My friend Dr. Dong had a wonderful chance to go to Seattle to present a paper at a professional meeting. When he got back to Beijing, he told me his experience.
Dr. Dong enjoyed his first days very much. At the medical conference, he felt quite confident in his area of research and was able to perform well in his presentation. But after a few days, he began to feel uncomfortable. His medical English was fine, but the social communication skills were different.
He got more and more worri
ed that he was misunderstanding simple English greetings and table talk conventions(习俗). When someone greeted him with, “Hi, how’s it going?” he thought they had asked him “Where are you going?” and answered with the name of the conference hall, only to get a surprised stare from them. At a western style dinner, a colleague asked, “So how’re you enjoyin’ the States?” he thought he heard, “how are you enjoying your steak?” and answered that he was eating chicken, not beef. That time, they smiled, and patiently repeated the question, then both laughed at the error.
By the end of the meetings, Dr. Dong felt a deep sense of “cultural stress” and was worn out from having to pay attention to so many new expressions and ways of dealing with things. He felt his handshake was not as firm as Americans’, found that people reacted unusually when he modestly insisted his English was not good after they complimented(称赞) him, didn’t know how to accept dinner invitations properly and therefore missed out on going to several lunches, and so on. Eventually, he was so confused that he felt the full impact of “culture shock”.Why did Dr. Dong travel to Seattle?
| A．To improve his spoken English. | B．To experience culture shock. |
C．To give lectures on his researc h. |
D．To attend a medical conference. |
Which of the following best describes Dr. Dong’s experience in Seattle?
| A．Comfortable—very uncomfortable—uncomfortable. |
| B．comfortable—very uncomfortable—comfortable. |
| C．Comfortable—uncomfortable – very uncomfortable. |
| D．Comfortable—uncomfortable – very comfortable. |
Dr. Dong felt a deep sense of “cultural stress” mainly because_______.
| A．he was too modest | B．he didn’t understand cultural differences |
| C．he lacked confidence | D．he was not good at English listening |
Growing up, I wanted to be just like my mom. She was kind. People always seemed to feel comfortable in her presence. For years, she was a volunteer in our community. I loved going to the local nursing home with her where she taught a ceramic class.
On one summer day, Mama told me to get changed and meet her at the car.
I had planned to spend the day at the lake with friends. Why did she have to ruin everything? I imagined the cool lake water. Irritated, I climbed into the car and slammed the door shut. We sat in silence. I was too upset to make conversation.
“Tasha, would you like to know where we are going?” Mama asked calmly.
“No,” I said.
“We are going to volunteer at a children’s shelter today. I have been there before and I think it would benefit you,” she explained.
When we reached the shelter, Mama rang the doorbell. Moments later, we were greeted by a woman. She led us to the front room where all of the children were playing. I noticed a baby whose body was scarred with iron marks. I was told it was because she wouldn’t stop crying. The majority of the children had noticeable physical scars. Others hid their emotional wounds.
As I took in my surroundings, I felt a gentle tug on my shirt. I looked down to see a little girl looking up at me. “Hi. You want to play dolls with me?” she asked. I looked over at Mama for reinforcement. She smiled and nodded. I turned back and said, “Sure.” Her tiny hand reached up and held mine, as if to comfort me.
My mom taught me a valuable lesson that summer. I returned to the shelter with her several times. During those visits, some of the children shared their troubled pasts with me and I learned to be grateful for what I had. Today as I strive to instill (逐渐灌输) these values in my own child, I reflect back to that experience. It was a time that I will never forget. The author admired her mom for ________.
| A．her kindness to others | B．her excellent teaching |
| C．her quality of honesty | D．her positive attitude to life |
According to Paragraph 3, when she was asked to go out with her mom, the author was ________.
| A．excited | B．angry | C．surprised | D．worried |
From the passage we learn most children in the shelter ________.
| A．were often punished by staff | B．weren’t allowed to go outside |
| C．were once treated badly | D．all suffered from mental illness |
The underlined word “reinforcement” in the passage is closest in meaning to “________”.
| A．truth | B．help | C．comfort | D．support |
Discover Nature Schools programs
Becoming Bears (Kindergarten-2 grade)
By becoming baby bears, children learn from their “parent” to survive the seasons. Kids will find safety in the spring and learn kinds of food bears eat during the summer, and then create a cave for winter hibernation(冬眠). After learning the skills needed to survive, students will go out of the cave as an independent black bear able to care for themselves. (1.5-2 hours)
Whose Clues? (3-5 grade)
Kids will discover how plants and animals use their special structures to survive. Through outdoor study of plants and animals, kids will recognize their special structures and learn how they enable species to eat, avoid their enemies and survive. Using what they have learned, kids will choose one species and tell how they survive in their living places. (3-4 hours)
Winged Wonders (3-5 grade)
Birds add color and sound to our world and play an important ecological (生态的) role. Students will learn the basics of birds, understand the role birds play in food chains and go bird watching using field guides and telescopes. Students will do hands-on activities. Students will use tools to build bird feeders, allowing them to attract birds at home.(3-4 hours)
Exploring Your Watershed (6-8 grade)
We all depend on clean water. Examining how our actions shape the waterways around us. Go on a hike to see first-hand some of the challenging water quality problems in a city. Students will test the water quality to determine the health of an ecosystem.
● Each program is taught for a class with at least 10 students.
● All programs include plenty of time outdoors. So please prepare proper clothing, sunscreen and
insect killers for children.
● To take part in a program , please email dcprograms@mdc.mo.gov.What can kids do at Becoming Bears?
| A．Watch bears’ performances. |
| B．Take care of bears |
| C．Dress up as baby bears to learn about bears. |
| D．Learn how to survive a bear attack. |
Kids who are interested in plants will choose______________.
| A．Winged Wonders | B．Exploring your Watershed |
| C．Becoming Bears | D．Whose Clues? |
According to the passage, all the four programs _____________.
| A．have the same teaching hours |
| B．have outdoor activities |
| C．are offered during summer holidays |
| D．are designed for primary school students |
Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can’t find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you.
Then , consider this: you might be in a state of sub - health （亚健康）.
Sub - health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline state between health and disease.
According to the survey by the National Health Organization, Over 45 percent of sub - healthy people are middle-aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam week.
Symptoms （征兆）include a shortage of energy, depression, slow reactions, insomnia （失眠）and poor memory , Other symptoms include shortness of breath, sweating and aching in the waist and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub - health, according to some medical experts, is to form good living habits, ale mate work and rest, exercise regularly, and take part in open air activities.
As for meals, people are advised to eat less salt and sugar . They should also eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish because they are rich in nutritional elements - vitamins and trace elements - that are important to the body.
Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract （消化道）. They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub - health.When you are in a state of sub - health, you should________.
| A．stay home and keep silent |
| B．go to a doctor and buy some medicine |
| C．not consider it very serious |
| D．find out the reasons and relax yourself |
Middle - aged people may be easy to get sub - healthy because________.
| A．they have used up their energy |
| B．they have lost their living hopes |
| C．they have more pressure in life and work. |
| D．they have changed their way of life |
The key to preventing you from falling into a state of sub health is to________.
| A．keep on working regularly | B．go to sleep a bit earlier |
| C．form good living habits | D．take medicine if necessary |
As for food, experts suggested that________.
| A．we should never eat meat |
| B．we should have variety of food |
| C．we should eat less than usual |
| D．we should have meals without sugar |
The underlined word “alternate” in this passage is closest in meaning to________
| A．arrange by turns | B．cause to take place |
| C．make up for | D．keep away from |
We Are One--'Expo Through My Eyes'
Sharing increases your happiness. To celebrate the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, China Daily invites you to share what you’ve seen, heard and experienced at the 6-month international event or Expo-related stories in ENGLISH. Whether you are an Expo volunteer, a journalist, or a tourist, we’d like you to share with us your expo experience, as viewed through your eyes. So if you like, please join us today in sharing the joy!
Eligibility(适宜人选): Everyone
Topic: 2010 Shanghai World Expo
Language: ENGLISH Only
Length: No more than 1,000 words
Content: Stories accompanied(附有) by photos are encouraged.
Duration: May 1, 2010--October 31, 2010
How to submit your stories: Send your stories and photos to expo@chinadaily.com.cn
Why join us: In addition to(除……之外) the satisfaction of supporting our work.
- Your stories will come out on China Daily’s website;
- You will go in a lucky draw to win a prize. China Daily invites us .
| A．to celebrate the 2010 Shanghai World Expo |
| B．to support their work |
| C．to write Expo-related stories in English for them |
| D．to win a prize |
Who can take part in this activity?
| A．Everybody. | B．A tourist. | C．A journalist. | D．An Expo volunteer. |
What does the underlined word “submit” mean?
| A．撰稿 | B．呈交 | C．发表 | D．发送 |
Your story must not .
| A．be written in English | B．have any pictures |
| C．be less than 1000 words | D．be submitted after October 31, 2010. |
If your story is chosen by the editor, we can read it .
| A．in a magazine | B．in a storybook |
| C．on China Daily’s website | D．in the newspaper named China Daily |
Everyone likes living in a clean and comfortable environment. If the envionment(环境) are bad, it will affect（影响）our body, and make us not feel well. Sometimes we may be terribly ill. At that time we don’t want to work, and we have to stay in bed and rest at home. So the envrionment is very important to us.
It’s germs that makes us ill. There are germs everywhere, They are very small and you can’t find them with your own eyes, but you can see them with a microscope（显微镜）They are very small and there may be hundreds of them on a very small thing, Germs can always be found in dirty water. When we look at dirty water under the microscope, we shall see them in it. Germs can also be found in air and dust（灰尘）. If you cut your finger, some of the dust from the floor may go into it, and you will have much pain in it. Sometimes the germs will go into all of your boby, and you will have pain everywhere.
To keep us healthy, we should try to our best to make our environment become cleaner and tidier. This needs us to act together.The writer tell us that________.
| A．we like working when we are ill |
| B．germs can’t live in the water. |
| C．we can’t feel ill if the environment is bad. |
| D．we feel well when the environment is good. |
Germs are________.
| A．very small things that you can’t see with your eyes. |
| B．the things that don’t effect people. |
| C．the things that you can find with your eyes. |
| D．the things that are very big. |
Where can germs be found? They can be found_________.
| A．on the small thing | B．in air and dust |
| C．only in dirty water | D．everywhere |
How will you feel if germs go into the finger that is cut?
| A．I will feel nothing. | B．I won’t mind. |
| C．I will feel tense. | D．I will feel painful. |
From the passage we know that________.
| A．environment doesn’t affect our life |
| B．we don’t need to improve our environment |
| C．germs may make us ill |
| D．if the environment is better, germs will be more. |