Naturally, American schoolchildren love holidays. And they get a lot of them each year.
Besides having national holidays such as Thanksgiving and Presidents’ Day off from school, students get longer breaks in the spring and during the summer holidays .In fact, kids in US only go to school for about 180 days a year .To students, holidays are perfect .However, parents think there are advantages and disadvantages.
On the one hand, school holidays allow families to spend time together. Many American parents take time off from work during June ,July or August to travel with their children on vacation either in US or a foreign country. On the other hand, schoolchildren get much more time off school than parents get vacation time. This means that parents with young children may have to pay more in babysitting or daycare costs. As well, the long summer holidays mean that students sometimes get bored .
Besides going on trips with their parents, American students enjoy taking part in different kinds of activities during the holidays. For example, some kids enjoy summer camps and outdoor adventure(冒险) holidays. Such trips are great for adventurous students. They also have a lot to offer students who aren’t usually interested in traditional PE activities. You can do courses in survival(生存) skills, for example. Students learn how to make a camp in the forest, which wild food they can eat and how to find their way back to the center.
Students who are not excited about summer camps and outdoor adventure may take part in courses in computer game design, filmmaking and photography during the holidays. Finally, the traditional school trip to foreign countries is always popular. Students can practice their foreign language skills and experience everyday life in a different culture.How long are kids in the US at school every year?
| A．About 180 days . | B．About 280 days . |
| C．About 200 days . | D．About 300 days . |
What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the third paragraph?
| A．Some kids. | B．Different traditional PE activities |
| C．Parents | D．Summer camps and outdoor adventure. |
Which of the following is ture ?
| A．Both parents and students think school holidays are perfect. |
| B．Parents can take care of their young children during all the holidays. |
| C．Students enjoy taking part in different kinds of activities during holidays. |
| D．Students don’t like to have school trips to foreign countries during holidays. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．School Trips in the US. | B．School Holidays in the US. |
| C．School activities in the US. | D．Outdoor Adventure in the US |
Welcome to the Blue Moon Beachland!
Check out the COOL things you can enjoy here in the HEAT of August, 2011!
| Week 1 The welcome party in the Boating Club Opening of the Water Park |
Week 2 Fresh seafood at Fishermen’s Market Bike riding along the beach |
| Week 3 Music shows in moon light Street dance in Gold Street |
Week 4 Cold drinks in Sand Garden Swimming competition |
Take Bus 201, 306 or take a taxi. Call 203-2228888 or surf http://www.blue moon. com for more information.What can we do on the Blue Moon Beachland in the first week of August?
A. Enjoy the welcome party.
B.Go bike riding
C. Have cold drinks.When will we enjoy the music shows on the Blue Moon Beachland? '
A. In the morning.B. In the afternoon.C. In the evening.Where can we have fresh seafood o
n the Blue Moon Beachland?
A. In Sand Garden.
b. At Fishermen’s Market.
C. In Gold Street.How can we get to the Blue Moon Beachland?
A. By bus.B. On foot.C. By subway.How can we get more information the Blue Moon Beachland?
A. Send an email.
b. Write a letter.
C. Call the phone or surf the Internet.
We use the Internet for many things: business, shopping， writing letters, talking to people, finding information and so on. In recent years a new kind of English has grown on the Internet. There’s no real word for it yet, so we’ll call it e-talk. People don’t like typing too much. To save time, they turn phrases into a few letters called acron
yms. Acronyms are often used in chat rooms. Some of them are.
BTW （by the way） BRB (be right back)
LOL (laughing out loud) IMO (in my opinion)
People also use many abbreviations (缩写), They are s
hortened forms of words. Some common abbreviations are:
Info (information) purer (computer)
Pie (picture) sec (second)
We usually don’t see people when we communicate (交流) on the Net, so people have new ways to show feelings. Most people use their keywords to draw “feeling”. such as:
:-)( happy) :-p(joking) :-( (sad) :-0(surprised)
These days, many forums (论坛) have picture feelings. For example，
There are even whole new words, like” newbie’s”(someone who is new on a chat board or forum).
It takes time for people to get used to (适应) e-talk. Also, different groups on the Net have their own special ways of communicating. Newbie’s have to ask other people what they mean. As the Internets grows, e-talk will continue to grow and change. What does the underline “acronyms” mean?
A.网友 B.聊天室 C.首字母缩写词 Why do people type acronyms?
A. to show their feelings.
B. Because people can type them quickly.
C. In this way newbie’s won’t understand them. What does” BTW, my purer is not working well.:-(“mean?
A. The person is angry at somebody.
B. The person is happy about getting a new computer.
C. The person is sad that his computer is having problems. E-talk wills probably.
A. keep changing.
B. be easy by people on the telephone
C. be used by people on the telephoneWhat’s the best title for this passage?
A. E-talk language
B. Picture Feelings
C. How to Use Abbreviations
Do you want to know anything about ma staying in America? Well, Let me tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since the fifth grade. However didn’t know textbook English was very different from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say，“I am fine” when people say “How are you?”But in the US, I found that people say,” I am good” or “I am tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with” What’s up?”It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and the US cultures.
To my surprise, the US girls spend a lot of time in burning sun getting a tan （晒黑）. However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler（白的）.
I am also surprised by how hardworking the US students are. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard all the time. But here, an “excellent” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music .The kids here are so talented ，I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports. How often did the writer have an English class in Grade Five?
A. Four times a week.
B. Five times a week.
C. Six times 
a week.To the winter, textbook English iseveryday English.
A. quite different from B. the same as C. easier thanA good US student spends his/her time.
A. only in doing homework
B. only on sports or music
C. on studies, sports or music and public workWhich of following is NOT true?
A. The writer is now in the US
B. American girls love to have while skin
C. The US students are talented and hard working.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. My own Travel in the US.
B. My Study in the US.
C. My friends in the US.
Many years ago, a rich man found that someone wan taking valuable things from his house. He locked all the doors and all the windows .Still the things went. It must be one of the servants! How could he catch the servant? He thought of a good plan.
Late one evening. When it was dark, he called all the servants together, “There is a thief in the house, but I know how to catch him.”He said.”In the next room there is a square box. In that box there is a chicken which is magic. Each of you must go into the room alone. It is quite dark in the room. You must feel your way to the table and press the first finger of your right hand on the top of the box. If you are not the thief, nothing will happen. If you are the thief, the chicken will make such a loud sound that everyone in the house will hear it.”Some of the servants said that they did not want to do this. They were frightened of the magic chicken. But the man said that they must do what he said. If they had done nothing wrong. They had nothing to fear.
So the servants went into the dark room one at a time, while the rest listened carefully. Soon everyone had been in the room. but the chicken made no sound.”Good “said the man.”Now I know who the thief is! The servants looked very surprised.“Show me your right hands! The chicken did not make a sound for a very good reason. There is no chicken in the box at all! But the top of the box was covered with paint. You all have paint on your fingers, except for one person. That person is the thief, and he was afraid to put his finger on the box.”He pointed to one of the servants.”Your finger is clean! You are the thief!”Were the rich man call all the servants together?
A. Yes, they were. B. No, they weren’t. C.I don’t know.When did the rich man call all the servants together?
A. In the morning B. In the afternoon C. In the evening Did the rich man catch the thief at last?
A. 
Yes, he did B. No, he didn’t C. He gave up the plan Which of the following is NOT true?
A. There was paint on the box.
B. All of the servants touched the box.
C. All of the servants went into the dark room What do you think of the rich man?
A. Brave. B. Clever C. Friendly.
Miss Ding lives in.
A. Hotel Eiffel B. Hotel Bank C. Hotel Park The hotel is.
A. in the park B. on the left of the bank C. near the bankWhich bus can’t reach the hotel?
A. Bus 705. B. Bus 18. C. Bus.47. If Miss Ding is lost, she can.
A. call her friends
B. wait until the light is green
C. call the hotel at the phone number on the cardWhich of the following is true?
A. Open the door when the red light is on.
B. The card can be used to open the door.
C. Miss Ding can keep the card after he checks out.