Before you go to another country it is a great help if you know the language and some of the customs（风俗）of the country.
When people meet each other for the first time in Britain, they say “How do you do?” and shake hands（握手）. Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say “Goodbye”. But they shake hands after they haven’t met for a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time.
Last year a group of German students went to English for a holiday. Their teacher told them that the English people hardly shake hands. So when met their English friends at the station, they kept their hands behind their backs. The English students had learned that the Germans shake hands as often as possible. So they put their hands in front and get ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh.
| A．not useful | B．not helpful |
| C．very helpful | D．very bad |
| A．meet every time | B．meet for the first time |
| C．say goodbye to each other | D．say hello to each other |
| A．German people shake hands as often as possible. |
| B．English people like shaking hands very much. |
| C．German people hardly shake hands. |
| D．Neither people hardly shake hands. |
| A．shaking hands | B．language |
| C．customs | D．languages and customs |
Dear Victor,
I am a college student. Nowadays games on the net are very popular with college students. Some of my roommates are very interested in them. They not only play games in their free time, but also keep talking about them at night when lights are off, and they regard games as a part of their life. I’ve asked them to give it up, but they wouldn’t listen to me. It has become a rather big problem. Should I report it to our teachers or do something else?
Ted
Dear Ted,
Drop it. Your roommates, as grown—ups, can do whatever they want with their time so long as it doesn’t break school rules or violate(妨碍)other people’s interests.
Playing perhaps gives these students relaxation from hard study. If they play too often and have little time to study, they will reap what they have sown（自食其果）, but you will not. Reporting to the teachers would only harm your good name in your dormitory(宿舍). However, you have rights to ask your roommates to be quiet when you need sleep. If they aren’t angry with you, they will stop talking. But be polite and friendly. Perhaps, in return, join them in a game or two.
VictorTed wants his roommates to_______.
| A．break their computers |
| B．sell their computers to teachers |
| C．play games in the day, not at night |
| D．stop playing computer games |
According to the second letter, some college students_______.
| A．can break school rules or violate other people’s interests |
| B．have their rights to disturb Ted |
| C．can relax themselves while playing games on the net |
| D．can study even better if they play games on the net |
Victor asks Ted to_______.
| A．report to the teachers | B．harm his good name in the dormitory |
| C．stop talking with his roommates | D．learn how to get on well with others |
Li Na is a 15—year—old schoolgirl. She wants a penfriend. The penfriend should be a girl around her age who is good at English and loves watching movies and cartoons. So she looks in “penfriends” magazine, and finds a lot of people in the magazine.
| Name: Doruk Born: 1993 Country: Turkey Writing languages: Turkish, English Hey! I’m Doruk and I live in Turkey. I like to play sports and watch films. My favourite lesson is maths and I’d like to be a computer engineer in the future. If you like watching films too, write to me! |
| Name: Pauline Born: 1993 Country: the USA Writing language: English Hi! My name is Pauline. I am a 16-year-old girl who likes movies and cartoons. I love talking to friends, too. The only problem is I have no friends. I am looking for a girl penfriend around my age. Write me! |
| Name: Vicky Born: 1994 Country: Greece Writing languages: English, French Hello, my name is Vicky and I’m looking for a penfriend between 16 and 20 years old. I’m a tennis and basketball player. I love music and I can play the violin. I enjoy shopping, meeting new people, and learning about new cultures. I have a lot of interests so I won’t be a boring penfriend! I’m waiting for your answer. |
| Name: Ashley Born: 1996 Country: UK Writing language: English Hi, I’m Ashley. I’m 12, much more mature(成熟的), though. I love Japan. I love Japanese cartoons and J—pop music. So if you’re Japanese, feel free totell me stuff about Japan! |
What’s Doruk’s favourite subject?
| A．English. | B．Japanese. | C．Maths. | D．Music. |
Who looks for a penfriend in "penfriends" magazine?
| A．Li Na. | B．Pauline . | C．Vicky . | D．Ashley. |
Where does Ashley come from?
A. Greece. B. The USA. C. Turkey. D. UK.
Many people think sports are just for winning and honor, but there is a lot more you can gain from (get out of) them. I have learned over the past years that sometimes when I lose, I get a lot more out of it than winning. Also, I find a lot of times in sports, people are getting too caught up in the game instead of just having fun. The real purpose of sports is to have fun and learn life lessons along the way.
I greatly encourage you to be a part of the school sports. Even if you are not the best, you can still have fun. Sports give people a great and healthy way of spending an afternoon, instead of lying around playing video games or even getting into bad things. Sports also give us a sense of achievement. There isn’t a better feeling than to have done something fun and productive for my day.
I think that we all need sports to give us courage. If we try hard in sports, we usually do well. If we did the same in study, we would all be champions. Another reason why I encourage you to play sports is that it’s just fun. Without sports, our lives would just be boring. So as you may be able to tell, sports are amazing!
Our coaches not only teach us to play sports, but show class and good sportsmanship while playing them. It’s never fun when you lose to have the competitor rub it in your face. That’s why our coaches teach us to show class when we lose; also, when coaches get onto you, don’t get down. They only want to see you improve and learn from what they say. When you do badly and they don’t shout loudly is when you should start worrying because they are giving up on you.
Overall, sports are great! They bring out the best and worst of a lot of us. However, we can’ t let sports get too serious to where it brings down all the fun. So to have the most fun in sports, you just need try your best and not worry so much about the winning or losing.The underlined phrase “get onto you” in Paragraph 4 probably means ________.
| A．point out your mistakes | B．take up your time |
| C．worry about your future | D．look into your privacy |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Sports bring us great fun only if we have the talent. |
| B．Sports give us the best way of spending free time. |
| C．We can get more out of winning than losing. |
| D．We should take pleasure in doing sports. |
What is the best title of this passage?
| A．Are we too caught up? | B．To win or to gain? |
| C．Are sports really great? | D．For honor or for health? |
I will never forget the very moment that caused me to leave my gift behind because I wanted the gift that my older sister Maria had.
My family was spending a week at the beach. One morning, Maria went to the beach early, but I stayed behind to finish a drawing of a seashell. After finishing the drawing, I walked to join Maria. She was a top gymnast (体操运动员). Her show was perfect as she wheeled along the beach. The beauty of that sight froze me, and I decided immediately that I too would become a gymnast like her.
I knew that I had never been very good at sports. However, when I told my parents I wanted to take a gymnastics class, they agreed with me in surprise. The next week, I went to a beginners’ class.
If only my parents had talked me out of this misguided plan! Five minutes into the first class, it was clear that I didn’t have the gift of a gymnast. But I kept at it.
During this time, drawing and painting—which had been my two favorites—all but left my mind. It must have been hurting for my family as they watched my hopeless efforts. I blindly decided to be like Maria. I just would not give up.
At the same time, on the advice of Ms. White, my art teacher, I hurriedly handed in my seashell drawing for an art contest in our town. One night as I was having a hard time practicing, the phone rang. It was Ms. White. “Alice, you won the contest!” she said loudly.
“Really?” was all I could reply.
“Yes,” Ms. White said. “They’re going to give you a prize. And that’s not all. The winner is also accepted into Wildale’s Summer Fine Arts Institute.” I couldn’t believe what I heard. Only a handful of young artists were accepted each summer.
That night I didn’t go back into the living room to continue practicing. Gymnastics was Maria’s gift, not mine. It had taken me a while, but I realized that I had a gift of my own.Alice wanted to be a gymnast because ________.
| A．she had been good at sports | B．her sister’s show was perfect |
| C．she hated drawing and painting | D．her parents wanted her to do so |
How did Alice feel about learning gymnastics at last?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Worried. | C．Hopeful | D．Regretful. |
From the story, we can infer that ________.
| A．Alice’s parents disagreed with her choice of gymnastics |
| B．Alice did not realize her gift in drawing and painting at first |
| C．Alice spent a hard time preparing for the art contest in the town |
| D．Alice couldn’t believe the news that she got the prize for painting |
What does the writer want to tell us according to the passage?
| A．We should value our own gifts. | B．It takes time to find one’s gifts. |
| C．We could develop different gifts. | D．It’s never too late to show our gifts. |
Oriole’s Nest
Picky, Picky
Scientists have no idea exactly why birds choose certain objects to build their nests. But scientists know that the main reason birds build nests is to keep their babies safe, warm and healthy.
Baby birds grow faster and are healthier when they are warm. They also learn to fly and leave the nests sooner than birds without warm homes.
What A Yarn (纱)
Yarn is big on an oriole’s shopping list during nest building. Scientists are still trying to work out why so many birds choose white yarn over other colors for nest building.
Scientists think that the white objects remind birds of cotton fluff (绒毛) they find in the wild.
Do It Naturally
Even though birds can help us recycle some of our junk by using it to build nests, they also need to use lots of natural things. Long grass, dried sticks, spider’s silk and mud are some of the natural ingredients that are good for nests, too.
You can make a collection box of things to leave for birds so they can help themselves. Hang a small plastic box with holes on a tree branch. Fill the box freely with nest building goodies. Hang the box on a tree and watch birds climb on board to pick through the junk to find their treasures.
Warning: Don’t let the birds turn into a tasty treat. Keep your bird station away from places where cats hang out.
For The Birds!
Stop! Don’t throw all that garbage out! Give some to the birds. Look and see how your old junk can help beautify and warm a bird’s new home. The baby birds with warm homes are able to _____.
| A．choose right objects | B．leave the nests sooner |
| C．build good nests | D．learn to fly higher |
What can people make for birds to build nests?
| A．Holes on the tree. | B．Food out of the rubbish. |
| C．A warning board. | D．A collection box of things. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Birds build nests to store things. |
| B．Birds regard white objects as cotton. |
| C．Birds and humans can help each other. |
| D．Birds and cats fight against each other. |