【推荐1】One day during our holiday in England, my friend and I went to the train station to buy tickets to London. As native (本土的) speakers of English, we did not expect to have problems in English.

“Two tickets to London, please.” I said to the ticket seller

“Single?” the ticket seller asked me.

I thought that she couldn’t hear me clearly, “Two tickets to London!” I shouted.

At that moment a man helped us. He said that “a single ticket” in Britain doesn’t mean “one ticket”, it means “a one-way ticket”.

My experience in England taught me that there are some differences between British and American English. An Englishman may ask, “Would you like white coffee or white tea?” And an American asks, “Would you like your coffee or tea with milk?” We can find some differences such as the British saying “He’s in hospital”, but the American saying “He’s in the hospital”. Americans write words like color without the “u” of the English colour.

How much do you know about the differences between British and American English?

1. The writer spent his holiday in_________.

A．America

B．England

C．China

D．Canada

2. The writer thought the ticket seller was_________.

A．a good listener

B．a careful listener

C．a blind person

D．bad at hearing

3. “A single ticket” in England means_________.

A．only one ticket

B．a one-way ticket

C．a ticket for two

D．a ticket for one

4. The writer learned in England that there are_________differences between British and American English.

A．few

B．no

C．two

D．some

5. In Britain, if you want your coffee with milk, you should say, “I'd like_________.”

A．some milk

B．black coffee

C．white milk

D．white coffee

【推荐3】Food expressions（表达）are popular with language learners. They put two things together: food and language. And they are both important to people.

Today, we will talk about the potato. Potatoes have a long history. In the food magazine Bon Appetit, Sam Dean writes about the history of the potato. He says that the common white potato came from Peru at least 7, 000 years ago.

Do you like potatoes with meat? Well, here is potato expression called meat-and-potatoes.

It is a potato expression to describe a simple and common person. If someone is meat-and-potatoes kind of person, they like eating simple meals such as meat and potatoes. Men are often described by this expressions. A meat-and-potatoes man is big and strong. He likes to wear blue jeans and a simple T-shirt. Also, we can describe a woman as a meat-and-potatoes kind of person. This kind of woman likes to eat food like hamburgers. She also likes simple things and can look after herself.

For more potato expressions, join us tomorrow!

1. The underlined word "they" refers to ________.

A．meat and potatoes

B．language learners

C．food and language

D．food expressions

2. From the text, we can learn that ________

A．the white potato has a long history.	B．Sam Dean likes meat and potatoes.
C．Bon Appetit is a magazine about potatoes.	D．the white potato is another for the potato.

3. Who is most probably meat-and-potatoes person?

A．Mary: She likes delicious food. She always needs her parents' help.

B．Jeff: He is strong. But he never eats meals like potatoes and meat.

C．Jake: He likes chicken and potatoes so much. He lives a simple life.

D．Steve: He is thin and tall. He likes big meals.

【推荐1】Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another country, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, “ ______ ”
Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip （付小费）. It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.
In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to respect lines there. It’s a good idea to talk about the weather. It’s a favourite subject of conversation with the British.
In Spain, it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.
In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek（脸颊）. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.
In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don’t put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.
Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something in a conversation. A kind of body language that is used in one culture may be impolite in another.
1. The missing sentences in the first paragraph should be “           .”

A．Love me, love my dog.

B．He who laughs last laughs best.

C．When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

2. When you travel to the USA, you don’t need to tip _________.

A．porters	B．waiters
C．actors	D．taxi drivers

3. The underline word “porters” in the passage means _________.

A．搬运工	B．清洁工
C．接线员	D．售票员

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．In Spain, people usually have dinner very early.

B．In England, it’s not polite to talk about the weather.

C．In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek.

D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to tip.

B．Body Language.

C．When to Have Dinner.

D．Advice to International Travellers.

【推荐2】Different countries have different customs(习俗) in giving presents.

In China, you must never give a clock to a Chinese person, because the sound of the word “clock” is similar to the sound of “death” in Chinese. Moreover, don’t wrap(包装) a present in white , black, or blue paper, because these are the colours for funerals(葬礼). Don’t give a knife, because something sharp can cut a friendship.

In Russia, if give flowers as a present, we have to give an odd number of them (one, three, five, etc.) because even numbers of flowers (two, four, six, etc.) are for funerals.

In Germany, flowers are good presents to take to your hostess, but don’t take her red roses because it means you are in love with her. Don’t take thirteen of anything, either. Don’t wrap your present in white, brown or black paper.

True or False.（判断下列句子是否符合短文内容，符合的用“T”表示，不符合的用“F”表示）
1. The word “clock” has the same sound with the word “death” in Chinese.
2. You may take thirteen flowers if you go to a birthday party in Russia.
3. In Germany, thirteen is a lucky number.
4. The Chinese meaning of “odd number” and “even number” are “奇数和偶数”.
5. Only Chinese don’t wrap present in white or black.

【推荐3】Do you have any foreign friends? Do you know their characteristics(特征)?

       The Germans(德国人)are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don’t like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements(娱乐). The Germans are very hard-working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their house clean.
       In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you” or “Sorry”. The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.
       The French’s holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.
       Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans. They don’t like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in American’s eyes, success is an important part in their life.
1. What the passage is mainly about?

A．Differences among the 4 people.

B．What the Europeans have in common.

C．The importance of making foreign friends.

D．Relationship between Europeans and Americans.

2. Who are the most open of the 4?

A．The Germans.

B．The English.

C．The French.

D．The Americans.

3. This passage tells us that ________.

A．the Germans are better off than other Europeans

B．kids in America don’t like to go to school

C．Europeans are easier to make friends with

D．Englishmen and Germans have a lot in common

4. Which of the following best describes the English?

A．Hard-working.	B．Polite.
C．Outgoing.	D．Independent.

5. From this passage we can see that ________.

A．the French enjoy life more than work

B．the English are not friendly to strangers

C．German women mostly work at home

D．the Americans love nothing but success

【推荐1】I started to study English when I was a child because of Michael Jackson. He has been my idol (偶像) since 1991. I really wanted to understand him and his music. I used to use a dictionary to learn the meanings of words of songs written by him.

There was a lot of work to do to learn English, but I never felt tired. At first I learned about pronunciation, which was the hardest part for me. Because music was my only source (来源) of spoken English, sometimes I had to use a pronunciation dictionary. Then I made lists of words in order to remember them and their meanings. I would spend hours learning English grammar. What’s more, I read a lot. I also tried to translate texts, dialogues and songs.

Because of my hard work, my English improved a lot. In the end, I entered a college and had a great chance to further improve my English. Now I am an English teacher. And I am still making progress in English.

1. The author started to study English to _______.

A．enter a college

B．be an English teacher

C．sing English songs

D．know about Michael Jackson and his music

2. What was the most difficult thing for the author when he was studying English?

A．Listening.	B．Pronunciation.
C．Reading.	D．Grammar.

3. Which way of learning English is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Listening to music.

B．Joining an English club.

C．Translating texts, dialogues and songs.

D．Reading a lot.

4. From the passage, we know that the author is __________.

A．hard-working

B．lazy

C．sad

D．lonely

5. The author mainly wants to talk about ___________.

A．Michael Jackson and his music

B．the importance of learning English

C．his experience in learning English

D．ways to remember words

【推荐2】Hi, my name is Wang Jun. Do you want to know about my staying in America? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience here.

In China, I had English classes five times a week since Grade Five. But I didn’t know textbook English could be so different from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut. When I first studied English, I was told to say “I’m fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the USA, I found that people say “I’m good.” or “I’m tired.”

One day, someone greeted（问候）me with “What’s up?” It made me confused. I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.

Since then, I have learnt more and more differences between Chinese and American cultures. To my surprise, American girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun getting a tan（晒黑的肤色）. In China, girls try every possible way to keep their skin white.

American students are hard-working like Chinese students. In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student not only gets good grades, but also does a lot for the public. That is to say, they get lots of knowledge at school and learn many life skills from social（社会的）work.

1. In China, Wang Jun had _______ English classes every week.

A．five

B．four

C．three

D．two

2. Wang Jun found that _______ when he came to Hotchkiss School in the USA.

A．it was really important to learn English well

B．English he learnt in China was helpful to him

C．American students were more hard-working than Chinese students

D．textbook English was different from everyday English

3. What does the underlined word “confused” mean in Chinese?

A．困惑的

B．滑稽的

C．紧张的

D．伤心的

4. American girls make Wang Jun feel surprised because _______.

A．they work hard at school	B．they try to keep their skin white
C．they hope to get a tan	D．they do lots of social work

5. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．My wonderful travel in the USA	B．After-school activities in American schools
C．What American students learn at school	D．My study experience in the USA

【推荐3】A habit is an action that we have acted so often that it becomes something we do almost without thinking. Some of them are not good habits. People spend countless hours and dollars each year trying to give up these bad habits but often fail. Why? Change is hard work and _______________ However， there is still some advice for you to follow.
First， look at why you do it. In other words， what’s the result(结果) of doing this thing? If your bad habit is shouting at people when you are unhappy or under pressure(压力)， what do you get from it? It may make you feel a little better for the moment. Or maybe you have a bad habit of leaving your homework undone. The result could be that you get more time to spend on the Internet!
Next， take a look on the other hand. What are you losing because of your habit? Shouting at other people is a bad habit because it makes people around you feel bad and unhappy. Leaving your homework undone is a bad habit because your teacher may punish you . Having more Internet time means that you are losing the chance to learn the things you need to learn. When you think that way， you’ll find that it’s not wise to keep your bad habit! Now it is time to make a decision(决定). What will you choose? I’m sure you will choose to do something that is more important.
1. From the first paragraph， we know that ____________.

A．people always fail to break bad habits

B．we must change all the habits we have

C．a habit is a terrible thing we can never change

D．we can easily change bad habits

2. The underlined sentence “there is no shortcut to get it” means that ____________.

A．something dangerous may happen

B．there is a long way and a short way

C．it is not easy to give up bad habits

D．we must cut bad habits in a short time

3. According to the passage， if you want to give up your habits， you have to ____________.

A．talk to others

B．know why you do and what you do

C．finish your homework first

D．spend less time on the Internet

4. The best title for this passage is ____________.

A．A bad habit	B．Change the habit
C．Give up bad habits	D．A good habit