Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are that you’ll have traveled through a wind shield(挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear".
Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour.
Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters. Why did Elizabeth say to her father, “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?
| A．He was driving at great speed. |
| B．He was running across the street. |
| C．He didn’t have his safety belt on. |
| D．He didn’t take his medicine on time. |
According to the text, the “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _____.
| A．may be knocked down by other cars |
| B．may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car |
| C．may find it impossible to get away from the seat |
| D．may get caught in the car door |
One of the reasons that some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt is that____.
| A．the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident |
| B．they will be unable to think clearly in an accident |
| C．they will be caught when help comes |
| D．cars catch fire easily |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they treat us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the custom in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home! Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
| B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives |
| C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
| A．warmly welcomed at the airport | B．offered a ride to his home |
| C．treated hospitably at his home | D．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.
| A．willing to spend time | B．serious with time |
| C．careful with time | D．strict with time |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
| A．Friendships between Chinese | B．Friendships between Americans |
| C．Americans’ hospitality | D．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships |
When talking with young Swedish students, Mo Yan showed respect for Chinese authors that he learned writing from, particularly Shen Congwen, who was twice nominated（提名）for the Nobel Prize.
“Lu Xun, Lao She, Mao Dun and Shen Congwen, they are more qualified（有资格的）for the Nobel Prize than me,” he said,. Among the writers he learned from, he said he especially felt close to Shen Congwen, as they have similar life experiences.
Both of them left school early and did not get formal education. Shen quit after high school and Mo only finished the fifth grade. They both joined the army after school. “ We both learned from the book of life,” said Mo.
The themes of their writing are also similar. Both writers have their hometown as the theme and root of their writings. Shen’works are mostly about his hometown, Xiangxi, and most of Mo’s stories are set in his hometown, Gaomi, in Shandong Province.
Mo said he also learned from Shen how to deal with characters in a fiction. Unlike most Chinese writers, Shen has a humanistic（人文主义的） touch towards all of his characters. Said Mo, “In his works, there are no particularly bad person or good person. Even gangsters（匪徒） and thieves have their humane（仁慈的）side,” he said.
“I try to use the same approach in my writing. It shows the ability of a novelist when he treats all the characters as humans,” he said.
Mo said he also learned Lu Xun’s depth and Lao She’s humor. “They are all my teachers, and I am the student,” he said. “I feel ashamed from my heart that teachers did not get the prize, but the student got it.”Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the similarity between Mo Yan and Shen Congwen?
| A．Writing themes | B．Sense of humor |
| C．Life experiences | D．Approaches in writing |
By saying “We both learned from the book of life”, what did Mo Yan mean?
| A．They both love reading throughout their life. |
| B．They both earned their living by writing books. |
| C．They both got nutrition（营养）from life. |
| D．They both experienced many difficulties. |
According to Mo Yan, Shen Congwen was special in the way _________.
| A．he described bad persons | B．he created characters |
| C．he made sentences | D．he told stories |
From what Mo Yan said in the last paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A．he is a modest person | B．he feels shy |
| C．Lu Xun’s depth influenced his early life | D．he thinks he doesn’t deserve the prize |
Poster 1
I am a journalist living in Barcelona and I would like to travel exchanging my apartment. I have an apartment in the city center with 2 bedrooms. You can get to the airport by bus or taxi in 20 minutes. And there is a metro station really close to the apartment. The area has many shops, theatres, bars and restaurants.
Poster 2
I am looking forward to exchanging my apartment in Madrid for yours in a nice location in Beijing. It’s a really nice apartment in the centre of Madrid, within walking distance of the main attractions. You can walk to the Puerta del Sol, Royal Palace, Opera, Plaza Mayor, etc. in a few minutes; everything is so close! The apartment has all the facilities（设备）and it is very modern.
Poster 3
Hello, I am a Canadian IT professional and accounting student looking for a room in Wudaokou or other areas near ShangDi (my office location). I want to pay 1,400 RMB to 2,500RMB depending on the room and location. I can sign a contract for at least three months. My email address: vhjvm3584098242@hous.craigslist.org.
Poster 4
My 21-year-old son Matthew would like to visit China in the spring for three to four weeks. If you can offer him a safe, clean, cost-free place to stay, I will offer you or your family a stay at my second home 28 miles outside of Reno, Nevada, USA. This is a single-story home on the edge of the desert. You have access to 70 acres of land, clean air and clean water. Fishing and golfing are available nearby. I will provide transportation to the home, and pick you up when you have finished. My son Matthew is honest, safe and clean-living.
Reply to: hbxdd-3537187673@hous.craigslist.org. Poster 1 mainly focuses on the apartment’s ________.
| A．low rent | B．large space | C．quality facilities | D．convenient location |
Which of the following is TRUE of the Puerta del Sol?
| A．It’s a district of Madrid. | B．It’s a main attraction in Madrid. |
| C．It’s the name of the apartment. | D．It’s an attraction outside of Madrid |
Where is the house in Poster 4 located?
| A．In a stadium. | B．In the centre of desert. |
| C．In the countryside. | D．In an area of the downtown. |
We spent a day in the country, picking wild flowers. With the car full of flowers we were going home. On our way back my wife noticed a cupboard (柜厨) outside a furniture shop. It was tall and narrow. “Buy it,” my wife said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack (车顶行李架). I’ve always wanted one like that.”
What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer; and the cupboard was tied on the roof rack. It was six feet long and eighteen inches square, quite heavy too.
In the gathering darkness I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed unusually polite that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.
After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake, I wonder?” In fact a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then, with great kindness, they led us through the rush-hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.
“Right, sir,” he said.“Do you need any more help?”
I was a bit puzzled. “Thanks, officer,” I said. “You have been very kind. I live just on the road.”
He was staring at our car, first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well,” he said, laughing. “It’s a cupboard you’ve got there! We thought it was something else.”
My wife began to laugh. The truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “ Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.”I drove home as fast as I could. In fact the husband _______ the cupboard.
| A．would like very much to buy | B．badly wanted |
| C．would rather not buy | D．was glad to have bought |
Other drivers thought they were _______.
| A．carrying a cupboard to the church |
| B．sending flowers to the church |
| C．carrying nothing but a piece of furniture |
| D．going to attend a funeral(葬礼) at the church |
The police will be more polite to those who are _______.
| A．in great sadness | B．driving in gathering darkness |
| C．driving with wild flowers in the car | D．carrying furniture |
What did the husband think of this matter?
| A．It was very strange. | B．He felt ashamed of it. |
| C．He took great pride in it. | D．He was puzzled at it. |
Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed
Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work risk group teenagers.
Six months’ community work in Malawi in people to people projects: Child Aid, HIV/AIDS Fights and Teacher Training.
Qualifications：18 years, hard-working and social engagement.
Please contact us by email：takeaction@betterworld.com
Part-time Work with Exchange Students
YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange student organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The Community Representative (代表)is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money.
Applicants(申请人) best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication, and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the U.S Positions available in most states.
If interested, please email staff@youth.org or call 888-123-9872.
International Summer Job
Hi, I’m an ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I am looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work, and cook Chinese dishes. Can anybody offer me a Job? I don’t need to earn much, just enough in 2 months (July-August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world.
My email is : ram3462@hotmail.com
Call for Native Speakers of English
I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don’t need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers.
If you are willing to help me , then please email me : club3864@hotmail.comWho is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?
| A．One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries. |
| B．One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases |
| C．One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English |
| D．One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program |
Where will Jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?
| A．In some local offices in the U.S |
| B．In an ESL organization in China |
| C．In a preparation program in Denmark |
| D．In an exchange student center in Africa |
If Mrs. Black in the U.S hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact__________.
| A．takeaction@betterworld.com | B．ram3462@hotmail.com |
| C．club3864@hotmail.com | D．staff@youth.org |
What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?
| A．To interview people online. | B．To do some housework |
| C．To offer advice on child Aid | D．To provide language exercises |