Different countries have different greeting customs. Read this article to know more about the greeting customs in different cultures, and make sure you greet people in the right way next time you visit one of these countries.

France

French people greet each other with a handshake, but close friends kiss each other on both cheeks when they meet. They do this gesture when meeting and before leaving.

Korea

In Korea, it is a sign of respect(尊敬) for people to bow when greeting each other. In Korea, a bow is followed by a handshake. However, Korean women do not shake hands with western men, instead, they bow slightly.

Brazil

Kissing women on the cheek is a common way of greeting. In a formal situation, a handshake is often done to show respect. Men should shake hands before and after meeting, and once they have become familiar(熟悉的) with each other, a light hug is often given to each other.

Ghana

In a social situation, it’s polite to greet everyone in the room. A handshake is used in greeting, and one palm (手掌) must directly touch the other palm. It’s considered disrespectful to touch the back of the hand.

1. Two close French friends will kiss each other on the        when they meet.

A．hand

B．cheek

C．neck

D．arm

2. In Brazil, it is very common to for two men know each other well.

A．Touch the palm

B．kiss on the cheek

C．bow on each other

D．give a light hug

3. Which is probably the BEST title for the passage?

A．Greeting Customs in Different Cultures

B．How to Behave Politely

C．All Bad Ways to Greet People

D．Friends Should Greet Each Other

The Olympic flame

The Olympic Flame is a symbol carried over from the ancient Olympics, where a flame burned at the altar（祭坛）of Zeus throughout competition. It was finally reintroduced at the 1924 Amsterdam Games, and again burned in 1932.

Carl Diem, chairman of the organizing committee for the 1936 Berlin Games, proposed that the flame be lit in Greece and transported to Berlin via a torch relay. The idea was adopted(采纳) and continued at every Olympic Games since 1952. The flame is lit at the ancient site of Olympia by the natural rays of the sun reflected off a curved mirror. It is lit at a ceremony by women dressed in robes resembling those worn in ancient times, who then pass it to the first relay runner.

The Olympic motto

“Citius, altius, fortius” is a Latin phrase meaning “swifter, higher, stronger”, which Baron de Coubertin borrowed from Father Henri Martin Dideon of Paris. Dideon was headmaster of Arcueil College, and used the phrase to describe the athletic achievements of students at the school. He had previously been at the Albert Le Grand school, where the Latin words were carved in stone above the main entrance.

The Olympic oath

“In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.”

Written by Baron de Coubertin, the oath is taken by an athlete from the host nation while holding a corner of the Olympic flag. The athletes’ oath was first taken by Belgian fencer Victor Boin at the 1920 Antwerp Games. A judge from the host country also speaks the oath, with slightly different wording.

4. The Olympic flame was first burned at _______ in modern times.

A．the 1920 Games

B．the 1924 Games

C．the 1932 Games

D．the 1936 Games

5. The underlined word "proposed" can be replaced with       .

A．ordered

B．insisted

C．suggested

D．requested

6. From the passage we can learn ________.

A．the first torch relay was held at the 1936 Berlin Games

B．before 1936, no flames burned at the Olympic Games

C．Carl Diem proposed that flames should burn at the Olympic Games

D．The Olympic torch has burned since 1924

7. The Olympic motto was        .

A．written by Baron de Coubertin

B．from Greek

C．from the ancient Olympic

D．borrowed from Father Henri Dideon of Paris

“Folk singers are more like poets than singers,” Li Yahe, a music businessman, once told China Youth Daily.

That saying perfectly describes Zhang Lei, the 34-year-old champion of the fourth “Voice of China” singing competition, which ended on Oct 7.

Critics thought Zhang’s success as a victory for folk singers. The Voice of China used to attach great importance to singing skills and vocal techniques, which are not necessarily what folk singers are good at. “Folk songs are more about emotions and storytelling,” said Li.

Folk is one of the oldest musical styles. It dates back to ancient times, when people sang about their everyday lives and the society around them.

A powerful comeback

Folk music became popular again in the Western world in the 1960s. During social revolutions, many young Westerners turned to the simple rhythms of folk. Pioneers included US singer Bob Dylan, whose songs are reflections of some social issues like the Vietnam War. Singers at that time used traditional folk instruments like the banjo, the upright bass, the mandolin and the piano.

In the late 1970s, folk music was introduced to Taiwan. The rise of singers like Lo Tayu and Chyi Yu popularized folk music, particularly among young Chinese people.

At that time, folk tunes were based on simple song structures, with pleasant chord progression and pretty lyrics, just like during old times. But they focused more on the dreams and sorrow of youth than on politics.

This continued to be the case when the folk “wave” swept Chinese mainland in the 1990s.

Folk pioneers

Sadly, it didn’t last long in China. Folk gave way to pop in the late 1990s, when people started living more fast-paced lives. But that didn’t mean folk music had disappeared from the music world entirely.

“The drop in the popularity of folk songs is because the business mode of the music industry is outdated, not because of the music itself,” folk singer Song Ke once said.

He was right. Recent years have seen folk songs gaining popularity, with the appearance of singers like Li Jian and Song Dongye.

“The popularity of the Internet has shocked the traditional profit model in music industry,” Lu Zhongqiang, manager of 13-Month, a music recording and publishing company, told Tencent Entertainment. “Not-so-well-known music starts showing its strength when the production of mainstream music is declining,” he added.

8. Which would be the best title of the passage?

A．The History of Folk Music.

B．Folk Music Pioneers

C．The Folk Music Industry.

D．The Voice of China

9. The underlined world “it” in the last but four paragraph means________.

A．the popularity of folk music

B．the focus of folk music

C．the tradition of folk pioneers

D．the new model of pop music.

10. Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．The Voice of China is very popular among young Chinese people.

B．Folk music once was a way to voice opinions about social issues.

C．Folk songs are more about expressing emotions than storytelling.

D．Outdated music mode is what leads to the decline of folk songs.

11. Which word can best describe the attitude of Lu Zhongqiang towards folk music?

A．Objective

B．Confident.

C．Critical.

D．Worried

Health insurance(保险) can be very expensive. Some working people do not make enough money to pay for it. In the US there is a program called Healthy Families. This program offers people health insurance at a low cost.

Families are charged about $7.00 a month for every child, and $10.00 for every adult. It costs much less than any other kind of health insurance. Having health insurance is very important. With this insurance, people can see a doctor when they are sick or hurt.

The program is not expensive at all, but many people are still not enrolling in it. People say that it still costs too much money. They need all of their money to pay for things like food and rent（租金）.

It would be great if everyone could have health insurance. People are working hard to come up with ways to make this happen. One idea is to make the Healthy Families Program free for some people.

It is important for people to see a doctor when they need to. The Healthy Families Program makes it possible for more people to do this. Many ideas are being considered. Hopefully some of them will allow even more families to get health insurance.

The Healthy Families Program is made to help those who don’t have welfare (社会保障金) and cannot earn enough to pay for private health insurance. It is an important program, but officials say that too many people are signing up for it and then dropping out（退出） because of the Healthy Families Program’s cost.

12. The aim of the Healthy Families Program is to __________.

A．help people earn more and pay for the program

B．make it free for people to see a doctor

C．help more families get health insurance

D．help families pay for private health insurance

13. If a couple has two children, how much would health insurance cost every month in the family?

A．$34.	B．$40.
C．$28.	D．$24.

14. Why is it very important for people to have health insurance?

A．They can see a doctor free of charge.

B．They can get special medical care.

C．They can go to see a doctor as soon as possible.

D．They can afford to see a doctor when they need to.

15. In the passage we can learn all of the following EXCEPT that __________.

A．health insurance is very important for ordinary people

B．people should make more money to pay for private health insurance

C．the program is still too expensive for many people

D．many people don’t make enough money to pay for health insurance

What makes one person more intelligent than another？What makes one person a genius，like the brilliant Albert Einstein，and another person a fool？Are people born intelligent or stupid，or is intelligence the result of where and how you live？    16    

We know，however，that just being born with a good mind is not enough. In some ways，the mind is like a leg or an arm muscle.    17    Mental exercise is particularly important for young children. Many child psychologists think that parents should play with their children more often and give them problems to think about.    18    If，on the other hand，children are left alone a great deal with nothing to do，they are more likely to become dull and unintelligent.

    19     According to some psychologists，if parents are always telling a child that he or she is a fool or an idiot，then the child is more likely to keep doing silly and foolish things. So it is probably better for parents to say very positive things to their children，such as “That was a very clever thing you did.”or“    20    ”

A．It needs exercise.

B．You are such a smart child.

C．A healthy body contributes to one’s intelligence.

D．What people want to express is like this.

E．Parents should also be careful about what they say to young children.

F．The children are then more likely to grow up brightly and intelligently.

G．These are very old questions and the answers to them are still not clear.