What will you do during a vacation? Visit famous places, shop or take photos? There is one thing you should never forget to do-send a postcard.
Postcards first appeared (出现) in October 1865 in the UK. By the 20th century (世纪), trains became a cheap and easy way to travel. More people went on holiday to the seaside. There were no cell phones, so they sent postcards to let others know they arrived safely. Those postcards usually showed seaside pictures, such as beaches or some seafood.
Today, most postcards feature (以……为特色) local scenic (风景的) photos or drawings. Others may be funny, with jokes on the front.
People usually write words to express that they miss someone on their postcards. It's common to end with "thinking of you." The most common postcard words are "wish you were here."
Modern postcards also celebrate British humor (幽默). They often make fun of British weather For example, some postcards show rain pouring down (倾泻) on an empty beach. This humor keeps postcards popular in Britain.
1.Postcards first appeared in the ________ century.
A.18th B.19th C.20th
2.What was popular on postcards in the beginning?
A.Seaside scenic photos. B.Drawings. C.Funny jokes.
3.The most common postcard words are ________.
A.they miss someone B.thinking of you C.wish you were here
4.What helps make modern postcards fun in Britain?
A.British weather B.British food C.British beach.
5.The passage may come from ________.
A.a storybook B.a newspaper C.a notice
Can you travel with your house? Some people in the US may say "Yes!"
During the holidays, some US families often get into their RVs (房车) and go on a road trip around the country. People call RVs the houses on the wheels (车轮). From a kitchen and bathroom to a bedroom, you can find most ordinary (普通的) rooms here. How cool is that!
These homes on the road are small. But with them, your trip becomes easy. You can drive as long as you like. Or you can just stop somewhere nice and stay there for a few weeks. On the road, you may also meet other traveling families. Together, you take out your tents (帐篷) and snacks. It's happy camping time!
But these moving homes also have their problems. Sometimes they break down on the road and people have to repair (修理) them. But this kind of road trip is still very popular. People can go anywhere, any time.
1.We can't find ________ in RVs.
A.bathrooms B.gardens C.kitchens
2.What do we know about RVs?
A.It's difficult to travel in RVs. B.They don't have real wheels. C.A trip with them is easy and relaxing.
3.With RVs, people can do many activities EXCEPT (除了) ________.
A.going anywhere they like without any worries (顾虑)
B.stopping somewhere beautiful for some weeks
C.camping with other families on the road
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.People don't like traveling in RVs because it sometimes has problems.
B.The RVs can't go very far because it is too big and heavy.
C.Most American people like these moving homes.
5.The title (标题) of this passage is ________.
A.A New Kind of House B.Traveling in RVs C.American People's Daily Lives
When you are talking about someone, but at that time you can't remember his or her name. What should you do then? Don't worry! In English, you can use other names to replace (代替) their real (真实的) names.
In the US, if you forget someone's name, you can just use the name John Doe for a man or Jane Doe for a woman. For example, "Did you see that boy who was running in the rain?" "Ah, yes, poor John Doe."
People use these names in US courts (法庭). This is to keep the person's identify (身份) a secret (秘密). People use the name so often that there was even a film in 1941 called Meet John Doe.
But in the UK, unknown people are called John Smith. This name is used so often that John is one of the most common first name in English, and Smith is the most common family name.
So next time you forget someone's name, you know what to say.
1.When Americans can't remember a woman's name, they call her ________.
A.John Doe. B.Jane Doe. C.Jane Smith
2.John Smith is used among unknown people in ________.
A.America. B.the UK. C.Canada.
3.In US courts, people don't use real names because ________.
A.using real names is not allowed (允许)
B.they think using real names may bring them bad luck
C.they just want to keep their identify a secret
4.The meaning of the underlined word "common" in paragraph 4 is ________.
A.普通的 B.普遍的 C.共同的
5.The passage is mainly about ________.
A.why people sometimes can't remember others' names
B.differences in names between the UK and the US
C.the names American and British people use when they forget someone's name
Read the notices on the board and choose the right answers.
| Lost black/white Persian male cat called Lizie 12 months old，friendly nature If you find Lizie and return him to me， $ 500 for reward (报酬) Phone Peter at 555-4140 evenings |
| Teacher Wanted Love teaching kids? Join (加入)us as an English teacher! Work on weekends，must speak English well $12 every hour E-mail Ben at educatehr@126.com |
| For Rent (出租) Good room for girls, single, $35 a week. Double, $185 a month Call John at 555-0698 Family Home, 3 bedrooms, large yard. Call Andrew at 555-4863 |
1.Peter lost a ________.
A.friendly female cat B.white and black Persian cat C.12-month-old cat called Lisa
2.If you find the cat, you can call Peter _________.
A.in the morning B.in the afternoon C.in the evening
3.If Amy works as the English teacher for 3 hours, she can get ________.
A.$12 B.$24 C.$36
4.Mr. Black wants to rent a house for his family, so he can ________.
A.call John at 555-0698 B.call Andrew at 555-4863 C.call Peter at 555-4140
5.Which of the following is TRUE?
A.You can get some money from Peter in return if you find the cat.
B.Eric is free on weekends and loves English, so he can be the English teacher.
C.Both John and Andrew have good rooms for girls.
Dale is a middle school student. He has good living habits. He _______ gets up at 6:00 in the morning and has eggs and milk for breakfast. His house is far away from his school, so he has to _______ to school every day. He is never late for school. Dale is a warm-hearted (热心的) boy, _______ he doesn’t have many friends. Because he is very _______.
One morning, he found a yellow cat on his _______ to school. He thought the cat couldn’t find _______ way home. So he took it to the _______. Then he hurried to (赶往) school, but he was still late. All the students and teacher _______ him in surprise (惊讶地). His face _______ red.
After class, his teacher knew the truth and said to the students, “Dale is a kind boy. He found a cat who got lost and took it to the zoo.” Now all his classmates ________ him and want to make friends with him.
1.A.always B.never C.sometimes
2.A.run B.take a bus C.walk
3.A.and B.but C.so
4.A.friendly B.tidy C.quiet
5.A.road B.street C.way
6.A.my B.his C.its
7.A.home B.zoo C.school
8.A.looked at B.listened to C.talked to
9.A.sounded B.looked C.smelled
10.A.like B.dislike C.miss
— I'm really tired. I'd like to stop running.
— ________. Jim, you can make it.
A.Come on B.Take care C.Have fun
