(一) Not that Charlie’s own life was easy! He was born in a poor family 1. 1889. His parents were both music hall 2. (perform). You may find 3. astonishing that Charlie 4. (teach) to sing as soon as he could speak and dance as soon as he could walk. Such training was common in acting families at this time, especially 5. the family income was often uncertain. 6. (luck), his father died, 7. (leave) the family even 8. (bad) off, so Charlie spent his childhood looking 9. his mother and his brother. By his teens, Charlie had, through his humour, become one of the 10. (popular) child actors in England. He could mime and act the fool doing ordinary everyday tasks. No one was ever bored watching him – his subtle acting made everything entertaining.
(二) As I get to know more about international friends, I learn more about this 11. (culture) “body language”. Not all cultures greet each other the same way, 12. are they comfortable in the same way with touching or distance 13. people. In the same way that people communicate with spoken language, they also express their feelings using 14. (speak) “language” through physical distance, actions or posture. English people, for example, do not usually stand very close to 15. or touch strangers as soon as they meet. However, people from places 16. Spain, Italy or South American countries approach others 17. (close) and are more likely to touch them. Most people around the world now greet each other 18. shaking hands, 19. some cultures use other greetings as well, such as the Japanese, 20. prefer to bow.
Many years ago ,l was working at my job at a community college when a homeless woman came in. She began____as she lay on one of the sofas in the student rest room.____she wasn't well. Without thinking too much I went next door to the Student Affairs office where I knew I could find____in the Lost and Found box. I____up a set of clothing and went back to my office,____I heard a colleague calling me. She told me that I should not____this person, as it would only lead to her wanting more help. I refused her____and went back to help the woman,____my co-worker's warning .
Two weeks later, while I was working, a very cute elderly man entered my____and asked to speak with me in private. Curiously, l gave him my full____and he told me that he had happened to hear my____with the co-worker about helping the____woman. He wanted me to know that it was always okay to help people and that was why he wanted to give me a____for $1,000. I burst into tears, because I____needed the money at the time, but also because I had never been____in such a way for helping someone!
We soon became good____and 10 years later he called me up suddenly and told me he wanted to help me____my first home! He____giving me $120,000 as part payment for my dream house in my home town. I asked him why he wanted to give me such a large amount of money and he said it was because I was a " giver" and that I____it ! To make a long story short, l was able to buy the perfect little home for myself, all because one day I did not____to help a homeless woman.
1.A. smiling B. talking C. shouting D. coughing
2.A. Luckily B. Clearly C. Strangely D. Sadly
3.A. clothes B. books C. food D. medicine
4.A. gave B. turned C. gathered D. made
5.A. while B. when C. how D. why
6.A. ignore B. disturb C. value D. help
7.A. advice B. request C. plan D. offer
8.A. more than B. rather than C. regardless of D. apart from
9.A. home B. office C. classroom D. dormitory
10.A. energy B. love C. care D. attention
11.A. disagreement B. discussion C. fight D. quarrel
12.A. young B. old C. sick D. wealthy
13.A. support B. check C. tip D. promise
14.A. anxiously B. eagerly C. hardly D. really
15.A. recognized B. measured C. taught D. praised
16.A. colleagues B. competitors C. partners D. friends
17.A. build B. buy C. rent D. repair
18.A. came out B. ended up C. carried on D. resulted in
19.A. deserved B. wanted C. needed D. enjoyed
20.A. fear B. fail C. hesitate D. attempt
There is an English saying：“1.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. 2.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. 3. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated(忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program.4.
5. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
A. Laughter is the best medicine.
B. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain.
C. Although laughter helps cure the disease, doctors still can not put this theory into clinic practice.
D. Laughter can prolong one's life.
E. As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics in which they help to improve their patients' condition by encouraging them to laugh.
F. They have found that laughter really can improve people's health.
G. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing；it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach and even the feet.
Mr.Bean is an internationally recognized comedy character on TV and in films.He constantly gets into awkward and absurd situations，which greatly amuses audiences regardless of their nationalities or culture.The humour is always made clear through a series of simple and funny acts that rely purely on body language，which is universal.
One of my favourite shows is that Mr.Bean has a meal in a fancy restaurant.After being seated at his table，Mr.Bean takes out a card，writes a few words on it，seals(密封) it in an envelope and places it on the table.After a moment，he looks back at the envelope but this time he looks surprised，as if he did not know it was there.He opens it to find a birthday card and delightedly puts it on the table for everyone to see.
When he looks at the menu，an astonished look swiftly appears on his face.He takes all the money out of his wallet，counts it and puts it in a saucer(茶托)．He then looks from the menu to the money with concern until he finds one thing that makes him smile.Then he orders a dish called “steak tartare”．When the dish arrives，he is shocked to discover that “steak tartare” is actually raw hamburger.He makes an attempt to eat it，but it is clear from the look on his face that he finds the taste truly disgusting.He cannot hide his feelings，except when the waiter asks if everything is all right.When this happens，he smiles and nods，indicating that everything is fine.When the waiter is not looking，however，he busies himself hiding the raw meat anywhere he can reach—the sugar bowl，the tiny flower vase，inside a bun(小圆面包) and under a plate.He becomes so desperate in the end that he even hides some inside the purse of a woman sitting near him and throws some down the trousers of the restaurant’s violinist!
I like to watch Mr.Bean on TV，but I wouldn’t like to meet someone like him in real life and I certainly wouldn’t like to have dinner with him!
1.From the passage we know Mr.Bean is ________.
A．famous for directing films
B．famous for his spoken English
C．well known for making films
D．known for his body language and amusement in his comedies
2.Why is Mr.Bean famous all over the world?
A．He often eats in special restaurants.
B．He entertains the audience from different countries.
C．He only acts on TV.
D．He acts on body language and spoken language.
3.What does the underlined word “disgusting” in the third paragraph mean?
A．tasting delicious B．smelling good
C．feeling sick D．looking fine
4.Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Mr.Bean—A Top Humour Actor
B．Raw Hamburger Tastes Disgusting
C．Being Mannered in a Restaurant
D．How to Pretend to Like Something Boring
Sometimes people add to what they say even when they don't talk. Gestures are the “silent language” of every culture. We point a finger or move another part of the body to show what we want to say. It is important to know the body language of every country or we may be misunderstood.
In the United States, people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction. The handshake must be firm. If the handshake is weak, it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness. Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder, some people, usually women, greet a friend with a hug.
Space is important to Americans. When two people talk to each other, they usually stand about two and a half feet away and at an angle, so they are not facing each other directly. Americans get uncomfortable when a person stands too close. They will move back to have their space. If Americans touch another person by accident, they say, “Pardon me.” or “Excuse me.” Americans like to look at the other person in the eyes when they are talking. If you don't do so, it means you are bored, hiding something, or are not interested. But when you stare at someone, it is not polite.
For Americans, thumbs-up; means yes, very good, or well done. Thumbs-down means the opposite. To call a waiter, raise one hand to head level or above. To show you want the check, make a movement with your hands as if you are singing a piece of paper. It is all right to point at things but not at people with the hand and index finger. Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them.
Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing. If you don't know what to do, the safest thing to do is to smile.
1.If you are introduced to a stranger in the USA, you should _________.
A.greet him with a hug B.place a hand on his shoulder
C.shake his hand firmly D.shake his hand weakly
2.Which behavior is acceptable when people talk to each other in the USA?
A.Facing each other directly. B.Touching each other.
C.Not looking at the other person in the eyes. D.Not standing too close.
3.When your American friend gives you the thumbs-up, he, in fact,_________.
A.shows his rudeness to you B.shows his anger to you
C.expresses his satisfaction to you D.expresses his worries about you
A couple had two little boys aged 8 and 10 who were very naughty. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that if any trouble occurred in their town their sons were probably involved.
The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in the town had been successful in educating children so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first in the morning with the elder boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.
The clergyman, a huge man with a loud and deep voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him strictly, “Where is God?”
The boy's mouth dropped open but he made no answer, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even stricter tone “Where is God?” Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and shouted" Where is God?"
The boy screamed and escaped from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his elder brother found him in the closet, he asked “What happened?”
The younger brother replied out of breath, “We are in big trouble this time. God is missing--and they think we did it.”
1.What were the two boys like?
A.They always made trouble. B.They were brave.
C.They were easygoing. D.They were honest.
2.What did their parents plan to do?
A.They gave up their children.
B.They liked their children very much.
C.They wanted the clergyman to educate their children.
D.They helped their children to make trouble.
3.What do you suppose the boy felt when he was asked by the clergyman?
A.Happy. B.Sad. C.Afraid. D.Surprised.
