Do animals have a culture? What do we mean by "culture"? Recently social scientists have begun to ask if culture is found just in humans, or if some animals have a culture too.  When we speak of culture, we mean a way of life that a group of people have in common. Culture is the forms of behavior (行为)hat help people to live together. It is also the forms of behavior that make one group of people different from another group.

     Human beings use tools, cooperate with one another, and communicate with language.  But these aspects(方面) of human behavior, or "culture", can also be found in the lives of certain animals, Animals can make tools, for example. We used to think that the ability to use tools was the dividing line between human beings and other animals.  Lately, however, we have found that this is not the case. Chimpanzees(黑猩猩) can not only use tools but actually make tools themselves. Animals can also share knowledge with each other and use their own language to communicate. So it may be important for us to know that the line dividing us from animals is not as clear as we used to think.

1.According to the article, "culture" means         

          A. the languages we learn            

B. the good habits we' share with each other

          C. the forms of behavior we have in common

2.From the fact that chimpanzees can use and make tools，we know         

          A. animals may have a culture like our own

          B. animals can be as clever as human beings

          C. animals have the ability to help human beings

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

          A. Chimpanzees never help each other.

          B' Animals use their own language to communicate.

          C. People from different places have the same culture.

4.The traditional idea about dividing animals from human beings is that         

          A. human beings can use tools       

B. human beings can depend on each other

          C. human beings have the language to communicate

5.The main idea of the article is that         

        A. the animal culture is different from the human culture

        B. knowledge and communication are no longer signs of only human behavior

        C. the line dividing human culture from animal culture is not as clear as we might think

 

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.

Afternoon tea

    People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供应) to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

Will you come for coffee?

Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.

Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange

In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(伦敦股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.

1.Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ______.

   A. enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

   B. loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

   C. wanted to share nice food with her friends

   D. found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

2.What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

   A. 集体婚礼       B. 社交活动       C. 社区表演      D. 公共场合

3. If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee,” you ______.

   A. will be offered coffee only       

 B. are asked what you would like to drink

   C. will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D. you are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

4. From the last paragraph we can see______

   A. a new business was started in coffeehouses.

   B. coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers.

   C. businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee.

   D. most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise.

5. Which is the best title of the article?

   A. British and Chinese cultures.        B. The beginning of Tea and Coffee.

   C. Coffeehouse and Business.          D. English tea and coffee culture.  

 

We use the Internet for many things: business, shopping, writing letters, talking to people, finding information, and so on. In recent years, a new kind of English has grown on the Internet. There’s no real word for it yet, so we’ll call it e-talk. People don’t like typing too much. To save time, they turn phrases (短语) into a few letters called acronyms(首字母缩略词). Acronyms are often used in chat rooms.
Some of them are:
BTW(by the way)     BRB (be right back)
LOL (laughing out loud) IMO (in my opinion)
People also use many abbreviations. They are shortened forms of words. Some common abbreviations are:
info (information)    puter (computer)    pic (picture)      sec (second)
We usually don’t see people when we communicate on the Net, so people have new ways to show feelings. Most people use their keyboards to draw “feeling”, such as:
: ) (happy)     :-( (sad) ;    : P (joking)   : O (surprised)
These days, many forums have picture feelings. For example:
happy          sad         angry        cool
There are even whole new words, like ‘newbie’ (someone who is new on a chat board or forum). When you write something bad about someone else, it’s called ‘flaming’ the person.
It takes time to get used to e-talk. Also, different groups in the Net have their own special ways of communicating. Newbies sometimes have to ask other people what they mean. As the Internet grows, e-talk will continue to grow and change.
【小题1】 Why do people type acronyms?

A．To show their feelings.

B．To make jokes.

C．Because people can type them quickly.

D．In this way, newbies won’t understand them.

【小题2】What does “My puter is not working well. :-( ” mean?

A．The person is happy about getting a new computer.

B．The person has to go away from their computer.

C．The person is angry at somebody.

D．The person is sad that his computer is having problems.

【小题3】If someone is angry, what may he type?

A．

B．

C．LOL

D．BRB

【小题4】E-talk will probably_________.

A．keep changing

B．stay the same

C．be used by people on the telephone

D．be easy for newbies to understand

【小题5】People can do the following through the Internet except _________.
A. doing shopping                B. writing diaries
C. eating foods                   C. playing games

When you cough(咳嗽) or sneeze, please turn your head away from others and cover your mouth with the full part of your hand. Afterwards, you should say," Excuse me." This is a rule I set for my students.

It is so simple, but many kids have never been told to do this. In fact, I notice adults cough and sneeze in public without putting a hand over the mouth. I hate traveling by underground in New York during cold and flu(流感) season, because it is certain that someone is going to stand right behind me and cough or sneeze on my neck.

One important thing I point out to the kids is that after they sneeze or cough on their hand, they should wash their hands as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will be passing those germs along to everything and everyone they touch.

In order to help the students remember this rule, I tell them about an old story. It says that when you sneeze, evil spirits jump into your body. If you don't cover your mouth, the spirits will enter, but if you cover your mouth, you will keep them out, We say "God bless you" when someone sneezes, and in Germany(德国) you should say "Gesundheit". That means "Good health to you." Both expressions are said that if you didn't cover your mouth in time and the spirits were able to enter your body. The kids love finding out the origins(起源) of these expressions and it encourage them to put the advice to use more often.

1.The writer of this article must be _______ .

A. a reporter                       B. a teacher                         C. a doctor                           D. an officer

2. What does the underline word 'this" mean?

A. Don't cough or sneeze in front of people.

B. Don't stand beside someone who coughs or sneezes.

C. Many people cough or sneeze on the underground train.

D. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and say sorry.

3.After coughing or sneezing on their hand, students are advised to _______.

A. say "God bless you"      

B. wash their hands as soon as possible

C. go to see a doctor as soon as possible

D. go home and have a good rest

4. According to the article, the writer would like the kids _______.

A. to be polite to adults                                 B. to be in better health

C. to have good manners                              D. to do well in exams

5. What does the underlined word “germs” mean in Chinese?

A. 咳嗽                                B. 喷嚏                                 C. 鼻涕                                 D. 病菌

 

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.

Afternoon tea

    People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供应) to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

Will you come for coffee?

Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.

Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange

In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(伦敦股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.

1.Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ______.

   A. enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

   B. loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

   C. wanted to share nice food with her friends

   D. found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

2.What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

   A. 集体婚礼       B. 社交活动       C. 社区表演      D. 公共场合

3. If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee,” you ______.

   A. will be offered coffee only       

 B. are asked what you would like to drink

   C. will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D. you are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

4. From the last paragraph we can see______

   A. a new business was started in coffeehouses.

   B. coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers.

   C. businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee.

   D. most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise.

5. Which is the best title of the article?

   A. British and Chinese cultures.        B. The beginning of Tea and Coffee.

   C. Coffeehouse and Business.          D. English tea and coffee culture.