The Yangko Dance is a traditional Chinese folk dance
Before the Yangko Dance starts, the music
During the dance, the dancers are wagging their body and walking at
During the busy farming season the dancers work in the fields,
2 . In England recently three foreign gentlemen came to a bus stop and waited. About five minutes later, the bus that they wanted came along. They were just going to get on when suddenly there was a loud noise behind them. People rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way. Someone shouted at them. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see what all the trouble was about. The three foreigners seemed all at sea and looked embarrassed. No one had told them about the British custom of lining up for a bus that the first person who arrives at the bus stop is the first person to get on the bus.
Learning the language of a country isn’t enough. If you want to have a pleasant visit, find out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your host country. You will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man shaking his head at another to show that he doesn’t agree. But in many parts of India, a shake of the head means agreement. Nodding your head when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty.
1. Why did the British people try to push the three gentlemen out of the way?| A．They were foreigners. | B．They didn’t line up for the bus. |
| C．They didn’t have tickets. | D．They made a loud noise. |
| A．have enough time and money |
| B．learn the language of the country |
| C．make friends with the people there |
| D．understand the manners and customs of the country |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Tired. |
| C．Pleased. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．help yourself at table | B．eat food with your hands |
| C．pass food with the left hand | D．use the right hand for passing food at table |
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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4 . 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. |
5 . When HarmonyOs, the Chinese self-developed operating system for Huawei mobile devices, was released on Aug 9, it quickly became a hot topic on social media. Many believe it not only represents the rise of the country as a tech power, but also shows respect to classical Chinese culture by naming the system “Hongmeng” in Chinese.
“Hongmeng” is a classical word from Zhuangzi. In the ancient times of Chinese legend and myths(神话), “Hongmeng” was used to describe the original state of the universe before matter existed. For HarmonyOS, “Hongmeng” indicates the developers’ aim to make an innovative operating system, unlike any other.
Besides “Hongmeng”, Huawei has also registered many of its products under the names of legendary creatures from Chinese myths. For example, the company’s Kirin mobile chip got its name after a lucky monster called “Qilin”. And its server chip is called “Kunpeng”, a creature that changed from a fish into a giant bird.
Many Chinese Internet users and media have praised Huawei’s use of these names, “as they stand for Chinese wisdom and ancient people’s imagination and spirit of exploration”, Global Times noted.
In fact, Huawei is not alone in using traditional culture for modern ventures. Ne Zha, the new film, also portrays traditional culture in a modern context. The movie is loosely based on the well-known work of classical Chinese myth The Investiture of the Gods. Earlier this month it became the biggest animated movie in China and was called “the glory of domestic anime(国产动漫)”.
Indeed, the long history and splendid classic works have given China a profound culture. Myths and legends are the creative woks of tremendous imagination. As Global Times put it, today by revisiting a modern context, “ancient myths has the power to inspire imagination in young people”. After all, imagination is the beginning of creation.
1. What do we know about HamonyOS?| A．Its release raised a storm of objections. |
| B．It is named after creature in myth. |
| C．It combines high technology and culture. |
| D．It’s the best operating system. |
| A．creative | B．modern |
| C．popular | D．intelligent |
| A．The film Ne Zha is not adapted from myths. |
| B．The film Ne Zha is a big hit. |
| C．More businesses follow Huawei’s lead. |
| D．Ancient myths is a good choice for entertainment. |
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,
7 . 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 |
8 . China has been drinking tea since the time of Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Britain’s relationship with tea is much shorter, but tea enjoys pride of place as the UK’s national drink. According to the UK Tea Council, British people drink an average of three cups a day or a national total of 165 million cups every day.
With figures like these, it is no surprise that time spent taking tea affects the working day in Britain. A recent survey found that 24 minutes a day are lost to making, buying and drinking tea and coffee. That is, £400 a year is lost in working hours per employee, or 190 days over a lifetime. So, should employers be worried about this lost working time, or does the tea break make up in other ways?
One argument is that caffeine improves mental state: a drink of tea or coffee can make you active and focus on work.
Professor Rogers of the University of Bristol disagrees. After years of studying caffeine he sees nothing can prove that. “Workers would perform equally well if not drinking it at all,” he says. “But if they’re often drinking it and then go without, they’ll feel tired and won’t work well.”
Psychologist Cooper instead emphasizes the role tea breaks play in office life, and in building social relationships. “We need to make people more active and see other people. The tea break is one way of doing this,” says Cooper.
And Professor Rogers also points out the comfort effect of a hot drink: “We warm our hands on them on a cold day; they’re comforting and play a big role in our everyday life. Whatever the caffeine’s doing, I’d say these 24 minutes aren’t wasted.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．Tea Breaks cannot make people more active at work. |
| B．British people drink more tea than people in other countries. |
| C．Tea break plays an important role in people’s life in Britain. |
| D．A lot of time has been wasted drinking tea in the working day. |
| A．£400 is lost in working hours for each person |
| B．tea breaks take up 24 minutes in a working day |
| C．people spends 190 days drinking tea and coffee each year |
| D．people drink 165 million cups in working hours every day |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Doubtful. |
9 . China has been drinking tea since the time of Shennong, 5,000 years ago. Britain’s relationship with tea is much shorter, but tea enjoys pride of place as the UK’s national drink. According to the UK Tea Council, British people drink an average of three cups a day or a national total of 165 million cups every day.
With figures like these, it is no surprise that time spent taking tea affects the working day in Britain. A recent survey found that 24 minutes a day are lost to making, buying and drinking tea and coffee. That is, £400 a year is lost in working hours per employee, or 190 days over a lifetime. So, should employers be worried about this lost working time, or does the tea break make up in other ways?
One argument is that caffeine improves mental state: a drink of tea or coffee can make you active and focus on work.
Professor Rogers of the University of Bristol disagrees. After years of studying caffeine he sees nothing can prove that. “Workers would perform equally well if not drinking it at all,” he says. “But if they’re often drinking it and then go without, they’ll feel tired and won’t work well.”
Psychologist Cooper instead emphasizes the role tea breaks play in office life, and in building social relationships. “We need to make people more active and see other people. The tea break is one way of doing this,” says Cooper.
And Professor Rogers also points out the comfort effect of a hot drink: “We warm our hands on them on a cold day; they’re comforting and play a big role in our everyday life. Whatever the caffeine’s doing, I’d say these 24 minutes aren’t wasted.”
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．Tea Breaks cannot make people more active at work. |
| B．British people drink more tea than people in other countries. |
| C．Tea break plays an important role in people’s life in Britain. |
| D．A lot of time has been wasted drinking tea in the working day. |
| A．£400 is lost in working hours for each person |
| B．tea breaks take up 24 minutes in a working day |
| C．people spends 190 days drinking tea and coffee each year |
| D．people drink 165 million cups in working hours every day |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Uncertain. | D．Doubtful. |
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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