1 . During the cold winter days, there are some interesting festivals in the world. Look at the following ones.

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Place: China

Time: January 5 to February 5

People build incredible things out of ice and snow, decorating them with lights.

The Carnival of Venice

Place: Italy

Time: between February and March

One of the most beautiful festivals in the world, people wear masks and elaborate costumes to hide differences among classes, and there are contests for the best costumes.

Holi Festival

Place: India

Time: late February/ March, on the last full moon day

Hindus and Sikhs, in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka celebrate the main day of this incredibly fun 16-day festival by throwing colored powder and water at each other.

Sundance Film Festival

Place: Utah, the US

Time: end of February

The largest independent film festival in the US. Watch both feature films and shorts. You need to buy a ticket.

1. Which country will you go if you life watching movies?

A．America	B．China
C．India	D．Italy

2. Which festival may you go If you want to see sculptures made of ice?

A．Sundance Film Festival.	B．The Carnival of Venice.
C．Holi Festival.	D．Harbin Ice and Snow Festival.

3. When can you enjoy Holi Festival?

A．In early January	B．In late February
C．In early March	D．In late January

2 . When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car. Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation. I suggested that they should stay at “bed and breakfast” houses, because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family. My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories.

“We didn’t stay at bed and breakfast houses,” they said, “because we found that most families were away on holiday.”

I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke little English, and they thought “VACANCIES” meant “holidays”, because the Spanish word for “holidays” is “vacaciones”. So they did not go to house where the sign outside said “VACANCIES”, which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said “NO VACANCLES”, because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels!

We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In Spanish, the word “DIVERSION” means fun. In English, it means that workmen are repairing the road, and that you must take a different road. When my friends saw the word “DIVERSION” on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun. Instead, the road ended in a large hole.

English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris, when someone offered me some more coffee, I said “Thank you” in French. I meant that I would like some more. However, to my surprise the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that “Thank you” in French means “No, thank you.”

1. My Spanish friends wanted advice about ______.

A．learning English	B．finding places to stay in England
C．driving their car on English roads	D．going to England by car

2. I suggested that they stay at bed and breakfast houses because ______.

A．they would be able to practise their English

B．it would be much cheaper than staying in hotels

C．it would be convenient for them to have dinner

D．there would be no problem about finding accommodation there

3. If you see a road sign that says “Diversion”, you will ______.

A．fall into a hole

B．have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself

C．find that the road is blocked by crowds of people

D．have to take a different road

4. When someone offered me more coffee and I said “Thank you” in French, I______.

A．didn’t really want any more coffee

B．wanted them to take the coffee pot away

C．really wanted some more coffee

D．wanted to express my politeness

3 . People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible (有责任感的) citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery (墓地). On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

1. Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A．Parents bring up children.

B．Parents give love and care to children.

C．Parents educate children to be good persons.

D．Parents pass away before children grow up.

2. What do you think “florists” do?

A．They sell flowers.

B．They make and sell bread.

C．They offer enough room for having family parties.

D．They sell special gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

3. What do you know from the passage?

A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

C．Not all the children respect their parents

D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

4. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ________.

A．people usually have family parties

B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery.

C．children always go to parents’ home

D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts

4 . We use both words and gestures to express our feelings, but the problem is that these words and gestures can be understood in different ways. It is true that a smile means the same thing in any language. So does laughter or crying. There are also a number of striking similarities in the way different animals show the same feelings. Dogs, tigers and humans, for example, often show their teeth when they are angry. This is probably because they are born with those behavior patterns.
Fear is another emotion that is shown in much the same way all over the world. In Chinese and in English literature, a phrase like "he went pale and begin to tremble" suggests that the man is either very afraid or he has just got a very big shock. However, "he opened his eyes wide" is used to suggest anger in Chinese whereas in English it means surprise. In Chinese "surprise" can be described in a phrase like 'they stretched out their tongues!' Sticking out your tongue in English is an insulting gesture or expresses strong dislike.
Even in the same culture, people differ in ability to understand and express feelings. Experiments in America have shown that women are usually better than men at recognizing fear, anger, love and happiness on people's faces. Other studies show that older people usually find it easier to recognize or understand body language than younger people do.
1. According to the passage, __________.

A．we can hardly understand what people's gestures mean

B．we can not often be sure what people mean when they describe their feelings in words or gestures

C．words can be better understood by older people

D．gestures can be understood by most of the people while words can not

2. People's facial expressions may be misunderstood because __________.

A．people of different ages may have different understanding

B．people of different countries speak different languages

C．people of different sex may understand a gesture in a different way

D．people have different cultures

3. In the same culture, __________.

A．people have different ability to understand and express feelings

B．people have the same understanding of something

C．people never fail to understand each other

D．people are equally intelligent

4. From this passage, we can conclude __________.

A．words are used as frequently as gestures

B．words are often found difficult to understand

C．words and gestures are both used in expressing feelings

D．gestures are more efficiently used than words

5. The best title for this passage may be __________.

A．Words and Feelings	B．Words, Gestures and Feelings
C．Gestures and Feelings	D．Culture and Understanding

5 . People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer an opportunity to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A while one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are more valuable than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting cards stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
1. Which is not a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A．Parents bring up the children.

B．Parents give love and care to children.

C．Parents educate children to be good persons.

D．Parents pass away before children grow up.

2. . What do you know from the passage?

A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

C．Not all the children respect their parents.

D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

3. Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A．It only has two kinds of colors.

B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.

4. On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, ________.

A．people usually have family parties.	B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery.
C．children always go to parent’s home.	D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts.

5. What do you think florists do?

A．They sell flowers.

B．They make bread or pastry.

C．They offer enough room for having family parties.

D．They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

6 . Specialists say it is not easy to get used to life in a new culture. “Culture shock” is the term these specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. There are three stages of culture shock, say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers begin to adjust to their surroundings and, as a result, enjoy their life more.

There are some obvious factors in culture shock. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems—the telephones, post office, or transportation—may be difficult to work out. The simplest things seem to be big problems. The language may be difficult.

     Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their own community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without any identity. They have to build a new self-image.
     Culture shock gives rise to a feeling of disorientation (迷失方向). This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create an escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience — these are the long-term solutions to the problem of culture shock.
1. When people move to a new country, they _______.

A．will get used to their new surroundings with difficulty

B．have well prepared for the new surroundings

C．will get used to the culture of the country quickly

D．will never be familiar with the culture of the country

2. According to the passage, factors that give rise to culture shock include all of the following except __________.

A．language communication	B．weather conditions and customs
C．public service systems	D．homesickness

3. According to the passage, the more successful you are at home, _______.

A．the fewer difficulties you may have abroad

B．the more difficulties you may have abroad

C．the more money you will earn abroad

D．the less homesick you may feel abroad

4. When people are homesick, they tend to ______.

A．find some people to talk to	B．go outside to have a walk
C．visit their friends far away	D．stay indoors all the time

5. The writer tells us that the best way to overcome culture shock is to ______.

A．protect ourselves from unfamiliar environment

B．develop a strange sense of self-protection

C．get familiar with new culture

D．return to our own country

7 . In America, parents tend to encourage their children to develop their potential (潜能) to the fullest extent. Fathers and mothers frequently teach their children both ambition and the confidence necessary to work toward their goals. American parents are always active in concentrating on what their kids can do, not what they can’t. As a result, millions of American boys and girls grow up hoping to become actors and athletes, diplomats and doctors. Many of them even want to become president.

American parents often encourage their children to become involved in extra activities of all types at school, such as student government, sports and music. They believe that only through taking part in these activities can their children become mature young adults.

As we all know, school work is important. But parents should realize that the social skills their children learn from natural conversations with each other are as important as schoolwork and the skills they will need in the future work. What’s more important in their work is that their children should have a sound knowledge of physics or the ability to communicate effectively.

As a rule, Chinese parents don’t educate their children about the same kind of ambition and confidence as Americans do, nor do they encourage the same level of participation in extra activities. Children are typically advised to study hard and pass exams. They have to spend a lot of time in doing much schoolwork every day. It is a great waste of time to do so.

Now more and more Chinese parents have recognized that they should pay attention to developing the potential of their children. I hope that leaders in Chinese educational circles should take some measures to develop the potential of their children. I am very confident about it.

1. From the passage, we know the American parents pay much more attention to       .

A．the social skills than Chinese parents

B．their children’s studying hard and well

C．what their children want but they can’t

D．extra activities than schoolwork

2. According to the passage, Chinese parents       .

A．know more than American parents to educate their children

B．owning ambition and confidence is necessary and important

C．pay much more attention to their children’s fine future

D．don’t encourage their children to participate in extra activities

3. From the passage, we can infer       .

A．American children are brave and adventurous

B．American children are more active in their studies

C．Chinese children have the ability to communicate effectively

D．something should be done to develop the potential of the children in China

4. What’s the writer’s attitude towards Chinese education reform?

A．Neutral.	B．Indifferent.
C．Positive.	D．Negative.

8 . The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said humorously, “England and America are two nations divided by a common language. If he were writing today, he might add ‘divided by a common technology--- e-mail’”.
Two completely different styles of e-mail have formed on either side of the Atlantic-Euromail and Amerimail. Americail is informal and chatty. It’s likely to begin with a “Hi” and end with a “Bye”. The chances of Amerimail containing a smiley face or an “xoxo” are disturbingly high. We Americans are unwilling to dive into the meat of an e-mail. We feel we have to first inform recipients (收信人) about our vacation on the island which was really excellent except the jellyfish were biting and the kids caught a cold, so we had to skip the whale watching trip, then about that investors（投资者）’ meeting in New York. Amerimail is a bundle of contradictions, casual and yet direct, respectful yet over proud. In other words, Amerimail is America.
Euromail is stiff and cold often beginning with a formal “Dear Mr. X” and ending with a simple “Sincerely”. You won’t find any mention of kids or the weather or jellyfish in Euromail. It’s all business. It’s also slow. Your correspondent might take days even weeks to answer a message. Euromail is exactly like the Europeans themselves.
Recently about 100 managers were asked on both sides of the Atlantic whether they noticed differences in e-mail styles. Most said yes. Here are a few of their observations:
“Americans tend to write (e-mail) exactly as they speak.”
“Why don’t you just call me instead of writing five e-mails back and forth?”
“Europeans are less interested in checking e-mail”.
“In general, Americans are much more responsive to e-mail—they respond faster and provide more information.”
So which is better, Euromail or Amerimail? I realized it’s not popular these days to suggest we have anything to learn from Europeans, but I’m fed up with an inbox filled with casual, barely meaningful e-mails from friends and colleagues. If the alternative is a few earnestly written, carefully worded bits of Euromail, then I say, “Bring it on.”
1. What did George Bernard Shaw mean by saying “England and America are two nations divided by a common language”?

A．There is sharp difference between England and America despite their common language.

B．Both England and America speak the common language, so they are much the same.

C．Either England or America is a divided nation, though they share a common language.

D．There is not much difference between British English and American English.

2. Which of the following is most likely to be the “meat” of an Amerimail?

A．The jellyfish were biting.

B．We had an excellent vacation on the island.

C．We were to attend the investors’ meeting in New York.

D．We had to skip the whale watching trip.

3. On receiving an e-mail, Europeans tend to __________.

A．respond to it immediately and earnestly

B．never respond to it all

C．respond by calling up their correspondent

D．take more time than Americans to respond to it

4. What are characteristics of Amerimail?

A．Stiff and cold

B．Casual and indirect

C．Informal and chatty

D．Formal and direct

5. We can conclude from the passage that __________.

A．the different e-mail styles do much harm to the relationship between the two sides on Atlantic

B．the writer doesn’t like either e-mail style as both have their own shortcomings

C．Euromail always impresses the writer as something more pleasant to read

D．Amerimail is more appreciated by the writer for being informative and casually written

9 . Conflict is on the menu tonight at the café La Chope. This evening, as on every Thursday night, psychologist Maud Lehanne is leading two of France’s favorite pastimes, coffee drinking and the “talking cure”. Here they are learning to get in touch with their true feelings. It isn’t always easy. They customers—some thirty Parisians who pay just under $2 (plus drinks) per session-care quick to intellectualize (高谈阔论), slow to open up and connect. “You are forbidden to say ‘one feels,’ or ‘people think’,” Lehane told them. “Say ‘I think,’ ‘Think me’.”
A café society where no intellectualizing is allowed? It couldn’t seem more un-French. But Lehanne’s psychology café is about more than knowing oneself: It’s trying to help the city’s troubled neighborhood cafes. Over the years, Parisian cafes have fallen victim to changes in the French lifestyle-longer working hours, a fast food boom and a younger generation’s desire to spend more time at home. Dozens of new theme cafes appear to change the situation. Cafes focused around psychology, history, and engineering are catching on, filling tables well into the evening.
The city’s psychology cafes, which offer great comfort, are among the most popular places. Middle-aged homemakers, retirees, and the unemployed come to such cafes to talk about lover, anger, and dreams with a psychologist. And they come to Lehance’s group just to learn to say what they feel. There’s a strong need in Paris for communication, says Maurice Frisch, a cafe La Chope regular who works as religious instructor in a nearby church. “People have few real friends. And they need to open up” Lehanne says she’d like to see psychology cafes all over France. “If people had normal lives, these cafes wouldn’t exist”, she says, “If life weren’t a battle, people wouln’t need a special place just to speak.” But then, it wouldn’t be France.
1. What are people encouraged to do at the cafe La Chope?

A．Learn a new subject

B．Keep in touch with friends.

C．Show off their knowledge.

D．Express their true feelings.

2. How are cafes affected by French lifestyle changes?

A．They are less frequently visited.

B．They stay open for longer hours.

C．They have bigger night crowds.

D．They start to serve fast food.

3. What are theme cafes expected to do?

A．Create more jobs.

B．Supply better drinks.

C．Save the cafe business.

D．Serve the neighborhood.

4. Why are psychology cafes becoming popular in Paris?

A．They bring people true friendship.

B．They give people spiritual support.

C．They help people realize their dreams.

D．They offer a platform for business links.

10 . Look to many of history’s cultural symbols, and there you’ll find an ancestor of Frosty, the snowman in the movie Frozen. It appeared on some of the first postcards, starred in some of the earliest silent movies, and was the subject of a couple of the earliest photos, dating all the way back to the 1800s. I discovered even more about one of humanity’s earliest forms of life art during several years of research around the world.
For example, snowmen were a phenomenon in the Middle Ages, built with great skill and thought. At a time of limited means of expression, snow was like free art supplies dropped from the sky. It was a popular activity for couples to leisurely walk through town to view the temporary works of chilly art. Some were created by famous artists, including a 19-year-old Michelangelo, who in 1494 was appointed by the ruler of Florence, Italy, to build a snowman in his mansion’s courtyard.
The Miracle of 1511 took place during six freezing works called the Winter of Death. The city of Brussels was covered in snowmen—an impressive scene that told stories on every street corner. Some were political in nature, criticizing the church and government. Some were a reflection of people’s imagination. For the people of Brussels, this was a defining moment of defining freedom. At least until spring arrived, by which time they were dealing with damaging floods.
If you fear the heyday of the snowman has passed, don’t worry: I’ve learned that some explosive snowman history is still being made today. Every year since 1818, the people of Zurich, Switzerland, celebrate the beginning of spring by blowing up a snowman. On the third Monday of April, the holiday Sechselauten is kicked off when a cotton snowman called the Boogg is stuffed with explosive and paraded through town by bakers and other tradesmen who throw bread to the crowds. The parade ends with the Boogg being placed on a 40-foot pile of firewood. After the bells of the Church of St. Peter have rung six times, representing the passing of winter, the pile is lit. When the snowman explodes, winter is considered officially over—the quicker it is burnt down, the longer summer is said to be.
1. According to the passage, why did snowmen become a phenomenon in the Middle Ages?

A．People thought of snow as holy art supplies.

B．People longed to see masterpieces of snow.

C．Building snowmen was a way for people to express themselves.

D．Building snowmen helped people develop their skill and thought.

2. “The heyday of the snowman” （paragraph 4） means the time when___________.

A．snowmen were made mainly by artists

B．snowmen enjoyed great popularity

C．snowmen were politically criticized

D．snowmen caused damaging floods

3. In Zurich, the blowing up of the Boogg symbolizes__________________.

A．the start of the parade

B．the coming of a longer summer

C．the passing of the winter

D．the success of tradesmen

4. What can be concluded about snowmen from the passage?

A．They were appreciated in history

B．They have lost their value

C．They were related to movies

D．They vary in shape and size