Do you have any foreign friends? Do you know their characteristics(特征)?

The Germans are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don’t like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements. The Germans are very hard—working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their home clean.

In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you.” Or “Sorry.” The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.

The French’s holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.

Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans. They don’t like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in Americans’ eyes, success is an important part in their life.

1.According to the passage, ______are very quiet.

A. only the Germans

B. only the Englishmen

C. only the Frenchmen

D. both the Germans and the Englishmen

2.What does the underlined word “tidiness” mean in Chinese?

A.整洁      B.安静      C.时尚      D.随意

3.In the writer’s eyes, the gentlemen are______.

A. the Germans B. the Frenchmen

C. the Englishmen   D. the Americans

4.What can we learn about the Frenchmen from the passage?

A. They are more outgoing than the Americans.

B. It is very easy to make friends with them.

C. They like traveling in their own country.

D. They look serious and are always hard-working.

5.Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Foreigners’ hobbies.

B. Who are more outgoing?

C. Characteristics of the foreigners.

D. Success is an important part in Americans’ life.

People have always wondered about the moon. Thousands of years ago, people studied the moon and used it to keep track of time. Later, people invented instruments such as telescopes so that they could see the moon more clearly and learn about it.
With advances in technology, people were able to learn more about the moon. In the mid-1900s, scientists sent up rockets that could explore the moon’s surface. Later, astronauts actually went to the moon. They sent lots of information about the moon back to the earth. As a result of all this moon exploration, the moon is no longer as great a mystery as it once was.
Fill in the blanks according to the passage. Only one word for each blank.
根据短文内容填空（每空一分，共5分）
Long, long ago people were very 【小题1】i _______ in the moon. They watched at the moon for【小题2】_s______ a long time that they got to know more and more about it and they even invented a machine 【小题3】_c______ a telescope. They could see the moon more clearly with it. In the middle of the 【小题4】t_______ century people could set up rockets to the moon. In this way, people for the first time 【小题5】__l______ on the moon and took some information back to the earth. So scientists know much more about the moon now.

We provide summer English courses which are the best you can find. You will enjoy coming to Los Angeles to learn about American culture and improve your English at the same time. The courses last for four, six or eight weeks. They start at the beginning of July and August. Our teachers are well-trained and very experienced. They teach English classes for four hours a day, You can choose between small groups of two or three, or larger groups of up to 15. We provide weekly

tests to see the progress you' re making with your language skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. We also provide books and other materials.

      As well as learning English, we want you to experience life in the USA. You live with an American family, and you take part in American life. You have meals with an American family and do some activities with them, too. For many of our students this is the most interesting part of the course. Many families create friendships with the students which last a long time. Of course, if you

prefer, we can arrange hotel accommodation.       

      Of course, there are many things to do in Los Angeles. Every day we have activities which take place after class. You can choose to take trips to Hollywood, Disneyland or the famous beaches around LA. You can also go to various shopping centers, sports centers, movies and concerts. There are also weekend visits’  organized to San Francisco and other places of interest in California.

      We try to give our students the best possible experience of English and life in the USA. Just ask our students! They say our summer English courses are fantastic!

      We hope that you' ll  enjoy a course with us, too. If you' re interested, please fill in our application form where you will also find our list of prices.' The course must be paid for one month before it begins.

1. The shortest summer English course will last for         

A. two weeks         B. four weeks        C. six weeks         D. eight weeks

2.Which of the following is TRUE about the summer English courses?   

     A. The students have to take an entrance test.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

     B. Each class has two or three groups of students.

     C. All the teachers are young but very experienced.

     D. Tests will be provided regularly to see if students have made progress.

3. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

     A. Accommodation and food.

     B. Why the students enjoy themselves.

     C. Sightseeing and other activities after class.

     D. The most interesting part of the summer English courses.

4.If you want to take part in the course, you must __ first.

     A. pay for a one-month course                B. fill in the application form

     C. choose an American family               D. learn about American culture

5.The passage is a __

     A. guide to Los Angeles              B. description of life in Los Angeles

     C. description often English course     D. newspaper article on language learning

As we know, 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 about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse” have negative(消极的) 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(残酷的)。
The rose is regarded as a symbol (象征) of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose means 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】“Every dog has its day.” Means “__________”