There are many stereotypes( 定型 ) about the character of people in various parts of the United States. In the Northeast and Midwest, people are said to be closed and private. In the South and West, however, they are often thought of as being more open and hospitable(好客的) . Ask someone from St. Louis where the nearest sandwich shop is, and he or she will politely give you directions. A New Yorker might eye you at first and after deciding it is safe to talk to you, might give you a rather unexpected explanation. A person from Georgia might be very kind about directing you and even suggest some different places to eat. A Texan just might take you to the place and treat you to lunch.
American stereotypes are abundant. New Englanders are often thought of as being friendly and helpful. Southerners are known for their hospitality and warmth. People from the western part of the United States are often considered very outgoing. These differences in character can be traced to different factors such as climate, living conditions, and historical development.
When traveling from place to place, Americans themselves are often surprised at the differing degrees of friendliness in the United States.
43. The main idea of the passage is _____________.
A. even Americans are surprised at the differences among themselves
B. there are many differences in character in different parts of the USA.
C. there are many reasons for the differences
D. stereotypes about people are not necessarily true
44. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. New Yorkers are usually open with strangers.
B. People from the South are usually considered good
C. The friendliest Americans travel from place to place.
D. Different parts have different customs and habits.
45. The differences lie in the following except ______ of the
parts.
A. the weather B. the history
C. geography D. the names
46. The word "abundant" in the second paragraph may probably mean _________.
A. plentiful B. normal C. curious D. strange
Below are some classified(分类的) ads from an English newspaper.
●FOR SALE
Come to our moving sale — Plants, pottery, books,clothes, etc. Sat, Dec. 14th — 9a. m.---5p. m. 1612 Ferndale, Apt. 1. Call 800 4696.
Used fur coats and jackets. Good condition. $ 30 -- $ 50. Call 800 0436
Moving: Must sell. TV21, $ 50; AM/FM radio A/C or battery, $ 15; cassette tape recorder, $ 10. Call 800 0739
●LOST AND FOUND
Found: Cat, 6 months old, black and white markings. Found near Linden and South U. Steve. 800 4661.
LOST: Gold wire rim glasses in brown case. Campus area. Reward. Call 8002896.
FOUND: Nov. 8th — A black and white puppy in PackardJewett area. Call 8005770.
●PERSONAL
OVERSEAS JOBS—Australia, Europe, S. America, Africa. Students all
professions and occupations, $ 700 to $ 3000 monthly. Expenses paid, overtime
Sightseeing. Free information at Students’ Union.
The International Center plans to publish a booklet of student travel adventures. If you’ d like to write about your foreign experiences, unusual or just plain interesting, call us (800 9310) and ask for Mike or Janet.
●ROOMMATES
FEMALE ROOMMATE
WANTED: Own room near campus. Available December 1st. Rent $ 300 per month until March 1st. $ 450 thereafter. Call Jill for details, 800 7839.
●DOMESTIC SERVICE
Early hour wake up
Service: For prompt (on time), courteous (polite) wakeup service, call 800 0760.
●HELP WANTED
Babysitter — my home
If you are available a few hours during the day, and some evenings to care for 2 schoolage children, please call Gayle Moore, 800 1111,
Person wanted for delivery work. Own transportation. Good pay. Apply 2311 E. Stadium. Office 101, after 9 a. m.
Waitress wanted 10a. m. --2 p. m. or 10∶30 a. m. --5 p.m. Apply in person.
207 S. Main, Curtis Restaurant.
Help wanted for house cleaning 1/2 day on weekends. Good wages. Sylvan Street. Call 800 2817.Where will you post a notice if you need someone to look after your children?
A. PERSONAL.B. ROOMMATES
C. DOMESTIC SERVICE. D.HELP WANTED.A secondhand jacket will probably cost you________.
A.$ 60 | B.$ 20 | C.$ 40 | D.$ 10 |
To have your travel notes published, you may contact________.
A.Students’ Union | B.Gayle Moore |
C.The International Center | D.LifePlanning Workshop |
If you want to have someone wake you up in the morning,you may call________.
A.800 0760 | B.800 7839 | C.800 2817 | D.8005770 |
"How should I give my children pocket money?" is one of the most common questions asked by parents. "Should kids receive pocket money when they get high marks at school, or lose pocket money if they don’t help with the housework?" are also common questions.
Giving pocket money is an excellent way to develop children’s independence. Children should receive pocket money as their small share of the family wealth, and they should share in doing the housework as well.
Here are some ideas to help you use pocket money to develop your children’s independence.
Give pocket money regularly. Like adults, children should have a payday every week or two.
Link pocket money with ages and needs. Provide spending guidelines; don’t be afraid to let them know what you expect them to buy, and what not to. A child in preschool and lower primary school is sure to spend money on candies and other such things. But older children can be expected to buy their own lunches or bus tickets.
Teach kids to set their goals. Encouraging children to save money for big things like bikes can help them learn about planning ahead.
When given wisely, pocket money is an excellent way to develop children’s independence. But at some time, perhaps when a child turns fifteen, it needs to be reduced or eliminated in order to encourage the child to get a part-time job and begin to earn his own pocket money.
What is the author’s attitude towards giving children pocket money?
A.Positive. | B.Indifferent(中立的 ). |
C.Negative. | D.Worried. |
According to the author, giving pocket money to children ______.
A.is an excellent way to encourage them to study hard |
B.makes them learn to be more independent |
C.makes their parents worry less about them |
D.is a good way to make them do a lot of housework |
When giving pocket money to children, parents should ______.
A.give them lots of money so that they can share the family wealth |
B.give it to them at regular times |
C.give every child the same amount |
D.let them spend it as they please |
What do we learn from the passage?
A.Only children who help do the housework should get pocket money. |
B.Parents usually give more money to younger children. |
C.Parents should let children spend money on their own when they have money |
D.Children should find part-time jobs when they get old enough. |
While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had an experience which occurred merely two feet away from me.
Trying to locate my friend among the passengers coming through the jet way, I noticed a man walking toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.
First he kissed his three children one by one and said, “It’s nice to see you. I missed you so much!” Then he hugged his wife, “I’ve saved the best for last!” giving her the longest, most passionate (热情的) kiss I ever remember seeing. They stared at each other’s eyes, smiling at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant they reminded me of newlyweds, but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn’t possibly be.
Full of admiration, I asked, “Wow! How long have you two been married?” “Being together for fourteen years total, married twelve of those.” He replied, without breaking his stare from his lovely wife’s face. “Well, then, how long have you been away?” I asked. “Two whole days!” “Two days?” I was astonished. By the intensity (热烈) of the greeting, I had thought he’d been gone for at least several weeks — if not months. I knew my expression gave away me, so I turned away my eyes and said quietly, “I hope my marriage is still that passionate after so long!”
The man suddenly stopped smiling and looked at me straight in the eye. With forcefulness he told me something that left me a different person. “Don’t hope, friend…decide!” Then he smiled again, shook my hand and said, “God bless!”
With that, he and his family turned and walked away together.
I was still watching that man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, “What are you looking at?” Without hesitation, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, “My future!”The best title of the passage may be __________.
A.Long Loving Hugs | B.My Future |
C.Love Is Everywhere | D.Don’t Hope, Decide |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.It was fourteen years since the couple had got married. |
B.After being away for several weeks, the man missed his family very much. |
C.The man replied to the author, with his eyes still fixed on his wife’s face. |
D.Their three kids reminded the author of newlyweds. |
By saying “my expression gave away me” (in Paragraph 4), the author means that __________.
A.he failed to express his ideas to the man |
B.his expression was not faithful to him |
C.he didn’t believe in his expression any more |
D.the man sensed his real feelings from his expression |
From the passage, we can infer that __________.
A.the author will live a passionate life from now on |
B.the experience may be easily forgotten by the author |
C.the author will be away from his family and hug them passionately upon his return |
D.Americans prefer to save the best for last |
“Old wives’ tales” are beliefs passed down from one generation to another. For example,most of us remember our parents’ telling us to eat more of certain foods or not to do certain things. Is there any truth in these teachings? Some of them agree with present medical thinking,but others have not passed the test of time.
Did your mother ever tell you to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Scientists now report that eating carrots can help prevent a serious eye disease called macular degeneration. Eating just one carrot a day can reduce the possibility of getting this disease by 40%. Garlic is good for you,too. It can kill the type of virus that causes colds.
Unfortunately, not all of Mom’s advice passed the test of medical studies. For example, generations of children have been told not to go swimming within an hour after eating. But research suggests that there is no danger in doing so. Do sweets cause tooth problems?Well, yes and no. Sticky sweets made with grains(谷物) tend to cause more problems than sweets made with simple sugars.
Even though science can tell us that some of our traditional beliefs don’t hold_water,_there is still a lot of truth in the old wives’ tales. After all, much of this knowledge has been accumulated (积累) from thousands of years of experience in family health care. We should respect this body of knowledge even as we search for clear scientific support to prove it true or false.Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
A.Sticky sweets are damaging to our teeth. |
B.Eating garlic is good for our eyes. |
C.Swimming after a meal is dangerous. |
D.Carrots prevent people from catching colds. |
The author develops the third paragraph mainly________.
A.by cause and effect | B.by order in space |
C.by examples | D.by order in time |
The phrase“ hold water” in the last paragraph most probably means“________”.
A.to be valuable | B.to be believable |
C.to be admirable | D.to be suitable |
What is the author’s attitude towards“old wives’ tales”in the text?
A.Subjective(主观的). | B.Objective(客观的). | C.Dissatisfied. | D.Curious. |
Of all the things our wisdom tells us will make life entirely happy, the greatest is the possession of friendship. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
On the first Sunday in August, it’s time to recognize your friends and their contribution to your life. The first Sunday in August was fixed as National Friendship Day by the U.S. Congress in 1935, and remains a tradition observed in many countries and cultures. In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie the Pooh as the world’s Ambassador of Friendship.
Apparently, there are several friendship holidays, all of which fall on fixed dates.
National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August
Women’s Friendship Day is on the third Sunday in September
International Friendship Month is February
Old Friends, New Friends Week is the third week of May
People show their appreciation for friendship in various ways. Some expressions may be practical ones, such as flowers, particularly the pink friendship roses, cookies, chocolates, souvenirs from their vacations, a tape of favorite songs, farewell dinners, and welcome balloons.
Recipe for Friendship 2 cups of patience, 1 heart full of love, 2 handfuls of generosity, 2 cups of loyalty, 1 cup of understanding, A dash of laughter. Mix them all well. Spray generously over a lifetime and serve everyone you meet.
Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe, another great reason to celebrate! Although our friends certainly deserve thanks on more than just one day of the year, what better day to honor them than Friendship Day!!Which of the following proverbs supports the main idea of the first paragraph?
A.Friendship cannot stand always on one side. |
B.A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
C.A friend without faults will never be found. |
D.A life without a friend is a life without a sun. |
Which of the holidays happens first in a year?
A.National Friendship Day. | B.Women’s Friendship Day. |
C.International Friendship Month. | D.Old Friends, New Friends Week. |
What is most needed to make friendship grow, develop and last?
A.Inviting your friends over for a party. |
B.Looking on your friends as relatives. |
C.Honoring your friends on Friendship Day. |
D.Being loyal and generous to your friends. |
“Recipe for Friendship” here actually means .
A.a prescription for curing friends | B.a method of keeping a friendship |
C.the pleasure of having friends | D.the importance of friendship |