There are stories about two U.S. presidents, Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren, which attempt to explain the American English term OK. We don’t know if either story is true，but they are both interesting.
The first explanation is based on the fact that President Jackson had very little education. In fact，he had difficulty reading and writing. When important papers came to Jackson，he tried to read them and then had his assistants explain what they said. If he approved of a paper, he would write “all correct” on it. The problem was that he didn’t know how to spell. So what he really wrote was “ol korekt”. After a while，he shortened that term to “OK”.
The second explanation is based on the place where President Van Buren was born，Kinderhook，New York. Van Bnren’s friends organized a club to help him become President They caned the club the Old Kinderhook Club，and anyone who supported Van Buren was called “OK”.
1. The author____________.

A．believes both of the stories

B．doesn’t believe a word of the stories

C．is not sure whether the stories are true

D．is telling the stories just for fun

2. According to the passage, President Jackson__________.

A．couldn’t draw up any documents at all

B．didn’t like to read important papers by himself

C．often had his assistants sign documents for him

D．wasn’t good at reading，writing or spelling

3. According to the first story, the term “OK”____________.

A．was approved of by President Jackson

B．was the title of some Official documents

C．was first used by President Jackson

D．was an old way to spell “all correct”

4. According to the second story, the term “OK” was first used __________.

A．by Van Buren

B．in a presidential election

C．to organize the Old Kinderhook Club

D．by the members of the ‘‘Old Kinderhook Club”

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations 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. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans are that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

5. The writer of this passage must be __________.

A．an American	B．a Chinese
C．a professor	D．a student

6. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

7. The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ____________ .

A．strict with time	B．serious with time
C．careful with time	D．willing to spend time

8. Which of the following is most probably the suitable title for this passage ?

A．Friendship between Chinese	B．Friendship between Americans
C．Americans’ hospitality	D．Friendship between Chinese and Americans

BUS SERVICE

New York City — Brennan, New Jersey

(Trip time: 30 minutes each way )

Timetable

●Buses leave the Railway Station, New York 7:00 a.m. and every half-hour thereafter(此后) until 11:30 p.m. (7 days a week).

●Buses leave Brennan Station 20 minutes before and after every hour from 6:20 a.m. to 10:40 p.m. (7 days a week ).

●Evening rush hours(5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) buses leave the Railway Station, New York every 15 minutes (Monday — Friday).

●Holidays: buses leave every hour on the hour time, each direction.

All tickets must be bought at Window 12, the Railway Station, New York, or at the Brennan Station Window before boarding buses.

9. What time does a bus leave New York for Brennan every Thursday?

A．10:20 a.m.	B．6:30 a.m.
C．6:45 p.m.	D．4:40 p.m.

10. Which is the latest bus you should take from Brennan if you have to arrive at the Railway Station, New York before 4:00 p. m. on Monday?

A．The 3:20 p. m bus	B．the 3:00 p. m bus
C．The 3:30 p. m bus	D．The 3:40 p. m bus

11. What time does a bus leave Brennan for New York on Christmas Day?

A．1:00 p. m	B．9:40 a. m
C．3:15 p. m	D．8:30 a. m

The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
“I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can’t even understand a bit of music.”
“I’m never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us.”
But, one younger musician said, “There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I’m trying to find other places to play. I’m also looking to book a few summer festivals this year.”
I’ve heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.
Attitudes are important. Whether they’re positive or negative,they’re rubbing off on you . If you’re around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame others, and you play the role of victim, chances are you will start to as well. So it’s time to take a look at the people you call “friends”.
This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don’t become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you’re looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path.
12. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．A friend in need is a friend indeed

B．How to make friendship last for ever

C．You are who your friends are

D．Friends are the most important in one’s success

13. The underlined sentence “they’re rubbing off on you” in Paragraph 6 means ______.

A．they’ll push you ahead

B．they’ll influence you

C．they’ll cover your shortcomings

D．they’ll help you achieve your goal

14. The musicians’ words at the beginning are written mainly to show ______.

A．the musicians’ living conditions are quite poor

B．people have poor taste in music

C．people have different attitudes towards the same thing

D．young people have greater chances of succeeding

15. The passage is mainly written for ______.

A．musicians	B．managers
C．negative people	D．people wanting to succeed