Living in two different cultures is not an easy thing. When I was ten years old, my parents 1.(move) to the US from Sri Lanka, which is 2. island off the coast of India.
3. we now live in the US, we follow the customs and traditions of Sri Lanka. I have learned to speak 3 languages, including English. I eat a 4. (various) of foods and celebrate different holidays 5. have to do with my culture.
However, there are many disadvantages of being part of two cultures. Sometimes, speaking a language at home and speaking another language in school can be 6. (confuse); sometimes I have trouble 7. (express) my thoughts in English because they can’t understand me well; sometimes my culture does make me 8. (separate) from others because I feel too different. I am 9. (close) to my culture of Sri Lanka than that of the US. I don’t listen to English music as much as I listen to Indian music. Therefore, I feel10.(extreme) lonely when I don’t know what song they are talking about.
This was my first Thanksgiving Day in Birmingham. I wanted to express my _______ to a lot of people. They helped me a lot during my stay in this completely strange foreign country. What _______ me most was an Indian girl, Denise.
The day I was on Bus 35 from the city centre, and I _______ at Shanno Road. But I realized it was not my bus stop. It was nearly 9 o’clock in the evening so there was no one _______ I walked on and was lost at a very strange spot. _______, before my strength ran out, a bus finally arrived. I hurriedly got onto it without _______, explaining that I was lost and asked _______ who could help me. From the puzzled look on their faces, I felt _______. Just then, an Indian girl stopped calling, telling me she knew my _______. We left that bus and had a pleasant ________ on our way and I also learned from her the ________ for other passengers “puzzled” looks. It took her nearly an hour to ________ me to my house.
I would return to my country after Thanksgiving Day, so I prepared a beautiful Chinese knot for Denise and telephoned her many times, but I just didn’t ________ to her. On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, I had a very ________ breakfast because I couldn’t wait any longer to find Denise. I intended to take Bus 27, the one I took ________I was lost. While waiting for the bus, I heard someone ________ me. I turned around; it was Denise! What a(n) ________! I immediately presented her with the gift. When we waved goodbye to each other, tears ran down my cheeks, and I ________ we would meet again in the near future.
I learned a(n) ________ lesson from her —help others in need. Now, every Thanksgiving Day, I ________ my house with some Chinese knots. For the reason I know so does Denise.
1.A. concerns B. opinions C. appreciation D. sympathy
2.A. benefited B. influenced C. touched D. changed
3.A. went up B. went off C. went around D. went on
4.A. in place B. in charge C. in need D. in sight
5.A. Luckily B. Astonishingly C. Naturally D. Suddenly
6.A. purpose B. doubt C. hesitation D. ticket
7.A. happily B. anxiously C. clumsily D. cautiously
8.A. curious B. nervous C. desperate D. lonely
9.A. identity B. address C. school D. position
10.A. walk B. view C. break D. conversation
11.A. excuse B. preference C. desire D. reason
12.A. accompany B. drive C. abandon D. introduce
13.A. run into B. get across C. set aside D. get through
14.A. delicious B. hurried C. wonderful D. unforgettable
15.A. before B. after C. since D. until
16.A. greeting B. discussing C. phoning D. praising
17.A. pity B. opportunity C. coincidence D. mystery
18.A. obeyed B. prayed C. declared D. guessed
19.A. valuable B. accessible C. thoughtful D. simple
20.A. fill B. paint C. furnish D. decorate
If something that you’re doing doesn’t challenge you, then it doesn’t change you. We all need some normal stress in our lives, after all. 1. So challenge the following limits:
1. Figure out what you are scared of and do it continuously.
If you are a salesman, and you’re scared of talking to people personally or over the phone, now, instead of being scared and thinking you will fail, spend at least five minutes a day to pick up the phone and make a call. 2. But don’t stop on the first try! Eventually, you can look at fear in the eyes and say, “Go on, I’m not scared!”
2. Take a class for a hobby you’ve been wanting to develop.
Make sure this hobby is not linked to your career; you have to relax and relieve your stress while performing this. 3. Apart from helping you challenge yourself, taking a class for your hobby may also give you extra income.
3. Set aside at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise.
4. A simple 9-minute run around your neighborhood can do wonders for yourself. Exercise can not only help you maintain your regular weight, but also make you feel better about yourself.
4. 5.
Don’t just limit yourself to your fellow travelers—try to connect with the service staff. You never know what kind of people they’re going to be. Get out of your house or go online right now to book your class. Start to travel now and learn to challenge yourself.
A. You should do it continuously.
B. You don’t need to go to the gym.
C. Someone may make you disturbed.
D. Running in the gym may be a better choice.
E. Some examples might be cooking, sewing, painting and so on.
F. Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people.
G. You can never see any improvement if you stick to your comfort zone.
British engineers at a company called Reaction Engines, have successfully tested a whole new kind of jet engine, named Sabre, Financial Times is reporting, so that the time of long-distance flight could be halved, or even quartered. Britain’s Orange News says jets with the new engine could fly from London to Sydney in four hours, instead of the usual twelve to sixteen hours and Mail Online adds that new engine not only allows for faster travel but pollutes less and the fuel for it costs less as well.
The secret to the new engine is patented(获得专利) and this new technology very quickly changes air from normal temperature to super-cold temperature. This means the engine can run faster without breaking apart due to overheating, which keeps most modern jets from traveling faster. The engine is air-breathing and use hydrogen as its fuel source. In addition to flying faster, a jet with the new engine would also fly much higher, allowing for an even faster flight in the very thin air. Because of the very high speed produced by the engine and the high altitude, a jet with Sabre in it would not have any windows.
This is the biggest breakthrough in jet technology since the invention of the jet engine, and they expect new aircraft with the new engine to be traveling in the sky in just ten years. They also note that tests of the engine were overseen by the European Space Agency which has now wholly supported the new engine and has even begun talking about booking flight time with future jets that could be used to deliver satellites into orbit around the earth.
This technology is not something that happens overnight. Instead, it is the result of many years’ hard work by thousands of engineers from over seventeen countries. Research has suggested that, with advances in jet plane technology to match the engine, flights could eventually reach speeds of nearly 20,000 miles per hour, making travel to distant parts of the globe as quick and simple as driving across town.
1.Which advantage of jets with the new engine is NOT mentioned?
A. traveling faster B. polluting less
C. costing less D. flying more safely
2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?
A. Reaction Engines. B. A long-distance flight.
C. A jet with the new engine. D. Mail Online.
3.The modern jets without the new engine can’t travel faster mainly because ________.
A. their engines can’t stay cool
B. they use a normal fuel source
C. they just fly at very high altitudes
D. their engines can’t allow jets to fly in the thin air
4.The European Space Agency hoped to ________.
A. be in charge of testing the technology
B. play the leading role in jet technology
C. use jets with the new engine to launch satellites
D. buy all the products made by Reaction Engines
Why play games? Because they are fun. Besides, following the rules, planning your next move, acting as a team member, these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination(协调) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a good medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also events that unite people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
1.Through playing hide-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
A. be a team leader B. obey the basic rules
C. act as a grown-up D. predict possible danger
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can _________.
A. describe life in an exciting way
B. turn real-life experiences into a play
C. make learning life skills more interesting
D. change people’s views of sporting events
3.According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
A. It inspires people’s deep love for the country.
B. It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.
C. It helps the country out of natural disasters.
D. It earns the winners fame and fortune.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Games benefit people all their lives.
B. Sports can get all athletes together.
C. People are advised to play games for fun.
D. Sports increase a country’s competitiveness(竞争力).
Happy Birthday
The China National Opera (CNO) will give a concert to celebrate its 50th birthday.
Different generations of CNO vocalists, like Li Guangxi, Yao Hong and Ma Mei, will present the concert which will feature both songs from famous Chinese operas like The White-haired GM and The Hundred Bride, as well as, arias (咏叹调) of such western opera classics as Madame Butter fly, La Traviata and Rigoletto.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, September 7, 8
Location: Tianqiao Theatra
Tel: 65514787, 83156170
Tickets: 60~500 yuan (US $ 7.2~60.2)
Folk Music
A concert will be held to feature some recently-composed traditional Chinese music works. The concert, given by the Folk Orchestra of the China Opera and Ballet Theatre, will include such pieces as Memory of Childhood, Memorial Ceremony for God and Wine Song.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, September 13
Location: Concert hall at the National Library of China
Tel: 68485462, 68419220
Tickets: 30~200 yuan (US $ 3.6~24.1)
Moon Music
A concert of traditional Chinese music will be given on eve of the Moon Festival.
The concert will feature a number of famous pieces centred on the theme of the moon, such as Moonlight, Spring Night on a Moonlit River and Lofty Mountain and Flowing River.
A number of popular traditional Chinese music performers, like Zhou Yaokun and Fan Weiqing, will play solos as well as cooperate with the folk music orchestra.
Time/date: 7:30 pm, September 21st
Location: Grand theatre of the Cultural Palace of Nationalities
Tel: 66068888, 66069999
Tickets: 40~220 yuan (US $ 4.8~27)
1.If you want to buy tickets for the music Memory of Childhood, you will dial ________.
A. 65514787 B. 68485462 C. 83156170 D. 66069999
2.Which statement is RIGHT according to the passage?
A. Li Guangxi, Yao Hong and Ma Mei stand for the same generation of CNO vocalists.
B. Rigoletto is a famous piece on the theme of the moon.
C. Zhou Yaokun will play solos and Fan Weiqing will cooperate with the folk music orchestra.
D. Lofty Mountain and Flowing River is a traditional Chinese music.
3.In which column of a newspaper will the article be published?
A. Entertainment. B. People. C. Culture. D. Sports
