How can you start a conversation with an English person? The answer is quite simple. Many people will tell you that any English conversation begins with "the-weather" Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson's famous comment that "When two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of weather." Though Johnson's finding is almost the same as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.
Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not exciting at all, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that the most impressive thing about the English weather to an outsider is that there is not very much of it. Simply, the reason is that it doesn't matter to talk about weather because it is so changeable and unpredictable.
Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, because the English preference for the weather is not about the natural phenomena at all. "The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty." According to him, it is because the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain that it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman stand for common misunderstandings about the weather speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation has nothing to do with the weather. English weather-speak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome shyness and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank "fillers". In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.
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2 . It’s a typical cold English Sunday afternoon in March. The light is slowly fading, but all-over British people are working in their gardens. They’re digging, cutting leaves and planting new seeds. By summer, their gardens will be full of bright colours.
The British love their gardens. A British newspaper recently asked people for their opinions about them. Seventy percent of the people felt it was important to spend time in the garden, and over half of these described gardening as the most enjoyable thing they ever did.
Only one in ten houses in Britain do not have a garden. People who live in houses without gardens often rent land cheaply from the government to grow flowers or vegetables. You can, of course, just grow house plants inside or on your balcony.
In the nineteenth century, however, gardening became a hobby. About the same time, better transport meant people could buy different kinds of seeds and plants for their gardens. Although roses, sunflowers, onions and tomatoes are often grown in British gardens, they originally grew wild in other countries.
In many villages and towns there are competitions for the gardens that are best looked-after. This year the winner was a little village in Northern Ireland called Ahoghill. It’s already won four prizes for its beauty. People also take part in competitions to grow the largest vegetables, but don’t expect to win: Britain’s biggest carrot is almost six metres long.
1. We can learn from the first three paragraphs that ________.| A．most British families have their own gardens |
| B．British people only work in their gardens on warm days |
| C．British people spend quite a fortune on their gardening hobby |
| D．in the UK, old people love gardening more than young people do |
| A．Gardens were mainly used to produce food to eat. |
| B．Gardening became a popular activity for poor people. |
| C．Transportation development added variety to garden plants. |
| D．Local garden plants were introduced to overseas countries. |
| A．How to look after a garden. | B．What British gardens look like. |
| C．The history of gardening in the UK. | D．The British public’s love of gardens. |
I have taught in China for about two months now. The biggest challenge for me
In China it is common to be asked to attend an event last minute. For example, three days
However, once you adapt(适应) to the Chinese lifestyle and accept that in China no plan is definite and
I am often reminded of the many wonderful aspects of China,
4 . The New Year is a time for celebrations for almost everyone around the world. In Britain, people go to pubs and nightclubs to dance the old year away, and to welcome in the new one at midnight.
In recent years, street parties have become more popular. Thousands of people gather in squares, main streets or on the river banks to listen to bands playing and to see fireworks displays.
For people who stay at home, most are attracted by the special, live New Year shows on TV. They are waiting for the countdown, along with the presenters, from 10 to 1 as the last seconds of the old year tick away and the bells of the New Year are rung.
In Scotland people visit their neighbors and drink, dance on New Year’s Eve. If you’re invited to a Scottish home that night, it’s important to know what to bring with you: a lump of coal, some shortbread and some whisky.
The coal shows warmth, so you’re wishing that the people you visit will have enough heat in the coming year. The shortbread represents food, so you’re hoping that the people will have enough to eat in the New Year. Some Scots call whisky “the water of life”, so when you hand over your bottle to your hosts, it means you want them to have enough to drink over the next 12 months.
And there’s one more key task you still have to perform if you can. The first person to knock on a neighbor’s door is supposed to be a tall, dark and handsome man who will bring good luck to the household. But what if that’s not you? Well, don’t ring the bell just yet. Wait a while and the right person is sure to turn up soon!
1. People staying at home till midnight on New Year’s Eve are mostly ________.| A．learning to countdown numbers | B．talking with the presenters |
| C．enjoying the live TV programs | D．ringing the bells for New Year |
| A．Sharing good food and warmth. | B．Showing richness and generosity. |
| C．Helping those poor families. | D．Sending best wishes for the family. |
| A．a lump of coal | B．good luck |
| C．a bottle of whisky | D．some shortbread |
| A．British people will fire some fireworks in public places to celebrate the New Year |
| B．street concerts have become more popular on the midnight of the New Year Eve |
| C．British people hate to think of the old year and wish to dance it away quickly |
| D．people will stay at home doing nothing but wait for the bell of the New Year to ring |
Having good manners means practice of behaving decently(得体地) and having a feeling to act like a decent man. First, we must understand the meaning of "manners". Manner is the way of doing something, the way to perform some action, and the way to behave in specific conditions. Good manners are thus the proper and decent ways to perform some action or to behave well in specific conditions. Having good manners and behaving well are important in our routine life. Good manners and good behavior make a man valuable and respectable.
Good manners are not only to talk politely but the whole meaning of good manners counts many things. The way to eat and drink, the behavior while traveling, the way of sitting in front of elders, the accent of talking to young ones, the performance during lectures, the way of sitting in a meeting, the behavior during some gatherings, and many more. A person having a sense of behaving well is a well-mannered person, and has a respectable place in society.
The civilized societies only accept those who have good manners and civilized acts. Actually the well-civilized society comes into existence only due to the civilized people, and when a society is civilized, it means it is more successful than others. In the development of a country, civilization and good manners play a very important role . So, if a person does not behave well and lacks good manners, he is not only disrespectful to his society and home but he is also a shame for the whole country. When we visit another country, we are representing our whole nation in that country, and when we don’t have good manners, then our whole nation is thought to be uncivilized.
Thus, if you wish to be respected, then behave like a civilized and well-mannered person.
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6 . Culture shock isn’t a clinical term or medical conditions. It’s simply a common way to describe the confusing and nervous feelings a person may have after leaving a familiar culture to live in a different culture.
Everyone feels the pressure to fit in at one time or another—whether they’ve lived in the area for days or years. But don’t feel like you need to change everything about yourself so you can stand out less.
Here are a few tips for making sure your new culture doesn’t overpower the old:
Educate people about your culture. Just because you’re the one entering the new culture doesn’t mean you should be the one doing all the learning.
Find a support group. Find kids in your class or neighborhood who recently moved, too. You can share experiences.
Remember, it’s important to be yourself.
| A．Keep in touch with home. |
| B．Understand the new culture. |
| C．But the good news is that culture shock is temporary. |
| D．When you move to a new place, you’re bound to face a lot of changes. |
| E．Try not to force yourself to change too fast or too many things all at once. |
| F．All of your experiences before you came to your new home are part of you. |
| G．Take the opportunity to teach classmates and new friends about your culture. |
Head over to South Bank and enjoy a winter feast，cocktails（鸡尾酒）and a nice view of the fireworks. You can choose to sit in their famous snow globes that give the best view of the fireworks. Four Globes are available for a wonderful winter feast. Each globe costs £3，000，which seats up to 10 people. The tickets are priced at £30 each.
New Year's Eve at the Roof Gardens
The Roof Gardens in Kensington has developed an event ensuring this is a New Year's Eve you'll never forget. They aim to transport you to the Hollywood Hills for a charming night. From popular DJs and special cocktails to a live band，delicious food from the BBQ grills，the night is full of food，drink and fun. Tickets are priced at f120 for club members, with standard tickets costing £160
London New Year's Eve Fireworks
This year，the New Year's Eve fireworks display will kick off with the legendary sound. Get your tickets and ensure a spot to see the show, and welcome New Year in the most festive way. The show is enjoyed by over 100. 000 people as well as being broadcast online for many more to see. Tickets are priced at just £10.
The Blitz Party by Bourne & Hollingsworth
Step into a true British air-raid shelter（防空洞）complete with sandbags. Hurricane lamps and maps for this 1940s themed party hosted by Bourne & Hollingsworth. Dress up as a uniformed soldier or lady and dance to live music.
And be careful The Blitz Party operates a strict 1940s dress rule. Tickets from £55.
1. How much should eight people pay in all if they want to enjoy the winter feast in a snow globe?| A．£3,240. | B．£3,000. |
| C．£240 | D．£240,000. |
| A．be served with cocktails |
| B．enjoy classic music of the past |
| C．dress up in the manner of the past |
| D．enjoy the nice fireworks at middle night |
| A．Foreign visitors to London. | B．New Year celebrations. |
| C．Birthday celebrations. | D．Music enjoyment, |
The Palace Museum received a
The 30-meter-long scroll(卷轴) is painted on silk. The painting describes trade routes(路线)
The map, which contains a large amount of geographic information, proves that China
Obviously, the map is a
At the moment further archaeological(考古学的), geographic and linguistic(语言的) research on the map
9 . There is nothing in the US quite like Black Friday. Before midnight on Thursday, in malls across the US, people start queuing up outside the locked entrances of stores, making longer and longer lines, holding coupons(优惠券), sipping coffee and hot chocolate, rubbing their hands and stamping(跺脚) their feet for warmth, excitedly chatting, and waiting for the clerks to open the door when the time arrives.
Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, “has become in recent decades a special American holiday”, said the International Business Times. Indeed, up to 147 million Black Friday shoppers were expected to put up with the dark of night and the elbows(手肘) of other shoppers so that they could bring home some bargains, according to the US National Retail Federation.
But why does the shopping festival have such a name?
The name was first used in Philadelphia in the 1970s. The streets and sidewalks of the city became so packed with traffic and crowds on the day after Thanksgiving Day that the local police did not look forward to it. Because of this, they called the day “Black Friday”, said The Huffington Post. However, others believe that Black Friday takes its name from the fact that because of the increase in sales on the day, shops are able for the first time in the year to move out of the “red” —that is, debt—and into the “black”, or profit. Businesses, of course, try to take advantage of this day. A decade ago, retailers(零售商) opened at 5 or 6 am. Now, many of the big stores open at midnight.
People really seem to like the whole experience of queuing up before midnight, “for it isn’t just about the bargains”, noted CNN. “For many shoppers, it’s just fun to be part of a large crowd. Those who go to the malls at midnight are driven by the same thing that makes a million people get together in Times Square each New Year’s Eve.”
1. Which of the following statements about Black Friday is TRUE?| A．It is a special day in the US on which government hands out coupons to customers. |
| B．It is a shopping festival in the US that falls on the second Friday after Thanksgiving. |
| C．It has been a traditional American holiday since the founding of the nation. |
| D．It is an opportunity for Americans to get things they want at a much lower price. |
| A．usually help each other to find good bargains |
| B．have a lot of complaints about the service of the retail clerks. |
| C．have great fun as part of the waiting crowd |
| D．have to wait until 5 am to 6 am to start shopping. |
| A．The shopping habits of Americans. |
| B．The origin and influences of Black Friday. |
| C．Tips on how to get good bargains on Black Friday. |
| D．People’s mixed feeling towards Black Friday. |
10 . Whenever Prince George steps out for an engagement, like on the royal tour of Canada, or poses(摆姿势) for official photographs, there’s one thing about the little royal that has long confused royal watchers: the fact that he only ever wears shorts.
According to William Hanson, an etiquette(礼仪) expert, there is a very good reason for this—and it has nothing to do with fashion, but rather royal tradition.
“It’s a very English thing to dress a young boy in shorts,” William Hanson said. “Trousers are for older boys and men, whereas shorts on young boys is one of those silent British class markers that we have in England. Although times are slowly changing, a pair of trousers on a young boy is considered quite middle class—quite suburban. No self-respecting royal would want to be considered suburban. Even the Duchess of Cambridge.”
The tradition can be traced back through the royal family, with both Princes William and Harry regularly seen wearing shorts until they were considered old enough to progress to full-length trousers.
“The usual custom is that a boy graduates to trousers around eight years old,” William added. “This is, historically, perhaps due to the practice of ‘breeching’, which dates back to the sixteenth century. A newborn boy would be dressed in a gown for their first year or two and then he was ‘breeched’ and wore articles of clothing that more resembled shorts or trousers than dresses.”
Ultimately, he concluded, in the case of William and Kate, the decision to dress George in shorts is more likely down to tradition than a class issue.
“The modern habit of upper class families choosing to dress their boys in shorts will deliberately hark back to(使人想起) a bygone age,” he said. “The British upper set are always keen to hold on to tradition, and this one also silently marks them out from ‘the rest’.”
1. Why does Prince George only wear shorts?| A．Prince George loves shorts. |
| B．Prince George loves sports. |
| C．Shorts are a sign of fashion. |
| D．Wearing shorts is a royal practice. |
| A．Reasonable. | B．Practical. |
| C．Traditional. | D．Fashionable. |
| A．They want to hold on to tradition. |
| B．They want to keep to royal fashion. |
| C．They want to train him to keep out the cold. |
| D．They want to ignore their social position. |
