I have learnt a lot about Chinese life and culture while teaching in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province and found them very interesting．

First, family life is quite   36   in China． In the USA, many young people   37   home after they finish their education and start working． However, in China, it is   38   for people to live with their parents until they get married．   39  , many of my Chinese friends told me that their  40   lived with them and helped take care of them when they were children． It seems that Americans think independence is more important   41   the Chinese think family relationships are more important．

Bargaining is another   42   that I have tried to learn． In the USA, prices are   43   and you can’t ask for a lower price． However in some small Chinese stores and tourist places, you are   44   to bargain． My Chinese friends taught me to ask for 40 percent or 50 percent   45   the original price． If the salesperson doesn’t agree to my price, I should   46   to leave and he might let me come back and sell me the item． It is a skill that you have to   47   if you live in China．

Tipping hasn’t been easier to   48  ． In the USA, many people in the service   49   want to get   50   money for serving customers． Tipping is not a part of Chinese culture．   51   I tried to tip a taxi driver． He looked a little   52   and refused to take the money．

In dinners, perhaps what surprises an American visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their   53  ． Actually, this is a   54   of true friendship and politeness． My Chinese friend told me if I didn’t want to eat it, I should just   55   the food in the plate．

1.A． unique            B． different       C． private         D． harmonious

2.A． come              B． build           C． leave           D． abandon

3.A． regular           B． true            C． common          D． usual

4.A． Also              B． However         C． Therefore       D． Although

5.A． parents           B． relatives       C． babysitters     D． grandparents

6.A． while             B． since           C． when            D． as

7.A． way               B． custom          C． lesson          D． habit

8.A． made              B． agreed          C． charged         D． set

9.A． expected          B． taught          C． suggested       D． required

10.A． up               B． away            C． off             D． on

11.A． promise          B． pretend         C． decide          D． hope

12.A． tolerate         B． understand      C． practise        D． consider

13.A． adjust to        B． turn to         C． refer to        D． stick to

14.A． area             B． department      C． branch          D． industry

15.A． easy             B． extra           C． pocket          D． prize

16.A． Often            B． Once            C． Sometimes       D． Before

17.A． excited         B． satisfied       C． frightened      D． confused

18.A． own              B． children        C． neighbors       D． guests   

19.A． signal           B． mark            C． sign            D． feature

20.A． leave            B． remain          C． put             D． taste

 

DIY sailor Owen Warboys has finally launched his homemade boat — after spending nearly 30 years building it in his mum’s garden.

Owen, 66, a retired engineer from Hordle, New Milton, Hants, first started work on the 40ft—long boat in 1982 because he could not afford to buy his own. He told mum Edith that it would only take five years but after suffering “a few problems” it lasted nearly three decades.

When he finally finished, he was left with the head-scratching task of getting the 18-tonne boat out of the back garden. After some time he found a way. A huge crane (起重机) was brought in to carefully raise it 40ft in the air over his mother’s house and onto a lorry. It was then driven to the seaside and, to Owen’s delight, it floated and showed no signs of leaking when lowered into the water.

Now, 28 years after he first started, Owen is at last preparing to set sail in his beloved boat, Wight Dolphin, with his long-suffering wife Anne. Owen said, “I am so relieved that it’s finished. There were times when I thought it would never end but I’m the sort of person who likes to finish something once I’ve started.”

At first he persuaded his mum to let him do it in her garden and started taking in sheets of steel and pieces of wood. “My mother was happy for me to build it at her house but only bacause I told her it would only take five years.”

1.Why did Owen decide to make his own boat by himself?

A．He wanted to kill time after his retirement

B．He wished to set a new world record

C．He didn’t have enough money to buy a boat

D．He had a hobby of making things by hand

2.What problem did Owen face when he finished his boat?

A．It leaked when lowered into the water

B．It couldn’t be sent onto a truck

C．He couldn’t afford to hire a crane.

D．He didn’t know how to move it out.

3.Which of the following is TRUE about the boat ?

A．It was built by Owen and his supportive wife

B．It was in good condition after being put in the sea

C．Owen’s mother was relieved to see it was finished

D．Owen and his wife will sail around the world in it

4.We can infer from the passage that _____.

A．the boat will enter a race competition

B．Owen retired early in order to make his boat

C．Owen’s wife gave the boat the name of Wight Dolphin

D．It took 23 more years to finish the boat than expected

 

It is often necessary to release a fish, that is , set it free after catching, because it is too small, or you just don’t want to take it home to eat. In some cases, releasing fish is a good measure that will help keep fish variety and build their population size. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) encourages fishermen who practice catch-and-release fishing to use a few simple skills when doing so. The advice provided below will help make sure that the fish you release will survive  to bite again another day.

—When catching a fish, play it quickly and keep the fish in the water as much as possible.

  Don’t’ use a net in landing the fish and release it quickly to prevent it from dying.

—Hold the fish gently. Do not put your fingers in its eyes. Don’t wipe the scales (鱼鳞) off the   fish because it might cause it to develop a disease and reduce its chance of survival.

—Remove your hook quickly. If the hook is too deep or hooked in the stomach, cut the line and leave the hook in. The hook left inside will cause no serious problem to the fish.

—Take good care of the fish by moving it gently in water. Release the fish when it begins to   struggle and is able to swim.

—Do not hold fish in a bucket or some other containers and later decide to release it. If you are   going to release a fish, do so right away.

With a little care and by following the suggestions given above, you can give the released fish a better chance of survival.

1.People sometimes set a fish free after catching it because they _________

   A. don’t want it to die                B. hope it will grow quickly

   C. don’t want to have it as food         D. want to practice their fishing skills

2.Which of the following will probably make a fish ill?

   A. Taking the hook off it.             B. Removing its scales.

   C. Touching its eyes.                 D. Holding it in your hand.

3.A proper way to release a fish is to _________.

   A .move it in water till it can swim          B. take the hook out of its stomach

   C. keep it in a bucket for some time         D. let it struggle a little in your hand

4.What is the purpose of the test?

   A. To show how to enjoy fishing.          B. To persuade people to fish less often.

   C. To encourage people to set fish free.     D. To give advice on how to release fish.

 

Daniel stays home on workdays. He starts his personal computer in order to connect with the office which is about three hundred miles away in another city. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Daniel doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Daniel is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.

The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals (终端) in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts. Many companies and consumers have already changed the way they sell or buy products. E-commerce, or business done on the Internet, is becoming more and more popular. This, therefore, makes it possible for people to do shopping without going out of their homes.

Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for example, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living-rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing as well. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living-rooms.

After work, Daniel likes to ______.

A. listen to music at the concert hall                B. watch a movie in his living-room

C. chat with his friends on the net                D. play baseball with his workmates

The underlined sentence “Daniel is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible” means ______.

A. Daniel is a person full of imagination and he can make his life colorful.

B. Daniel is not a real person but the lifestyle of his kind does exist.

C. Daniel is only an ordinary person but he has his own way of living.

D. Daniel is a model who makes full use of modern technology in life.

What will the writer most probably discuss after the last paragraph?

A. Games and sports                    B. Personal banking

C. Music and films                      D. International business

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. We may no longer need to communicate with other human beings.

B. Modern technology seems to be separating human beings.

C. We may no longer need to work in the office.

D. Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.

The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September, 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. Over one hundred people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.

The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King’s baker (面包师) in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window into the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery (面包房) into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.

By eight o’clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul’s and the Guildhall among them.

Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire, “People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat .”

The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.

After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect (建筑师), wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow, but he did build more than fifty churches, among them the mew St Paul’s

The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.

From the passage, we can learn that the fire began in ________.

A. a hotel　　　           B. the palace　　        C. Pudding Lane　　 D. Thames Street

The underlined word “family” in the second paragraph means ________.

A. wife and husband　　      B. wife and children　   C. home                  D. children

It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that ________.

A. many famous buildings were destroyed

B. some people lost their lives

C. the birds in the sky were killed by the fire

D. the King’s bakery was burned down

Why did the writer cite (引用) Samuel Pepys?

A. Because Pepys was among those putting out the fire.

B. Because Pepys also wrote about the fire.

C. Because he wanted to give the reader a clearer picture of the fire.

D. Because he wanted to show that poor people suffered most.

How was the fire put out according to the text?

A. The King and his soldiers came to help.

B. Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled down.

C. All the wooden houses in the city were destroyed.

D. People managed to get enough water from the river.