Visitors to Britain may find the best place to sample local culture is in a traditional pub. But these friendly pubs can be dangerous places of potential gaffes(失礼) for the newcomers.
A team of researchers have discovered some of the unknown customs of British pubs－starting with the difficulty of getting a drink. Most pubs have no waiters－you have to go to the bar to buy drinks. A group of Italian youths were waiting 45 minutes before they realized they would have to fetch their own. This may sound inconvenient, but there is a hidden purpose.
Pub culture is designed to promote sociability(社交)in a society known for its reserve. Standing at the bar for service allows you to chat with others waiting to be served. The bar counter is possibly the only site in the British Isles in which friendly conversation with strangers is considered entirely suitable and really quite normal behavior. “If you haven’t been to a pub, you haven’t been to Britain.” This tip can be found in a booklet, Passport to the Pub: The Tourists’ Guide to Pub Etiquette, a customers’ rule of conduct for those wanting to sample “a central part of British life and culture”.
The trouble is that if you do not follow the local rules, the experience may fall flat. For example, if you are in a big group, it is best if only one or two people go to buy the drinks. Nothing annoys the regular customers and bar staff more than a group of strangers blocking all access to the bar while they chat and hesitate about what to order.The culture of pub in Britain is developed to .
| A．encourage more people to consume drinks |
| B．encourage people to communicate with each other |
| C．form its own character of culture |
| D．attract more tourists to the pubs |
If you don’t follow the local rules in a pub, .
| A．you may fail to feel the local culture |
| B．you might get into a dangerous place |
| C．you won’t buy good local drinks |
| D．you may annoy the regular customers and bar staff |
What may be the best title for the passage?
| A．Manners in British Local Pubs |
| B．Self-service Pubs in Britain |
| C．British Local Pubs: Special Chat Places |
| D．Local Pub Culture in Britain |
The underlined word “sample” in the first paragraph probably means “ ”.
| A．record | B．test | C．experience | D．taste |
In American schools there is something called Home-coming Day. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation(毕业) or commencement(授奖典礼) day. Students plan homecoming day for many weeks in advance(预先).
Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate(装饰) the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.
The members of school clubs build booths(摊位) and sell lemonade,apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors.
During the day people like to look for teacher
s that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.
Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the bandcomes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Home-corning Queen or King appears. All the students vote a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen.
Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering.The most important event of the year in high schools and colleges is ________.
| A．homecoming | B．the football game | C．graduation | D．winning the game |
When do students begin to arrange everything for Homecoming?
| A．The day before Homecoming. | B．Many wee ks before the day. |
| C．when the guests arrive. | D．In the days before Homecoming. |
Which of the following is NOT done on Homecoming?
| A．To see old friends. | B．To call on teachers they remember. |
| C．To watch the football game. | D．To go home to see their family. |
The underline words “vote” in the fifth paragraph means ________.
A．attend a  meeting |
B．elect or choose |
| C．hold a celebration(庆祝) | D．have a football match |
Who can probably become Homecoming Queen or King?
| A．The students who is liked most by the others. |
| B．The guest who is most popular with the students. |
| C．The students who is most liked by the guests. |
| D．The player who plays best in the football game. |
People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible(有责任感的) citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home,as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day.These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts.Children make them in school.Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?
A．Parents bring up children. |
| B．Parents give love and care to children. |
| C．Parents educate children to be good persons. |
| D．Parents pass away before children grow up. |
What do you think “florists” do?
| A．They sell flowers. |
| B．They make and sell bread. |
| C．They offer enough room for having family parties. |
| D．They sell special gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
Which do you think is right about “carnation”?
| A．It has only two kinds of colors. |
| B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. |
| C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes. |
| D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May. |
What do you know from the passage?
| A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May. |
| B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past. |
| C．Not all the children respect their parents. |
| D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home. |
On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day,.
| A．people usually have family parties | B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery |
| C．children always go to parents’ home | D．h and-made cards are the most valuable gifts |
Conjoined twins lead separate but active lives.
Lori and Reba have never been alone and they want to keep it that way.
The 40-year-old conjoined twins in Pennsylvania,US,have read about others locked together by an accident of birth who have been medically separated.But they insist only death can part them.
“We’ve never imagined a life divided,”Lori said.
Lori and Reba are joined together at the side of their heads,facing in opposite directions.Their blood supply is partly linked,but each has a separate brain.
Reba suffers from a disease which has left her completely dependent on her sister.
Lori wheels her everywhere they go in different professional directions.Lori worked in a laundry room at a hospital for six years before giving that up to allow Reba to try to become a country singer.
Her first song is called “The Fear of Being Alone”,which was inspired by Reba and Lori’s desire for togetherness.
Reba’s career has taken her across the United States, Europe and parts of Asia.
While the twins receive some money from the government, the earning from Reba’s concerts go to AIDS and cancer charities(慈善机构).
The sisters have set goals for themselves. Reba looks forward to a successful career as a country singer, while Lori says she hopes to get married and have children.Lori said,”So when it comes, it comes. Meanwhile, I live wonderfully from day to day.”When Lori said “We’ve never imagined a life divided”,she meant that .
| A．they don’t wish to be made separate |
| B．they think their case is beyond medical help |
| C．independent life would be too good to think of |
| D．they would die once separated |
By leading separate lives,the topic means that .
A
. either of the two can look after herself B .the twins do different things
C. they face in opposite directions D. they are no longer conjoined nowWhen Reba gives performances as a country singer,Lori .
| A．works in a hospital | B．continues her college education |
| C．brings up her children | D．looks after her sister |
The twins lead active lives because they .
| A．are tired of staying at home doing nothing |
| B．need more money |
C．want to prove themselve s as useful citizens |
| D．have to earn their own bread |
From the last paragraph we can understand that Lori .
A. thinks it’s too late for her to have children
B. is sure she’ll get married and have children
Armed only with iPhones, the inventive rock band Atomic Tom has gone viral（广为流传） by way of the New York subway． The band has scored an Internet hit with the video to the song “Take Me Out．”
Singer Luke White says the production was a top-secret operation．
“We didn't tell anyone about this． It was completely top-secret from our family, from our friends, from our label, our management, everybody． So the first time that people saw this video was last Friday when we put it on YouTube,” explained White．
Since uploading the video to YouTube, band members have spent several days refreshing the page to watch the number of hits rise．
The video has also made its way around Twitter as many people have shared it with their friends．
“I mean, it still hasn't quite hit． It's just kind of blowing our minds right now that we're getting this: many people are fond of it, and they're sharing it with their friends． We don't know what it's like really to have something that's viral, so all of this is very new to us．” said Eric Espiritu, the lead guitarist of the band．
White explains how the video came together:
“We did our research with the applications（ 应用程序） and found applications that worked out really well with the instruments and then we plugged them all into, plugged our phones into mini-battery powered amplifiers（扩音器） that we put underneath our seats, and we did a lot of, you know, practices, in terms of figuring out what the balance of the sound and like who was overpowering, who was too loud or who was too soft．”
The idea for the video came from Espiritu's younger brother Benjamin． The yo
unger Espiritu directed the video from his initial concept through the final edit and upload to the Internet．
“I've seen a lot of the music applications come out, and I've never actually had the chance to play with them," says Ben Espiritu． "When I started hearing about how they sound and everything, I thought it might be unique to take it one step further and then create an entire band just performing solely（单曲） on the iPhones, and I thought it would be a pretty cool idea．”
Ben says the success of the band’s music video is a credit to the talent and ability of the musicians, but it's also a sign of the times．
“It really comes down to seeing something different, seeing something unique, and I think that that's always, in any type of art form, what will speak to people, and I think it does reflect the times that we live in, taking a smart phone and then being able to turn it into an instrument, not only just an instrument, but making it sound really good．” Who first saw the video of the song “Take Me Out”?
| A．Their friends | B．The people on line |
| C．Their family | D．Their management |
What is the band members’ attitude towards the sudden fame?
| A．They are thrilled． |
| B．They are quite used to it． |
| C．They are kind of confused． |
| D．They are so excited as to tell everyone they know． |
How did the video come into being?
| A．The band copied from it other musicians． |
| B．It had already existed in the iPhones before they bought them． |
| C．The band created it with the help of the applications in the iPhones． |
| D．The band made full use of the traditional instruments to make the song． |
What is the significance of the success of the band's music video?
| A．It has introduced us several talented musicians． |
| B．It has made the musicians into millionaires． |
| C．It teaches the young a big lesson． |
| D．It reflects the talent and ability of the musicians and the times that we live in． |
NPR has ended its contract with Juan Williams, one of its senior news analysts, after he made comments about Muslims on the Fox News Channel．
NPR said in a statement that it gave Mr． Williams notice of his ending in this organization on Wednesday night．
The move came after Mr． Williams, who is also a Fox News political analyst, appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Monday． On the show, the host, Bill O’Reilly, asked him to respond to the idea that the United States was facing a “Muslim dilemma（窘境）．”Mr． O’Reilly said, “The cold truth is that in the world today jihad（圣战）, helped and encouraged by some Muslim nations, is the biggest threat on the planet．”
Mr． Williams said he agreed with Mr． O'Reilly．
He continued: “You know the kind of books I've written about the civil rights movement in this country． But 
when I get on the plane． I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim clothing and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and known as Muslim． I get worried． I get nervous． ”
Mr． Williams also made reference to the Pakistani immigrant who was guilty this month trying to plant a car bomb in Times Square． “He said the war with Muslims, America's war is just beginning, first drop of blood． I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts,” Mr． Williams said．
NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and weakened his reputation as a news analyst with NPR”
The publ
ic radio organization said it thanked him for many years of service． Mr． Williams did
not immediately respond on Wednesday night to an e-mail seeking comment．
Mr． Williams' contributions on Fox raised eyebrows at NPR in the past． In February 2009, NPR said it had asked that he stop being identified on “The O’Reilly Factor” as a “senior correspondent for NPR,” even though that title was accurate． According to the passage, NPR is probably_．
| A．a TV station | B．a public radio organization |
| C．a newspaper | D．a website |
NPR has ended its contract with Juan Williams because
| A．Juan Williams made comments on the Fox News Channel without NPR's permission |
| B．NPR was disappointed about Juan Williams’ performance in its programs |
| C．Juan Williams' remarks about Muslims ruined NPR's reputation |
| D．Juan Williams' comments and performances didn't agree with NPR's traditions |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5'?
| A．Juan Williams is afraid of taking a plane． |
| B．It’s very easy to recognize Muslims because their clothes are special． |
| C．Muslims are sometimes considered dangerous to the safety of the world． |
| D．Juan Williams looks down upon Muslims． |
The best title of the passage is ．
| A．NPR ended its contract with Juan Williams |
| B．Muslims are the biggest threat to the world |
| C．Juan Williams, the senior news analyst of NPR |
| D．Fired from NPR, Juan Williams keeps talking on Fox |