You may have heard of the famous saying, "East or West, home is the best. "
What does the word "home" mean to you? How do you say the word in French? In Chinese? In your language? Although people usually know what the word means, it sometimes has no exact translation. It’s not surprising, because the idea of home is "different from country to country, and from person to person. A home is more than a roof and four walls. It’s the cooking, eating, talking, playing and sleeping that go on inside. And at home you usually feel safe and relaxed.
Homes look different in different countries. They also have different things inside. For example, in cold northern Europe, there’s a fire in the living room or kitchen and all the chairs face it. In the south, where the sun shines a lot and it’s more important to keep the heat out, there are small windows and cool stone floors.
We asked some people about their homes.
How often do people move house in your country?
"In my country many people don’t stay in one place for a very long time. They often move every ten years or so. "
--Chery, Boston, USA.
What a e features (特征) of homes in your country ?
"In Britain, even in town, there’s always a garden. We have separate bedrooms and living rooms. But we don’t often have balconies(阳台). The weather isn’t warm enough !"
--Pat, Exeter, England
【小题1】The word "home" sometimes has no exact translation because________.
| A．people can’t find this word in the dictionary |
| B．no one knows what it is |
| C．it has different meanings in different countries |
| D．people can’t understand each other very well |
【小题2】According to the passage, at home, you can do everything except______.
| A．making friends | B．cooking and eating |
| C．playing and talking | D．sleeping and relaxing |
【小题3】Why is it important to keep the heat out of the houses in southern Europe?
| A．Because they want to breathe fresh air outside. |
| B．Because there’s a fire in the living room. |
| C．Because they wear heavy clothes all day long. |
| D．Because the sun there shines a lot. |
【小题4】 From the second paragraph, what kind of homes people have depends on _____.
| A．whether they are rich or not |
| B．the climate(气候) they have |
| C．how old they are |
| D．whether they live in the city or countryside |
【小题5】Which one of the sentences below is true?
| A．People in Britain seldom have balconies because it’s so hot outside. |
| B．Some Americans move house several times during their lifetime. |
| C．Homes look the same in different countries. |
| D．Houses in northern Europe have big windows and cool stone floors. |
