If the rose can be said to be a special flower, then the apple can be said to be a special fruit. It is very important in American culture. American stories speak of Johnny Appleseed, who went throughout America collecting apple seeds and planting apple trees. He had a great love for nature and went through fields and farms adding richness and beauty to the country.
One of the first sayings taught to school children is, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This short saying encourages children to eat fresh fruit to keep healthy. If someone always says good words to a person, people will call him an “apple polisher”. This, however, is not a good name. If someone is very dear to us, we say that he or she is the “apple of our eye”.
Most people believe that the fruit which Eve gave to Adam was an apple, even though the Bible(圣经) never says so. The apple, therefore, is a deep part of the language and stories of America.
An apple is also delicious. Apples can be cooked in many ways, used as a dessert, and made into sweet juice.
In many parts of the country during the harvest season, a popular activity is to go into an apple garden to pick apples. Washington, D. C. and New York are both famous for their apples.
Finally, when it’s time to take a vacation to American cities, one can always visit New York, which is “the biggest apple” of all the American cities.
【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “apple polisher” mean?

A．Something for cutting apples.

B．A person who likes to please others.

C．A person who is dealing with fruits.

D．A machine for cleaning apples quickly.

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE with apples?

A．Apples are medicine.

B．Apples are the most important food.

C．New York is famous for its big apples.

D．The Bible says Adam was given an apple.

【小题3】The passage is mainly about                             .

A．stories about the apple

B．apples in American culture

C．some famous sayings of the apple

D．big cities that is famous for apples

Asking for information or help is a very common and necessary activity, especially when we visit a foreign country. So knowing how to ask for information politely is important. In English, "Where are the restrooms?" and "Could you please tell me where the restrooms are?" are similar requests—both are correct English, but the first could sound rude. It's important to use correct language, but sometimes this alone is not enough—we need to learn how to be polite when we make requests.

In English, just like in Chinese, we change the way we speak when talking with different people. The expressions you use might depend on whom you are speaking to or how well you know them. If you say to your teacher, "Where is my book?" this will sound rude. But if you say, "Excuse me, Mr West. Do you know where my book is?" your question will sound much more polite. On the other hand, it might be alright to say "Where is my book?" in some situations, perhaps with people you know well.

And you would not usually say, "Peter, lend me your pen. " A very direct order like this can sound rude in English. Usually in English polite questions are longer and include extra language, such as "Could you please...?" or "Can I ask...?" It sounds more polite to say, "Peter, could you please lend me your pen?" Sometimes we might even need to spend some time leading in to a question or request. For example, if you stop a stranger in the street, we might first say, "Excuse me. I wonder if you can help me. " or "I'm sorry to trouble you but," before asking them for help.

It might seem that speaking politely is more difficult than being direct, and in a way this may be true. However, in order not to offend people, learning about the language etiquette is just as important as learning grammar or vocabulary. And doing this will also help you become better at English, or any other language you wish to speak.

1. It's important to know how to_     _in English when we visit a foreign country.

2. When you talk with different people, you need to__       _.

3. Extra words are used to help__      ___.

4.._      _is as important as learning language structure.

5. How do you say " Don't smoke here. " politely? "_         __*

 

阅读下列图表，从每小题所给的A、B、C三个选项中，选出最佳选项回答问题或完成句子。（共5小题，计10分）

1.Millie doesn’t like ________.

   A homework   B. drawing   C reading 

2. Simon Webbe will come to Hong Kong on __________November 1 st, 2011.

   A. Monday    B. Saturday    C Sunday 

3. Which of the following is Not true?

   A There is going to be a party for Chinese New Year.

   B. Only the Chinese people can go to the party.

   C. The party will last 6 hours.

4.If 3 adults (成年人) and 2 eight –year-old children visit Changsha, they at least pay ________ for the tour.

   A ¥ 360   B. ¥ 410   C. ¥ 470

Changsha One –Day Sightseeing Tour

Adult: ¥ 100. 00

Senior Citizen/ Student: ¥ 60.00

Child(5-15 years): ¥ 50.00

Family (2 adults & 2children): ¥ 260.00

Complete tour lasts about 8 hours.     

 

5. From the information below, we know that _________.

  

   A. Ben only wants to live in a hotel of his own country.

   B. Joe feels lonely now.

   C. Elisa doesn’t want a pet now.

 

A week ago, Columbus Middle School asked the parents of their school to choose a sport for their child to play. Here’s some information about the sports.
Sports 1: Basketball
We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports. So students should sign up (报名) as soon as possible. Students will take a private bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park. Each student will have to pay $ 10 each time for the cost of the bus. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game.
Sports 2: Gym
We will use St. Peter’s Park. There are two reasons for choosing this park. First, it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 p.m. Second, it has lots of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent from being thirsty. All the activities here are free. And there will be a teacher on duty for each activity.
Sports 3: Hiking
Hiking (远足)will be at Kowloon Peak. The activity will start at 2:30 p.m. and finish 90 minutes later. There will be 15 students in each group. And three teachers will be with the students. This sport will cost $ 75 per hour. Students should take plenty of water and sunglasses.
Sports 4: Swimming
The Kowloon City Swimming Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and watch the students from the poolside. We will only be able to use the pool for one hour (2: 45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.). Only students skillful at swimming can take up this activity. The pool will have two lifeguards on watch. Girls must wear swimming suits. The cost is $ 15 per visit.
【小题1】The students of Columbus Middle School should __________.

A．sign up as soon as possible	B．choose a sport to play
C．ask their parents to play a sport	D．pay money for each sport

【小题2】According to this passage, __________ will probably have the most students.

A．gym

B．hiking

C．swimming

D．basketball

【小题3】One of the reasons for choosing St. Peter’s Park is that__________.

A．There is a lot of shade there

B．all the activities there are cheap

C．the park is very busy before 6: 00 p. m.

D．there aren’t many people after 6:00 p. m. there.

【小题4】A student need to pay __________ if he goes swimming three times a week..

A．$ 10

B．$ 15

C．$ 45

D．$ 75

【小题5】From the passage, we know that __________.

A．students are able to take part in one of the four activities.

B．students will take a free bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park.

C．students should take plenty of water and sunglasses at St. Peter’s Park.

D．students can take a 10-minute walk to the Kowloon City Swimming from home.

Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception（接收）.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land and loved to work in the garden among her flowers and vegetables. The place was simple, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk. She loved to tell how my playpen（婴儿圈栏）sat in the kitchen next to the radio and there was one song I particularly loved called "Ivory Tower".
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit the farm every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle（喧闹）of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. "Moon River" was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer of this oldie station came on. "Here's one we haven't heard in a while," and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. “Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower...”.
【小题1】The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons EXCEPT that
________.

A．it was too cold and quiet

B．she could only sing one song on the small farm

C．there was nothing more that could make her excited

D．The place was simple, with no indoor plumbing or heat

【小题2】From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.

A．passed away four years ago

B．left the small farm with Lord

C．left for Lord to live her own way

D．preferred to be with Lord

【小题3】The underlined word reminisced in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.

A．recalled

B．comforted

C．shouted

D．sighed

【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage _______.

A．The writer was able to sing before she could speak.

B．The writer preferred to live a busy life in the city.

C．The writer was still quite familiar with the song "Ivory Tower".

D．The writer treasured all her childhood memories in the small farmhouse.

【小题5】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? _______

A．Cherish life	B．My happy childhood
C．Our small farmhouse	D．Mom’s music