Except for a few times, Americans are not big present-givers. There’s no exchange of presents among business people, and if one American tries to give another a present, it may look like that he wants to bribe (贿赂) him. Americans have learned that in some other countries people like to give presents to others, but among ourselves we don’t see the need for presents.

Even friends may never exchange presents. When I go to foreign countries, I try to bring back little things for close friends, but nobody would feel unhappy if I didn’t. I don’t often re­member a friend’ s birthday, and few people outside of my family remember mine. If someone gave me presents too often, I’d get unpleasant. But a present from a foreigner — that kind from his or her homeland — won’t go wrong, except to government employees (政府职员) who can’t be given presents.

You usually open a present at once and in front of the person who gives it except Christmas and birthday presents. You should only say, ‘It’s so nice. Thanks…’when you get Christ­mas or birthday presents.

You may want to bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) or flowers to a dinner party, but you’re never asked to. Nobody will mind if you bring wine, but your friend may not use it that evening.

At Christmas we often give presents to our family and sometimes our friends. We also give presents to people who have been helpful during the year like doormen, babysitters, housecleaners , newspaper senders — anyone who has often helped us.

1.What do the underlined words ‘close friends’ mean in the passage?

A．The friends who are very kind.

B．The friends who live close to each other.

C．The friends who were once classmates.

D．The friends who you like most.

2.What kind of presents don’t Americans usually open in front of the givers?

A．The small presents

B．Christmas or birthday presents.

C．The expensive presents.

D．The presents for dinner party.

3.Why do Americans also give presents to housecleaners at Christmas?

A．To pay them.

B．To help them.

C．To thank them.

D．To make them work harder.

4.Which of the following do you think is right?

A．American business people don’t want presents because they are rich enough.

B．The writer of this passage must be an American.

C．Everyone must give presents to one’s family and friends at Christmas.

D．Government employees can get little presents from a foreigner.

5.What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Present-giving in the United States.

B．Customs (习俗) in the United States.

C．American people and present-giving.

D．When and how to give presents.

Mary is from the U.S.A. She has two brothers. Now her family are in China. Her father, Mr. Peterson teaches English in Xihu Middle School. And her mother works in the same school. She teaches English, too. Mary likes red clothes very much. Her mother likes red clothes a lot, too.

Mary is a nice girl student. She is in Xihu Middle School .She can speak Chinese. She has many Chinese friends. She teaches them English, and they teach her Chinese. Her two brothers are twins. One is Bob, the other is Bill. They look the same. They are only three. So their grandparents look after(照顾) them at home. Mrs. Peterson has many toys(玩具) for the twins. Bob likes toy cars, but Bill likes toy bears. They are happy every day.

1.Who is in Xihu Middle school ?.

A．Mr. Peterson

B．Mrs. Peterson

C．Mrs. Peterson and Mr. Peterson

D．Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Peterson and Mary.

2.Mr. Peterson is a ________.

A．teacher           B．farmer            C．officer            D．doctor

3.How many people are there in Mary’s family?

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

4.Mary ________.

A．can’t speak Chinese at all

B．isn’t very nice

C．can speak Chinese well

D．likes red clothes

5.Which one is NOT right?

A．Mary’s family is from America.

B．Mary’s parents are both teachers.

C．Mary has two twin sisters.

D．Mary’s grandparents are in China.

【小题1】It’s ________ (polite) to ask a woman’s name in western countries.
【小题2】 Lily’s family is very poor, we must do something_______ (help) her.
【小题3】LiTao studies very hard because he knows the _______ (important) of study.
【小题4】The baby is too young , she is _______(able) to dress  herself.
【小题5】‘May I come in , Miss Zhao?’ He asked_________(gentle)
【小题6】------- Why didn’t Jim come yesterday?
-------Because his car______(break) down because of the heavy rain.
【小题7】 When my mother arrived home my father and I_(plan) the trip to Sunny Park.
【小题8】The film was so__________(bore) that all of them didn’t want to see it.
【小题9】I found Jack_________(interest)when he tell funny stories.
【小题10】There are twenty girls in the swimming club,_______(包括) 2 American girls.
【小题11】You’d better not believe what he says because he is__________(不诚实).
【小题12】What a_________(可怕的) snowstorm! It killed many people.
【小题13】It’s fine today, there is no_________(云彩)in the sky.
【小题14】The _________(树叶)turn brown and yellow in the autumn.

An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation(手术) could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money.

　　When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother， “Only a miracle(something couldn’t happen) can save him now，” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.

　　She hurried to a drugstore(药店)with the money in her hand.

　　“And what do you want？” asked the salesman. “ It's for my little brother，” the girl answered. “He's really，really sick and I want to buy a miracle. ”

　　"Pardon？”said the salesman.

　　“My brother Andrew has something bad growing in-side his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost？”“We don't sell a miracle here，child. I'm sorry，”the salesman said with a smile.

　　“Listen，if it isn't enough，I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs. ”

　　A well-dressed man heard it and asked， “What kind of a miracle does your brother need？”　　“I don't know，” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He's really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can't pay for it， so I have brought all my money. ”

　　“How much do you have？” asked the man. “$ 1.11， but I can try and get some more，” she answered.

　　“Well, what luck，”smiled the man. “$ 1.11， the price of a miracle for little brothers. ”

　　He took up the girl's hand and said， “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the kind of miracle you need. ”

That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn't long before Andrew was home again.

　　How much did the miracle cost？

1.What was the trouble in the little girl's family？

A. Her brother was seriously ill.

B. They had no money.

C. Nothing could save her brother.

D. Both A and B.

2.In the eye of the little girl,a miracle might be _______.

A．something interesting

B．something beautiful

C．some wonderful medicine

D．some good food

3.What made the miracle happen？

A．The girl's love for her brother.

B．The girl's money.

C．The medicine from the drugstore.

D．Nobody can tell.

4.From the passage we can infer(推断) that _______.

A．The doctor didn't ask for any pay

B．A miracle is sure to happen if you keep on

C．The little girl is lovely but not so clever

D．Andrew was in fact not so sick as they had thought