In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.
At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap (水龙头)water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill(重续).
Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.
Serving in restaurants is often large; too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.
Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.Which statement is TRUE?
| A．American people like sitting with people they don’t know. |
| B．Hostess always seats a small group at a large table. |
| C．American people never sit with people they don’t know. |
| D．American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking. |
What is served before you order?
| A．Cold water. | B．Butter. |
| C．Coffee. | D． Bread. |
What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?
| A．They take the food home with a doggie bag for their dogs. |
| B．They leave the food on the table and go away. |
| C．They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy the food later. |
| D．They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them. |
B
Built in 1794 for the 5th Duke of Bedford, this hotel in the heart of Bedford overlooks the River Ouse, which winds through the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside.
We offer a flexible approach to conferencing. With purpose-built meeting rooms offering a flexible and functional space, our hotel is designed for comfort and convenience. Day Delegate（代表/代表团）, 24 Hour Delegate or room hire only can be arranged to meet your needs and we offer a range of food and drinks for all requirements.
The Bedford Swan Hotel provides an impressive range of conference, training and function rooms which are suitable for up to 250 delegates.
Our hotel is located 30 minutes drive from Luton Airport and a 20-minute walk from Bedford Train Station with regular trains to and from Central London.
What to expect:
•A professional service from the beginning
•Your own event consultant
•A great location with car parking
• Well equipped rooms perfect for your meeting or event
• Various Day Delegate packages
•Personalized dining and refreshment breaks
•Accurate billing
Discounted Day Delegate Rates from £35 per person
* Hold your meeting before 30th November 2013 and benefit from our special day delegate rates
* Day Delegate Rate from £35.00 per person
* Minimum numbers of 8 apply
Call us on 01234 346565 or e-mail us on info@bedfordswanhotel.co.ukBedford Swan Hotel is more suitable for _______.
| A．busy sightseers | B．conference travelers |
| C．fresh trainees | D．event consultants |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．It takes you 20 minutes to walk here from Central London. |
| B．The Bedford Swan Hotel was built in the late 18th century. |
| C．The hotel is located sixty kilometres from Luton Airport. |
| D．Guests can get professional service by offering extra tips. |
From the advertisement above we can learn that Bedford Swan Hotel _______.
| A．can serve up to 250 delegates | B．winds through Bedfordshire |
| C．can provide personalized billing | D．offers no car parking service |
The special discount will be given if _______.
| A．a delegate of 8 apply for 24-hour-meeting rooms |
| B．guests pay £35.00 per person for the rooms they live in |
| C．you book a purpose-built meeting room on a special day |
| D．8 delegates hold a day meeting on November 2, 2013 |
A
Chinese writer Mo Yan has won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday．The win makes Mo Yan the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel in its Ⅲ-year history．Informed of his win today, the author, who was having dinner at home, was “overjoyed and scared"．
Born in 1955 to parents who were farmers, Mo Yan－a pen name for Guan Moye，grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in eastern China. At the age of 12, he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the army and during this time began to study literature and writing．
He published his first book in 1981, but found literary success in 1987 with Hong Gaoliang Jiazu, which was successfully filmed in the same year, directed by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou. In his writing, Mo Yan draws on his youthful experiences and on settings in the province of his birth and his works show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique culture and folk customs. Mo Yan is known as a prolific（多产的）writer. In addition to his novels, he has published many short stories and essays on various topics. Despite his social criticism, he is seen in his homeland as one of the most famous contemporary authors. Dozens of his works have been translated into English, French, Japanese and many other languages．
The awarding ceremony will be held on December 10．The winner will win a medal, a personal diploma and a cash award of about $l million．How did Mo Yan feel when he was told about the news?
| A．Excited and proud． | B． Happy and surprised． |
| C．Worried and cautious | D． Uncertain and shocked． |
Mo Yan developed his ability for writing when he was．
| A．on a farm | B．in a factory | C．in a school | D．in the army |
One of Mo Yan's characteristics of writing is that he
| A．writes about topics he is familiar with | B．focuses on social problems in the country |
| C．describes his characters in a unique way | D．explains difficult matters in simple words |
What's the best title for this passage?
| A．How Mo Yan Gets Nobel Prize | B．An Introduction to Nobel Prize |
| C．Mo Yan Wins Nobel Prize in Literature | D．A World Famous Writer, Mo Yan |
(D)
You can not see any object unless light from that object gets into your eyes. Some of the things you see give off light of their own. The sun, the stars, a lighted lamp are examples that can be seen by their own light. Such things are luminous. Most of the things you see are not giving off light of their own. They are simply reflecting light that falls on them from the sun or some other luminous bodies. The moon, for example, does not give off any light of its own. It is non-luminous. You see it because sunlight falls on it and some of it reflects in our direction. So moon light is only second hand sunlight.
When you look at a book, it sends to your eyes some of the light which falls on it, and you see the book. If light could be kept out from where you are so that there would be no light for the book to reflect, then you could not see the book even with your eyes wide open.
Light travels so fast that the time in which it travels from the book you are reading to your eyes is so short as if there were no time at all. Light reaches us from the moon, which is about 380 000 kilometers away, in only a little more than a second.You can see the book because_______.
| A．your eyes are close to it | B．it reflects some of the sunlight |
| C．it has light of its own | D．your eyesight can get to it |
The underlined word “luminous” means_______.
| A．visible | B．all colors | C．giving off light | D．sunlight |
________ have light of their own.
| A．The sun and the moon | B．The stars and the earth |
| C．The sun and the stars | D．The moon and the earth |
Which of the following is true?
| A．All the things you can see give off light. |
| B．Light from the book is much shorter than that from the moon. |
| C．The moment you open your eyes the light from the book travels to your eyes. |
| D．Light travels so fast that there is no time for you to read. |
This article is probably from _________ .
| A．a science magazine | B．a medical magazine |
| C．a biography | D．a story book. |
( C )
In Denmark, parents are allowed to set up a new school if they are dissatisfied with the school in the area where they are living. Although these schools have to follow the national courses, they are allowed a lot of choice in deciding what to teach. Some of these new schools are called “small schools” because usually the number of pupils in them is only sixty, but a school has to have at least twenty-seven pupils.
Cooleenbridge School in Ireland, is a small school similar to the ones in Denmark, it was set up by parents who came from Holland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, England and other parts of Ireland. They came because they wanted to live in the countryside and to grow their own food. In June 1986, they decided to start a school. They managed to get an old, disused primary-school (小学) building and started with twenty-four children aged from four to twelve.
The teachers say, “The important thing in school is doing, not sitting.” And so the courses includes yoga(瑜伽), cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama (戏剧) and environmental(环境的) river studies, as well as reading, writing, maths and science.What are the rules for setting up a new school in Denmark?
| A．Parents are allowed to set up their own school. |
| B．The school has to follow the national courses. |
| C．The school has to have at least 27 pupils. |
| D．All of the above. |
The writer tells about the Cooleenbridge School in Ireland because ____ .
| A．it was set up by parents who are not people of Denmark |
| B．it was taken as an example of this kind of “small school” |
| C．there were only twenty-four children |
| D．the pupils there were aged from 4 to 12 |
What makes this kind of school special?
| A．It is set up by parents not by government. |
| B．It is free to decide what to teach. |
| C．The number of pupils in it is only sixty. |
| D．It has to have at least 27 pupils. |
“The important thing in school is doing not sitting.” What the teachers say actually means ____ .
| A．What we should do is teaching in the classroom, not sitting in the office. |
| B．Children should do more homework at home, not just sit in class to listen to the teachers. |
| C．Children should learn by themselves not rely on teachers. |
| D．Children should learn through practice not just from books. |
The courses includes ____ .
| A．yoga, cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies, except reading, writing, maths and science |
| B．either yoga, cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies, or reading, writing, maths and science |
| C．not only reading, writing, maths and science, but also yoga, cooking knitting, kitemaking, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies |
| D．mainly yoga, cooking, knitting, kite-making, music, fishing, drama and environmental river studies, and supplemental (补充的) reading writing, maths and science |
(B)
Sixty-year-old grandmother, Fiona McFee, is going to stop working next year and she decided to realize a childhood dream and sail around the coast of Scotland in a small boat. Although the inside of the boat is very cosy it has no running water or electricity. Fiona says she can live without these things but she plans to take her small CD player, her hot water bottle and a bag of books to make sure life isn’t too uncomfortable.
We asked her if she was afraid of being at sea for so long. She said, “Well, I’m going to take a good compass (指南针). Anyway I’m not afraid of death because I love the sea---I just hope it loves me.” Fiona certainly has plenty of energy; in her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, rock-climbing, canoeing and dancing. Although she is sixty, she doesn’t want to have a quiet and peaceful life. “I’m looking forward to having fun in the rest of my life and that’s exactly why I’d like to be a sailor for a while.”The underlined word cosy in the first paragraph means ____ .
| A．bright | B．dirty | C．comfortable | D．dark |
When Fiona McFee said “---I just hope it loves me.” What she meant was ____
| A．Of course , it loves me , since I love it . |
| B．If I love it , it should love me. |
| C．I hope it will bring me a safe sailing as a return for my love of it . |
| D．I hope it will save my life when I am in time of danger . |
The reason why she would like to have the sail is that ____.
| A．she thinks it will be very exciting |
| B．she likes sports and enjoys canoeing |
| C．she has decided to realize a childhood dream |
| D．she wants to be still active when she gets old |
What kind of person would you say the old woman is ?
| A．Someone who does not show what she is feeling . |
| B．Someone who is very proud and sure of her success . |
| C．Someone who doesn’t use her head much . |
| D．Someone who is open , honest and brave . |
The best title for this passage is ____ .
| A．Life Begins at Sixty | B．A Round Coast Sail |
| C．An Old Woman Sailor | D．An Unusual Hobby(爱好) |