Letter A
Dear Mary,
      I like your programmes very much. I'm now writing to ask you something about American social
customs (社交習(xí)慣): My American friend wants me to join them in their dinner party. I am very happy
and have decided to go, but I'm a little worried about it, too. The social customs in my country are very
different from here, so I'm afraid of making mistakes.
     Should I bring a present, such as sweet or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner
table, how can I know which fork (叉子) or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I'm thankful
for their kindness
                                                                                                                                Wang Lin
                                                                            Letter B
Dear Wang Lin,
      It's a good idea to bring a small present when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always nice, or you
may bring a bottle of wine (葡萄酒) if you know that your friends drink it.
     You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don't get there early. If you're going to be more than
fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.
     Try to be free at the dinner table. If you don't know about choosing the right fork or knife, just watch the
other people, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do ask the person next to you.
     If you like the food, say so. Of course, you'll thank them for the meal and for their kindness. It's also a
good idea to send a thank-you card the day after.
                                                                                                                                               Mary

1. Mary is possibly _______.

A. a good housewife
B. a TV hostess (主持人)
C. a member of the dinner party
D. a friend of Wang Lin's

2. When you go to a dinner party, you'd better not take _______ with you.

A. some wine
B. some flowers
C. some presents
D. some food

3. If you're asked to a dinner party but not sure about what to bring as a present, it's good to bring _______.

A. some fruits
B. a bottle of wine
C. some flowers
D. a knife and fork

4. Which of the following is NOT proper (適當(dāng)?shù)? for joining in a dinner party?

A. Get there 15 minutes earlier.
B. Make yourself at home.
C. Follow others to use forks and knives.
D. Thank your friends for the meal.

     Almost all people like flowers. Some people like flowers because of their smells, shapes, colors and so
on. Others like flowers because they think different flowers mean different things. Flowers have their own
language. For example, red roses mean"love" and sunflowers mean "loyalty" (忠誠(chéng)). So people in more than
100 countries have chosen their own national flowers which say something about their countries' spirit.
In 1994, China talked about choosing a national flower. Some people liked the peony (牡丹) but others liked
the plum blossom (梅花). They couldn't agree with each other. So it has not been decided yet.
     People like to buy different flowers in different seasons. Where do all the beautiful flowers in shops come
from? They may come from far away, so their price is higher.
    a. Farmers grow flowers in their fields.
    b. Planes or trains or buses take the flowers to different places.
    c. Flower shopkeepers buy flowers from the flower markets. They look at the flowers and throw away
the broken or bad ones. They cut the flowers to make them more beautiful. 
    d. You go to buy the flowers in the shops. When you buy a flower, you're paying lots of people: the farmer,
the driver of the plane or train or bus. The seller in the flower market and the flower shopkeeper.
     So you'd better keep your flowers from far away for a long time. But how? Why not dry them? It's easy!
Sand drying is a way. Dry, clean sand is one of the oldest things for drying flowers. And it's one of the
cheapest. 
     ● Fill a box half-way with sand. 
     ● Put the flowers on top of the sand. 
     ● Put the box in a warm, dry place.
     ● Leave the flowers there for one to three weeks.
     ● Take them out and they will be dry.

1. The underlined words "national flowers" most probably means ________.

A. the flowers of the country
B. the flowers of the season
C. the most beautiful flowers
D. the strongest flowers

2. People usually choose their own "national flower" according to the flower's ________.

A. smell
B. shape
C. color
D. meaning

3. The Chinese national flower has not been decided yet, because ________.

A. no flower can show China's spirit
B. China hasn't talked about choosing one
C. nobody agrees to choose the national flower
D. people can't agree to choose the same flower

4. You'd better keep your flowers for a long time, because ________.

A. the flowers are easy to dry
B. the farmer will also ask you to pay
C. the flowers are expensive to buy
D. the shopkeeper has made them more beautiful

5. According to the passage, we know ________ stand for "love".

A. peony
B. red roses
C. plum blossom
D. sunflowers

1. Hotel Eiffel is _______.

A. on King Street
B. in the park
C. on George Street
D. opposite the bank

2. Which of the following is true?

A. The card can be used to open the door.
B. The card can help you pay the bus. 
C. If the card is lost,you must pay for it.
D. You don't need to return the card.

                                      Do You Love Watching Tom and Jerry?
     The cartoon series, Tom and Jerry, is a very popular program. What do you think of it? Come on and
try our questions.
NAME      Paul Smith
AGE        12
SCHOOL  primary school

1. Who is Paul Smith?

A. The chart (表格) designer.
B. One of the characters.
C. A primary school student.
D. A primary school teacher.

2. What does the comment of the first question mean?

A. Paul isn't satisfied with the stories.
B. Paul doesn't like the pictures.
C. Paul is very satisfied with the stories.
D. Paul likes the music very much.

3. We can guess from the chart that Paul may be interested in ______.

A. painting
B. dancing
C. sports
D. writing

4. From the chart, we know that ______.

A. Paul is more satisfied with the show time than the music
B. Paul can draw cartoons very well
C. Paul has no problems with the show time
D. Paul enjoys watching the cartoon series very much

5. Why did the writer design this chart?

A. To see what kinds of movies people like.
B. To see how people like Tom and Jerry.
C. To make sure who likes the cartoon series.
D. To make sure whether the show time is suitable.

     Driving a car at a high speed along a highway seems to be fun. You only need to follow the bright traffic
signs beside the highway and it will take you where you wish to go. But to a London taxi driver, driving is
not an easy job. A taxi driver needs to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city
of London, from the loneliest street to the popular restaurant around. He has to be at the service of all kinds of
passengers (乘客) at all times.
     A London taxi driver said the following about his job. During the night it is usual for him to stop two or
three times for some food. He said, "I never drink when I'm working, otherwise I'd lose my license (駕駛執(zhí)照)."
     He normally goes home between two and three o'clock in the morning. There are times he has to stay
longer and try to make more runs. He said,"That's the worst thing about working for yourself. If you don't
make money, no one is going to give it to you." London taxi drivers not only "take" but also "give". Every
summer hundreds of poor children from London go for a day at the sea ― by taxi! There rides are paid by
the taxi drivers. At the sea, they are met by the mayor (市長(zhǎng)), and a lunch party is also held for the taxi drivers
and the children. After a happy day's running around the beaches and visiting the market there, the children go
home again by taxi, free of charge of course!

1. London taxi drivers try to make more runs sometimes mainly because __________.

A. they make a living by driving
B. they prefer to work for themselves
C. they want to help more passengers
D. they are used to working deep into the night

2. How do London taxi drivers "give"?

A. They give the poor children a lunch party at he sea each summer.
B. They give poor children the chance to meet the maor.
C. They pay for some poor children's rides for a day's tour each summer.
D. They play with some poor children at the sea for a day each summer.

3. Which of the following words can be used to describe London taxi drivers?

A. Brave and careful
B. Rich and generous
C. Modest and easy-going
D. Hard-working and kind.

4. The passage is most likely to be found from __________.

A. an advertisement of a taxi company
B. an online travel guide
C. a website about the taxi drivers in London
D. a report about living conditions in London

     In many countries, people t__________ (1) by car or by bike. They also get from place to place using
p__________ (2) transport such as buses and trains. However, some people live in parts of the world where
it is i__________ (3) to build roads. In these places, animals or other f__________ (4) of transport have to be
used.
     It is difficult to w__________ (5) in snow but easy to ski over it. So in places like Alaska, people use skis.
If they want to go faster, they get dogs to p__________ (6) them on sleds (雪橇). Riding a snowmobile (雪地
摩托) is a more m__________ (7), but expensive way of getting around on snow.
     In desert (沙漠) like the Sahara in North Africa, people s__________ (8) get around on camels. Camels
survive w__________ (9) in the desert, not because they can s__________ (10) water in their bodies though!
They can survive without water for two weeks and without f__________ (11) for up to a month.
H__________ (12) can only go without water for about three to five days.