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. |
It is reported that some developed countries(发达国家) have shipped broken parts of computers to China. Such a thing can be founded every day although it is against international laws. Last month Hong Kong officers found 131,000 kilograms of broken computers, TVs and phones sent from Japan.
Things like these are called electronic waste, or e-waste. Dealing with them is not an easy job because dangerous poison like mercury(汞) and lead (铅) can be found in them. Every time an old computer breaks down, it needs to be dealt with safely. But at present, broken computer parts are usually buried. It may be hundreds of years before they are really goes in the earth.
Many places in China are polluted by e-waste. Guiyu in Guangdong province is one of them. This town is named as “the e-waste capital of the world”. It has to deal with 1.5 million kilograms of e-waste each year, from which it makes 75 million years. But it comes at a cost. Many of the poison in e-waste find their way into the environment. Plastic is burned outdoors and chemical water is poured into rivers, Greenpeace, an environmental group, has found the air, the earth and the rivers in Guiyu badly polluted.
The Chinese government wants the country to develop, but in a way that doesn’t do harm to the environment and people’s life. This year, China presents a new protection law, the strictest one we have ever had. Computer companies like Lenovo and Dell will be asked to take back their old computers. This is because the companies that make computers know best to deal with them safely. Hopefully, the problem with e-waste will be solved in the near future.
The e-waste found in Hong Kong last month was from________.
| A．France | B．Japan | C．Germany | D．Australia |
The underlined word buried probably means ______ in the passage.
| A．焚烧 | B．障碍 | C．回收 | D．掩埋 |
The town of Guiya in Guangdong Province_________.
| A．is the e-capital of the world |
| B．has serious e-waste pollution |
| C．deals with e-waste safely |
| D．spends much money on e-waste |
This year, the Chinese government __________.
| A．tried to change people’s life |
| B．closed some computer companies |
| C．make a new environment protection law |
| D．asked people to hand in their old computers |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the way in dealing with e-waste |
| B．the cost of burning e-waste |
| C．the e-waste problem in China |
| D．the need to pass a law against e-was |
It was nearly dark, the sun was dropping down the mountains far away. Little Tom came back home, with tears in his eyes.
“What’s the matter, Tom? How’s your trip?” his mother asked with a big smile. “I failed. The mountain is so high and full of big or small stones on the way, I still go ahead. But I was tired and it was so late that I had to come back.” Tom cried. “It doesn’t matter, you are only 14 years old after all. You will have another chance.” his mother said. “But, standing at the top of the mountain is my dream!” Tom said. His father came over and asked, “Did you see the green trees on your way to the mountain?” “Sure, and there are a lot of beautiful flowers by the side of the road.” Tom replied. “Did you hear the birds singing?” his father asked. “There were many kinds of birds singing in the trees, and the sound was very sweet.” Tom said. “Did you feel the beauty of nature?” his father asked. “Yes, the blue sky, the white clouds, the green trees and the colorful flowers made a nice picture.” Tom answered. “That’s enough!” his father smiled and said, “Please remember, son. For often, achieving what you expect is not the most important thing. Although you didn’t reach the top of the mountain, you got a lot on the way.”
It is true that not every goal will be achieved, not every job will end up with a success, and not every dream will come true. The most beautiful scenery (风景) is on the way.
Tom got back home _____________ when the sun was dropping.
| A．slowly | B．sadly | C．quickly | D．early |
Tom’s parents wanted Tom _______________.
| A．to be friendly | B．to be happy |
| C．to be clever | D．to be healthy |
What’s the main reason that Tom didn’t reach the top of the mountain?
| A．The mountain was so high. |
| B．The way was full of big or small stones. |
| C．He was tired and it was so late. |
| D．He was only 14 years old. |
Tom saw a lot of things on the way to the mountain except _______________ .
| A．clear water | B．blue sky |
| C．colorful flowers | D．green trees |
The writer tries to tell us that ____________.
| A．the goal is not important |
| B．everyone should climb the mountain |
| C．the mountain is very beautiful |
| D．the process (过程) is more important than the result |
| Postman wanted No experience necessary but you must be hardworking. Free to choose working hours. Have a driver’s license. Write to No. 38 Changhong Rd, Xiangyang. |
English teacher wanted Warm and patient college students. Able to speak standard English, good with children. Time: on weekends. E-mail address: Sunshine School @163.com. |
| Taxi drivers wanted Full-time taxi drivers. Over five years’ experience, good knowledge of the city. Under 45 years old. For more information, please come to Shunda Taxi Company to visit the manager. |
Tour guides wanted Two years’ working experience. Good English and good at talking to people. Age: 20-30. Go to Friendship Traveling Company to ask the Manager for more information. |
If you want to be a postman, it’s necessary for you to have _____________.
| A．working experience | B．good knowledge of the city |
| C．a driver’s license | D．a college student’s card |
Sunshine School needs _____________.
| A．excellent English teachers |
| B．a hard-working postman |
| C．full-time drivers |
| D．an outgoing tour guide |
If you want to be a taxi driver, you should _____________.
| A．be over 45 years old |
| B．know the city very well |
| C．write to No. 38 Changhong Rd. |
| D．speak English well |
The tour guides wanted should ____________.
| A．have no working experience | B．be patient with children |
| C．be good at driving | D．speak good Englis |
You CAN’T get information by ___________ if you want to get a job above.
| A．making a call | B．going to visit the manager |
| C．sending an e-mail | D．writing a letter |
Are some people born clever and others born stupid? Or is intelligence (智力) developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. In some degree, our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no education can make a genius (天才) out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in a rich environment. Therefore, the limits（限度) of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This point of view is now held by most experts.
It is easy to show that intelligence is something that we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people is, the closer their intelligence is likely to be. If we take two strangers by chance from the population, it seems that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If, on the other hand, we compare two twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relatives like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory separately where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this shows that environment as well as birth plays an important part. This result is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degree of intelligence.
| A．At birth |
| B．Through education |
| C．Both at birth and through education |
| D．Neither at birth nor through education |
| A．稳固 | B．确定 | C．修理 | D．安排 |
| A．Become a genius. |
| B．Still become a genius if he should be given special education. |
| C．Reach his intelligence limits in rich environment. |
| D．Never reach his intelligence in his life. |
| A．The importance of their intelligence. |
| B．The role of environment on intelligence. |
| C．The importance of their jobs |
| D．The part that birth plays |
A pretty, well-dressed young lady stopped a taxi in a big square, and said to the driver, “Can you see that young man at the other side of the square?”
“Yes,” said the taxi-driver. The young man was standing outside a restaurant and looking impatiently at his watch every few seconds.
“Take me over there.” said the young lady.
There were a lot of cars and buses and trucks in the square, so the taxi-driver asked, “Are you afraid to cross the street?”
“Oh, no!” said the young lady. “But I said that I would meet that young man for dinner at one o’clock, and it is now a quarter to two. If I arrive in a taxi, it will at least seem as if I have tried not to be too late.”
| A．She arrived in a taxi. |
| B．She got there by bus. |
| C．She got there on foot. |
| D．The story didn’t tell us about it. |
| A．45 minutes late | B．not late at all |
| C．15 minutes late | D．one hour late |
| A．was too tired to walk |
| B．didn’t want to be late for the date（约会） |
| C．wanted to be seen in a hurry |
| D．thought the square was too crowded |