In Britain you may often hear “Drop in any time” or “Come to see me soon”, but you can’t really do that. People just say those things to make you feel welcome. It is better to telephone before visiting someone at home. If you receive a written invitation to an event that says “RSVP”, you should reply to let the person who sent the invitation know whether or not you plan to go.
You should never accept an invitation unless you really plan to go. You may refuse by saying. “Thank you for inviting me, but I will not be able to com.” If, after accepting, you are unable to go, be sure to tell those who are expecting you as soon as possible that you will not be there. Although it is not necessarily expected that you give a gift to your host, it is considered polite to do so, especially if you have been invited for a meal. Flowers, chocolate, or a small gift are appropriate(合适的). A thank-you note or telephone call after the visit is also considered polite and is an appropriate way to express your appreciation for the invitation.
【小题1】What can you do when a British friend says, “Drop in anytime”?
a.      Visit him or her at any time.
b.      Say no to him or her seriously.
c.      Telephone him or her before visiting.
【小题2】What does the word “RSVP” probably mean in Chinese?
a. 请自便     b.请回复    c.请审阅
【小题3】What should you do if your British friend sends you an invitation but you do not want to go?
a. Do not give him or her an answer.
b. Tell another friend to go instead of you.
c. Tell him or her that you can’t be there for some reason.
【小题4】 Which of the following is considered impolite in Britain?
a. Buy small presents when invited.
b. Refuse the invitation without telling anyone.
c. Write a thank-you note after a visit.
【小题5】Where would you probably see this passage?
a. In an invitation  b. In a guidebook  c. On a poster

There are hundreds of funny and strange expressions in the English language. A lot of them include country names or nationalities. Take these examples:

The Dutch（丹麦人）are the target of most English expressions about nationalities. Why are there so many jokes about the Dutch in English? And what do these expressions mean? In the 17th and early 18th centuries, there were three wars between the British and the Dutch, and Dutch became a bad word. So double Dutch means something that has no meaning or is impossible to understand. A Dutch uncle is someone who gives much stronger advice than they need to. There are later expressions, which are funnier and kinder, like to go Dutch, which is nowadays a popular expression. It means to pay for your part of a bill. This often happens when a group of friends have a meal together, and each person pays for the food they ate. I’m a Dutchman is another commonly used expression. This means not being able to believe something.

An expression with a similar meaning to double Dutch is it’s all Greek to me, which means I don’t understand. The expression was made famous in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar although the expression is actually hundreds of years older.

If you take French leave, you are not present or leave somewhere without permission. For example, you could take French leave from a classroom or the place where you work. This expression is from the 18th century when French people left parties without saying goodbye to the host or hostess.

There are Chinese whispers, which mean confused（令人困惑的）messages. This describes the fact that a message can often change as it is passed from person to person. This expression comes from the First World War when foreigners were often confused by Chinese language.

Many people find English expressions confusing, but now that you know about some of them, you can easily have fun finding out many more funny English expressions.

1.Are there many jokes about the Dutch in English?

2.When did Dutch become a bad word?

3.What does “French leave” mean?

4.Which three expressions mentioned above have similar meanings?

5.What do the funny and strange expressions in the passage have in common?

Reading is an activity people enjoy a lot in their free time. Some like reading newspapers, and others enjoy novels or comic books. I like reading about the lives of great poeple. This always gives me a lot of ideas on how to make my own life better.
Great people are remembered not because they were handsome or beautiful, but because they did not give up when their lives were difficult. They used every opportunity to change their lives and make the world better.
One good example is Orville and Wilbur Wright, the two brothers who invented the airplane. The plane has made the world into a small village. Hard work, not good luck, is the reason why the Wright Brothers could invent this convenient machine and become remarkable people. Today we wtil remember them when we see planes in the sky.
When I feel sad, stories of great people always help me feel better. This is why I enjoy reading about great people’s lives.
【小题1】What does“This”mean in the first paragraph?

Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum(论坛) asking what “PK” meant.
“My family has been watching the ‘I Am the Singer’ singing competition TV programme. My little daughter asked me what ‘PK’ meant, but I had no idea,” explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, “PK” is short for “Player Kill”, in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the “I Am the Singer” singing competition, “PK” was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition raking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at Middle schools have also been finding their students using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand. A teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write the compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn’t understand.
“My ‘GG’ came back this summer from college. He told me I’ve grown up to be a ‘PLMM’. I loved to ‘FB’ with him together; he always took me to the ‘KPM’,” went one composition.
“GG” means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). “PLMM” is Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl).“FB” means Fu Bai (corruption).“KPM” is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s.
Some specialists welcome Internet jargons as a new development in language. If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, meaning an ugly looking femal) or a Qing Wa (frog, meaning an ugly looking male ) is, you will possibly be regarded as a CaiNiao!
【小题1】By writing the article, the writer tries to _________.