Thanksgiving Day is a very special day for people in the United States. In that country they celebrate Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November. Canadians also celebrate Thanksgiving Day, but they do it on the second Monday of October. In Britain, where the festival is called “ Harvest Festival”, people celebrate earlier in the year, in September.

A harvest is the fruit you take from the trees and the crops you take from the ground. In North America, Europe, and England, harvest time for most fruit and crops is in the special day of the year. They thank God for the good things that have happened during the year and for the good harvest they have had. People usually take small boxes of fruit, flowers, and vegetables to their churches to show their thanks.

The first thanksgiving service in North America took place on 4 December 1610 when 38 English people arrived in America to make their home in the new country. They held this service not to thank God for the harvest, but to thank God for their safe journey. The next year, many more English people arrived. They had a bad winter, but fortunately the harvest was good. They decided to celebrate with a big meal. They shot and killed small animals to eat and cooked everything outside on large fires. About 90 Indians also came to the meal. Everyone ate at tables outside their houses and played games together. The festival lasted three days.

A Thanksgiving Day celebration was held every year for a long time, but not always on the same day of the year. Then, in 1789, President George Washington named 26 November as the Day of Thanksgiving. Almost a hundred years later, President Abraham Lincoln changed the date, and said that the last Thursday in November should be Thanksgiving Day.

Nowadays, North Americans around the world get together with their families on this day to eat good food and have a happy time.

39. The story is about ____.

A. festivals                  B. an American festival  

C. English people in America   D. giving thanks for everything

40. The last Thursday in November in November is ____.

A. a festival in every country in the world

B. Thanksgiving Day in the United States

C. the day farmers pick fruit from the trees

D. the day the first English People came to America

41. On thanksgiving Day people ____.

A. plant their crops.  B. celebrate a safe journey

C. thank God for a good harvest

D. harvest their fruit and crops.

42. At the first thanksgiving service in North America, the people ____.

A. shot a lot of small animals

B. thanked God for a safe journey

C. thanked God for a good harvest

D. had a big dinner outside their houses.

When someone says “well I guess I’ll have to go to face the music”, it does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why  you did this or that ,and why you did not do this or that. Sour music, indeed, but it has to be faced.

    The phrase “to face the music ” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. Where did the expression come from?

     The first information comes from the American writer Games Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage .After they got their cue to go on ,they often said, “It’s time to go to face the  music.” And that is exactly what they did—face the orchestra which was just below the stage.

    An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out.

    So “to face the music ” came having to go through something no matter how unpleasant the experience might be because you knew you had no choice.

    The other explanation comes from the army. Men had to face inspection by their leader. The soldiers worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean—shiny enough to pass inspection? Still, the men had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do?

49.How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?

A.1            B.2             C.3              D.4

50.What’s the meaning of “to face the music”?

A. To face one’s leader.                B.To face the stage.

C.To face the back of one’s horse.        D. To face something far less pleasant.

51.the underlined word “hostile” means ______?

A. unfriendly      B. dislike      C. unkind    D. unnecessary

52.Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?

A. When we are playing basketball

B. When we are talking with somebody.

C. When we are having a party.

D. When we are making a speech.

The American Thanksgiving Day celebration goes back to 1621. In that year a special dinner was prepared in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The people who had settled there had left England because they felt denied (遭到否定) of religious freedom. They came to the new land and faced difficulties in coming across the ocean. The ship which carried them was called the Mayflower. The North Atlantic was difficult to travel. There were bad storms. They were assisted in learning to live in the new land by the Indians who had already settled down in the region. The Puritans(清教徒), as they were called, had much to be thankful for. Their religious practices were no longer a source of criticism by the government. They learned to adjust (調(diào)整) their farming habits to the climate and soil. When they selected the fourth Thursday of November for their Thanksgiving celebration, they invited their neighbors, the Indians, to join them in dinner and prayer of thankfulness for the new life. They recalled the group of 102 men, women, and children who left England. They remembered their dead who did not live to see the shores of Massachusetts. They reflected on the 65 days' journey which had tested their strength.

61. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Thanksgiving Day?

A. It’s a special day to express thanks and recall the past experience.　　

B. It’s an unusual day for people to show respect for God.

C. It’s an important day to celebrate a successful voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

D. It’s a great day for people to remember those who died a long time ago.

62. The main reason why people left England for America was that __________________.

A. they wanted to see the shores of Massachusetts　　　　

B. they wanted to learn how to farm from the Indians

C. they wanted to escape criticism（批評(píng)）of their religious belief　　　　

D. they wanted to test their strength across the North Atlantic

63. The Indians had__________________________.

A. made life difficult for the Puritans　　　　

B. helped the Puritans to adjust themselves to the new life

C. taken the Puritans’ rich land away　　　

D. denied the Puritans’ religious freedom

It is sometimes said that English is English and that there are no differences between different kinds of English, but this is not the case. American English is generally quite different from UK English. The main differences are the use of certain words and spelling. American English is much more phonetic (與發(fā)音近似的) than UK English and in American English a ‘z’ or a ‘c’ is often used where an ‘s’ would be used in British English.

Words can vary in different types of English as well. British people talk of “rubbish” while the Americans call this “garbage”. The UK people have “petrol”, but the Americans have “gasoline”.

The differences between these ways of using English make translating works into English a difficult business. There are translation tools on the Internet, but these can often translate words in a very direct (直接的) way and the end result is a sentence that has lost its meaning.

The best way of translating any written piece of work into the English language is to first decide what kind of English is you want the piece to be translated into. For example, if it is for a British market, then use the UK English. For the best result, always use some kind of spelling and grammar checker so you can make sure that you are using the proper terms, spelling and vocabulary.

60. Which of the following statements will the writer most probably agree with?
　　A. UK English is much more phonetic than American English.
　　B. There are differences between different kinds of English.
　　C. American English is different from British English only in spelling.
　　D. It is easier to learn British English than to learn American English.
61. The underlined word “vary” in Paragraph 2 probably means __________.

A. change                     B. organize                   C. make         D. use

62. We can infer (推斷) from Paragraph 3 that __________.
　　A. works translated into English will certainly lose their meaning
　　B. we should never translate words into English in a direct way
　　C. translating works into English is not difficult
　　D. online translation tools are not so useful

63. What’s the last paragraph mainly about?
　　A. The advantages of using a spelling and grammar checker.
　　B. The differences between British English and American English.
　　C. What we should do when we translate something into English.
　　D. When we should use British English or American English

Friendship Day in India falls on the first Sunday of August every year. It is celebrated with many activities.

Young people in India spend the day with their closest friends and have fun together. Most youngsters in India plan a movie or have a meal with their friends. Many friends may go on a drive to tourist places or make a plan for camping. Some friends go to the supermarket to do some shopping. On Friendship Day, most stores offer discounted prices for customers and it is the perfect day to buy something for friends.

Some friends go to parties that are organized by many restaurants in order to attract youngsters. Such parties are very enjoyable. You can get food at a discounted price. Some friends just decide to meet up (碰頭，相聚) at someone’s home and talk about their happy time. The time good friends spend sitting together and talking over a cup of coffee is precious and unforgettable.

Long-distance friends call up each other on this day and wish each other with warm feelings. Some of them even plan to meet up on this particular day. Yet some others plan a surprising visit just to see their friend gasp (喘息) in shock!

In 2009, Friendship Day in India falls on August 2^nd.So don’t forget to celebrate it with your friends.

63. When is Friendship Day celebrated in India?

A. On August 2^nd every year.               B. On the third weekend of August every year.

C. On August 1^st every year.                      D. On the first weekend of August every year.

64. According to the text, which of the following is the most popular way that youngsters in India celebrate Friendship Day?

A. Traveling with friends                           B. Seeing a film with friends

C. Dancing with friends                      D. Going shopping with friends.

65. How many ways are discussed in Paragraph 3 that friends spend Friendship Day together?

A. Two                 B. Three                C. Four                 D. Five

66. The underlined phrase “a surprising visit” in Paragraph 4 refers to “____”.

A. a visit to a friend who hasn’t expected it        

B. a visit to a friend who has dreamed of it for a long time 

C. a visit to a friend who tries to avoid it 

D. a visit to a friend who lives in a faraway place

Garden building is considered an important part of Chinese culture. Some people say that if you have never walked through a Chinese garden, you cannot say that you have really visited China.

Traditional Chinese gardens are located in North China in such places as Beihai Park, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City. In larger imperial gardens, the main buildings are connected by an imaginary（虛構(gòu)的） line in the middle of the garden on the north-south axis(軸). Other features of imperial gardens are colored-paintings, man-made hills and lakes.

Most private gardens are found in the south, especially in cities south of the Yangtze River. Private gardens were mostly built at one side or at the back of the houses. Around the beautiful scene are small open areas with beautiful shaped-doors through which visitors can enjoy the sights. They are open on all sides and are often near the water so that the whole scene can be enjoyed. Suzhou, known as the home of gardens, displays the most and the best Chinese traditional private gardens. Different parts of it are examples of the garden style of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.[

The landscape garden contains a number of pleasant natural scenes and some fairy tales. The ancient Chinese used to call the garden landscape “Jing” , which means “scene” in English. Good examples include the ten West Lake Scenes in Hangzhou, the twenty-four slim West Lake in Yangzhou and the eight Daming Lake Scenes in Jinan.

61. The passage tells mainly about ________.

A. an important part of Chinese culture 

B. the characteristics of different style of Chinese garden building

C. where foreigners can find Chinese gardens

D. how to appreciate Chinese gardens

62. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the imperial garden?

A. There is a north-south axis in the center of garden

B. There are man-made hills and lakes in the gardens.

C. They were built because of some fairy tales.

D. They have colored-paintings.

63. In the third paragraph, the underlined word “They” refer to ______.

     A. private gardens                    B. beautiful scenes

     C. the houses                        D. rivers and lakes

64. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A. Chinese people often invite foreigners to visit a Chinese garden.

B. The landscape garden reflects different styles of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

C. All three kinds of gardens make up the important part of Chinese culture which is appreciated by the people all over the world.

       D. People enjoy the private gardens more than other two styles.

A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.

  We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.

  This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”

  Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clerk will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh（刻薄的）and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.

  Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.

  Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem（自尊）and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.

45. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.

A. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us B. inspiring words give us confidence

C. negative words may let us down    D. words have a lasting effect on us

46. There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______

A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves

B. we can benefit from talking to ourselves

C. talking to ourselves always gives us courage

D. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone

47. The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______

A. praise ourselves     B. remind ourselves

C. make ourselves relaxed   D. give ourselves amusement

48. The author would probably hold the view that ___________

A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers

B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress

C. people tend to remember friendly words

D. it is better to think twice before talking to others

Chinese people are now living happier and longer than before. According to the latest study, the number of people over 60 years old is 130 million, making up 10 percent of the whole population, and increases at a rate of 3 percent per year. This marks that China has stepped into the aged society. It is the Chinese tradition to respect, love, support, and help old people, and the aging problem has received more and more attention from the society.

   China has built the system to protect and serve old people’s legal (法律的) rights and interests, gradually developed social insurance, public health services and social welfare (福利) projects for old people, and also applied the minimum living standard protection (最低生活保障) system for the aged who are unable to work and receive no supports. Now, China is bringing the aging problem into the work of sustainable (持續(xù)的) development according to China’s conditions, to build and develop a social security system for old people, set up a system combined with the state, collectives (集體) and families to solve the problem of “the elderly should be provided for”. The life of China’s old people is more colorful along with the fast and sound economic development of the country.

   Old people in today’s China who don’t have to consider their food and clothing hope to live more colorfully. The happy psychology (心態(tài)) of the aged makes them thirsty for knowledge. Strong and healthy old people can be seen everywhere of the country. They learn new knowledge, surf the Internet, practice handwriting and drawing, and take part in fashion shows, exercises and entertainments. Their active and sound living attitude encourages the youth around and they are in fact an important role in ensuring a stable and peaceful society.

61. The underlined part “thirsty for” (in the last paragraph) means “________”.

A. want to drink water       B. feel hungry    C. want to learn   D. want to teach

62. Which of the following is NOT the author’s idea?

A. China has entered an aged society.     B. All people in the society should care for the old.

C. Old people’s active living ways have a good effect on the young.

D. The society hasn’t done enough for old people.

63. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. How to respect old people               B. Old people’s life in China

C. Old people’s problem                            D. Old people’s wishes

64. From the passage we can know that the author is ________ about the aging problem in China.

A. disappointed         B. hopeful                C. worried           D. doubtful

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flower more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending (延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it needs a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice（習(xí)俗）in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine（日常事務(wù)）. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

49. The writer of this passage must be ______

A. an American                                     B. a Chinese

C. a professor                                      D. a student

50. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B. Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C. Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D. Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

51. From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______

A. warmly welcomed at the airport

B. offered a ride to his home

C. treated hospitably at his home

     D. treated to dinner in a restaurant

52. The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean ______.

      A. strict with time                                 B. serious with time

      C. careful with time                         D. willing to spend time

53. A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.

A. Friendships between Chinese 

B. Friendships between Americans

C. Americans’ hospitality

D. Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us develop more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending（延伸）sometimes deeply into both families.

Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality（好客）easily.

Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time. Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.

For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!

41．The writer of this passage must be                .

A．a(chǎn)n American     B．a(chǎn) Chinese     C．a(chǎn) professor     D．a(chǎn) student

42．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families.

B．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives.

C．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy.

D．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break.

43．From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an

American friend, we will probably be                .

A．warmly welcomed at the airport           B．offered a ride to his home

C．treated hospitably at his home            D．treated to dinner in a restaurant

44．The underlined words “generous with our time” in Paragraph 3 probably mean          .

A．willing to spend time   B．strict with time   C．careful with time   D．serious with time

45．A suitable title for this passage would probably be “                ”.

A．Friendships between Chinese      B．Friendships between Americans

C．Americans’ hospitality           D．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships