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I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles”（风格）of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused （困惑）in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks （地标）in their directions instead of street names． For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner．Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market．The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks．There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles．Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances．In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles．Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles．“How far away is the post office?” you ask．“Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes．What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite．They usually give an answer, often a wrong one．A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
1.When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
A．describe the place carefully
B．show him a map of the place
C．tell him the names of the streets
D．refer to recognizable buildings and places
2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A．New York. B．Iowa.
C．Kansas. D．Los Angeles.
3.People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
A．in order to save time B．as a test．
C．for fun D．so as to be polite
4.What can we infer from the text?
A．It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B．It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C．People have similar understandings of politeness.
D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.
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Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere wall away from your college．
King’s Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere．This weekend sees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists．
You could attend a class teaching you how to ‘learn from the masters’ or get more creative with paint – free of charge．
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee．
the Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University．
The multi-branched Torch Aloe here is impressive．The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss．
Get to the display house to see Dionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals．
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts．Look for grass snakes in the lake．A snake called ‘Hissing Sid’ is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun．
Byron’s Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron’s time as a student of Cambridge University．Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of “mess and drunkenness”．However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough．I’m not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his rooms．He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron’s Pool．A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields．The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea．If you don’t trust me, then perhaps you’ll take it from Virginia Woolf – over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool．
1.As mentioned in the passage, there is a small charge for ____．
A．attending the masters’ class
B．working with local artists
C．seeing an exhibition
D．learning life drawing
2.“Torch Aloe” and “Venus Flytrap” are ____．
A．impressive plants B．common insects
C．rarely-seen snakes D．wildlife-enthusiasts
3.We can infer from the passage that Byron seemed ____．
A．to like walking
B．to fear pet bears
C．to be a heavy drinker
D．to finish university in 1805
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A．Some places for weekend break．
B．A way to become creative in art．
C．The colourful life in the countryside．
D．Unknown stories of Cambridge University.
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That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco．There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater．With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines．I was having trouble with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time．As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco．City life had become too much for me．
As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold．I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers．Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.
About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me．I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun．The street was empty．All I saw was a shining streetlight．Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster．Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been．It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.
Suddenly I wasn’t cold or tired anymore．I ran out of the door and back to where I’d heard the noise．Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.
Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck（垃圾车） pull up to the sidewalk next to me.When a voice called from the inside, “Alisa Camacho?” I thought I was dreaming．How could this man know my name? The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes．“Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked, holding up a small square shape.
It was nearly 3 a.m．by the time I got into bed．I wouldn’t get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back．I also had got back some enjoyment of city life．I realized that the city couldn’t be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.
1.How did the writer feel when she was walking home after work?
A．Disappointed and helpless B．Lucky and hopeful
C．Satisfied and cheerful D．Cold and sick
2.On her way home the writer_____.
A．lost her wallet unknowingly
B．was stopped by a garbage truck driver
C．was robbed of her wallet by a man with a knife
D．found some homeless people following her
3.In the fifth paragraph, why did the writer say she was dreaming?
A．Someone offered to take her back home.
B．A red-haired man came to see her.
C．She heard someone call her name.
D．Her wallet was found in a garbage truck.
4.From the text, we can infer that the writer_____.
A．would stop working at night
B．would stay on in San Francisco
C．would make friends with cleaners.
D．would give up her job at the bank
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Researchers from the University of Newcastle are leading a worldfirst study which builds on earlier unpublished research that children are most likely to be guided by their father's eating and exercise habits.
The new study “Healthy Dads，Healthy Kids”，led by Associate Professor Philip Morgan from the University's Faculty of Education and Arts，is designed to help fathers promote and demonstrate to their children positive behaviors related to physical activity and healthy eating.
“The earlier findings showed that children are more likely to follow the example set by their father than their mother when it comes to eating and exercise，”said Morgan.Morgan saw striking results in a previous trial involving 165 overweight children．He found children who lost the most weight had fathers who were engaged in the new eating and exercise plan.
“We might think mothers are the main influence on children's diet and health，but the reality may be different，”said Morgan．“The roles of fathers are changing．More families have two parents working and more fathers are involved with food preparation and food shopping than in the past.”
“Fathers influence the food and physical activity habits in the home through their behaviours，attitudes and approach to food and eating，and act as a role model to their children，”said Morgan.
Researchers are inviting fathers who would like to reduce their weight to join the “Healthy Dads，Healthy Kids” program．Participation involves attending eight sessions （讲习班） at the University of Newcastle over six months where the men will receive information，have weightrelated measurements recorded and complete questionnaires.
Cooking healthy food with the kids and creating a backyard fitness circuit （循环训练场） are among the assignments （课外作业） for fathers taking part in the study.
1.What do we learn about the “Healthy Dads，Healthy Kids” program？
A．It aims to build close family relationships.
B．It involves fathers who want to lose weight.
C．It will last more than eight months.
D．It offers free online courses for parents.
2.Morgan finds a link between children's weight loss and .
A．their parents' efforts
B．their father's influence
C．balanced diets
D．regular sports training
3.Which of the following facts causes the change of fathers' roles？
A．That kids have more time to spend with family.
B．That more kids need their father's help in learning.
C．That there are more working mothers than before.
D．That fathers become much busier than before.
