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.
How can Omar’s class help?
Omar’s class at school learned about taking care of our planet. Children in his class worked hard at collecting newspapers, cans, and bottles. Their teacher took what they collected to a company where the things would be recycled(回收) and used again. Omar hoped that doing this would make progress toward cleaning up our Earth. Omar wished that they could do more. Then Omar’s teacher gave the class this form.
Who? | Children from all the schools in our city |
When? | Saturday, November 16 Buses will leave from the parking lot at City Park at 8:00 A.M. They will return at 3:00 P.M. |
Where? | Padre Island on the Texas coast |
What should you bring? | Lunch and something to drink; Work gloves (We will have gloves to give to children who do not have a pair.) |
What should teachers bring? | Empty bags and small shovels(铲子) |
When to sign up? | By Wednesday, November 13 |
Where to sign up? | Have a parent sign at the back of this form to show that your family will permit you to go. Return this form to your teacher. |
1.After the cleanup, the children will ________.
A. report to Mr. Smith
B. join the Clean Earth Club
C. go to the Pizza Palace
D. return the form to their teachers
2.“I made a difference” in the passage probably means “________”.
A. I was different from others
B. I became more interested than before
C. I did something for a friend
D. I made something better than it was
3.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Schools organized a general cleaning.
B. Children can help clean up our Earth.
C. More bottles are thrown away than cans.
D. Parents should go to clean up with children
Everyone who has eaten instant noodles(方便面) before knows how it looks like. It is very easy to cook it instantly by putting the noodles into the boiling water and add in those MSG packets, together with your other ingredients(成分) like eggs or vegetables. However, have you ever wondered whether this is the correct way of cooking it? When you first took out the noodles from the packaging, you will notice that the noodles are joined together nicely as a piece. In order to make the noodles joined together nicely side by side, it needs some form of wax coating (石蜡涂层) to achieve an attractive instant noodles in front of us.
Many people who enjoy eating instant noodles frequently do not really bother too much of it, as it seems very normal to everyone to have it nicely displayed in front of us. However, researches have shown that the layer of wax coating on the noodles is quite harmful to our body and we should not eat it too frequently. It is advisable to have a break of 2-3 days before we start to eat another packet of instant noodles as our body need about 3 days to clear that layer of wax coating away from our body system. Do you know the danger of having too much wax coating stored in our stomach? It will lead to CANCER if it is stored in our body system for a long period of time.
There are 2 keys points to take note while preparing instant noodles: 1) Wash the instant noodles with warm water first, stir it and pour away the water containing the wax coating.
2) Repeat Step 1 and try to stir the noodles again to wash away the wax coating on the noodles before cooking it in a new pot of water.
Hope this article will let more people have self-awareness(自我意识) of the hidden danger of instant noodles and thus eat safely and stay healthy.
1.What is the purpose of the writer to write the passage?
A. To tell us how the instant noodles are made.
B. To tell us how to cook instant noodles.
C. To tell us something about the layer of wax coating on the noodles.
D. to tell us how to eat instant noodles safely and healthily.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The instant noodles are joined together in a mess as a piece.
B. It is common to see the noodles nicely joined together.
C. You can eat instant noodles as often as you like.
D. Too much wax coating does no harm to our health.
3.Many people don’t care about too much of the wax coating on the instant noodles because_____.
A. They enjoy the taste of the wax coating
B. They take the wax coating for granted
C. They don’t know the hidden danger at all
D. They can consume it faster than other people
4.The function of the wax coating in the instant noodles is to______.
A. make the noodles more delicious and tasty
B. make it easier to cook for the consumers
C. make the instant noodles healthier and more attractive to the consumers
D. make the noodles joined in a piece and avoid them sticking together
Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend charter school.
Charter schools are self-governing. Certain companies operate（经营）some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receiver tax money just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits（允许）them to operate.
Charter schools are different from because they do not have to obey most laws that govern traditional public schools. Each school can choose its own goals and decide what to teach and how to teach them in their own way. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.
The government strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools, which are failing to educate students. But some education unions are against charter schools. One teachers’ union has just released the results of the first national study, which compared the progress of students in both traditional schools and charter schools.
The results of the study show that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than the students in traditional public schools.
Some experts say the study is not fair because students in charter schools have more problems than students in traditional public schools. Other education experts say the study results would make charter school officials realize that they should help their students make greater progress.
1.If a company wants to operate a charter school, it must _________ .
A. try new methods of teaching
B. prove its management ability
C. obey the local and state laws
D. get the government’s permission
2.What’s the government’s attitude to charter schools?
A. Doubtful. B. Supportive.
C. Satisfied. D. Unclear.
3.What can we learn from the text?
A. More students choose to attend charter schools.
B. Charter schools are better than traditional schools.
C. Students in charter schools are well educated.
D. People have different opinions about charter schools.
4.What might be the best title for the text?
A. Charter schools in America
B. Public schools in America
C. Schools in America
D. Education in America
We, Patty and I, had been best friends since Grade Four. Just about everywhere we went, people we were best friends. We secrets about popcorn（爆米花）and soda year after year. The best part about having a best friend was taking sleeping over on Friday nights.
Then in Grade Eight everything changed. Suddenly, my interest in make-up and clothes my mom. I believe Patty started the first day of school the same pigtails（辫子）she had worn forever. What was happening? Other girls seemed more than Patty.
I started avoiding her and making excuses. , during the middle of the year, as we were sitting in the backyard, the broke out. I said, “Go home, Patty, and don’t come back.” Then I ran into the house crying. Mom sat me down and I told her . I’ll never forget her words. She said, “ will come and go in and out of your life forever. You are and it’s okay for both of you to make new friends. is happening is hard but perfectly .”
Time healed（治愈）a lot of the , and over the next few years we clearly walked along paths. Still, when I saw her in the halls of high school, I 5 a strange sadness. I thought if I went back and “fixed” everything between us, we could somehow start all over friends. But that was a fantasy（幻想）. Our differences were too great, and I could only she understood.
I’ll always remember the years when Patty and I were best friend, but Mom was right. can change, and we have to let them go when it’s time.
1.A. realized B. believed C. knew D.understood
2.A. shared B. spared C. kept D. remembered
3.A. beds B. places C. turns D. sides
4.A. surprised B. scared C. frightened D. satisfied
5.A. wouldn’t B. shouldn’t C. couldn’t D. needn’t
6.A. wearing B. dressing C. keeping D. staying
7.A. boring B. interesting C. pleased D. exciting
8.A. Finally B. Naturally C. Generally D. Especially
9.A. tears B. words C. anger D. hate
10.A. matter B. everything C. trouble D. nothing
11.A. Interests B. Friends C. Sadness D. Childhood
12.A. changing B. studying C. quarreling D. imagining
13.A. What B. Which C. Why D. When
14.A. common B. ordinary C. regular D. normal
15.A. unhappiness B. loneliness C. memory D. emotion
16.A. different B. same C. hard D. separate
17.A. remembered B. thought C. felt D. lost
18.A. like B. as C. with D. on
19.A. suppose B. believe C. hope D. suggest
20.A. Environments B. Opinions C. Friendships D. Attitudes
Nobody knows the man killed in the accident, so it is difficult for the police to find out his _______ .
A. thought B. height
C. weight D. identity
