Many of us already know about several American superstitions(迷信). Having a black cat cross your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror are all bad luck. In addition to these, there are many other superstitions that are worth knowing. Understanding them will keep you safe from evil spirits—if you believe in such things—and impress your American friends when you mention them.
Like the superstitions in other cultures, American superstitions often involve the things important in daily life, such as health, numbers, and marriage. For example, have you ever had a cough that would not go away? According to one American superstition, you should take a piece of your hair and put it between two slices of buttered bread. Next, feed this hair sandwich to a dog and say, “Eat well, you hound, may you be sick and I be sound.”This will trick the evil spirits and help your cough. It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it.
In American superstitions, the number three is very important. Often, Americans will say, “All things come in threes.” Three is lucky because it represents the traditional family: mother, father, and child. Therefore, gifts, letters, and guests will often arrive at your home in groups of three. However, it is also possible for bad events, like accidents and funerals, to come in threes as well.
Another time people pay attention to superstitions is when they get married. During a wedding, brides must wear or carry“something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.”The old and borrowed things will bring luck to the person who gives them to the bride. The new and blue things will bring good fortune to the bride herself. The next time someone you know is getting married, be sure to recite this phrase.
As it would be unlucky to discuss one more superstition, we will wind things up here. Keep your fingers crossed, and stay lucky!The passage is most probably entitled(命名)“ ”.
A.American’s Bad Luck | B.Cross-culture and Superstitions |
C.American Superstitions | D.Daily Life in Superstitions |
The underlined sentence in the second paragraph“It will also raise some eyebrows if you try it”means: .
A.When you try it, the dog will raise its eyebrows |
B.You will make some people surprised when you try this trick |
C.Only if you raise your eyebrows can the trick work |
D.You will believe in the trick after you try it |
In American’s view, the number three is a(n) number.
A.lucky | B.unlucky | C.special | D.ordinary |
On the wedding, the bride often uses old and borrowed things so as to .
A.save some money for the wedding |
B.bring good luck to the people who give them to the bride |
C.give the good luck to the bride herself |
D.pass the bad luck to others |
By Road Around the World
Nickname: Walker
Email: ragwani@hotmail.com
When to travel: May 2011-Aug 2011
Who am I: I am 55. From my childhood, have this dream to go around the world by hitch hiking. However this is now changed and I want to go by road.
My travel plans: Going throughout the world and study various people, culture, habits.
Who am I looking for: A female companion, and she must have similar interest as me.
Just for fun
Nickname: Stream
Email: qrutta@yahoo.co.uk
When to travel: Jan 2011-Dec 2011
Who am I: Young slim girl, looking to see Asia with anyone who wants to travel.
My travel plans: I most prefer a white man in his late30’s to have fun with me as he travels either on business or leisure trips
Whom am I looking for: Someone who is honest, friendly; good sense of humor, adventurous.
22yr old Australian looking for travel companion
Nickname: Angela
Email: alyssia_europe@hotmail.com
When to travel: March 2011
Who am I: a lovely girl, with fun, honest, caring.
My travel plans: I will be traveling to Europe cities, then the world!
Who am I looking for: An extremely fun and entertaining male/female, middle-aged, someone that I can enjoy every travel moment with.
★Fun and maybe more
Nickname: Sunnygirl
Email: sunnygirl2008@yahoo.com
When to travel: Jun2011-Aug2011
Who am I: Slender African girl in her late 20’s. Quite charming, loving, pretty,fun to be with.
My travel plans: Nothing in mind for sure, just looking to come with you.
Whom am I looking for: Looking for a white male between 40-50 years, someone who is full of energy and lively.What way would Walker like to choose for his travel this time?
A.By plane. |
B.By road. |
C.By water. |
D.By hitch hiking. |
Stream will probably travel to ______ according to the ad.
A.France | B.Egypt |
C.Japan | D.Australia |
Who’s to travel for the shortest time with a companion?
A.Sunny girl | B.Angela |
C.Stream | D.Walker |
A middle-aged man wants to travel from June to August in 2011, he should send an email to _______ to find a travel companion.
A.sunnygirl@yahoo.com |
B.alyssia_europe@hotmail.com |
C.qrutta@yahoo.co.uk |
D.ragwani@hotmail.com |
What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other?
We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses.
If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful.
Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully. Which of the following is the best tile for this passage?
A.Differences. | B.Humans | C.Cultures. | D.Customs. |
People in those countries fight each other because______
A.They have different colors. |
B.They have different customs and dresses. |
C.They have different education systems. |
D.They think that others are different and harmful. |
If you pay much attention to differences, ________.
A.we will get something. |
B.we will produce problem. |
C.we will develop further. |
D.Nothing will be lost. |
From this passage it can be inferred that ________.
A.Our world would be more peaceful if we understand and communicate with each other. |
B.People don’t know how differences are caused. |
C.It is only differences that can solve man’s problems. |
D.Man is man everywhere but not woman. |
I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22. I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self-respect and did what she loved—serving people. She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike.
Being a waitress changed my life. One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman. Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”
The next day, I shared my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me.”
He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling $50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral(担保)on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person. Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true.”
I took the checks to Merrill Lynch—the first time I had ever entered a brokerage(经纪业)house—where the money was invested for me. I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open. My investments soured, though, and I lost the money.
After great deliberation(考虑) I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker. Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.
I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted on my head forever. He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills. His letter read, “That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make.” According to the passage, the author thought ______.
A.Helen was full of complaint about her work |
B.it was easy for Helen to make everyone happy and comfortable |
C.she was lucky to have a job working with Helen |
D.it was not acceptable to live in such a bad condition |
By saying that “Being a waitress changed my life.” the author means that ______.
A.the author got a high pay by working hard |
B.the author borrowed $50,000 with no interest from Fred Hasbrook |
C.the effort which she had made influenced her a lot |
D.the experience working as a waitress was worthwhile for the author |
Which of the following statements is not true of Fred Hasbrook?
A.Fred Hasbrook was one of the author’s regular customers. |
B.Fred Hasbrook lent the author $50,000, together with other customers. |
C.Fred Hasbrook’s self-respect had a great effect on the author. |
D.Fred Hasbrook’s himself did not have much money. |
What made the author’s customers lend her money according to the passage?
A.Her maturity. | B.Her honesty. | C.Her faith. | D.Her success. |
Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic (逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”
Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain from now.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A Way on How to Write. |
B.Increase Your Brain Power through Writing. |
C.Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing. |
D.How to Start Your Writing. |
According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.
A.the increase of your brain power |
B.the ability to remember |
C.the development of your interest in study |
D.the better understanding of a topic |
If a writer writes something, it means that he or she ______.
A.has understood it very well |
B.needs to understand it better |
C.wants to remember it in his or her mind |
D.is exercising his or her “explain power” |
The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies
that ______.
A.you are already successful |
B.you still need to work hard |
C.writing can help you walk half way |
D.writing is important to solve problems |
What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?
A.To advise readers to start their writing. |
B.To explain the importance of writing. |
C.To persuade readers to become writers. |
D.To increase readers’ brain power. |
When is the right time to get kids involved in teamwork and what does it mean to be part of a team? There are many great ways to introduce kids to team building. Use team building games and activities to get kids to understand the meaning of being in a team.
Try to find some games that have kids work together on some kind of problem solving. Children naturally have a shorter attention span (一段时间) than adults so present it in a funny way. Create a reward system for teams that are able to work together in order to reach a common goal. When they solve the problem and receive a reward, it gives them initiative to keep working hard and cooperating with others. The best games are those that require direct communication between team members.
Organize a game of 20 questions for the kids to play while building a team. Draw up a series of cards with different questions on each. Have each child select a card and then ask another question on it casually. It’s a great way for the kids to share and discover common interests. Kids need to be entertained and social when in a large group. This will lighten the mood greatly and help the quieter team members to come out of their shells.
Have the kids sit in a circle or around a table and share their favorite things. Start with something like movies or books and move on to anything from toys to animals. Sharing interests creates discussion. When you share interests with someone, it is easier to relate to them. Kids finally want to be friends with most other kids. Encouraging them to get along socially is always positive. By sharing interests they can form valuable bonds that will serve them as both individuals and as a team.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.How to be active in a game. |
B.How to share common interests with others. |
C.A game for the kids to play |
D.Ways to get kids to understand the meaning of being a team. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Children have a shorter attention span than adults.
B. The game of 20 questions requires kids to answer questions in turn.
The best team game is having the kids sit in a circle.
A reward is the most important part in team activities.Who is the passage meant for?
A.Teenagers. | B.Parents. | C.Teachers. | D.Managers. |