Dear sir ,
I have travel every day from Souk Road to the airport. Two buses travel along the routes: the(路线): the number 49 and the number 16. But by the time the number 16 bus reaches Souk Road, it is always full, so I can’t get on it, I have to wait for the number 49 because sometimes there are empty seats on it.
The timetable says that there are buses from Souk Road to the airport every ten minutes. If this is true, why do I have to wait half an hour for a bus nearly every day?
The rules say that if there are empty seats on a bus, the bus must stop at every stop where people are waiting Why do the half-empty buses go straight(一直)past me when I am standing at bus stop?
The rules say that no bus may carry more than 40 seated passengers and 20 standing passengers. Yesterday I was the first to get off the bus when it reached the airport. I counted the other passengers as they got off. There were 129 people.
It is clear that our bus companies break the rules and think little of their passengers. Can nothing be done to make your service(服务) better?
Yours
Tired passenger
【小题1】This passage is __________.

A．a message

B．a talk

C．a story

D．a letter

【小题2】The writer has to take Bus No. 49 because______.

A．it arrives on time	B．it is not always full
C．it travels faster	D．it has fewer seats on it

【小题3】How long does the writer usually have to wait for a bus?

A．Ten minutes

B．One hour

C．Half an hour

D．Nearly a day

【小题4】The rules say that each bus may carry ________ passengers at most.

A．twenty

B．forty

C．sixty

D．one hundred and twenty-nine

【小题5】From the passage we can see that__________.

A．the bus service was poor

B．no passengers took their buses

C．no buses except the No. 49 bus passed Souk Road

D．the writer was always the first to get on bus

DIY, which means Do It Yourself, is quite popular in UK. Lots of stores and supermarkets sell DIY things. TV proprammes show people how to DIY.

English people like DIY. There is a saying in UK – “An Englishman’s home is his castle”. Huge numbers of people spend their holidays making their homes beautiful “castles”. If there is anything that needs fixing around their houses, such as painting the walls or putting in a new shower, they will do the jobs themselves. They share DIY experiences with their friends. More and more people have discovered the joy of DIY. Sometimes people also DIY for saving money. With the economic downturn at present, many people can not afford to buy a bigger house. They are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. It is not surprising that DIY is so popular.

  DIY can be difficult. There is a huge market for DIY furniture which people need to put together themselves with a few basic tools. However, people often find it not easy to build a piece of furniture because they can’t understand the instructions. Sometimes the instructions are simple and clear, but the furniture itself is difficult to build. One thing is for sure, though most DIY projects are started with the best intentions, many of them may not get finished. DIY can also be dangerous. For example, anything electrical should be done by a professional worker. Unluckily, many people don’t care about this warning and put themselves in danger. It is reported that in just one year over 230,000 people were hurt while doing DIY in UK, including 41,000 who fell off ladders.

  Therefore, DIY can bring us fun and help us save money, but it is not always as easy as it is thought to be if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe factories should make products that are easier and safer for us to DIY.

1.How do many English people spend their holidays according to the passage?

A.     Making their homes beautiful.   B. Visiting their friends.

B.     Travelling all over the world.   D. Making a lot of money.

2. Why do English people like DIY?

A.     Many stores sell DIY things.   B. DIY can bring them fun.

C. TV programmes teach them to DIY   D. All DIY projects are easy.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A.     DIY is a waste of money.   B. It is always difficult to DIY.

B.     We should be careful while doing DIY.   D. It’s very safe for us to DIY

4.In the passage, “we bite off more than we can chew” probably means ___________.

A. we can eat everything we like   B. we should do something difficult

C. we do something that is too difficult   D. we eat too much food that is not safe

 

DIY, which means Do It Yourself, is quite popular in UK. Lots of stores and supermarkets sell DIY things. TV programs show people how to DIY.
English people like DIY. There is a saying in UK---“An Englishman’s home is his castle”. Huge numbers of people spend their holidays making their homes beautiful “castles”. If there is anything that needs fixing around their houses, such as painting the walls or putting in a new shower, they will do the jobs themselves. They share DIY experiences with their friends. More and more people have discovered the joy of DIY. Sometimes people also DIY for saving money. With the economic downturn at present, many people can not afford to buy a bigger house. They are looking at how they can make their houses better without spending a lot of money. It is not surprising that DIY is so popular.
DIY can be difficult. There is a huge market for DIY furniture which people need to put together themselves with a few basic(基本的) tools (工具). However, people often find it not easy to build a piece of furniture because they can’t understand the instructions. Sometimes the instructions are simple and clear, but the furniture itself is difficult to build. One thing is for sure, though most DIY projects are started with the best intentions (目的，意图), many of them may not get finished. DIY can also be dangerous. For example, anything electrical should be done by a professional worker. Unluckily, many people don’t care about this warning and put themselves in danger. It is reported that in just one year over 230 000 people were hurt while doing DIY in UK, including 41 000 who fell off ladders (梯子).
Therefore, DIY can bring us fun and help us save money, but it is not always as easy as it is thought to be if we bite off more than we can chew. Maybe factories should make products that are easier and safer for us to DIY.
【小题1】How do many English people spend their holidays according to the passage ?

A．Making their homes beautiful.	B．Visiting their friends.
C．Traveling all over the world.	D．Making a lot of money.

【小题2】Why do English people like DIY ?

A．Many stores sell DIY things.	B．DIY can bring them fun.
C．TV programs teach them to DIY.	D．All DIY projects are easy.

【小题3】What can we learn from the passage ?

A．DIY is a waste of money.

B．It is always difficult to DIY.

C．We should be careful while doing DIY.

D．It’s very safe to DIY.

【小题4】In the passage, “we bite off more than we can chew.” probably means___________

A．we can eat everything we like.

B．we should do something difficult.

C．we do something that is too difficult.

D．we eat too much food that is not safe.

Before you hit ‘Enter’ on MSN, read this
It is often said that the language we use online is less formal than that we use in a letter, or in direct speech sometimes. This is true, but it can also make us in trouble sometimes.
The thing about online communication is that you have no idea what the person who is reading your messages is feeling. For this reason, it is always a good idea to be polite and cautious when writing e-mails or messages to your friends.
Chinese can be a direct language, but in English, people often talk about a subject in another way. So instead of saying “Please meet me here” or “Do this for me now”, English speakers usually go for indirect phrases like “Would it be possible”, “if you have time” or “It would mean a lot to me if…”
If you have a close friend, you may still run into trouble because of your jokes. If you have asked someone to do something and they need a bit more time, you might joke with him: “What? You still haven’t done it yet? What’s wrong with you?” While this seems funny to you, your friend may feel unhappy.
If you have foreign friends in different countries, the time difference can also be a factor. While you are waking up for class on Friday morning, they may be having a party on Friday night. You will be serious and they will, probably, be excited. So don’t be angry if they seem not to care about you. Just try to message them at the proper time.
【小题1】 According to the passage, we learn that our letters are more ______ than the e-mails.

A．formal	B．direct
C．different	D．funny

【小题2】 As a language, Chinese is ______, but English is not.

A．polite	B．rude
C．direct	D．formal

【小题3】 Why should we be polite and cautious while chatting online?

A．Because we mustn’t play jokes online.

B．Because our friends are easy to be angry.

C．Because it can help us avoid lots of troubles.

D．Because we can’t see our friends online.

【小题4】 According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．It is OK to connect your friend by MSN anytime.

B．Using the proper way to chat online is necessary.

C．Don’t ask your friend to do something for you by MSN.

D．Never play jokes with your friends.