It can’t be truer that when in Rome do as the Romans do. So it’s necessary for you to know what you can talk with the local people in France, Australia and Switzerland, and different customs of these countries.
In France
You’ll find that conversations often turn into heated debates. Give opinions only on subjects that you are knowledgeable about. There is rarely a moment of silence, except when the topic under discussion has been exhausted, and nothing new has been introduced.
Food, art, music and current events or history are welcome topics. French believe in freedom, and you can criticize anyone, but not Napoleon, who is a symbol of French spirit and never use the standard. U.S. conversation opener “What do you do”.
In Australia
Australians tend to be enthusiastic debaters. A wide range of topics may be open to discussion, including religion and politics. The best policy, however, is to wait for Australian companions to bring up these two subjects; be prepared to hear their arguments.
Sport is a common topic of conversation in Australia and Australians tend to use sporting comparisons. Australians like to criticize themselves, but they can’t stand criticism from others. Don’t talk big；instead Australians prefer to judge your competence and abilities through your actions. People who show off their education in conversation may be subject to teasing.
In Switzerland
The Swiss may seem cold. Once you get close to them, however, you’ll find that they are honest, responsible people, who will be loyal to your interests.
They are good listeners and will remember practically everything you say to them. Sometimes they will even go so far as to take notes while you speak. The Swiss are a very private people, so you should avoid asking personal questions. They can be rather serious, so it is advisable to avoid making jokes on them.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TURE according to the passage?

A．There is no moment of silence when you talk with French.

B．French don’t like others asking their careers.

C．The Swiss may seem cold but humorous sometimes.

D．Australians tend to judge you by your words.

【小题2】It is suggested during talking that ______

A．you should tell the Australians what education you have received.

B．you should not use too much sporting comparisons with Australians.

C．you should not ask personal questions from people of the three countries.

D．you should have the Australians bring up subjects first.

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that ______

A．Australians don’t like to show off their success before others.

B．Australians like to criticize themselves and others.

C．you can talk with French about anything even if you know little.

D．you can criticize anyone in France because you have the right.

【小题4】What is the best title of the passage?

A．Talking in western countries

B．How to argue with foreigners

C．Things that can’t be talked with foreigners

D．How to adapt to the life in western countries

【小题5】What will the author talk about in the following paragraphs?

A．How to talk efficiently with foreigners.

B．Customs of the three countries.

C．How to choose topics in the western countries.

D．How to be a good listener.

TIPPING
How much and who on your cruise(乘船旅游) should be tipped? When and how should tips be given? Generally, you should plan to tip your room steward (服务员) $3.00 to $3.50 per person, per day, and plan an equal amount for your dining room waiter, and half of that for the busboy（餐厅侍者助手）.
On most ships, tip the maitre d’(侍者总管) or dining room captain only if you ask for special favors or table-side service; $5 to $10 is normal. Barmen and wine stewards are tipped 10 to 15 percent, but many cruise lines will add this tip to your bar or drink bill. Check the bill to see how it is handled. Also, tips for special services such as salon && spa treatments and room service are left to the guest, depending on services offered. Sometimes tips are placed in envelopes from your cabin’s stationery supply. Generally, passengers on cruises of 10 days or less will tip at the end of the cruise； on longer voyages, tipping weekly.
As part of a new trend that seems likely to grow, Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Cunard now charge tips to your account (账). Norwegian, for example, charges $10 per day, per guest, to cover service in the various dining rooms and your room steward. If you feel this amount needs to be increased or decreased, arrangements can be made onboard the ship, generally at the end of your cruise.
A few lines do not encourage tipping, including Radisson Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea and Windstar. Crew members are reportedly higher paid and not tip dependent. Many passengers tip anyway for outstanding service or special favors and give them tips face to face immediately they get serviced.
Tips on Tipping
Cabin steward
$3.00 to $3.50 per person per day
Waiter
$3.00 to $3.50 per person per day
Assistant waiter
$1.50 to $2.00 per person per day
Bartender, wine and deck stewards
10-15% of the bill
Maitre d’
$5.00 to $10.00 tip for each special service
【小题1】According to the passage, if your bill for bartender and wine is $50, you will probably tip the steward ______.

A．$3.50

B．$3.00

C．$6.50

D．$10.00

【小题2】How many ways does the passage mention on how to tip the waiters?

A．3.

B．2.

C．4.

D．5.

【小题3】 According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．Sometimes you must spend more money tipping waiters on cruise.

B．In the line Seabourn, you must tip crew members for the special service.

C．In some lines, you can bargain on how much to tip.

D．Generally speaking, maitre d’ can get the most tips.

【小题4】The passage is written mainly for the readers who are ______.

A．travelers on cruise to America

B．students to foreign countries to study

C．tourists not knowing how to tip in hotels

D．travelers on cruise the first time

     Hi, everybody!

     Welcome to our newly-opened Richards Cinema Bookstore!

     Now let me introduce to you some of the new film books in our store.

     Are you Chinese film fans? OK, here comes the latest 25 New Takes about Chinese films. It is a collection of 25 fresh readings of different Chinese films from the 1930s to the present. In recent years, Chinese films are very popular in the States, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Flowers of Shanghai.

     Do you like French films? Well, here is The French Cinema Book. It covers French films from the 1890s to the beginning of the 21st century. It is written for all lovers of French cinema: students and teachers, specialists and fans, and so on.

     Maybe you are Indian film fans and star-chasers. Then here is Encyclopedia ( 百科全书 ) of Indian Cinema. The book is a complete introduction to all the best Indian films. It also offers a full list of names of the famous and successful film stars in the past ten years. You know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world after our Hollywood.

     If you like British films, we have The British Cinema Book. It is a good review of British cinema. This book contains a good many nice pictures.

     In our bookstore, you can also find books about Mexican, Japanese, Australian, German and Italian films.

     Well, please help yourselves to some coffee or tea, and have a good time here!

60. The speaker of the passage is most probably _______.

A. the author of 25 New Takes                    B. a tourist in the cinema bookstore

C. the manager of the cinema bookstore       D. a reader of Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema

61. How many Asian countries does the speaker refer to when he talks about the film books?

A. Two.         B. Three.            C. Four.              D. Nine.

62. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage？

A. Indian cinema is second only to Hollywood.

B. The British Cinema Book includes a complete list of names of stars.

C. Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon is well received in the States.

D. The French Cinema Book covers over a century's French films.

63. The purpose of the speaker is_______.

A. to satisfy the customers' various tastes           

B. to keep the authors in the cinema bookstore

C. to offer the tourists chances to meet the film stars

D. to mm the readers into film producers

 

Bicycles are a great way to get around. They are fun to ride, especially down hills. And, as you speed along the road, you might also think of ways in which you could improve your bike – make it safer, more efficient, or more comfortable. In fact, the two-wheeled machines make for some cool science projects.

This year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held last May in Cleveland, had three bicycle projects from three countries. Like many of the other experiments presented at ISEF, the bike projects showed that some of the most interesting scientific research often begins by taking a closer look at things you care about.

Renato Angulo Chu had even grander ambitions. The 12th-grader from Lima, Peru, wanted to address some of his country’s economic troubles.

“I see a problem in my country,” Renato said, “If you go to the forests in Peru, in some places you can not find electricity. If you go with my bicycle, you can turn on the lights.”

Renato, 16, spent 3 years designing his special Multibike. The device looks like a fixed exercise bike. It has wires fixed along the frame and a blender fastened to the back. Turning the pedals operates the blender. The same principle can be used to sharpen knives or sweep city streets.

The Multibike can work either as a fixed bike or as a bicycle able to travel city streets and country road. It’s made from inexpensive materials, and the user gets exercise while pedaling to operate a machine.

“You pedal the bike, and you can mix any drink you want,” Renato said. More importantly, he added, the same concept could be used to bring light to houses in remote regions of the rainforest.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Bicycles are the best way to go about.

B. Bikes should be made more comfortable to ride

C. You can improve your bicycle for science research.

D. Many inventions are connected with the bicycle.

2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. ISEF is an exhibition displaying bicycle experiments designed by students.

B. Looking closely at things you are concerned about can lead to scientific research

C. Renato’s improvement of the bicycle has solved the country’s great problem.

D. Renato’s special bicycle will soon be put into use in remote areas.

3. The underlined word “address” in the third paragraph probably has the same meaning as _______.

A. make address written                   B. give up    C. work at    D. speak at

4. Renato’s special Multibike has all the following functions except ______.

A. making knives sharp

B. mixing any kind of drinks

C. producing electricity

D. operating a machine with its own electricity

5. It can be inferred that Renato’s special bicycle is mainly designed for ______.

A. distant areas in the rainforest without electricity

B. the use of his own family to make life easier

C. the competition of ISEF to win money to support remote rainforests

D. enough exercise by pedaling it.

 

Few of us make money by losing sleep．But three graduate students at Brown University in Providence built a company around sleep deprivation （睡眠不足）．
Jason Donahue, Ben Rubin and Eric Shashoua were working late nights in Brown's business and engineering schools．They began thinking about ways to sleep better．They discovered they weren't alone in burning the midnight oil．Around 20% of Americans get less than six hours of rest a night．
The friends imagined a smart alarm clock that could track how much time people spend in the most restorative （有回复作用的） stages of the sleep cycle: REM （rapid eye movement） and deep sleep．What would it cost to design such a thing? Five years of research, 20 employees, $14 million and a whole lot of doubting from investors and scientists．
Their company, Zeo, based in Newton, Mass, launched its product in June, 2009．The Zeo device uses a headband with tiny sensors （传感器） that scan your brain for signs of four sleep states- REM, light, deep and waking sleep．The smart alarm clock displays a graph of your sleep pattern and wakes you as you're not in REM sleep （which is when you're least groggy）．In the morning you can upload the data to the company's Web site, and so track your sleep over time．Most of the feedback comes in the form of Zeo's ZQ score showing how well you've slept．
"Zeo allows people to unlock this black box of sleep," says Dave Dickinson, a health-care CEO．
Whether any of this actually improves sleep is up to the consumer, who will also need to make lifestyle changes like cutting out alcohol before bedtime or caffeine after 3 pm．
For now the company is selling Zeo online only．Dickinson also plans to spread it to countries such as Australia, where sleep deprivation approaches US levels．
【小题1】Who will support Zeo?

A．People full of imagination．	B．People suffering sleeping problems．
C．People having access to the Internet．	D．People having bad lifestyles．

【小题2】Why did the three graduate students imagine a smart alarm clock?

A．To wake them up on time in the morning．

B．To earn enough money for their study．

C．To improve the quality of people's sleep．

D．To enjoy their life while working at night．

【小题3】To design the Zeo device, the three graduate students ____．

A．spent much time and money	B．were widely supported by scientists
C．worked by themselves all the time	D．attracted many investors

【小题4】What can we know from the passage?

A．Zeo has a direct effect on users' lifestyles．

B．It needs more personal efforts to make Zeo function better．

C．A large quantity of Zeo devices have been sold in Australia．

D．Consumers can go to the Zeo company to purchase Zeo in person．