Making sense of how the US shows humor
Living in a new country gives me many surprises. The first surprise was the way that the US people speak
One day I saw someone was having a public speech in a square. I thought it would be a serious speech. But I soon found it became a kind of entertainment show.
The speaker told the audience to protect the environment with humorous words. Later he said some people’s behavior didn’t go with their words. He took the example of Taylor Swift’s song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.[
He said that since Swift doesn’t want to be with the boy any more, she doesn’t need to speak it aloud, she doesn’t need to sing unless she still keeps in touch with that guy. It sounds like she is a hypocrite.
Then he sang the song in a funny way. The audience laughed out loudly. I felt a little angry because Swift is my favourite star. I couldn’t understand why they laughed at Swift.
As time goes on, I find many US people make fun of others. But they don’t mean to hurt them. They do that to show closeness and humour. And people who are laughed at seldom get angry. Now I understand the speaker at the square. Now I’ve got used to the way the US people speak.
It’s easy to find culture shock when you’re in a new place. But everyone should learn to understand different cultures and customs. The man in the square was _______________.
A.teaching people how to give a speech |
B.calling on people to protect the environment |
C.giving a singing show in public |
D.criticizing the US government |
What does the underlined word “hypocrite” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.会唱歌的人 | B.真诚的人 | C.虚伪的人 | D.爱护环境的人 |
From Paragraph 6, we learn that_________________.
A.many US people like to laugh at others |
B.many US people are friendly and humorous |
C.the US people get angry at others easily |
D.the writer doesn’t like the way the US people speak |
Which is Not suitable for the passage?
A.The writer went to America and protect the environment. |
B.Americans show humour in a different way from China. |
C.It’s easy to find culture shock when you are in a new place. |
D.Tailor Swift is an American famous singer. |
What does the article mainly talk about?
A.Differences between the Chinese and the US people. |
B.In what way the US people speak in public. |
C.How to get used to life in the US. |
D.A Chinese girl’s culture shock experience in the US. |
Mary is from the U.S.A. She has two brothers. Now her family are in China. Her father, Mr. Peterson teaches English in Xihu Middle School. And her mother works in the same school. She teaches English, too. Mary likes red clothes very much. Her mother likes red clothes a lot, too.
Mary is a nice girl student. She is in Xihu Middle School .She can speak Chinese. She has many Chinese friends. She teaches them English, and they teach her Chinese. Her two brothers are twins. One is Bob, the other is Bill. They look the same. They are only three. So their grandparents look after(照顾) them at home. Mrs. Peterson has many toys(玩具) for the twins. Bob likes toy cars, but Bill likes toy bears. They are happy every day.Who is in Xihu Middle school ?.
A.Mr. Peterson |
B.Mrs. Peterson |
C.Mrs. Peterson and Mr. Peterson |
D.Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Peterson and Mary. |
Mr. Peterson is a ________.
A.teacher | B.farmer | C.officer | D.doctor |
How many people are there in Mary’s family?
A.four | B.five | C.six | D.seven |
Mary ________.
A.can’t speak Chinese at all |
B.isn’t very nice |
C.can speak Chinese well |
D.likes red clothes |
Which one is NOT right?
A.Mary’s family is from America. |
B.Mary’s parents are both teachers. |
C.Mary has two twin sisters. |
D.Mary’s grandparents are in China. |
Jim is my good friend. We are in the same school. He is an American. We are good friends. This is Jim’s bedroom. It’s not big, but new. A black desk is in the room. Some English books are on the desk. Jim’s backpack is on it. The backpack is yellow, but old. What’s under the red chair? It’s a white cat. It’s a Chinese cat. Its name is Mimi. Jim’s father is in the living room. He is about fifty years old. Where is his mother? She is in the bedroom. She is a teacher.Jim and I are ________.
A.American | B.in the same school | C.girls | D.boys |
Jim’s father is ________.
A.in the bedroom | B.on the desk |
C.under the chair | D.in the living room |
Jim’s backpack is ________.
A.old | B.new | C.in the desk | D.under the desk |
The desk in the room is ________.
A.black | B.white | C.blue | D.yellow |
A(n) ________ is in Jim’s bedroom.
A.math book | B.alarm clock |
C.old backpack | D.white chair |
Birthdays are celebrated(庆祝)all over the world. Some ways to celebrate birthdays are rather similar from county to country: candles, cakes, and birthday wishes. But there are also different ways to celebrate birthdays. Here are a few: When someone is having a birthday in Denmark, you can see _____ outside the window.
A.flowers | B.presents | C.a flag | D.a chair |
In _________ flowers are put on the chair of the birthday child.
A.Japan | B.Denmark | C.India | D.Holland |
In _______, only birthday children wear colored clothes to school.
A.India | B.Holland | C.Denmark | D.Japan |
In Japan, the birthday is more important for boys when they are ________.
A.15 | B.7 | C.5 | D.3 |
The passage is mainly about __________.
A.similar ways of celebrating birthdays in some countries |
B.different ways of celebrating birthdays in some countries |
C.how to celebrate the birthdays. |
D.Birthdays are celebrated all over the world in the same way. |
Ticket Prices for Shanghai Expo |
||||
Time Types |
Pre-sale(预售)Ⅰ Mar. 27,2009 ~Jun. 30,2009 |
Pre-sale Ⅱ Jul. 1,2009 ~Dec. 31,2009 |
Pre-sale Ⅲ Jan. 1,2010 ~Apr. 30,2010 |
Expo Session(期间)May. 1,2010 ~Oct. 31,2010 |
Peak Day Ticket (指定日门票) |
¥170 |
¥180 |
¥190 |
¥200 |
Standard Day Ticket (平日门票) |
¥130 |
¥140 |
¥150 |
¥160 |
3-Day Ticket |
(无) |
¥400 |
||
7-Day Ticket |
¥900 |
|||
Evening Ticket |
N/A |
¥90 |
||
If Joe wanted to buy the cheapest ticket for Peak Day,he could book(预定)one during.
A.Pre - sale Ⅰ | B.Pre – sale Ⅱ |
C.Pre – sale Ⅲ | D.Expo Session |
On March 1,2010,Sue bought two Standard Day tickets for her parents. She paidfor
them.
A.¥380 | B.¥300 | C.¥260 | D.¥180 |
It cost Thomas ¥160 to get a ticket for Standard Day.He probably bought it on.
A.April 23,2009 | B.August l,2009 |
C.February 2,2010 | D.May 20,2010 |
Kathy spent 900 yuan on a ticket for Shanghai Expo.Her visit can lastdays.
A.one | B.three | C.seven | D.ten |
Visitors to Shanghai Expo could buytickets only after May 1,2010.
A.morning | B.afternoon | C.evening | D.Midnight |
Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually have two cars. When the family is large, one of the cars is sold and they will buy a van(住房汽车)
A small car can hold(容纳)four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded(拥挤). A van hold seven persons easily, so a family three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday travel They could all travel together.
Mr.Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell a second car and bus a van. Their children sixth and seventh seat are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases(衣箱)when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents’home , the suitcases are brought into the two seats can then carry the grandparents.
Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks. All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes.From the passage, a van is also called ____________.
A.a motor car | B.a motor home |
C.a motorbike | D.a big truck |
Before Mr. Hagen and his wife bought a van, they__________.
A.sold their old house |
B.moved to their grandparents’house |
C.built a new place for a van |
D.sold their second car |
A motor home is usually owned by a family with__________.
A.a baby | B.much money |
C.more than two children | D.interest in vans |
Americans usually use motor homer____________.
A.to travel with all the family members of holiday |
B.to do some shopping with all the family members |
C.to visit their grandparents at weekends |
D.to drive their children to school every day |
Motor homes have become popular because___________.
A.they can take people to another city when people are free |
B.they can let families have a happier life when they go out for their holidays |
C.some people think motor homes are cheap |
D.big families can put more things in motor homes |