12.When I was in fourth grade,I worked part-time as a paperboy.Mrs.Stanley was one of my customers.She'd watch me coming down her street,and by the time I'd biked up to her doorstep,there'd be a cold drink waiting. I'd sit and drink while she talked.Mrs.Stanley talked mostly about her dead husband,"Mr.Stanley and I went shopping this morning."she'd say.The first time she said that,soda(汽水)went up my nose. I told my father how Mrs.Stanley talked as if Mr.Stanley were still alive.Dad said she was probably lonely,and that I should sit and listen and nod my head and smile,and maybe she'd work it out of her system .So that's what I did,and it turned out Dad was right.After a while,she seemed to leave her husband over at the cemetery (墓地). I finally stopped delivering newspapers and didn't see Mrs.Stanley for several years.Then we crossed paths at a church fund-raiser(募捐活動).She was spooning potatoes and looking happy.Four years before,she'd had to offer her paperboy a drink to have someone to talk with.Now she had friends.Her husband was gone,but life went on. I live in the city now,and my newsboy is a lady named Edna with three kids.She asks me how I'm doing.When I don't say "Fine," she sticks around to listen to my problems.She's lived in the city most of her life.She knows about the community.The community isn't so much a place as it is a state of mind.You find it whenever people ask how you're doing because they care,and not because they're getting paid to do so.Sometimes it's good to just smile,nod your head and listen. (1)Why did soda go up the author's nose one time?
A.Because he was talking fast. B.Because he was shocked. C.Because he was in a hurry. D.Because he was absent-minded. (2)Why did the author sit and listen to Mrs.Stanley according to paragraph 3?
A.Because he enjoyed the drink. B.Because he wanted to be helpful. C.Because he took the chance to rest. D.Because he wanted to please his dad. (3)Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase "work it out of her system"?
A.go out from her sadness B.move out of the neighborhood C.turn to her old friends D.speak out about her past (4)What does the author think people in a community should do?
A.Open up to others. B.Depend on each other. C.Pay for others' help. D.Care about one another.
13.Traveling to another country is exciting and fun.But if you don't learn about local customs,your trip could become a nightmare with misunderstandings and even trouble.Here are some cultural taboos(禁忌)in certain countries to help prevent things like that.Let's take a look and fit in with local culture. US One of the traditional customs for Americans is to tip jye.ai.People from non-tipping countries may forget to tip.And they may find themselves in an embarrassing situation.Also,pay attention when you have a conversation with Americans.As a tourist in the US,it is not polite to ask people questions like "How old are you?" and "How much do you make?" Mexico In Mexico,bringing an expensive gift to someone's home is a no-no.It could be seen as a bribe(賄賂).Something simple like flowers or a dessert are good gifts.But you should avoid taking along marigolds (金盞花) or red flowers,because in Mexican culture,they symbolize death and can be connected with witchcraft(巫術).To local people,white flowers are a good gift. Britain Be careful about hand gestures when you visit Britain.If you make the V sign with your palm(手掌)facing you,the locals may get angry.That's because this gesture means the same as the middle finger.It's an insult(侮辱).It is safe to hold off on hand gestures to prevent any misunderstandings. Also,Britons are known for queuing.From the supermarket to the subway,queues are very common in Britain.Usually a British person spends six months of their life in queues.If you jump the queue in Britain,you may upset them.
When you travel to another country,it's important to watch out for local customs.Here are some cultural taboos in certain countries to help you avoid misunderstandings and trouble.In the US,it's a(1)
to tip nearly anyone with a service job.You should pay attention to the questions when you(2)
with Americans.In Mexico,when you visit someone's home,you can bring something simple(3)
marigolds(金盞花)or red flowers.In Britain,you should use hand gestures(4)
.Besides,queuing in public places is(5)
.If you jump the queue in Britain,you may upset them.
24.請用適當的詞完成下面的短文,并把所缺單詞填寫在橫線上。每個空只能填寫一個形式正確、意義相符的單詞。 Everyone likes holidays,because they can do (1)
they want to do.The May Day holiday is coming.The students in my class are making holiday plans.Here are some of them.Li Daming,the monitor of my class,is going to fly kites (2)
his parents in the city park. He says many people would like to go to the park on that day.He is also going to help clean the park in the afternoon to make the (3)
beautiful.Wang Lingling is (4)
at English. She is going to stay at home and help her brother with English.Zhao Dan says he's going to Beijing to(5)
the Summer Palace and the Great Wall.He thinks it'll be tired (6)
fun.As for me,I'm going to have fun,too.I'm going to Qingdao to (7)
my holiday. Qingdao is(8)
big and beautiful city by the sea in Shandong.There's a lot to see and to do there.I think I will have a good time there. What's your (9)
25.Trees make our life better in many ways.As trees need CO2 when they (1)
/gr??/,they take in CO2 so that there will be less of it in the air.Also,trees can give off O2,which is (2)
/nes?s?r?/for all living things on the earth. Trees and forests play an important part in(3)
(help) to improve our environment.They can stop the soil (4)
being washed away.They can make water better and the air (5)
(clean).At the same time,forests are the home of many (6)
,such as tigers,elephants,monkeys and so on. However,forests all over the world are becoming fewer and fewer.People cut down trees to make paper,build houses or do other things.Every minute,between 50 and 100 acres(英畝) of forests are (7)
(destroy).If this goes on,there will be no forests left in one hundred years. Luckily,many countries have come to realize the (8)
(important) of forests.They pass laws to (9)
/pr?'tekt/ the jye.aiests.For example,in some countries, (10)
people cut down one tree,they will plant another tree or more trees.