“How are you?” is a nice question. It’s a friendly way that people in the USA greet each other. But “How are you” is also a very unusual question. It’s a question that often doesn’t need an answer. The person who asks “How are you?” hopes to hear the answer “ Fine”, even if the person’s friend isn’t fine. The reason is that “How are you?” isn’t really a question and “Fine” isn’t really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying “Hello” or “Hi”.
Sometimes, people also don’t say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks “Do you agree?” The other person might think, “No, I disagree. I think you’re wrong…” But it isn’t very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say “I’m not sure.” It’s a nicer way to say that you don’t agree with someone.
People also don’t say exactly what they are thinking when they finish talking with other people. For example, many talks over the phone finish when one person says “I have to go now.” Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse “Someone’s at the door.” “Something is burning on the stove.” The excuses might be real, or not. Perhaps the person who wants to hang up simply doesn’t want to talk any more, but it isn’t polite to say that. The excuse is more polite, and it doesn’t hurt the other person.
Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people don’t say exactly what they are thinking. It’s an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it’s part of the rule of the game of language.
1. When a person in America asks “How are you?” he or she wants to hear “________”.| A．How are you | B．Hello | C．Fine | D．I’m not sure |
| A．hurting someone’s feelings | B．feeling ill |
| C．giving an excuse | D．not good at cooking |
| A．Always say what you mean | B．Never tell the truth |
| C．Never say exactly what you’re thinking | D．Always be polite to the listeners |
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【推荐1】Hello and welcome to "Words and Their Stories". We will research into some commonly used words and expressions. As with other languages, American English is rich in expressions that come from animals. Today we will talk about the wolf.
Wolves are important animals in the traditions and stories of America. Before the Europeans arrived in North America in the 1500s, to native Americans, wolves often meant being brave.
However, in English, wolves are not to be trusted. Perhaps wolves attacked too many people or ate too many farm animals. Whatever the reason, wolves were killed in many places. So many died that they almost became endangered. They also became known as bad animals.
To begin with, there is an expression "lone wolf'. If we call somebody a lone wolf, he isn't a bad person, but he may like to do things by himself. In fact, he sometimes makes you think he doesn't want to be around people because he dislikes them.
Now, let's move on to the home. Parents tell their children not to "wolf down" their food. In other words, the child eats too quickly and without care. And if someone says a child was "raised by wolves", that child has bad manners and is behaving like a wild animal.
A "wolf call" is the noise made by a man to show that he likes the way a woman looks. But a wolf call is not a nice thing. These men sound rude. And trust me, most women really hate wolf calls. So, they don't help a man in the game of love.
By the way, there is a popular expression about wolf from a very old story: a wolf in sheep's clothing. A wolf in sheep's clothing describes someone who acts and looks nice on the outside but is bad on the inside. It tells us not to be fooled by appearances.
1. What can we know after reading the passage?| A．Wolves are dangerous and should be killed in order to protect other animals. |
| B．We can expect to find expressions about wolves only in American English. |
| C．In different areas and times, wolves make people think of different things. |
| D．Nobody lived in North America before the Europeans went there in the 1500s. |
| A．Helping classmates to finish homework. |
| B．Using others' computer if nobody is watching. |
| C．Making many friends with people around. |
| D．Going to see a movie on his own after school. |
| A．A lone wolf. | B．Raised by wolves. |
| C．Wolf call. | D．A wolf in sheep's clothing. |
| A．A book for travel guide. | B．A magazine on trade and business. |
| C．A science report. | D．A program for English learning. |
1. In Poem 1, the first two lines have the same rhyme (韵) /ait/ while the last two have __________.
| A．/3:t/ | B．/u:t/ | C．/aut/ | D．/əut/ |
| A．River | B．Purpose | C．Thing | D．Tomorrow |
| A．a poet | B．a fisherman | C．a translator | D．Li Bai’s friend |
1. Do you like to play chess? If so, come and join the Chess Club on Wednesday afternoon in Room 201 or send email to bj8594@chesslover.com. Miss Chen will teach you.
2. Can you speak English? Do you like to talk to people? Join the English club! Here you can improve your oral English. We meet on weekends. Call Nick at 758-15632.
3. Do you enjoy delicious food? Do you want to be good at cooking? Come to our club every Friday and learn to cook in Room406. E-mail Lisa for more information at coolcook.com.
4. Do you know the Eiffel Tower? Do you like France and can you speak French? Do you want to learn French? Join the French club now by sending an email to club 021@french.cn.You can also call Henry at 758-56124.
5. City Youth Club wants a sports coach. He or she must be nice to children and can teach them sports like swimming and soccer. Called Alan at 758-48216.
| A．Sports coach wanted |
| B．Chess Club |
| C．Swimmers wanted |
| D．English Club |
| E．Let’s learn French |
| F．Cooking Club |
【推荐1】How much pocket money (零花钱) do you get from your parents each week? Is it growing in recent years?
If it is, then you are luckier than kids in Britain. According to reports, recently (最近) they are getting less and less pocket money. British researchers did a survey of 1,204 children between 8 and 15 years old. They found the average amount (平均数) of pocket money for British kids was about 5.8 pounds a week in 2010. In 2009, it was 6.2 pounds. And in 2003, parents gave their children an average of 5.7 pounds a week. To the researchers’ surprise, they find that boys get more pocket money than girls. Boys get 6.9 pound every week while girls get 6.1 pounds each week.
However, children are not too worried about it. Almost half of them believe they get the right amount. Only 42 percent say they would like to have more pocket money.
Most kids like to compare their pocket money with their friends. In the survey, 37 percent believe their friends get more money than they do.
△ . That’s a very good habit. 10 percent of the British kids save all their pocket money. 25 percent save at least half. 35 percent say they will save money to buy something they really want. “It is good to develop the habit of saving at a young age,” said Flavia Palacios Uman, one of the researchers, “you may benefit (受益) later in life because your savings will add up over time.”
1. Recently, British children are getting ________ pocket money.| A．more and more | B．the same |
| C．less and less | D．no |
| A．6.9 pounds | B．27.6 pounds | C．6.1 pounds | D．24.4 pounds |
| A．British kids keep the good habit of saving. |
| B．Kids like to compare their pocket money with their friends. |
| C．Only British kids save money at a very young age. |
| D．There are many ways for British kids to save their money. |
| A．Chinese kids are less lucky than British kids. |
| B．among the three years, the kids got the most pocket money in 2003. |
| C．all British kids like to save their money. |
| D．it’s beneficial for children to develop the habit of saving at a young age. |
【推荐2】What are the cultural differences between China and the West? You might be able to find the answer in Cao Siyu’s comics（漫画）.
Cao, 32, was born in Beijing, but left home at 20 and has studied and lived in the US, the UK, and France for 12 years. Having seen so many cultures, Cao wanted to use her drawing skills to show the differences she has experienced. So she created the cartoon series Tiny Eyes Comics.
“My experience shows that although travel is much easier and faster today, the distance（距离）between cultures hasn’t shortened,” Cao said. She hopes to build bridges and break down misunderstandings between different cultures. One of her cartoons shows water forms in different countries. Three glasses of water are shown. The glass of water from the US has ice; the one from France is full of sparkling water（气泡水）; the one from China is steaming（冒热气的）.
Cao also uses her cartoons to show different ways of thinking and social customs. During the COVID-19 pandemic（疫情）, she used her comics to explain why Chinese people prefer to wear masks while western people don’t. “Her simple pictures have played a big part in reflecting Chinese culture,” Italian magazine Grazia reported.
Many foreign readers say that Cao’s comics help them understand China, while Chinese living abroad have felt that they are seen and understood.
She says that this voice has been the biggest motivation（动力）for her to keep creating.
Choose the best choice from A, B or C according to the passage.
1. Cao Siyu shows people the cultural differences by ________.
| A．creating comics | B．living abroad | C．talking about her experience |
| A．China | B．France | C．America |
| A．融合 | B．差异 | C．误解 |
| A．ice water | B．hot water | C．sparkling water |
| A．Travel is much easier and faster today |
| B．Comics show us how we are different |
| C．School life abroad is busy and lonely |
【推荐3】You draw, you paint, or you do sculptures. It doesn’t matter—everyone is an artist!
| THE CASE FOR We look at the Mona Lisa or a Picasso painting, and we say, "That’s art." But what about the amazing graffiti（涂鸦） on your street? What about photographs posted online by our friends? What about your school art display? You worked hard, and it's great. So, is that art? To me, art is anything that’s creative. Of course, I like going to famous museums. But I also like drawing pictures of my friends. I'm not very good, but I'm creative. I'm very interested in it, and my friends like it. Most of all, I like it! Jane, age 15 | THE CASE AGAINST I like visiting art museums, too. Why? Because I like looking at good art. Art is not the drawings of four-year-old children. It isn't painting your body crazy colors and standing in the street. And it certainly isn’t graffiti. Some people say, "If it's creative and cool, it’s art.” I don t agree. Art is the result of hard work and study. My aunt is an artist. She went to art school for six years. She doesn't make much money, but sometimes her sculptures are on display. Her art is great. Art is very hard, and not many people can do it well. Kayla, age 16 |
| A．Whether everyone is an artist. | B．Whether children should learn art. |
| C．Whether artists make much money. | D．Whether people like visiting museums. |
| A．going to famous museums posting | B．posting photographs online |
| C．drawing pictures of friends | D．making friends by drawing |
| A．Go to art museums from time to time. | B．Stay in an art school for six years. |
| C．Devote ourselves to art study and practice. | D．Try to get our sculptures displayed. |
