1 . In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience (经历) four seasons in one day. In the morning, the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later, black clouds come, and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon, the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.
In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter, they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.
1. Why do people in England often talk about the weather?| A．Because they may have four seasons in one day. |
| B．Because they often have very good weather. |
| C．Because the weather is warm just like in spring. |
| D．Because the sky is sunny all day. |
| A．sunshine and snow | B．black clouds |
| C．summer and winter | D．spring and autumn |
| A．warm | B．cool | C．cold | D．rainy |
| A．their friends ask them to do so | B．it often rains in England |
| C．they are going to sell them | D．they are their favorite things |
| A．Bad Seasons | B．Summer or Winter |
| C．The Weather in England | D．Strange English People |
2 . What would the world be like if cars could drive themselves? Imagine seeing an empty car passing by on its way to pick up its owner, or a car full of passengers who are reading, listening to music or even sleeping. But none of them are worried about the road ahead.
Well, all of this could be the future of driving. There are several companies, including Google, working on driverless cars. So far, no Google self-driven cars have gotten a traffic ticket (罚单), but some of them have been in accidents when other cars hit them.
These cars are now still in the testing stages (阶段). But, if the tests are successful, these electric self-driven cars could be put into use very soon.
The cars are so special that they can take the place of drivers during certain situations. They are able to park themselves, or slow down when they notice objects close by. They can also control the speed if there is danger.
Scientists and engineers believe, with the help of wireless signals (无线信号) , cameras and GPS, creating a safe self-driven car might be possible. The cause of deadly (致死的) road accidents is usually careless drivers or bad conditions. The self-driven car may be able to prevent these. However, some people don’t like the idea. American lawyer Whit Drake does not believe these cars are safe. He thinks that technologies can also be mistakes.
Complete the chart according to the passage with only one word for each blank.
Self-driven cars | |
| The future of driving | An empty car can drive |
| The situation | They are in the |
| The | They can park themselves, slow down and control the speed. |
| Different ideas about them | Scientists think they can prevent road |
3 . Greeting people can be confusing (令人困惑的) during cross cultural (跨文化) communications.
Will a simple handshake do? Should you give a hug or offer a kiss on the cheek (脸颊)? People in different countries have their own greetings.
The COVID 19 (2019冠状病毒病) has challenged traditional greetings such as shaking hands, kissing and hugging. After all, close physical contact will increase the chance of spreading the virus (病毒). People have realized the risk and stopped using some traditional greetings.
Shaking hands is a common greeting. Now in the US, the elbow bump (碰肘) is the new handshake. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams introduced the elbow bump, which has been used by political (政治的) leaders, health officials and professional athletes (运动员). Brad Hazzard, a health minister in New South Wales, Australia, advised people to pat (拍) each other on the back in place of a handshake.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran has advised the public not to kiss on the cheek. Italian authorities (官方) have made the same suggestion. French lifestyle expert Philippe Lichtfus said simply looking into a person’s eyes is enough.
In the face of such changes, how should you go about changing the way you greet people? Australian etiquette expert (礼仪专家) Susan Wilson has suggested simply greeting people by looking them in the eye, smiling and saying hello.
Choose the best choice from A, B or C according to the passage.
1. Why did people stop using traditional greetings during the outbreak (疫情爆发) ?| A．Because it can be safer for each other. |
| B．Because different countries have different customs. |
| C．Because new greetings can increase the risk of spreading the virus. |
| A．The people all over the world. |
| B．Jerome Adams and Brad Hazzard. |
| C．Political leaders, health officials and professional athletes. |
| A．碰撞 | B．接触 | C．隔离 |
| A．France and Australia. | B．France and Italy. | C．Italy and Australia. |
| A．Safer ways to greet. | B．Changing the tradition. | C．Smiling and saying hello. |
4 . The Chongyang Festival is a traditional Chinese festival. It is celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar(阴历) month. It's also called the Double Ninth Festival.
The festival started as early as the Warring States Period (475-221BC). It has a history of more than 1, 700 years. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the highest odd number(奇数). People believe that two "ninths" meeting together stand for a long life. So it is a special holiday for Chinese people to show love and respect for their elders. They hold many kinds of activities in honor of old people to wish them good health and a long life.
The festival comes during the golden time of fall. On the day, people traditionally drink Chrysanthemum(菊花)wine, eat Double-Ninth Cakes and climb mountains. They also carry a kind of plant, its name is dogwood, People in ancient times believed that the plant could drive away evil(邪恶的) spirits and prevent them from catching an illness in winter.
Answer the questions according to the passage.
1. When is the Double Ninth Festival?
_____________________________________________________
2. Does the Double Ninth Festival have a history of 1, 700 years?
_____________________________________________________
3. What do two "ninths" meeting together stand for?
____________________________________________________
4. Who do people celebrate the Double Ninth Festival for?
____________________________________________________
5. What do people traditionally drink and eat on the festival?
____________________________________________________
Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. The day after it has been known as Black Friday. It is the start of the holiday shopping season, and it has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the US since 2005.
Most stores offer big sales on Black Friday. They open their doors quite early in the morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts (打折). Some items (商品)like TVs and cloths are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.
Black Friday is a great time to go shopping. However, there are problem. The biggest one is that there are not enough low-priced items. Each store may only have a few. These items are in great need, so people stand in long lines to get them. They may wait three to four hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or computer, but not everybody can get one. Some people leave, disappointed.
The situation makes people worried. Some Black Friday events have been crazy. There have been fights over toys among shoppers. Some workers have even been hurt by large crowds. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan to go, you will expect large crowds and a bit of pushing.
So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it caused. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day “Big Friday”. It did not stick. The name “Black Friday” continued to spread across the country. It seems that it is here to stay.
Now people all over the country take part in Black Friday events. It is even spreading to other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday events in the UK, Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In Mexico, stores offer a weekend of discounts every year. They call it “El Buen Fin”, which means “the good weekend” in Spanish. I guess people everywhere like to buy things on sale.
1. Is Black Friday the start of the holiday shopping season?
_______________________________________________________
2. What is the biggest problem with Black Friday?
_______________________________________________________
3. How long may people have to wait before a store opens?
_______________________________________________________
4. Where was the name “Black Friday” first used in the 1950s?
______________________________________________________
5. Why do people like going shopping on Black Friday?
______________________________________________________
6 . Ted, my little brother, is in Grade One. Last Friday he came back from school with a letter. The letter was from his teacher. “I got a red flower today. Could you please sign this note?” he said to mum. The note showed that he had been talking in class.
Ted hardly gets top scores in his school work. The best he gets is “OK”, but he often gets “You can do better than this.” Mum knows what it means. She tells me “You can do better than this” means “Extremely bad” in China.
In the USA, teachers never say anything too bad about their students, even if the students are making trouble in class or not working hard enough. The worst they might say is “Please be nicer tomorrow”. Many parents are satisfied with a B-grade for each subject.
But things in Chinese schools are quite different. Parents have high expectations for their children. I sometimes felt that my second-grade cousin spend more time on homework than I did when I was 6th grade in the US! Yet his parents and teachers didn’t think he worked hard enough.
Is it too strict in China? Or is it not strict enough in the USA? Maybe both are true.
1. Why did Ted come home with a letter last Friday?| A．Because the teacher wanted to visit his mother. |
| B．Because he did something wrong. |
| C．Because the teacher was happy with his progress. |
| D．Because the teacher thought he was too lazy. |
| A．he gets top scores | B．he gets medium scores |
| C．he gets extremely bad scores | D．he gets the worst scores |
| A．excited | B．sad | C．angry | D．happy |
| A．很高的待遇 | B．很多的自由 | C．很高的期望 | D．很多的关爱 |
| A．the differences between Chinese education and American education |
| B．Chinese students are better than American students |
| C．American parents are not strict enough with their children |
| D．what’s the best way to educate child |
7 . Gina has a small room at home. Look! This is her room. Some things are in her room.
Her schoolbag is on her desk. Her red jacket is on her bed. An E-dictionary is on her bed, too. It’s Grace’s. Grace Smith is her friend. Her books are on the sofa. And her teacher Mr. Green’s pen is in the bookcase. She borrowed(借来的) it. She has a set of keys in her desk. She has a computer game.
A model plane is under her desk. It is her father--Tim Miller’s. Her mother--Emma Miller’s sweater(毛衣) is in her room, too.
1. The girl Gina’s family name is ______| A．Smith | B．Green |
| C．Miller | D．Brown |
| A．It is on her bed. |
| B．It is under her sofa. |
| C．It is on her desk. |
| D．It is under the chair. |
| A．Emma’s | B．Tim’s |
| C．Gina’s | D．Grace’s |
| A．on her desk | B．on her bed |
| C．on the sofa | D．I don’t know. |
| A．Gina’s books are on the table |
| B．the keys are on her desk |
| C．Gina’s sweater is in the room |
| D．Gina’s schoolbag is on her desk |
