Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way.
Our expression today is “to face the music”. When someone says, “Well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Awful music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting to go on the stage. When they got their cue(提示) to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did—facing the orchestra(管弦乐队) which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” came to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection(视察) by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shiny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely linked to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. For example, when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse. 
【小题1】How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?     

A．1.

B．2.

C．3.

D．4.

【小题2】What’s the meaning of “to face the music”?

A．To face something far less pleasant.	B．To face the stage.
C．To face the back of one’s horse.	D．To face one’s leader.

【小题3】The underlined word “hostile” means ________.

A．unfriendly

B．dislike

C．unkind

D．unnecessary

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while—then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality(好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!
【小题1】The writer of this passage must be ________.

A．an American

B．a Chinese

C．a professor

D．a student

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

A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

【小题3】From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ________.

A．warmly welcomed at the airport	B．offered a ride to his/her home
C．treated hospitably at his/her home	D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

【小题4】The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ________.

A．strict with time	B．willing to spend time
C．careful with time	D．serious with time

【小题5】A suitable title for this passage would probably be “________”.  

A．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships	B．Americans’ hospitality
C．Friendships between Chinese	D．Friendships between Americans

In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap water(自来水) before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing times for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Servings in restaurants are often large, too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself. Supper and dinner are both words for the evening meal. Some people have “Sunday dinner”. This is an especially big noon meal.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.
【小题1】Which statement is TRUE?

A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know.

B．A hostess always seats a small group at a large table.

C．American people never sit with people they don’t know.

D．American people will not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking.

【小题2】What is served before you order?

A．Bread

B．Butter

C．Coffee

D．Cold water

【小题3】What are the opening and closing times for stores and restaurants in the US?

A．There are no rules about opening and closing times for stores and restaurants.

B．Stores may be open 24 hours a day in every city.

C．Especially in large cities, stores may be open around the clock.

D．You can enter a bar at any time in the US.

1826, a Frenchman named Niepce needed pictures for his business .But he was not a good artist.So he invented a very simple camera (照相机).He put it in a window of his house and took a picture of his garden .That was the first photo.
The next important date in the history of photography was 1837. That year, Daguerre, another Frenchman, took a picture of his studio. He used a new kind of camera and a different processs. In his pictures, you could see everything very clearly, even the smallest details. This kind of photograph was called a daguerreotype.
Soon, other people began to use Daguerre's process. Travellers brought back daguerreotypes from all around the world. People photographed famous buildings, cities and mountains.
In about 1840, the process was improved. Now photographers could take pictures of people and moving things. The process was not simple. The photographers had to carry lots of film and processing equipment. But this did not stop the photographers, especially in the United States, where from the 1840s daguerreotype artists were popular in most cities.
Mathew Brady was a well-known American photographer. He took many pictures of famous people. The pictures were unusual because they were very life-like and full of personality.
Brady was also the first person to take pictures of war. His 1862 Civil War pictures showed dead soldiers and ruined cities. They made the war seem more real and more terrible
In the 1880s, new inventions began to change photography. Photographers could buy film readymade in rolls. So they did not have to make the film immediately. They could bring it back to their studios and develop it later, meaning that they did not have to carry lots of equipment. And finally, the invention of the small handheld camera made photography less expensive.
With the small camera, anyone could be a photographer. People began to use cameras just for fun. They took pictures of their families, friends and favourite places. They called these pictures "snapshots".
Photographs became very popular in newspapers in the 1890s. Soon magazines and books also used documentary photographs. These pictures showed true events and people. They were much more real than drawings.
Photography had turned into a form of art by the beginning of the 20th century. Some photographs were not just copies of the real world. They showed ideas and feelings, like other art forms.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about______________.

A．the invention of cameras

B．a kind of new art -- photography

C．the development of photography

D．the different uses of cameras in history

【小题2】 The first pictures of a war were taken by ____________.

A．a French photographer in the 1840s

B．an American photographer in the 1860s

C．a German reporter in the 1880s

D．a French artist in the 1890s

【小题3】 Which of the following statements is TRUE about the photography in the 19th century?

A．It was mainly based on the invention of the first photograph.

B．Photographers were popular in the United States because they carried lots of equipment.

C．Photographers used to make film themselves and developed it immediately after taking a photo.

D．Small handheld cameras made it possible for anyone to become a gifted photographer.

【小题4】In which order are the following statements mentioned in the passage?
a. Photographs became popular in newspapers.
b. Photographers carried processing equipment when taking pictures.
c. The invention of small handheld cameras made photography easier.
d. Daguerre invented a kind of photograph called daguerreotype.
e. Brady took pictures of famous people.

A．e,a, d, b, c	B．d, b, e, c, a
C．b, e, c, a, d	D．d, c, e, a , b

【小题5】 Photography can also be an art form because artists can ____________.

A．take anything they like

B．keep a record of real life

C．take photos of the famous

D．show ideas and feelings in pictures

Ways to Deal with the Problem of Energy
There are different ways in which people try to deal with the problem of energy.One way is the greater production of common energy sources,such as coal,oil and gas.The trouble with these sources,however,is that they are not renewable.
Another way is energy conservation(节能),which means using energy more efficiently.In some very cold countries people build special houses to save energy.They place materials between the inside and the outside of the walls of the house to keep the cold out and warmth in.The house is heated by the lights,the body heat of the people and the other equipment in it.
Finally,renewable energy sources are used even though they are often expensive to develop.One form of these is geothermal energy.In certain parts of the world the temperature of the earth increases thirty degrees centigrate with each kilometer down.At six kilometers,therefore,it rises to nearly 200degrees.To get the heat,water is pumped down into the rocks and back up to the surface.Heat from the earth is already used in certain countries.
【小题1】The writer tells about “the special houses”because they______.

A．show the excellent skills of the builders

B．serve as an example of the energy conservation

C．are heated by different sources of energy

D．are warmer than other types of energy

【小题2】The underlaned words”geothermal energy”in the third paragraph mean____.

A．renewable source	B．underground source
C．heat inside the earth	D．temperature of the earth

【小题3】At a place where the surface temperature is 15degrees centigrade,how deep do you have to dig so as to get a temperature of 75 degrees centigrade?

A．One km.

B．Two km.

C．Three km.

D．Four km.

To communicate well with other people,you must learn to speak well,right?
Yes,but speaking isn’t everything.Some experts say that only thirty percent of communication comes from talking.Your gestures and other non-verbal(非语言的)actions matter,too.But in different cultures,the same action can have different meanings.
When you have to meet someone from a different culture,be prepared.Do you know what kind of gestures and customs are appropriate(合适的)？If you understand culture differences,you’ll be a better communicator—even before you open your mouth!
In many Western cultures,men stand up before they are introduced to someone important.Standing up shows politeness and respect.After that,somepne usually offers to shake hands.
But in the east,typical(典型的)introductions often begin and end with bowing(鞠躬)rather than shaking hands.Sometimes even a small nod(点头) of the head is enough.Some Westerners visiting Asia misunderstand shaking hands as a sign of unfriendliness.Such a mistake could be harmful to the start of a new frienship.
【小题1】According to the passage,which of the following is true?

A．All experts agree that only 30% of communication comes from talking.

B．Typical introductions often begin and end with shaking hands in Western culture.

C．In different countries,the same gesture may mean different meaning.

D．If you don’t know the culture of a country , you will not misunderstand the gesture.

【小题2】What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．Misunderstanding will stop the frienship from developing.

B．Nodding is just OK.

C．Introduction can build friendship.

D．Shaking hands is most important.

【小题3】Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．You must stand up when you are introduced.

B．You should show your politeness when you are introduced.

C．You will do the same when you are introduced.

D．Our gestures and other nonverbal actions are very important.

【小题4】How do you understand the underlined sentence?

A．Before you speak.

B．Knowing the different cultures is clever.

C．As soon as you talk.

D．Understanding the different cultures can help you communicate well.

Teacher’s Day around the world is not celebrated on the same day. In some countries, Teacher’s Day is celebrated on working days. However, in other countries, it is celebrated on holidays. Here we are giving you a list of countries that celebrate Teacher’s Day on holidays.
China
Teacher’s Day was proposed (提议) at National Central University in 1931. It was adopted (采纳) by the central government of Republic of China in 1932. In 1939, the day was set on August 27, Confucius’s birthday. The government of the People’s Republic of China called it off in 1951. It was reestablished in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10. Now more and more people are trying to celebrate Teacher’s Day back to Confucius’s birthday.
India
In India, Teacher’s Day is celebrated on September 5, in honor of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India，because his birthday was September 5.
Russia
In Russia, Teacher’s Day is on October 5. Before 1994, this day was set on the first Sunday of September.
The USA
In the United States, Teacher’s Day is a holiday on the Tuesday of the first full week of May.
Thailand
January 16 was adopted as Teacher’s Day in Thailand by a resolution (决议) of the government on November 21, 1956. The first Teacher’s Day was celebrated in 1957.
Iran
In Iran, Teacher’s Day is celebrated on May 2 every year. It is in honor of the famous Iranian professor Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari who died on May 2, 1980.
Although different countries celebrate Teacher’s Day on different days, the activities people take to celebrate it just stay the same.
【小题1】The best title for the passage is ____.

A．Teacher’s Day around the world	B．The history of Teacher’s Day
C．Activities on Teacher’s Day	D．How to celebrate Teacher’s Day

【小题2】In which year was Teacher’s Day changed from August 27 to September 10 in China?

A．1931.

B．1939.

C．1951.

D．1985.

【小题3】In which country is Teacher’s Day celebrated in honor of its leader?

A．Iran.

B．India.

C．Russia.

D．Thailand.

【小题4】What will probably be discussed next?

A．How Teacher’s Day became popular in the world.

B．Which country is the first to celebrate Teacher’s Day.

C．What activities people take to celebrate Teacher’s Day.

D．Which country has the longest vacation for Teacher’s Day.

Every year, as Spring Festival draws near, most Chinese people will get excited to make preparation for the most important festival and make plan for the winter break. It is a little like Christmas in the United States, but there are some differences between the two festivals.
Both the major Chinese and the major Western holidays come during the cold season, and special food is expected. In western countries, cookies and cakes begin just after Thanksgiving in November and show up everywhere. Turkey, potatoes and other food come later. Similar thing happens in China. Entering lunar December, most families will make shopping plans for the coming big day and food is certainly one of the most important things to be considered. At the end of the month, both parents in each family will be very busy---the father is busy buying food while the mother is busy cooking.
A deeper similarity (相似处) is tradition. Christmas, as the letters “Christ” suggests, began as a holiday to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. Many people pray (祈祷) on this day. In China, people living in cities or towns, though they don’t plan to sow seeds（播种） this month, still celebrate on the big day for farmers.
Followers of both holidays are also different from each other. While Chinese people travel to the homes of elder relatives, Americans usually call or send cards. Westerners prefer Christmas carols to fireworks. In Christmas, many family gifts come together instead of one by one, since adults may have only one day free to celebrate.
But the most curious difference is about students. Chinese students going home for Spring Festival sometimes report that they get bored by the end of vacation, yet American students seldom get bored around Christmas and western New Year.
Not everyone enjoys classic holiday traditions. Students in western countries may get upset, as too much homework, travel or bad family relations may destroy the short holiday season. In China, more and more college students choose to travel or work during the winter holiday instead of going home to stay with their families. It’s against the tradition but many people accept it.
【小题1】What does “the coming big day” (Paragraph 2) refer to?

A．Christmas	B．Thanksgiving Day
C．the New Year’s Day	D．the Spring Festival

【小题2】The second and the third paragraphs mainly talk about ________.

A．the similarities between Christmas and the Spring Festival

B．the differences between Christmas and the Spring Festival

C．the preparations for Christmas and the Spring Festival

D．the history of Christmas and the Spring Festival

【小题3】What does the writer mainly want to tell us in this passage?

A．Food in different festivals.

B．Differences between two festivals.

C．Festivals in China and western countries.

D．Traditional celebrations in different countries.

So you thought the hamburger was the world’s most popular fast food? After all, McDonald’s Golden Arches span（跨越）the globe（全球）. But no, there is another truly universal fast food, the ultimate（极好的）fast food. It’s easy to make, easy to serve, much more varied than the hamburger, can be eaten with the hands and it’s delivered to your front door or served in fancy restaurants. It’s been one of America’s favourite foods for over 50 years. It is, of course, the pizza.
It’s kind of silly to talk about the moment when pizza was “invented”. It changed over the years, but one thing’s for certain—it’s been around for a very long time. The idea of using pieces of flat, round bread as plates came from the Greeks. They called them “plakuntos” and ate them with various simple toppings（配料）such as oil, garlic（大蒜）, onions and herbs. The Romans enjoyed eating something similar and called it “picea”. By about 1000 AD in the city of Naples, “picea” had become “pizza” and people were experimenting with more toppings: cheese, ham, anchovies and finally the tomato, brought to Italy from Mexico and Peru in the sixteenth century. Naples became the pizza capital of the world. In 1889, King UmbertoⅠand Queen Margherita heard about pizza and asked to try it. They invited pizza maker, Raffele Esposito, to make it for them. He decided to make the pizza like the Italian flag, so he used red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese and green basil leaves. The Queen loved it and the new pizza was named “Pizza Margherita” in her honour.
Pizza went to America with the Italians at the end of the nineteenth century. The first pizzeria in the United States was opened in 1905 at 53 Spring Street, New York City, by Gennaro Lombardi. But the popularity of pizza really exploded when American soldiers returned from Italy after World WarⅡ and raved about(夸赞) “that great Italian dish”. Americans are now the greatest producers and consumers of pizza in the world.
【小题1】Which is the correct order of the changes of pizza?

A．Plakuntos→pizza→picea	B．Pizza→plakuntos→picea
C．Picea→plakuntos→pizza	D．Plakuntos→picea→pizza

【小题2】Why are Mexico and Peru important in the development of pizza?

A．Because pizza first became popular in these countries.

B．Because pizza was invented in these countries.

C．Because one topping was brought to Italy from these countries.

D．Because people there are the greatest consumers of pizza.

【小题3】What do the Italian flag and a Pizza Margherita have in common?

A．There is a picture of a Pizza Margherita.	B．They have the same colours.
C．Both of them represent Italy.	D．They are both popular in Italy.

【小题4】When did pizza become really popular in the United States?
A. After 1945.      B. In 1889.     C. In 1905.         D. By 1000AD.
【小题5】What’s the best title of the passage?

A．McDonald’s and Pizza	B．Global Pizza
C．Pizza in the United States	D．How to Make Pizza

It's not a new phenomenon, but have you noticed how many nouns are being used as verbs? We all use them, often without noticing what we're doing.
I was arranging to meet someone for dinner last week, and I said “I’ll pencil it in my diary”, and my friend said “You can ink it in”, meaning that it was a firm arrangement not a tentative one!
Many of these new verbs are linked to new technology. An obvious example is the word fax. We all got used to sending and receiving faxes, and then soon started talking about faxing something and promising we'd fax it immediately. Then along came email, and we were soon all emailing each other madly. How did we do without it? I can hardly imagine life without my daily emails.
Email reminds me, of course, of my computer and its software, which has produced another couple of new verbs. On my computer I can bookmark those pages from the World Wide Web that I think I'll want to look at again, thus saving all the effort of remembering their addresses and calling them up from scratch. I can do the same thing on my PC, but there I don't bookmark; I favorite—coming from “favorite pages”, so the verb comes from an adjective not a noun. 
Now my children bought me a mobile phone, known simply as a mobile and I had to learn yet more new verbs. I can message someone, that is, I can leave a message for them on their phone. Or I can text them, write a few words suggesting when and where to meet, for example. How long will it be before I can mobile them, that is, phone them using my mobile? I haven’t heard that verb yet, but I’m sure I will soon. Perhaps I’ll start using it myself!
【小题1】“I’ll pencil it in my diary” in the second paragraph probably means         .

A．it was a firm arrangement

B．he prefers a pencil to a pen

C．the arrangement should be written as a diary

D．it was an uncertain arrangement

【小题2】A website address can be easily found if it has been______.

A．favorited

B．messaged

C．emailed

D．texted

【小题3】Which of the following has not been used as a verb yet?

A．message

B．mobile

C．email

D．page

【小题4】The best title for this passage is____.

A．Technology and Language.

B．Development of the English language

C．New Technology and New words

D．New Verbs from Nouns