Americans plan parties for many reasons. As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties for weddings and religious or national holidays. But some parties are especially American. For example, a group of neighbors may gather on their street to eat food, play music and visit with one another. This is called a block party. A woman might invite a group of women to a party called a baby shower for a friend who is about to give birth. Guests bring presents for the new baby.
Americans also attend tailgate parties. A tailgate is the back end of a truck or other vehicle that opens down. The tailgate parties are a big part of sports culture in the United States. Friends bring food and drink to a sports event. They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.
Birthday parties are also very popular. Many parents organize a party for their child around a theme. Birthday parties usually include gifts and a birthday cake with candles. In many parts of the United States, cupcakes have become a popular replacement for cakes.
Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly. Some parents take their children’s birthday parties very seriously, even when the child is too young to fully understand the celebration.
One group of parents started a website called Birthdays Without Pressure. They decided that some parents were under too much social pressure to plan costly parties for their children. The group sees this movement as an example of America’s culture of “too much stuff”. The group’s website gives suggestions on how to keep birthday celebrations simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money. Their advice may be very helpful during this period of economic recession (萧条)．What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Reasons for parties | B．Birthdays without pressure |
| C．Different parties in the world | D．American parties |
How many kinds of parties does the passage mention?
| A．5. | B．7. | C．6. | D．8. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Birthday parties are the most popular in America. |
| B．Some parties in America are the same as in other countries. |
| C．There’s a party for the mother before her new baby is born. |
| D．Block party is especially American |
The purpose of Birthdays Without Pressure is to advise people to _________.
| A．relieve people’s pressure |
| B．make birthday parties meaningful and costly |
| C．have meaningful birthday parties with low cost |
| D．spread America’s culture |
Listening, really listening, can improve communication and build respect with others. Communication begins by listening and then suggesting that you hear what the person is saying.
This can be recognized by focus or eye contact, body language, and reflective listening.
Focus (Eye Contact)—Focus means that you are looking directly at the person speaking and not looking off to one side or continuing to do something else. You are focused on what is being said; the speaker is the center of attention. Listening attentively is essential for positive communication.
Listening Without Interrupting—Does your body acknowledge(承认) that you are listening? Use smiles, nods, and expressions of understanding to communicate to the speaker that you are listening. It is not necessary that you agree or disagree at this time. It is more important for the person speaking to know that his or her words are respected. This strengthens communication.
Reflective Listening—Reflective listening involves hearing the feelings and meanings of the speaker. It is a re-statement (in different words) of what the speaker said. You, in essence, mirror the words of the speaker and rephrase them back to the speaker, checking for accuracy(准确)of understanding. This process affirms the speaker, indicates a respect of the person, and shows that you understand the speaker’s message. Through careful reflection of the speaker’s words, you can make clear the message and build mutual(相互的) understanding. Through reflective listening and the careful exchange of words, we learn that other people have important feelings and opinions which we need to consider. Learning to understand the importance of all ideas, not just our own, can lead to successful resolution of problems and mutual respect.The best way to build respect with others is _____.
| A．to look directly at the person speaking |
| B．to listen to the speaker attentively |
| C．to interrupt the speaker when necessary |
| D．to use expressions of understanding |
What strengthens communication with the person speaking?
| A．Making him or her know that his or her words are respected. |
| B．Expressing agreement or disagreement in time when listening. |
| C．Repeating his or her words from time to time. |
| D．Listening instead of saying anything. |
Reflective Listening is aimed to _____.
| A．show you are not absent in mind |
| B．make sure the speaker’s words are correct |
| C．checking for accuracy of understanding |
| D．express your own ideas without delay |
Pat O’Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family, and one morning, waking up very early from cold and hunger, he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage. The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman, Pat had no right to go there, but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat, and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner, with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood. There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands. Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape, so he walked boldly(大胆) up to the company and said to Lord Northwood, “Good morning, sir, and what has brought you out so early this morning?” Lord Northwood, rather surprised, said he and his Mends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite(食欲) for their breakfast. Then, looking at Pat with suspicion(怀疑), he said, “but why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir” said Pat, “I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.” The whole crowed burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit(机智，风趣), and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on, leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.This is a story about _____.
| A．a rich man who owned a big wood |
| B．a poor Irishman who lived all by himself |
| C．a clever man who tried to get something to eat |
| D．an Irish hunter with a large family |
There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face. Why?
| A．He was not expecting Pat at this early hour. |
| B．He knew Pat was coming for shooting. |
| C．He didn't like the poor Irishman at all. |
| D．Pat had not told him he would come. |
Why was Lord Northwood surprised?
| A．He had not expected such a bold question from Pat. |
| B．He wondered why Pat didn't run away. |
| C．Pat wasn't afraid of him. |
| D．Pat had a gun in his hands. |
What made the whole crowd burst into laughter?
| A．Pat's funny looks |
| B．Pat's interesting remarks |
| C．Pat's quick and humorous response |
| D．Pat's promise to leave fight away |
Hi, everybody !
Welcome to our newly-opened Richards Cinema Bookstore!
Now let me introduce to you some of the new film books in our store.
Are you Chinese film fans? OK, here comes the latest 25 New Takes about Chinese films. It is a collection of 25 fresh readings of different Chinese films from the 1930s to the present. In recent years, Chinese films are very popular in the States, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Flowers of Shanghai.
Do you like French films? Well, here is The French Cinema Book. It covers French films from the 1890s to the beginning of the 21st century. It is written for all lovers of French cinema: students and teachers, specialists and fans, and so on.
Maybe you are Indian film fans and star-chasers. Then here is Encyclopedia ( 百科全书 ) of Indian Cinema. The book is a complete introduction to all the best Indian films. It also offers a full list of names of the famous and successful film stars in the past ten years. You know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world after our Hollywood.
If you like British films, we have The British Cinema Book. It is a good review of British cinema. This book contains a good many nice pictures.
In our bookstore, you can also find books about Mexican, Japanese, Australian, German and Italian films.
Well, please help yourselves to some coffee or tea, and have a good time here!The speaker of the passage is most probably _______
| A．the author of 25 New Takes |
| B．a tourist in the cinema bookstore |
| C．the manager of the cinema bookstore |
| D．a reader of Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema |
How many Asian countries does the speaker refer to when he talks about the film books?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Nine. |
Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage？
| A．Indian cinema is second only to Hollywood. |
| B．The British Cinema Book includes a complete list of names of stars. |
| C．Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon is well received in the States. |
| D．The French Cinema Book covers over a century's French films. |
The purpose of the speaker is_______.
| A．to satisfy the customers' various tastes |
| B．to keep the authors in the cinema bookstore |
| C．to offer the tourists chances to meet the film stars |
| D．to take the readers into film producers |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
For some minutes, all was quiet in the street. Then from across the street someone came walking.
It looked like a man of middle height, dressed in a big raincoat, a soft hat and rubber-soled boots or shoes, and making little sound while walking. No one was in sight. It was a street with two rows of about fifty small houses and there were three lamps on either side. The lamp nearest to the child’s house could be seen clearly, but the others were almost hidden by the smoky air. A car passed the end of the street and its lights showed faintly，but clearly enough to show the smooth skin of a woman’s face. The car disappeared as the woman, wrapped up in her coat, reached the doorway of the child’s house. She put a key in the lock quickly, pushed the door open and stepped inside, then closed the door without looking round. She began to breathe hard.
She leaned against the door for a moment, then straightened up as if with an effort, and walked towards the door of the front room, the passage leading to the kitchen, and the narrow staircase. She hesitated outside the door, then went up the stairs quickly but with hardly a sound. There was enough light from the narrow hall to show the four doors leading off a small landing(楼梯平台). She pushed each door open in turn and shone a torch inside, and the light fell upon beds, walls, furniture, a bathroom hand-basin, a mirror which flashed brightness back; but this was not what the woman was looking for. She turned away and went downstairs, and hesitated again at the foot of the stairs, then turned towards the kitchen. Clearly there was nothing there, or in the small washroom that she wanted. Two rooms remained; the front room and a smaller one next to it. She opened the front room door. After a moment, she saw the child’s bed and the child.The lights of the car passing the end of the street showed that ______.
| A．a woman was driving the car |
| B．someone was standing by a street lamp. |
| C．a man and a woman were walking up the street. |
| D．a woman was walking by herself up the street. |
After the woman closed the front door, she ___________.
| A．looked round quickly |
| B．started breathing again |
| C．rested before moving |
| D．walked straight towards the front door |
When she was upstairs, the woman _______.
| A．saw that there was a wash-basin in each room |
| B．noticed a mirror which she was looking for |
| C．found a torch in one of the rooms |
| D．opened four different doors |
Once she was in the house, the woman behaved as if what she was looking for _______.
| A．might be in the kitchen |
| B．was more likely to be upstairs |
| C．would be easily seen by the light from the hall |
| D．would look frightening to a child |
It was Molly’s job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．
One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples（订书钉） 。
“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What’s in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”
Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly’s bag and took out the contents: two hair ribbons（丝带）, three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly’s stuff included．
That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．
“Where’s my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．” “I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．
“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like — I thought you might like to play with them．You didn’t lose the bag, did you, Daddy?”
“Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I’ll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father’s neck, he unfolded the note that read: “I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures — all that a 7-year-old held dear．
Love in a paper bag, and he missed it — not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor（看门人）, he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn’t look so good, but the stuff was all there and that’s what counted．
After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．
“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．
We should all remember that it’s not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．Why did Molly give her father a second bag?
| A．She didn’t want to keep the things in the bag． |
| B．She hoped those things would bring happiness to her father． |
| C．She wanted to remind her father of the stories behind the things． |
| D．She enjoyed playing with her father． |
How did father deal with the bag after he opened it?
| A．He kept it in the drawer． |
| B．He took it back home． |
| C．He threw it into the wastebasket． |
| D．He put it on his table． |
Which of the following is the most suitable title of the passage?
| A．An important journey | B．Two bags |
| C．Father and daughter | D．Love in a paper bag |