Chinese and Western eating habits are different. In China, the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. It is always polite to let guests or elderly people at the table taste every dish first. But in the West, everyone has his or her own plate of food.
Although there are no strict rules on how to set chopsticks and spoons, there are some things you should never do during a Chinese banquet (筵席).
Firstly and most importantly, don’t put your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl full of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking out upright in it. So if you stick your chopsticks in the rice bowl, it appears that you want someone at the table to die.
Make sure the spout(容器嘴) of the teapot is not facing anyone, as this is impolite. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.
Don’t tap on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars tap on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slow in a restaurant, you should not tap on your bowl. If you are in someone’s home, it is like insulting the cook.What is the difference between Chinese and Western eating habits according to Paragraph 1?
| A．In China people are very polite, while in the West people are not so. |
| B．In China people share the dishes, while in the West people eat separately. |
| C．In China people use the chopsticks, while in the West people use the knife and fork. |
| D．None of the above. |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．The reason why chopsticks shouldn’t be put upright in the rice bowl. |
| B．The Chinese use chopsticks to eat. |
| C．The Chinese eating habits. |
| D．How to use chopsticks. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It is polite to taste the dishes before the guests or the elderly. |
| B．You can put your chopsticks wherever you want. |
| C．Never tap on your bowls with the chopsticks during the meal. |
| D．Teenagers can stick their chopsticks in the rice bowl. |
The underlined word “insulting” in the last paragraph probably means “_________”.
| A．playing jokes on | B．laughing at | C．treating badly | D．looking down upon |
"But Ijust paid 1．69 for this bottle of wine last week．How is it that the price is 2.25?"
There are at least three things going on that have caused the price of wine to rise．All haveto do with the supply and demand factors of economics．
The first factor is that people are drinking more wine than ever before．This demand formore wine has increased wine sales in America at the rate of 15 percent a year．
The second factor is that the supply of wine has stayed relatively the same, which meansthat the same number of bottles is produced each year．Wine producers are trying to open upnew land to grow more grapes．But in at least three wine producing areas of the world-France,Germany, and California --- new vineyards（葡萄园）will not be useable in the near future．Wines are produced in other countries, such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as Argentine,Australia, Austria, and Chile．And these wines will be seen more often on the American market．But none of these countries will be able to fill the good wines．
The third factor is that costs of wine production are soaring．The workers who make wineare asking for more money, and the machinery needed to press the grapes is becoming moreexpensive．
When the demand for something is greater than the supply, prices go up．When productioncosts, meaning the price of labor and machinery rise, the producer adds this increase to theprice of the wine．For these reasons, that bottle of wine now costs 2．25 instead of 1．69．What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Every year people drink more wine． |
| B．Countries won't be able to fill the demand for good wines． |
| C．The prices of things go up when the demand for them is greater than the supply． |
| D．The supply of wine will always be less than demand． |
This passage is written to．
| A．describe where wine is produced |
| B．persuade people drink more beer |
| C．explain why the price of wine is rising |
| D．describe why wine is a favorite drink to many Americans |
Theunderlined word "soaring" means"___ .
| A．adding quickly | B．reducing fast |
| C．demanding badly | D．increasing fast |
People can be addicted to different things— e．g．alcohol, drug, certain foods，or eventelevision．People who have such an addiction are compulsive: they have a very powerfulpsychological need that they feel they must satisfy．According to psychologists, many peopleare compulsive spenders．They feel that they must spend money．This compulsion, like mostothers, is impossible to explain reasonably．For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, chargeaccounts are even more exciting than money．In other words, compulsive spenders feel thatwith credit, they can do anything．Their pleasure in spending large amounts is actually greaterthan the pleasure that they get from the things they buy．
There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting．To save money, of course, mostpeople look for sales, low prices, and discounts．Compulsive bargain hunters，however, oftenbuy things that they don't need just because they are cheap．They want to believe that they arehelping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game．When they can buysomething for less than other people, they feel that they are winners．Most people, expertsclaim, have two reasons for their behavior: a good reason for the things that they do and thereal reason．
It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, butalso business people．Stores, companies, and advertisers use psychology to increase business．They consider people's needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs andopinions, and so on in their advertising and sales methods．
Psychologists often use a method called "behavior therapy（疗法）"to help individuals solvetheir personality problems．In the same way, they can help people who feel that they haveproblems with money．According to psychologists, a compulsive spender is one who spends large amounts ofmoney．
| A．and takes great pleasure from what he or she buys |
| B．in order to satisfy his or her basic needs in life |
| C．just to meet his or her strong psychological need |
| D．entirely with an irrational eagerness |
According to the passage, compulsive bargain hunters are often in search of the lowest possible prices.
| A．because they feel satisfied if they spend less money than others |
| B．because they like to show off their success in getting things for less money |
| C．because they have money problem |
| D．because they want to save money to help heir budget |
The passage is mainly talking about．
| A．the psychology of money-spending habits |
| B．the purchasing habits of compulsive spenders |
| C．a special psychology of bargain hunting |
| D．the use of the psychology of spending habits in business |
From the passage we may safely conclude that compulsive spenders or compulsive bargainhunters .
| A．are really unreasonable |
| B．need special treatment |
| C．can't be cured |
| D．can never get any help to solve their problems with money |
Dr．Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish．It's not because fish are endangered，thoughwild fish stocks in many oceans are very low．It's not because they're bad for you, though fishin many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water．It's because they're smart．
"Fish are sensitive, they have personalities’，says the marine biologist．For Earle, eating afish would be like eating a dog or a cat．“I would never eat anyone I know personally.”
There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to betouched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human．They can remember thingsand learn from experience．Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these asstrong arguments against eating fish altogether．
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way fromthe sea to the supermarket．“While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, likeevery other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables，” says Dr. LynneSneddon. “Really，it's kind of a moral question．Is the enjoyment you get from fishing （oreating fish） more important than the pain of the fish?”
Fishermen and （fried） fish lovers are doubtful．"I've never seen a smart fish," says MarieSwaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant．“If they were verysmart, they wouldn't get caught．"
“For years, everyone's been telling us to eat fish because it's so good for us，” says anotherdiner．‘‘Now I've got to feel guilty while I'm eating my fish? What are they going to think ofnext? Don't eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?"Dr．Sylvia Earle discourage people from eating fish because．
| A．there are not that many wild fish in the ocean |
| B．fish actually are sensitive and have personalities |
| C．some ocean fish contain poisonous substances |
| D．fish are like dogs or cats that people know personally |
We can infer from the passage that．
| A．all people don't agree with the idea to stop eating fish |
| B．people will be persuaded not to eat fish in the future |
| C．stopping eating fish will lead to people's not eating vegetables |
| D．we shouldn't care too much about the feeling of fish |
By saying "There's a lot more to fish than meets the eye, "the writer means．
| A．there are far more fish than other animals in the world |
| B．there are more fish in the world than people can see |
| C．people can see more fish if they pay more attention |
| D．fish are not that simple as they appear to people's eyes |
What is the writer's attitude towards people eating fish?
| A．Neutral． | B．Indifferent． | C．Approving． | D．Opposed． |
Being the head of a high school for many years, I grew tired of budget meetings, fundingcuts, and many other administrative chores and started to dream of retirement．Sitting in trafficon a weekday morning, I would find my mind wandering．I would imagine spending time withmy grandchildren, quiet evenings with my wife, traveling, or rediscovering some great books．Itold myself that I wouldn't sign myself up for any committees, any classes, or anythingrequiring a schedule．
My first day of retirement came at last! I cooked a great breakfast for my wife and me,leisurely read the paper, cleaned a bit of the house, and wrote a few letters to friends．On thesecond day, I cooked breakfast, read the paper …On the third day, ...This is retirement? Itried to tell myself that it was just the transition, that those golden moments were right roundthe corner, and that I would enjoy them soon enough．But something was missing．
A former colleague asked a favor．A group of students was going to Jamaica to work withchildren in the poorest neighbourhood．Would I interrupt my newfound "happiness" and returnto the students, just this once? One trip．That's all．My bags were packed and by the door．
The trip was very inspiring．I was moved not only by the poverty I saw but also by thesense of responsibility of the young people on the trip．When I returned home, I offered to workone day a week with a local youth organization．The experience was so positive that I was soonvolunteering nearly full-time, working with students across North America to assist them intheir voluntary work．
Now，it seems, the tables have turned ．Some days I am the teacher, other days I am thestudent．These young people have reawakened my commitment to social justice issues bychallenging me to learn more about the situation in the world today, where people are still poorand suffer because of greed, corruption and war．Most importantly, they have given me theopportunity to continue to participate in helping to find solutions．In return, I help them do theircharitable projects overseas．I've gone from running one school to helping oversee theconstruction of schools in twenty-one countries!What did the writer expect to do after he retired?
| A．To stay away from busy schedules． | B．To write some great books． |
| C．To do some voluntary work． | D．To plan for his future． |
Why did the writer decide to go to Jamaica?
| A．He missed his students in that country． |
| B．He couldn't reflise his colleague's favor． |
| C．He was concerned about the people there． |
| D．He was not satisfied with his retired life． |
The underlined part "the tables have turned" （Paragraph 5 ） means that thewriter．
| A．improved the situation in his school | B．felt happy to work with students again |
| C．became a learner rather than a teacher | D．changed his attitude toward his retired life |
What does the writer think of his retired life now?
| A．Disappointing． | B．Troublesome． |
| C．Promising． | D．Meaningful． |
People say teenagers are no good. They make too much noise in shopping malls; they drive recklessly（不顾一切地） up and down America’s main streets; they carry chips on their shoulders as big as the Sears Tower. And at least some of the time those things are true. But we shouldn’t forget that there are hard moments in the life of a teenager too.
I watched such a moment not long ago at a woman’s funeral. I didn’t expect the event to affect me. Through much of the ceremony, in fact, I remained unmoved.
The teenage grandson stepped forward. With his very first deep breath, every heart in that church was achingly reminded of something we had all forgotten. Softly he began: “I want to share a few values that Nana taught me. She never failed to see light in any situation. When our family dog would truely attract her, what would Nana say? ‘oh, what beautiful barking that dog has!’ That was Nana. ”
“She was a strong woman who often lived in the shadow of my grandpa, who was a successful businessman in this city. But she was the one behind the scenes who provided the strength and support for my grandpa’s career,” he said, with a voice now trembling, “That was Nana’s way.”
Through a low sob, he continued, “Whenever she did anything worth recognition, you ’d have to hear about it from a different source, because she was never one to show off.”
Finally, in a voice breaking free of sorrow, he looked up and said, “Nana taught me courage. She put up an incredible fight to the end, when she died peacefully, which is how she lived her life. That was Nana’s way, and I hope I can carry on in the same manner.”
There are no hearts as sensitive as those of teenagers, because everything is happening to them for the first time. The trouble with teenagers is that they haven’t learned to be controlled.
When that boy rose to speak about the woman who surely had been his truest and dearest friend, his honest voice dragged each of us out into the open where we could no longer hide in the calm ceremony . He exposed us to the truth about this very real woman who believed in a boy who probably tried the patience of many adults. He reminded us that his grandmother was more than another dot on the chart of life and death.
All over again we felt those powerful losses crossing our own hearts, and we knew that when you say good-bye to something happy, something young in yourself. And that something never really returns, and the pain never really goes away.In the first paragraph, the writer gave some examples to_____.
| A．support his idea that young people are no good. |
| B．introduce his point of view about young people. |
| C．tell people every coin has its two sides. |
| D．young people often make mistakes. |
From the boy’s speech, we know _____.
| A．his grandmother had great influence on him. |
| B．they had a dog which often attacked people |
| C．people had forgotten her until the boy appeared.. |
| D．his grandmother was so weak that she is always living in the shadow of his grandpa |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The boy ‘s speech moved no one present at the funeral except the writer. |
| B．The boy’s being good at expressing himself enabled him to draw everyone’s attention. |
| C．The boy was too grieved to accept the fact that his grandmother had passed away. |
| D．The writer didn’t expect the event would affect him. |
What words can best describe grandmother’s quality?
A. weak, mild and modest.
B.. easygoing, cautious and considerate
C. sensitive and hard on others.
D, patient, optimistic, strong and helpful. The passage tells the readers____.
| A．facing certain bitter facts help young people to grow. |
| B．young people have to control themselves |
| C．the adults should learn from the young. |
| D．the adults should teach the young how to be brave |