You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better—or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的). The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening—in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed—and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got. After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _______.
| A．notice small changes |
| B．expect small changes |
| C．welcome small changes |
| D．exaggerate small changes |
How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
| A．Cautiously. |
| B．Positively. |
| C．Sceptically. |
| D．Critically. |
When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by _______.
| A．the relaxed policemen |
| B．the messy arrivals hall |
| C．the tight security |
| D．the bank robbers |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Life in Britain. |
| B．Back in Britain. |
| C．Britain in Future. |
| D．Britain in Memory. |
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station（加油站） about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register（收款台）, I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery（电池） was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership—a shop selling cars—was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?”I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.The underlined words“took off”in Paragraph 2 mean_________．
| A．turned off | B．moved off |
| C．put up | D．set up |
What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?
| A．He had it pulled back to the gas station． |
| B．The couple sent him a business card. |
| C．The couple offered to help him. |
| D．He called his friend for help. |
The battery of the author’s car was dead because ___________．
| A．something went wrong with the lights |
| B．his meeting lasted a whole day |
| C．he forgot to turn off the lights |
| D．he drove too long a distance |
By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show ________．
| A．how to write a thank-you letter |
| B．how to deal with car problems |
| C．the kind-heartedness of older people |
| D．the importance of expressing thanks |
One morning, Ann’s neighbor Tracy found a lost dog wandering around the local elementary school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on the dog. Ann said that she could watch it only for the day.
Tracy took photos of the dog and printed off 400 FOUND fliers（传单）, and put them in mailboxes. Meanwhile, Ann went to the dollar store and bought some pet supplies, warning her two sons not to fall in love with the dog. At the time, Ann’s son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was recovering from a heart operation, was 21 years old.
Four days later Ann was still looking after the dog, whom they had started to call Riley. When she arrived home from work, the dog threw itself against the screen door and barked madly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley dashed into the boys’ room where Ann found Jack suffering from a heart attack. Riley ran over to Jack, but as soon as Ann bent over to help him the dog went silent.
“If it hadn’t come to get me, the doctor said Jack would have died,” Ann reported to a local newspaper. At this point, no one had called to claim the dog, so Ann decided to keep it.
The next morning Tracy got a call. A man named Peter recognized his lost dog and called the number on the flier. Tracy started crying, and told him, “That dog saved my friend’s son.”
Peter drove to Ann’s house to pick up his dog, and saw Thomas and Jack crying in the window. After a few moments Peter said, “Maybe Odie was supposed to find you, maybe you should keep it.”What did Tracy do after finding the dog?
| A．She looked for its owner |
| B．She gave it to Ann as a gift. |
| C．She sold it to the dollar store. |
| D．She bought some food for it. |
How did the dog help save Jack?
| A．By breaking the door for Ann. |
| B．By leading Ann to Jack’s room. |
| C．By dragging Jack out of the room. |
| D．By attending Jack when Ann was out. |
For what purpose did Peter call Tracy?
| A．To help her friend’s son. |
| B．To interview Tracy |
| C．To take back his dog. |
| D．To return the flier to her. |
What can we infer about the dog from the last paragraph?
| A．It would be given to Odie. |
| B．It would be kept by Ann’ family. |
| C．It would be returned to Peter. |
| D．It would be taken away by Tracy. |
Japanese students work very hard but many are unhappy. They feel heavy pressures from their parents to do well in school. Most students are always being told by their parents to study harder so that they can have a wonderful life. Though this may be good ideas for those very bright students，it can have very bad results for many students who are not quick enough at learning.
Unfortunately, a number of students killed themselves. Others are after comfort in using drugs. Some do bad things with trouble-makers and turn to crime. Many of them have tried very hard at school but have failed in the exams and have disappointed their parents. Such students feel that they are less important and leave school before they have finished their study.
It is surprising that though most Japanese parents are worried about their children, they do not help them in any way. Many parents feel that they are not able to help their children and that it is the teachers' work to help their children. To make matters worse, a lot of parents send their children to special school called juku-cram schools. These schools are open during the evening and on weekends, and their only purpose is to prepare students to pass exams, they do not try to educate students in any real sense of the real world. It thus comes as a shock to realize that almost three quarters of the junior or high school population attend these cram schools.
Ordinary Japanese schools usually have rules about everything from the students' hair to their clothes and things in their school bag. Child psychologists now think that such strict rules often lead to a feeling of being unsafe and being unable to fit into society. They regard the rules as being harmful to the development of each student. They believe that no sense of moral values is developed and that students are given neither guidance nor training in becoming good citizens.A lot of Japanese students are unhappy at school because_______.
| A．they work very hard |
| B．they find they can't do well at school |
| C．they feel unimportant |
| D．they are under too much pressure |
Because of their failure at school, some students take drugs to _______.
| A．kill themselves | B．seek comfort |
| C．disappoint their parents | D．make trouble |
In juku-cram schools students_________．
| A．are taken good care of by the teachers |
| B．feel no pressure |
| C．are trained to pass exams |
| D．can learn a lot of useful things |
In ordinary Japanese schools,______________ ．
| A．there are strict rules | B．students feel safe |
| C．students can do anything | D．learning is not important |
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p. m. Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
| A．At the Bull’s Head on Sunday. |
| B．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
| C．At the Bull on Saturday. |
| D．At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
| A．At the Derby Arms on Friday. |
| B．At the Black Horse on Friday. |
| C．At the Star and Garter on Saturday. |
| D．At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
| A．789—6749. | B．789—4536. |
| C．682—1158. | D．688—4626. |
You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
| A．Disco at The Lord Napier. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse. |
| C．The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. |
| D．Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
| A．The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
| B．The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms. |
| C．Folk Music at the Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull. |
| D．Musical Hal lat The Star ＆Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier. |
“You have cancer” are the three words you never want to hear. Unfortunately, over 5, 000 people in North America do hear those words --- every single day. Even worse, cancer has become the second leading cause of death for Americans. America’s health practitioner (从业人员), David Brownstein, M. D., has spent much of his medical career studying cancer, and learning the best ways to avoid becoming its victim.
And Dr. Brownstein does not shy away from (回避) the hard truth. Statistics demonstrate we are not winning the war on cancer. Far from it. In fact, cancer death rates have remained nearly unchanged over the last 80 years. Plus, traditional cancer treatments have been a terrible failure. Because the only big winner in the cancer treatment story to date has been the cancer industry’s multibillion-dollar profits, Dr. Brownstein has just released a free video documentary revealing some of his startling (令人吃惊的) findings.
In this video, you’ll discover five specific signs that you will be diagnosed (诊断) with cancer during your lifetime. Even more important, you’ll see:
*Seven simple but smart steps to prevent cancer from taking over your body.
*How to help your body naturally kill cancer cells.
*Easiest ways to avoid known cancer-causing factors.
*The little-known relationship between iodine (碘) and cancer.
*And much, much more…
According to Dr. Brownstein, nearly all of US have cancer cells in our bodies at various times during our lives. The trick is to avoid letting those cells increase and defeat the body’s natural defenses.
The good news is that you and your loved ones do not need to become cancer victims. With the simple methods revealed in Dr. Brownstein’s eye-opening video, you can take steps to prevent this deadly disease.
Newsmax Health managed to bring it directly to you free of charge. Click here to start watching this powerful video about preventing cancer immediately. With so many people dying needlessly, there’s no time to waste.We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.
| A．David Brownstein makes no progress in preventing cancer |
| B．cancer is the leading cause of death for Americans |
| C．David Brownstein himself is suffering from cancer |
| D．cancer victims are increasing in North America |
What do we know about cancer in America?
| A．Cancer death rates are dropping. |
| B．Cancer industry is very profitable. |
| C．Traditional cancer treatments are effective. |
| D．Cancer medicine was invented 80 years ago. |
What does the underlined part “the hard truth” refer to in Paragraph 2?
| A．David Brownstein’s video is unpopular. |
| B．It needs another 80 years to cure cancer. |
| C．People don’t know cancer death rates. |
| D．People’s inability to defeat cancer. |
What does Dr. Brownstein’s video include?
a. Some signs that you’ll get cancer.
b. Some people who are fighting against cancer. ’
c. Some ways to avoid factors that can cause cancer.
d. Some steps to prevent cancer controlling your body.
| A．abc | B．bcd | C．acd | D．abd |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
| A．To recommend a video. |
| B．To introduce some doctors. |
| C．To teach US how to make a video. |
| D．To give US some tips on dealing with cancel. |