You may know well what you are supposed to do or not to do in your own country. But do you know the customs in other countries? Here are some manners you should pay attention to.
Taking off your shoes or not
It's bad manners to take off your shoes at the door of a London dinner party. But in Asia if you don't take off your shoes before entering a home, you are not polite enough.
What you should do instead: If you see shoes at the door, take off your shoes. If not, keep the shoes on.
Talking over dinner
In some countries, like Japan, don't start talking while everyone else is having dinner. You'll meet with silence—not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtime is for eating, not talking. Also don't talk in places like churches (教堂) in Europe.
What you should do instead: Keep quiet!
Knowing your right from your left
Some cultures in Africa and the Middle East still like to eat in traditional ways—using their hands. When people eat in this way, food is often offered for several people to share at the same time. That is why it's important to wash your hands before eating. While eating, you have to follow the rule: Eat using your right hand, and use your left hand to do other things.
What you should do instead: Follow the others and use your right hand. Even left-handed children in these cultures are taught to eat with their right hands. If you really can't, explain yourself to others before you eat.
1. How many manners are mentioned in the passage?2. What are you supposed to do if you see shoes at the door?
3. How can you behave well when having dinner in Japan?
4. There are some table manners in Chinese culture. Please give an example.
Cynthia and her friends were walking in the mall (商场). They went there twice a month. “Look, Cynthia! Your favorite singer is in Forever 21,” said Martha. When Cynthia was turning around, she knocked (碰撞) an ice-cream out of a woman’s hand and it dropped onto the woman’s shirt. The woman was upset.
Cynthia said sorry and started taking the ice-cream off the woman’s shirt. The woman was even more upset. “Don’t touch me!” she said. Cynthia said sorry again. “You have to pay for this shirt and the ice-cream!” the woman said. Cynthia’s friends started laughing. They thought it was funny that she was making a big deal out of the situation. “Can’t you just put the shirt in the washing machine? Why does she have to pay for your shirt?” asked Martha. “The stain (污迹) is not going off,” the woman said. “It’s all right, Martha. I’ll just pay for it,” Cynthia said.
Cynthia asked the woman how much the shirt was. “It is $147,” she said. Cynthia reached into her wallet. “Cynthia, this woman is clearly lying (撒谎) to you,” Martha said. Cynthia thought Martha was probably right! She asked for proof (证据). The woman could not give it to her and then walked away. Cynthia was thankful for Martha’s help.
1. What happened when Cynthia was turning around to see her favorite singer?2. Why did Cynthia’s friends laugh when hearing the woman’s words?
3. Do you need a friend like Martha? Why or why not?
My daughter, Cindy, used to be shy but now she’s kind of active and outgoing. And I think that’s because of love.
I still remember one thing. One day last month, Cindy got an upset stomach, so I took her to see a doctor. When we waited in line outside the waiting room, we saw a lady beside us. She looked very upset. Then Cindy gave a smile card to the lady, saying, “I hope everything goes well” The lady hugged(拥抱) Cindy and said nothing. Later, Cindy gave out five more smile cards that day.
Last Monday, I went shopping with Cindy in a supermarket. After shopping, we went to the cash desk(收银台). Terribly, I couldn’t find my wallet and I didn’t know what to do. At that time, a lady came to us and paid the bill for us. She was just the lady who was at the doctor’s that day. I said “thank you” to her. She said, “I was moved by your daughter’s kindness.” Then I returned the money to her the next day.
Now all my family have always enjoyed helping others. And giving out smile cards is a good way to help. It helps us change, too.
1. What did Cindy use to be like?2. What did Cindy give the lady?
3. What did the lady do for the writer in the supermarket?
4. What can we learn from the story?
With the development of economics (经济), the problem of the left-behind children has become a serious social problem. More and more people have realized we should do something to help them.
The biggest problem is that the children are all hungry for the love from their parents. Many of them can just get a call or a letter from their parents half a year, a year or even several years. So some children can’t remember what their parents look like. When they meet their own troubles, they have no one to talk with. Nobody gives them enough care.
Because of being too far away from their parents, the left-behind children’s study is the second biggest problem. From a survey about their study, only two percent of the children get good results while ten percent of them are common and eighty-eight percent of them are poor. What a pity!
There are also many other problems of the left-behind children, such as having no ability to protect themselves, unhealthy lifestyles, spending too much pocket money and too much time on the Internet and so on.
In a word, to solve all the problems of the left-behind children needs the government, families and schools to try their best together.
1. What is the most serious problem of the left-behind children according to the passage?2. What does “left- behind children” mean in Chinese?
3. According to the passage, list at least two problems the left-behind children have.
4. Find the sentence with the similar meaning as “The left-behind children are far from their parents, so their study is the second most serious trouble” from the passage.
Bollywood
What is Bollywood?
Bollywood is the name of the Indian film industry (产业). It’s nearly the same as Hollywood, but the “B” comes from Bombay, the biggest city in India, now called Mumbai (孟买). Bollywood makes nearly 800 films a year: that’s twice the number of films made in Hollywood. The films are made very quickly and some actors are in three or four films at the same time.
Bollywood: Past
People made the first Bollywood film in 1899. At first, the films were silent and then in the 1930s they made films with sound. The first color film started in the 1950s, which showed the beauty of the Indian clothes and costurnes (装束) often worn in Bollywood productions. Traditional Bollywood films included a lot of singing and dancing, but action films also became popular in the 1970s. At first people only watched the films in India, but since the year 2000 Bollywood films have become popular all over the world.
Bollywood: Present
Mumbai is the home of the Indian film industry. Thousands of people work there as actors, cameramen, directors and extras (临时演员). It is common now for directors to make Bollywood films in other countries, such as the US, France and China as Indian audiences (观众) are very interested in other countries. However, international cinema has also come to Bollywood.
Bollywood: Future
The future is good. Big American film companies (公司) like Warner Bros, and Twentieth Century Fox are opening offices in India. This means more color, more dancing and definitely (确定地) more Bollywood.
1. How many films are made in Hollywood every year now?2. Why is it common now for directors to make Bollywood films in other countries?
3. If you want to be an international actor or actress, which place will you go to? Why?
6 . Why are so many people so afraid to fail? Quite simply because no one tells us how to face the failure (失败). In fact, failure can become experience that means growth. We forget that failure is part of the human condition and that every person has the chance to fail.
Most parents work hard to prevent failure or protect their children. One way is to lower standards. Nearly 60% of parents choose this way. When a child finishes making a table, the mother describes it as “perfect” even though it doesn’t stand stable (牢固的). The other way is to blame (责怪) others. If John fails in science, his teacher is unfair or stupid.
There’s a problem with the two ways. It makes a child unprepared for the real life if they don’t meet enough failure. The young need to learn that no one can be best at everything. No one can win all the time. The young should be allowed to experience failure.
Failure never gives people pleasure. It hurts both grown-ups and children. But it can be really good to your life when you learn to use it.
1. How many ways do most parents choose to prevent failure and protect their children? What are they?2. Does the writer agree parents to do so? Why?
3. What do you think of failure? And tell the reason.
7 . Imagine that you are driving down a road late at night. You look to the side of the road and find that there is a car accident. There are people in the car, and they, are probably hurt. What would you do in that situation? Would you ignore (忽视) the people and keep driving? Or would you stop your car and try to help them?
In the past, most people didn’t think of it as a problem. They would stop to help the injured without thinking twice. But people think differently now. Lots of people don’t want to give help. One of the reasons is that sometimes they might hurt the people they are trying to save, and the injured might sue (控告) them. Sometimes, the people who try to help have to pay lots of money just for doing good to others. Many people do not want to get sued for being nice. So they ignore others in need of help.
Because so many people are afraid of getting into trouble, a few countries have passed a special law. The law provides protection for people who try to help others. Thanks to the law, the injured can’t sue anyone who gives a helping hand, In countries with this law, people are not afraid to help out anymore.
1. How was it for people to help the injured in the past?2. Why don’t people want to help the injured according to the passage ?
3. How does the special law work?
‘USA? Britain? Which country is better to study in?’ We often hear such discussions. As China opens its door, it is a dream for many Chinese students to study abroad. They want to learn about the outside world.
It’s true that studying abroad can help students develop themselves. Their foreign language skills will be improved and it may be easier to find jobs.
But there are problems that should be considered. Language is the first. Students must spend a lot of time learning another language.
Students must also learn to live without parents’ care and deal with all kinds of things they haven’t had to do before, like looking after themselves. There are reports about Chinese students abroad running into an ocean of difficulties and giving up finally. When they have to take care of themselves, it is hard for students to study well.
Finally, studying abroad brings a heavy burden（负担）to the family. For most Chinese parents, the cost of studying abroad is very high. But is it worth it?
We know that there are many famous people who have achieved success through their hard work in China. Liu Xiang is a good example. Once an American teacher invited him there, but he refused. He kept training hard with his Chinese teacher. He surprised the world when he won a gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games. So when you wonder which country is better to study in, think again.
| Title: Studying at | |
| Phenomenon（现象） | Studying abroad has become a |
| Advantages | ◆ It is helpful to the future |
| ◆ It helps to | |
| ◆ It enables Chinese students to find jobs more | |
| ◆ It language. | |
| ◆ It’s hard for Chinese students to get used to the life abroad | |
| ◆ Parents may be under pressure（压力）because the cost of studying abroad is very | |
| Purpose: To tell us studying abroad is not the only way to be Liu Xiang’s example. | |
| Problems | ||
| A | B | C |
| My problem is my parents. They never stop going on about how I should keep my room tidy, keep my hair tidy and wear smart clothes. They even make me do the washing-up after dinner every night! None of my friends have got such terrible parents. What should I do? Helen | My best friend has suddenly turned her back on me and I don’t know why! Last week we phoned each other every day and e-mailed too, and over the weekend we went shopping together and she was fine. But at school on Monday morning, she didn’t look at me or speak to me. I don’t know what I’ve done. She now spends all her time with another group of friends. Jane | I have a really bad habit of chewing (嚼) the ends of my hair. I try to stop, but I can’t! My mom is starting to get really angry about it. Have you got any ideas? Gina |
| Advice | ||
| ①Hi _________, Why should your parents do all the washing-up? You should help around the house—it’s only fair. I don’t think you should change your looks though. Young people should look like young people. | ②Hi_________, Wearing your hair pulled back in a ponytail (马尾辫) will help keep it out of your mouth. When you feel like chewing something, try bubble gum (泡泡糖). Give yourself time and you should be able to break this habit. The first few days are usually the hardest. Good luck! | ③Hi ________, Don’t worry about it so much! Phone your friend up as usual and she won’t be able to refuse you. I am sure you will get along well with each other. Everything will be fine. |
1. 根据所读内容将Helen、Jane、Gina 三个名字分别填入相应的横线上。
①_______________ ②________________ ③________________
2. The three girls wrote to ask for ________________________.
3. The underlined words “turned her back on me” means “____________” in Chinese.
4. It is clear that Helen is not ________________________ with her parents.
5. According to the advice, Jane should _____________________ her friend as usual.
10 . The term “bionic man” came from The Six Million Dollar Man which was a popular TV show in the U.S.A. in the 1970s. It was a story about a former astronaut whose body was rebuilt by using artificial (人造的) parts after he nearly died. Now, a team of engineers has made a robot by using artificial organs(器官), limbs and other body parts that comes close to a true “bionic man”.
The parts come from 17 manufacturers (制造商) around the world. “This is the first time they’ve been assembled (组装) together,” says Richard Walker, the director of a robot company. “It’s an attempt to show the development of medical science,” he says.
Walker says the robot has about 60 to 70 percent of the function(功能) of a human. It stands six-and-a half feet tall and can step, sit and stand with the help of a walking machine. This kind of machine is used by people who have lost the ability to walk. It also has a functioning heart that beats and circulates artificial blood(血液). Its blood carries oxygen just like human blood.
Although the parts are used in the robot work, there is a long way to go. There are some key parts missing. There’s no liver, skin or brain for the robot.
1. The robot “bionic man” is used to _______.| A．show the development of medical science |
| B．help those people who have lost the ability to walk |
| C．help the doctor do more experiments |
| D．make a popular TV show named “The Six Million Dollar Man” |
| A．the U.S.A. | B．the U.K. |
| C．the U.N. | D．all around the world |
| A．has 60 to 70 percent of the function with a man-made liver, skin and brain |
| B．was made with artificial parts by a former astronaut named Walker |
| C．has a functioning heart that beats and circulates artificial blood |
| D．is used in robot work to help the disabled man |
