The fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving Day. It is a holiday in the U. S. A. Usually, family members and friends get together for a dinner. People sometimes drive their cars a long way for a family reunion9（团聚）. Many people also take Friday off and make it a long weekend holiday, because most Americans do not work on Saturdays and Sundays.

　　Thanksgiving Day began in 1621, when the first English settlers（定居者）reached the New World. They did not have enough food. But the American Indians helped the white men and taught them how to farm.

　　In the autumn after the English settlers came to America, they had a good harvest. They were so pleased. They decided to invite their Indian friends to dinner in order to thank them for their help and to God.

　　As far as family reunion Thanksgiving Day is even more important than Christmas or New Year's Eve to most Americans.

Choose the best answer.

(1) If November 1 is Monday, when is Thanksgiving Day?

[　　]

A．November4	B．November 18
C．November 25	D．December 2

(2) Which of the following is true?

[　　]

A．The whole family get together for a big dinner on Thanksgiving Day.

B．All the Americans do not work on Thanksgiving Day.

C．Americans still work on Saturdays and Sundays.

D．Thanksgiving Day began in the sixteenth century（世纪）.

(3) When the first English settlers arrived in America they ________.

[　　]

A．had a hard time	B．lived a happy life
C．taught American Indians how to farm	D．had a lot of things to eat

(4) The word “invite” means to ________.

[　　]

A．stop somebody from doing something

B．let somebody do something

C．make somebody do something

D．ask somebody to do something

(5) We can guess there are more family reunions ________.

[　　]

A．on Christmas Day than on Thanksgiving Day.

B．on Thanksgiving Day than on Christmas Day.

C．on New Year's Eve than on Thanksgiving Day.

D．on New Year's Day than on Thanksgiving Day.

1 

Laura Brent is a manager in an important company. She has three children—the eldest is 10, and youngest is three. “My job was only possible because my husband David was prepared to take my place and become a house husband,” she says.

More and more couples are finding this arrangement suits them better in today’s world, where women are rising to the top of their careers faster and more easily than they did in the past. Many men, on the other hand, like the idea of staying at home and looking after the children. “My children see a lot more of me than I saw of my father when I was young, and I think it’s better for them, especially for the boys,” says David. “It works just as well for Laura.”

“Now I can come home from a hard day at work, and immediately relax with the children, instead of having to do the housework and the cooking,” she says.

Is there anything David misses about going out to work?

“Not really. I suppose the worst thing about looking after children and doing the housework is not having a lunch break! It’s a lot harder than most men think.”

1.How many people are there in Laura’s family?

A．2．    B．3．    C．4． D. 5

2.Who does most of the housework in the family?

A．Laura．        B．David．

C．The children． D．David’s parents．

3.What does Laura usually do after coming back from work?

A．Cook for the family．

B．Take children from school．

C．Take a good rest with the children．

D．Wash dishes and sweep the floor．

4.What does David think of his job at home?

A．Hard．    B．Easy．    C．Boring． D. Fun

5.One of the reasons why men choose to stay at home is that______.

A．children hate to stay with their mothers

B．men are better at looking after the children

C．women do better at work than they did before

D．children want their fathers to help them with the homework

 

Laura Brent is a manager in an important company. She has three children—the eldest is 10, and youngest is three. “My job was only possible because my husband David was prepared to take my place and become a house husband,” she says.
More and more couples are finding this arrangement suits them better in today’s world, where women are rising to the top of their careers faster and more easily than they did in the past. Many men, on the other hand, like the idea of staying at home and looking after the children. “My children see a lot more of me than I saw of my father when I was young, and I think it’s better for them, especially for the boys,” says David. “It works just as well for Laura.”
“Now I can come home from a hard day at work, and immediately relax with the children, instead of having to do the housework and the cooking,” she says.
Is there anything David misses about going out to work?
“Not really. I suppose the worst thing about looking after children and doing the housework is not having a lunch break! It’s a lot harder than most men think.”
【小题1】How many people are there in Laura’s family?

A．2．

B．3．

C．4．

D．5

【小题2】Who does most of the housework in the family?

A．Laura．	B．David．
C．The children．	D．David’s parents．

【小题3】What does Laura usually do after coming back from work?

A．Cook for the family．

B．Take children from school．

C．Take a good rest with the children．

D．Wash dishes and sweep the floor．

【小题4】What does David think of his job at home?

A．Hard．

B．Easy．

C．Boring．

D．Fun

【小题5】One of the reasons why men choose to stay at home is that______.

A．children hate to stay with their mothers

B．men are better at looking after the children

C．women do better at work than they did before

D．children want their fathers to help them with the homework

Different countries have different customs. When you travel to another country, please follow their customs, just as the saying goes, “           . ”

Very often people who travel to the United States forget to tip (付小费). It is usual to tip porters who help carry your bags, taxi drivers and waiters. Waiters expect to get a 15% tip on the cost of your meal. Taxi drivers expect about the same amount.

In England, make sure to stand in line even if there are only two of you. It’s important to respect lines there. It’s a good idea to talk about the weather. It’s a favourite subject of conversation with the British.

In Spain, it’s a good idea to have a light meal in the afternoon if someone invites you for dinner. People have dinner very late, and restaurants do not generally open until after 9 pm.

In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek. Your host may welcome you with a kiss on both cheeks. It is polite for you to do the same.

In Japan, people usually give personal or business cards to each other when they meet for the first time. When a person gives you a card, don’t put it into your pocket right away. The person expects you to read it.

Don’t forget to be careful of your body language to express something in a conversation. A kind of body language that is used in one culture may be impolite in another.

1.When you travel to the USA, you don’t need to tip _________.

A．porters           B．waiters           C．actors            D．taxi drivers

2.The missing sentences in the first paragraph should be “           . ”

A．Love me, love my dog.

B．He who laughs last laughs best.

C．When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

D．Where there is a will, there is a way.

3.The underline work “porters” in the passage means _________.

A．搬运工           B．清洁工           C．接线员           D．售票员

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

A．In Spain, people usually have dinner very early.

B．In England, it’s not polite to talk about the weather.

C．In Arab countries, men kiss one another on the cheek.

D．In Japan you should not read the business card as soon as you get it.

5.What’s the best title of the passage?

A．How to tip.

B．Body Language.

C．When to Have Dinner.

D．Advice to International Travellers.

 

In northern China during spring, big sandstorm often make trouble for people. Sandstorms usually happen in spring. They have happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China this year. People in southern China don't have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from the north of China. In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don't get much rain. When there aren't many trees, the ground can't keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts, the ground becomes loose. Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky. Besides, in northeast China, there lies some vast deserts.

  Sandstorms are bad for people's health. If people breathe in too much sand, they will cough or have serious illnesses. Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never come back home. The winds also tear the farmers' houses down.

  What can you do to stop sandstorms? Here's a piece of advice. Ask your parents to help you plant some trees this spring. If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them.

1.When do sandstorms usually happen?

A.In summer.  B. In spring.   C. In winter.   D. In autumn

2.What does the underlined word "loose" mean in China?

肥沃的           B.贫瘠的        C.疏松的        D.大量的

3.The second paragraph tells us ______________.

A.why sandstorms happen in northern China

B.the dangers of sandstorms

C.sandstorms aren't terrible at all

D.how sandstorms happen

4.Which of the following is NOT a way to stop sandstorms?

A.Plant more trees in spring.

B.Stop people to cut down too many trees

C.Don't stay outside when sandstorms happen.

D.Tell people about the dangers of sandstorms.

5.Which is the best title for this passage?___________

A.Sandstorms    

B. How we can stop sandstorms

C. Why sandstorms only happen in northern China. 

D. Sandstorms can influence most of China.