I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time 1 ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, ‘Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite, They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place they usually _________
| A．describe the place carefully |
| B．refer to recognizable buildings and places |
| C．show him a map of the place |
| D．tell him the names of the streets |
Which is the place where people measure distance in time?
| A．New York. | B．Kansas. |
| C．Los Angeles. | D．Iowa. |
People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________
| A．in order to save time | B．as a test |
| C．for fun | D．so as to be polite |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
| B．People have similar understandings of politeness. |
| C．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
| D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
Trip 1 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Bookings are necessary.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Trip 2 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Bookings are necessary.
Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22
Equipment to be needed:
Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
Wear good walking shoes--no high heels.
Wear a hat for day walks.
Dress warmly for night walks.
Children must be with an adult.
Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are a dangerous place.
Bookings:
Bookings for the above trips can be traded by telephone (893--4847) or on the Internet at www. Bluemountaintour.com.Where are these trips?
| A．In a large city. |
| B．In a park in the mountains. |
| C．In a special kind of zoo. |
| D．In three different countries. |
On which trip(s) had you better wear a hat?
| A．Trip 1 | B．Trip 2 |
| C．Trip 1&2 | D．Trip 3 |
On which trip might you see animals that sleep during the day?
| A．Black Bear Count. | B．Garland Valley. |
| C．Flashlight Adventure. | D．None of the trips. |
Which of the following is not necessary for the three trips?
| A．Good walking shoes. | B．A pair of glasses. |
| C．Food and water. | D．A sleeping-bag. |
Which is probably the best title for the passage?
| A．Discovery Trips in the Blue Mountains |
| B．Hunting around the Great Mountains |
| C．Interesting Trips in the East of the USA |
| D．Adventure Travel in America |
Did you ever notice that when you’re fat, men don’t look you in the eye? They look across your shoulder. There’s no eye contact.
My name is Leslie. I am a real person. Up until two years ago, I was never looked in the eye by anyone.
I was too tired to be a lover to my husband. I was falling asleep by 8 o’clock most evenings. When I did go out for an evening. my husband was ashamed of me. And he said so to my face. When I walked, my thighs scrape together. I couldn’t even cross my legs. I was fat. Not just “overweight”. Fat! I was 5’55”tall and weighed 205 pounds.
About 18 months ago, my husband Darrell left a “Dear Leslie”letter on my bed and asked for divorce.
I went to a psychologist for advice. I knew that my weight was the source of my troubles. But I’d tried 14 different diets, at which I failed one by one.
He listened carefully and recommended an entirely different program. This was not a “diet.”It was a unique new weight-loss program researched by a team of specialists who help to treat the severely fat. I entered the program. Within the first four days, I lost only three pounds. So I was disappointed. But during the three weeks that followed, my weight began to drop from 205 pounds to 124 pounds. To me it was a miracle.
The reason why the program worked was simple. I was always eating. I could eat six times every day. I could snack in the afternoon. Snack before dinner. I could even have snack at night while watching TV.
How can you eat so much and still lose weight?
The secret is in the combination of foods, approved by the research team, which you eat in each 24 hour period. You will enjoy a variety of meats, chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes, sauces. Even some light wine or beer if you wish. But be sure to have them in the right proportion（比例）, thus a complete 24-hour fat-reduction cycle is formed.
Without hunger, without nervousness, it lets you lose pounds so easily. Once you lose the weight, youll keep it off. Forever, I am sure of that.Leslie.
| A．had never looked anybody in their eyes. |
| B．had difficulties in walking because she was too fat. |
| C．was disliked by her husband because she went to bed too early each evening. |
| D．was often embarrassed because she was overweight for her height. |
Leslie went to psychologist for advice in order to .
| A．lose her weight. | B．recover her marriage |
| C．get a vegetarian diet | D．become an advisor |
The weight-loss program worked very well. The reason is that ___.
| A．Leslie ate very little food and sometimes even fast food. |
| B．Leslie only had snacks and never had dinners. |
| C．Leslie could have rich food several times a day in the right proportion. |
| D．Leslie had rich food whenever she felt hungry. |
Where do you think this article is most likely to appear?
| A．Daily newspaper. | B．Women’s magazine. |
| C．A part of a novel. | D．Newsweek magazine. |
I went online to check if my pay was in my bank account. To my amazement I discovered that not only had I been paid, a company I’d never worked for had also paid me! I knew I’d have been beside myself if my own salary was not in my account, so I tried to get the money back to the right person. Easier said than done.
The bank couldn’t help as it wasn’t a bank problem. The human resources department at the company that paid me was unable to help as I didn’t have enough details. I rang the bank again. Thankfully I had a sympathetic call operator who gave me a name, so I again rang the company “Daniel”worked for.
I expected the bank would contact me to arrange to take the money from my account and repay Daniel. I heard nothing for a month and the money remained in my account when Daniel called, explaining he’d tried to get back his money but had been unsuccessful as neither the bank nor his company felt it was their error. He had rung to ask if I could speak to the bank, but after chatting for a few minutes we realized we could probably fix this problem ourselves.
We decided I would take the money from my account and he would pick it up from me. Due to my busy job I was unable to meet Daniel personally but he left me a lovely bottle of wine in exchange for what was rightfully his. I never had any intention of keeping Daniel’s pay but red tape(繁琐手续) made it difficult to do the right thing. It all came down to two people being able to do what a huge bank and a large company couldn’t do--admit a mistake has occurred and fix it.What was the attitude of the author towards the extra money in his bank account?
| A．He didn’t know what to do with it. |
| B．He felt lucky to get it. |
| C．He thought of keeping it for himself. |
| D．He wanted to return it to the right person. |
The underlined phrase beside myself(inParagraph1) probably means___________.
| A．very fortunate | B．very angry |
| C．really thankful | D．at ease |
How was the problem solved in the end?
| A．The author and Daniel solved the problem themselves. |
| B．It cost Daniel a lovely bottle of wine to get back his money. |
| C．The author gave the money back to the company. |
| D．The call operator offered to solve their problem. |
From the passage we can infer that___________.
| A．the bank could solve the problem soon and easily with the red tape |
| B．some large organizations usually have troublesome official rules |
| C．Daniel didn’t know the error before he contacted the author |
| D．the company gave the wrong account to the bank |
In the summer of 1980 a Spanish tourist, Gaspar Carner, went to Great Britain on holiday. When he was travelling in Scotland, he decided to visit Loch Ness, the famous lake where people say there is a monster. But while he was going across the lake in a boat, his bag fell into the water. In the bag were his passport, car keys, pen, and all his money. Loch Ness is 150 metres deep, so he didn't expect to see the bag again!
Fourteen years later, in 1994, some scientists decided to explore the lake. They looked for the Loch Ness monster. Suddenly one of them saw something black in the water. They carefully went nearer. They thought the black thing was the monster. They went nearer and nearer. It was a bag. They took the bag out of the lake. They found that the photo on the passport was still clear. One of the scientists happened to be familiar with Gaspar Carner. So the bag was returned to him.The reason why the lake is famous is that __________.
| A．it's very deep | B．there may be a monster |
| C．there's a bag in it | D．it's in Scotland |
What's in Carner's bag?
| A．A monster. | B．Many useful things. |
| C．Something black. | D．Some photos. |
How did the explorers know the bag was Carner's?
| A．Carner recognized the bag |
| B．They expected it was the monster |
| C．Carner was very famous |
| D．One of the explorers knew Carner |
Come on! All of us are cutting math. Who wants to take that quiz? We’re going to take a walk and get lunch instead. Let’s go!” says the coolest kid in your class. Do you do what you know is right and go to math class, take the quiz? Or do you give in and go with them?
People who are at your age, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence you how to act, to get you to do something, it’s called peer pressure. It’s something everyone has to deal with—even adults.
Peers influence your life, even if you don’t realize it, just by spending time with you. You learn from them, and they learn from you. It’s only human nature to listen to and learn from other people in your age group.
Peers can have a positive influence on each other. Maybe another student in your science class taught you an easy way to remember the planets in the solar system. Or you got others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone is reading it. Sometimes peers influence each other in negative ways. For example, a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them.
It’s difficult to say “no” to peer pressure, but you can do it. Paying attention to your own feelings and beliefs about what is right and wrong can help you know the right thing to do.
It can really help to have at least one other peer, or friend, who is willing to say “no” too. If you continue to face peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to handle, talk to someone you trust, a parent, or a teacher. They can help you feel much better and prepare you for the next time you face peer pressure.With his words in the first paragraph, the kid is ________.
| A．planning some interesting activities after school |
| B．talking about a dinner party |
| C．asking other kids to take a quiz with him |
| D．encouraging other kids to cut a class |
According to the author, _________.
| A．peer pressure does kids more harm than good |
| B．math is the most difficult subject for most kids |
| C．kids today are under greater pressure than before |
| D．peer pressure exists among people of all age groups |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Peer pressure. | B．Your time. |
| C．Your life. | D．Human nature. |
It’s suggested in the last paragraph that the readers _______.
| A．make more close friends while at school |
| B．learn to refuse their friends in a polite way |
| C．get support from someone else if it’s necessary |
| D．build closer relations with their parents and teachers |
What’s the best title for the text?
| A．Cutting a class | B．Peer pressure |
| C．Asking for help | D．Problems in school |