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Traveling to a new country isn't as simple as just buying a ticket and boarding a plane. In fact, it can be easy for an awkward situation to occur. Different customs can often cause misunderstandings and even trouble. So an article in the Daily Mai highlighted taboos in certain countries. Let’s take a look.
France
When visiting France ,you’d better not be caught cutting your lettuce（生菜）with a knife and fork. It’s rude to the chief cook and suggests that the salad hasn’t been prepared correctly. The correct way to eat lettuce in France is to fold it with your fork to make it fit in your mouth.
Italy 02
It’s actually best to be a little less friendly than usual when you visit Italy. It’s considered strange to make small talk with strangers, as the locals are reserved. Too much familiarity from a stranger can be seen as threatening, so keep greetings short.
In Mexico , bringing an expensive gift to someone’s home is a no-no ,as ye could be seen as something for you .Something simple like flowers and chocolates would be accepted. But you can’t take along marigolds （金盏花）or red flowers , because in Mexican culture, they symbolize death and can be associated with the use of magic.
Mexico
You have to be careful with gifts of flowers in Germany too. Fox example, carnation (康乃馨) are used for a religious ceremony for burying a dead person .So if you want to give your host flowers, ask them what their favorite flowers, And if your bring your host eight flowers . he or she won't be happy, for an even numbers considered unlucky.
Germany 04
1.The underlined word“ taboo” in the first paragraph refers to a social custom that mean a particular activity must be .
A. Held B. Avoided C. undertaken D. protected
2.According to the passage，as a tourist, you can .
A. send red flowers or chocolates to your friend in Mexico
B. never talk with strangers happily for a short time in Italy
C. visit your friend with eleven marigolds he or she likes best in Germany
D. never fold your lettuce with your fork to make it fit in your mouth in France
3.The purpose of the passage is to help in a new country.
A. acquire the latest information
B. deal with an awkward situation
C. learn how to get on with strangers
D. prevent an emharrassing mistake
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. This is fine until you need to call someone for help, only to find your phone is not around.
And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept(无能的)People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual(虚拟的)some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14. 02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products.
1.The underlined sentence in the second paragraph implies that .
A. you are able to turn to others for help
B. others are able to call you anytime and anywhere
C. others are unable to get in touch with you by smartphone
D. you are unable to contact others without your smartphone
2. The experiment by researchers indicated that without electronic products, one could .
A. recognize more facial expressions correctly
B. lose the sense of direction frequently
C. tell different emotions immediately
D.more pictures of faces easily
3.Overusing smartphones, people will probably according to the passage
A. lose face-to-face communication skills
B. have no sense of numbers
C. weaken their senses of hearing and sight
D. fail to find their destination
4.The passage mainly tells us that many people are .
A. becoming no smarter than smartphones
B. benefiting from smartphones' intelligence
C．losing some basic abilities because of using samrtphones
D．trying hard to break away from smartphones’intelligence
5.The writer’s attitude towards electronic products is .
A．critical B．sympathetic
C．supportive D．optimistic
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Do you know how Uncle Sam became the popular symbol of the United States?
Some historians believe that he is based on a real person，Samuel Wilson．During the War of 1812，Wilson sold meat to American troops. Wilson labeled
the meat barrels（桶）US．This meant that it was for the army．At that time，US was not used to mean“United States”．An officer asked what the US on the barrels meant．A soldier replied，“United States”，meaning Samuel Wilson．
The Uncle Sam image（形象）today shows a man with a beard，a stars and stripes（星条旗）top hat，and a suit．Thomas Nast created this image in about 1838．It represented the government in Nast's political cartoons．Some people believe that Nast based his image on Dan Rice，a popular entertainer．Rice performed while wearing a top hat and suit．
Others think it was James M．Flagg that drew the most famous image of Uncle Sam in 1917， during World War I．It shows a serious man pointing a finger at the viewer and says“United States”．Flagg drew this enduring image to encourage Americans to join the U.S．Army．It has been used for this purpose ever since．
Today, Uncle Sam is a symbol of the United States that is recognized around the world．
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Uncle Sam was a character created by the government of the United States．
B．Samuel Wilson，a businessman，sold meat to American troops during the War of 1812．
C．Uncle Sam was based on an entertainer to show Americans were popular people．
D．The image of Uncle Sam has been used to urge Americans to join the army since 1838．
2.The underlined word“enduring”in the fourth paragraph is closest in meaning to“________”.
A．long-lasting B．short-lived
C．painful D．scary
3.It can be inferred from the passage that___________.
A．Uncle Sam is an officer from the American army
B．Uncle Sam’s top hat and suit reflect the American flag
C．Tile Uncle Sam symbol is the best of all American symbols
D．Opinions differ about how Uncle Sam became a national symbol
4.Which of the following can best sum up the passage?
A．The name Uncle Sam was invented during the War of 1821．
B．There are many symbols of the United States，including Uncle Sam．
C．Over time，the image of Uncle Sam came to represent the United States．
D．Uncle Sam is a national symbol that is recognized around the United States．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Charlie Bucket，the beloved hero of British writer Roald Dahl’s evergreen 1964 children’s story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ,is like all of Dahl’s readers．We may come from richer or poorer families than Charlie does，but we all share his desire to win that golden ticket to explore the wonders of Mr Willy Wonka’s candy factory． ． ．
Mr Wonka is the most famous chocolate maker in the world．His chocolates
are not just sweet and delicious but little works of art. He makes hot ice creams for cold days and candies that change color every 10 seconds as you suck on them.
So, naturally, when Mr Wonka announces a competition to visit his famous chocolate factory, very kid in the world is wildly excited. To win a place you have get a ticket. To get a ticket you have to be lucky, finding a golden ticket beneath the silver foil(箔) when you buy a bar of Wonka's chocolate.
Charlie wants a ticket more than anyone. But his family is so poor that they have no money to spare for candy. Charlie watches on the news as each lucky kid gets a ticket. When his grandpa slips Charlie some money and tells him to buy a Wonka bar, it seems that the story will change. But no, there's no ticket in the bar.
But Charlie's luck does change. Against all the odds(逆境),when he has given up all hope,he finds himself holding the last golden ticket.
So Charlie，along with other kids，starts his magical trip. Inside, there are more amazing things than you could ever imagine.
People love to read about the downtrodden(受压迫的)hero who comes out on top. but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is much more than a simple story.“Dahl's words.,wild imagination and menacing(令人讨厌的)adult characters all combine to make his work ring so true ,”commented Publishers Weekly. “The way he celebrates the innocence of childhood never goes out of style.”
1.According to the passage, Wonka's chocolates .
A. are works of art appealing to kids
B. can change shapes every 10 seconds
C. are popular with poor families
D. can bring good luck to poor kids
2.Charlie buys a Wonka bar in order to .
A. taste sweet and delicious chocolates
B. try his luck to get a ticket in the bar
C. explore the wonders of chocolates
D. find out how chocolates are made
3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passages？
A. Charlie wants to get more golden tickets than anyone else.
B. Charlie has learnt to produce the most delicious chocolate.
C. Charlie's trip in the Chocolates Factory is full of amazement.
D. Mr. Wonka announces an activity in which kids can get chocolates.
4.The author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory thinks highly of .
A. wild imagination B. innocence of childhood
C. vivid description D. disgusting adult characters
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid（小行星）by 2025 and then Mars in the 2030s—goals outlined in NASA’s official documents 2014．
Mars is a rich destination tor scientific discovery and robotic and human exploration as we expand our presence into the solar system．Future exploration could uncover evidence of life，answering one of the fundamental mysteries：Does life exist beyond Earth?
While robotic explorers have studied Mars for more than 40 years，NASA’s path for the human exploration of Mars begins in low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station．Astronauts on the orbiting laboratory are helping us prove many of the technologies and communications systems needed for human missions（任务）to deep space，including Mars．The space station also advances our understanding of how the body changes in space and how to protect astronaut health．
Our next step is deep space，where NASA will send a robotic mission to catch and redirect an asteroid to orbit the moon．Astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft will explore the asteroid in the 2020s，returning to Earth with samples．This experience in human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit will help NASA test new systems，which we’ll need to send cargo（货物）as part of human missions to Mars．Beginning in FY 2018，NASA’s powerfull Space Launch System（SLS）rocket will enable these "proving ground" missions to test new technologies．Human missions to Mars will rely on Orion and an evolved version of SLS that will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown。
A lot of robotic spacecraft and rovers（探测器）already are on and around Mars，greatly increasing our knowledge about the Red Planet and paving the way of future human explorers．The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover measured radiation on the way to Mars and is sending back radiation data from the surface．This data will help us plan how to protect the astronauts who will explore Mars．Future missions like the Mars 2020 rover，seeking signs of past life，also will demonstrate new technologies that could help astronauts survive on Mars．
Engineers and scientists around the country are working hard to develop the technologies astronauts will use to one day live and work on Mars，and safely return home from the next giant leap for humanity．NASA also is a leader in a Global Exploration Roadmap，working with international partners and the U．S．commercial space industry with human missions to the surface of Mars as the driving goal．
1.It can be learnt from the first three paragraphs that .
A．Mars is the perfect place for scientific discovery and human settlement
B．astronauts’physical changes in the space station should be recorded
C．NASA intends to send robotic explorers and humans to Mars in 2025
D．astronauts in the space station are testing technologies for better life on the Earth
2.The Orion Spacecraft_________.
A．will send cargo to Mars
B．was built to explore low-earth orbit
C．needs SLS rocket to finish its mission
D．will bring back samples of an asteroid
3.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A．the U.S．commercial space industry is a leader in exploration to Mars．
B．Many protective measures are needed when exploring Mars．
C．NASA is an agency that plans to explore Mars in secret．
D．Curiosity rover is the first rover to be sent to Mars．
4.Which can be the best title of this passage?
A．Future life on Mars
B．Research for the Solar System
C．NASA’s Journey to Mars
D．Exploration of life Beyond Earth
难度: 中等查看答案及解析