I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”(风格)of directions every time I ask “ How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑的)in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “ Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “ Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance in time, not miles. “ How far away is the post office?” you ask. “ Oh,” they answer, “ it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “ Yes, but how many miles is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “ Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “ I don't know”. People in Yucatan believe that “I don't know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
1.When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually _______ .
A.describe the place carefully
B.show him a map of the place
C.tell him the names of the streets
D.refer to recognizable buildings and places
2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A.New York. B.Los Angles.
C.Kansas C. Iowa
3.People inYucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________ .
A.in order to save time B.as a test
C.so as to be polite D.for fun
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B.It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C.People have similar understanding of politeness.
D.New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.
Your next car could have two seats, three wheels — two in front and one in the back and a top speed of more than 100 miles per hour. Elio Motors plans to make such a tiny car named the Elio. Its two seats sit front and back instead of side by side. The driver is positioned in the center with the passenger directly behind.
The starting price for the car is just $6,800. It has only one door, on the left side, which cuts a few hundred dollars off the manufacturing costs. Having three wheels also makes it cheaper. It has air conditioning, power windows and door locks and an AM/FM radio. More features can be ordered through Elio's long list of suppliers. Elio will also sell the cars directly through its own stores and not through franchised dealers (特约经销商).
Paul Elio dreamed as a kid that he would one day own a car company called Elio Motors. In 2008, tired of high gas prices, he started working on a car that burns gas in a more effective way. Equally important to him was creating U.S. manufacturing jobs and making the car inexpensive enough to attract buyers who might otherwise be stuck in their old, unreliable cars. “Whatever matters to you, this can move the needle on it,” he said.
Already, more than 27,000 people have reserved (预订) one. Paul hopes to make 250,000 cars a year by 2016. So far, reservation holders are those who will use the Elio as a second or third car for work. Finally, though, he believes the car will interest high school and college students as well as used-car drivers who want something newer and more reliable.
1.Which of the following shows the design of the Elio?
(○ = wheel, □ = seat)
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.Paragraph 2 shows that the Elio ________.
A.will be available in most stores B.is sold at affordable prices
C.has a fixed temperature D.does no harm to the environment
3.The underlined words “move the needle” in Paragraph 3 probably mean “________”.
A.take a chance B.stand in the way C.break into pieces D.make a difference
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.The history of Elio Motors B.Cool car or stupid vehicle?
C.Paul Elio: a kid with big dreams D.What car to choose: new or used?
Philadelphia offers a ton of attractions that are suitable for people of every age and here are some family—friendly attractions.
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Spruce Street Harbor Park, one of the best urban beaches in America, is an outdoor heaven on the Delaware River waterfront. Visitors can relax in a hammock, play on the playgrounds, and play games like table tennis and giant chess. Don't miss out on the park at night, when colorful LED lights hanging from treetops make the entire area bright.
Blue Cross RiverRink
Offering ice skating in the winter and roller skating in the summer, Blue Cross RiverRink creates a fun, outdoor experience for the whole family. Visitors can play on the nine-hole mini-golf course during the summer, and enjoy eats and drinks from the on-site bar and restaurant all year round.
Sesame Place
Big Bird, Elmo and the other stars of Sesame Street come out and play at Sesame Place, the only theme park in the nation starring the popular TV show's most lovable characters. A water park, interactive activities, parades, fireworks and shows add to the fun.
Once Upon a Nation Storytelling Benches
On summer days, uniformed and professional storytellers at 13 storytelling benches throughout Philadelphia's Historic District entertain visitors with true, free, three-to-five minute tales about the colonial era as part of Once Upon a Nation. Children can pick up a Story Flag at any storytelling bench, and then collect a star from every storyteller on their journeys. Flags with all the stars can get free rides on the Parx Liberty Carousel at Franklin Square.
1.Who would most probably go to Spruce Street Harbor Park?
A.People who are fond of colorful treetops.
B.People who want a relaxing day outdoors.
C.People who have a preference for skating.
D.People who are interested in water activities.
2.Which place would fans of Big Bird be interested in?
A.Sesame Place. B.Blue Cross RiverRink.
C.Spruce Street Harbor Park. D.The Parx Liberty Carousel.
3.What can we know about Philadelphia Storytelling Benches?
A.It can be visited all year round. B.It is available at a small charge.
C.It has educational significance. D.It is aimed at serving the public.
4.What is the text aimed at?
A.Telling what we can do in some places.
B.Encouraging people to visit Philadelphia.
C.Recommending some places for family fun.
D.Comparing some attractions in Philadelphia.
I was with a group of businessmen, and we were dealing with a question — what is a good person?
At a certain point during the discussion, one of the students, a young man of about 30, described an event that happened at Christmas. He and his five-year-old son were decorating the Christmas tree, and a little boy came to the front door begging. If you ever visit Mexico, you will see that the people there take begging as nothing to get upset about and nothing to get embarrassed by.
So, this little boy came to the door, a boy about the same age as my student’s son. The father and the son went to the front door, and the father went back with his five-year-old son and said to him, “Give him one of your toys.” At the words, the little boy quickly picked up one toy, and his father said to him, “No, no, give him your favorite toy.”
And the little boy, like a little tiger, said, “No way!” He cried; he refused. But the father, like a big tiger in a way, insisted gently, “No, you must give him one of your favorite toys.”
And finally the boy, with his head down, picked up a toy he had just gotten. The father waited in the living room, and the boy walked to the front door with the toy in his hand. The father waited and waited.
What do you think happened?
After a couple of minutes, his son came running back into the living room, his face lighted up. “Daddy,” he said, “can I do that again?” I think I have got the answer to the question.
1.From the passage, we can learn that in Mexico ________.
A.begging is looked down upon B.begging is considered as a normal part of life
C.visitors all over the world treat beggars kindly D.few people are living a poor life
2.The sentence “Daddy, can I do that again?” showed that the boy ________.
A.got pleasure by helping the little beggar B.wanted to please his father
C.began to like the little beggar D.wanted to be the little beggar’s friend
3.According to the writer, “being a good person” means ________.
A.being ready to give
B.being friendly to beggars
C.having the courage to correct his/her mistakes
D.being able to teach children to tell right from wrong
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Robert and Henry were two friends in the same class. They always played together and went home together. One day Robert and Henry were going home from school, when, on turning a corner, Robert cried out, “A fight! Let’s go and see!”
“No,” said Henry. “Let us go quietly home and not meddle with(插手) this quarrel. We have nothing to do with it and may get into mischief(trouble). Also our parents are expecting to have dinner with us together at home and I don’t want them to worry about me. ”
“You are a coward, and afraid to go,” said Robert, and off he ran. Henry went straight home, and in the afternoon went to school as usual.
But Robert had told all the boys that Henry was a coward, and they laughed at him a great deal. From then on, they looked down upon Henry and didn’t want to play with him together.
Henry was sad but he wasn’t angry with Robert for his rude behavior, because he learned that true courage is shown most in bearing misunderstanding when it was not deserved, and that he ought to be afraid of nothing but doing wrong. Thus, he just ignored the other boys’ laughter and continued to go to school and study as well. However, Robert didn’t invite Henry to go home with him anymore. Instead, he had some other boys who also thought Henry was a coward. Every day after school, they didn’t go home directly but went to the river or somewhere to play games and had a lot of fun.
A few days later, Robert was bathing with his new friends in a river, and got out of his depth. He struggled, and screamed for help, but all in vain. The boys who had called Henry a coward got out of the water as fast as they could, but they did not even try to help him.
注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
Robert was fast sinking. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Thus, Robert’s life was saved.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是中学生李华，你作为学校代表参加了英国姐妹学校的“中国传统文化艺术节”，现已回国。请你给该校校长Mr. Smith写一封邮件表示感谢，内容包括:
1. 感谢对方的热情接待；
2. 活动期间的收获；
3. 邀请对方来校访问。
注意:
1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3. 开头及结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
4. 文中不能出现真实的校名和地名。
Dear Mr. Smith,
I have returned from England.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Li Hua
