【推荐1】You may have heard of the famous saying, "East or West, home is the best." What does the word "home" mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Chinese? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means, it sometimes has no exact translation. It's not surprising, because the idea of home is different from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It's the cooking, eating, talking, playing and sleeping that go on inside. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.
Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside. For example, in cold northern Europe, there's a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it's more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.
We asked some people about their homes.
How often do people move house in your country''.
"In my country many people don't stay in one place for a very long lime. They
often move every ten years or so. "
—Chery, Boston, USA.
What are features(特征) of homes in your country？
"In Britain, even in town, there's always a garden. We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don't often have balconies(阳台). The weather isn't warmenough!"
—Pat. Exeter, England
1. The word "home" sometimes has no exact translation because _____.

A．people can't find this word in the dictionary

B．no one knows what it isC it has different meanings in different countries

C．people can't understand each other very well

2. According to the passage, at home, you can do everything except _____.

A．making friends

B．cooking and eatingC playing and talking

C．sleeping and relaxing

3. Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?

A．Because they want to breathe fresh air outside.

B．Because there's a fire in the living room.

C．Because they wear heavy clothes all day long.

D．Because the sun there shines a lot.

4. From the second paragraph, what kind of homes people have depends on ______.

A．whether they are rich or not

B．the climate(气候) they have

C．how old they are

D．whether they live in the city or countryside

5. Which one of the sentences below is true?

A．People in Britain seldom have balconies because it's so hot outside.

B．Some Americans move house several times during their lifetime.

C．Homes look the same in different countries.

D．Houses in northern Europe have big windows and cool stone floors.

【推荐2】People all over the world enjoy drinking coffee，but they don't all have the same coffee culture（文化）. In Europe for example，coffee shops are places for people to meet friends and to talk. However，people in North America liked to drink coffee at home with their friends. The coffee culture in the US changed when Starbucks coffee shops are open across the country.

The first Starbucks coffee shop opened in 1971 in Washington，America. It was just a small coffee shop but the business did so well that by 1981 there were three Starbucks shops in Washington. Things really began to change for Starbucks that year. A man called Howard Schultz who worked in equipment（设备）factory in New York found that Starbucks bought a large number of coffee makers. He then went to Washington to see what Starbucks did. In 1982. Schultz began to work in Starbucks as the head of marketing（市场营销）. He traveled to Italy in 1983 and the environment（环境）of the coffee bars there caught his eyes. Back in the US，he created a comfortable environment for Starbucks and people seemed to like it. So Starbucks began opening more shops across the US and around the world. There are more than 16，000 Starbucks shops today in the world.

However，that doesn't mean Starbucks doesn't have problems. Many Starbucks shops have closed over the past few years. First, this is because there are too many other coffee shops for people to choose. Second, shops in some countries closed because the coffee culture there can't live with the "feel the same everywhere" environment in Starbucks.

1. The underlined words "coffee maker" in Paragraph 2 mean______________.

A．people who can make coffee	B．people who open coffee shops
C．things that can make coffee	D．things that people eat with coffee

2. According to the passage, which is the right order for the following sentences
a. Schultz helped Starbucks open more shops around the world.
b. Starbucks began as a small coffee shop in Washington, America.
c. Schultz went to Washington to learn about Starbucks and later worked for it.
d. Schultz found Starbucks bought lots of special coffee makers.

A．a-b-d-c

B．b-d-c-a

C．c-b-a-d

D．d-c-a-b

3. Why did so many Starbucks close in some countries?

A．Because the coffee in these countries were not cheap

B．Because the coffee in these countries were not so good.

C．Because people in these countries didn't like the Starbucks culture.

D．Because people in these countries liked to drink coffee at home with friends.

4. What's the best title for the passage?

A．The History of Starbucks	B．The Culture of Starbucks.
C．The Popularity of Starbucks.	D．The Environment of Starbucks.

【推荐3】Like China, many other countries see spring’s coming as a sign of blessing and happiness. Some of them share similar cultural traditions in greeting the spring, while others have their own ways.

Similar to Chinese culture, in South Korea, people also greet the spring season by paying a lot of attention to preparing a large meal. Tteokguk, a soup dish with sliced rice cakes (年糕片), is a typical food served at the New Year dining table. As ancient Koreans honored the sun, the white sliced rice cake represents it for “blessing”, The round rice cake slices also look like coins, and many people eat them in the hope of becoming wealthy in the coming year.

In India, people celebrate the spring season with a traditional Hindu festival called Holi, also known as the “Festival of Spring”. Originated (起源) in the old times in hopes of a successful harvest, it is held sometime during February and March every year. Dancing and singing are how Indian people celebrate spring at the festival. The ceremony is “colorful”. People will paint their faces and bodies and throw colored water and powder on others to show their blessings.

Russians celebrate the festival that called Maslenitsa in springtime. The festival is celebrated around the end of February or early March each year. People will bake round pancakes into golden yellow to appreciate the sun, and in the dark night, people will light fires for celebrations.

In the US, there is a special “sock-burning” event held in Maryland to celebrate the spring’s coming. The tradition of burning socks began in the 20th century, and the spring festival ceremony is linked to the local sailing culture. People burn socks there to represent that they can wear shoes barefoot (赤脚地) when the weather warms up. It’s a hope to have the winter end soon and the spring come early. Similar to the Chinese tradition, people in the US will also do the spring cleaning as an annual tradition to shake off the winter’s decay (衰败) in the hope of receiving new luck.

1. What do Koreans and the Chinese have in common when celebrating spring?

A．Both cook a special soup.

B．Both put coins into the dumplings.

C．Both hope to be richer in the coming year.

D．Both put lots of effort into making a great meal.

2. What was Holi originally celebrated for in India?

A．Good luck.	B．A good harvest.
C．The arrival of spring.	D．The health of the family.

3. Which is TRUE about the “sock-burning” tradition?

A．It has to do with sailing.	B．It can date back to 2000.
C．People usually burn socks at night.	D．Colored socks are a favorite for sailors.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The history of different traditions.	B．Celebrations of spring in countries.
C．The importance of welcoming spring.	D．Countries deeply influenced by Chinese culture.