Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.

Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often re­member a friend’s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner — that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.

You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, ‘It’s so nice. Thanks…’when you get Christ­mas or birthday presents.

You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.

At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year like doormen, babysitters, housecleaners , newspaper senders — anyone who has often helped us.

1.What do the underlined words ‘close friends’ mean in the passage?

A．The friends who are very kind.

B．The friends who live close to each other.

C．The friends who were once classmates.

D．The friends who you like most.

2.What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?

A．The small presents.

B．Christmas or birthday presents.

C．The expensive presents.

D．The presents for dinner party.

3.Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?

A．To pay them.

B．To help them.

C．To thank them.

D．To make them work harder.

4.Which of the following do you think is right?

A．American business people don’t want presents because they are rich enough.

B．The writer of this passage must be an American.

C．Everyone must give presents to one’s family and friends at Christmas.

D．Government employees can get little presents from a foreigner.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Present-giving in the United States.

B．Customs (习俗) in the United States.

C．American people and present-giving.

D．When and how to give presents.

 

When I was a kid in Minnesota, watermelon was expensive. One of my father’s friends, Bernie, was a rich businessman, who owned a large store in St. Paul.
Every summer, when the first watermelons arrived, Bernie would call. Dad and I would go to Bernie’s place. We’d sit on the edge of the dock（码头）, feet dangling（摇晃）, and got ready for a big meal.
Bernie would take his knife, cut our first watermelon, hand us both a big piece and sit down next to us. Then we’d bury our faces in watermelon, eating only the heart—the reddest, juiciest, firmest, sweetest, most seed-free part—and throw away the rest.
Bernie was my father’s idea of a rich man. I always thought it was because he was such a successful businessman. Years later, I realized that it was not Bernie’s wealth itself but his way of dealing with it that my father liked. Bernie knew how to stop working, get together with friends and eat only the heart of the watermelon.
What I learned from Bernie is that being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to eat only the heart of the watermelon. If you don’t take the time to dangle your feet over the dock and enjoy life’s small pleasure, your work is probably hurting your life.
For many years, I forgot that lesson I’d learned as a kid on the loading dock. I was too busy making all the money I could.
Well, I’ve relearned it. I hope I have time left to enjoy the success of others and to take pleasure in the day. That’s the heart of the watermelon. I have learned again to throw the rest away.
【小题1】 We learned from the second paragraph that the writer and his father were feeling ______.

A．relaxed

B．worried

C．hungry

D．proud

【小题2】How did the writer and his father eat the watermelon?

A．They ate it in a polite way.	B．They only ate its best part.
C．They ate every part of it.	D．They shared only one piece.

【小题3】 In the eyes of the writer’s father, Bernie ______.

A．was just a rich businessman	B．worked hard all the time
C．lived a rich but healthy life	D．knew how to make money

【小题4】The underlined part “the heart of the watermelon” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A．the best part of the watermelon	B．the writer’s busy life
C．the writer’s decision of making money	D．the writer’s hope of enjoying life

【小题5】It can be learned from the passage that ______.

A．one has to work hard to reach his goal	B．a friend in need is a friend in deed
C．watermelon is the healthiest fruit	D．one should keep work-life balance

用方框内单词的正确形式填空,每个单词限用一次。(10分)

good, bad, much, but, ,a little, close, friendly, place, never, from, take,

  Carol’s restaurant has the  1. delicious food in town.  2.  there is one problem. It’s not in a fun part of town .It  3.about fifteen minutes to walk there   4.  school. My friends and I usually go to Lenny’s lunch Bar. It’s    5.   to our school than Carol’s and the food really isn’t bad.

The people at Lenny’s are also  6.  than those at Carol’s. In fact, Lenny’s is one of the friendliest 7.    in town. They have the biggest hamburgers and the  8. salad. But their pizza is pretty 9.  .You should  10.     have pizza at Lenny’s!

 

Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.

Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often re­member a friend’ s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner — that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.

You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, ‘It’s so nice. Thanks…’when you get Christ­mas or birthday presents.

You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.

At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year like doormen, babysitters, housecleaners , newspaper senders — anyone who has often helped us.

1.What do the underlined words ‘close friends’ mean in the passage?

A．The friends who are very kind.

B．The friends who live close to each other.

C．The friends who were once classmates.

D．The friends who you like most.

2.What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?

A．The small presents

B．Christmas or birthday presents.

C．The expensive presents.

D．The presents for dinner party.

3.Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?

A．To pay them.

B．To help them.

C．To thank them.

D．To make them work harder.

4.Which of the following do you think is right?

A．American business people don’t want presents because they are rich enough.

B．The writer of this passage must be an American.

C．Everyone must give presents to one’s family and friends at Christmas.

D．Government employees can get little presents from a foreigner.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Present-giving in the United States.

B．Customs (习俗) in the United States.

C．American people and present-giving.

D．When and how to give presents.

 

Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.
Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often re­member a friend’ s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner — that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.
You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, ‘It’s so nice. Thanks…’when you get Christ­mas or birthday presents.
You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.
At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year like doormen, babysitters, housecleaners , newspaper senders — anyone who has often helped us.
【小题1】What do the underlined words ‘close friends’ mean in the passage?

A．The friends who are very kind.

B．The friends who live close to each other.

C．The friends who were once classmates.

D．The friends who you like most.

【小题2】What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?

A．The small presents

B．Christmas or birthday presents.

C．The expensive presents.

D．The presents for dinner party.

【小题3】Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?

A．To pay them.

B．To help them.

C．To thank them.

D．To make them work harder.

【小题4】Which of the following do you think is right?

A．American business people don’t want presents because they are rich enough.

B．The writer of this passage must be an American.

C．Everyone must give presents to one’s family and friends at Christmas.

D．Government employees can get little presents from a foreigner.

【小题5】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Present-giving in the United States.

B．Customs (习俗) in the United States.

C．American people and present-giving.

D．When and how to give presents.