It seems that today more and more girls like to dress like boys. Maybe they are following the example of Li Yuchun,
the winner of the Super Girls contest in 2005.
     Kitty Deng is a 13-year-old from Shanxi. She has a boyish style. "I am like a boy and I am comfortable being this
way," says Kitty. "I think everybody should have a style according to his or her personality."
     Liu Bing, from Liaoning, is also a tomboy (假小子). "I don't wear skirts because I don't look pretty in skirts," says
the 13-year-old kid. "I get my hair cut short because long hair makes me feel very hot in summer,"  she says. In fact,
Liu has another reason.   The style makes it easier to play together with boys.   Why not play with girls?  "Because
some girls are just mean (小氣的), " she answers.
     Wei Yan, 14, lives in Shanghai. She dresses like a boy, too. In her class, not many girls dress like boys. But many
girls think that being  a   boy is easier. "Boys have more chances than we do," says Wei Yan. "For example,   at our
school only boys can be flag escorts (護(hù)旗手). Why can't girls have a try?"

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容,完成下列任務(wù)。
任務(wù)一:寫出文中劃線單詞boyish的漢語意思.
1._____________________________________________________________
任務(wù)二:將文中劃線句子翻譯為漢語.
2._____________________________________________________________
任務(wù)三:根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容,回答下列問題.
3. Why does Liu Bing get her hair cut short?
                                                              
4. What kind of girls are Kitty Deng, Liu Bing and Wei Yan?
                                                              
5. What does the passage mainly talk about?
                                                              

     Anne and Joseph are talking about an interesting question. Why do some people change their names? There can
be many reasons. Hanna changed her name to Anne because she thought it would be easier for people to remember.
On the other hand, Joseph is thinking about changing his name to an unusual one because he wants to be different.
     People have a lot of   reasons for  changing their names.  Film stars, s ingers,  sportsmen and some other   famous
people often change their names because they want the names that are not ordinary, or that have special sound.
     Some people have another reason for changing their names. They have moved to a new country and want to use a
name that is usual there. For example, Li Kaiming changed his name to Ken Lee when he moved  to  the United States.
He uses the name Ken at school. But when staying with his family and Chinese friends, he uses Li Kaiming. For some
people, using different names makes life easier in their new country.
     In many countries, a woman changes her family names to her husband's  after she gets married.   But today, many
women are keeping their own family names and not using their husbands'.

1. Hanna changed her name to Anne because "Anne" _______.

A. makes her different
B. is easier for people to remember
C. is more unusual than "Hanna"
D. makes her prettier

2. Famous people want their new names to _______.    

A. have special sound
B. be ordinary
C. have no meaning
D. be unknown

3. Li Kaiming uses his new name when he _______.

A. stays with his family
B. is at school
C. is among Chinese friends
D. comes back to China

4. The underlined words "gets married" mean _______.   

A. 升官
B. 就業(yè)  
C. 結(jié)婚  
D. 生育

5. The passage mainly tells us _______.

A. different people have different names
B. what names mean
C. only film stars and sportsmen have two names
D. why some people change their names  

     Mobile phone has become a problem for high schools. Some high-school students in Australia are
not allowed to carry mobile phones during school hours.
     Mobile phone used among children has become  a  problem for the school years.  Several children
have got mobile phones as Christmas presents, and more students will want them.
     Marry Brown, a headmaster, said that mobile phone was a distraction(分心事) to  students during
school hours and it also gave teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers  were also saying
that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
     She said some schools had tried to ban(禁止) mobile phones. Some parents felt  unhappy because
they couldn't get in touch with their children.
     Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school. But there was a good reason
that they could leave their phones at school  offices.  They  also  said  they  were easily lost  and were a
distraction for studies.
     Many people say that they understand why parents would want  their  children  to have  phones, but
they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.

1. Some high schools in Australia have stopped students from carrying mobile phones __.

A. because they are students      
B. when they are free
C. when they are at school        
D. because they are children

2. What does the word "cheat" mean in Chinese in this passage? 

A. 聊天        
B. 核對(duì)        
C. 查詢    
D. 作弊

3. Some children get mobile phones from _____ as presents.    

A. the makers and sellers        
B. the passers-by and strangers
C. their parents and friends        
D. some mobile phone user

4. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn't _____ during school hours.

A. use their mobile phones          
B. leave their mobile phones in the school office
C. help the teachers with their work  
D. get in touch with their children

5. The passage tells us that _____. 

A. students shouldn't have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons
B. it is important to ban students from using mobile phones at school
C. some parents felt unhappy because they couldn't use their phones at home
D. parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school hours.

1. What is happening in America according to the news?  

A. Many Americans have lost jobs.  
B. Many Americans prefer short trips.  
C. There are more and more bicyclists now.  
D. The pollution is getting worse and worse.

2. What is the closest meaning to the word “harmful” in the second paragraph?   

A. Clean.        
B. Bad.        
C. Warm.        
D. Dry.

3. What is the main idea of the passage?  

A. Many Americans like bike-riding for fun.  
B. Short car trips can reduce pollution.  
C. American government encourages people to ride bicycles.  
D. Many Americans ride bicycles to support environment protection.

4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage? 

A. Clark’s group thinks bicycling is good for health.
B. James strongly supports bicycle use.  
C. Portland is one of the states in the USA.
D. Portland is planning to create special paths for bike riders.

5. Where can we read it possibly?  

A. From a website.          
B. From a poster.  
C. From a novel.      
D. From an advertisement.

     Traveling to every part of the world gets easier, but how well do we know and understand each other. Here's a simple test. Imagine you are planning to hold  a  meeting at four  o'clock. What time  should you
expect your foreign business friends to arrive?  If  they  are  Germans,  they'll arrive on time.  If  they  are
Americans, they'll probably be  15  minutes early.  If they are Englishmen, they'll be 15 minutes late,  and
you should allow up to an hour for the Italians.
     The British seemed to think since the English language was widely used  in  the world,  people  would
always understand what they do.  However, they found they were completely wrong.  For example,  the
British are happy to have a business lunch and discuss business matters and have a drink during the meal.
The Japanese prefer not to work while eating.   Lunch is a time for them to relax and get  to  know  each
other and they don't drink at lunchtime. The Germans like to talk business before dinner. The French like
to eat first and talk afterwards. They have to be well fed and watered before they discuss anything.

1. What do the Germans prefer when they go to a meeting?

A. They prefer to be on time.
B. They prefer to arrive very early.
C. They prefer to arrive very late.
D. They prefer to arrive a little late.

2. According to the text, if a group of Englishmen, Americans and Italians hold a meeting, who will be the last to arrive? 

A. The Englishmen.
B. The Americans.
C. The Italians.
D. Both the Englishmen and the Italians.

3. What do the Japanese like to do at lunchtime?  

A. To drink.
B. To get to know each other.  
C. To talk business.
D. To eat only.

4. According to the writer, the British like to ________. 

A. arrive on time and talk business during the meal
B. arrive earliest and hate talking business at a meal
C. arrive 15 minutes late and talk business after the meal
D. arrive a few minutes late and discuss business during the meal

5. By giving us the two examples, the writer means to show us that _______. 

A. different countries have different cultures in different parts of the world
B. the Germans are more serious and have good living habits
C. the Italians are careless people and they are never on time for everything
D. the French people are very lazy. They prefer eating and drinking more

     Most people want to work, but it has become more difficult in today's world to find work for
everyone. The economy ( 經(jīng)濟(jì)) of the world needs to grow by 4% each year just to keep the old
number of jobs for people. Often this is not possible, and so more people are out of work. Some people
have no jobs now because new machines can do the work of many people in short time. Also, machines
do not ask for more money and longer holiday. In all of the countries of the world, machines are taking
work from people, not only in factories but also on the farms. One machine can often do the work from
forty people. About 75,000 people are moving to the cities a day to look for jobs, but only 70% of them
can find jobs.
1. It was ______ for people to find work before than today.
A. not possible    
B. difficult        
C. more difficult    
D. easier
2. If the economy of the world grows by 4% each year, ______.
A. people will have no jobs            
B. people can still have jobs as before
C. 4% of the people will have jobs      
D. 97% of the people will have jobs
3. One machine can do as much work as ______.
A. 40% of the people                  
B. 4% of the people in the world
C. 40 people                        
D. 75,000 people
4. How many people outside cities go into to look for jobs each day?
A. 70% of the people.                
B. 4% of the people in the world.
C. More than 75,000.                
D. About 75,000 people.
5. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Machines are taking work instead of people.
B. Now more people are out of work.
C. Machines need more money and longer holidays.
D. Most people want to have jobs.

     Americans are very direct people. When they want something they say “yes” and when they don’t
they say “no”. If they want something different from what is given, they ask for it.
     Here’s an example. I arrive at someone’s house and he gives me wine, I don’t want wine. Maybe
I don’t like it or maybe I just don’t want it. I will say “No, thanks.” If everyone around me is drinking
something, I would ask for something else, “No, thanks. But I’ll take a bit of tea if you have some.” If
I really want wine, I just say, “Yes, thank you.” Unless they happen to know the Chinese customs,
westerners will not ask you again and again after you have said you don’t want it.

1. If Americans want something, they would say “ _____ " .                
   A. Yes, thank you.                                                      
   B. No, thanks.                                                          
   C. No, I’m sorry.                                                      
   D. Yes, why not.                                                        
2. When Americans do not want what is given, they would say “_____ " .    
   A. No, I don’t.                                                        
   B. No, thanks.                                                          
   C. Yes, thank you.                                                      
   D. No, I’m sorry.                                                      
3. In this passage, “westerners” means_____.                              
   A. the people who live in the west of their country                    
   B. the visitors who go to the Western countries                        
   C. the people who live in the Western countries                        
   D. the people who know the customs of the West                          
4. The Chinese people might _____ if you don’t want something given.      
    A. be glad                                                            
    B. say “thank you”                                                    
    C. get angry                                                          
    D. ask you again to take it                                            
5. From this passage we know that _____ .                                  
   A. the Chinese people are direct                                        
   B. the Chinese customs are better                                      
   C. the westerners are more polite                                      
   D. different countries have different customs