BUILDING up a close bond (关系) with friends is important in all cultures. But different cultures have different ways of socializing.
The Chinese love going to restaurants. Family, friends and colleagues all go out to eat as a way of relaxing. So Chinese restaurants are much louder and noisier places compared with those in the Western world.
Although British people do socialize by going out for dinner, most people meet in pubs. They go there in the evening and sometimes during the day. Most people order wine or beer.
Going for a drink with colleagues after work is a particularly important British tradition. A recent survey of office workers found three-quarters of people regard the after-work drink as the key to building positive relationships with colleagues.
But for the French, the preferred place to socialize is in cafés. They are a central part of daily life in France and its culture. People will go to cafes at all times during the day.
In the morning, people may go there to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee. At lunch they may go there for something to eat. Then when it's evening they may return to enjoy a glass of wine.
While the meeting place is different from culture to culture, "Essentially (本质上) they serve the same purpose, which is that humans need a place to come together to meet," said Aidan Saunders, a professor of social history at the University College London. "We are sociable animals."
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?      

Mobile phones are an important business tool for farmers in rural areas. But they also put a valuable educational tool in their hands.
The University of Illinois in the United States has a project called SAWBO—Scientific Animations Without Borders. It produces educational videos that can be downloaded to cell phones. The goal is to help people in developing countries improve their lives.
One video shows farmers how to make a natural insecticide from neem seeds to prevent insect damage to crops. The process starts with sorting and drying the neem fruits. Then let the fruit dry in the sun for about three or four days, until they become brown. Using a mortar(碾槌) and stick, the fruits are slightly pounded to remove the shells from the fruits without breaking the seed inside.
The videos use computer animation(动画). Some of the animated characters are a little funny looking-like a farmer with a long nose. But the subjects are serious, including a health video on preventing cholera(霍乱). Team member Francisco Seufferheld says the information in the videos is meant to be quickly understood. He says, “The information is digested in such a way that in two minutes, we can transmit a complex idea.”
The researchers tested the seven-minute video on seven mobile phones. They wanted to see if people would share the video using Bluetooth wireless technology. With Bluetooth, files can be passed to a nearby phone even if neither phone is connected to the Internet. As a result, in one month, the video had spread to one hundred eighteen people in fifty different villages. “This is just incredible impact,” said Francisco Seufferheld.
The team has made a few videos so far. These are available in a total of eighty languages, dialects and accents. Professor Barry Pittendrigh says there are plans for more videos later this year.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?

第二节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1．5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know a new classmate．I  36  to look around when a gentle hand  37  my shoulder．I turned around to find a wrinkled, little  38  lady looking up at me with a smile．
She said, “Hi．My name is Rose．I’m eighty-seven years old．Can I give you a hug?” I laughed and  39  responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant（巨大的） squeeze．
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent  40 ?”I asked．“I always  41  having a college education and now I’m getting  42    !” she told me．
Later, we became close friends．Every day we would leave class together and she  43  her wisdom and experience with me．Over the  44  of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she  45    made friends wherever she went．
At the  46  of the semester（学期）we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet（宴会）．I’ll  47  forget what she taught us．When she was introduced, frustrated and a little embarrassed, she cleared her  48  and said, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we  49  old because we stop playing．There are only two secrets to staying  50   , being happy, and achieving success．You have to  51  and find humor every day．You’ve got to have a dream．When you  52  your dreams, you die．”
One week after graduation Rose died  53  in her sleep．Many college students attended her funeral in tribute to（悼念）the wonderful woman who taught  54  example that it’s never too  55  to be all you can possibly be．
36．A．lay down        B．stood up      C．fell off            D．went out
37．A．touched  B．felt         C．wounded      D．clapped
38．A．beautiful   B．young        C．old         D．kind-hearted
39．A．sadly       B．coldly       C．absently        D．enthusiastically
40．A．age        B．speed        C．point          D．year
41．A．talked about B．tried out     C．looked forward D．dreamed of
42．A．those     B．one           C．that          D．they 
43．A．learned     B．told          C．shared       D．debated
44．A．course     B．path          C．distance     D．road
45．A．easily      B．rarely         C．unwillingly    D．strangely
46．A．middle   B．beginning      C．end           D．top  
47．A．ever     B．never        C．still           D．already
48．A．throat    B．face          C．nose         D．eyes 
49．A．grow       B．prove              C．look          D．stay   
50．A．rich     B．healthy         C．cheerful           D．young    
51．A．eat       B．cry          C．laugh        D．shout   
52．A．have      B．lose          C．get          D．keep   
53．A．bitterly  B．fortunately    C．peacefully       D．hopefully
54．A．to        B．for          C．in                D．by    
55．A．early       B．bad          C．good         D．late 

"I've changed my mind．I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my daddy back．" Lucien Lawrence's letter to Father Christmas, written after his schoolteacher father had been knifed to death outside his school gale, must have touched every heart．Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars in the sky．When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stare for a while．
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again．And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart．I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than 1 ever did when they were alive．I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions．I remember that when I became a professor,! was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn't wait to call my parents．The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all Mother said was "I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!" I haven't forgotten．The values of my parents still live on．
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care．Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors （挑衅者）, and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas'' It's a serious thought, one to give me pause．
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet " Deliver my soul from the sword（剑）, and my darling from the power of the dog．" Yet I know the death comes to us all,
and sometimes comes suddenly．We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die
tomorrow．We live on, I'm sure, in the lives of those we loved．and therefore we ought to have a care
for what they will remember and what they will treasure．If more parents knew this in their hearts to
be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today．
【小题1】According to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ______．

Gallows humor（黑色幽默）seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress. “Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it's not,” says James M. Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.
Psychologists say that just because you're laughing doesn't mean you’re wasting time. Occasional teasing among colleagues, particularly if it revolves around things associated with the job, can boost creativity, departmental cohesiveness（凝聚力）and performance.
“There are a lot of stressors out there,” says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist with the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning in Chicago. “But gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”
This is true as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people --- not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale（士气）in terms of the company would be good humor,” says Thierry Guedj, a professor of business and psychology at Boston University. “Before you say or do anything, think about, ‘How is this helping my employees’ morale?’”
You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance, or faith. If you have any doubt, it's appropriate, don't go through with it.
Or you can take aim at the one person you know won't be offended（冒犯）:Yourself. “If there's going to be a joke or story, it should be you,” Mr. Dunkelblau says. For example, if you're a marketing manager reviewing a failed campaign that you led, begin with a line like, “The guy who gave permission to this deal might just be looking for work next week.”
“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves too,” Mr. Jones says. “And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”
【小题1】According to the text, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT ________.