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.
单词拼写
1.U__________ his twin brother who is always late for class, he is usually the first to come.
2.R__________ in a wealthy, well-educated family, Mark Zuckerberg developed an interest in computer and created a messaging program called “Zucknet” at the age of 12.
3.Temperature needs to be taken on a daily b__________ during the pandemic.
4.It was f____________ that Jack narrowly escaped being killed in a traffic accident last month.
5.During the civil war, thousands of people f__________ the country and flooded into its neighboring countries.
6.It is e____________ hot today. Can we turn on the air conditioner?
7.Scientists have expressed great concern about the d____________ of the rainforests.
8.The children p__________ when they realized that they were lost in the forest.
阅读下面短文,在标有序号的空白处填入一个适当的词,或填入括号中单词的正确形式。
Mr. Mora is a famous university president. He is remembered as a 1.(humor) man because his lectures bring 2.(laugh) from time to time. He is also remembered by his family and friends 3. being absent-minded. There are many interesting stories about Mr. Mora, which amuse people.
Once on a train, a conductor came to Mr. Mora, 4.(ask) for his ticket. He began to search his pockets. No ticket appeared. Mr. Mora began searching his suitcase. “Never mind, sir,” said the conductor, seeing how 5.(anxiety) Mr. Mora was looking for his ticket and trying to comfort him. “When you find your ticket, just post it to the station. I’m sure you have 6. somewhere.” “I’m sure, too,” said the president as he continued searching. “But I must find it. I need to know 7. I’m going.”
Mr. Mora got off the train in New York and 8.(hurry) to the post office to make a telephone call to his secretary. “I’m in New York now but I don’t know why,” said Mr. Mora, feeling like a small boy 9. had got lost. Within minutes came the short reply, “You are not supposed to be in New York. You should be in Princeton to give 10. lecture.”
Evelyn Glennie was the first lady of solo percussion (独奏打击乐器) in Scotland. In an interview, she recalled how she became a percussion soloist in spite of her disability.
“Early on I decided not to allow the _______ of others to stop me from becoming a musician. I grew up on a farm in northeast Scotland and began _______ piano lessons when I was eight. The older I got, the more my passion for music grew. But I also began to gradually lose my _______. Doctors concluded that the nerve damage was the _______ and by age twelve, I was completely deaf. But my love for music never _______ me.”
“My _______ was to become a percussion soloist, even though there were none at that time. To perform, I _______ to ‘hear’ music differently from others. I play in my stocking feet and can _______ the pitch of a note (音调高低) by the vibrations (振动) I feel through my body and through my _______. My entire sound world exists by making use of almost every ________ that I have.”
“I was ________ to be assessed as a musician, not as a deaf musician, and I applied to the famous Royal Academy of Music in London. No other deaf student had ________ this before and some teachers ________ my admission. Based on my performance, I was ________ admitted and went on to ________ with the academy’s highest honors.”
“After that, I established myself as the first full-time solo percussionist. I ________ and arranged a lot of musical compositions since ________ had been written specially for solo percussionists.”
“I have been a soloist for over ten years. ________ the doctor thought I was totally deaf, it didn’t ________ that my passion couldn’t be realized. I would encourage people not to allow themselves to be ________ by others. Follow your passion; follow your heart. They will lead you to the place you want to go.”
1.A.conditions B.opinions C.actions D.complaints
2.A.enjoying B.choosing C.taking D.giving
3.A.sight B.hearing C.touch D.taste
4.A.evidence B.result C.excuse D.cause
5.A.left B.amused C.accompanied D.disappointed
6.A.role B.decision C.promise D.goal
7.A.turned B.learned C.used D.ought
8.A.tell B.see C.hear D.smell
9.A.impression B.movement C.imagination D.recognition
10.A.sense B.effort C.feeling D.idea
11.A.dissatisfied B.astonished C.determined D.discouraged
12.A.done B.accepted C.advised D.admitted
13.A.supported B.followed C.required D.opposed
14.A.usually B.finally C.possibly D.hopefully
15.A.study B.research C.graduate D.progress
16.A.wrote B.translated C.copied D.read
17.A.enough B.some C.many D.few
18.A.However B.Although C.When D.Since
19.A.mean B.seem C.conclude D.say
20.A.directed B.attracted C.taught D.limited