Building up a close relationship with friends in important in all cultures . But different cultures have different ways of socializing .
The Chinese love going to restaurants . Family , friends and co – workers all go out to eat as a way of relaxing . That is why there are so many drunken drivers in China , who could face criminal punishment（刑事事处罚）.
Although British people socialize by going out for dinner , most people meet in pubs . They go there in the evening and sometimes during the day . Most people order wine or beer . Going out for a drink with friends or workmates after work is particulary important British tradition .
But for the French , the place to socialize is in cafes . They are a central part of daily life in France and its culture . People will go to cafes at all times during the day . In the morning , people may go there to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee . At lunch they may go there for something to eat . Then when it’s evening they may return to enjoy a glass of wine .
In the US , dinner parties are a common way for friends to spend their time together . One person will host a party by cooking a large meal for a group and the guests will bring drinks or small dishes like desserts .According to the passage , how do Chinese people relax themselves ?
| A．They smoke . | B．They sing songs . |
| C．They go to restaurants to eat . | D．They drink wine . |
What does the underlined word “they” refer to ?
| A．The Chinese . | B．The Cafes . |
| C．The French . | D．The Culture in France . |
When it is 7:00 pm , what may the French do ?
| A．They may go to cafes to buy a newspaper and a cup of coffee . |
| B．They may host a party by cooking a large meal for a group at home . |
| C．They may go to cafes for something to eat . |
| D．They may go to cafes to enjoy a glass of wine . |
What is the main idea of the passage ?
| A．Building up a close relationship with friends is important in all cultures . |
| B．Different cultures have difficult ways of socializing . |
| C．British people socialize by going out for dinner . |
| D．In the US , dinner parties are a common way for friends to spend time together . |
Britain Today
Food
British people like good food, and more than half of them go to a restaurant every month . Fast food is also very popular— 30% of all adults have a hamburger every three months, but 46% have fish and chips!
Cinema and TV
Films are very popular in Britain, and about 60% of people between 15 and 24 go to the cinema every month. At home, men watch TV for about three hours every day — two hours more than women.
Holidays
British people love going on holiday, and have 56 holidays every year. Most of these holidays aren't in the UK—27% are in Spain,10% are in the USA, and 9% are in France , 15% are in China. Maybe this is because the weather in Britain isn't very good! Which food could be more popular among British adults, a hamburger or fish and chips?
| A．A hamburger. | B．Fish and chips. | C．Both. | D．Neither. |
How long do British women spend watching TV every day?
| A．Three hours. | B．Four hours | C．Two hours | D．One hour |
Among the following countries , British people's least favorite country for a holiday is ____.
| A．Spain | B．France | C．America | D．China |
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 include 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 practice 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．strict with time | B．willing to spend time |
| C．careful with time | D．serious 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 |
Televisions were among the most talked-about things at CES 2013—the 2013 International Consumer Electronic Show (国际消费类电子产品展销会) last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were bigger and better with some of the highest technology (技术). Some TVs used a new technology called OLED. They were bigger, thinner and lighter, offered better colour and were brighter than traditional TVs using LED.
Ultra High Definition TVs were also popular. Most of the TVs shown on the exhibition used 4k technology.
Smart TVs this year were smarter. Many offered technology that users have a more personalized （个性化的）experience. One such TV from TCL can know who is watching with the help of new technology. Then it can offer programmes according to the user’s usual interest. Another TV from Panasonic offers a similar personalized user experience.
Size also played an important part in CES 2013. TVs changed in size from big to bigger, with at least two companies —Samsung and Hisense —showing TVs that are 110 inches large on the exhibition.
The yearly CES is the biggest technology show in North America and one of the biggest in the world.
It’s a meeting of the brightest minds and the top leaders from many industries and those who want to know about the future.
Digital health and fitness inventions were also big at CES 2013. There was even a fork that tells you when you are eating too fast.
The show had over 3,200 different companies showing more than 20,000new products in about 26 miles of exhibition space.Which difference between OLED and LED is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Weight | B．Colour | C．Size | D．Price |
The writer takes TCL and Panasonic for example to tell us _________.
| A．smart TVs were smarter at CES 2013 |
| B．Ultra High Definition TVs were popular at CES 2013 |
| C．size played an important part in CES 2013 |
| D．digital health and fitness inventions were big at CES 2013 |
From the passage, we can know __________.
| A．CES 2013 has not been held yet |
| B．TVs at CES 2013 were smaller than before |
| C．many companies attended CES 2013 |
| D．no leaders from industries appeared at CES 2013 |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn’t a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.He listened to me quietly, then he asked. “Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like ? Well, you now have that girl’s opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn’t change (like being very thin), but a good number I could—and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself.
I brought the list back to Daddy. He refused to take it.“That’s just for you,” he said.“You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.”
Daddy’s advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I’ve never had a better piece of advice.What does “Week by week her list grew” mean?
| A．Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me. |
| B．She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer. |
| C．I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on. |
| D．Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious. |
Why did her father listen to her quietly?
| A．Because he believed that what her daughter’s “enemy” said was mostly true. |
| B．Because he had been so angry with his daughter’s shortcomings that he wanted to show this by keeping silent for a while. |
| C．Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment. |
| D．Because he wasn’t quite sure which girl was telling the truth. |
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Not an Enemy, but the Best Friend |
| B．The Best Advice I’ve Ever Had |
| C．My Father |
| D．My Childhood |
Algae(水藻) are very simple plants. They grow in fresh water or salty water. Seaweed is algae that grow in salty water. Seaweed is red or brown in color. The Japanese people use these plants from the sea in many ways. From it, they make a food called Kombu. Kombu is seaweed that has been dried, cooked and pressed together. Then it is dried again and cut into long pieces. The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu and like it very much.
Japanese farmers often use seaweed as fertilizer. It makes their plants grow better. Many farmers also find seaweed makes a fine food for their animals.
From seaweed the Japanese also get iodine(碘), which they sell to other countries. Iodine is used in many ways all over the world. It is used in making medicine. It is added to the salt we use at the table. Scientists even use one form of iodine to “seed clouds” when they want rain to fall.Kombu is a kind of ____ according to the text.
| A．plant | B．medicine | C．food | D．fertilizer |
In the last sentence of the text, “seed clouds” means ____.
| A．clouds spreading like seeds |
| B．to make rain fall with human power |
| C．the seeds like clouds |
| D．dropping seeds by clouds |
The main idea of the story is that ____.
| A．The Japanese eat seaweed when they want rain to fall. |
| B．Kombu is made into medicine for farmers. |
| C．The Japanese eat a lot of Kombu. |
| D．The Japanese use seaweed in many ways. |