Every year on my birthday since I was 11，a white gardenia （栀子花） was sent to my house．No card ever came with it．Calls to the flower shop were not helpful at all．After some time I stopped trying to find out the sender's name and was just pleased with the beautiful flower，in soft pink paper．
I couldn't stop imagining who the giver might be．Some of my happiest moments were spent daydreaming（幻想）about the sender．My mother encouraged these daydreams．She'd ask me if I had been especially kind to someone．Perhaps it was one of my classmates．Perhaps it was the old man who I once helped．As a girl，I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy that I had met．
A month before my high school graduation（毕业），my father died．I was so sad that I became completely uninterested in my coming graduation dance，and I didn't care whether I had a new dress or not．My mother，in her own sadness，would not let me miss （过） any of those things．She wanted her children to feel loved．In fact，my mother wanted her children to see themselves much like the gardenia：lovely，strong and perfect．
My mother died ten years after I was married．That was the year the gardenia stopped coming．
（1）The writer received on her birthday since she was 11．
A．a white gardenia
B．a card
C．a card and soft pink paper
D．a gardenia and a card
（2）The writer was very when she was imagining who sent the flower．
A．happy
B．sad
C．worried
D．nervous
（3）It can be inferred （推断） from the passage that ．
A．the writer didn't get a new dress for the dance
B．the writer probably joined in the graduation dance
C．the writer's father died ten years earlier than her mother
D．the writer's father received a gardenia on each of his birthdays
（4）The writer got the gardenias from on her birthdays．
A．her classmate
B．the old man
C．the boy
D．her mother
（5）The passage mainly talks about ．
A．what a gardenia meant
B．what a girl dreamed about
C．how a mother loved her children
D．how a daughter missed her father．
It can be hard to meet people from another culture. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal (信号). Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize（强调）the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural（多元文化）environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
| A．keep each other company |
| B．share the same culture |
| C．get to know each other |
| D．develop closer relations |
| A．too many words are of no use |
| B．the English prefer to make long speeches |
| C．even talk and silence can be culturally different |
| D．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature |
| A．Multicultural Environment |
| B．Cross-Cultural Differences |
| C．How to Understand Each Other |
| D．How to Build Up a Relationship |
It was a cold winter afternoon before Christmas. My parents and I sat on the bench in Washington, D.C.’Union Station, waiting for the train. Inside the waiting hall were many people.
A boy sat nearby. His worn jacket, pale face, dirty hands all seemed to tell me that he was homeless.
“He must be cold and hungry. Maybe I should help him,” I said to myself.
Just at that moment, a well-dressed young couple walked towards him.
“Excuse me,” the man bent down. “My wife and I bought two meal boxes but one was enough for us. We hate to waste good food. Can you help us out and put this to use?” he handed the boy a meal box.
The boy thanked them and opened the box with joy and care. Suddenly he stopped. In the direction to which he looked, I saw an old man in rags-in a worn sweater, worn trousers and open shoes, entering the hall.
Putting the meal box aside, the boy stood and helped the old to his seat. He took off his jacket and covered it on the old man’s shoulders, saying, “A gentleman brought me this warm meal but I just finished eating. I hate to waste good food. Can you help me out?” He placed the still-warm meal box in the old man’s hands without waiting for an answer.
“Sure, son, but if only you share that sandwich with me. It’s too much for a man at my age. ”
We were all touched. Dad went away and soon returned with cups of hot chocolate and a big pizza. Mum and dad went up to those rags, “Excuse me…”
I rushed into a KFC and took out my pocket money. It was so cold that afternoon but I felt much warmer than I had ever thought possible.
| A．The young woman. | B．The old man. |
| C．The young man. | D．Mum and Dad. |
| A．He was not hungry. |
| B．He wanted to help the old man. |
| C．He didn’t like the food. |
| D．He saw a sandwich in the meal box. |
A. He bought some food for the homeless.
B. He told his story to the people in the KFC.
C. He gave his pocket money to the homeless.
D. He asked the other passengers to help the homeless.
Do you like visiting parks? The following three might be the ones that you are interested in.
Hyde Park, the biggest royal park of the UK, lies in the center of London, next to Green Park. It was built to be a royal park in 1536. About one hundred years later, the park was open to the public. Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park is famous all over the world. Anyone can make a speech there on Sunday afternoon.
Central Park is a man-made park in the center of Manhattan, New York. It took about 15 years to build the park and in 1873 it was open to the public. With 21 playgrounds and 2 zoos, Central Park is a wonderful place for children to have fun.
Banff National Park, the largest park in Alberta, Canada, was open in 1885. The park is as large as 6, 641 km2. Whether by car, boat, bike or on foot, you can enjoy the beautiful mountains and lakes, as well as the plants and wild animals. There’re 3 famous ski areas in the park, which attracts millions of people to come every winter.
| A．London | B．Banff | C．New York | D．Alberta |
| A．2 | B．3 | C．15 | D．21 |
| A．Green Park | B．Hyde Park |
| C．Banff National Park | D．Central Park |
阅读短文，根据其内容回答问题。
The British are known for their sense of humour. However, it is often difficult for foreigners to understand their jokes. The main point to remember is that the British often use understatement.
Understatement means saying less than you think or feel. For example, if someone gets very wet in a shower of rain, he might say, ‘It’s a little damp (潮湿的) outside.’ Or, if someone is very impolite and shouts at another person, someone else might say, ‘She isn’t exactly friendly.’ Understatement is often used in unpleasant situation or to make another person look silly. Understatement plays an important part in British humour.
Another key to understanding British humour is that the British like to make fun of themselves as well as others. They often laugh about the silly and unpleasant things that happen to our everyday life when someone accidently falls over in the street. They also like to make jokes about people from different classes of society. They like to make jokes about their accents, the way they dress and the way they behave. What’s more, the British love to watch comedies (喜剧) about people who do not know how to behave in society. The comedies series Mr Bean is a good example of this kind of humor.
Mr Bean is the character created by British actor Rowan Atkinson in 1990. Mr Bean doesn’t talk often, and instead he uses his body movement and facial expressions to make people laugh. Perhaps what makes Mr Bean so funny is that he does things that adults in the real world cannot do. Mr Bean is popular in many countries round the world because you do not have to speak English to understand the humour. Because of this, many people have become familiar with the British sense of humour.Is it difficult for foreigners to understand British jokes?
What does ‘understatement’ mean?
What do the British love to watch comedies about?
How does Mr Bean make people laugh?
What are the key points for people to understand British humour?
Thousands of teenagers will be able to move to a new wave of “studio schools” at the age of 14 to improve their chances of finding a job in UK. Twelve new-style schools are open to act as a bridge to the workplace and cut the number of NEETs.
Under plans, schools will operate longer days and work outside standard school terms.
Each teenager will be expected to spend between four hours and two days a week on work placements with business related to the school and a personal coach will be sent to the teenagers to act as a school “line manager”.
The reforms (改革) are put forward because of the fears that too many teenagers are finishing full-time education at present but they are short of the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. According to a recent report, more than two thirds of employers (雇主) believe school and college leavers have less important employability skills, while 55% say they are unable to manage their time or daily routine. And the number of NEETs who are not in education has hit a record high, with almost one-in-five young people being left without a job or a training place.
The Department for Education will tell the public the building of 12 studio schools – providing for around 3,600 teenagers – in areas such as Liverpool, Stevenage, Stock-on-Trent and Fulham, west London. Each one will be connected to the local employers. Under plans, teenagers will be able to move out of ordinary schools to attend them between the ages of 14 and 19.
The government said all subjects would be taught “through projects, often prepared with employers” – with rules such as science being connected directly to local engineering companies or hospitals. Schools will operate a longer day to give teenagers a better understanding of the needs of the workplace. Along with their studies, students will carry out work placements for four hours a week, rising to two days a week of paid work for those aged 16 to 19. They will also get the chance to take professional qualifications (专业资历) connected directly to the needs of local employers.According to the passage, NEETs refer to those who ______.
| A．often miss classes from studio school |
| B．prefer studio schools to ordinary schools |
| C．refuse to take any part-time job after school |
| D．are not in education, employment or training |
Compared to ordinary schools, studio schools will offer the young more ______.
| A．skills to finish full-time education |
| B．personal coaches to help with the work |
| C．chances to get future jobs with job training |
| D．jobs to make money without going outside |
What makes the government decide to build studio schools?
| A．The worry about educated teenagers short of working skills. |
| B．The doubt about whether full-time education is perfect. |
| C．The decision to solve the problems of unemployment. |
| D．The increasing number of teens who drop out early. |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Studio schools are popular in UK at present. |
| B．More NEETs will find jobs from Studio schools. |
| C．Teenagers will get jobs without full-time education. |
| D．Studio schools are built to improve teens’ employability skills. |