Although English is not as old as Chinese , it is spoken by many people around the world every day. English speakers are always creating new words and we are often able to know where most words come from.
Sometimes, however, no one may really know where a word comes from.  Did you ever think about why hamburgers are called hamburgers, especially when they are not made with ham?  About a hundred years ago, some men went to America from Europe.  They came from a big city in Germany called Hamburg.  They didn’t speak good English, but they ate good food.  When some Americans saw them eating round piece of beef, they asked the Germans what it was.  The Germans didn’t understand the question and answered, “We come from Hamburg.”  One of these Americans owned a restaurant, and had an idea.  He cooked some round piece of bread and started selling them.  Such bread came to be called “hamburgers”.  Today, “hamburgers” are sold in many countries around the world.
Whether this story is true or not, it certainly is interesting.  Knowing why any word has a certain meaning is interesting, too.  This reason, for most English words, can be found in any large English dictionary

1. 1.

   Hamburg is ____________

   1. A.
      a kind of food
   2. B.
      a round piece of beef
   3. C.
      the name of a village
   4. D.
      a city in Germany
2. 2.

   According to the passage, ___________

   1. A.
      few Americans like hamburgers
   2. B.
      hamburgers are made with beef
   3. C.
      hamburgers are made with ham
   4. D.
      hamburgers were first sold about a century ago
3. 3.

   According to the writer, which of the following can often be found in any large English dictionary?

   1. A.
      Where all the new words come from
   2. B.
      Where those Germans came from
   3. C.
      The reason why a word has a certain meaning
   4. D.
      The reason why English is spoken around the world
4. 4.

   From the story, we can know that the word “hamburger” comes from ___________

   1. A.
      China because it has a long history
   2. B.
      English because Germans don’t speak good English
   3. C.
      The round piece of beef which those people from Hamburg were eating
   4. D.
      English speakers because they always create new words

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.

GOOD NEWS

Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.

Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与…匹敌)the US on this score.

Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.

Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.

Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

　　BAD NEWS

　　Poor service. “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

　　Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.

Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps(圈套).

　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint.

　　No air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.

　　Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.

1. What do tourists complain most?

　　A. Poor service.           　　B. Poor public transport.

C. Rain.               　　       D. Overpriced hotels.

2. What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?

A. Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US.

B. Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US.

C. Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US.

D. Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US.

3. When is alcohol not able to get?

　　A. At 9: 00 pm      B. At 10: 00 pm     C. At 11: 00 pm     D. At 12: 00 pm

4. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　　A. You have to pay to visit the museums.

　　B. It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there.

　　C. You cannot find Chinese food there.

    D. The public transport is poor there.

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages .

ADVANTAGES

Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works

Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与…匹敌)the US on this point.

Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going.

Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world .

Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

　　DISADVANTAGES

　　Poor service. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

　　Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.

　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint. 

　　Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Drinking hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.

What do tourists complain most?

　 A. Poor service.             　　B. Poor public transport.

C. Rain.                　　      D. Overpriced hotels.

When is alcohol not able to get?

　 A. At 9: 00 pm      B. At 10: 00 pm     C. At 11: 00 pm      D. At 12: 00 pm

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　 A. You have to pay to visit the museums.

　 B. Only clothing with brand names are sold in London .

　 C. You cannot find Chinese food there.

D. The public transport is poor there.

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages .
ADVANTAGES
Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与…匹敌)the US on this point.
Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going.
Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world .
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
　　DISADVANTAGES
　　Poor service. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
　　Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.
　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint. 
　　Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Drinking hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.
【小题1】What do tourists complain most?

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages .

ADVANTAGES

Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works

Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与…匹敌)the US on this point.

Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going.

Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world .

Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.

　　DISADVANTAGES

　　Poor service. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.

　　Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.

　　Rain. Still in the number one complaint. 

　　Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.

Drinking hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”.

1.What do tourists complain most?

　 A. Poor service.             　　B. Poor public transport.

C. Rain.                 　　      D. Overpriced hotels.

2. When is alcohol not able to get?

　 A. At 9: 00 pm      B. At 10: 00 pm     C. At 11: 00 pm      D. At 12: 00 pm

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　 A. You have to pay to visit the museums.

　 B. Only clothing with brand names are sold in London .

　 C. You cannot find Chinese food there.

D. The public transport is poor there.