Whenaclosefrienddies,itoftenfo-优题课

Whether you’re eating at a fancy restaurant or dining in someone’s home，proper table manners are likely to help you make a good impression．According to a US expert，Emily Post，“All rules of table manners are made to avoid ugliness．”
While Henry Hitchings of the Los Angeles Times admits that good manners can reduce social conflict，he points out that mostly their purpose is protective – they turn our natural warrior like selves into more elegant ones．
So where did table manners come from？
In medieval England，a writer named Petrus Alfonsi took the lead to urge people not to speak with their mouths full．And King David I of Scotland also proposed that any of his people who learned to eat more neatly be given a tax deduction (减除)．
Disappointingly，that idea never caught on．It was during the Renaissance，when there were real technical developments，opinions of correct behavior changed for good．“None of these was more significant than the introduction of the table fork,” wrote Hitchings．“Gradually，as forks became popular，they brought the new way of eating，making it possible，for instance，to consume berries without making one’s fingers dirty．”
Forks were introduced to Britain in 1608 and 25 years later，the first table fork reached America．Yet while most of the essentials (基本要素) are the same on both sides of the Atlantic，there are a few clear differences between what’s normal in the US and what holds true in the UK．For example，in the US，when food needs cutting with a knife，people generally cut a bite，then lay aside the knife and switch the fork to their right hand．Then they pick up one bite at a time．By contrast，Britons keep the fork in the left hand and don’t lay the knife down．
Though globalization has developed a new，simpler international standard of table manners，some people still stick with the American cut and switch method．The Los Angeles Times noted，“They are hanging on to a form of behavior that favors manners above efficiency．”
What does the story mainly talk about？

A．The importance of proper table manners．

B．The development of table manners in Western countries．

C．Some unwritten rules of table manners in the US and UK．

D．Differences between American and British table manners．

The underlined phrase “caught on” in the passage probably means ______．

A．worked in practice

B．became popular

C．drew attention

D．had a positive effect

Which of the following events influenced people’s table manners most according to the article？

A．The introduction of forks．

B．The tax deduction policy．

C．The rise of the Renaissance．

D．Petrus Alfonsi’s efforts in promoting table manners．

What can we conclude from the article？

A．British and American table manners are completely different from each other．

B．American people pay more attention to their table manners than British people do．

C．With globalization，the American cut and switch method has been abandoned in the US．

D．British people’s way of using a knife and fork may be more efficient than American people’s．

Homework and stress are rarely reduced inside the classroom．Meanwhile，outside the classroom，the pressure is on to find scholarships for college．
According to Braintrack，a higher education database with worldwide reach，more than 3 billion US dollars (18 billion yuan) in private scholarships are awarded to college students annually．Average awards range from $2,000 to $3,000．
The scholarship application process is similar to the college application process: forms to be completed，test scores and transcripts to be sent，essays to be written and often interviews to be prepared for．
A few great places to start looking for scholarships are: www．fastweb．com，www．finaid．org and www．collegexpress．com．Check out the annual scholarship guidebooks Scholarships，Grants & Prizes by Peterson’s and the Ultimate Scholarship Book: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships，Grants and Prizes by Gen Tanabe and Kelly Tanabe．
Be selective．Thoroughly research the qualifications required by each of the scholarships．Don’t waste your time applying for those that are need based if you can’t produce the appropriate documents．
Research past recipients (接受者)．Check out the websites of the organizations sponsoring the scholarships．Many post the biographies of past recipients．You don’t need to have cured cancer，but if you don’t think your résumé (履历) measures up to the past winners’，you might be better served by moving onto the next scholarship on your list．Prepare for the interview．
You’ll want to dazzle them with your personality，but above all you’ll want to be prepared．Find someone you trust to conduct a similar interview with you – someone who will be honest with you and provide valuable suggestions．
Let your personality shine through in your essays．The essays are the best way for students to share who they are，where they’ve come from，what they’ve overcome and so on．Tell your story in an interesting and persuasive way．And if you do have an interview，send a thank you note afterward．
By Lee Bierer
What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article？

A．To explain where to find scholarships for US colleges．

B．To inform readers of the scholarship application process．

C．To introduce some typical scholarships offered by US colleges．

D．To give tips on applying for US college scholarships．

If you want to learn about past recipients of a scholarship，you can use ______．

A．www．collegexpress．com

B．the annual scholarship guidebooks published by Peterson’s

C．the websites of the organizations sponsoring the scholarships

D．The Ultimate Scholarship Book: Billions of Dollars in Scholarships，Grants and Prizes

The underlined word “dazzle” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to ___．

A．influence

B．impress

C．guide

D．present

To increase your chance of winning a scholarship，you are advised to ____．

A．apply for as many scholarships as you can

B．tell an interesting story in your essay

C．do a similar interview to help you prepare for the real one

D．have a talk with past recipients and try to talk like they do

Dear Dad,
Today I was at the shopping mall and I spent a lot of time reading the Father's Day cards．They all had a special message that in some way or another reflected how I feel about you．Yet as I selected and read，it occurred to me that not a single card said what I really want to say to you．
You'll soon be 84 years old，Dad，and you and I will have had 55 Father's Days together．I haven't always been with you on Father's Day but I've always been with you in my heart．
You know，Dad，there was a time when we were separated by the generation gap．You stood on one side of the Great Divide and I on the other．
The Father Daughter Duel shifted into high gear ( 档位) when you taught me to drive the old Dodge and I decided I would drive the '54 Chevy whether you liked it or not．The police officer who sent me home，after you reported the Chevy stolen，didn't have much tolerance for a stub¬born 16 year old，while you were so tolerant about it，Dad，and I think that was probably what made it the worst night of my life．
Our relationship greatly improved when I married a man you liked，and things really turned around when we began making babies right and left．Somewhere along the line，the generation gap disappeared．I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together，rather like a fine wine．
But the strangest thing happened last week．I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car．It didn't immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car．It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere．Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day．
I guess what I'm trying to say，Dad，is what every son and daughter wants to say to their Dad today．Honoring a father on Father's Day is about respect and sharing and acceptance and tolerance and giving and taking．It's about loving someone more than words can say，and it's wishing that never had to end．
I love you，Dad．
Love,
Jenny
How did Jenny probably feel on the night she was sent home by the police？

A．Disappointed

B．Nervous

C．Guilty

D．Frightened

We can learn from the passage that Jenny and her father_________．

A．kept in touch by writing each other

B．are separated due to the generation gap

C．have been getting along very well

D．had a hard time understanding each other

Why did Jenny feel strange when she saw her father last week？．

A．She seldom saw him driving that huge car．

B．She had never realized his being old and weak．

C．She didn't expect to meet with him there．

D．She had never seen him driving so slowly before．

Jenny wrote his father this letter to _________

A．tell him about their conflicts

B．say sorry for her being stubborn

C．express her gratitude to him

D．remind him of the early incident

Why Advertise on EASYUNI?
Easyuni．com is an online destination for finding your dream university or college．We help people search and compare universities, find information, and connect with the university counselors．
Choosing a University or College is Difficult and Time-Consuming!
If you are considering studying at a University or College, how do you decide which to choose? Maybe it's your brother who graduated from that University．Maybe it's your uncle．However, most likely you search online or you google, going from one University website to another, reading about the university and taking note of important stuff like application and tuition fees, entry requirements, duration of the course, etc．You attend education fairs and speak to many different university representatives．The bottom line is that it is difficult and time-consuming．
We Want to Change That
We want to give you an online destination where you can:
· search for universities, colleges and courses．
· compare them in easy- to- understand format．(版式)
· shortlist courses for your reference．
· connect with university counselors and seek advice．
All of these in the comfort of your home, office, or nearby Starbucks．For free．
Reach local and international students
With more than 1,5million page views a year and growing and huge database of students, you’ll get exposed to a large number of daily visitors internationally．
Get immediate access to quality leads
We’ll deliver the leads directly to you while it’s still warm and you’ll be given access to contact and prospect those leads for the successful into your institution．All leads comes with name, contact details, courses interested and question(s) from student．
Inexpensive investment
EASYUNI provides marketing service that satisfies the need of online marketing for universities and colleges．With our experience we really know the strategy to reach your potential students．Therefore, advertising on EASYUNI will definitely increase your branding and your ROI as well．
More effective ads performance
Our promoted Premier Listing customers generate between 10-20 times more leads compared to non-premier listing customers．EASYUNI is the correct internet marketing tool for universities and colleges．
The passage shows that EASYUNI．com_______．

A．decides which university a student should go．

B．offers varieties of practical information to all．

C．helps students find appropriate universities．

D．provides lectures online for students．

In what way is EASYUNI better than other sites?

A．It’s more effective and convenient．

B．It can connect with university students．

C．It costs less to use EASYUNI for students．

D．Universities can EASYUNI free of charge．

“Leads” in the fifth paragraph are most probably______．

A．goals of students

B．practical data

C．positions available

D．key universities

The main purpose of the passage is______．

A．to tell students how to find what they want

B．to recommend universities to students

C．to persuade universities advertise at Easyuni．com

D．to introduce a website to students and universities

Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes．Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour．
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans．The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science．
Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebrafish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment(色素) gene into a young fish．As with humans, zebrafish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes(黑色素)．The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour．
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation(变异) in the gene for melanosome production．This results in less pigmented skin．
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes．
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1．5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays(紫外线) of the sun, which can cause skin cancer．
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D．So the related gene changes, according to Cheng．
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colour, said Cheng．
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer．It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson．
What is the main idea of the passage?

A．People can’t change their skin colour without any pain．

B．The new discovery helped find ways to change skin colour safely．

C．Pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin colour as he liked．

D．Scientists have found out that people’s skin colour is determined by the gene．

It can be inferred from the passage that ________．

A．nowadays changing the skin colour with the chemical treatment has bad effect

B．Europeans and Africans have the same genes

C．the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer

D．there are two kinds of skin genes

Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebra fish in order to ________．

A．find the different genes of humans

B．prove the humans’ skin colour is determined by the pigment gene

C．find out the reason why the Africans’ skin colour is dark

D．find out the ways of changing people’s skin colour

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Michael Jackson died of skin damage caused by chemical treatment．

B．American blacks produce more vitamin D with their skin than others．

C．The gene determining skin colour exists widely in whites, blacks and Asians．

D．The melanosomes in the skin of blacks usually cause skin cancer more often．