“Dining out”, or “eating out”, is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than ever before.
However, eating out can be expensive. Restaurants are normally more expensive than pubs, though many pubs serve very good, simple food. As British people don’t dine out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going for the first date, or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼节)surrounding food and eating, and nowhere is this more pronounced than when eating in a smart restaurant. People are almost always expected to eat with a knife and fork and these should be held in the correct hand and used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows on the dining table when you are eating.
There’re many such “unspoken” rules — they are normally only important when eating in a very elegant and expensive restaurant, and vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant and place to place. A recent nationwide survey showed that there was a divide in manners between the north and south of Britain — the “worst” manners were in Scotland and the northeast, and the “best” in Wales and the southeast! However, this survey was almost certainly conducted by someone in the southeast, so it may not be entirely fair.
Naturally, restaurants vary greatly in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have a vast range of food and cooking styles to choose from as well as traditional British food,. from the very cheap to the very expensive — French, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, many British people say an Indian curry (咖喱菜)rather than any other dish!
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “takeaway”. This means they order from a takeaway or takeout restaurant by phone, then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many takeout restaurants also deliver to your house. While you can normally find a takeout restaurant for almost any cuisine, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese — and all you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat!What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
| A.The British spend more eating out than cooking at home. |
| B.The British pay great attention to eating in a restaurant. |
| C.The British often dine out when celebrating festivals. |
| D.People tend to eat in a restaurant after watching a movie. |
The underlined word “pronounced” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_____”.
| A.polite | B.expensive | C.strange | D.obvious |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A.There exist great differences of rules in different restaurants. |
| B.People from Wales and southeast Britain are the most polite. |
| C.Your order in a takeout restaurant can be sent to your home. |
| D.Traditional British food is seldom served in British restaurants. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A.Restaurant culture in Britain. | B.Table manners in Britain. |
| C.Different restaurants in Britain. | D.Traditional and foreign foods in Britain. |
Since the end of World War I(WWI) in 1918, Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to honour the sacrifice our soldiers have made in different ways, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today.
Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI, a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide. As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI, today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution. They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget.
That’s why we wear the red poppy(罂粟花);that’s why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say “Thank you”; that’s why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request. Yet this message is fading away, year after year. Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school. Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates.
It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem in Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid. It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history, no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice. Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults.
Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. It is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child “opt-out” of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men and women the rest of us are remembering.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a Remembrance Day activity today?
| A.Stopping at 11a.m. to remember the war dead. |
| B.Listening to stories told by WWI soldiers. |
| C.Wearing a red poppy to show respect. |
| D.Showing gratitude to soldiers in uniform. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A.War history is too violent for school children |
| B.The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army |
| C.Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies. |
| D.More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories. |
The underlined word “It” in the last paragraph probably refers to_______.
| A.the death of so many soldiers in wars |
| B.the fact that there were so many wars after WWI. |
| C.people’s ungratefulness for the freedom they have. |
| D.removing children from Remembrance Day events. |
The writer believes that ______.
| A.the sacrifice of the soldiers should always be remembered. |
| B.Remembrance Day is becoming less important for soldiers. |
| C.school no longer think Remembrance Day is necessary. |
| D.people should be forced to learn about the realities of war. |
A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease. Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.What is TRUE about the Framingham Study?
| A.It was only conducted in 1948. |
| B.It involves more than 12,000 participants. |
| C.It was led by John Cacioppo. |
| D.It showed that any behavior could spread. |
Which statement about the spread of loneliness is true?
| A.The spreading effect was the second strongest among friends. |
| B.No spreading effect was found on husbands and wives. |
| C.Women are more likely to be affected than men. |
| D.Brothers are more easily affected than neighbors. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A.Actions should be taken to help lonely people. |
| B.People feel lonely for many reasons. |
| C.Ways to fight against loneliness. |
| D.Lonely people can affect others. |
Ridgewood is a small, quiet town 20 miles from Manhattan. It is a typical suburban town, perfect for raising children away from the fast pace of the city. However, some Ridgewood kids feel as upset as if they were on the city’s busy streets. In addition to hours of homework, Ridgewood’s children are occupied with afterschool activities — from swimming to piano to religious classes.
Out of desperation one day, the town decided to schedule another activity. This one was called “Ridgewood Family Night — Ready, Set, Relax!” Instead of schedules filled with sports, music, or overtime at the office, some of the town’s 25,000 residents decided to take the night off and stay home. For a few months before Family Night, a committee of volunteers worked hard to spread the word. Younger students took “Save the Date for Me” leaflets home to their parents. The mayor issued a statement, and schools and clubs agreed to cancel homework and meetings so families could relax and be together.
The tension between a hope for a more relaxed lifestyle and the knowledge that the benchmark for success has been raised in recent years weighs heavily on the minds of the townspeople. Some parents like to recall a different kind of childhood, one without so many scheduled afterschool activities. However, these same parents feel obliged to make sure their children are prepared to survive in today’s high-pressure work environment. They are afraid that any gap in their children’s physical or intellectual development might mean they won’t be admitted to the “right” universities and won’t succeed in a more and more competitive world.
Nevertheless, it seems that Family Night worked, at least to a point. Cars moved easily around Ridgewood’s normally busy downtown streets, and stores and restaurants saw a drop in business. Some families ate supper together for the first time in months.
Initially, there was great hope of taking back their lives. But sadly, few families believe that one night will change their lives. Many are sure that they will fall back into the habit of over-scheduling their children to be overachieving adults.The writer describes Ridgewood as a town where ________.
| A.residents take little notice of education |
| B.children are stressful and over expected |
| C.parents are concerned about children’s safety |
| D.children lead a life of relaxed, ordinary rhythms |
According to the passage, which of the following isNOTtrue about the Family Night?
| A.Schools assigned no homework. |
| B.Fewer people ate in the restaurants. |
| C.The streets were less crowded. |
| D.People enjoyed meeting each other. |
According to the passage, the parents in Ridgewood ________.
| A.have conflicting desires about what experiences to offer their children |
| B.are happy with the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves and the children |
| C.believe that it is their duty to make a change for the stressful life style |
| D.are worried about their children’s lacking of big ambition |
We may get the conclusion from the passage that ________.
| A.the concept of Family Night will become a regular part of life in Ridgewood |
| B.Ridgewood people believe the Family Night will change their way of living |
| C.Family Night is not as popular as people have originally thought |
| D.schools are worried about students being given too much free time |
The writer Margaret Mitchell is best known for writing Gone with the Wind, first published in 1936. Her book and the movie based on it, tell a story of love and survival during the American Civil War. Visitors to the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia, can go where she lived when she started composing the story and learn more about her life.
Our first stop at the Margaret Mitchell House is an exhibit area telling about the writer’s life. She was born in Atlanta in 1900. She started writing stories when she was a child. She started working as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal newspaper in 1922. One photograph of Ms. Mitchell, called Peggy, shows her talking to a group of young college boys. She was only about one and a half meters tall. The young men tower over her, but she seems very happy and sure of herself. The tour guide explains: “Now in this picture Peggy is interviewing some boys from Georgia Tech, asking them such questions as ‘Would you really marry a woman who works?’ And today it’d be ‘Would you marry one who doesn’t?’ ”
The Margaret Mitchell House is a building that once contained several apartments. Now we enter the first floor apartment where Ms. Mitchell lived with her husband, John Marsh. They made fun of the small apartment by calling it “The Dump ” .
Around 1926, Margaret Mitchell had stopped working as a reporter and was at home healing after an injury. Her husband brought her books to read from the library. She read so many books that he bought her a typewriter and said it was time for her to write her own book. Our guide says Gone with the Wind became a huge success. Margaret Mitchell received the Pulitzer Prize for the book. In 1939 the film version was released. It won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The book Gone with the Wind was _________.
| A.first published on a newspaper |
| B.awarded ten Academy Awards |
| C.written in “The Dump” |
| D.adapted from a movie |
The underlined phrase “tower over” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to_________.
| A.be very pleased with |
| B.show great respect for |
| C.be much taller than |
| D.show little interest in |
Why did Ms. Mitchell stop working as a reporter according to the passage?
| A.Because she was rich enough. |
| B.Because she was injured then. |
| C.Because her husband didn’t like it. |
| D.Because she wanted to write books. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A.Gone with the Wind: A Huge Success. |
| B.Margaret Mitchell: A Great Female Writer. |
| C.An Introduction of the Margaret Mitchell House. |
| D.A Trip to Know Margaret Mitchell. |
| The Hawaiian Islands ◆◇◆Hawaii The “Big Island” of Hawaii is a paradise (天堂) playground where visitors can enjoy a popular lifestyle and at the same time, witness the attraction of nature thousands of square miles form a wonderland, featuring breathtaking beaches, forests, snow–covered mountains and amazing active volcanoes. A visit to Volcanoes National Park, which is described as a true wonder of the world, is a must. It is the state’s biggest attraction. ![]() ◎Accommodations Seasons Resort Hualala from $ 205.00 Fairmont Orchid from $108.00 ◎Sightseeing and Experiences Circle Island Tour from $48.00 ◆◇◆Kauai The beautiful landscape of Kauai has led to it being called the “Garden Isle”, but it is also referred to as the “Island of discovery”, and with good reason – a land of striking natural contrasts just waiting to be explored. Green mountains, a breathtaking coastline and white sand beaches combine to make this magical place one of the world’s most relaxing locations. ◎Accommodations Hyatt Kauai from $ 101.00 Sheraton Kauai Resort from $ 79.00 ◆◇◆ Maui Voted the “World’s Best Island”, Maui is widely regarded as one of the most romantic destinations on the earth. It is known as the “Valley Isle” and was the ancient playground for Hawaiian royalty. The island is largely rural with a small and wonderful population and a host of attractions and nature wonders. ◎Accommodations Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa from $ 87.00 Sheraton Maui from $ 99.00 ◆◇◆Oahu Oahu has a unique rhythm, filling the air with sweet fragrances (香气), music and language from beaches and nightlife to rainforests and valleys. Adventure, romance, discovery – Oahu waits for you. ◎Accommodations Halekulani from $ 121.00 Hilton Hawaiian Village from $ 73.00 ◎Sightseeing and Experiences Royal Circle Island Tour from $ 34.00 Paradise Cove Lu’au $ 44.00 ◆◇◆Lanai Lanai in one of the smallest Hawaiian Island, yet it’s full of surprises. Known as the “Pineapple Isle”, it combines all the natural beauties ranging from the paradise of Shipwreck Beach to underwater sea caves. ◎Accommodations Four seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay from $ 134.00 ※ All prices are based on per person per night. |
For two adults spending two nights in one of the accommodations, they have to pay at least.
| A.$73.00 | B.$146.00 | C.$136.00 | D.$292.00 |
According to the passage, the “Garden Isle”.
| A.is the smallest of the Hawaiian Islands |
| B.is an island with a very small population |
| C.is a place to explore the land of nature |
| D.features beaches, forests and snow-covered mountains |
The passage is mainly intended to.
| A.tell differences between islands in Hawaiian |
| B.provide a better understanding of the geography of Hawaiian |
| C.offer accommodation services to the tourists |
| D.attract people to make a visit to Hawaiian |