All around the world, people drink tea. But tea does not mean the same thing to everyone. In different countries, people have very different ideas about drinking tea.        In China, for example, people always
drink tea when they are getting together. They drink it at any time of the day at homes or in the teahouses. They prefer plain tea, with nothing else in it.       
       Tea is also important in Japan. The Japanese have a special（特殊）way of serving tea called tea
ceremony（茶道）.It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the
ceremony. There is even a special room for it in Japanese homes.       
       Another tea-drinking country is England. In England, the late afternoon is “tea time”. Almost everyone has a cup of tea then. The English usually make tea in a teapot and drink it with milk and sugar. They
also eat cakes, cookies and a few sandwiches at tea time. This is the so-called “Afternoon Tea” in
Britain.       
       In the United States, people drink tea mostly for breakfast of after meals. Americans usually use tea
bags to make their tea. Tea bags are faster and easier than making tea in teapots. In summer, many
Americans drink cold tea-“iced tea”. Sometimes they drink canned iced tea, just as soda.

1. Tea is popular             .

A. all around the world  
B. only in the United States  
C. only in English-speaking countries  
D. in Japan, China and other Asian countries

2. The Chinese drink tea             .

A. for breakfast                  
B. at any time of the day  
C. only in teahouses      
D. in a special ceremony

3. The English like to drink their tea             .

A. in a special room              
B. with dinner  
C. while they eat cakes and cookies      
D. when they are free

4. “They prefer plain tea, with nothing else in it.” The word “plain” here means              .

A. 樸素的      
B. 平坦的      
C. 單純的        
D. 直率的

5. In this passage, which country’s way of drinking tea isn’t mentioned（提及）？

A. England  
B. America  
C. Japan  
D. India

     Mother’s Day is coming. At that time, many __1__(國家) including USA, Australia, __2__(加拿大)
and India celebrate(慶祝) Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of __3__(五月). As the saying goes, "
Mother is the __4__(第一) and the greatest teacher in our life." They take us to the __5__(世界), we
__6__(得到) all their love. __7__(在...期間) our growing, they__8__(教) us many life __9__(技能).
On Mother’s Day, let us __10__(給予) our best wishes to them!

     Another year is coming! Time to forget the past, have a new start and party!
     People started celebrating the New Year about 4,000 years ago in Egypt. But New Year's Day
wasn't on January 1 until 46 BC (公元前)!
     During that year, Julius Caesar, the leader of the Roman Empire, made a new calendar. It made
January1 become New Year's Day.
     Today, people celebrate the day in many different ways.
     In the US, people have parties on December 31, New Year's Eve. The biggest party is in Times
Square, New York.
     There, at 11:59pm, a ball drops slowly down one of the buildings. It hits the ground at 12am, lighting
a sign reading "Happy New Year". It also sets off fireworks.
     Denmark has the strangest celebrations. There, on New Year's Eve, people throw plates at their
friends' homes as a sign of friendship!
     The Spanish also celebrate the New Year strangely. At 12am everybody eats 12 grapes! Why?
Because they think the grapes will bring them good luck.
     Why don't you try eating some this New Year's Eve?
1. People started celebrating the New Year in _________.
A. Rome      
B. Denmark      
C. the US    
D. Egypt
2. People celebrate the New Year _________.
A. for thousands of years
B. in the same way
C. only in Rome
D. for Julius Caesar
3. People eat ________ to celebrate the New Year in Spain.
A. dumpling    
B. noodles    
C. grapes    
D. cakes
4. In ________, People throw plates at their friends' homes on New Year's Eve.
A. Spain    
B. Denmark    
C. Rome    
D. Egypt
5. Which one is NOT right about the passage?
A. In the US, people have parties on New Year's Eve.
B. New Year is the time to forget the past.
C. In Denmark people throw plates to bring them good luck.
D. People celebrate the New Year in different ways.

     In western countries, especially in America, some social customs have lasted still today. For example,
ladies first, that is to say, women in those countries are respected(尊重) in many ways. In the U.S. and
Europe, you will see men usually open doors for women and women generally walk ahead of men into a
room or a restaurant unless the man have to be ahead of the ladies to choose the table, to open the door
of a car or to give other services. On the street, men almost walk or across the street on the side of the
ladies which is closer to traffic, but if a man walks with two ladies, he should walk between them.

1. In this passage "customs" especially refer to _______.
A.what a group of people usually do
B.what people in western countries do
C.what people in eastern countries do
D.what people in united states do
2. When you introduce a group of people in English, you will probably begin with_______.
A. Men and women
B. Women and men
C. Gentlemen and ladies
D. Ladies and gentlemen
3. In which country people may think it strange that men should open doors for women?
A. England
B. Italy
C. Japan
D. Germany
4. Which of the following statements is not true?
A.In Europe, a man generally follows a woman when they enter a restaurant together.
B.In America a man who walks ahead of a women always gives services.
C.In the U.S., women almost always walk closer to the running cars.
D.In the U.S. men should always walk by the side of the ladies.
5. Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of this passage?
A.In western countries, some social customs have lasted till today.
B.Women in western countries are respected in many ways.
C.Men usually open doors for women in the U.S. as well as in Europe.
D.Men show respect for women by giving them good services.

     One cool April 22 morning, people started the day as usual. Yet it was not a normal day. What's so
special about April 22? The answer is simple. It is Earth Day. People all over the world celebrated this
important day. The idea of having a special day to celebrate Earth began in the 1960s. Life was very
different then. Few people talked or even thought about the environment. Most people had no idea how
dirty our air and water were.
     On ApriI22, 1970, twenty million Americans joined the first Earth Day activities. They showed that
people really did want to do something about the environment. Since then laws have been passed to
protect the air, water, land, and animals.
     The vehicles such as cars and buses you ride in must pass tests to make sure they don't cause too
much pollution. Thanks to this law, cars today release ( 排放 ) about half as many bad chemicals as
cars did back in 1970. As a result, the air we breathe is cleaner than it once was.
Rivers and lakes are cleaner today than they were in the 1970s. It's a good thing because they needed
a lot of help. The Cuyahoga River in Ohio was so polluted that rubbish and oil the river even caught fire!
Today, the river is cleaner. It no longer burns. It's healthy enough for birds, fish, and other animals.
Now the celebration has spread (  傳播 ) to other countries. More than 175 countries take part each
year.
     In 2007 ,  People in China paid much attention to a big problem.  People were throwing away 27
million plastic bags a day! People had "Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week." They wanted everyone to
see how polluted it was to throw away so many plastic bags. In 2008, China passed new laws against
them.
     Every April22, millions get together to clean and protect Earth. They also celebrate how far we have
come. Our job is to put this knowledge to work. You can help keep our planet healthy too!

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容回答下列各題。
1. Is Earth Day on April 22?
_________________________________________________
2. What caught fire on the Cuyahoga River?
_________________________________________________
3. How many countries take part in the celebration each year now?
_________________________________________________
4. Why did Chinese people have "Bye-Bye Throwaway Culture Week"?
_________________________________________________
5. What are the purposes (目的) of celebrating the Earth Day?
_________________________________________________

     We often make a handshake in business and in life in China．It often takes place when you meet
someone new and when you leave a party or a meeting．
     People are supposed to shake hands in many countries．But every country has its own custom of
shaking hands, so you need to know something about another country's handshaking custom before you
visit it．
     Here are some of the most usual handshaking customs around the world:
★In England you shake hands whenever you meet someone, even if you know them well．
★Russians shake hands often．However, they never shake hands while wearing gloves．
★A strong handshake and holding hands closely are signs of welcome in South Africa．
★Men in Arabian cultures prefer a long handshake．At the same time, they will say a few words to
greet the other person．
★The French always shake hands in business meetings．In social situations, they kiss each other on the
face．
★People in India and Pakistan shake hands by holding your hand in both their hands．
     It is considered impolite to refuse to shake hands with someone.But don't worry if someone refuses
to shake hands with you, because there may be some special reasons．For example, maybe they have a
cold or don't feel very well．A person that is unable to shake hands should always say sorry and explain
for it so that the other person does not feel unhappy．

1. 判斷正誤（T表示正確，F(xiàn)表示錯誤）
(     ). People are supposed to shake hands in many countries．
2. Russians never shake hands while _________________________________________.
3. In social situations what are the French supposed to do when they meet people?
    ___________________________________________________________________
4. Who prefer shaking hands by holding your hand in both their hands?
     ___________________________________________________________________
5. 將文中劃線句子譯成漢語。       
    ___________________________________________________________________

     As we know, there are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see 
differences when we pay attention to the words that are used. Let's look at the words about describing
animals. Most phrases in Chinese about the dog. For example, "a homeless dog", "a running dog", and
"a dog catching a mouse", have negative meanings.
     But in western countries, dogs are considered honest and good friends of humans. In English, people
use dogs to describe positive behavior. For example, "You are lucky dog" means you are a lucky person.   And "Every dog has its day" means _____. To describe a person's serious illness, they say "sick as a dog". The word "dog-tired" means "very tired". The words about animals are used in positive or negative ways
in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how certain words
are used.

1. The correct Chinese meaning about "a homeless dog" is "_____".
A. 獵犬
B. 看門狗
C. 喪家犬
D. 家養(yǎng)犬
2. In English ,people use dogs to describe positive behavior because _____.
A. they have different culture
B. they think dogs are honest and good friends of humans
C. they like dogs very much
D. dogs are very active
3. Which sentence is right to fill in the blank in the passage?
A. every dog will die one day.
B. each person has bad luck at times.
C. each person has good luck at times.
D. every dog has good luck at times.
4. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. In English people use the dog to describe positive behavior.
B. Most phrases in Chinese about the dog have negative meaning.
C. We should pay attention to the words about animals that are used.
D. "Sick as a dog" is used to describe a healthy person in western countries.
5. What 's the best title of the passage?
A. Dogs.
B. Western Culture.
C. Chinese Culture.
D. Different Countries Have Different Culture.