There are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese is about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative(消极) meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(积极的) actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog—tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(冷酷的). There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.
The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.
1.The word “dog” in Chinese usually ______.
A. stands for friendship B. has a negative meaning C. has a positive meaning
2.“Every dog has its day.” means “______”
A. Everybody in the world is lucky. B. Each person lives his own way of life.
C. Everybody has a time in life to be lucky.
3. Western people usually use “cat” to refer to “______”.
A. a tired person B. a brave man C. an unkind woman
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Words show differences in cultures.
B. Western people think cats to be good friends.
C. Rose is the national flower of all western countries.
5. This passage mainly tells us ______.
A. negative or positive things B. different countries have different cultures
C. what dog and cat mean in English and Chinese
Last weekend, when Jack was walking in the park, he saw a woman, who lived a few miles away, sitting on a bench with a dog beside her. The dog was looking up at the woman.
Jack walked up to the woman and said, “Hello, Sue, how are you? May I sit and talk with you for a while?”
“Of course, please sit down,” Sue said.
Jack sat down next to Sue on the bench, and they talked quietly together. The dog continued to look up at Sue, as if waiting to be fed. “That’s a nice dog, isn’t he?” Jack said, pointing at the animal.
“Yes, he is. He’s handsome. He’s a bit of a mixture, but that’s not a bad thing. He’s strong and healthy.”
“And hungry,” Jack said. “He hasn’t taken his eyes off you. He thinks you’ve got some food for him.”
“That’s true,” Sue said. “But I haven’t.”
They both laughed and then Jack said, “Does your dog bite?”
“No,” Sue said. “He’s never bitten anyone. He’s always gentle and friendly.”
Hearing this, Jack decided to hold out his hand and touched the animal’s head. Suddenly it jumped up and bit him.
“Hey!” Jack shouted. “You said your dog didn’t bite.”
Sue replied in surprise. “Yeah, I did. But this is not my dog. My dog’s at home.”
1. Jack and Sue were ______.
A. friends B. next—door neighbours C. strangers
2. The dog looked at the woman because ______.
A. the woman wanted to feed him B. the woman was friendly C. it was hungry
3. Jack touched to dog because he believed ______.
A. the dog was handsome B. Sue’s dog was unfriendly C. the dog belonged to Sue
4.Do Sue’s dog bite?
A. Yes, it does. B. No, it doesn’t. C. We don’t know.
5.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. A Wrong Question B. Sue’s Dog C. A Pleasant Meeting
We can find ads everywhere. Here are four ads. Please read them carefully.
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（1）WAITE WANTED Are you hard—working? Do you like to meet people? If your answer is “Yes”, then we have a job for you as a waiter. Call AL Hotel at 8556779. |
（2）REPORTER WANTED Do you like to talk with people? Do you like to write stories? If you want to work for our magazine as a reporter, please call Karen at 8558366. |
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（3）HELP WANTED Do you like babies? Can you look after one baby for two days? If you are sure to take good care of it, call us at 8766588. $ 80 or more. Today! Hurry1 |
（4）CLEANER WANTED Can you make a large house clean and tidy? If you hope to get the job paid at $ 20 once, call us this evening 18:00—20:00. Tel: 8633800. |
1.______ are needed in AL Hotel.
A. Cleaners B. Reporters C. Waiters
2. If you like children and have two —day free, you can call at ______ for a job.
A. 8556779 B. 8558336 C. 8766588
3. If the owner of the large house asks a cleaner to tidy his house once a day, how much will the cleaner get in a week?
A. $ 120. B. $ 140. C. $ 160.
4. If you’re a college student of English who enjoys writing, during your summer holidays you will be more interested in the job in ______.
A. ad（1） B. ad（2） C. ad（3）
5. The above job ads are probably from ______.
A. a science book B. a story book C. a newspaper
Long long ago, there was a man whose name was Frank. He loved his 46 very much. A special day was coming. It was his wife’s birthday. Frank decided 47 something for her.
The next day he 48 home and said to his wife, “I bought something 49 you.” “Thank you!” said his wife 50 . “What have you bought for me?” “I’ve bought a gold ring. Here it is.” He took it out for his wife to see. Carelessly, he dropped it onto the ground. He began to look for it on the ground, 51 it was dark in the house and he could not see 52 . Then he went out and began to look for it in the street.
He looked and looked. After a while, a friend came along. “What’s the matter with you?” asked his friend. “I am 53 for my ring. It was for my wife. But I lost it just now.” said the poor man. “ 54 did you lose it?” “I lost it in my house.” “You lost your ring in your house, but you are looking for it in the street. How foolish you are!” “Ah,” said the man, “but it is dark in my house. I will never find it there. Anyhow, here in the street, it is much 55 . I can see everything more clearly.” My dear friend, do you think Frank could find his gold ring in the street?
1. A. wife B. daughter C. son
2. A. to show B. to buy C. to cook
3. A. go B. goes C. went
4. A. for B. with C. to
5. A. angrily B. sadly C. happily
6. A. but B. so C. because
7. A. something B. anything C. nothing
8. A. asking B. calling C. looking
9.A. Where B. When C. Why
10. A. darker B. brighter C. harder
One day a woman got into her car and started driving home after work. Suddenly, she saw a yellow car behind her. The 41 was a man. Wherever she drove, the young man followed her. When she 42 at the traffic lights, the yellow car stopped behind her.
The woman was afraid, so she drove 43 to the police station. She was very 44 when she found the car stopped behind her. At that time, she saw a woman outside the police station. She knew that she was a policewoman because she was wearing a police uniform. She jumped out 45 her car and ran to her. But the young man just smiled and came up to return the purse which was dropped on the street by the woman.
1. A. worker B. drover C. passenger
2. A. stop B. stops C. stopped
3. A. quickly B. easily C. happily
4. A. interested B. moved C. surprised
5. A. at B. on C. of
—Do you know when the 29th Olympic Games ______? —Yes, in 2008.
A. hold B. is held C. was held
