Do you want to know more cultures about other countries? Here are some messages you may be interested in.

Taking off your shoes or not

It’s bad manners to take off your shoes at the door of a London dinner party. But in Asia if you don’t take off your shoes before entering a home, you are not polite enough.

What you should do instead: If you see a row of shoes at the door, take off your shoes. If not, keep the shoes on.

Talking over dinner

In some countries, like Japan, don’t start talking while everyone else is having dinner. You’ll meet with silence – not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtime is for eating, not talking. Also don’t talk in places like churches in Europe.

What you should do instead: Keep quiet!

Knowing your right from your left

Some cultures in Africa and the Middle East still like to eat in traditional ways – using their hands. When people eat in this way, food is often offered for several people to share at the same time. That is why it’s important to wash your hands before eating. While eating, you have to follow the rule: Eat using your right hand, and use your left hand to do other things. Another thing to remember: Eat the food that’s closest to you. Don’t put your hand into the center of the table.

What You Should Do Instead: Follow the others and use your right hand. Even children who are left-handed in this culture are taught to eat with their right hands. If you really can’t, explain yourself to others before you eat.

64. Is it good manners to take off your shoes at the door of a London dinner party?

65. Why do Japanese people keep silent while eating?

66. What is important in Africa and the Middle East before eating?

67. How many rules should you remember while eating in Africa?

68. What does the passage mainly talk about?

阅读短文, 根据短文内容回答问题。

 Do you want to know more cultures about other countries? Here are some messages you may be interested in.

Taking off your shoes or not

It’s bad manners to take off your shoes at the door of a London dinner party. But in Asia if you don’t take off your shoes before entering a home, you are not polite enough.

What you should do instead: If you see a row of shoes at the door, take off your shoes. If not, keep the shoes on.

Talking over dinner

In some countries, like Japan, don’t start talking while everyone else is having dinner. You’ll meet with silence – not because your group is unfriendly, but because mealtime is for eating, not talking. Also don’t talk in places like churches in Europe.

What you should do instead: Keep quiet!

Knowing your right from your left

Some cultures in Africa and the Middle East still like to eat in traditional ways – using their hands. When people eat in this way, food is often offered for several people to share at the same time. That is why it’s important to wash your hands before eating. While eating, you have to follow the rule: Eat using your right hand, and use your left hand to do other things. Another thing to remember: Eat the food that’s closest to you. Don’t put your hand into the center of the table.

What You Should Do Instead: Follow the others and use your right hand. Even children who are left-handed in this culture are taught to eat with their right hands. If you really can’t, explain yourself to others before you eat.

1 Is it good manners to take off your shoes at the door of a London dinner party?

2 Why do Japanese people keep silent while eating?

3What is important in Africa and the Middle East before eating?

4 How many rules should you remember while eating in Africa?

5 What does the passage mainly talk about?

“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!”

That may seem a strange thing to say it. But touching things can help you to see them better. Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too. You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.

All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a hard floor. All feel different under your feet.

There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to feel them!

Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, “Do touch!” There you can feel everything on show.

If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see!

1.When people buy things in shops, they often _____.

A. try them on first

B. keep their right hands on them

C. ask about them

D. feel and touch them

2. Why does it say “At first, it is not easy to feel these things”? because ______.

A. the things are used by people, too

B. people feel the things too often

C. people know how to use the things

D. the things are easy to feel

3. Which of the following is true?

A. Touching is helping us to see better.

B. Our feet, fingers, hands and skin can help us buy food.

C. People have to learn to see by feeling as they grow up.

D. Visitors can feel the things on show in some museums.

4.Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

A. Touching by Feeling.

B. To See or to Feel?

C. To See Better-Feel

D. Ways of Feeling.

“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!”

That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better.

Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too. You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.

All children soon learn what “Don’t touch!” means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a hard floor. All feel different under your feet.

There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them!

Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, “Do touch!” There you can feel everything on show.

If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see!

1.By touching things        .

2.Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

3.Which of the following parts can tell you the difference between two coins in your pocket?

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

Why do plants grow in some places and not in others? Why does some land have so much growing on it, while other land has almost no plants growing on it at all?
To grow, plants need several things. One is warmth. In very cold places almost nothing grows. Plants also need water. In very dry parts of the earth only a few unusual plants can grow. That’s why dry deserts everywhere are almost not covered by trees or grass.
Plants must also have a place in which to put down their roots and grow. They find it difficult to grow on hard land. The town is built on hard land. The plants here have only the soil found between the cracks of the stones to grow in.
Another thing plants must have before they can grow is food.
What will happen if we try to make things grow on the sandy beach? A few plants, such as beach grass, will grow in sand, but most plants won’t. Even if the weather is warm enough and we water the plants each day, many of them will die because the sand on this beach has almost no food for plants.
【小题1】What things don’t most plants need to grow well according to the passage?
A．Warmth.              B．Food.                C．Sandy beach
【小题2】What does the underlined word “cracks” mean in the passage?
A．表面             B．缝隙                 C．夹层
【小题3】From the passage, we know that it is        for plants to grow in dry places.
A．difficult                B．impossible           C．important
【小题4】The reason why most plants can’t grow on the sandy beach is that       .
A．there isn’t enough sunlight
B．there is too much water
C．it has little food for plants
【小题5】The passage can most probably be found in a        book.
A．science              B．history              C．travel