Word travelled quickly in the small fishing village of Port Washington,
Wisconsin. So when McCarty wanted to build a playground for kids with special
needs. 2,800 people ? a third of the town ? rolled up their sleeves(衣袖)and
helped her.
　　"A lot of learning comes through play," said McCarty, 52, a special
education teacher for 28 years. But her students were too often left out. She'd
seen the traditional playgrounds stop wheelchairs dead in their tracks.
　　On September 16, 2008, the first day of the project, they came. Two women
heard about the project on the way to work and took the day off to help. A couple
in their 80s took part in the job. Children came and gave a helpful hand. Many
were volunteers. They all worked very hard.
　　Today, Possibility Playground is one of the most popular destinations in
Ozaukee County. All children can play shoulder to shoulder. There is special
equipment(裝置) in different parts. Here, you see all the kids on the same
playground having fun.
　　"People used to ask. 'Why do you want to build a playground just for
children with disabilities?' " McCarty said. "They didn't get it. It's only when you
build a playground for children with disabilities that you build one for all
children."

1. What's McCarty?

A. A special doctor.          
B. A special education teacher.
C. A special singer        
D. A special designer.

2. How many people are there in the town?

A. About 4,200 people.    
B. About 700 people.
C. About 8,400 people.  
D. About 2,800 people.

3. What does the underlined word mean?

A. 目的地      
B. 出發(fā)地      
C. 游樂場      
D. 體育場

     We may know that there are four basic stages that human beings pass through when they enter and live in a new
culture. This process, which helps us to deal with culture shock(文化沖擊), is the way our head and our personality
react to(對…做出反應(yīng)) the strange new things we meet with when we move from one culture to another.
     Culture begins with the "honeymoon stage". This is the time when we first arrive in which everything about the
new culture is strange and exciting. We see new things, hear new sounds and language, eat new kinds of food. This
stage can last for quite a long time because we feel we are very excited.
     Unluckily, the second stage can be more difficult. After we have got used to our new life, we can become very
tired and begin to miss our homeland and our family, friends, pets. All the little problems in life seem to be much
bigger and more disturbing when you face them in a foreign culture. This time of cultural adjustment(調(diào)整) can be
very difficult and lead to pulling away from the new culture.
     The third stage is called the "adjustment stage". This is when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in
the host culture. Your sense of humor usually becomes stronger and you realize that you are becoming stronger
by learning to take care of yourself in the new place. Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor!
     The fourth stage can be called "at ease at last". Now you feel quite comfortable in your new place. You can deal
with most problems that you have. You may still have problems with the language, but you know you are strong
enough to deal with them.
     There is a fifth stage of culture shock which many people don't know about. This is called "reverse culture shock".
Surprisingly, this happens when you go back to your own culture and find that you have changed and that things
there have changed while you have been away. Now you feel a little uncomfortable back home. Life is a struggle!

1. How do you feel during the first stage of culture shock?

A. Lonely and sad.
B. Bored and homesick.
C. Angry and impatient.
D. Happy and excited.

2. How could the third stage be described?

A. Adjustment.
B. Pulling away.
C. Shock.
D. Anger.

3. The underlined phrase "at ease" in the fifth paragraph may probably mean ________.

A. good
B. relaxed
C. bad
D. nervous

4. What's the main idea of the passage?

A. Human beings would pass through four stages when they begin to live in a new culture.
B. Entering and living in a new culture is challenging(挑戰(zhàn)).
C. It is much fun to live in a new culture.
D. Life in a new culture is a struggle.

                               Welcome to the 2012 London Olympic Games!

1. Who invented the sport of badminton?        

A. Indians.        
B. British        
C. Chinese.        
D. Koreans.

2. Which of these sports appeared earliest at the Olympics?

A. Archery.        
B. Badminton.    
C. Taekwondo.    
D. Football.

3. Which of the following pictures shows the sport of "Taekwondo"?

     Living  in a  foreign culture  can be  exciting,  but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的 ).  A group of
Americans who taught English in  other countries recently discussed  their  experiences. They decided that
miscommunications(溝通誤解) were always possible, even over something as simple as " yes " and " no ".
     On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific(太平洋), Lisa thought people weren't paying any attention to her.  The day was  hot.  She went  into a store and  asked, " Do you have cold drinks?"  The
woman there  didn't  say anything.  Lisa repeated  the question.  Still the woman  said nothing.  She  later
learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛),which in Micronesia means "yes".
     Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter,  "Do you have cabbage today?"  He nodded his head.
Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means "no".
     Tom had a similar problem when  arrived  in India.  After explaining something in  class,  he asked his
students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought
some people  had not  understood, so he explained again. When  he asked again, they did the same thing.
He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on(依據(jù))where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean "yes" or "no".

1. The Americans teaching English in other countries found that they       .

A. should go abroad for vacations  
B. needed to learn foreign languages
C. should often discuss their experiences  
D. had problems with communications

2. People in Micronesia show "yes" by           .

A. nodding heads    
B. raising eyebrows  
C. shaking heads  
D. saying "no"

3. Tom misunderstood(誤解) his class at first because            .

A. he did not know much about Indian culture
B. he didn't explain everything clearly enough
C. some students didn't understand his questions
D. he didn't know where the students came from

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?

A. In Bulgaria, nodding heads means "no".
B. Jan taught English on a Pacific island.
C. Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.
D. In India, only shaking heads means "yes".

5. The passage is mainly about           .

A. body language in foreign restaurants    
B. class discussion in India schools
C. miscommunication in different cultures  
D. English teaching in other countries

     There is a one-day holiday in most western countries on New Year's Day. The real celebration begins
on New Year's Eve-the night before New Year's Day. There are several interesting customs (習(xí)慣) in the
west, and there are many differences in different countries.
     Though Christmas is a good time for families to get together, New Year's Day is a time for some
western people to be with friends. On New Year's Day, there are always parties. At such parties, there is
food, drinks and dances until New Year comes
     At midnight, people often say "Happy New Year! "to each other. In many western countries, fireworks
are let off at midnight and some people like to shout aloud to drive away evil spirits.

1. People begin to have great celebrations for the New Year on _____.
A. New Year's Day
B. the night before New Year's Eve
C. the night of New Year's Day
D. New Year's Eve
2. In the west, _____ on New Year's Day.
A. friends always get together
B. friends write to each other
C. people can have a week's holiday
D. people go from one country to another
3. On New Year's Eve, western people don't often _____.
A. say "Happy New Year" to each other
B. let off fireworks
C. sing a Scottish song
D. shout aloud to drive away evil spirits
4. This passage mainly (主要) tells us _____.
A. western people drink together on New Year's Day
B. how western people celebrate their New Year's Day
C. what western people eat on New Year's Day
D. western people have a good time on New Year's Day

    Reader's Digest is a monthly  magazine. Before the 1980s, it  belonged to a  privately  held  company,
which was started in 1922 by Lila Bell Wallace and Dewitt Wallace. This magazine is small and easy to
carry, just half the size of most American magazines, which caused a phrase in 2005, "America in your
pocket." It is the best selling magazine in the USA. At present, its  circulation(發(fā)行量)   in the USA has 
reached  10 million copies and the number of the readers there is 38 million. Its global circulation outside
the USA has reached 40 million people throughout more than 70 countries in 21 languages.
    This magazine's focus(焦點) is not news but more of cultural views because the editors think people
now can get timely news from somewhere else. They hope this magazine can give readers something that
is about  special  personal  experiences,  something the readers  can share  with their  families. In  different
countries,  this magazine  provides   a  window  to the world  for the  local  readers. Some  parts of   the
 magazine  are about the local customs and interests of the local readers. The  other  parts  give  the  local
readers information from all over the world.
    This magazine actually used to be a family business until the Wallaces died in the 1980s. Because they
had no children, there was no one to take over the company. Sixteen years ago, this company went public and became a public company.

1. How often does Reader's Digest come out in the USA?    

A. Once a year.    
B. Once a month.    
C. Once a week.    
D. Once a day.

2. What's the number of the readers of this magazine all over the world?    

A. 38 million.      
B. 40 million.        
C. 78 million.      
D. 108 million.

3. This magazine's focus includes the following topics except _________.   

A. something about the timely news       B. some special personal experiences
C. some information from all over the world
D. the local customs and interests of the local readers