In the United States, 16, 18 and 21 are very important ages in a person’s life. A person can do new things at each age to show that he or she is no longer a child. That means you are an adult.
After turning 16 in the United States, a person can be employed, get a driver’s license, and leave home. Many high school students learn to drive and get part-time jobs soon after celebrating their 16th birthday. At 18, people in the United States can vote and join the military (参军), but they are not allowed to go into nightclubs, to buy beer or wine until they are 21.
In many Latin American countries, a young woman’s 15th birthday is important. At this age, people think she is no longer a girl, but a woman. To mark this special day, families with 15-year-old daughters have a celebration called a quinceanera (成人礼). The young woman and her family will have a big party to which many guests are invited.
In Japan, boys and girls are thought to be adults at the age of 20. At this age, they are allowed to vote and drink beer or wine. The second Monday in January is a national holiday called the Coming-of-Age Day. On this day, 20-year-olds are invited to listen to speeches with their family. After that, many celebrate late into the night. In many countries, celebrations are always there, such as their 50th birthdays or the birth of their first child.
1. People in the United States can vote and join the military when they are at the age of _______.| A．15 | B．16 | C．18 | D．20 |
| A．Go to the college. | B．Hold a party. |
| C．Get a driver’s license. | D．Celebrate his or her birthday. |
| A．fifteenth | B．sixteenth | C．eighteenth | D．twentieth |
| A．The second Monday in January. |
| B．The third Monday in January. |
| C．The second Thursday in January. |
| D．The third Thursday in February. |
| A．The age of adulthood is too young in some places but too old in others. |
| B．Being a young person in Latin America is easier than in Japan or the U.S. |
| C．Celebrations are always there and important in a person’s life. |
| D．Special ages and celebrations show a person is becoming an adult. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】One day, an American man Simon went to London to visit his friend, Rick. Rick told him that his flat (公寓) was on the first floor. When he arrived, Simon went straight to the first floor of the building. But a man told him that there was no Rick on that floor. Do you know why?
In fact, the British (英国人) call the first floor of a building the ground floor. The floor above the ground floor is the first floor, but Americans would call it the second floor.
The story shows that there are a few culture differences between Britain and America, though the British and Americans both speak English.
The British don’t like showing their feelings. They hardly start a small talk with strangers. For example, on the train the British often spend their time reading newspapers or books. But Americans are quite different. They’re more active and easier to talk with.
The British and Americans may use different terms for the same things. The British usually use “football” “holiday” and “lift”, but Americans like to use “soccer” “vacation” and “elevator”.
1. Simon went to London to ________.| A．visit his friend | B．spend his holiday |
| C．study English | D．have a meeting |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．playing cards | B．talking loudly |
| C．doing some reading | D．singing and dancing |
| A．Culture differences between Britain and America |
| B．A funny story about Simon |
| C．Small talk in Britain and America |
| D．British people and American people |
【推荐2】Different countries have different ideas about manners. In Britain(英国)“table manners” are important. How do you show good table manners in Britain? Here are some hints(提示).
Noises at the table
It is never a good idea to make a noise or burp at the table. British people think this is very rude. If people burp, they always say “Excuse me.”
When to eat with your fingers
British people don’t use their fingers to eat most things. There are some foods that it’s OK to eat with your fingers. These include(包括) sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers and fruit.
Your mouth
It’s not polite to talk with food in your mouth or eat with your mouth open.
How much to eat
It’s good manners to eat all the food on your plate. This shows you like the food. It’s always polite to say the food is nice, even when it’s horrible!
1. The topic(标题) of this passage is in Britain.| A．school rules | B．how to eat | C．good table manners | D．where to eat |
| A．friends | B．languages | C．manners | D．families |
| A．Noodles | B．Vegetables | C．Pizza | D．Beef |
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
| A．Burping at the table. | B．Eating food with your fingers. |
| C．Eating with your mouth open. | D．Saying the food is nice. |
【推荐3】We drink tea every day. But more than three hundred years ago, most people in Europe (欧洲) didn’t know anything about tea. Some people heard about it. But very few of them knew what to do about it.
There’s a story about an English sailor (水手). He went to countries in the west, the east and the south. He had been to (去过) India and China. One day he came home and brought some tea as a present for his mother. She told her friends about the present and asked them to a tea party. When her friends came to the party, the old woman brought out some tea leaves and asked them to eat. Of course nobody liked the tea leaves.
At that time, the sailor came in. He looked at the table and said, “Mother, what have you done with the tea?”
“I boiled it as you said.”
“And what did you do with the water?”
“I throw it away, of course,” answered the old woman.
“Now, you may throw away the leaves,” said the sailor.
1. The sailor gave his mother some ________ as a present.| A．ships | B．tea | C．fish | D．money |
| A．concert | B．dinner | C．tea party | D．game |
| A．fish | B．apples | C．tea leaves | D．food |
| A．enjoyed | B．liked | C．hated | D．threw |
| A．tea leaves | B．cup | C．flowers | D．water |
【推荐1】
“Keep calm and carry on”—You can see this message written on many T-shirts and other tourist souvenirs (纪念品) in London and the UK. It has become so famous that there are many expressions of it: “keep calm and drink tea”; “keep calm and love dogs”; “keep calm and learn English”. As you can see, you can substitute (替换) the “carry on” part for anything you want, really!
But where does the original (最初的) phrase come from? Well, it comes from World War II. It was a message used for a poster (海报) created by the British government to calm people down and encourage them during the war when London was being attacked (攻击). The idea was to carry on with life as normal, as if there was no war.
Staying calm when you’re in trouble is known as a very British thing to do. British people are famous for keeping a “stiff upper lip”. This means your lips don’t shake when you are excited or frightened: you stay calm and don’t show people how you are really feeling.
Are British people still like this today? Do they still keep a “stiff upper lip”? Modern Britain is very different from how it was 60 years ago and British people probably show their emotions (情绪) more than they used to. But if “keep calm and carry on” is still so famous today, then it must be something that British people still think and care about, and something they are still famous for. So next time you are frightened or in danger, just keep calm and carry on!
1. According to Para.1, what message will be possibly given to Grade 9 who are preparing for exams?| A．Keep calm and drink tea. | B．Keep calm and love dogs. | C．Keep calm and study hard. |
| A．A tea house in the UK. |
| B．T-shirt and tourists souvenirs. |
| C．A poster during the World War II. |
| A．唇枪舌战 | B．泰然自若 | C．装腔作势 |
| A．The UK’s Famous Saying |
| B．The Changes of the British People |
| C．The Culture Development in the UK |
【推荐2】“The grass looks greener on the other side of the fence (篱笆).”That’s an old saying in English. It means other places often look better, more interesting than the place where you live. Some people worry that young Chinese are beginning to feel that way. They see young Chinese ignoring (忽视) Chinese culture and instead, buying Japanese cartoon books, watching Korean soap operas and even celebrating Western holidays.
Foreign books and soap operas are good, but Chinese writers and actors are just as good. As for holidays, Christmas is nice, but it can never have the meaning for Chinese that Spring Festival has, and the West has nothing to compare with (与…相比) Mid-Autumn Festival. And let’s not forget the part of Chinese culture I like best: its friendliness. Not all countries are as warm as China.
It’s good to enjoy other cultures and to learn from them, but they cannot replace (取代) your own culture. It’s good to look on the other side of the fence, but make sure you take a good long look. You will find that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence.
请你根据短文内容判断正误（正确的在括号内填T，错误的填F）。
1. The saying means the place where you live looks better than other places.
2. Some people worry that young Chinese ignore Chinese culture.
3. The Spring Festival is more meaningful for Chinese people.
4. Foreign culture can’t replace Chinese culture.
5. This passage mentioned (提及) three Chinese festivals.
Have you ever heard an English idiom, understood every word used in it, but still been confused about what it means? Don’t worry. Native (本土的) speakers experience this too. And there’s a good reason for it: Idioms get their meanings from how they are used. Here are some of the strangest English idioms.
If someone tells you that something really “gets their goat”, it doesn’t mean that a farm animal has been stolen! Instead, it means that something really annoys them and they may be very unhappy. While it’s not certain, some people believe this phrase comes from a horse racing tradition in which people would keep goats with horses before a race to keep them calm. So if their goats are taken away, their horses may get nervous. What will they think of it?
Another strange animal donkey’s phrase is “donkey’s years”, used in British English to describe a very long time. This expression may come from a joke about the ears of a donkey, which are quite long. “Donkey’s ears” was changed to “donkey’s years” for talking about time.
Here comes the phrase “talk turkey”. An Indian and a white man went hunting (打猎) together and a wild turkey and a crow were all the results that day. The white man, made a decision and in the usual style of making a bargain (讨价还价) with the Indian in this way: “Now, you may have your choice: you take the crow, and I’ll take the turkey; or, if you’d rather, I’ll take the crow and you take the turkey.” The Indian knew that the white man wanted to take the turkey but he wanted to show that he was generous. So the Indian said, “You want the turkey, so you can take the turkey. Why not talk turkey to me a bit?” So “talk turkey” means “talk straightly”.
1. What does the writer advise us to do if we hear a strange idiom?| A．To ask a native speaker | B．To guess them creatively |
| C．To know how they are used | D．To understand every word |
| A．helps them win the race | B．makes them very angry |
| C．makes them very happy | D．calms them down |
| A．He has lived a happy life for years. | B．He has lived a hard life for years. |
| C．He has been like donkeys for years. | D．He has lived here for a long time. |
| A．either the turkey or the crow | B．both the turkey and the crow |
| C．the turkey better than the crow | D．neither the turkey nor the crow |
| A．the stories behind them | B．native speakers’ ideas |
| C．native English dictionaies | D．the words they include |
【推荐1】When you are learning a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, but reading can also be very helpful. When you read, you can not only learn some new words, but also learn how to use them. Here are some good reading tips.
Firstly, try to read at the right level. Read something that you can understand. If it is too hard for you, it is not interesting.
Secondly, try to understand the new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, don’t use a dictionary. Instead, try to guess their meanings as you read. Mark them with a pencil. Then look them up in a dictionary when you finish reading, and write them in your own vocabulary book. Try to remember them.
Thirdly, try to read for a short time once a day. Fifteen minutes or half an hour every day is better than two hours every Sunday. For example, you can read before you go to bed, or after you get up or at lunchtime.
Lastly, read something that interests you. Choose a newspaper, a book or a magazine about a subject that you like. It will be easy enough for you to understand.
1. There are ________ tips about good reading.| A．six | B．five | C．four | D．three |
| A．stop reading | B．guess the meanings at first |
| C．write them down at once | D．look them up right away |
| A．Reading is also helpful to learn a language. |
| B．You should read for long once a week. |
| C．When you read, you can only learn some new words. |
| D．Try to read something hard to make your English better. |
Beijing Opera is our national opera. It has a history from 1790. Its music and singing came from Anhui and Hubei. There are four main roles in Beijing Opera: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Beijing Opera is full of famous stories, beautiful facial（脸部的）paintings, wonderful gestures（姿态）and fighting. Some of the stories are from history books, but many of them are from famous novels. The people in the stories usually can't agree with each other. They became angry, unhappy, sad and lonely. Sometimes they are frightened and worried. Then they find a way to make peace with each other. Everyone is usually happy in the end.
Beijing Opera is an important part of Chinese culture. In the past, it was popular with old people while young people didn't like it. But now, more and more young people are becoming interested in it. At the same time, more people around the world are learning about Beijing Opera.
1. How old will Beijing Opera be in 2020?| A．210 years. | B．220 years. | C．230 years. |
| A．music and singing | B．acting and fighting | C．music and acting |
| A．Angry. | B．Sad. | C．Happy. |
| A．Newspaper. | B．Famous novels. | C．Magazines. |
| A．There are three main roles in Beijing Opera. |
| B．Beijing Opera isn't a part of Chinese culture. |
| C．More and more young people are interested in Beijing Opera nowadays. |
【推荐3】Warm, bright colors such as yellow and red are positive(积极的) colors. They can give people a pleasant feeling. Cool colors such as blue, purple, and green are relaxing colors. They help people experience calm feelings.
Many public(公共的) places are decorated（装饰）with certain colors in order to create(创造)certain moods(情绪). Orange makes people feel hungry, and many restaurants are painted in this color.
People use color in their homes to create moods as well. Blue is a peaceful color. It helps you rest, so it is a very good color for a bedroom.
Colors can create bad moods, too. Some types of blue make people feel sad. Red can make people feel angry.
What is your mood right now? Now look at the color of the walls round you. Does it match your mood?
1. What color may make you hungry?
| A．Green. | B．Red. | C．Blue. | D．Orange. |
| A．Colors and moods. |
| B．Places and feelings. |
| C．Colors can create bad moods. |
| D．Many public places are decorated with certain colors. |
