Communication between parents and children is becoming a serious problem. I read a   41  about it in the newspaper. Some children have killed themselves after   42  with their parents. I think this is because they don’t have a talk with each other. Parents now   43  more time in the office,   44   they don’t have much time to stay with their children. As time passes, they both feel that they don’t have the   45  topic to talk about. I want to tell parents to be more with your   46 , get to know them and   47  them. And for children, show your   48  to your parents. They are the people who love you. So   49  them your thoughts. In this way, you   50  have a better understanding of each other.

A teacher once told each of her students to bring a clean plastic bag and a bag of potatoes to school. For every person they didn’t want to forgive(原谅) in their lives, they chose a potato, wrote the person’s   1  and the date on it and put it in the plastic bag. Some of their bags were very   2 . They were then told to carry this bag with them   3  for one week. They would put it beside their bed at night, on the seat when sitting in a car or on a bus , and next to their desks at   4  . The   5  carrying the bag around with them made students get to know what a weight they were carrying in their minds. They had to pay attention to(注意) it all the time so that they wouldn’t  6  it or leave it in embarrassing(尴尬的) places. As time passed by, the potatoes went   7  and smelt terrible. Too often we think of tolerance(宽容) as a    8  to other people, but it clearly is for   9 ! If we choose to keep our sadness and hatred(仇恨) in our hearts, we will have to   10  them around all our lives.

1 

If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to smoke without first asking if it will disturb them. At American restaurants and coffee shops, cold water is usually served before you order. You may find the bread and the butter are free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill.

Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores and restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in big cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day. Serving in restaurants are often large. If you can’t finish the meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask the waiter or the waitress for a “doggie bag”(剩菜袋). It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you are taking the food for yourself. Tips are not usually added to check. You should leave a tip of about 15% on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a waiter or waitress often brings your check on a plate, and you can put your money there. Then the waiter or the waitress brings you your changes.

1.______is usually served before you order at American restaurants or coffee shops.

A. bread                 B. Butter              C. Coffee           D. Cold water

2.American people always _____ when servings are too large for them.

A. take the food home for their dogs  

B. leave the food on the table and go away

C. take the food home in doggie bags for themselves. 

D. ask the waiter or the waitress to keep the food for them. 

3.If you spend $120 for your meal, you’ll probably leave a tip of________.

A.$10                    B. $18                C. $30             D. $50

4.How can you give tips in America?

A. They are usually added to the check.

B. They are added to the price of the meal.  

C. A tip is usually 1/5 of the price of the meal.

D. You can leave them on the table when you leave.          

5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. It’s bad manners to smoke if the people who sit at the same table mind it.

B. At American restaurants and coffee shops, bread, butter and coffee are all free.

C. American people never sit with people they don’t know.

D. Few cities and towns make rules for bars in America.

Thirty years ago, few Chinese knew about American TV series, though during the 1980s and 1990s, Chinese people got the chance to watch some U.S.A. TV series like Growing Pains.
Now, 【小题1】______,Chinese people have more chances to enjoy foreign TV series. Some American TV series such as Friends and Prison Break have become very popular among young Chinese English learners. In their opinion, watching American TV series is a good way to learn English and American culture. They have other reasons to support that point of view.
First, it’s easy and convenient for learners to manage their learning time. They don’t have to worry about the place and time to learn. 【小题2】 _________,they can start watching and learning. All they need to do is to turn on their computers and put on their earphones.
The stories in the TV series also play an important role in attracting more learners. Different cultures between China and the Western countries and exciting story lines get young people interested in watching and learning . 【小题3】_______.
Besides, watching American TV series can help learners improve their listening and speaking skills. English learners may find it hard to find a native speaker to talk with,【小题4】________, they can listen to native speakers and follow their conversations as much as they can.