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.

 

I’ve been working in a school for more than twenty years. Many parents often ask me, “How can you teach your child good study skills? How can he or she get the homework done as quickly as possible?” Here are some tips:  

1. If the child is as young as nine or ten, ask him or her to prepare a small notebook to write down the homework given by his or her teachers. By developing this habit, he or she will learn to be much more responsible (负责的).

2. Find a good place to study. This should be a quiet place that is free from everything but study things. No games, radios, or televisions. Once you have decided on a place to study, this should be the only place where your child does his or her homework and studies. There should also be a very specific time for homework to be done. Usually, homework should be done as soon as the child gets home from school. This also goes for the kids who take part in after-school activities. Of course, it is a good idea to allow the child to have a healthy snack before the work begins.

3. Also remember that it is the child’s duty to do his or her homework. Some children give up easily and go to Mom and Dad for help when they have a problem. Try to let them solve it first. By doing this, they will get a sense of success from overcoming problems. In this way we help them to help themselves.

1.Asking the kids to keep a notebook to remember their homework will make them ______.

A．remember more                        B．learn more

C．more responsible                       D．more interested in studying

2.The place where the children study must ________.

A．be free for everything

B．have a TV set and a computer

C．be quiet, bright and free from things for entertainment

D．be big, clean and tidy

3.What does the underlined word “overcoming” mean in the passage?

A．Forgetting.        B．Leaving.           C．Realizing.          D．Beating.

4.According to the passage, the children should _____ when they have trouble with their homework.

A．ask their parents for help                 B．try to solve the problems by themselves

C．wait for their teachers’ help             D．put it away and have a snack

5.This passage is written _________.

A．for parents to help their children study well

B．for the children who want to improve their work

C．for teachers to teach their students

D．for housewives to make their kids happy

 

 

Angela Chang (张韶涵) didn’t know it would be so hard to turn singing into a career (失业). She went to many different record companies. But she was always turned down for looking too young and small.

“I’d never had such difficulties before,” Chang said. But Chang’s talent was finally accepted in 2002. When she got a piece of work, she cried.

She soon became a star. Her first album Over the Rainbow sold very well. She won many awards.

“You wouldn’t believe such a beautiful voice could come from such a small body,” said one musician after hearing Chang sing. “She has a special voice. You can’t forget it.”

But the 25-year-old girl has other talents too. Chang is also an actress. She has played a role in the popular TV plays, My MVP Valentine and At Dolphin Bay. Many people remember her common-girl parts in the plays. But acting is difficult. Chang once acted so badly that she was nearly fired (解雇). Another time it took her 27 tries to get a scene (一场戏) right.

“I cried when I got back home,” Chang said. “But I knew that I wouldn’t always fail. You only fail when you give up.”

Now with four albums behind her - Over the Rainbow, Aurora, Pandora and Flower in the Wonderland, it’s clear that Chang and music were made for each other. As she sings in one song, “I have a pair of invisible wings (隐形的翅膀). They fly me to the skies and give me hope.”

1.The phrase “turned down” in the first paragraph means “______”.

         A. 承认                             B. 拒绝                             C. 开除                      D. 雇用

2. Many record companies refused to co-operate (合作) with her because ______.

         A. she looks very common                                          B. she is too young

         C. she doesn’t sing very well                                 D. she looks young and small

3. Although acting is difficult for her, she never gives up because ______.

         A. she is strong-minded                                          B. people like her films 

         C. she is interested in acting                                               D. she acted in the popular TV plays

4.Which do you think is the best title of the passage?

         A. The Small Girl.                                                           B. Four Albums.

        C. I have a Pair of Invisible Wings.                 D. A Poor Actress.

 

情景交际。根据对话内容，选择方框内的句子完成对话。有两项多余。（5分）
A: Jane, do you have a pen pal?
B: Yes, I do. She is a girl.
A:     【小题1】   
B: Her name is Maria.
A:     【小题2】  
B: She comes from the U.S.A.
A: Does she have long blond hair?
B:     【小题3】     And she has big eyes and a small nose.
A:     【小题4】   
B: Yes, she is.
A: Are her parents（父母）in China, too?
B: No, they aren’t.
A: Where are they?
B:     【小题5】  
A: Oh, I see. Thank you.

 

Hello!

My name is Molly Sharp. I'm eleven years old. I've got one brother—his name's Joson and he's fourteen. I haven't got any sisters.I live with my mum and dad and grandma in a small house in Chesterfield，in the north of England. There are lots of things to do here. My friends and I go to the cinema on Saturdays.

　  Do you like games? I like football. My favorite team is Manchester United. I sometimes play football with my brother. I can play well but he isn't very good.

　  I've got seven pets--a tortoise and six goldfish. I want a dog or a cat，but my mother doesn't like them.

Please write to me.

Becky

1. The girl wants to find a ________.

　   A. sister　　　B. brother 　C.pet　　  D. pen pal

2.What is the girl's surname(姓)?

　   A. Sharp　　B.  Molly   C. Becky Molly  D. none of the above

3. The girl's family live in ________.

  A. a big room              B. a cinema 

  C. the west of England       D. the north of England

4. Does the girl play football well?

  A. Yes，she does.　      　B. No，she doesn't.

  C. She's not very good.　　　D. We don't know.

5. The girl's mother doesn't like ________. 

A. the tortoise or the goldfish　　

B. the tortoise or the dog

  C. a dog or a cat　　　　　　　　

D. the goldfish or the cat