"Tipping" (给小费)is always a difficult business. You do not want to give too much or too little, or tip the wrong person.

In Britain and America, people usually tip waiters in restaurants, porters, taxi drivers and hairdressers. They do not tip people in offices, cinemas, garages or airports.

Do you invite your friend to the restaurant? Then you pay the bill. Does your friend invite you? Your friend pays. If there are men and women in the party, the men usually pay.

These days, men and women are equal in many ways. If you work in Britain or America, your boss could be a man or a woman. There are increasing numbers of women in important positions in politics, law, medicine and in the business world.

But it is still polite for men to open doors for women and to ask them to go first.

And it is polite for men to stand up when they are introduced to women.

5. In this passage, the writer tells us ________.

A. not to give any tip to others

B. only to give tip to women

C. only to give tip in restaurants

D. to give tip to the right person

6. If you have had a meal with your friend in a restaurant, ________.

A. you should pay the bill

B. your friend should pay the bill

C. the person who invites the other person should pay the bill

D. you should ask your friend to pay the bill

7. Today in Britain and America _______ .

A. women are quite equal to men

B. men hold all the important positions in politics

C. women hold all the important positions in business

D. women have changed their conditions in many ways

8. It is impolite for a man to ________.

A. open a door for a woman and to go first himself

B. stand beside a woman

C. let a woman go first

D. stand up when he is introduced to a woman

“Tomorrow is another day”---- this line has impressed various people at various times. It's now 70 years after it appeared in the film, but it still seems to hold its power especially during an economic downturn.

The phrase comes from a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's successful 1936 novel Gone With the Wind. It's set in the American South and tells the story of a strong heroine, Scarlett O' Hara, who struggles to find love during the Civil War and, afterwards, of her strength in surviving the war and its hardships.

Love story 

In a moment of despair, Scarlett finally realizes that her love belongs to Rhett Butler. For many audiences, it is the theme of love and struggle that has kept the movie alive. While the burning of Atlanta might seem irrelevant(不相关的) to today's viewers, the timeless theme of love keeps its ability to touch people.

With a promise to her lover still in her mind, Scarlett chooses to stay in the midst of war and take care of Melanie. But her heart is broken when Rhett just walks away, leaving the woman that he once loved with cruel words, "Frankly, dear, I don' t give a damn."(毫不在乎)

Great epic (史诗)

The film shows the love-hate relationship of these characters, but also American history, the fall of the Confederacy and the following period of Reconstruction in the South. The background made this film a true classic in the epic genre.

When the film opened after World War II, French viewers loved it, and it reminded them of their fight against the Nazis. In 1940 Shanghai, during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression(侵略), people stood in line for hours to watch this film, and saw the same suffering they were having as well as the hope and possibility of building a new homeland from the ruins.

     Each nationality could identify with the story and see it as a victory. In fact, Gone With the Wind never lost its charm and ability to inspire and amaze.

Biggest of all time

The film had five directors, 15-plus screenwriters, and an unexpected $3.9 million budget. The film brought in $ 200 million, which makes it the biggest selling film of all times in North America. It also won 10 Academy awards in 1940.

1.The underlined "it" in the first paragraph refers to _______.

    A. the novel Gone with the Wind            B. "tomorrow is another day"

    C. the movie Gone with the Wind            D. the Academy Award

2. The text is written mainly to _______.

   A. celebrate the anniversary of Margaret Mitchell

   B. introduce how the film was directed and filmed

   C. throw light on the charm of the movie "Gone with the Wind"

   D. inspire people to struggle the economic downturn

3. It can be concluded that Scarlett O' Hara is _______.

   A. optimistic and lucky                    B. childish and realistic

   C. caring and stubborn (固执的)              D. strong-minded and persistent (坚毅的)

4. The passage mentions Shanghai in order to _______.

   A. prove that the background of the movie touched viewers

   B. describe how popular the movie was at that time

   C. point out that Shanghai was a center of entertainment

   D. tell us that Chinese were suffering the War then

In 1995, Susan Boyle went to Glasgow to audition（试镜）for My Kind of People, a televised talent show popular in the UK. She was immediately rejected. She was nervous during the audition, and felt she didn’t perform well, but her brother said that she was rejected because of her plain looks. Susan was not discouraged and continued to sing at church and at the karaoke nights in a local pub.

Susan suffered a personal loss in 1997, when her father passed away. After his death, Susan put her big dreams on hold to care for her sick mother, Bridget Boyle. The mother and daughter often talked of Susan’s possible fame. Bridget Boyle encouraged her daughter to take part in singing competitions. “She was the one who said I should enter Britain’s Got Talent. We used to watch it together,” Susan later told reporters. “She thought I would win.”

In 1999, Susan used all of her savings to pay for a professional demo（样本唱片）tape, which she sent to record companies. In 2002, Susan began taking singing lessons from voice coach Fred O’Neil.

In 2007, her mother passed away at the age of 91. A neighbor reported that when Bridget Boyle died, her daughter “wouldn’t come out for three or four days or answer the door or phone”. She lived alone with her cat, Pebbles. For over a year, she refused to sing. But in August of 2008, O’Neil urged her to try out for Britain’s Got Talent. Convinced that the performance would be an honor to her mother, Susan auditioned in Glasgow, Scotland. She sang I Dreamed A Dream, a hit song from the musical Les Miserables（《悲惨世界》）, in the first round of the show, which was aired on April 11, 2009.

The 47-year-old Scottish woman's plain looks provided a sharp contrast（对比）to her powerfully beautiful voice. The performance astonished the audience and the judges. Online videos of her performance totaled over 40 million views within a week. Although she failed to win the final of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle became globally popular. Her first album I Dreamed A Dream has sold over five million copies.

1. Bridget Boyle’s attitude towards her daughter’s musical talent can be described as ___.

   A. critical    B. doubtful     C. indifferent     D. confident

2. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that Susan _____.

A. was slightly discouraged by her voice coac B. entered Britain’s Got Talent to prove her ability

C. decided to give up her singing career    D. was deeply affected by her mother’s death

3. Which of the following is TRUE about Susan Boyle?

A. Her international fame grew rapidly in 2008. B. Her audition for My Kind of People failed.

C. She has never stopped singing since 1995.  D. She was the winner of Britain’s Got Talent. 

4. We can infer from the passage that ______.

A. Susan Boyle was convinced by her brother that her plain looks were disadvantageous to her success

B. It was at the age of forty that Susan Boyle established a student-teacher relationship with O’Neil.

C. Susan Boyle was so struck by her father’s death that she shut herself out from the neighborhood.

D. The online views of Les Miserables numbered over 40 million within a week in 2009.

5.In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ______.

A. tell us how Susan’s dream come true       B. let us know more about Susan’s personal life

C. show how Susan was influenced by her family D. explain how to enter and win a talent show

D

Americans are pound of their variety- and individuality(多样性与个性), yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform（制服）, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity (身份) than to step out of uniform ?

Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible (可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also dear to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

1.It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality________.

A．still judge a man by his clothes

B．hold the uniform in such high regard

C．enjoy having a professional identity

D．will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

2. People are used to thinking that a man in uniform________.

A．suggests quality work

B．discards his social identity

C．appears to be more practical

D．looks superior to a person in civilian clothes

3.The chief function of a uniform is to________.

A．provide practical benefits to the wearer

B．make the wearer catch the public eye

C．inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself

D．provide the wearer with a professional identity

4.According to the passage, people wearing uniforms________.

A．are usually helpful

B．have little or no individual freedom

C．tend to lose their individuality

D．enjoy greater popularity