It was Mother’s Day. John was so busy with his work that he couldn’t go back home. When he walked by a flower shop in the evening, an idea came to his mind. “I’ll send Mum some roses (玫瑰).”

While John was picking his flowers, a young man went inside. “How many roses can I get for only five dollars, Madam?” he asked. The shop assistant told him that roses were as expensive as forty dollars a dozen (一打). Maybe he would be happy with carnations(康乃馨). She told him they were a lot cheaper than roses.

“No, I have to have red roses,” he said, “My mum was badly ill last year and I didn’t get to spend much time with her. Now I want to get something special, it has to be roses, as the rose is her favorite.”

After hearing this, John said he would pay the rest of the money for the young man. Moved by both of them, the shop assistant said, “Well, lovely young men, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you two.” Taking the roses, the young man almost jumped into the air. He thanked John, and ran out of the shop. It was well worth twenty-five dollars John paid to see the exciting moment. Then John paid for his dozen of roses and told the shop assistant to send them to his mother.

As he walked out, he felt nice. Suddenly he saw the young man crossing the street and going into a park. But soon he realized it was not a park but a cemetery (墓地). Crying, the young man carefully laid the roses, “Mum, oh, Mum, why didn’t I tell you how much I loved you? God, please help me find my mum and tell her I love her.”

Seeing this, John turned and quickly walked back to the shop. He would take the flowers home himself.

1.The shop assistant tried to ask the young man to buy carnations instead of roses because _____.

A．there were not enough roses in the shop

B．carnations were much nicer than roses

C．roses were more expensive than carnations

D．carnations were special flowers for Mother’s Day

2.John spent _______ in the flower shop that day.

A．$5 B．$25 C．$ 45 D．$ 55

3.The young man cried at the cemetery because he _______.

A．had spent all his money on the roses

B．wasn’t able to tell his mother he loved her himself

C．felt sorry to ask John to pay for his flowers

D．hadn’t got enough money for his sick mother

4.At last John decided to take the roses home himself because he wanted to _______.

A．tell his mother he loved her

B．ask his mother for more money

C．tell his mother the young man’s story

D．ask his mother if she liked roses

5.The writer wrote this passage to tell us “_______”.

A．Buy roses for your mother when she is ill

B．Let your mother know how much you love her

C．Work hard to get more money for your mother

D．Send your mother flowers on Mother’s Day

If an American is satisfied with you，he will put his thumb and forefinger into a circle．That means OK．But in Brazil，the very sign is considered to be rude．In Poland，a guest usually presents flowers to his hostess．The number must be an odd（奇数）one．Besides，the hostess isn’t expected to remove the cover of the bunch of flowers．And usually，the red rose is a sign of love．
Usually we nod to express our agreement and shake our heads to show disagreement．To our surprise these body movements mean the opposite in Bulgaria．
The differences in customs and cultures in the world are really noticeable．We should learn more about them to avoid embarrassment（窘迫）．Then，would you please remember：When in Rome，do as the Romans do．
【小题1】In Poland，if a man gives some odd red roses to a woman as a present，it means that he ____．

There are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese is about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative(消极) meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(积极的) actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog—tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(冷酷的). There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.
The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.
【小题1】The word “dog” in Chinese usually ______.
A. stands for friendship    B. has a negative meaning   C. has a positive meaning
【小题2】“Every dog has its day.” means “______”
A. Everybody in the world is lucky. B. Each person lives his own way of life.
C. Everybody has a time in life to be lucky.
【小题3】 Western people usually use “cat” to refer to “______”.
A. a tired person   B. a brave man  C. an unkind woman
【小题4】 Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Words show differences in cultures. 
B. Western people think cats to be good friends.
C. Rose is the national flower of all western countries.
【小题5】 This passage mainly tells us ______.
A. negative or positive things  B. different countries have different cultures
C. what dog and cat mean in English and Chinese

根据短文及表格内容，选择最佳答案并将其标号填在题前括号内。

Are you thinking about what to do in your free time? Come and join us ---Youth Club! Join in lessons and activities. It’s fun! For more information, call 34 789 256!

               Lessons                                                                    Activities

Monday -Friday 6:00-7:30 pm

Computer lessons for beginners        Saturday and Sunday 8:00-9:00 pm

Basketball and volleyball playgrounds open

Monday , Wednesday 7:30-9:30 pm

Dance lessons for dance-lovers

You can learn and enjoy wonderful dances.       Monday - Sunday

Swimming pool open

Tuesday , Thursday and Friday 6:30-7:30 pm

Cooking lessons

Learn to cook delicious dishes from all over China    The 2^nd and last Saturday of every month 7:00-9:30 pm

Concert time---Enjoy Swedish rock, American jazz and beautiful songs from different parts of the world!

1.On which of the following days can’t you have computer lessons?

A. Monday.         B. Wednesday.         C. Friday.       D. Sunday.

2.Rose is free after 7:20 pm . Which lessons can she take?

A. Computer lessons.            B. Dance lessons.     

C. Cooking lessons.             D. Both computer and cooking lessons.

3.If Dick wants to swim after playing basketball ,when can he go to the club?

A. Monday and Wednesday.           B. Monday and Sunday.        

C. Saturday and Sunday.              D. Monday to Sunday.

4.How often does the club have music concerts?

A. Twice a month.                  B. Twice a week.     

C. Four times a month.              D. Five times a week.

5.If you want to know the cost of the lessons , you can ______ to get the information.

A. only go to the club             B. call 34 789 256

C. read the ads above carefully     D. join the club and ask others

Hello, I’m Kate. This is a photo of my aunt’s family. The woman in the photo is my aunt, Jane. She is a teacher and she is very kind(善良). These are my cousins Jim and Jack. They are seven and they are twins(双胞胎). Look! That lovely（可爱的） baby is my aunt’s little daughter, Rose. She is only one. I love them very much.

1.There are ______ people in the photo.

A. three                   B. four                     C. five               D. six

2.My aunt has _______.

A. two daughters                           B. two sons and a daughter

C. two daughters and a son                    D. only one son

3.Rose is my aunt’s _______.

A. son                       B. sister          C. mother                D. daughter

4.Jim and Jack are_______.

A. eleven           B. brother and sister  C. twins                   D. mother and son

5.Rose is Kate’s _______.

A. sister       B. mother       C. cousin      D. teacher