【推荐1】Tea and coffee are two of the most popular drinks in the world. However, people usually like one more than the other. These drinks also have very different uses.

Tea drinking started in China over 4,000 years ago. Tea is made from leaves. These days, some people drink tea for health, using it to help with stress（压力）or lose weight. However, most people in tea-drinking countries think of tea as more than just a healthy drink. In fact. tea drinking in some countries is a part of the culture. In Turkey, tea is always there when people meet. Whether in someone’s home or a company, tea is always offered as a way of welcoming. In the UK, homes and offices usually have teatime. Tea and other dishes are served at teatime in the afternoon. It is a way of relaxing with friends or co-workers.

Coffee came much later than tea, just over 1,000 years ago. Coffee is made from beans. Something in the coffee beans makes a person feel good. Most people do not drink coffee to relax. Instead, they drink coffee to get energetic. Many people drink coffee in the morning to help them wake up. Others will also drink coffee during short breaks in the afternoon to keep going through the working day. Some people may visit coffee shops just to meet and talk with friends. However, many people in coffee shops drink coffee while working on their computers.

Is tea or coffee more common in your country? Between the two, which do you like to drink more?

1. Where did tea drinking start?

A．In China.

B．In Japan.

C．In Turkey.

D．In the UK.

2. When do people in the UK usually drink tea?

A．In the morning.

B．In the afternoon.

C．After dinner.

D．Before going to sleep.

3. What can we know about coffee?

A．It is not so popular as tea.	B．It came 1, 000 years earlier than tea.
C．It seems much more popular than tea.	D．Many people drink it to help them wake up.

4. What does the underlined word “energetic” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Bored.

B．Mad.

C．Lazy.

D．Active.

5. What is the best title of the passage?

A．The History of Tea and Coffee	B．The Developments of Tea and Coffee
C．The Different Cultures of Tea and Coffee	D．Different Ways of Making Tea and Coffee

【推荐3】It is very important for us to know some Chinese table manners. In China, the dishes are put on the table and everyone shares. A lot of dishes will be served if you are treated by a Chinese host. Chinese people take pride in their culture of cooking and try their best to show their hospitality（好客）.

The meal usually begins with at least four cold dishes, followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes. Soup then will be served after the staple food（主食）like rice and noodles.

Sometimes the Chinese host uses his chopsticks to put food in your bowl. This is a sign of politeness. It is always polite to eat it and say how delicious it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can thank the host and leave the food there.

There are some things you should pay attention to. Don’t stick your chopsticks upright in the rice bowl. Lay them on your bowl instead. The reason for this is that Chinese people usually do something like this after someone dies. Besides,don’t hit your bowl with your chop-sticks. Beggars hit their bowls, so this is not polite. Don’t drink alone because alcohol is a social drink.

The Chinese hosts prefer to provide more food than guests need because it is embarrassing if all the food is eaten up.

1. Cold dishes are first served in a meal in China.
2. You must eat the food that the host puts in your bowl.
3. This passage is helpful to the foreigners who are invited to have a meal by Chinese people.
4. You can’t hit your bowl with your chopsticks in China.
5. You can drink alone when you eat with a Chinese family.

【推荐1】What is the meaning of a kiss? That depends on where you are. A kiss means “I love you” in many countries, but not everywhere. In some countries, a kiss can be a friendly greeting, or a goodbye. South Americans and Europeans say hello with kisses much more often than North Americans. They also sometimes say goodbye by kissing their own fingertips and “then blowing” the kiss away. In these areas, men at business meetings might even greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, instead of a handshake. Most North Americans would consider this very strange.

Then it is believed that kissing has a special meaning. In ancient Rome, a kiss was seen as a legal agreement. That’s why the new couple at a wedding must kiss each other. And did your mother ever kiss your wounded finger to make the pain stop? That custom comes from England. People there used to think that kisses had magical powers.

Not everyone in the world kisses though. In past centuries, European explorers found many places where kissing was never seen. For example, Eskimo couples rubbed their noses together instead of touching lips, and so did some African tribes and Pacific Islanders. The Ainu of Japan preferred to bite their loved one’s cheek.

These days, kissing is mostly a sign of romance. Thanks to international travel and sharing customs, that meaning has become general.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Which of the following sentences is true?

A．Today kissing will magically heal wounded fingers.

B．Today people never kiss their children’s wounded fingers.

C．Today people still believe that kisses have magical powers.

D．Today people still sometimes kiss their children’s wounded fingers.

2. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph One refer to?

A．South Americans.

B．South Americans and Europeans.

C．North Americans.

D．North Americans and Europeans.

3. What do we know about kissing?

A．Kissing has been found in Europe for a long time.

B．Kissing is quite a new custom in Europe.

C．Kissing is only found in Europe.

D．Kissing is not seen in Europe.

4. According to the passage, how do some African tribes say “I love you” ?

A．By kissing lips.

B．By rubbing noses.

C．By biting cheeks.

D．By shaking hands.

5. What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Everyone in the world uses a kiss to say “I love you”.

B．A kiss can only mean “hello”, “goodbye” or “I love you”

C．Kissing has different meanings in different parts of the world.

D．Many people, such as the Eskimos, some African tribes, do not kiss.

【推荐2】Interesting festivals in the world

Throwing tomatoes—Spain( 西班牙) Spain takes “tomatoes fights” to a whole new level. But the tomatoes are being thrown, not eaten. The festival takes place during the last Wednesday in August. Trucks (卡车) carry tomatoes into the square. People rush to the tomatoes and throw them into the crowd.

Rolling cheese—England This festival is celebrated on the last Monday in May. It takes place on Cooper’s Hill. A large wheel of cheese (奶酪) is roiled down Cooper’s Hill. The festival is actually a race where people run down the hill after the rolling cheese. The first person to cross the finish line at the bottom of the hill wins the cheese.

Burning man—The United States The Burning Man Festival lasts a week, it is from the Monday before Labor Day to Labor Day(which falls on the first Monday in September in America). The festival takes place in the Black Rock Desert. The best part of the festival is the burning of a large sculpture（雕塑）of a man.

Pouring water—Thailand The Songkran Festival is the celebration of the New Year in Thailand. Rather than a single day, Thailand celebrates the New Year from April 13th to April 15th. Thai people run after each other, pouring water. Songkran is one of the most important reasons why foreigners travel to the beautiful land.

1. Where will you probably go to enjoy one of the festivals above in May?

A．Spain.

B．England.

C．The United States.

D．Thailand.

2. Which festival is held in Black Rock Desert?

A．Throwing tomatoes.

B．Rolling cheese.

C．Burning man

D．Pouring water.

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

A．The tomatoes are thrown into the crowd to eat.

B．Not all the festivals above fall on the single day.

C．Burning a large real man is the best part of the festival.

D．Songkran is the only reason for attracting lots of tourists.

【推荐3】In China, children like to make promises by hooking pinkies(勾手指) with each other and saying, “A pinkie promise must be kept for 100 years.” Then, they may press their thumbs together to complete the promise. Sometimes, couples will hook pinkies and promise to be together forever.

There are many theories(推测) on the beginning of the pinkie promise. Some say it comes from a nursery rhyme. Others say it was introduced from the West­born out of a love story where a man and a woman hooked fingers.

One theory is that it may have something to do with the role of fingers in Chinese culture. The Chinese character for “finger” also means “aim(旨)” (referring to people's thoughts). So hooking fingers can be seen as the exchanging of thoughts.

Therefore, the fingers play an important role in making an oath(盟约): they can not only be used to complete a promise, but also be cut for making a blood oath. When someone swears(发誓) to heaven, they use their fingers to point to the sky.

Generally, hooking fingers means making a serious promise. In some gangster(黑帮) movies, a person who breaks a promise may have his little finger cut off!

Of course, this kind of thing is not very likely to happen in real life. But we can still see how important “pinkie promises” can be.

1. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．Where “hooking pinkies” first came from.	B．There are many theories on “hooking pinkies”.
C．A “pinkie promise” is important in real life.	D．What happens in some gangster movies.

2. How do children in China may finish “hooking pinkies”?

A．By pointing to the sky.	B．By saying words to each other.
C．By pressing their thumbs together.	D．By seeing a gangster movie.

3. What does “hooking fingers”   mean in the writer's opinion?

A．Being together forever.	B．Making a blood oath.
C．Making a serious promise.	D．Swearing to heaven.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Don't Make a “Pinkie Promise”	B．Don't Break a “Pinkie Promise”
C．“Pinkie Promises” Are Popular	D．“Pinkie Promises” Are Dangerous