If you are ever lucky to be invited to a formal dinner party in Paris，remember that the French have their own way of doing things, and that even your finest manners may not be “correct” by French custom．For example，if you think showing up promptly（迅速地）at the time given on the invitation，armed with gifts of wine and roses，complimenting（称赞）your hostess on her cooking，laughing heartily at the host’s jokes and then leaping up to help the hostess will make you the perfect guest，think again．
Here Madame Nora Chabal，the marketing director of the Ritz Hotel in Paris，explained how it works．
The first duty of the guest is to respond to the invitation within 48 hours．And，the guest may not ask to bring a guest because the hostess has chosen her own．
Flowers sent ahead of schedule are the preferred gift．They may also be sent afterwards with a thank–you note．It is considered a very bad form to arrive with a gift of flowers vase when she is too busy to do with that．
See，that’s the logic！The type of flowers sent has a code of its own，too．One must never send chrysanthemums(菊花)because they are considered too humble(谦卑)for occasion．Carnations（康乃馨）are considered bad luck，and calla（马蹄莲）are too reminiscent（令人联想）of funerals（葬礼）．A bouquet of red roses is a declaration of romantic intent．Don’t send those unless you mean it，and never to a married hostess．And though the French love wine，you must never bring a bottle to a dinner party．Why？It’s as if you feared your hosts would not have enough wine on hand，and that’s an insult（侮辱）．You may，however，offer a box of chocolates which the hostess will pass after dinner with coffee．
If an invitation is for eight o’clock，the considerate guest arrives at a quarter past eight．Guests who arrive exactly on time or early are mere thoughtless ones who are not giving the hostess those last few minutes she needs to deal with details and crises．Which of the following is right about sending gifts？
| A．If someone in France is dead, send chrysanthemums or calla. |
| B．If someone in Paris is ill in hospital, send carnations. |
| C．If you are invited to a dinner party in UK, never bring a bottle of wine, because that’s an insult. |
| D．If you are invited by a single French hostess whom you love, send red roses. |
What does the word “considerate” in the last paragraph mean？
| A．thoughtful | B．shameful | C．respectful | D．grateful |
If you are invited to a French dinner, the correct custom is to ______.
| A．compliment your host on his cooking |
| B．arrive fifteen minutes behind schedule |
| C．hurry to help the hostess |
| D．show up promptly at the time given on the invitation |
What is the passage mainly about？
| A．Different flowers have different meanings |
| B．How to send flowers |
| C．Good manners at a French dinner party |
| D．Different countries have different manners |
Children’s allowance. Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance(零用钱). The purpose is to let them learn from experience at an age when financial （财政的；财务的；金融的)mistakes are not very costly.
In any case, parents should make clear what the child is expected to pay for with the money. At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If so, they’ll learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget（预算）. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. It is to show them that a budget demands choices between spending and saving.
Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience what they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or give it to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: They have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children learn about personal finance.Giving children an allowance can mostly help them ______.
| A．cut their living costs |
| B．learn to plan for the future |
| C．earn a living when young |
| D．get some financial knowledge |
By receiving an allowance, children can learn ______.
| A．how to spend money from experience |
| B．when to avoid making mistakes |
| C．what they should do next at a young age |
| D．what they can do with money earned |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Allowance, a great way to educate children |
| B．Allowance, a costly burden for children |
| C．Give allowances to children at once |
| D．Develop children’s allowances |
The following is something about extreme sports: Dangerous as they are, extreme sports remain appealing among many Australian young people! Camp extreme sports is the perfect test of your heart.
Kite Surfing
It’s the exciting mixture of kite, board and waves. The idea of using a kite to accelerate speed seems like a new challenge, yet the art of kite flying dates back to the 13th-century Chinese when it was used as a simple means of transport.
Catch a wind and you’re moving — up, down and across the surf. “It’s always exciting. You’d jump 5 feet or 35 feet. You never know if you’re going to go up in the air, and your heart is just going boom, boom, boom.”
Coasteering
It is by far the best activity and the event that everyone is still talking about. This is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky bay blocking your route. You climb, dive and swim from one place to another. With Coasteering, you don’t have to be able to swim as the wet suit and buoyancy(浮力) aid will keep you floating when you are in the water.
Sky Diving
Traditional parachuting(跳伞) doesn’t sound risky enough. So now sky diving is the name for jumping from a plane and listening to your heart beating heavily as you move fast towards earth before you open your parachute at the last moment.
Mountain Biking
It’s been around so long that bikers are no longer satisfied with just going up and down a mountain. Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough land, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but include features designed to improve strength and performance in rough areas.
For details, please call us on 1300-792-668 or click here: www.xtremecamp.com.au.All the four extreme sports are intended to test one’s _____.
| A．potential strength | B．physical health |
| C．sports skills | D．courage |
The underlined word “it” refers to _____.
| A．kite flying | B．kite surfing |
| C．a kite | D．the art of kites |
Which of the following sports can be the most risky?
| A．Kite surfing. | B．Coasteering. |
| C． Mountain biking. | D．Sky diving. |
We can infer from the passage that _______.
| A．kites were the main means of transport in China |
| B．swimming skills play a key role in Coasteering |
| C．mountain biking requires more than riding common bikes |
| D．parachuting is the least popular sports at present |
What’s your opinion about finding good friends? Speaking from my past experience, it is very difficult to find good friends that you can trust but once you have found them, they are worth keeping forever! Therefore, I think friendship is the most important relationship that anybody could have.
The qualities I look for in a friend are a good sense of humor and sensitivity. A friend would have to be strong-minded and highly spirited. I think that these qualities are the key qualities to look for in a good friend.
Even the best friends can still have arguments between themselves, though usually about more serious topics, rather than the usual childish arguments. Some matters can seriously affect friendship. If one of your friends started experimenting with harmful and dangerous drugs, what would you do? A good friend would try to help as much as possible, while a bad example of a friend would simply shrug and turn a blind eye.
Not only the bad things affect friendship ---good activities do too, such as bonding with one another, not just by going out on a night with them, but by spending quality time with them and talking to each other. This is a key aspect of a good friendship.
Good friends do not always have to be in the same age group as you. I have a good friend and she is 47 years old and I am 16.
Unfortunately, some people lose contact with their friends as they grow older, which is a sad way to lose a good friend.
I think friendship is one of the most important things in life because if you have no friends you will have no happiness.According to the author, true friendship _____.
| A．is easy to get | B．needs management |
| C．deepens with time | D．affects one’s happiness |
Paragraph 3 is mainly about _____.
| A．why drugs are bad for teenagers |
| B．whether a friend is reliable |
| C．ways that help avoid arguments |
| D．problems that will test friendship |
According to the author, which matters least in friendship?
| A．Confidence | B．Age |
| C．Sense of humor. | D．Communication. |
Which of the following sayings can match the author's view on friendship?
| A．Old friends and old wines are best. |
| B．A friend without faults will never be found. |
| C．A friend to everybody is a friend to nobody. |
| D．A life without a friend is a life without a sun. |
It was a cloudy day on November 11, 2015. We walked in so quietly that the nurse at the desk didn’t even lift her eyes from the book. Mum pointed at a big chair by the door and I knew she wanted me to sit down. While I watched, mouth open in surprise, Mum took off her hat and coat and gave them to me to hold. She walked quietly to the small room by the lift and took out a wet mop (拖把). She pushed the mop past the desk and as the nurse looked up, Mum nodded and said, “Very dirty floors.”
“Yes, I’m glad they’ve finally decided to clean them,” the nurse answered. She looked at Mum strangely and said, “But aren’t you working late?”
Mum just pushed harder, each swipe of the mop taking her farther and farther down the hall. I watched until she was out of sight and the nurse had turned back to writing in the big book.
After a long time Mum came back. Her eyes were shining. She quickly put the mop back and took my hand. As we turned to go out of the door, Mum nodded politely to the nurse and said, “Thank you.”
Outside, Mum told me, “Dagma is fine. No fever. ”
“You see her, Mum?”
“Of course. I told her about the hospital rules, and she will not expect us until tomorrow. Dad will stop worrying as well. It’s a fine hospital. But the floors! A mop is no good. You need a brush. ”When the nurse talked to Mum, she thought Mum was a ________.
| A．nurse | B．cleaner | C．patient | D．visitor |
What can we infer about the hospital?
| A．It was a children’s hospital. |
| B．The nurses and doctors there don’t work hard. |
| C．It has strict rules about visiting hours. |
| D．A lot of patients come to this hospital every day. |
Mum went to see Dagma in the hospital to _____.
| A．give her some messages about Dad |
| B．make sure her room was clean |
| C．check that she was still there |
| D．find out how she was |
Which of the following words can best describe Mum?
| A．Hard –working | B．Clever |
| C．Warmly –hearted | D．Strange |
Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers conclude that the French tend (易于) to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed (挤出) between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity - or extreme overweight - among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject (拒绝) older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% - and is growing.In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?
| A．They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently. |
| B．They regard eating as a key part of their life style. |
| C．They squeeze eating between the other daily activities. |
| D．They usually eat too much canned and frozen food. |
This text is mainly about the relationship between ______.
| A．children and adults | B．Americans and the French |
| C．life style and obesity | D．fast food and overweight |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A health report | B．A book review |
| C．A TV interview | D．A food advertisement |