Passage 1People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other two times or more. In Germany, it would be unusual to hear more than one “thank you”each in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposed to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.Another thing I noticed was that English people seldom criticize others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers explained several times that none of their words were meant as criticism. I feel that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also showed in other ways: British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women for a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men!Talking about differences between the English and the Scottish, I have found that Scottish people are a lot more like Germans as to politeness. They are more direct, and Scottish men especially are known for being very bad-tempered sometimes. Scottish dialect even has a special word for this: crabbit. Those crabbit Scottish men can be a little bit intense, but at least no one can blame them for pretending to be polite when they don‟t feel like it.This brings me back to English people, and the other side of their politeness coin. One word that easily springs to mind here is “artificial”. As enjoyable as it is to interact with friendly people, it has often made me wonder what the English really think. In fact, this confused me throughout my stay in their country. As everyone seemed to like me, I found it hard to understand who was really my friend and who was just being polite. I also wonder whether this whole politeness thing is actually connected to the great English love for getting drunk: this might give them a good excuse for being rude once in a while!Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.1. What can we learn from the passage?A. The Scottish like the Germans more than the English.B. The Scottish belong to the German.C. The Scottish are reserved （含蓄的）.D. The Scottish may seem a little more intense than the English.2. Which of the following statements is true according to Paragraph One?A. In Germany, customer and shop assistant usually thank each other more than once.B. British students give no thanks to the teachers when leaving the classroom.C. German employers would not thank their employees for doing their jobs.D. None of the above.3. In what way are the Scottish men like the German men?A. They like to criticize others in work.B. They like drinking.C. They are not so polite as the English.D. They treat women badly.4. Which of the following things confused the author?A. He couldn‟t tell the English from the Scottish.B. He couldn‟t accept the employer‟s criticism.C. He didn‟t know who were his real English friends.D. He didn‟t know if he should get drunk.5. Which of the following adjectives can best describe the author‟s attitude towards the English manners?A. Critical.B. Approving.C. Uninterested.D. Objective.Passage 2He amazed the world by speed and he was awarded the Sportsman of the Year in 2009 and may be awarded again in 2010 by the Laureus World Sports Awards, the “Sports Oscar”. No doubt he is Usain Bolt.At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Usain Bolt set a new record of 9.69 seconds at Bird‟s Nest in the 100 metres and won the 200 meters at a world record time, and broke the world record in the men‟s 400-meter relay. In 2009 he made history again in Berlin World Championships by breaking his own 200 meters world record in time of 19.19 seconds and 100 meters in time of 9.58 seconds. He is regarded as the fastest man on the planet and is called “Lightning Bolt”.Usain Bolt was born on August 21, 1986 in Jamaica. As a child he enjoyed excellent gifts in sports. But he wasn‟t trained for running at first.Upon his entry to William Knibb Memorial High School, his cricket coach found Bolt very good at running and encouraged him to be a runner. His school had a successful history of training young sportsmen. With the help of his coaches, Bolt made rapid progress in his running abilities.In his first Caribbean national event, Bolt ended the 200 meters in the first place in 21.81 seconds. At the age of 15 Bolt won both the 200 and 400 meters events in the High School Championships, CARIFTA Games and Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships. In 2002, Bolt got two gold medals and one silver in the World Junior Championships in Kingston, his hometown and became very famous. Then he signed a deal with Puma, and the company helped his dream in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. And just at the Beijing Olympics Bolt amazed the whole the world with a miracle and broke the world record the first time.What makes him so successful? Of course, Bolt was born with great gifts and his height gives him long steps. But he says there‟s more to it. “It has been hard work. Year after year, after year, after year of work. So that‟s what got me so good,” he said.Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.1. Why is Bolt called “Lightning Bolt”?A. Because he won the award twice.B. Because he was a good sprinter（短跑运动员）.C. Because he is the fastest runner in short distance till now.D. Because he got a lot of medals.2. How many times had Bolt broken the world records by the end of 2009 according to the text?A. Twice.B. Three times.C. Four times.D. Five times.3. Who helped Bolt begin his career as a sprinter?A. His primary school teacher.B. His junior middle school teacher.C. His classmate.D. His cricket coach.4. When and where did Bolt become famous for the first time according to the text?A. In 2000, Sydney.B. In 2002, Kingston.C. In 2008, Beijing.D. In 2009, Berlin.5. What made Bolt so successful?A. His talents.B. His hardworking.C. Great opportunities.D. All above but C.Passage 3People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. Who decides what you buy in the supermarkets? Do you decide? Does the supermarket decide?When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles（过道）between the shelves. You push a shopping cart and put your food in it. You probably hear slow music as you walk along the aisles; if you hear fast music, you walk quickly. The super-market plays slow music. You walk slowly and have more time to buy things.Maybe you go to the meat department first. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk by all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.The dairy department sells milk and milk products such as butter and cheese. Many customers like milk that has only a little butterfat in it. One store has three different containers of low fat milk. One says “1% F at” on the container. The second says“99% Fat F ree”. The third says “Low Fat” in big letters and “1%” in small letters. As you can see, all the milk has the same amount of fat. The milk is all the same. The amount of milk in each container is also the same. However in this store the three containers of milk don‟t cost the same. Maybe the customer will buy the milk that costs the most.Choose the best answer for each of the following statements.1. This passage mainly discusses .A. why people in cities shop in supermarketsB. what influences people‟s shopping in supermarketsC. what people usually buy in supermarketsD. how music is related to people s shopping in supermarkets2. The supermarket plays slow music so that .A. it may attract more customersB. it may seem more like a homeC. customers will feel more comfortableD. customers will possibly buy more3. The manager knows .A. what kind of customers like low fat milkB. what kind of customers like slow musicC. where customers enter the meat departmentD. where customers enter the dairy department4. The cheaper meat is put at the end of the meat department because .A. the supermarket wants to sell more of the expensive meatB. customers can be easily reminded before they leaveC. the supermarket intends to sell it at its original priceD. customers can easily make a comparison5. The author implies that customers tend to believe that .A. the more expensive the milk, the better its qualityB. the bigger the container, the better the milk in itC. the less fat the milk contains, the cheaper it costsD. the more words there are on the container, the less fat the milk in it containsPassage 4Many visitors finds the fast pace at which American people move very troubling. One's first impression is likely to be that everyone is in a rush .City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going and are very impatient if they are delayed even for a brief moment.At first, this may seem unfriendly to you. But drivers will rush you; storekeepers will be in a hurry as they serve you; people will push past you as they walk along the street. You will miss smiles, brief conversations with people as you shop or dine away from home. Do not think that because Americans are in such a hurry they are unfriendly. Often, life is much slower outside the big cities, as is true in other countries as well.Americans who live in cities such as New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, often think that everyone is equally in a hurry to get things done; they expect others to “push back”, just a s city people do in Tokyo, Singapore or Paris, for example. But when they discover that you are a stranger, most Americans become quite kindly and will take great care to help you. Many of them first came to the city as strangers and they remember how frightening a new city can be. If you need help or want to ask a question, choose a friendly looking person and say, “I am a stranger here. Can you help me?”Most people will stop, smile at you, and help you find you way or answer your questions. But you must let them know that you need help. Otherwise they are likely to pass you by, not noticing that you are new to the city and in need of help. Occasionally, you may find someone too busy or perhaps too rushed to give you aid. If this happens, do not be discouraged; just ask someone else. Most Americans enjoy helping a stranger.Choose the best answer for each of the following statements.1. Many people who first visit the United States will find that _______.A. America is a highly developed countryB. American city people seem to be always in a rushC. the fast pace in American life often causes much troubleD. Americans are impatient and unfriendly people2.When the author says “You will miss smile”, he means ___________.A. you will fail to notice that Americans are pleasant and happyB. you will be puzzled why Americans do not smile at youC. you will feel that Americans do not seem very friendlyD. you will find that Americans don't have much sense of humor3. In the author's opinion, ___________.A. it is true that life in New York is much faster than that in any other cityB. people living outside big cities are lazy and miserableC. most American people enjoy living in the suburbs of big citiesD. those who are busy are not necessarily unfriendly4. The author mentions big cities such as Tokyo, Singapore and Paris ___________.A. to show that city people all over the world have a lot in commonB. to let his readers be aware that they are some of the world's biggest citiesC. to illustrate their difference from American citiesD. because they are some of the cities that attract visitors most5. If you say to an American that you are a stranger there, most probably he will _________.A. stop smiling at youB. offer his helpC. help you find the wayD. reply that he is pleased to meet youPassage 5When children learn a language, they learn the grammar as well as the words or vocabulary. No one teaches them; children just “pick them up”.Before babies begin to produce words, they produce sounds. Some of these sounds will remain if they occur in the language being acquired, and others will disappear. This is called the “babbling（牙牙学语）stage”. A child do es not learn the language “all at once”. The child first utterances（言语）are one-word sentences. After a few months，the two-word stage arises. During this stage, the child puts two words together. These two-word sentences have definite patterns and express grammatical and meaningful relationships. Still later, in the telegraphic stage, the child will produce longer sentences. These longer sentences are mainly made up of content words. The child s early grammar lacks many of the rules of the adult grammar, but eventually it will become mature.All normal children everywhere learn language. This ability is not dependent on race（种族）, social class, geography, or even intelligence. This ability is uniquely human.Choose the best answer for each of the following statements.1. This passage is mainly about _________.A. the difference between a child s language and an adult sB. ways of teaching babies to talkC. children‟s learning of the mother languageD. the importance of learning foreign languages2. The phrase “pick them up”（Line 2，Paragraph1）means “_________ ”.A. raise them from the groundB. learn them without much effortC. use hands to help carry themD. study very hard and remember them3.During the “babbling stage”, babies _________.A. can only produce soundsB. learn to walk steadilyC. can understand people‟s talkD. begin to produce two-word sentences4. The two-word sentences produced by babies _________.A. are simpler than those produced in the “babbling stage”B. are more difficult than those produced in the telegraphic stageC. are strictly grammaticalD. are meaningful and have function5. Any child can learn language as long as he is _________.A. well-educatedB. clever enoughC. uniqueD. physically normalPassage 6Every body gets sick. Disease and injury make us suffer throughout our lives until, finally, some attack on the body brings our existence to an end. Fortunately, most of us in modern industrialized societies can take relatively good health for granted most of the time. In fact, we tend to fully realize the importance of good health only when we or those close to us become seriously ill. At such times we keenly appreciate the ancient truth that health is our most precious asset, one for which we might readily give up such rewards as power, wealth, or fame（荣誉）.Because ill health is universal problem, affecting both the individual and society, the human response to sickness is always socially organized. No society leaves the responsibility for maintaining health and treating ill health entirely to the individual. Each society develops its own concepts of health and sickness and authorizes certain people to decide who is sick and how the sick should be treated. Around this focus there arises, over time, a number of standards, values, groups, statuses, and roles: in other words, an institution（体系；机构）. To the sociologist（社会学家）, then, medicine is the institution concerned with the maintenance of health and treatment of disease.In the simplest pre-industrial societies, medicine is usually an aspect of religion. The social arrangements for dealing with sickness are very elementary, often involving only two roles: the sick and the healer（治疗者）. The latter is typically also the priest（牧师）, who relies primarily on religious ceremonies, both to identify and to treat disease: for example, bones may be thrown toestablish a cause, songs may be used to bring about a cure. In modern industrialized societies, on the other hand, the institution has become highly complicated and specialized, including dozens of roles such as those of brain surgeon, druggist, hospital administrator, linked with various organizations such as nursing homes, insurance companies, and medical schools. Medicine, in fact, has become the subject of intense sociological interest precisely because it is now one of the most pervasive and costly institutions of modern society.Choose the best answer for each of the following statements or questions.1. Which of the following statements is true according to Paragraph 1?A. Nowadays most people believe they can have fairly good health.B. Human life involves a great deal of pain and suffering.C. Most of us are aware of the full value of health.D. Ancient people believed that health was more expensive than anything else.2. The word “authorize” in Paragraph 2 means “_____________”.A. make way forB. give power toC. write an order forD. make it possible for3. In Paragraph 2, we learn that the sociologist regards medicine as ____________.A. a system whose purpose is to treat disease and keep people healthyB. a universal problem that affects every societyC. a social responsibility to treat ill healthD. a science that focuses on the treatment of disease4. According to Paragraph 3, which of the following is NOT true?A. In the past, bones might be used to decide why people fell ill.B. In pre-industrial societies priests sometimes treated patients by singing.C. Modern medicine is so complicated that sociology no longer has a place in it.D. There were only two roles in an elementary medical system, the patient and the one who triedto cure him.5. The author of this passage is mainly concerned with _______________.A. sociological aspects in medicineB. medical treatment of diseasesC. the development of medical scienceD. the role of religion in medicinePassage 7Violence is shown everywhere. It is hard to turn on your media source and not find violence displayed, no matter it‟s television, internet, print media, or even radio.TV has become one of the most popular types of entertainment over the years and it undoubtedly has been portraying violence not only on shows but also on news. Shows display scenes of bloody shootings. The news adds to the problem by reporting scenes of fightings and bombings. And in the shelves of game shops, there are many games out there where the hero is in a battle and the goal of the game is to beat your opponent with all kinds of weapons includingbombs, guns, and knives.Movies are no different than video games and TV. Every producer is including violence into their stories because they know that violence sells. Most movies in the last couple of months and even years have revolved around war such as Pearl Harbor, Enemy at the Gates, Saving Private Ryan, and Black Hawk Down.It isn‟t surprising that youths are becoming more aggressive these days since the idea of violence is getting hammered into their heads everyday through the different types of media in our society. Finding solutions as to how media violence can be controlled is no easy job. However, throughout the years, a few methods have been presented by experts concerned with this issue.In some countries, media ratings systems have been established by industry groups to identify violent content that may not be suitable for young children. These ratings systems act as guides for parents to make informed decisions about their children‟s entertainment selections. Examples of these industry ratings systems include Motion Picture Association of America movie ratings, the TV Parental Guidelines that rate American television shows and the British Board of Film Classification.Media literacy groups and the entertainment industry argue that censoring artistic images or music will not solve the problems of an already violent society. So rather than censorship, they urge parents and teachers to talk to their children about the consequences of violence and to use technology and warnings such as the V-chip, TV show ratings, and parental warning stickers to prevent children from accessing violent material at all.Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.Choose the best answer for each of the following questions or statements.1. People can find violence ________.A. in newspapersB. on TVC. in internetD. All of the above2. By citing Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor and so on, the author intends to illustrate ________.A. that violence is everywhere.B. that most movies revolve around war.C. that movies are much better than TV or video games.D. that people love violent movies.3. Producers add violence to movies because ________.A. it can bring a lot of profit.B. people are becoming aggressive.C. TV producers do so.D. it is a violent society.4. Which of the following is NOT the aim of media ratings system?A. To act as guide for parents.B. To identify the violent content that may not be suitable for kids.C. To prevent the producing of content that is not suitable for kids.D. To help parents make informed decisions about children‟s entertainment.5. According to the text, what do the media literacy groups suggest?A. Parents make all the decision about their children‟s entertainment choices.B. The entertainment industry no longer produces violent programs.C. Parents adopt censorship to censor the artistic images or music.D. Parents talk directly to their children about the consequences of violence.Passage 8Mother‟s Day is certainly a very special day for the community. The SOS mothers are regarded as great examples of maternal care. They are admired and respected for their committed work and patience in the care of so many children, normally six to ten kids in a family.For the kids of the village, the celebration has turned out to be twice as important. For them, it is not a common mother‟s day. Many have lost their biological mothers, others have no contact with them, and a few cannot live with them because their mothers and family are in trouble. In this context, the SOS mother is everything to them, and, of course, she receives all their attention and love during this celebration.At school, the kids prepare special cards for their mothers. Most of the time, they make them with their own hands, while other children, the more imaginative, add on a little flower, often taken from the garden of a neighbor. At the end of the day, though, no child forgets to give a present to his mother. They all love them and feel proud of having someone like her when Mother‟s Day arrives. At school, they shout out “Mummy” in front of their school mates, kind of trying to underline that they also have a mother.Right on Mother‟s Day, which is commemorated the second week of May in Ecuador, I came across Zoila, an experienced SOS mother. And as I took the chance to ask her what it feels like to be an SOS mother, she answered, “I am proud of being a mother, and I feel happy to have the chance to care for innocent, ingenious and mischievous creature s—my sons and daughters. They are so young that they give me their love with total sincerity. They don‟t seem to expect anything from me but just an …I care for you and I love you‟. I don‟t have childr en myself, but these kids really make me feel like a mothe r—more human, fuller of life. This work is hard, but the recompense of my children is absolutely great.”So, Happy Mother‟s Day to every woman in the world!Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.Choose the best answer for each of the following questions.1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true about SOS mothers?A. They are dedicated and patient to their children.B. They are admired for their maternal care for their children.C. They normally have six to ten biological kids in a family.D. Mother‟s Day is very special for them.2. Why is SOS mother important to these SOS children?A. Because SOS mother takes care of them while their biological mothers can not.B. Because their biological mothers abandoned them.C. Because they hate their real family.D. Because they love to celebrate Mother‟s Day.3. How do the children usually celebrate Mother‟s Day?A. By holding a party for their mothers in the garden of a neighbor.B. By sending a little flower to their mothers.C. By telling others that they have a mother.D. By preparing special cards for their mothers.4. Why do the children shout out “Mummy” in front of their school mates at school?A. Because it is a way of celebrating the Mother‟s Day.B. Because they are happy and proud to have a SOS mother.C. Because they miss their biological mothers.D. Because they want to tell others directly that they are not orphans.5. How does Zoila think of being a SOS mother?A. She thinks that the children are too young to be taken care of.B. She is proud of being a SOS mother.C. She thinks that it is a hard job and it is not worthwhile.D. She thinks that the children are expecting too much.Passage 9Sleep is generally divided into five stages. In the first two stages, a person sinks into a light sleep. His muscles relax, breathing and pulse rate slow down. In the third and fourth stages of deep sleep, a sleeper can only be awakened by a loud and unusual noise; the heart beats slowly and blood pressure drops. It is in the fifth stage that the body regenerates (恢复体力) and a person dreams. Dreams are an important part of healthy sleep. They help the brain adapt and respond to life experience. The brain is almost as active at this time as when a person is awake.The secrets of a good night‟s sleep are a good mattress (床垫) and reasonable eating habits.A heavy meal and too much wine will destroy a good night‟s sleep. When buying a mattress, you should test it to make sure that when lying on it you are comfortable and your body sinks into a side position easily. The mattress should be of the right size—20 to 30 centimeters longer than the sleeper‟s stretched—out body and at least 95 centimeters wide.A comfortable bed and a slightly darkened bedroom are important to a good sleep, too. It is true that a good night‟s sleep must be long, deep and with do disturbance, so that both the brain and the body will regenerate during sleep. Therefore, the bed should be placed at least 60 centimeters away from a window. Furthermore, if you feel hungry before bedtime, have a little milk.Choose the best answer for each of the following statements.1. According to the passage, deep sleep occurs in _________.A. the first and second stagesB. the second and third stagesC. the third and fourth stagesD. the fourth and fifth stages2. In the fifth stage of sleep, the brain becomes active and _______.A. muscles relaxB. pulse rate slows downC. the heart beats slowlyD. the body becomes fresh again3. To have a good sleep, a mattress should be at least ________.A. 30 centimeters longB. 50 centimeters longC. 60 centimeters wideD. 95 centimeters wide4. According to the passage, all the following factors are important to a good night‟s sleep EXCEPT ________.A. a light mealB. a very darkened roomC. a comfortable bedD. a right-sized mattress5. The passage is mainly about _______.A. the importance of the bedroomB. the importance of a good mattressC. the secrets for a good night‟s sleepD. the time required for a good sleepPassage10In the United States, it is important to be on time, or punctual, for an appointment, a class, a meeting, etc. However, this may not be true in all countries. An American professor discovered this difference while teaching a class in a Brazilian (巴西的) university. The two-hour class was scheduled to begin at 10 A.M. and end at 12.On the first day, when the professor arrived on time, no one was in the classroom. Many students came after 10 A.M.S several arrived after 10:30 A.M. Two students came after 11A.M. Although all the students greeted the professor as they arrived, few apologized for their lateness. Were these students being rude? He decided to study the students‟ behavior.The professor talked to American and Brazilian students about lateness in both an informal and a formal situation: at a lunch with a friend and in a university calls, respectively. He gave them an example and asked them how they would react. If they had a lunch appointment with a friend, the average American student defined lateness as 19 minutes after the agreed time. On the other hand, the average Brazilian student felt the friend was late after 33 minutes.In an American university, students are expected to arrive at the appointed hour. In contrast, in Brazil, neither the teacher nor the students always arrive at the appointed hour. Classes not only begin at the scheduled time in the United States, but also end at the scheduled time. In the Brazilian class, only a few students left the class at 12:00; many remained past 12:30 to discuss the class and ask more questions. While arriving late may not be very important in Brazil, neither is staying late.Choose the best answer for each of the following statements or questions.1. The word “punctual” most probably means ___.A. leaving soon after classB. coming earlyC. arriving a few minutes lateD. being on time2. Why did the professor study the Brazilian students‟ behavior?。
