In a foreign country, a man visited a local restaurant. He didn’t speak their language. He ordered something indecipherable off the menu. When the waiter brought him a plate of delicious looking fried noodles, he smiled and made an OK sign at the waiter with his thumb and forefinger linked in a circle. Looking angry, the waiter then picked up the dish and thrown it to his lap. What he did wrong, he wondered. Well, nothing is quite as it seems when it comes to using hand gesture in another country.
Gestures have been used to replace words in many countries, and they are often specific to a given culture. Gesture may mean something complimentary in one culture, but is highly offensive in another.
The gesture “thumb-up” is commonly misinterpreted. In English, it is popularly known as ‘thumbs up’, despite the fact that the action is commonly performed with only one hand. English-speaking Caucasians use it to signal ‘OK’, which is the same meaning as O.K. ring gesture. The two can in fact be used almost interchangeably.
Avoid using this gesture in Southern Sardina or Northern Greece unless you want to invite a fight. While American, British and Australian would use the thumb up to signal hitch-hiking to the drivers, this message will not encourage a Greek driver or motorist to stop to give them a ride.
There are no right or wrong signals, only cultural differences. Lack of cultural understanding will lead to disharmony among people from different cultures. When we know what to look for, such encounters with other cultures are actually very interesting, fascinating and fun. It is certainly a great topic to discuss over a cup of coffee and cakes.
1.What did the man in the first paragraph do wrong?
A. He misunderstood the waiter. B. He didn’t realize cultural differences.
C. He ordered something off the menu. D. He made the signal in a rude way.
2.What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean?
A. Full of admiration. B. Full of aggression.
C. Full of complexity. D. Full of certainty.
3.What will happen if you make a thumb up toward a man in Northern Greece?
A. He will stop to give you a lift. B. He will get annoyed and fight against you.
C. He will ask you to give him a lift. D. He will make the same signal toward you.
4.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A. To explain the meaning of different gestures.
B. To tell stories about different cultures.
C. To advise us to have an understanding of cultural differences.
D. To persuade people from different countries live in harmony.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In the last few weeks, donations have been mailed to community organizations in and near Redford Township by the sender who only identifies as “Anonymous - 1679”, according to My Fox Detroit.
So far, envelopes, each filled with $1,000 cash, have been sent to the local library, an animal welfare non-profit, a civic and leadership training group, a credit union and the Redford Goodfellows, a group that helps needy families get holiday meals and gifts for their children.
There is one clue about the identity of the giver. According to the Observer & Eccentric, the Community Choice Credit Union in Redford received the first envelope, which also included a riddle: “Know the clue, Know the who, Anonymous - 1679.”
Spread around one community, the donations could make a serious impact.
The credit union told the paper that the donation will go to their foundation, which gives up to $100,000 in college scholarships to Michigan high school graduates each year.
Tail Waggers 1990 in nearby Livonia helps owners provide for their pets, offering low-cost vaccinations, a pet food pantry and assistance for pets with serious health problems. Their donation will go toward their new animal clinic, they told Fox.
Cindy Doyle, secretary for the Redford Goodfellows, said that their $1,000 donation will likely cover food, clothes and presents for 10 families; last year the organization served 225 families total.
“That money will go a long way to brighten the Christmas of several children this year,” the Redford Township Police posted on Facebook, on behalf of their department and the Good fellows.
“To that generous person... Thank You!”
Anonymous 1679 has given more than money — he or she has also directed attention to some of the organizations helping the community, and may even inspire others to give. Potential donors should keep in mind that while receiving mysterious cash in the mail may be exciting, the U.S. Postal Service recommends sending money orders rather than currency in case mail is lost or stolen.
1.According to the passage, envelops have been mailed to the following except ________.
A. a local library B. needy families
C. the Community Choice Credit Union D. Tail Waggers 1990
2.It can be known from the passage that ________.
A. the donations added up to $100,000
B. the donations were made in the form of cheques
C. it will be long before the citizens benefit from the donations
D. who made the donations remains a mystery
3.How will the donations be used?
A. To help some children enjoy a happy Christmas.
B. To help build a new clinic.
C. To buy necessities for 225 families.
D. To offer scholarships to high school students.
4.What is implied in the last paragraph?
A. More mysterious cash will be received in the future.
B. Anonymous 1679 pays close attention to charity organizations.
C. Sending cash will be forbidden by the U.S. Postal Service.
D. The act of Anonymous 1679 is of great significance.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
According to new research from the University of Cambridge in England, sheep are able to recognize human faces from photographs.
The farm animals, who are social and have large brains, were previously known to be able to recognize one another, as well as familiar humans. However, their ability to recognize human faces from photos alone is novel.
The recent study, the results of which were published in the journal Royal Society: Open Science, show the woolly creatures could be trained to recognize still images of human faces, including those of former President Barack Obama and actress Emma Watson.
Initially, the sheep were trained to approach certain images by being given food rewards. Later, they were able to recognize the images for which they had been rewarded. The sheep could even recognize images of faces shown at an angle, though their ability to do so declined by about 15 percent — the same rate at which a human’s ability to perform the same task declines.
“Anyone who has spent time working with sheep will know that they are intelligent, individual animals who are able to recognize their handlers,” said Professor Jenny Morton, who led the Cambridge study. “We’ve shown with our study that sheep have advanced face-recognition abilities, comparable with those of humans and monkeys.”
Recognizing faces is one of the most important social skills for human beings, and some disorders of the brain, including Huntington’s disease, affect this ability.
“Sheep are long-lived and have brains that are similar in size and complexity to those of some monkeys. That means they can be useful models to help us understand disorders of the brain, such as Huntington’s disease, that develop over a long time and affect cognitive abilities. Our study gives us another way to monitor how these abilities change,” Morton said.
1.According to the new research, what’s unusual about sheep?
A. They have large brains.
B. They can recognize their owners.
C. They can tell animals from humans.
D. They can recognize human faces from photographs.
2.How did the researchers train the sheep?
A. By guiding them to follow their handlers.
B. By giving food rewards.
C. By showing photos of humans and monkeys by turns.
D. By showing photos of famous people.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Sheep have a higher face-recognition ability than monkeys.
B. The sheep’s face-recognition ability stays the same when shown photos at any angle.
C. The new discovery is beneficial to the study of cognitive ability changes.
D. The sheep’s face-recognition ability may prevent some disorders of the brain.
4.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. A New discovery about Sheep. B. How Sheep Recognize Each Other.
C. A Wonderful Scientist. D. The Life of Sheep.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
1. Learn how to show them why it’s important to save, how to avoid overspending, and what they can do to successfully manage their money.
1. Have deliberate conversations about money.
Talk openly with your kids about the money you make and what it pays for, such as home, food, clothing and transportation. A conversation like this will give them context and will help them grasp early on that it costs money to have the essentials and that everything else is extra.
2.
2. Give them a modest allowance.
A child who is old enough to count is old enough to get allowance. The amount should be an age-appropriate amount where stuff they’ll want will require at least a few weeks of saving to buy.
3. Normal chores（家务）are part of being in a family, not about getting paid.
3. 4.
Your kids have “regular” chores, already. By all means feel free to offer up those bigger, unpleasant tasks as optional paid jobs — weeding, shoveling snow, whatever they’ll really have to work at to earn those extra bucks m and kick back while they learn the value of a dollar.
4. Be a good financial role model.
5. So remember that you’re constantly sending financial cues to the children in your life in ways big and small. Be a good financial role model by using examples from your own life to teach them things they should and should not do with their money. Handle your money the way you’d want them to handle their own.
A. Children are always curious.
B. Money matters a lot in our daily life.
C. Don’t tie this money to chores, either.
D. Create opportunities for extra earnings.
E. Children learn by observing adult behavior.
F. Avoiding the subject actually creates unnecessary negative feelings.
G. It’s never too early or too late to teach the children the value or a dollar.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Medical bills were piling. Kids needed glasses, cars needed repairs, and the dog needed surgery. On top of that, Christmas was almost ______ us so presents needed to be purchased.
But all of that was ______ when my husband, Brian, was waiting in our local tire shop to have his six truck tires ______ on a snowy night. He overheard the tire salesman ______ a young mom with 3 children that she was in serious ______ of all new tires, as each one was completely ______ down. ______, the young mom said she didn’t have the money to replace more than one tire on her car.
On hearing that, Brian ______ to pay for a tire to be installed, ______ of the one tire this woman was able to purchase. Brian knew that even though it was just a start, the young mom would be much ______ driving on the ______ roads with a balanced set of two new tires than they would with just one new tire.
The young mom was so surprised that she ______ choked up. Eyes filled with tears, she thanked Brian and pulled away.
My husband is a naturally modest, ______ man who feels rewarded in the giving, not in the________ in life. So imagine his unexpected ______, when he later discovered the salesman had ________ the entire amount spent on the ______ tire to his bill! ______ the seven tires my husband bought, the salesman only ______ him for six.
The simple act of one man making the decision to share what he had, rather than worrying about what he would ______, changed things that night.
1.A. in B. upon C. for D. before
2.A. forgotten B. solved C. changed D. purchased
3.A. abandoned B. repaired C. examined D. replaced
4.A. warn B. persuade C. explain D. mention
5.A. danger B. place C. need D. face
6.A. taken B. broken C. pulled D. worn
7.A. Angrily B. Disappointedly C. Unexpectedly D. Sadly
8.A. hurried B. tried C. offered D. used
9.A. front B. opposite C. sure D. instead
10.A. safer B. faster C. happier D. luckier
11.A. icy B. hard C. dark D. long
12.A. greatly B. finally C. instantly D. excitedly
13.A. intelligent B. meaningful C. humorous D. generous
14.A. helping B. receiving C. using D. thanking
15.A. surprise B. satisfaction C. chance D. discovery
16.A. added B. paid C. discounted D. returned
17.A. spare B. extra C. new D. whole
18.A. Regardless of B. More than C. Rather than D. In spite of
19.A. sold B. charged C. asked D. appreciated
20.A. come across B. come over C. go without D. go for
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
On October 31, 2003, 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton, together with her friends, went surfing along Tunnels Beach, Kauai. Around 7:30 a.m., she was lying on her surfboard with her left arm in the water 1. a 14-foot-long tiger shark attacked her, severing her left arm just below the shoulder. She 2.（rush） to Wilcox Memorial Hospital by her friends. By the time she arrived there she 3.（lose）over 60% of her blood. She spent a week in recovery before being released.
4.（surprise）, just one month after the attack, she returned to the water to continue pursuing her dream.
Initially, she adopted a custom-made board 5. was longer and slightly thicker than standard and had a handle for her right arm, making it 6.（easy）to paddle, and she learned to kick more to make up for the loss of her left arm. After teaching 7.（she） to surf with one arm, in 2004, she entered a major 8.（compete） and won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete. In 2007, she realized her dream of surfing professionally. In 2011, a film, Soul Surfer, 9.（base）on her experiences, was released and made a hit immediately. Now she has become 10. source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith and hope.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英浯课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加—个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
There is no denying that mobile phones are playing an importantly role in our daily life. However, the phenomenon people are too addicted in their mobile phones is becoming more and more popular. Mobile phone addicts can’t help check their mobile phones all day, even when they are walking on the road. As the result, their communication with people around them becomes less and less. Besides, their healthy is greatly affected. Many are suffered from neck pains, for example.
In my opinion, it is time we throw away our mobile phones and raised our heads up. We should spend less time communicating with our family and friends face to face.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
（题文）假如你是李华，你的英国朋友Peter对中国的竹子非常好奇。请写一封电子邮件介绍竹子的短文。内容包括：
1．竹子的外貌特点：
2．竹子的作用：
3．竹子的象征意义。
注意：1．词数：100左右：
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析