Have you ever thought of taking a train and having an adventure (奇遇)？Riding the train can be a real adventure.That is how I feel every time I take Amtrak.I often take a four?hour trip to visit my children.Every time I take this trip I never know what will happen.

Last week when I was on the train and over an hour into the train ride，there was a man sitting by himself in the back of the train carrying on a mobile phone conversation— in another language.It was loud and disturbed most of the people on the train.I think it was annoying.

Fortunately I sat next to a wonderful old lady who was taking a two?day trip by train.She said her two daughters were distraught at the thought of her driving for three days to reach her home，although she had no trouble driving.The train ride was the only choice for her.She loved to look out of the window and watch the world go by on the train.

She was fun to talk to and asked me when my children started being parents.That is a very good question.Both of us are old and have children.She asked that same question from time to time.

There are always many people on the train from all walks of life，different countries，and many languages.Riding the train is a great way to increase your knowledge and take in all kinds of cultures.If you get hungry，you can buy food in the food car at any time.If you need to use the restroom there is always one available.

It sure beats driving the car，which has to stop for food and restrooms.And it is better than taking the bus.

1．According to the passage，the purpose of the author’s train ride was________.

A．to do business　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．to see her children

C．to visit places of interest 　　　　　　　　　 D．to see her old friends

2．Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “distraught” in Paragraph 3?

A．Disappointed. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B．Satisfied.

C．Worried. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D．Pleased.

3．Which of the following is TRUE about the old lady sitting next to the author?

A．She is too old to drive now.

B．She does not like to take trains.

C．Although she is old，she has a good memory.

D．Her daughters live far away from her home.

4．In the author’s opinion，on the train Amtrak________.

A．the services are quite good

B．the food is terribly expensive

C．all the passengers are polite

D．all the passengers are American

5．What is the best title for this passage?

A．Train ride—a cultural experience

B．A painful experience on the train

C．The history of Amtrak

D．A wonderful lady

Are you still doing the V for victory sign? It’s out. The latest popular hand gesture（手势）is to curl both of your hands and put them together to make a heart—shape. Known as “hand heart”, many young stars in the US including Justin Bieber , Blake Lively and Taylor Swift have done the move in recent photos.
“The heart — hand gesture means something between ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’, ”said the country singer Taylor Swift,21.”It’s a sweet, simple message which you can send without saying a word.”
Taylor Swift often puts her hands above her head in the heart shape at her concerts. And she is believed to be the first to make the gesture popular.
Last month during a charity show, Justin Bieber and his superstar friends did it to help out three kids whose parents were killed in a car accident. The gesture became a real hit after that.
“It used to take longer for nonverbal（不用语言的）culture to move. But now ,with smart phones and the Internet, it’s much faster,” said Patti Wood, an American language expert.
In the Republic of Korea, the hand heart has been popular for a long time, in a different way. People there like making a “bigger heart” by putting their hands above their heads and making a heart shape with their arms. It means: “I love you.”
【小题1】When we want to express ideas, we often move our hands to mean something besides language. Do you know the meaning of this gesture(手势)?

A．Good luck.	B．We’ve won.
C．Everything is all right.	D．Best wishes.

【小题2】Who is the first to make the heart — hand gesture popular?

A．Justin Bieber

B．Blake Lively

C．Patti Wood

D．Taylor Swift

【小题3】A charity show is a show that is put on to.

A．help the people in need	B．make a gesture popular
C．express your love or thanks	D．show your special gesture

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true?

A．Smart phones and the Internet are improving fast.

B．Smart phones and the Internet used to take longer time in use.

C．It’s much easier for nonverbal culture to reach more people.

D．It takes nonverbal culture a long time to become popular.

Are you still doing the V for victory sign? It’s out. The latest popular hand gesture（手势）is to curl both of your hands and put them together to make a heart—shape. Known as “hand heart”, many young stars in the US including Justin Bieber , Blake Lively and Taylor Swift have done the move in recent photos.
“The heart — hand gesture means something between ‘I love you’ and ‘thank you’, ”said the country singer Taylor Swift,21.”It’s a sweet, simple message which you can send without saying a word.”
Taylor Swift often puts her hands above her head in the heart shape at her concerts. And she is believed to be the first to make the gesture popular.
Last month during a charity show, Justin Bieber and his superstar friends did it to help out three kids whose parents were killed in a car accident. The gesture became a real hit after that.
“It used to take longer for nonverbal（不用语言的）culture to move. But now ,with smart phones and the Internet, it’s much faster,” said Patti Wood, an American language expert.
In the Republic of Korea, the hand heart has been popular for a long time, in a different way. People there like making a “bigger heart” by putting their hands above their heads and making a heart shape with their arms. It means: “I love you.”
【小题1】When we want to express ideas, we often move our hands to mean something besides language. Do you know the meaning of this gesture(手势)?

A．Good luck.	B．We’ve won.
C．Everything is all right.	D．Best wishes.

【小题2】Who is the first to make the heart — hand gesture popular?

A．Justin Bieber

B．Blake Lively

C．Patti Wood

D．Taylor Swift

【小题3】A charity show is a show that is put on to.

A．help the people in need	B．make a gesture popular
C．express your love or thanks	D．show your special gesture

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true?

A．Smart phones and the Internet are improving fast.

B．Smart phones and the Internet used to take longer time in use.

C．It’s much easier for nonverbal culture to reach more people.

D．It takes nonverbal culture a long time to become popular.

You may feel curious (好奇的) about students in other countries: Do they also have so much homework? What do they do in their free time?

    On April 8, a report came out on the lives of high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the US. It surveyed around 6,200 students from the four countries last year. You will find the answers to many of your questions in this report.

    Who studies hardest?

    Chinese students spend the most time studying. Nearly half of Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework every day. That’s much more than students of the US (26.4%), Japan (8.2%) and South Korea (5.2%).

    Who sleeps most often in class?

    Japanese students fall asleep in class most often. About 45% of them said they sometimes doze off in class. In South Korea, it’s 32%; in the US, 21%; and 5% in China.

    South Korean students don’t like taking notes. About 70% said they write down what the teacher says in class, much fewer than in Japan (93%), China (90%) and the US (89%).

    Who is the most distracted (分心的)?

    American students are the most active in class, but also the most distracted: 64.2% said they chat with friends in class; 46.9% said they eat snacks in class; and 38.9% said they send e-mails or read unrelated (无关的) books in class.

    What do they do after school?

    In their free time, most Chinese students study or surf the Internet. Most American students hang out with their friends. Most Japanese students do physical exercises. Most Korean students watch TV.

1.The report is about ___________.

A. the countries    B. the subjects     C. the students’ lives     D. the high schools

2.What country isn’t mentioned in the report?

A. The US        B. South Korea     C. Japan          D. India

3. ______ of the Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework.   

A. 26.4%         B.8.2 %           C. 5.2%              D. 48.6%

4.The phrase doze off means ______.

A. be half asleep     B. get up         C. eat snacks          D. send emails

5.What of the following sentences is Not true?

A. The survey from the four countries was made last year.

B. Most Japanese students do physical exercises after school.

C. About half of the American students chat with friends in class.

D. The students in South Korean don’t like taking notes in class.

 

You may feel curious (好奇的) about students in other countries: Do they also have so much homework? What do they do in their free time?
On April 8, a report came out on the lives of high school students in China, Japan, South Korea and the US. It surveyed around 6,200 students from the four countries last year. You will find the answers to many of your questions in this report.
Who studies hardest?
Chinese students spend the most time studying. Nearly half of Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework every day. That’s much more than students of the US (26.4%), Japan (8.2%) and South Korea (5.2%).
Who sleeps most often in class?
Japanese students fall asleep in class most often. About 45% of them said they sometimes doze off in class. In South Korea, it’s 32%; in the US, 21%; and 5% in China.
South Korean students don’t like taking notes. About 70% said they write down what the teacher says in class, much fewer than in Japan (93%), China (90%) and the US (89%).
Who is the most distracted (分心的)?
American students are the most active in class, but also the most distracted: 64.2% said they chat with friends in class; 46.9% said they eat snacks in class; and 38.9% said they send e-mails or read unrelated (无关的) books in class.
What do they do after school?
In their free time, most Chinese students study or surf the Internet. Most American students hang out with their friends. Most Japanese students do physical exercises. Most Korean students watch TV.
【小题1】The report is about ___________.

A．the countries

B．the subjects

C．the students’ lives

D．the high schools

【小题2】What country isn’t mentioned in the report?

A．The US

B．South Korea

C．Japan

D．India

【小题3】 ______ of the Chinese students spend more than two hours on their homework.   

A．26.4%

B．8.2 %

C．5.2%

D．48.6%

【小题4】The phrase doze off means ______.

A．be half asleep

B．get up

C．eat snacks

D．send emails

【小题5】What of the following sentences is Not true?

A．The survey from the four countries was made last year.

B．Most Japanese students do physical exercises after school.

C．About half of the American students chat with friends in class.

D．The students in South Korean don’t like taking notes in class.