Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.
Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often remember a friend’s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner — that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.
You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, ‘It’s so nice. Thanks…’when you get Christmas or birthday presents.
You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.
At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year like doormen, babysitters, housecleaners , newspaper senders — anyone who has often helped us.What do the underlined words ‘close friends’ mean in the passage?
| A．The friends who are very kind. |
| B．The friends who live close to each other. |
| C．The friends who were once classmates. |
| D．The friends who you like most. |
What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?
| A．The small presents. |
| B．Christmas or birthday presents. |
| C．The expensive presents. |
| D．The presents for dinner party. |
Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?
| A．To pay them. |
| B．To help them. |
| C．To thank them. |
| D．To make them work harder. |
Which of the following do you think is right?
| A．American business people don’t want presents because they are rich enough. |
| B．The writer of this passage must be an American. |
| C．Everyone must give presents to one’s family and friends at Christmas. |
| D．Government employees can get little presents from a foreigner. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Present-giving in the United States. |
| B．Customs (习俗) in the United States. |
| C．American people and present-giving. |
| D．When and how to give presents. |
Jane always goes to school early. She likes to talk to her friends before class. After school she does not go home early. She is always late. Jane stops to see the animals in the pet shop. She likes to see the dogs. One of them is a little white dog. She watches the little dog play in the window of the shop. She watches for a long time, so she comes home late.
One day her father and mother ask why she is late, and she tells them about the little dog in the pet shop.
Jane is not late the next day. She stops to look in the window of the shop. But she doesn’t see the dog, and she is very sad. She is also very happy, today is her birthday.
Mother shows her a big birthday cake and Father gives her a birthday surprise(惊奇). He gives her the little white dog from the shop. Jane is very happy. The next day Jane does not come home late. She runs home to play with the white dog. Before class begins, Jane usually ________.
| A．talks to her friends | B．plays with her friends |
| C．looks at the dogs in the window | D．takes a bus |
After school Jane _____.
| A．comes home early |
| B．is always late to go home |
| C．plays with the dogs |
| D．looks at the shops along the road |
.Jane likes _____ best.
| A．the big dog | B．the little white dog |
| C．little animals | D．the pet shop |
The little dog is not there because it _______.
| A．is stolen(偷) | B．is put away(抛弃) by the shop |
| C．is ill | D．is sold(卖) out by the shop |
The birthday surprise is _________.
| A．a big cake | B．some presents |
| C．the little white dog | D．a birthday party |
There are fifty students in our class. There are twenty-four boys and twenty-six girls. Some students live near the school, and some others live far from school. About half of the students usually come to school by bike. They often get to school at a quarter to seven. About fifteen students often come to school by bus. They often get to school very early, too. Another ten students come to school on foot. Their homes are near the school, but they are often late for school, because they get up late. ________ live near the school.
| A．Some of the students | B．Half of the students |
| C．No students | D．All the students |
________ students come to school by bike.
| A．Twenty-five | B．Twenty-four |
| C．Twenty-three | D．Fifty |
Ten of the students ________.
| A．come to school by bike | B．come to school late |
| C．come to school very early | D．live in the school |
Some students get to school by bike at _______.
| A．7:35 | B．7:30 | C．6:45 | D．6:30 |
________ students come to school on foot.
| A．Thirty | B．Twenty |
| C．Thirty-eight | D．Ten |
Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today. People didn’t have modern machines. There was no modern medicine, either. Life today has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution （污染）. Water pollution has made our rivers and lakes dirty. It kills our fish and polluted our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us talk louder and become angry more easily. Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution. It’s bad to all living things in the world. Cars, planes and factories all pollute our air every day. Sometimes the polluted air is so thick that it is like a quilt over a city. This kind of quilt is called smog（烟雾）.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. Factories must now clean their water before it is thrown away, they mustn’t blow dirty smoke into the air. We need to do many other things. We can put waste things in the dustbin and not throw it on the ground. We can go to work by bus or with our friends in the same car. If there are fewer people driving, there will be less pollution.
Rules are not enough. Every person must help to fight pollution. Hundreds of years ago, life was much harder than it is today because _______.
| A．there were not any modern machines | B．there was no modern medicine |
| C．both A and B | D．there were not many people |
What is the biggest problem in today’s life?
| A．Water pollution | B．Air pollution |
| C．Noise | D．Pollution |
The most serious kind of pollution is ________.
| A．noise pollution | B．air pollution |
| C．water pollution | D．A, B and C |
Factories must clean their water ________.
| A．before they are thrown away | B．when they are thrown away |
| C．after it is thrown away | D．before it is thrown away |
From the passage we know that ________.
| A．a few years ago, there was no smog at all |
| B．today people don’t have to talk to each other in a loud voice |
| C．we can drink water from the polluted rivers and lakes’ |
| D．people are making rules in order to fight pollution |
“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I was disappointed. “If you go on, one day something good will happen.” When I graduated from college, I decided to try for a job in a radio station and then work hard to become a sports announcer (广播员).
I took a taxi to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station, but I was turned down every time because I didn’t have any working experience. Then, I went back home.
My father said Montgomery Ward wanted a sports-man to help them. I applied (申请), but I didn’t get the job, either. I was very disappointed.“Everything happens for the best,” Mom reminded me. Dad let me drive his car to look for jobs. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, Peter MacArthur, told me they had already had an announcer. His words made me disappointed again. After leaving his office, I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling after me, “What did you say about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he asked me to broadcast an imaginary (虚构的) game. I did so and Peter told me that I would be broadcasting Saturday’s game!
On my way home, I thought of my mother’s words again:“If you go on, one day something good will happen.”What kind of job did the writer want to get after he graduated from college?
| A．A programmer. | B．A sports announcer. |
| C．A sportsman. | D．A taxi driver. |
Why couldn’t the writer get a job at first?
| A．Because he didn’t want to get it. |
| B．Because he didn’t have any experience. |
| C．Because his parents didn’t agree with him. |
| D．Because no stations needed an announcer. |
Every time the writer couldn’t get a job, his mother ________.
| A．said nothing to him | B．told him to give up |
| C．encouraged him to go on trying | D．advised him to get further education |
The underlined phrase “turned down” is closest in meaning to the word “______”.
| A．asked | B．invited |
| C．refused | D．taken |
Which of the following is NOT true about the writer in the passage?
| A．He disliked the job in Montgomery Ward. |
| B．He got a good job in Davenport, Iowa at last. |
| C．He was given a chance by Peter. |
| D．His father also gave him some help. |
Tigers are terrible animals, but a cat is a cute animal. As a mother, the Chinese-American writer Amy Chua is just a tiger . Her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (《虎妈战歌》), tells us how she gives her two children education. She says that being strict is the only way to train a child’s talent. Her kids had to obey the following rules. To begin with, her kids weren’t allowed to watch TV or play computer games. Then, they were not allowed to “ hang out ” with other kids after school. They had to be the top students in their class. And they had to practice the piano and the violin for hours every day. Of course, she believes this has brought a lot of problems for herself and her kids. But she doesn’t mind because her kids have become great. Chua says, like her, most Asian mothers are tigers because they believe their children can achieve a lot if they’re pushed hard enough. She says American mothers are really cats. They care more about their children’s self-respect (自尊). They don’t want to be strict with their kids because this may hurt their feelings. With soft words and understanding, they encourage their children to choose for themselves. So is a tiger mom better than a cat mom? It may also depend on the child.The writer of this passage wants to _________.
| A．tell that Tigers are terrible animals, but a cat is a cute animal. |
| B．tell us Amy Chua how to give children education. |
| C．tell the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is about animals. |
| D．tell that most Asian mothers are cats |
What does Amy Chua think of training a child’s talent?
| A．She says that being strict is the only way to train a child’s talent |
| B．She says that being soft is the best way to train a child’s talent |
| C．She says that teaching is the only way to train a child’s talent |
| D．She says that making the rules is the only way to train a child’s talent |
To begin with, her kids weren’t allowed to
| A．watch TV. |
| B． play computer games |
| C．“ hang out ” with other kids after school. |
| D． Above of all |
She doesn’t mind because her kids have become great. does she?
| A．Yes, she does | B．No, she doesn’t |
| C．Yes, she doesn’t | D．No, she does. |
From the passage, we can know which one is Not true
| A．most Asian mothers are tigers because they believe their children can achieve a lot. |
| B．American mothers don’t want to be strict with their kids because this may hurt their feelings |
| C．So is a tiger mom better than a cat mom? It may also depend on the child. |
| D．American mothers are like cats. They care less about their children’s self-respect (自尊). |