Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually have two cars. When the family is large, one of the cars is sold and they will buy a van (住房汽车).
A small car can hold four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded. A van hold seven persons easily, so a family with three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday travel. They could all travel together.
Mr. Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell their second car and buy a van. In the van, the sixth and seventh seat are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents’ home, the suitcases are removed from the two seats which can then carry the grandparents.
Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks. All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes.
1.What do Americans call a van?
A. A motor car. B. A big truck. C. A motorbike. D. A motor home.
2.What did Mr. Hagen and his wife do before they bought a van?
A. They sold their second car.
B. They moved to their grandparents’ house.
C. They built a new place for a van.
D. They sold their old house.
3.According to the passage, what kind of family is more likely to buy a van?
A. A family with a baby.
B. A family with much money.
C. A family with more than two children.
D. A family living in the countryside.
4.What do Americans usually use motor homes to do?
A. To travel with all the family members on holiday.
B. To do some shopping with all the family members.
C. To visit their grandparents at weekends.
D. To drive their children to school every day.
5.Why have motor homes become popular?
A. Because they can take people to another city when people are free.
B. Because they can let families have a happier life when they go out for holidays.
C. Because some people think motor homes are cheap.
D. Because big families can put more things in motor homes.
People use their mouths for many things. They eat, talk, shout, ____ and smile. In the English language, there are many expressions using the word ____.
For example, if you say ____ things about a person, the person might protest (抗议) and say “Do not bad mouth me.”
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or a family member that they later ____ because they hurt that person’s feelings. The speaker might say “I really put my foot in my mouth this time.”
Another ____ is when someone falsely claims another person said something. The other person might protest, “I did not say that. Do not put ____ in my mouth.”
Information is often spread through our mouths. This is general ____ between people, like friends talking to each other. “How did you hear about that new ____ ?” someone might ask. “Oh, by word of mouth.” The ____ means the person has been told about the movie by others.
Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant ____ with another person. He might say that experience “ left a bad taste in my mouth ”. Or the person might have had a very____ experience, like being chased by an angry dog. He might say, “ had my ____ in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very ____ family. There is an expression for this, too. You might say such a person “was born with a ____spoon in his mouth. However, some people live from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most ____ things in life, like food.
1.A. dance B. sing C. walk D. think
2.A. mouth B. head C. hand D. face
3.A. beautiful B. serious C. good D. bad
4.A. regret B. avoid C. refuse D. keep
5.A. position B. situation C. collection D. direction
6.A. sentences B. phrases C. things D. words
7.A. preparation B. communication C. competition D. protection
8.A. game B. movie C. name D. friend
9.A. answer B. problem C. design D. degree
10.A. life B. expression C. experience D. style
11.A. frightening B. interesting C. pleasing D. exciting
12.A. heart B. eye C. tongue D. finger
13.A. poor B. famous C. large D. rich
14.A. paper B. silver C. wooden D. iron
15.A. important B. expensive C. useless D. honest
The day _____ Nelson Mandela helped me was one of my happiest.
A. which B. when C. that D. why
The man _____ this house belongs is a friend of Wang Lin’s.
A. whom B. for whom C. to whom D. with whom
Can you think of ways to _________ him to give up the plan.
A. persuade B. determine C. insist D. recognize
If you want to learn Chinese, you may learn from her. She speaks very ____ Chinese.
A. accent B. standard C. entire D. loose
