Living in the foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences . They discussed that miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought the waitress wasn’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot she went into a store and asked, “ Do you have any cold drinks ?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question again. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She has raised her eyebrows , which in Micronesia , it means, “yes”.

 Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the writer, “Do you have cabbage today ?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.

Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class , he asked his students if they understood . They answered with different nods and shakes of heads. He thought some people hadn’t understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, the did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake heads in different ways . It depends on where they come from.

1.These Americans teaching English in other countries found that they _____________.

A.  needed to learn foreign languages.

B.  should often discuss their experiences

C.  had problems with communications

2.People in Micronesia show “yes” by _________.

A. nodding heads          B. raising the eyebrows         C. shaking hands.

3. Tom misunderstood his class at first because __________.

A.  he didn’t know much about Indian culture

B.  he didn’t explain everything clearly enough

C.  he didn’t know where the students came from

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

A.  In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”

B.  Jan taught English on a Pacific island

C.  Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.

5.The passage is mainly about _________.

A.  body language in foreign restaurants

B.  class discussion in Indian schools

C.  miscommunicaions in different cultures

Angela Chang(张韶涵) didn’t know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career(失业). She went to many different record companies. But she was always turned down for looking too young and small.

“I’d never had such difficulties before,” Chang said. But Chang’s talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried.

She soon became a star. Her first album Over the Rainbow sold very well. She won many awards.

“You wouldn’t believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body,” said one musician after hearing Chang sing. “She has a special voice. You can’t forget it.”

But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP Valentine and At Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired(解雇). Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene(一场戏) right.

“I cried when I got back home,” Chang said. “But I knew that I wouldn’t always fail. You only fail when you give up.”

Now with four albums behind her - Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower in the Wonderland, it’s clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, “I have a pair of invisible wings(隐形的翅膀). They fly me to the skies and give me hope.”

1. The phrase “turned down” in the first paragraph means “________________”.

        A. 承认                       B. 拒绝                       C. 开除                D. 雇用

2. Many record companies refused to co-operate(合作) with her because ______________.

A. she looks very common                                B. she is too young

 C. she doesn’t sing very well                                  D. she looks young and small

3. Which of the following is NOT right?

       A. She won many awards for the album Over the Rainbow.

       B. She has made four films.

       C. One musician spoke highly of(赞扬) her. 

D. She is not only a singer but an actress.

4. Although acting is difficult for her, she never gives up because ______________.

        A. she is strong-minded                                   

B. people like her films 

        C. she is interested in acting                             

D. she acted in the popular TV plays

5. Which do you think is the best title of the passage?

       A. The Small Girl.                                             B. Four Albums.

       C. I have a Pair of Invisible Wings.                      D. A Poor Actress.

As a child, I was really afraid of the dark and of getting lost. These fears were very real and caused me some uncomfortable moments.

Maybe it was the strange way things looked and sounded

in my own room at night that scared me so much. There was

never complete darkness, but always a streetlight or passing

car lights, which made clothes on the back of a chair take on

the shape of a wild animal. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw

the curtains(窗帘) seem to move when there was no wind. A

very low sound in the floor would seem a hundred times       

louder than in the day. My imagination (想象) would run wild, and my heart would beat fast. I would lie very still so that the "enemy(敌人) " would not discover me.

Another of my childhood fears was that I would get lost, especially on the way home from school. Every morning I got on the school bus right near my home. That was no problem. After school, though, when all the buses were lined up along the street, I was afraid that I would get in the wrong one and be taken to some other strange places. On school or family trips to a park or a museum, I wouldn't let the leaders out of my sight.

Perhaps one of the worst fears of all I had as a child was that of not being liked or accepted by others. Being popular was so important to me then, and the fear of not being liked was a serious one.

One of the processes(过程) growing up is being able to realize and overcome our fears. Understanding the things that scared us as children helps us achieve greater success later in life.

1. The author had _________kind(s) of fears when she was a child.

A. one                        B. two                        C. three                     D. none

2. _________ would scare the author at night.

A. Streetlight and car lights                                         B. Wild animals and enemies

C. Moving curtains and wind                                           D. Strange sights and sounds

3.When she went to some other places, she would _________.

A. walk away without others                                           B. take a bus by herself

C. follow others closely                                            D. make sure not to take a wrong bus

4.Which of the following would be possibly true when she was a child?

A. She was usually popular among people.

B. She was always the leader of the others.

C. She always' got poor grades.

D. She was not at all liked by others.

5.The underlined word "overcome" means "_________" in Chinese.

A. 接受                         B. 忍受                        C. 信服                        D. 克服

A teenage girl couldn't stand(忍受) her family rules，so she left home.
　　She wanted to be a star and became   1 . But she had a little education and  a few years later，she had to ask for food on the street for a living. Now her father has  2  . Her mother is an old woman. But she is still     3  her daughter. She went to every corner of the city. Everywhere she goes，she put up a big photo of herself on the wall. At the lower part of the    4  she writes，“I still love you …Come back home！”
One day，the daughter saw one of the photos. She was so surprised that she couldn't believe her    5  . “Is that my mother？”She moved    6 and read the words，“I still love you…” She cried. When she got home，it was early morning. She pushed the door. The door    7   itself. She rushed to the bedroom at once. Her mother was sleeping there. She woke her mother up，“It's me！Your daughter is back home！”The mother and daughter looked at each other excitedly，full of   8   tears. The daughter asked，“     9  is the door unlocked？A thief could get in.” The mother answered softly，“The door    10 locked  after you left. We miss you all the time. We believe that you'll come back some day.”
The door of parents’ love for their children will never be closed.

Helen Keller lived in the U.S.A. She was a great woman.

       When Helen was a baby, she got very sick. After many weeks, the doctor said, “ She is better, but now she can’t see or can’t hear.” Her mother and father were very sad.

      After a few years, things got worse. There was no way for Helen to speak with other people. She heard nothing. She saw nothing. She didn’t understand anything.

      Then one day a teacher came to live with Helen and her family. The teacher helped Helen learn about words. Helen was a very bright child and soon she learned to spell her first word. When she was older, she went to college(大学).

      Helen was very famous. She helped many blind(盲) and deaf(聋) people. She traveled around the world and helped many people.

     Helen was a very old woman when she died. The world remembers her today as a brave and wonderful person. She was blind and deaf, but she found a way to see and hear.

(       )1 Helen Keller got very sick when ____________

        A She was a baby                B She went to college

        C Her teacher came to her home   D She was very old

(       )2__________taught Helen Keller her first word.

       A Her mother  B Her teacher C Her father  D The doctor

(       )3 Helen Keller was famous because ___________

        A She was an American.

 B She traveled around the world

        C Ser teacher taught her many things 

 D She learned to read and write and helped many people in the world

(       )4 The world remembers Helen Keller today because ____

         A She was very bright.   

B She was blind and deaf.

         C She was a brave and wonderful person. 

         D She went to college.

(       )5 Helen Keller was blind and deaf, but _______

        A She found a way to understand the world.

        B Her mother and father didn’t feel sad.

        C She found a way to travel around the world.

        D She found out how people became blind and deaf.