If you have a chance to go to Finland, you will probably be surprised to find how “foolish” the Finnish people are.
Take the taxi driver as an example. Taxis in Finland are mostly high- class Bens with a fare (车费) of two US dollars a kilometer. You can go anywhere in one, tell the driver to take you to any place you want to, say that you have some business to attend to (料理), and then walk off without paying your fare. The driver will not be anxious.
The dining rooms in all big hotels not only serve their guests (客人), but also serve outside eaters. Hotel guests have their meals free, so they naturally go to the free dining room to have their meals. The only thing they need to do is to show their cards to the waiter. You can easily use any old room card to take a couple of friends to eat dinner without paying.
The Finnish workers are paid by the hour. But to my surprise, they can remember everything so clearly that the workers only need to say how many hours they have worked and they will be paid by their boss.
With so many loopholes (漏洞) in everyday life, surely Finland must be a heaven (天堂) to those who love to take “small advantages”. But the strange thing is: all the taxi passengers will always come back to pay their fare after they have dealt with their business; not a single outsider has ever been found in the free hotel dining rooms; and workers always give an honest answer of the exact hours they put in. As the Finns always act on good trust in everything they do, living in such a society has turned everyone into a real “gentleman (绅士)”.
Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). Some Americans who taught English in other countries recently talked about their experiences.
On her first day in Micronesia(密克罗尼西亚), an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. It was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks? ” The woman there said nothing. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛), which in Micronesia means “yes”.
Jane remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria(保加利亚), a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jane waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. Some nod and others shake. He thought some students had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon knew that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.These Americans in the passage found that they__________ .
| A．should go abroad for vacations |
| B．needed to learn foreign languages |
| C．should often discuss their experiences |
| D．had problems with communication in other countries |
People in Micronesia show “yes” by ________ .
| A．nodding heads | B．raising eyebrows | C．shaking heads | D．saying “no” |
Tom misunderstood（误解）his class at first because_______ .
| A．he didn’t know much about Indian culture |
| B．he didn’t explain everything clearly enough |
| C．some students didn’t speak English |
| D．he didn’t know where the students came from |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”. |
| B．Jane taught English on a Pacific island. |
| C．Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage. |
| D．In India, only shaking heads means “yes”. |
The passage is mainly about_________ .
| A．body language in foreign restaurants |
| B．class discussion in Indian schools |
| C．different language cultures in different countries |
| D．English teaching in other countries |
What might the future be like? Here are some predictions(预言).
Returning home during the Spring Festival is difficult for many Chinese people. More than 2 billion people travel at the same time, making buying travel tickets and the journey difficult. But 28 years later, Spring Festival travel may not be a problem at all. China plans to build more railways and a fast transportation network that will serve 90% of the population by 2020. And because most of China will be cities, people will not have to go to other places to find a job, so it will no longer be a problem.
Oil is running out faster than expected. But scientists have found something else for oil as fuel(燃料). Coal, natural gas, sun power, nuclear power(核能) and even water can take the place of oil as energy.
Schools will go electronic. Computers will be important and popular among the students. Everything will be in the computer and students will not need to bring books to school. They will find information on the Internet. A computer will be the students’ library, schoolbag and connection to the outside world. There will be robot teachers, they will check homework on computers and communicate with the students’ parents through e-mail. And school buses will be like spaceships, comfortable and safe.More than 2 billion people have a hard time returning home during according to the passage.
| A．Christmas Day | B．National Day | C．the Spring Festival | D．the Mid-autumn Festival |
In 2020, China will build a fast transportation network that will serve of the population.
| A．60% | B．70% | C．80% | D．90% |
is not mentioned in the passage as energy.
| A．Coal | B．Wind | C．Nuclear power | D．Water |
From the passage we can know in the future.
| A．the Spring Festival travel may still be a problem in China |
| B．90% of the population will live in the city |
| C．robot teachers will check students’ homework |
| D．readers can discuss topics with each other face to face |
What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Schools will go electronic. |
| B．Computers will be important. |
| C．There will be robot teachers. |
| D．School buses will be like spaceships. |
| Six Hours Free Parking If you spend $ 100 or more in our stores you will receive six hours of free parking. When you have spent $100 or more, just take this coupon and your receipt to the customer service desk on level 4. They will stamp your parking ticket to allow 6 hours of free parking. Offer here until November 14. |
| Win a $1000 CD Collection Win your choice of $1000 worth of CDs from JB Music Store. Just buy any two CDs and your name will go into the competition. Select your own prize from our wide variety of rock, pop, jazz and classical music. Competition ends November 14. Prize drawn on November 21. Check store for more information. |
| Buy One, Get One Free Buy one shirt or tie at Daniel’s Menswear, and get another shirt or tie of the same value free. Choose from any of our dress shirts and we will give you another one at no cost. Hurry! Offer ends November 14. Offer limited to one per customer. |
| 10% Off Present this coupon at The Book Store to get a 10% discount on any books you buy. We have lots of books to choose from, including children’s books, novels, travel guides, and science works. You are sure to find something that you will enjoy. Shop now for Christmas, we have a large quantity of toys as gifts for you and avoid the rush! Offer here until November 14. |
| Half-price Movie Tickets Buy any full-price movie ticket on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and you can buy a second tickets for a friend for only half price. The latest movies are here, being shown in one of our five theaters at Bayfield Shopping Center. Offer here through December 1, Limit on per customer. |
| Free Soft Drink Buy any meal for at least $6 at Mike’s Café, and receive a free soft drink. We serve the best food in the Shopping Center. Come in and try our delicious meals and our excellent service. You won’t be disappointed! Free soft drink offer ends November 14. |
What are these ads for?
| A．Food you can order for delivery. | B．Places to go on vacation. |
| C．Things on sale in a big store. | D．Special offers at a shopping center. |
Which of the following is true according to the ads?
| A．Spending $50 means 3 hours of free parking. |
| B．One person can buy 5 tickets for the price of three. |
| C．At Mike’s Café, people can get a free drink after spending $6. |
| D．After buying two CDs, you can get another two CDs for free. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned at this mall?
| A．Clothes store. | B．Book store. | C．Music store. | D．Toy store. |
When does the book discount offer end?
| A．November 14. | B．November 21. | C．December 1. | D．December 21. |
We can know from this passage ________.
| A．there is more than one theater in the center. |
| B．if you buy a book there, you may pay less than half the price. |
| C．you may get a free one if you buy a shirt, or a tie, or a pair of shoes. |
| D．you won’t get a free soft drink unless you spend more than 10 dollars on the meal. |
Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you chooseyour food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good. You may dislike some types offood because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find andchoose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than onesense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type. Thegiant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo. Other animals eat only one type of foodeven when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even thoughthere are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight,which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be badfor the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life.We can infer from the text that humans and animals _____.
| A．Humans and animals eat entirely different food |
| B．Humans and animals are not satisfied with their food |
| C．Humans and animals choose food in similar ways |
| D．Humans and animals depend on one sense in choosing food |
What does the underlined word “varied” mean?
| A．各种各样的 | B．丰富的 | C．好吃的 | D．时令的 |
Which of the following eats only one type of food?
| A．The small bird . | B．The bear. | C．The white butterfly | D．The fox. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _______________.
| A．some people have few choices of food |
| B．some people care little about healthy diet |
| C．French and British food is good |
| D．Modern people should spend a lot of time choosing their food |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．Like animals, like humans | B．The more to choose, the more to eat |
| C．Good choice, healthy diet | D．Good taste, good for health |
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guestroom. Instead the angelswere given some space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, theolder angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, theolder angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable(好客的) farmer. After sharing a little food they had, the farmer and his wife let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, "How could this happen?""Why didn't you watch out for the cow? The first family had everything, yet you watched over his house," she accused (谴责). "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, you didn't help."
"Things aren't always what they seem," the angel replied. "When we stayed in thebasement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death camefor his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. So things aren't alwayswhat they seem." The older angel repaired the hole for the rich family because _____________________.
| A．she wanted to punish the greedy owner |
| B．the basement was too cold to stay in |
| C．she wanted to save the gold for the poor. |
| D．she believed that one should always be ready to offer help |
The younger angel was very angry because _______________________________.
| A．the older angel killed the farmer's cow |
| B．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live in |
| C．the older angel treated the two families unfairly |
| D．the angel of death took the cow away instead of the farmer’s wife |
Why did the older angel let the farmer's cow die?______________________.
| A．Because she was sympathetic to the rich |
| B．Because she wanted to save the farmer's wife. |
| C．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow. |
| D．Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson. |
The first “they” in line 7 refers to ________while the second “they” in line 8 refers to _______in the second paragraph.
| A．two travelling angels; the couple |
| B．two travelling angels; the wealthy family |
| C．the couple; two travelling angels |
| D．the couple; the angel of death and the God |
The story tries to tell the readers that _________________________.
| A．angels are always ready to help the poor |
| B．angels are always ready to help the rich |
| C．the young should always learn from the cold |
| D．sometimes things are not always what they seem |