“Long time no see” is a very interesting sentence. When I first read this sentence from an American friend’s email, I laughed. I thought it was a perfect example of Chinglish.
Obviously, it is a word-by-word literal translation of the Chinese greetings with a ruled English grammar and structure! Later on, my friend told me that it is a standard American greeting. I was too thrilled to believe her. Her words could not convince me at all. So I did a research on google.com. To my surprise, there are over 60 thousand web pages containing “Long time no see.” This sentence has been widely used in emails, letters, newspapers, movies, books, or any other possible places. Though it is sort of informal, it is part of the language that Americans use daily. Ironically, if you type this phrase in Microsoft Word, the software will tell you that the grammar needs to be corrected.
Nobody knows the origin of this Chinglish sentence. Some people believe that it came from Charlie Chan’s movies. In the 1930s, Hollywood moviemakers successfully created a world wide famous Chinese detective named “Charlie Chan” on wide screens. Detective Chan likes to teach Americans some Chinese wisdom by quoting Confucius. “Long time no see” was his trademark. Soon after Charlie Chan, “Long time no see” became a popular phrase in the real world with thanks to the popularity of these movies.
Some scholars refer to America as a huge pot of stew. All kinds of culture are mixed in the stew together, and they change the color and taste of each other. American Chinese, though a minority ethnic(少数民族的成员) group in the United States, is also contributing some changes to the stew! Language is usually the first thing to be influenced in the mixed stew.
You can have some other examples than adoptions from Chinese, such as pizza from Italian, susi from Japanese, and déjà vu from French etc. There is a long list! Americans do not just simply borrow something from others. They will modify it and make it their own, so you would not be surprised to find a tofu and peanut butter hamburger in a restaurant, or to buy a bottle of iced Chinese green tea with honey in a grocery store. Since Americans appreciate Chinese culture more and more nowadays, I believe more Chinese words will become American English in the future. In this way the American stew keeps adding richness and flavor.The writer himself felt surprised at ______.
| A．the Chinglish expression “Long time no see” |
| B．“Long time no see” used as standard American English |
| C．so many literal translation of the expressions used in America |
| D．finding out Americans use the expression every day |
The word “stew” in the 4th paragraph probably means ______.
| A．mixture literature | B．Confucius’ words |
| C．a kind of cooked dish | D．American changing cultures |
According to the passage, it can be inferred that ______.
A. detectives translate the phrase “Long time no see”
B. Hollywood made “Long time no see” popular
B. “Long time no see” used as standard American English
D. cultures can be changed in the huge pot of stewThe main idea of the passage is that ______.
| A．some Chinese expressions are introduced into English |
| B．you’ll not be surprised at a tofu in a restaurant in America |
| C．some American expressions can be used in China |
| D．American English keep being enriched from different cultures |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?
| A．Informal language sometimes doesn’t go with grammar and structure. |
| B．Languages are always ruled by grammar and structure. |
| C．Long time no see” has been used in at least four media mentioned in the passage. |
| D．There are four languages mentioned to be adopted in the American stew. |
Women are friendly．But men are more competitive．Why? Researchers have found it's all down to the hormone oxytocin （荷尔蒙催生素）．Although known as the love hormone, it affects the sexes differently．
"Women tend to be social in their behavior．They often share with others．But men lend to be competitive．They are trying to improve their social status," said Professor Ryan．
Generally, people believe that the hormone oxytocin is let out in our body in various social situations and our body creates a large amount of it during positive social interactions （互动） such as falling in love or giving birth．
But in a previous experiment Professor Ryan found that the hormone is also let out in our body during negative social interactions such as envy．
Further researches showed that in men the hormone oxytocin improves the ability to recognize competitive relationships, but in women it raises the ability to recognize friendship．
Professor Ryan's recent experiment used 62 men and women aged 20 to 37．Half of the participants（参与者）received oxytocin．The other half received placebo （安慰剂）．
After a week, the two groups switched with participants．They went through the same procedure with the other material．
Following each treatment, they were shown some video pictures with different social interactions．Then they were asked to analyze the relationships by answering some questions．The questions were about telling friendship from competition．And their answers should be based on gestures, body language and facial expressions．
The results indicated that, after treatment with oxytocin, men's ability to correctly recognize competitive relationships improved, but in women it was the ability to correctly recognize friendship that got better．
Professor Ryan thus concluded: "Our experiment proves that the hormone oxytocin can raise people's abilities to better distinguish different social interactions．And the behavior differences between men and women are caused by biological factors （因素） that are mainly hormonal．"What causes men and women to behave differently according to the text?
| A．Placebo． | B．Oxytocin． |
| C．The gesture． | D．The social status． |
What can we learn from Professor Ryan's previous experiment?
| A．Oxytocin affects our behavior in a different way． |
| B．Our body lets out oxytocin when we are deep in love． |
| C．Our body produces oxytocin when we feel unhappy about others' success． |
| D．Oxytocin improves our abilities to understand people's behavior differences． |
Why did Professor Ryan conduct the recent experiment?
| A．To test the effect of oxytocin on the ability to recognize social interactions． |
| B．To know the differences between friendship and competition． |
| C．To know people's different abilities to answer questions． |
| D．To test people's understanding of body language． |
The author develops the text by______．
| A．explaining people's behaviors |
| B．describing his own experiences |
| C．distinguishing sexual differences |
| D．discussing research experiments |
Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven．His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes．Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties（地方特色菜）in Germany, Spain and France．At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends．Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking．Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like make drinks out of dining-hall fruit．That helped the show become very popular among the students．They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking．Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network．
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television．He says Lieberman’s charisma is key．“Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay．“It’s about your personality（个性）and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show．”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket．After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches．An airline company（航空公司）was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, Lieberman got the job．We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family ____．
| A．have relatives in Europe | B．love cooking at home |
| C．often hold parties | D．own a restaurant |
The Food Network got to know Lieberman ____．
| A．at one of his parties | B．from his teachers |
| C．Through his taped show | D．on a television program |
What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?
| A．A natural ability to attract others． |
| B．A way to show one’s achievement． |
| C．Lieberman’s after-class interest． |
| D．Lieberman’s fine cooking skill． |
Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?
| A．He could prepare meals in a small kitchen． |
| B．He was famous for his shows on Food TV． |
| C．He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches． |
| D．He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals． |
Is there something that you’ve always wanted to try but just never had the time？Well, make plans to try it now since you are on summer vacation. Not all vacations call for taking a tour bus to take photos of famous landmarks. Some vacations allow you plenty of opportunities to learn.
The most difficult aspect of a learning vacation may be choosing one because the possibilities are endless. If you enjoy cooking，various companies can take you to Italy, France, Spain, Mexico or even Peru. Once there, you can learn to prepare the local cuisine(烹饪). Trips are often planned to fit in with local food festivals or special events.
The term “learning vacation” often brings language to mind. The best way to learn a language is in an environment where it’s spoken. Study Spanish, French or English. Or attempt a more unusual language like Polish, Estonian or Thai. You’ll be able to learn about the country and absorb the culture at the same time. In that case, you can really learn the authentic foreign language.
If you are fond of sports, you can polish your skills or learn new ones. Golf and tennis schools welcome players of all levels. If you want a bigger thrill, you can learn to surf, go climbing or race cars. It’s even possible to learn the art and techniques of bull fighting while on vacation!
You can also discover your inner artist. Many places offer painting classes in different mediums. The scenic locations of the schools offer plenty of subjects that provide inspiration for practice.
If you prefer capturing the world on film, take a photography vacation. Travel with a small group to photograph beautiful animals or scenery. You can also practice your technique on people or at historical sights.
Once you decide on a vacation, choose a company carefully. Request names of recent customers you can contact, and then ask them for an evaluation. The more you know before you go, the better prepared you’ll be. Then go out and learn something!Why is it hard for you to decide on a learning vacation?
| A．Because it is hard for you to make plans. |
| B．Because the possibilities are unlimited. |
| C．Because there are many good foods from abroad. |
| D．Because there’re too many food festivals or events. |
The advantages of learning a language in its native country is that ________.
| A．the environment is fit for you to use the language. |
| B．you are able to learn the real foreign language. |
| C．native speakers offer you a lot of chances to practice. |
| D．you can learn the language and experience its culture. |
The purpose of writing the text is to________.
| A．advertise some popular summer programs. |
| B．encourage readers to have a good time relaxing. |
| C．offer some tips on how to enjoy a learning vacation. |
| D．attract more readers to spend summer time learning. |
For some people, music is no fun at all. About four percent of the population is what scientists call “amusic.” People who are amusic are born without the ability to recognize or reproduce musical notes (音调). Amusic people often cannot tell the difference between two songs. Amusics can only hear the difference between two notes if they are very far apart on the musical scale.
As a result, songs sound like noise to an amusic. Many amusics compare the sound of music to pieces of metal hitting each other. Life can be hard for amusics. Their inability to enjoy music set them apart from others. It can be difficult for other people to identify with their condition. In fact, most people cannot begin to grasp what it feels like to be amusic. Just going to a restaurant or a shopping mall can be uncomfortable or even painful. That is why many amusics intentionally stay away from places where there is music. However, this can result in withdrawal and social isolation. “I used to hate parties,” says Margaret, a seventy-year-old woman who only recently discovered that she was amusic. By studying people like Margaret, scientists are finally learning how to identify this unusual condition.
Scientists say that the brains of amusics are different from the brains of people who can appreciate music. The difference is complex, and it doesn’t involve defective hearing. Amusics can understand other nonmusical sounds well. They also have no problems understanding ordinary speech. Scientists compare amusics to people who just can’t see certain colors.
Many amusics are happy when their condition is finally diagnosed (诊断). For years, Margaret felt embarrassed about her problem with music. Now she knows that she is not alone. There is a name for her condition. That makes it easier for her to explain. “When people invite me to a concert, I just say, ‘No thanks, I’m amusic,’” says Margaret. “I just wish I had learned to say that when I was seventeen and not seventy.”Which of the following is true of amusics?
| A．Listening to music is far from enjoyable for them. |
| B．They love places where they are likely to hear music. |
| C．They can easily tell two different songs apart. |
| D．Their situation is well understood by musicians. |
According to paragraph 3, a person with “defective hearing” is probably one who __________.
| A．dislikes listening to speeches |
| B．can hear anything nonmusical |
| C．has a hearing problem |
| D．lacks a complex hearing system |
In the last paragraph, Margaret expressed her wish that __________.
| A．her problem with music had been diagnosed earlier |
| B．she were seventeen years old rather than seventy |
| C．her problem could be easily explained |
| D．she were able to meet other amusics |
What is the passage mainly concerned with?
| A．Amusics’ strange behaviours. |
| B．Some people’s inability to enjoy music. |
| C．Musical talent and brain structure. |
| D．Identification and treatment of amusics. |
Some years ago industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information that governments could not ignore. At such times, there were inquiries into the causes of the disasters or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however, the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or who became seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments that protect customers and workers. In the U.S., for example, there is a department that tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness, but they are having some good results. Our work places are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars that we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Conditions in the work place. |
| B．The freedom of industries in the past. |
| C．Changes in industrial production. |
| D．The safety and health of workers and customers. |
According to the passage, we can get the conclusion that in the past __________.
| A．workers often got ill because of the poor working conditions |
| B．companies were free to put out any products they wanted to |
| C．many people were killed by dangerous products |
| D．industries were as careful in management as they are today |
It is implied in the passage that ____________.
| A．governments and companies had different opinions about the safety of products |
| B．governments paid little attention to the safety of products. |
| C．government officials often did not listen to scientists |
| D．in the past no safety laws were introduced by governments |
The special departments protect customers and workers in many ways EXCEPT by ____.
| A．testing new products |
| B．designing new products |
| C．controlling the sale of products |
| D．inspecting work places |