Chinese Dinner Table
Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that’s only superficial. Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough. The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you’re in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings. If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all.
Perhaps one of the things that surprise a western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests. In formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks. This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness. It is always polite to eat the food. If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate.
People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed. When you have had enough, just say so. Or you will always overeat!The real difference on dinner table between China and West is that___________.
| A．You’re treated to a formal dinner for the first time. |
| B．On Chinese dinner table, chopsticks replace knife and fork. |
| C．The host will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes. |
| D．You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes. |
If you have a dinner in a Chinese home, in which order will the food be served?
a. serving soup.
b.a set of four cold dishes.
c. staple food such as rice, noodle or dumplings.
d. the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes.
| A．badc | B．cabd | C．bdac | D．cdab |
The “public chopsticks and spoons” are used to ______.
| A．taste different dishes |
| B．consume the food in the plate |
| C．show the friendship and politeness |
| D．put food into the plates of their guests |
According to the message, the author’s attitude towards Chinese dinner table is______
| A．critical | B．objective | C．negative | D．positive |
Andy Tomas is proof of the typical case that life-changing disaster awaits the drunken driver.
“A lot of teachers say, ‘Don’t drink,’ but I’m not going to say that, because I know that students are going to do it,” Andy says. “I just say, ‘Don’t get in a car.’”
As an 18-year-old, he could be a classmate or a friend, and that familiarity adds to the power of his words. He has spoken to more than 2500 high school students so far, and he has noticed their unusual silence.
One year ago, Andy, having been with friends drinking, lost control of his car and was thrown into trees 20 feet away. He was found covered in blood, with many bones broken. He was diagnosed with a severe brain injury and remained in an unconscious state and on life support for nearly three weeks. His skull was opened to reduce pressure on his brain.
At Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, Doctor Erin Leahy initially found Andy unable to move the right side of his body. But by the end of his six-week stay, he was able to walk out of the building. Leahy called that an inspiration and a surprise.
Yet Andy’s recovery is incomplete. Brain and muscular therapy(治疗) has helped him regain movement in his right arm, but he still struggles with right hand.
In the process of recovery, Andy has thought deeply about what happened and why, and decided to share his story. Encouraged by his doctor, he began to attending meetings, delivering speeches.
He said he was nervous at first, but has grown used to the spotlight. “I feel like I know how to talk to people.” He said. And his recovery and visible injury help him draw serious attention from students.
Drunk driving, he tells students, is like playing gambles. “You might do it a bunch of times, but something is going to happen.”
Now his days are all about the therapy, work and going to the gym. Mentally, he says, “ I’m a lot happier in my life.” What’s the main purpose of the author?
| A．Warn students about the danger of drinking. |
| B．Tell readers the danger of driving a car. |
| C．Advise people not to drive a car after drinking. |
| D．Show readers Andy’s amazing recovery experience. |
Why does the author say Andy’s story is powerful as an 18-year-old boy?
| A．Because his family supported him and cared for him carefully. |
| B．Because he is just like one of our classmates or friends. |
| C．Because doctors and family never gave him up.[ |
| D．Because his classmates and friends are familiar with him. |
What does the underlined sentence mean?
| A．Drunk driving will be fined a lot of money eventually. |
| B．Drunk driving will eventually have a serious accident. |
| C．Drunk driving is as adventurous and thrilled as gamble. |
| D．Drunk driving is banned even if you are an experienced driver. |
What happened to Andy after the accident?
| A．He made a full recovery and returned to his normal life. |
| B．He recovered quite well at an unbelievable speed. |
| C．He became more experienced and eager for more adventures. |
| D．He shared his stories with others to warn them not to try drunk driving. |
Long queues at cinemas buying hot tickets for blockbusters(巨片) will become rare as Beijing residents will be able to order film tickets via cell phone networks in a month.
Film ticket circulation service on cell phone, also called the “Green channel of film tickets ordering”, is aiming at lowing the cost of ticket circulation and easing the ticket distribution pressure on such popular film-watching days as summer and winter vacations or Valentine’s Day.
“People log onto the net through cell phones, then choose cinema seats, watch trailers, browse information for new films and read cinema introductions,” said Guan Zheng, the publicity chief of Xingmei Digital Media Company Ltd., the service provider.
“Film fans can enjoy various discount prices if they order tickets via cell phones,” Guan said.
Meanwhile, the cell phone ticket circulation platform provides subscribers general mobile phone services like jokes, videos, flashes, phone ring downloads and games.
The service is about to be put into trial at the Beijing-based Xingmei International Cinema for a month before being putting into use at other cinema chains both in and outside Beijing, as the service is going to be improved through gradual expansion, said Guan.
China’s film industry that is being restored has seen more and more enthusiastic moviegoers. Up to the end of 2009, China has had more than 5,000 specialized cinemas, among which there are 2,243 modern cinemas with 3, 668 silver screens and 56 cinema chains.
Currently, many people buy film tickets on the Internet or by phoning the cinema’s ticket office or simply queuing at the cinema gate. More people want to buy tickets on popular days like May Day holiday, National Day holiday or Valentine’s Day. Yet the inefficient ticket circulation system contributes the most to the failure.What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The price of the ticket ordered via cell phone will be lower. |
| B．Ordering tickets through the net can get good seats. |
| C．Few people would like to watch films on the net. |
| D．More and more people like to watch films on the net. |
What does the underlined part “watch trailers” in the third paragraph mean?
| A．You can watch films after downloading them. |
| B．You can watch commercial ads free of charge. |
| C．You can watch short ads for new movies. |
| D．You can watch films on the net at home. |
What does the passage imply?
| A．The service is only intended to put into use at the cinema in Beijing for a month. |
| B．China’s film industry saw the decreasing number of moviegoers by the end of 2009.[ |
| C．The traditional ticket selling system makes it hard to get film tickets on popular days. |
| D．The green channel of tickets ordering is aiming at provides general mobile phone services.. |
The best title for the passage would probably be ________.
| A．Rare Beijingers to watch films on the net |
| B．Few Beijingers to buy film tickets in line |
| C．Beijingers to watch films via cell phone |
| D．Beijingers to order film tickets via cell phone |
By Road Around the World
Nickname: Walker
Email: ragwani@hotmail.com
When to travel: May 2011-Aug 2011
Who am I: I am 55. From my childhood, have this dream to go around the world by hitch hiking. However this is now changed and I want to go by road.
My travel plans: Going throughout the world and study various people, culture, habits.
Who am I looking for: A female companion, and she must have similar interest as me.
Just for fun
Nickname: Stream
Email: qrutta@yahoo.co.uk
When to travel: Jan 2011-Dec 2011
Who am I: Young slim girl, looking to see Asia with anyone who wants to travel.
My travel plans: I most prefer a white man in his late30’s to have fun with me as he travels either on business or leisure trips
Whom am I looking for: Someone who is honest, friendly; good sense of humor, adventurous.
22yr old Australian looking for travel companion
Nickname: Angela
Email: alyssia_europe@hotmail.com
When to travel: March 2011
Who am I: a lovely girl, with fun, honest, caring.
My travel plans: I will be traveling to Europe cities, then the world!
Who am I looking for: An extremely fun and entertaining male/female, middle-aged, someone that I can enjoy every travel moment with.
★Fun and maybe more
Nickname: Sunnygirl
Email: sunnygirl2008@yahoo.com
When to travel: Jun2011-Aug2011
Who am I: Slender African girl in her late 20’s. Quite charming, loving, pretty,fun to be with.
My travel plans: Nothing in mind for sure, just looking to come with you.
Whom am I looking for: Looking for a white male between 40-50 years, someone who is full of energy and lively.What way would Walker like to choose for his travel this time?
| A．By plane. |
| B．By road. |
| C．By water. |
| D．By hitch hiking. |
Stream will probably travel to ______ according to the ad.
| A．France | B．Egypt |
| C．Japan | D．Australia |
Who’s to travel for the shortest time with a companion?
| A．Sunny girl | B．Angela |
| C．Stream | D．Walker |
A middle-aged man wants to travel from June to August in 2011, he should send an email to _______ to find a travel companion.
| A．sunnygirl@yahoo.com |
| B．alyssia_europe@hotmail.com |
| C．qrutta@yahoo.co.uk |
| D．ragwani@hotmail.com |
What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other?
We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses.
If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful.
Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully. Which of the following is the best tile for this passage?
| A．Differences. | B．Humans | C．Cultures. | D．Customs. |
People in those countries fight each other because______
| A．They have different colors. |
| B．They have different customs and dresses. |
| C．They have different education systems. |
| D．They think that others are different and harmful. |
If you pay much attention to differences, ________.
| A．we will get something. |
| B．we will produce problem. |
| C．we will develop further. |
| D．Nothing will be lost. |
From this passage it can be inferred that ________.
| A．Our world would be more peaceful if we understand and communicate with each other. |
| B．People don’t know how differences are caused. |
| C．It is only differences that can solve man’s problems. |
| D．Man is man everywhere but not woman. |
I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22. I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self-respect and did what she loved—serving people. She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike.
Being a waitress changed my life. One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman. Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant. But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said, “We just don’t have the money.”
The next day, I shared my dream with him and said, “Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me.”
He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling $50,000—along with a note that I have to this day. It reads, “The only collateral（担保）on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person. Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true.”
I took the checks to Merrill Lynch—the first time I had ever entered a brokerage（经纪业）house—where the money was invested for me. I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open. My investments soured, though, and I lost the money.
After great deliberation（考虑） I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch. Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker. Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the $50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest. Five years later, I was able to open my own firm.
I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted on my head forever. He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills. His letter read, “That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make.” According to the passage, the author thought ______.
| A．Helen was full of complaint about her work |
| B．it was easy for Helen to make everyone happy and comfortable |
| C．she was lucky to have a job working with Helen |
| D．it was not acceptable to live in such a bad condition |
By saying that “Being a waitress changed my life.” the author means that ______.
| A．the author got a high pay by working hard |
| B．the author borrowed $50,000 with no interest from Fred Hasbrook |
| C．the effort which she had made influenced her a lot |
| D．the experience working as a waitress was worthwhile for the author |
Which of the following statements is not true of Fred Hasbrook?
| A．Fred Hasbrook was one of the author’s regular customers. |
| B．Fred Hasbrook lent the author $50,000, together with other customers. |
| C．Fred Hasbrook’s self-respect had a great effect on the author. |
| D．Fred Hasbrook’s himself did not have much money. |
What made the author’s customers lend her money according to the passage?
| A．Her maturity. | B．Her honesty. | C．Her faith. | D．Her success. |