All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries people have very different ideas about drinking tea.
In China, for example, tea is always served when people get together. The Chinese drink it at any time of the day at homes or in tea houses. They prefer their tea plain(原味), with nothing else in it.
Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special way of serving tea called a tea ceremony. It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.
Another tea-drink country is England. In England, the late afternoon is “teatime”. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with cream and sugar. They also eat cakes, cookies and little sandwiches at teatime.
In the United States people drink tea mostly for breakfast or after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many Americans drink cold tea—“iced tea”. Sometimes they drink iced tea from cans, like soda.The passage is about .
A.Chinese tea |
B.why tea is important |
C.the teatime in England |
D.different ways of tea drinking in different countries |
Tea is popular .
A.all around the world |
B.only in the United States |
C.only in English-speaking countries |
D.in Asian countries |
The English like to .
A.eat cakes and cookies with their tea |
B.drink their tea plain |
C.have tea with dinner |
D.drink their tea in a special room |
(You may read the questions first.)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Theatrical Release Date: July 1, 2011
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Michael Bay
Genre: Action︱Adventure︱Sequel︱ Sci-Fi︱ 3D
The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, are back in action, taking on the evil Decepticons. The Autobots and Decepticons become involved in a dangerous space race. The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft on the Moon and must race against the Decepticons to find its secrets, which could turn the tide in the Transformers’ final battle. Shockwave, a longtime “Transformers” character, rules Cybertron while the Autobots and Decepticons battle it out on Earth.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2011
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: David Yates
Genre: Action︱Adventure︱Sequel︱Fantasy︱3D
In part II, the battle between the good and evil forces of the Wizarding world evolves into an all-out war. This final adventure continues Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s attempt to find and destroy Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes. Harry Potter is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice to bring an end to his nemesis.
Winnie the Pooh
Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2011
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Don Hall, Stephen J. Anderson
Genre: Sequel︱Family Animation
Winnie the Pooh is a 2011 American traditionally animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Based upon the characters of the children’s books Winnie-the-Pooh, The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne and Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus, the film features two previously unadapted stories from the original books.
In the movie, Owl sends the whole gang to save Christopher Robin from an imaginary bad character, and it turns out to be a very busy day for Winnie the Pooh who simply set out to find some honey.Which of the following is not the genre of Transformers: Dark of the Moon?
A. Action. B. Sequel. C. 3D. D. Fantasy.According to the Movie Express above, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is mainly about _______.
A.a journey of Harry, Ron, and Hermione |
B.high risks of the final adventure |
C.an all-out war between good and evil forces |
D.a fear of Lord Voldemort |
Who might be most interested in the Movie Express of Winnie the Pooh?
A.Would-be parents. | B.Families with children. |
C.Writers of children’s books. | D.Honey lovers. |
I stood outside New York’s Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world.
From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a deformity that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes.
Life was tough. I couldn’t stand, much less walk. I rarely, left the farmhouse---and then only in someone’s arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season.
“The world will see him when he can walk,” she told Dad. “And he will walk.”
Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin.
A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs (肢). Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs.
“There’s nothing anyone can do but you can’t,” Mam said. “You and I are going to walk through town.”
The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. “Hold your head up high, now, Ronan,” she said.
We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I’d walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam’s eyes shining with a mother’s pride.
That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I’d done on my walk.
Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam’s words came back to me—Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do—and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it.
I’ve sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world’s finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam’s words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn’t feel the pulse of the music in my feet, but I felt it deep in my heart, the same place where Mam’s promise lived.What was the problem with the author as a baby?
A.He was expected unable to walk. |
B.He was born outward in character. |
C.He had a problem with listening. |
D.He was shorter than a normal baby. |
The underlined word “deformity” in the second paragraph most probably means _______.
A.shortcoming | B.disadvantage | C.disability | D.delay |
Why did Mam dress him and herself in finest clothes?
A.To hide their depressed feeling. |
B.To indicate it an unusual day. |
C.To show off their clothes. |
D.To celebrate his successful operation. |
From the story we may conclude that his mother was _______.
A.determined | B.stubborn | C.generous | D.distinguished |
According to the writer, what mattered most in his success?
A.His consistent effort. | B.His talent for music. |
C.His countless failures. | D.His mother’s promise. |
If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削) year after year, they have only themselves to blame. Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend large sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time changing their old-fashioned dresses. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck-lines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with necessary things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用). They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or picking her way through deep snow in high heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Do the constantly changing fashions of women’s clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of inconstancy and instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanging styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability(稳定耐用)? That is for you to decide.Designers and big stores always make money _______.
A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry |
B. because they are capable of predicting new fashions |
C. by constantly changing the fashions in women’s clothing |
D. because they attach great importance to quality in women’s clothing |
To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as _______.
A.a waste of money | B.a waste of time |
C.an expression of taste | D.an expression of creativity |
New fashions in clothing are created for _______.
A.the commercial exploitation of women |
B. the women’s strength of character |
C. basic qualities of inconstancy and instability |
D. an important contribution to society |
When did you last see a polar bear(北极熊)? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group; this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.
Doctors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.
The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统) because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.
The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim all year round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says, "When I go into water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away." The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that____.
A.they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months |
B.they must reach the age of 60 |
C.they should be easy to make friends with |
D.they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February |
According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that_____.
A.polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water |
B.cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high |
C.you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue |
D.cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter |
The Polar Bears like to swim year-round, for_____.
A.it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter |
B.they can remain young |
C.they find it enjoyable and interesting |
D.they might meet fewer troubles in life |
The passage is mainly about_____.
A.the requirements of the Polar Bear Club |
B.a group of cold-water-swimming lovers |
C.the Polar Bears' life in New York |
D.doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum (论坛) asking what "PK" meant.
"My family has been watching the 'Super Girl' singing competition TV program. My little daughter asked me what 'PK' meant, but I had no idea," explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for "Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the "Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students' compositions using Internet words which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet words that she didn't understand.
"My 'GG' came back this summer from college. He told me I've grown up to be a 'PLMM'. I loved to 'FB' with him together; he always took me to the 'KPM'," went one composition.
"GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl). "FB" means Fu Bai (corruption). "KPM" is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.
Some specialists welcome Internet words as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! By writing the article, the writer tries to ________ .
A.explain some Internet language | B.suggest common Internet language |
C.laugh at the Beijing father | D.draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term "PK"?
A.Fathers can't possibly know it. | B.The daughter should understand it. |
C.Online game players may know it. | D."Super Girl" shouldn't have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet words ________ .
A.are used not only online | B.can be understood very well |
C.are welcomed by all the people | D.cause trouble to our mother tongue |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A puzzled father | B.Do you speak Internetish? |
C.Keep away from Internetish | D.Kong Long or Qing Wa? |