Pete Richards was the loneliest man in town on the day that little Jean Grace opened the door of his shop.

         Pete's grandfather had owned the shop until his death. Then the shop became Pete's. The front window was full of beautiful old things: jewelry of a hundred years ago, gold and silver boxes, carved figures from China and Japan and other nations.

         On this winter afternoon, a child stood there, her face close to the window. With large and serious eyes, she studied each piece in the window. Then, looking pleased, she stepped back from the window and went into the shop. Pete himself stood behind the counter. His eyes were cold as he looked at the small girl. “Please,” she began, “would you let me look at the pretty string of blue beads in the window?” Pete took the string of blue beads from the window. The beads were beautiful against his hand as he held the necklace up for her to see.

         “They are just right,” said the child as though she were alone with the beads. “Will you wrap them up in pretty paper for me, please? I've been looking for a really wonderful Christmas present for my sister.”

         “How much money do you have?” asked Pete.

         She put a handful of pennies on the counter. “This is all I have,” she explained simply. “I've been saving the money for my sister's present.”

         Pete looked at her, his eyes thoughtful. Then he carefully closed his hand over the price mark on the necklace so that she could not see it. How could he tell her the price? The happy look in her big blue eyes struck him like the pain of an old wound.

         “Just a minute,” he said and went to the back of the shop. “What's your name?” he called out. He was very busy about something.

         “Jean Grace,” answered the child.

         When Pete returned to the front of the shop, he held a package in his hand. It was wrapped in pretty Christmas paper.

         “There you are,” he said. “Don't lose it on the way home.”

         She smiled happily at him as she ran out of the door. Through the window he watched her go. He felt more alone than ever.

         Something about Jean Grace and her string of beads had made him feel once more the pain of his old grief. The child's hair was as yellow as the sunlight; her eyes were as blue as the sea. Once upon a time, Pete had loved a girl with hair of that same yellow and with eyes just as blue. And the necklace of blue stones had been meant for her.

         But one rainy night, a car had gone off the road and struck the girl. After she died, Pete felt that he had nothing left in the world except his grief. The blue eyes of Jean Grace brought him out of that world of self-pity and made him remember again all that he had lost. The pain of remembering was so great that Pete wanted to run away from the happy Christmas shoppers who came to look at his beautiful old things during the next ten days.

         When the last shopper had gone, late on Christmas Eve, the door opened and a young woman came in. Pete could not understand it, but he felt that he had seen her before. Her hair was sunlight yellow and her eyes were sea-blue. Without speaking, she put on the counter a package wrapped in pretty Christmas paper. When Pete opened the package, the string of blue beads lay again before him.

         “Did this come from your shop?” she asked.

         Pete looked at her with eyes no longer cold. “Yes, it did,” he said.

         “Are the stones real?”

         “Yes. They aren't the best turquoise(绿松石), but they are real.”

         “Can you remember to whom you sold them?”

         “She was a small girl. Her name was Jean. She wanted them for her sister's Christmas present.”

         “How much were they?”

         “I can't tell you that,” he said. “The seller never tells anyone else what a buyer pays.”

         “But Jean has never had more than a few pennies. How could she pay for them?”

         “She paid the biggest price one can ever pay,” he said.

         For a moment there was no sound in the little shop. Then somewhere in the city, church bells began to ring. It was midnight and the beginning of another Christmas Day.

         “But why did you do it?” the girl asked.

         Pete put the package into her hands.

         “There is no one else to whom I can give a Christmas present,” he said. “It is already Christmas morning. Will you let me take you to your home? I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas at your door.”

         And so, to the sound of many bells, Pete Richards and a girl whose name he had not yet learned walked out into the hope and happiness of a new Christmas Day.

1.When Pete saw Jean Grace, he was ______.

A. very enthusiastic, hoping for some business to be done

B. cold but he still served the young customer

C. cold, unwilling to serve the young customer

D. very warm to the young customer though he did not want to sell anything to her

2.Pete did not say the price of the necklace because ______.

A. the seller never tells anyone else what a buyer pays

B. he priced the necklace too high

C. he knew it would disappoint the girl

D. he didn't want to sell the necklace

3.The eyes of Jean Grace brought Pete out of his world of self-pity and he ______.

A. tried to forget the memory of his sweetheart

B. began to look at the world optimistically

C. remembered his lost love

D. no longer felt the pain in him

4.A young woman came into the shop because ______.

A. she was afraid that there might be some mistake

B. she thought that the stones she had bought were not real

C. she was not sure if she could get more stones like those

D. she did not like what she had once bought

5.By saying “She paid the biggest price one can ever pay,” Pete meant that Jean Grace     .

A. gave the most money for the necklace

B. gave all she had with her for the necklace

C. appreciated the value of the necklace

D. wanted to have the best thing in the shop

6. At the end of the story we see that Pete _____.

A. found another girl that he could trust

B. met someone who truly loved him

C. found a place to go at last

D. regained his ability to love

TOKYO - Japan is considering plans to calm tensions（紧张）with China by acknowledging(承认) Chinese claims to the disputed islands in the East China Sea, while maintaining its own position, Kyodo News cited sources as saying on Tuesday.

The report said that the plans would allow Japan, without changing its long-held position, to compromise a little with China, which has called on Tokyo to acknowledge the existence(存在) of a dispute（冲突）over the Chinese Diaoyu Islands, referred to as Senkaku Islands in Japan.

Japan has refused to rescind its recent purchase（购买） in mid-September of three of the five Diaoyu islands from a so-called private Japanese owner, which the government says was meant to maintain（继续）the uninhabited islands in a stable manner, despite China's strong protest.

It remains uncertain, however, whether China would be encouraged by the Japanese step to improve the tensioned ties, said Kyodo.

1.The passage may come from___________.

A．a magazine        B．a newspaper       C．a textbook         D．a map

2.From the passage we can know________.

A．Japan will give in.

B．China is against Japan’s purchase of Diaoyu islands.

C．The problem between China and Japan has been settled.

D．China is the owner of Diaoyu islands.

3.What does the underlined word mean?

A．agree            B．give up           C．compete          D．change

4.What is the writer’s attitude?

A．He supports China.                      B．He supports Japan.

C．He doesn’t have his own attitude.          D．He dare not show his attitude.

I have a rule for travel: Never carry a map. I prefer to ask for directions.

Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions in stead of street names, For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit marks. The post office is across from the bus stop. ”

In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance by means of time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” You ask, “Oh,” They answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because visitors seldom understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in this situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think that “I don’t know.” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

One thing will help you everywhere --- in Japan, in the United States. In Greece, in Mexico, or in any other place. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go in that direction, and you may find the post office!

1 The passage mainly tell us that ____ .

         A. never carry a map for travel

         B. there are not many landmarks in the American Midwest

         C. there are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world

         D. New Yorkers often say, “I have no idea,” but people in Yucatan, Mexico, never say this

2 The passage says, “In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions. “The word “landmarks” means ____ .

         A. building names

         B. street names

         C. hotels, markets and bus stops

         D. buildings or places which are easily recognized

3 In which place do people tell distance by means of time?

         A. Japan   B. American Midwest      C. Los Angeles, California       D. Greece

4 In the passage, ____ countries are mentioned by the writer.

         A. seven   B. four      C. eight    D. five

5 Which of the following is wrong?

         A. Travelers can learn about people’s customs by asking questions about directions.

         B. A person’s body language can help you understand directions.

         C. People in some places give directions in miles, but people in other places give directions by means of time.

         D. People in different places always give directions in the same way: They use street names.

I have a rule for travel: Never carry a map. I prefer to ask for directions.
Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions in stead of street names, For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit marks. The post office is across from the bus stop. ”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance by means of time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” You ask, “Oh,” They answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because visitors seldom understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in this situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think that “I don’t know.” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
One thing will help you everywhere --- in Japan, in the United States. In Greece, in Mexico, or in any other place. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go in that direction, and you may find the post office!
1 The passage mainly tell us that ____ .
A. never carry a map for travel
B. there are not many landmarks in the American Midwest
C. there are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world
D. New Yorkers often say, “I have no idea,” but people in Yucatan, Mexico, never say this
2 The passage says, “In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions. “The word “landmarks” means ____ .
A. building names
B. street names
C. hotels, markets and bus stops
D. buildings or places which are easily recognized
3 In which place do people tell distance by means of time?
A. Japan  B. American Midwest    C. Los Angeles, California    D. Greece
4 In the passage, ____ countries are mentioned by the writer.
A. seven  B. four    C. eight   D. five
5 Which of the following is wrong?
A. Travelers can learn about people’s customs by asking questions about directions.
B. A person’s body language can help you understand directions.
C. People in some places give directions in miles, but people in other places give directions by means of time.
D. People in different places always give directions in the same way: They use street names.

During my visit to China, I stayed in several hotels. I would like to say something about fire regulations(条例) in these hotels.

When I was in Beijing in a hotel, I checked the nearest fire escape to my room, as I usually do, I found that the exit(出口) out of the buildings was on the ground floor, chained and locked! If there was a fire, people wouldn’t be able to escape. In some other places, I did not find any notice about the procedures.

In most hotels in my country, there is a notice on the back of the door of every guestroom. In Japan the porter（门卫）actually points out the escape route when bringing your bag to your room. I hope Chinese hotels will improve their safety procedures.

The foreigner suggests that ____________.

A. all the exits should not be always chained and locked

B. all the exits should be always chained and locked

C. fire regulations（规程，规章）should be paid enough attention to in some hotels in China

D. the fire regulations should not be strict

Nobody would get away if there were a fire in the building ____________.

A. if the porter doesn’t tell people the escape route

B. with the exit chained and locked

C. before people found the notice about safety procedures

D. when too many people try to escape at the same time

The nearest escape to the writer’s room in a hotel in Beijing was _____________.

A. nowhere to be found         B. not far from his room

C. next to his room            D. on the ground floor

In Japan a guest is told how to get away in time of fire when he ____________.

A. arrives at a hotel            B. is traveling in the country

C. reaches the country          D. says hello a porter