How to talk to a foreigner? Students often want to practice their English outside class．One of the best ways to practice your English is to speak to a foreigner．This week's question comes from a student who is eager to start a conversation with the foreigners he sees every day．He asks, “Is it okay to talk to foreigners I see in the street? The answer is yes and no, but probably no．If you see a foreigner who looks lost，it is polite to ask him。”May I help you? But，otherwise（除此之外），you should probably let him get on with his business．Situations，however, do exist where it is quite all right to talk to foreigners．If a foreigner enters year school，classroom，office，shop or restaurant，for instance，feel free to ask them  （for example）：

--May I know your name，please?

--Where do you come from?

--What do you think of Beijing?

--How long will you stay in Beijing?

There are also situations where it's okay to talk to foreigners in public places．If you see a foreigner alone in a restaurant，bar or care, it may be appropriate（恰当的）to ask him or her：

--Is this seat free?

--Do you mind if I talk to you in English?

--You pan probably help them if they are new to China and if they are alone，you may be able to make them feel more welcome．After a few such questions, you should know whether this person wants to talk to you or not．If they ask you similar questions, or if they give long, informative（提供有用信息的）answers, you're in luck．If not，then give them their privacy（独处）．Talking to strangers is fun if you choose the right time and place．

1、One way to practice your spoken English is to try to talk with         ．

A、your friends           B、foreigners              C、your classmates      D、your teacher

2、When you first meet a foreigner，you should probably say         ．

A、Where are you going?                              B、Have you eaten your dinner?

C、Can you help me with my English?               D、How do you do?

3、The writer suggests that we should         ．

A、follow foreigners when we meet them in the street

B、talk with a foreigner at a good time

C、have a meal with foreigners in a restaurant

D、move to a place where a foreigner lives

Foreign visitors are often puzzled (迷惑不解) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is just across the bus stop.”

In the Midwest of America, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so people will tell you directions (方向) and distance (距离). In Kansas, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure (测量) distance by telling time. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

People in Greece (希腊) sometimes do not even try to give directions because few visitors understand the Greek languages. Instead of giving you the directions, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think “I don’t know” is not polite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

One thing will help you everywhere. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go on in that direction, and you may find the post office!

(　 ) 53. What do you think of the word “landmark” mean?

　　　　 A. Street names.　　　　　　　

B. Building names.

　　　　 C. Hotels, markets and bus stops.　

D. Buildings or places which are easily seen (看到).

(　 ) 54. In the passage, ________ countries are mentioned (提到).

　　　　 A. seven　　　　　　　　　　 B. four　　　　　 C. five　　　　　 D. eight

(　 ) 55. The passage mainly tells us that _________.

　　　　 A. there are not many landmarks in the Midwest of America

　　　　 B. we needn’t carry a map for travel

　　　　 C. there’re different ways to give directions in different parts of the world

　　　　 D. people give directions in the same way in different parts of the world

阅读理解

　　The worst tourist (旅行者) in the world is Nicholas Scotti of San Francisco. Once he flew from the U . S . to his hometown in Italy to see someone at home . The plane made a one-hour stop to get oil at Kennedy Airport of New York . As he thought he had arrived home, Mr. Scotti got off the plane . He thought he was in Rome .

　　When nobody was there to meet him, Mr. Scotti thought maybe they were held up (阻拦) by heavy traffic . While looking for their addresses, Mr. Scotti found that the old “Rome” had changed a lot. Many old buildings were replaced by high modern ones.

　　He also found that many people spoke English instead of Italian and that many street signs were written in English .

　　Mr. Scotti knew very little English, so he asked a policeman (in Italian) the way to the bus station . He happened to meet a policeman who was also born in Italy and answered him in the same language .

　　After twelve hours'travelling round on a bus, the driver handed him over to a second policemen . He asked the policeman why the Rome police employed (雇佣) so many people as policemen speaking English instead of Italian .

　　Mr. Scotti didn't believe he was in New York when he was told so .

　　To get him on a plane back to San Francisco, he was sent to the airport in a police car with sirens (警报) on. “Look,” said Scotti to his interpreter (翻译) , “I know I'm in Italy . That' s how they drive . ”

1．When Mr. Scotti arrived at the airport, nobody met him because ________.

[　　]

A．he was in New York

B．he wanted to leave the U. S.

C．policemen could help him

D．both A and B

2．In what direction (方向) did the plane fly when Mr. Scotti went to Italy from the U. S. ?

[　　]

3．Why was Mr. Scotti so sure that he was in Rome?

[　　]

A．Because he traveled a lot.

B．Because he knew little about the U. S.

C．Because he knew little about Italy.

D．Because he didn 't travel much.

4．At last, Mr. Scotti ________.

[　　]

A．knew he did something wrong

B．still thought he was in Rome

C．knew he was wrong

D．knew he was at home

5．How many people do the same things as Mr. Scotti did?

[　　]

A．Nobody but Mr. Scotti made this kind of mistake .

B．Many people make this kind of mistake .

C．Few people make this kind of mistake.

D．50% of people will make the same mistake .