Popular breakfast foods in the United States, as in many other countries around the world, include coffee, milk , juice, eggs, and bread. Some other breakfast items served in the United States are thought by many to be traditionally American. However, they actually come from other cultures.
A very popular breakfast food in America is the pancake--- a thin , flat cake made out of flour and often served with maple syrup. The idea of the pancake is very old. In fact, pancakes were made long ago in ancient China.
Bagels, a round thick bread with a hole in the middle , are also popular for breakfast in America. Polish people in the late 1600s came up with the idea for the first bagels and this new kind of bread soon took off across Eastern Europe.
In the late 1800s, thousands of Jews from Eastern Europe travelled to the United States and brought the recipe for bagels with them. Today, New York bagels are said to be the best in the world. Many people have them with cream for breakfast on the go.
Doughnuts (usually spelled “donut” in the United States) came from France. They were served to American soldiers in France in the World War Ⅰ. After the war, American soldiers asked cooks in the United States to make doughnuts for them. Now , served with coffee, they are a very popular breakfast food across the United States.
【小题1】This reading is mainly about ________

A．famous places to eat breakfast.

B．why people in the United States eat breakfast

C．the most popular types of pancakes in the United States

D．the history of popular breakfast foods in the United States.

【小题2】The oldest breakfast food in the passage is ______

A．the pancake

B．the bagel

C．the doughnut

D．The passage doesn’t say.

【小题3】Which sentence is true for both bagels and donuts?

A．They both came from Europe	B．They are both easy to make
C．They are both sweet	D．people in New York make them best

【小题4】Who brought bagels to America?

A．Polish people

B．Jewish People

C．Chinese People

D．American soldiers

【小题5】Who served donuts to American soldiers during World War Ⅰ?

A．French people	B．Jewish people
C．other American soldiers	D．cooks from the United States.

An idea that started in Seattle's public library has spread throughout America and beyond. The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.
In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit(追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools. The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched(发起) the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book " project in 1998. Her original program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
In Chicago, the mayor(市长) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program. As a result, reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city. Across the US, stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population. This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity can be achieved. Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than discussion about a book itself.
Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have shared a word.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A．To invite authors to guide readers.

B．To encourage people to read and share.

C．To involve people in community service.

D．To promote the friendship between cities.

【小题2】 Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A．They had little interest in reading.

B．They were too busy to read a book.

C．They came from many different backgrounds.

D．They lacked support from the local government.

【小题3】According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A．In large communities with little sense of unity.

B．In large cities where libraries are far from home.

C．In medium-sized cities with a diverse population.

D．In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

【小题4】 The underlined words “shared a word” in Paragraph 5 probably mean      .

A．exchanged ideas with each other

B．discussed the meaning of a word

C．gained life experience

D．used the same language

【小题5】According to Nancy, the degree of students of the project is judged by           .

A．the careful selection of a proper book

B．the growing popularity of the writers

C．the number of people who benefit from reading

D．the number of books that each person reads

Section One
The city is an accumulation of human civilization. Just as the American social philosopher (哲学家) Lewis Mumford put it, it is a special system which, fine and compact, has been designed to preserve the fruits of human civilization. Many Western languages have developed their versions of the term “civilization” from the same Latin (拉丁语的) word “civitas”(meaning “city”), and it is by no means a coincidence. The city has played a significant role in the perfection of order in human society.
Section Two
The emblem, showing the image of three people ― you, me, him/her holding hands together, symbolizes the big family of mankind. Inspired by the shape of the Chinese character “世” (meaning the world), the design conveys the organizers' wish to host an Expo which is of global scale and which displays the various urban cultures of the world.
Section Three
Created from the inspiration of Chinese character “人”, the design roots deeply in Chinese culture. It tells the world the eternal core (永恒的核心) and theme of Shanghai World Expo will be always human. The mascot “Haibao” will become the messenger for the theme of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China “Better City, Better Life”.
The basic structure of the Chinese character “人” in which each stroke(一笔，一划) supports each other also shows the concept that the beautiful life should depends on mutual-help. If the human are willing to support one another, the harmony among human, nature, and society will be available. Such an urban life will be nice.
Haibao’s confident smile is expressing his sincere greeting from China ― “World Expo 2010 Shanghai China welcomes you!”
【小题1】 Section One mainly tells us about ______.

A．the part cities play in human civilization

B．the development of the word “city”

C．why the Expo is held in Shanghai

D．where human civilization originated

【小题2】 The underlined word “it” in Section One refers to ______.

A．the civilization

B．the philosopher

C．the word

D．the city

【小题3】 Which correctly matches the sections with the pictures described in the passage?
【小题4】 The second paragraph in Section Three explains how the creation is connected with the _____ of the Chinese word “人”.

A．story

B．meaning

C．shape

D．usage

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.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910, the first Father’s Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to establish Father’s Day as a national commemorative day in 1972.
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 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. 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.
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is
NOT true?

A．It is a day to show love to mothers

B．It is a day to wear carnations

C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery

D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services

【小题2】Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed.
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance. 
d. The idea of honoring fathers was brought up

A．a b c d

B．d a b c

C．b a c d

D．d a c b

【小题3】Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?

A．Mrs. Do

B．Margaret Chase Smith

C．Ann Jarvis

D．Woodrow Wilson

【小题4】From the passage, we know in the U.S. ________________.

A．one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother pass away

B．on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues

C．on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day.

D．The purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents

【小题5】The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________

A．call on people to love and respect their parents

B．introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

C．tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

D．show how important fathers and mothers are

YOUR mom might cook a bowl of noodles for you on your birthday. But in the US, a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday.
Cupcakes are small, round cakes topped with frosting (糖霜). It has been an American tradition that moms bring cupcakes to the classroom to celebrate their child’s birthday.
But recently some doctors have called for this to be banned. They believe cupcakes contribute to child obesity.
Despite their good intentions, however, some people believe that experts are interfering (妨碍) with American culture. The cupcake is seen as American as apple pie — only prettier.
According to Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, the cupcake is the most democratic (民主的) of desserts. As they are small enough for one person, you don’t have to share your cupcake with anyone — it’s all yours. They are also all the same size, so there can’t be any cries of “she got the bigger piece!”
Each bite can taste different depending on how much icing you have. It is a lesson in self- determination. Some people eat only a little of the frosting every time, others have it all in just one bite.
In recent years, eating a cupcake has become as trendy as having a cup of Starbucks coffee.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton jokingly promised on a talk show that if she was elected president, she would give everyone a cupcake on her birthday.
Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, explains that the rise of the cupcake is very much about going back to American national identity in food, which is all about comfort. “People want to think about when they and their country were innocent,” she said.
【小题1】According to the passage, it has been an American tradition that ___________.

A．the family holds a party for children on their birthday

B．a mom cooks a bowl of noodles for her children on their birthday

C．a mom makes a cupcake for her children on their birthday and brings it to the classroom

D．parents go travelling with their children on their birthday

【小题2】Why do doctors ask people to ban cupcakes on children’s birthday?

A．Because they themselves don’t like cupcakes.

B．Because they think cupcakes are not so delicious.

C．Because they believe cupcakes will cause cries of “She got the bigger piece”.

D．Because they believe cupcakes are one of the causes to make children become fat.

【小题3】What cannot be inferred according to Marion Nestle?

A．The cupcake is more democratic than any other desserts in the US.

B．The cupcake is too small to share with others.

C．The sizes of cupcakes are the same so it’s equal to everyone.

D．Cupcakes will lead to child obesity so they should be banned.

【小题4】The underlined word “trendy” in paragraph 7 probably means ________.

A．popular

B．gentle

C．delicious

D．different

【小题5】Why did the writer mention Hillary Clinton and Ruth Reichl?

A．To arouse the readers’ attention to banning the tradition of making cupcakes.

B．To show that cupcakes are becoming a popular way to show kindness and comfort.

C．To make a comparison between them in order for readers to remember them.

D．To give readers some idea of cupcakes so as to better understand the American culture

Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调)．
One of the study’s authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”．This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr.Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A single­syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study，the researchers looked at 20 non­Chinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings：squint，bewilder and rice. The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study，Patrick C．M.Wong，said it might work both ways. It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
【小题1】When learning Chinese，a foreigner will find ________.

A．he has a difficult time learning music at the same time

B．he has an easier time learning music at the same time

C．it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand

D．it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch

【小题2】Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?

A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music.

B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain.

C．Because music training might help people with language study.

D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music.

【小题3】The underlined word “intoned” in the fourth paragraph can be replaced by the word “____”．

A．created	B．spelled
C．seemed	D．pronounced

【小题4】What would be the best title for this passage?

A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers

B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study

C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning

D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs

The first newspapers were written by hand and put up on walls in public place. The earliest daily newspaper was started in Rome in 59 BC. In the 700’s the world’s first printed newspaper was published. Europe didn’t have a regularly published newspaper until 1609, when one was started in Germany.
The first regularly published newspaper in the English language was printed in Amsterdam in 1620. In 1621, an English newspaper was started in London and was published once a week. The first daily English newspaper was the Daily Courant (每日新闻). It came out in March 1702.
In 1690, Benjamin Harris printed the first American newspaper in Boston. But not long after it was first published, the government stopped the paper. In 1704, John Campbell started The Boston Newsletter (波斯顿新闻通讯), the first newspaper published in the American colonies. By 1760, the colonies had more than thirty daily newspapers. There are now about 1,800 daily papers in the United States.
Today, as a group, English language newspapers have the largest circulation (发行量) in the world. But the largest circulation for a newspaper is that of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Dhimbun (朝日新闻). It sells more than eleven million copies every day.
【小题1】The first daily newspaper came out in _____.

A．59 BC

B．700’s

C．1609

D．1620

【小题2】The first regular published newspaper in Europe was printed in _____.

A．England

B．Sweden

C．France

D．Germany

【小题3】The first printed newspaper in America came out in _____.

A．Washington

B．Boston

C．New York

D．New Orleans

【小题4】Today there are about _____ daily newspaper printed in the United States.

A．1621

B．1704

C．1760

D．1800

Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal（信号）. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasize（强调）the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.
【小题1】In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to__________.

A．develop closer relations	B．share the same culture
C．get to know each other	D．keep each other company

【小题2】 The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that__________.

A．the English prefer to make long speeches

B．too many words are of no use

C．people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature

D．even talk and silence can be culturally different

【小题3】According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?

A．By sharing different ways of life.	B．By accepting different habits.
C．By recognizing different values.	D．By speaking each other’ s languages.

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Multicultural Environment.	B．Cross-Cultural Differences.
C．How to Understand Each Other.	D．How to Build Up a Relationship.

【小题5】Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．I talked too much in the speech, which surprised the audience.

B．Within Northern Europe, there are no such things as cultural differences.

C．There is no way to overcome cultural differences.

D．Different cultures have difference in relationship building.

   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 “VACABCUES”, which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said “NO VACANCIES”, 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.”
【小题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

【小题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

【小题3】“NO VACANCIES” in English means__________.

A．no free rooms	B．free rooms
C．not away on holiday	D．holidays

【小题4】If you see a road sign that says “Diversion” in UK, 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

【小题5】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

There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system, and the traditional system.
　　In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money.
　　An alternative to the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy.
　　In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition; every person’s place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste（阶级） may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. An inactive society may result.
【小题1】What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To outline contrasting types of economic systems.

B．To explain the science of economics.

C．To argue for the superiority of one economic system.

D．To compare barter and money-exchange markets.

【小题2】In the second paragraph, the underlined word “real” could best be replaced by _______.

A．valuable

B．concrete

C．absolute

D．reliable

【小题3】According to the passage, a barter economy can generate ______.

A．rapid speed of transactions	B．misunderstandings
C．inflation	D．difficulties for the traders

【小题4】According to the passage, who has the greatest degree of control in the administered system?

A．Individual households.	B．Small businesses.
C．Major corporations.	D．The government.

【小题5】Which of the following is not mentioned by the author as a criterion（标准）for determining a person’s position in a traditional society?

A．Family background	B．Age
C．Religious beliefs.	D．Custom