Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset (不安的) if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you!Dinner parties usually start between 7p．m．and 8p．m．, and end at about 11p．m． Ask your host (主人) what time you should arrive． It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift．
Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks (小吃)． Do you want to be extra
(特别地) polite? Say how much you like the room,
or the pictures on the wall. But remember — it's not polite to ask how much things cost．
In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other side． They eat with t
heir guests．
You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert (甜点心) followed by coffee． It's polite to finish e
verything on your plate and to take more if you want it．
Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “Thank you” letter． British and American people like to say “thank you” all the time!An English friend doesn't invite you to his or her dinner, which ＿＿＿＿．
| A．means he or she doesn't like you | B．means he or she likes you |
| C．doesn't mean he or she likes you | D．doesn't mean  he or she doesn't like you |
You are going to attend a dinner party and ＿＿＿＿．
| A．you'd better bring a certain present with you |
| B．you must leave home for it at 7 p．m． |
| C．you should ask your host when you should leave |
| D．you must arrive before 8 p．m． |
It's impolite ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．to say that you like the host's room very much |
| B．for a guest to ask the host the price of the things in the room |
C．for a guest to have drinks and sn acks before the evening |
| D．for the host and the hostess (女主人) to sit and eat with their guests |
In which order will you eat or drink the following things at a meal？
| A．Snacks, vegetables, meat, coffee． |
| B．Coffee, drinks, soup, fish, vegetables, dessert． |
| C．Soup, meat with vegetables, dessert and coffee． |
| D．Drinks, soup, something small, fish and vegetables． |
What is the proper way to express your enjoyment of the evening？
| A．Before leaving for home, you should say, “Thank you for inviting me．” |
| B．When you shake hands with your host, you should say, “I did enjoy the evening．” |
| C．You can write a “Thank you” letter to your host after that． |
| D．You should finish everything on your plate and take more if you want it． |
I suppose that having been brought up in the countryside and close to animals，it wasn’t remarkable(不平常的)when I decided to become a vet(兽医)．Luckily I was also good at all the necessary science subjects.So after the college entrance examination I found myself at a veterinary college，training to look after animals in all kinds of situations.I hoped that I would be able to work in the research field so that I could find cures for animal diseases.
Much to my surprise，I found public health care was a very important aspect of my course. This is an area of animal medicine where a vet’s work has many things in common with the work of a doctor of human diseases.I particularly liked it because I recognized that the study of animal diseases can help human medicine.As we know，many infectious diseases come from animals—including SARS and bird flu.
Some of the infections have only been understood after carefully analytical work in labs by animal doctors. They helped identify the animal source for diseases such as SARS. They were also the first to identify various kinds of viruses. Sometimes vets are also able to suggest a cure for human illnesses.When I found this out I was determined to make public health medicine my chosen career.
After graduation，I applied for a job in public health.Soon I found myself concerned with the problem of bird flu.This is an illness that attacks birds，but humans can catch the disease if they are in close contact with infected birds.Though the job is dangerous，it makes me proud that vets and other animal disease researchers are in the front line helping to fight these unknown human diseases.The writer wanted to become a vet mainly because
______.
| A．he did well in all necessary subjects |
| B．he wanted to help animals |
| C．he was close to animals in his early life |
| D．he wanted to find cures for human diseases |
What made the writer particularly like the course of public health care was that________.
| A．it was both important and interesting |
| B．it could help him connect many human diseases with animals |
| C．it made a vet’s work very much like a doctor’s |
| D．it could help human medicine by studying animal diseases |
What can be followed if this passage continues?
| A．The writer’s happy family life. |
| B．How the writer did research work in studying bird flu. |
| C．How the writer dealt with the relationship with other workmates. |
| D．What difficulty the writer met in the research work. |
Which of the following is implied in the passage?
| A．Animals with infectious diseases should be killed. |
| B．Keeping animals is dangerous to humans. |
| C．Dangerous as a vet’s job is，it is significant to the human race. |
| D．Animal researchers work in the same way as human doctors. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Being a vet is helpful to both animals and humans. |
| B．Vets can cure both animals and humans. |
| C．Vets helped identify animal resources for SARS. |
| D．Both SARS and bird flu are infectious diseases coming from animals. |
Language experts say that spoken English was almost the same in the American colonies and Britain two hundred years ago.Americans began to change the sound of their speech after the Revolutionary War in seventeenseventysix. They wanted to make it different to separate themselves from the British in language，in the same way they separated themselves from the British government.
Some American leaders proposed major changes in the language.Benjamin Franklin wanted a whole new system of spelling.His reforms were not accepted. But his ideas did influence others.One was Noah Webster.
Webster wrote language books for schools.He believed the United States should have a system of its own language as well as government.Webster published a dictionary of the American language in eighteentwentyeight. It established rules for speaking and spelling the words used in American English.
Webster wrote that all words should be said in the order of the letters that spell them.This is why Americans use the letters“e-r”to end many words instead of the British“r-e.”He spelled the word“center，”for example，“c-e-n-t-e-r，”instead of the British“c-e-n-t-r-e.”
Webster’s rule for saying every part of a word made American English easier for foreign settlers to learn.They learned to say“waistcoat，”for example，the way it is spelled instead of the British“weskit.”
The different languages of many people who came to the United States also helped make American and British English different.Many of their foreign words and expressions became part of English as Americans speak them.
Sometimes Americans and British people do not understand each other because of different word meanings. For example，the word“jumper”in Britain means a sweater.In the United States，it is a dress.The British word“brolly” is an“umbrella”in America.And the British call potato chips“crisps”．All of these differences led British writer George Bernard Shaw to joke that Britain and America are two countries separated by the same language!What does the underlined word“it”in the first paragraph refer to?
| A．Separating themselves from the British in language. |
| B．Written English in America. |
| C．Spoken English in America. |
| D．Spoken English in Britain. |
Why did American want their language to differ from British English?
| A．Because they found British English hard to speak. |
| B．Because they found British English hard to spell. |
| C．Because they wanted to have their own language and government. |
| D．Because foreign settlers wanted them to change their language. |
Why do Americans use the word“meter”instead of the word“metre”？
| A．Because Benjamin Franklin didn’t like the word“metre”． |
| B．Because the word“meter”was absorbed from other languages. |
| C．Because Webster thought the word should be said in order of the letters that are spelt. |
| D．Because Webster thought American English should be made easier for foreign settlers to learn. |
Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why English began to change in America?
| A．The government leaders. |
| B．Noah Webster. |
| C．Immigration to America. |
| D．The difficulty Americans had in understanding the British. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．Noah Webster’s simplifying the spelling of English words. |
| B．Differences and similarities between British and American English. |
| C．The reasons why American English was formed and its development. |
| D．Varieties of English throughout the world. |
阅读理解
When I was sixteen years old，I made my first visit to the United States.It wasn’t the first time I had been abroad.Like most English children I learned French at school.And I had often been to France，so I was used to speaking a foreign language to people who didn’t understand French.But when I went to America I was really looking forward to having a nice easy holiday without any language problems.
How wrong I was！The misunderstandings began at the airport.I was looking for a public telephone to give my American friend Danny a call and tell her that I had arrived.A friendly old man saw me looking lost and asked if he could help me.
“Yes，”I said，“I want to give my friend a ring.”
“Well，that’s nice，”he said.“Are you getting married？But aren’t you a bit young？”
“Who’s talking about marriage？”I replied.“I only want to give my friend a ring to tell her I’ve arrived.Can you tell me where there’s a phone box？”
“Oh！”he said.“There’s a phone downstairs.”
When at last we met，Danny explained the misunderstandings to me.
“Don’t worry，”she said to me.“I had so many difficulties at first.There are lots of words which the Americans use differently in meaning from the British.You’ll soon get used to all the funny things they say.Most of the time，British and American people understand each other！”The writer thought ________ in America.
| A．he wouldn’t have any language difficulties |
| B．he would not understand the Americans |
| C．the Americans might not understand him |
| D．he would have difficulty at the airport |
The writer wanted to ________.
| A．buy a ring for his friend |
| B．make a call to his friend |
| C．go to the telephone company |
| D．see his friend off |
From the passage we can see that “give sb.a ring”________．
| A．means “call sb.” to the old man |
| B．means the same in America as in England |
| C．has two different meanings |
| D．means “be going to get married” in England |
In the last paragraph the word “they” refers to ________.
| A．the old man and the boy |
| B．the Americans |
| C．the British |
| D．the French |
Which is RIGHT according to the passage?
| A．American and British English are so different that they can’t understand each other. |
| B．Although American and British English are different，they mostly can understand each other. |
| C．Danny isn’t used to the funny things Americans say. |
| D．The old man couldn’t understand what “I” meant. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
If women are mercilessly exploited year after year，they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion，they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it，only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way waste hours of their time altering (改变) the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened；necklines are lowered or raised，and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth，comfort and durability. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort，as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn't at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day，or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion，the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes，one wonder，reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability？Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability？That is for you to decide.Designers and big stores always make money________.
| A．by constantly changing the fashions in women's clothing |
| B．by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry |
| C．because they are able to predict new fashions for the coming season |
| D．because they attach great importance to the quality of women's clothing |
To the writer，that women alter their old fashioned dresses is seen as________.
| A．a waste of money |
| B．an expression of taste |
| C．a waste of time |
| D．an expression of creativity |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is true?
| A．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society. |
| B．The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of characters. |
| C．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women. |
| D．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women. |
By saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious”，the writer means that________.
| A．women are better able to put up with discomfort |
| B．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion |
| C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion de signers |
| D．women's inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Celebrities(名人) have become a powerful influence on some people because of their social position and their economic situation.
First，some people admire and imitate stars because they allow themselves to be influenced by the media. Television，radio，and magazines invade(侵扰) the lives of audience with a variety of shows，information，and publications about stars and their lives. For instance，Britney Spears has become the target of paparazzi(狗仔队)．In May，Britney appeared at the front page of the most popular magazines revealing that she married her best friend in Vegas，Nevada. Media also invade stars' lives because reporters know they get high profits from readers who buy and follow their favorite artists' news.
Second，some mad audience imitate their celebrities for their lack of confidence. Some people who are shy and lack personality may find that imitating others will cause a good impression. For instance，my cousin Jenny，who lacks a social life because of her introverted(内向的) personality，believes that acting and dressing like Jennifer Lopez will make her popular in high school.
Finally，several fans of stars imitate them because of peer(同龄人) pressure. Since my niece's girlfriends formed an Antonio Banderas' fan club，she had also joined the group. Although she wasn't a huge fan of his，now she collects most of Banderas' possessions. In fact，when I asked Arianna，my niece，why she was part of Banderas' fan club，she replied with a doubtful tone that she did not wish to be rejected by the other teens.
In conclusion，it is true that celebrities play spectacular roles in their performances in Hollywood，which entertains many people all over the world；however，modern celebrities influence the audience to the point where their fans admire and try to imitate their lives.What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Why people are influenced by celebrities. |
| B．The harmful influence of celebrities. |
| C．What kind of people are influenced by celebrities. |
| D．How to avoid the influence of celebrities. |
We can infer from Paragraph 2 that ________.
| A．media are on the side of stars |
| B．stars know how to take advantage of media |
| C．media can give wrong information about stars |
| D．media invade stars' lives for their own good |
Jenny acts and dresses like Jennifer Lopez because ______________.
| A．she admires Jennifer Lopez's personality |
| B．she wants to become famous too |
| C．she wants to change her own personality |
| D．she lacks selfconfidence |
Arianna joined the Antonio Banderas' fan club to ________.
| A．seek encouragement from the star |
| B．be accepted by other teens |
| C．become a real fan of the star |
| D．learn more about the star |
The author of the passage probably believes that ________.
| A．it's easy for people to resist the influence of celebrities |
| B．all young people are easily influenced by celebrities |
| C．it's no good for people to imitate celebrities blindly |
| D．people can improve their personality by imitating their favorite stars |