In the United States, friends can be close, constant, intense, generous, and real, yet fade away in a short time if circumstances（环境）change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship where it left out and are delighted.
In the States, you can feel free to visit people’s homes, share their holidays, enjoy their children and their lies without fear that you taking on a lasting obligation（负担）. Do not hesitate to accept hospitality（款待）because you can’t give it in return. No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home. Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily.
Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full, warm and real. Most visitors find themselves readily invited into many homes there. In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain (招待) at home, offering what is felt as only home-cooked food, not " doing something for your guest". It is felt that restaurant entertaining shows more respect and welcome. Or for other different reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family custom, outsiders are not invited into homes.
In the United States both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one’s home than to go to a public place, except in purely business relationships. So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior（次的）treatment.
Don’t feel neglected( 被轻视的) if you do not find flowers awaiting you in your hotel room either. Flowers are very expensive there, hotel delivery is uncertain, arrival times are delayed, changed, or canceled so flowers are not customarily sent as a welcoming touch. Please do not feel unwanted! Outward signs vary in different lands, the inward welcome is what matters, and this will be real.In the United States, you will find friendships if circumstances change.
| A．disappear gradually | B．pass away |
| C．die suddenly | D．last forever |
Americans their foreign friends to make a return for their hospitality.
| A．ask | B．wish |
| C．don’t expect | D．never allow |
In some other counties, giving a dinner party at home is considered than in a restaurant.
| A．less hospitable | B．less hot |
| C．more natural | D．more popular |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true? .
| A．Flowers are signs of outward welcome |
| B．Flowers are expensive in some places |
| C．Flowers are available at all time |
| D．Flowers are not necessarily sent to guests |
.Which of the following is the best title for this passage? .
| A．American Hospitality | B．American Welcome |
| C．American Invitation | D．American Friendships |
Advice to "sleep on it" could be well founded, scientists say. After a good night's sleep a problem that couldn't be solved the night before can often appear more manageable. Researchers at the University of Luebek in Germany have designed an experiment that shows a good night's sleep can improve insight（顿悟）and problem-solving ability.
“If you have some newly-got memories in your brain, sleep acts on these memories and restructures them, so that after sleep the insight increases," said Dr Jan Born, a neuroscientist, at the University. To test the discovery, they taught volunteers two simple rules to help them turn a string of numbers into a new order. There was also a third, hidden rule, which could help them increase their speed in solving the problem. The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: half were allowed to sleep after the training while the rest were forced to stay awake. Dr Jan Born and his team noticed that the group that had slept after the training were twice as likely to figure out the third rule as the other group. "Sleep helped," Born said in a telephone interview .¨The important thing is that you have to have a memory description of the problem you want to solve in your brain and then you sleep, so it can act on the problem."
But Born admitted that he and his team don't know how restructuring of memories occurs or what controls it. Pierre Maquet and Perrine Ruby of the University of Liege in Belgium said the experimental evidence supports the suggestion that sleep can help develop creative thinking. Although the role of sleep in human creativity will still be a mystery, the research gives people good reasons to fully respect their periods of sleep, they added.What is the purpose of the experiment?
| A．To test problem-solving ability in sleep. |
| B．To discover people's insight during sleep. |
| C．To prove a good sleep helps solve problems. |
| D．To discuss how to improve sleeping quality. |
How did Jan Born and his team carry out the experiement ?
| A．Through comparison. | B．Through interview. |
| C．Trough talking | D．Through imagination. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 2 ?
| A．Sleep can help solve problems. |
| B．People should sleep as long as they want. |
| C．Different people have various periods of sleep. |
| D．Scientists know how sleep restructures memories from now. |
Which of the following is TRUE about the experiments evidence?
| A．It helps scientists control memories. |
| B．It explains the role of sleep in human. |
| C．It shows people's sleeping well helps a lot. |
| D．It shows how to develop creative thinking. |
Three years ago when I was still in the University, I also worked at a restaurant.
An old man named Mr. Candido Filio was one of our regular customer at the restaurant. He was one of the most intelligent people I've ever known.
Every Sunday the Philippine Star Newspaper had a special page for word puzzles and among his peers (同龄人), Mr.Filio held the record for solving all the puzzles in less than five minutes. He encouraged me to solve them too, and for months and months, I did my best to beat him but failed.
Then one Sunday, I did it! I was able to complete them before anyone else. Everyone cheered for me. He came up to me with a smile and said, " No one has ever beaten me before. You are the first. I'll have a prize for you tomorrow."
The next day, he gave me a special Scrabble（拼字游戏）set. I would have never been able to afford one like that by myself. Then he said to me, " Kate, what do you think is man's final goal in life? Happiness, isn't it? You are happy and that should be considered as a success. Many people spend a lifetime searching for that. Be thankful that you have found it." I looked at him and knew that my life had changed, probably forever. He must have known that I always felt sad about not having much money.
He encouraged me to learn the game and love words. And true to his words, I was never able to beat him again.We can learn from the text that Mr.Filio _
| A．was generous to young people |
| B．was good at word puzzles |
| C．lived quite near the restaurant |
| D．won a prize from the Philippine Star Newspaper |
The author was given a gift because________.
| A．Mr.Filio was thankful for her help. |
| B．Mr. Filio was satisfied with her service |
| C．she was the first person to beat Mr.Filio |
| D．she was the new record keeper in the restaurant |
After she heard what Mr. Filio said, the author probably felt ．
| A．amazed | B．excited |
| C．touched | D．inspired |
Juac has made the leap from being an African refugee (难民) to a chess champion in the United States. His job is to share his expertise(专长) with students in schools, chess camps and other events.
During Sudan's civil war in the mid-1980s, Juac was forced out of the country with 20,000 0ther so -called Lost Boys. He fled to Ethiopia, then to Kenya staying in a refugee camp for eight years, where he learned to play chess.
Juac described a dangerous journey in which half the boys didn't survive. To eat, they had to kill wild animals.
"There were animals on the way. It was about a thousand miles and sometimes there was no water. When we were in Ethiopia, we had to cross the river and there a lot drowned."
Juac arrived in the United States in 2004 and began working as a security guard. Winning a chess tournament gave him this teaching opportunity. Juac believes chess helps prepare young people for life.
"Some kids are not interested, so it's your job to make them like the game, to explain them what chess is going to help them with." He said. "Like, I can tell, this game will give you patience, and help with your math skills."
Julie Cathone, a second grade teacher in Jackson Public School, agrees. The School's principal, Meghan Kelley, said Juac and chess have made a big difference.
"What a role model. I mean when you think about just overcoming, and finding what you love and turning that into your life's work."
Juac said he enjoys the freedom he has in the United States. But his passion is playing and teaching chess to youngsters. His boss, Michael Propper , said Juac has one great advantage.
"I think he's believable. I think they look at him and he's so unassuming that they feel like they can do what he's doing and be a person as he is too."
Ju ac still has a big goal ahead of him-becoming an international chess master. With his skill and patience, Propper and his peers have no doubt that will happen.How long did Juac most probably stay in Ethiopia?
| A．About six years. | B．About eight years. |
| C．About twelve years. | D．About sixteen years. |
We can learn from the passage that Juac _
| A．must be teaching kids chess for free |
| B．is patient and good at math problems |
| C．surely has his own chess school in American |
| D．hasn't taken part in international chess contests |
The underlined word "unassuming" probably means __
| A．not appear important | B．seem to be very great |
| C．appear very charming | D．be not strict or serious |
Which is the best title for this passage?
A. "Lost Boys" Experienced Difficult Times.
B. Former Sudan "Lost Boy" Appears in NYC.
C. Former Sudan “Lost Boy" Becomes Chess Master.
D. African Boy Is Teaching Chess in the United States.
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Contact Information of intex Recreation: Tel:800-876-0987 E-mail: In texrecreation@hotmail.comWhere do you probably read the article?
| A．In a science fiction. | B．In a newspaper |
| C．In a medical magazine | D．In a guidebook. |
How does Mike Smith feel about the product?
| A．Satisfied. | B．Troublesome. |
| C．Useless. | D．Terrible. |
What do you know about the product?
| A．It is hard for children to control. |
| B．It can be used only for adults. |
| C．It is easily broken by rocks and small branches. |
| D．It is soft, comfortable and inflatable. |
It is known from the passage that _
| A．Intex Recreation only produces outdoor toys |
| B．the product is too small to hold three people |
| C．there are two ways to contact Intex Recreation |
| D．Intex Recreation is a newly - built company |
You are a new manager at the American branch of your German firm in Chicago．With a few minutes to spare between meetings，you go to get a quick cup of coffee．
“Hey，David，how are you?”one of the senior partners at the firm asks you．
“Good，thank you，Dr．Greer，”you reply．You’ve really been wanting to make a connection with the senior leadership at the firm，and this seems like a great opportunity．But as you start to think of something to say，your American colleague breaks in to steal your spotlight．
“So Arnold”，your colleague says to your boss，in such a casual manner that it makes your German soul cringe(畏缩)，“So what’s your Super bowl prediction? I mean，you’re a Niners fan，right?”
The conversation moves on，and you walk silently back to your desk with your coffee．You know how important small talk is in the U．S．，and you feel jealous of people you’re your colleague who can do it well．
There’s nothing small about the role that small talk plays in American professional culture．People from other countries are often surprised at how important small talk is in the U．S．and how naturally and comfortably people seem to do it—with peers，men，women，and even with superiors．You can be the most technically skilled worker in the world，but your ability to progress in your job in the United States is highly dependent on your ability to build and maintain positive relationships with people at work．And guess what skill is critical for building and maintaining these relationships? Small talk．
What can you do if you are from another culture and want to learn to use small talk in the U．S．to build relationships and establish trust? Work hard to hone(磨练)your own version of American-style small talk．Watch how others do it．You don’t have to mimic what they do；in fact，that would likely backfire because people would see you as inauthentic．But if you can develop your own personal version，that can go a long way toward making you feel comfortable and competence．The author introduces the topic of the passage by______．
| A．raising an interesting question |
| B．describing an interesting scene |
| C．making comparisons |
| D．telling a small jokes |
What do we know about German people?
| A．They usually make small talk in work breaks． |
| B．They hate making small talk． |
| C．They don’t make so much small talk． |
| D．They are good at making small talk too． |
What makes people from other countries surprised in American professional culture?
| A．American workers’ ability to make progress． |
| B．American workers’ attitude towards superiors． |
| C．The special meaning of small talk． |
| D．The role small talk plays in work settings． |
What does“backfire”underlined in the last paragraph mean?
| A．be difficult | B．be helpful |
| C．have a good result | D．have the opposite effect |