Saturday, March 24th

We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand（泰国）. All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap, and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.

Tuesday, March 27th

Bangkok is wonderful and surprising. The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.

Friday, March 30th

Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life—no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. They always smile and say “hello”. Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.

1.The diaries above show the writer’s ______ days in Thailand.

A．3         B．7          C．15       D．8

2.It seems that visitors _________ in Bangkok.

A．often feel hungry        B．can’t take any photos

C．can have a good time  D．feel a little bored

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand.

B．The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus.

C．The writer is traveling alone in Thailand.

D．The writer will take a bus to Chiang Mai.

4.   The people in the village ________.

A．are friendly to others B．like to speak English

C．hope to live in the cities      D．live a very busy life

5.What is the best title（标题）for the whole diary?

A．My First Travel    B．The Outside World

C．Traveling in Thailand    D．My Trip to Chiang Mai

Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?

1. 1.

   An idiom is _______.

   1. A.
      a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say
   2. B.
      a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says
   3. C.
      so difficult that nobody can understand
   4. D.
      something to do with parts of your body
2. 2.

   If a mother says "I'll play it by ear" to talk about the dinner, she means _______.

   1. A.
      she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time
   2. B.
      she doesn't hear what others are talking about.
   3. C.
      she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner
   4. D.
      She doesn't have plans for dinner and will decide later
3. 3.

   When one says "Can you give me a hand?", he means _______.

   1. A.
      he needs to hold your hand.
   2. B.
      he works well with you
   3. C.
      he needs your help
   4. D.
      he is a new comer and can't help with the situation
4. 4.

   Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English.
   2. B.
      To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom.
   3. C.
      Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember.
   4. D.
      You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word.
5. 5.

   Here are 4 common English idioms to do with parts of your body and their meanings. Can you match them?
   1) to learn something by heart a. to depend on oneself
   2) to have sticky fingers b. to know something very well
   3) to stand on one's own feet c. to do something secretly
   4) to go behind someone's back d. to have the habit of stealing

   1. A.
      badc
   2. B.
      bdac
   3. C.
      cbad
   4. D.
      cdba

  Thanksgiving time came and all the relatives were gathered around the long table, or seated behind TV trays．The television was on and some folks were watching it while visiting with one another．Something on television got their attention and one of the adults said, "Listen at it!" Someone else replied．"Well, if that don't beat all．"

   Simple phrases were spoken by folks whose language was simple and brief．They had several idioms that were just as colorful; Phrases and words that brightened the room and warmed the conversation．In school we were taught to speak differently．The way our relatives spoke was discouraged．Sometimes our parents would say things we weren't taught in school．They'd often correct themselves, as if getting rid of a mistake．Of course we learned some of their phrases and used them．They were comfortable words to pronounce, familiar．

  Our father's side of the family was from Arkansas and Oklahoma and they spoke with the accents native to their birth states．Their voices musical and often high , it was easy to pick up that effect in our own speech and at school my brother and I were often teased for the way we spoke．Our mother's side of the family came from Illinois and they had a tendency to talk fast．They had an accent, too, and my brother and I added that to our own speech, confusing the kids at school all the more．Our father's side of the family loved to laugh and have a good time．Our mother's side of the family was more serious about how they took life in; their joys more silently experienced and enjoyed．It was a rich picture of culture and it gave my brother and me a colorful view in life．

  Thanksgiving holiday was always an easy comfortable going day．It was the first real holiday of the season when everyone came together in one place, and a good time was spent happily together by all．

64．From the text we can know that ___________．

       A．parents were worried that their relatives might affect their kids’ language

       B．parents didn’t allow their children to speak dialects

       C．parents tried to avoid affecting their kids with their dialects

       D．parents thought the language taught in school was the best

65．It can be inferred from the text that ________．

       A．English taught in school is different from that used in daily life

       B．his mother’s side of the family spoke in a high voice

       C．the language used by his father’s side of the family was fast

       D．the writer and brother were laughed at school because of their poor English

66．Why did the writer and his brother puzzle other kids at school by their speeches?

       A．They had relatives from different parts of Europe

       B．They added some dialects in their speeches

       C．There were many mistakes in their language

       D．their speeches were lively and colorful

67．What’s the writer’s attitude towards dialects?

       A．They were not accepted by others．      B．They should be used everywhere．

       C．They should be taught in school．      D．He liked them very much．

The Winter Olympics is also called the White Olympics. At this time, many colorful stamps are published to mark the great Games. The first stamps marking the opening came out on January 25, 1932 in the United States for the 3rd White Olympics. From then on, publishing stamps during the White Olympics became a rule. During the 4th Winter Olympic Games a group of stamps were published in Germany in November 1936. The five rings of Olympics were drawn on the front of the sportswear. It was the first time that the rings appeared on the stamps of the White Olympics. In the 1950’s, the stamps of this kind became more colorful.

When the White Olympics came, the host countries(东道国) as well as the non-host countries published stamps to mark those Games. China also published four stamps in February 1980, when the Chinese sports men began to take part in the White Olympics. Japan is the only Asian country that has ever held the White Olympics. Altogether 14,500 million stamps were sold to raise money for this sports meet. Different kinds of sports were drawn on these small stamps. People can enjoy the beauty of the wonderful movements of some sportsmen.

1.The White Olympics and the Winter Olympics _______.

A．are the same thing                      B．are different games

C．are not held in winter                    D．are held in summer

2.The world made it a rule to publish stamps to mark the great world games _______.

A．after the year 1936                      B．after the 3rd White Olympics

C．before the 3rd White Olympics             D．before the year 1932

3.The Winter Olympics is held once _______.

A．every two years                        B．every three years

C．every four years                        D．every five years

4.Which of the following is true?

A．Only the host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

B．Only the non-host countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

C．All the countries can publish stamps to mark those Games.

D．Japan can’t publish stamps to mark those Games

5.What may appear on the stamps of the White Olympics?

A．Basketball.         B．Table tennis.       C．Football.          D．Skating.