atmosphere

【小题3】From the article we can infer that ____．

A．an American may feel comfortable with sirloin

B．one should refuse strange food after a few bites

C．English-language menus are not always dependable

D．one needs a cast-iron stomach to travel in other cultures

【小题4】One may say "It tastes just like chicken．" when ____．

A．showing respect for chicken-loving nations

B．greeting people with different dieting habits

C．evaluating chefs at an international food festival

D．getting someone to try a visually unpleasant meal

Once Dr．Mellinkoff invited me to join him at the hospital to discuss interesting cases with his  students．The case at hand was a Guatemalan man, aged 34, who had a fever and many other medical ^problems．His condition was not improving, and there was not much hope he would live．
Dr．: Mellinkoff asked to see the patient．He introduced himself in Spanish and, in a very gentle voice, asked how he felt．The patient smiled and said everything was all right．Then the doctor asked if he was able to eat．The patient said that he had no desire to eat．
"Are you getting food you like?"
The patient said nothing．
"Do you get the kind of food you have at home?"
The answer was no．
The doctor put his hand on the man’s shoulder and his voice was very soft．
"If; you had food that you liked, would you eat it?"
"Yes, yes," the patient said．
The change in the patient’s appearance couldn’t have been more obvious．Nothing was said, but it was easy to tell that a message had been sent and! had also been received．
Later, the doctor asked why the Guatemalan man wasn’t getting food he could eat．One of the students said, "We all know how difficult it is to get the kitchen to make special meals．"
"Suppose," the doctor replied, "you felt a certain medicine was absolutely necessary but that our hospital didn’t carry it, would you accept defeat or would you insist the hospital meet your request?"
"I would probably insist," the student said．
"Very well," the doctor said．"You might want to try the same method in the kitchen．It won’t be-easy, but I can help you．Meanwhile, let’s get some food inside this man as fast as possible, and stay with it．Or he’ll be killed by hunger．By the way, there must be someone among you who can speak Spanish．If we want to make real progress, we need to be able to talk with him．"
Three weeks later．Doctor Mellinkoff told me that the Guatemalan man had left the hospital under his own power．It takes more than medicine to help sick people; you also have to talk to them and make them comfortable．
【小题1】The patient had no desire to eat because

A．he was not hungry	B．he was seriously ill
C．he was given special meals	D．he was not satisfied with the food

【小题2】According to the passage, we can conclude that       .

A．the patient’s native language was Spanish

B．the patient’s illness was caused by hunger

C．Dr. Mellinkoff performed an operation on the patient

D．the hospital failed to provide the right medicine for the patient

【小题3】Which of the following words can be used to describe Dr. Mellinkoff?

A．Cold.

B．Considerate.

C．Curious.

D．Careless.

【小题4】What do you think Dr. Mellinkoff wanted to tell his students in this case?

A．Doctors should be good at foreign languages.

B．Doctors should know their patients’ real problems.

C．Doctors should try to improve their medical skills.

D．Doctors should have a good relationship ith their patients.

When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class.
She was absent(缺席) a lot , and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig(假发) because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class—seldom—I would hang around with her on the playground.
I received much ridicule (嘲笑) from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa’s needs were much more important than others I knew.
It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle (斗争)with cancer for years.
I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.
I’ve had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I’d like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents’ first names are. I write to your column (栏目)and hope you can point me in the right direction.
Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.
【小题1】The underlined sentence in Para 2 probably means ________________.

A．we kept on talking about her illness later

B．we discussed the topic and then left together

C．we just stopped talking about her illness

D．we went away after talking about her illness

【小题2】Why was the author being laughed at?

A．Because she wore a wig to school

B．Because she always played with Lisa.

C．Because she cried in the classroom

D．Because she lost her friends because of Lisa.

【小题3】 What did the author learn from Lisa?

A．To keep your illness a secret.

B．To be nice to everyone everywhere.

C．To face challenges in life bravely.

D．To put others’ needs above yours.

【小题4】The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.

A．remember a true friend	B．ask for help to find a friend’s parents
C．show her concern for a friend	D．tell her experience of fighting cancer

Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some kind, football, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks on high mountains? This astonishment is caused probably by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no manmade rules, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of a different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between teams of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously team work. The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty, and most international tennis champions are in their early twenties. But it is not unusual for a man of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they probably climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.
【小题1】Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Differences between Golf and Mountaineering.

B．Sports and Games.

C．Mountaineering.

D．Why are so many people crazy about mountaineering?

【小题2】 The biggest difference between golf and mountaineering lies in ____.

A．team game

B．enjoyment

C．age

D．rules

【小题3】The mountaineering can also be called a team sport because ____.

A．mountain climbers usually compete in groups

B．mountaineers depend on each other while climbing

C．mountaineering climbers are free to use their won rules to climb

D．mountaineering is a sport not a game

【小题4】 In the author’s opinion, one of the most important reason why so many people enjoy
mountaineering is that ____.

A．there are no man-made rules for mountaineers

B．mountaineering is a sport and not a game

C．it is one of the most dangerous sports

D．mountaineering brings us more enjoyment than other sports

Volunteering can help you deal with stress and problems, have more confidence, and introduce you to exciting new ideas and people. But what kind of volunteering should you do?
Firstly, think about what you enjoy. What are you interested in? What do you want to be when you grow up? For example, if you love animals, you can volunteer to care for abandoned(被遗弃的) pets or injured wildlife. If you want to grow up to be a doctor or a nurse, you can look for a youth volunteer program at a local hospital.
Secondly, think about what you’re good at. What skills do you have? What kinds of jobs do you do best? Try to find a volunteer position that will let you make the most of your strengths and talents. For example, if you’re a great speaker, then you could try educating others about a problem you care about. If you’re a cook, you might find a way to help feed hungry people in your area.
Thirdly, look for what your own community needs. What should be improved in your town, city, or school? What types of volunteer projects would do the most good? For example, if there are a lot of homeless people in your area, you could raise money to help them. If your town has empty areas filled with dirt or rubbish, you could organize or join a group to plant trees and flowers to make these areas more attractive.
The problems of the world, or even just of your community, might seem gigantic. Some people might even feel like there’s no point trying to do anything, since what they can contribute seems so small. But every person is important, and can do some good and make a difference. Like you!
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?

A．How to be a good volunteer.

B．What we can do when we grow up.

C．What kind of volunteering one can do.

D．How to improve society by volunteering.

【小题2】The text does NOT mention _____ as a basis for volunteering. 

A．interests

B．abilities

C．people’s needs

D．what one gets in return

【小题3】The word “gigantic” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “_____”.
A. huge     B. serious    C. meaningless   d. different
【小题4】How is the text mainly developed?

A．Through reasoning.	B．Through similarities.
C．Through examples.	D．Through explanations.

“You'll have to take care of the baby today,” a woman told her husband . “ I'm not feeling well.”
“Then you must stay in bed and rest, dear. “ her husband said. “I'll be pleased to look after our baby. “
“Thank you. I'll have a quiet day and I'll soon get better. “ his wife told him.
“Shall I do the shopping for you as well?” her husband asked.
She was very pleased and said, “That will help me very much. I'll give you a list of things to buy. “
She wrote out the list and gave it to him.
“You can get all these things at the supermarket,” she said.
“You can put the baby in the shopping cart, then you won't have to leave him outside.”
The man took the baby to the supermarket and put him in the shopping cart. Then he pushed the shopping cart along the rows of things to buy and looked for those that were on his list.
At first all was well, but then the baby began to cry.
Then he started to scream.
And scream!
And SCREAM!
“Keep calm ,George, ” the man said. “Don't get excited. Don't shout, George. Don't lose your temper, George.”
A woman in the supermarket heard him saying these things. She walked up to him.
“I think you are wonderful ,”she said. “You are so patient with your little George. ”
　　“Madam, ”" the man said, “I'm George. He's Edward.”
【小题1】 Why did the man take care of the baby?

A．it was his turn.	B．His wife was not well.
C．His wife was not at home.	D．He always looked after it.

【小题2】Why did the man take the baby to the supermarket?

A．He had to go shopping.

B．He wanted to show the baby to his friend.

C．He wanted to give the baby a ride in a shopping cart.

D．The baby liked going to the supermarket.

【小题3】What did the baby do in the supermarket?

A．pushed the shopping cart	B．lost its temper
C．made a lot of noise	D．helped his father

【小题4】Finally we can infer from the story that_____ .

A．the man was very calm when the baby was crying

B．the woman was very pleased to see the man

C．the woman mistook George for the baby, while in fact the man was named George

D．the man was very busy in shopping, but he couldn't find all the goods on the list

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
E
All areas of the world face a nurses shortage. But the shortage is most severe in developing countries. Many of their nurses move to the more developed nations for better pay, better working conditions and better chances for career development. For example, nearly 2,000 nurses left the Caribbean between 2002 and 2006.
The Caribbean nations currently have about 1 nurse for every 1,000 people. The ratio(比例) of nurses to population is about 10 times higher in the United States and countries in the European Union(EU). Now, more than 21,000 nurses who trained in the Caribbean are working in the United States, Canada and Britain.
Gaetan Lafortune is an official of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(O.E.C.D) in Paris. He says the nurses shortage also affects industrialized countries. He says, “There is concern in most O.E.C.D.countries that the number of nurses is too small to meet the demand. And what is more worrying is that their concern is sort of growing.” Mr Lafortune says a large number of nurses are expected to retire within the next 10 years. At the same time, the health care needs of aging populations are expected to grow, intensifying the shortage of nurses.
Gaetan Lafortune said, “In the U.S., for instance, some researchers have found that there may be a shortage of close to a million nurses by 2020.” The United States is 1 of the 21 countries in the O.C.E.D. Gaetan Lafortune says in the recent years many of the countries increased their efforts to hire foreign nurses. As a result of that, O.E.C.D. countries were mainly exporting their shortage problem to countries that may have an even greater need for these nurses.
【小题1】What will be the main causes of the global nurses shortage in the next 10 years?
a. The demand for nurses will decrease.                    
b. Many nurses will be too old to work.
c. Many rich countries will hire more foreign nurses. 
d. Nurses are often looked down upon.
e. Aging populations will increase rapidly

A．a and b

B．b and c

C．b and e

D．c and d

【小题2】The underlined word “intensify” in para. 3 means “________”.

A．strengthen

B．neglect

C．reduce

D．cause

【小题3】We know from this text that America and the EU countries ______.

A．refuse to offer equal pay to foreign nurses

B．have at least one nurse out of 100 people

C．don’t like to train nurses of their own countries

D．have more serious nursing problems than the Caribbean nations

【小题4】What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Nursing is no longer a worthwhile profession in most countries.

B．The different attitudes towards nursing in different countries.

C．Nurses shortage will result in serious consequences.

D．The health care industry needs more nurses.

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
D
The first MP4 player was born years ago. Soon many music fans were wondering how fantastic it is! If you have been into technology enough, perhaps you may have a knowledge of the MP4. If not, you do need to know something before buying one, even if you are familiar with MP3. MP3 is the CD-like disc with greater capacity. How about MP4? This small digital product will really enrich the joy from listening to music. You can even feel the “touch” of music to your soul!
Now, some similar digital products advertised as “MP4 player” are simply MP3 players, which do not play video and MPEG format and also lack other particular functions. These products confuse some buyers, as they may think the “MP4” players simply mean they can do more than MP3.
What is MP4?
It is a multimedia container. It is not only used to store digital audio and digital video streams, especially those of MPEG, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and pictures. As a most modern container format, it allows streaming over the Internet.
With the help of a piece of MP4 video equipment, you can change various programs such as MPEG to MP4, ASX to MP4, AVI to MP4 and so on, which can be done very quickly and easily without any effect on the sound quality. By installing DVD-MP4 software, you can transfer particular music from a DVD to an MP4 video file. It really excites your listening music experience.
Then, there is MP4 advanced and you can set your own collection of all the programs—TV shows, games, and music. You can even see movies which are still running in cinema. What else digital product could you possibly ask for?
【小题1】 It is suggested here that you should ______ before buying an MP4 player.

A．first be a music fan	B．have a knowledge of MP4
C．get familiar with MP3	D．buy a CD-like disc

【小题2】From the passage, we can see that MP4 is ______ MP3.

A．much bigger than	B．just as advanced as
C．not so particular as	D．more functional than

【小题3】Which function of MP4 is NOT directly mentioned in this passage?
Ａ．Storing digital audio and video streams.
Ｂ．Recording some movies in cinema.
Ｃ．Playing TV shows, games and movies.
Ｄ．Transferring particular music from a DVD.
【小题4】From the last sentence, it’s clear that the writer tries to tell us it is ______.

A．reasonable to buy other digital products

B．impossible to buy something else

C．a very wise choice to buy an MP4

D．an exciting experience to buy an MP3

What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?
It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in the UK do every summer. Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals.
Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK. It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1 — the ticket included free milk from the farm.
Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength — in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event. Tickets for the event sold out within three hours. Performers
included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone.
Although many summer festivals are run on a profit —making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities.
Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty (贫穷). In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously (同时) in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin. Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight (强调) international poverty and debt.
【小题1】What does the author mean by saying “the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength”?

A．The festival has achieved growing success.

B．Great efforts have been made to hold the festival.

C．The festival has brought in a large amount of money.

D．There have been thousands of fans attending the festival.

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Glastonbury Festival is run on a profit-making basis.

B．Tickets for the 2004 Glastonbury Festival were in great demand despite the high price.

C．Both James Brown and Joss Stone were born in poor families.

D．In the 1970 Glastonbury Festival, one could have lunch on the farm for free.

【小题3】 We can learn from the last paragraph that _____.

A．the Glastonbury Festival is not so popular as the Live 8 concerts

B．the Live 8 concerts are held every year in London

C．London, Paris, Rome and Berlin are famous for outdoor music festivals

D．some superstars are concerned about global poverty

【小题4】What is the best title for the passage?

A．How to have a good time

B．Charity events around the world

C．The Glastonbury Festival

D．Superstars’ performances in charity events

STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.
Speed dating
It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.
Lock and key party
Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!
Dinner in the dark
Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.
Message party
Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.
【小题1】What do you think the similarities of these parties are?

A．All the parties have very strict rules for their members.

B．If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.

C．All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.

D．All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.

【小题2】In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?

A．Speed dating.	B．Lock and key party.
C．Dinner in the dark.	D．Message party.

【小题3】If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ____________.

A．you have to wear night vision glasses

B．you have to eat with your hands

C．guests eat all the courses in the darkness

D．your dining partners will help you choose the food

【小题4】 How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.