Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another countries，please follow their customs，just as the saying goes，“_________ .”

Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip（付小费）.It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags，taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

In England，make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to respect lines there. It’s a good idea to talk about the weather. It’s a favorite subject of conversation with the British.

In Spain，it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late，and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.

In Arab countries，men kiss one another on the cheek（脸颊）. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.

In Japan，people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card，don’t put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.

Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something In conversation. A kind of body language that is acceptable in one culture may be impolite in another.

1.When you travel to the USA，you don’t need to tip  __________.  

A．porters           B．waiters           C．taxi drivers        D．conductor

2.The missing sentence in the first paragraph should be“  __________ .”

A．Love me，love my dog .                  B．He who laughs last laughs best

C．When in Rome，do as the Romans do        D．Where there is a will，there is a way

3.The underline word “porters” in the passage means  __________. 

A．搬运工           B．清洁工           C．接线员           D．售票员

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

A．In Spain，People usually have dinner very early.

B．In England it’s a not polite to talk about the weather.

C．In Arab countries，men kiss one another on the cheek .

D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it.

5.What’s the best title of the passage ？

A. How to Tip                      B Body Language

C. When to Have Dinner         D. Advice to International Travelers

 

 

Angela Chang (张韶涵) didn’t know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career (失业). She went to many different record companies. But she was always turned down for looking too young and small.

“I’d never had such difficulties before,” Chang said. But Chang’s talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried.

She soon became a star. Her first album Over the Rainbow sold very well. She won many awards.

“You wouldn’t believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body,” said one musician after hearing Chang sing. “She has a special voice. You can’t forget it.”

But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP Valentine and At Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired (解雇). Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene (一场戏) right.

“I cried when I got back home,” Chang said. “But I knew that I wouldn’t always fail. You only fail when you give up.”

Now with four albums behind her - Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower in the Wonderland, it’s clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, “I have a pair of invisible wings (隐形的翅膀). They fly me to the skies and give me hope.”

1.The phrase “turned down” in the first paragraph means “______”.

         A. 承认                             B. 拒绝                             C. 开除                      D. 雇用

2. Many record companies refused to co-operate (合作) with her because ______.

         A. she looks very common                                          B. she is too young

         C. she doesn’t sing very well                                 D. she looks young and small

3. Although acting is difficult for her, she never gives up because ______.

         A. she is strong-minded                                          B. people like her films 

         C. she is interested in acting                                               D. she acted in the popular TV plays

4.Which do you think is the best title of the passage?

         A. The Small Girl.                                                           B. Four Albums.

        C. I have a Pair of Invisible Wings.                 D. A Poor Actress.

 

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.

Afternoon tea

    People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供应) to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

Will you come for coffee?

Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.

Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange

In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(伦敦股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.

1.Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ______.

   A. enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

   B. loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

   C. wanted to share nice food with her friends

   D. found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

2.What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

   A. 集体婚礼       B. 社交活动       C. 社区表演      D. 公共场合

3. If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee,” you ______.

   A. will be offered coffee only       

 B. are asked what you would like to drink

   C. will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D. you are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

4. From the last paragraph we can see______

   A. a new business was started in coffeehouses.

   B. coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers.

   C. businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee.

   D. most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise.

5. Which is the best title of the article?

   A. British and Chinese cultures.        B. The beginning of Tea and Coffee.

   C. Coffeehouse and Business.          D. English tea and coffee culture.  

 

I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s for Elizabeth.”

I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter

They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.

As years passed I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.

I posted the letter and waited for her answer. None came.

My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace—it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.

Now the present of her desk told, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside--- a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.

Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose. Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.

1.The writer began to love her mother’s desk____________.

   A. after Mother died.

   B. before she became a writer.

   C. when she was a child

   D. when Mother gave it to her

2. The passage shows that _____________.

   A. mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter

   B. mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done

   C. mother cared much about her daughter in words

   D. mother wrote to her daughter in careful words

3.The word “gulf” in the passage means ____________.

   A. deep understanding between the old and the young

   B. different ideas between the mother and the daughter

   C. free talks between mother daughter

   D. part of the sea going far in land

4.What did mother do with her daughter’s letter?

   A. She had never received the letter.

   B. For years, she often talked about the letter.

   C. She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life.

   D. She read the letter again and again till she died.

5.What is the best title of the passage?

   A. My Letter to Mother        B. Mother and Children

   C. My Mother’s Desk         D. Talks between Mother and Me

 

Barack Obama, a black man, is the president of the United States now. He was born in August ,1961, in Hawaii and has lived in many places. His mother was from Kansas and his father was from Kenya. Obama went to Columbia University in Massachusetts. His wife is Michelle Obama. She also worked as a lawyer and later worked for the University of Chicago. They have two young daughters.

Obama wrote a book Dreams from my father. “ I always live in the dream of my father and American people,” Obama once said. He was born in a poor family. And he was taken good care of by his grandparents when he was young. He also lived and worked in Africa. Then he got good education in Harvard University. In 2008, he became the first black president in the history of America.

1. Where was Barack Obama born?____________

A. In Hawaii    B. In Kansas    C. In massachusetts  D. In Harvard

2. Barack Obama became president at the age of ____________.

A. 37          B.47            C. 57      D. 51

3. Which is the best title of this passage?_____________

A. Education of a president   B. Dreams from my father

C. Life of Barack Obama    D. Where is Obama from