It's all about personal space, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated (侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水)makes you feel angry.

Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire to have space to themselves. In a survey by Trip Advisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay morefor some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.

Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.

Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall..

Preference for personal space is different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.

1.What can we know from the survey by Trip Advisor?

A.Food service is better provided than seats on the plane.

B.People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times.

C.There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs.

D.People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before.

2.Who might feel his(her) personal space is safe according to the passages?

A.A person who hears strange noises when reading at home.

B.A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time.

C.A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him.

D.A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume.

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

A.Different cultures don’t share the same preferences for personal space.

B.People usually choose the front seats first in a library for personal space.

C.If you hold newspaper on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated.

D.The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses.

4.The writer mainly in this passage.

A.tells us how to achieve personal space.

B.explains why people need personal space.

C.introduces some knowledge about personal space.

D.argues for the importance of keeping personal space.

The British government has started a £10 million Mandarin Excellence(普通话优秀) Program. The program will see over 5,000 British students towards fluency(流利) in Mandarin Chinese by 2020.

The program is led by local schools and supported by University College London. So far, 14 schools have taken part in the program. Hundreds of secondary school students in England have taken lessons in Mandarin Chinese. Over the next three years, they will spend eight hours studying Mandarin Chinese every week.

Nick Gibb is an officer of the British government. He said a high level of fluency in Mandarin Chinese would become more and more important. “Language skills are important for jobs and life. Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the largest number of people in the world. It is also one of the languages that is the most important to our country’s future. If the United Kingdom wants to remain competitive(竞争的) in the world,we do need far more of our young people leaving school with a good command(精通) of Mandarin Chinese,” Gibb added. “We hope that our young people could be given the chance to study the language. We want them to be fluent in both spoken and written Mandarin. The Mandarin Excellence Program will help us do this. It will not only open the students’ eyes, but also give them a great advantage when they enter the world of work.”

British kids, in fact, are not alone. In America, about 200,000 students are studying Mandarin Chinese. It is believed that 800,000 more will join them over the next couple of years.

1.According to the article, about ________ students in America will study Mandarin Chinese over the next couple of years.

A.5,000 B.200,000 C.800,000 D.1,000,000

2.Nick Gibb thinks that the Mandarin Excellence Program may ________.

① help British students find better jobs in the future

② help the United Kingdom remain competitive in the world

③ give more British students a chance to learn Mandarin Chinese

④ help the United Kingdom improve its relationship with China

A.①②③ B.①②④ C.①③④ D.②③④

3.Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A.Over 5,000 American students are studying Mandarin Chinese.

B.Fourteen schools from Britain have taken part in the program.

C.British students will soon stop learning Mandarin Chinese after 2020.

D.Mandarin Chinese has been the most widely-written language in the world.

4.What is the main idea of the article?

A.People in the world are learning Mandarin Chinese.

B.Mandarin Chinese is one of the most difficult languages to learn.

C.The UK has started a program to help its young people learn Mandarin Chinese.

D.Mandarin Chinese will soon be the most widely-used language instead of English.

Just returned from a trip to New Jersey. On the way back, I was stopped by a traffic accident. This accident happened because of a truck carrying a lot of dangerous materials that were leaking out (外漏). After being told by the policeman that we would be sitting there until the clean-up was completed. We drivers got out of the truck to have a rest. For most of the time ,there were five of us standing by my truck, complaining(抱怨).

Another truck with two elderly people stopped near us. The man, Joe, let the window down and asked why no one was moving. Soon we were all talking with this couple. I said that if I had known about this, I would have bought something to drink, because I was becoming thirsty. The lady, Anna, said that they had plenty of water in the fridge in their truck and offered everyone something to drink. She said she could make sandwiches for us. While Anna was making the sandwiches, she was singing like a songbird. Being close to 70, I guessed, she had a fantastic voice.

I saw a Mississippi license on the truck. I asked what part of Mississippi they were from.Joe said they were from Biloxi. Knowing that Biloxi was damaged by a hurricane, I asked him about the disaster(灾难). Joe said that they had lost almost everything. Everything they had was in the truck.

Joe said that their son was living around Harrisonburg, Virginia and they were going there. There was a home for sale and they were going to start all over again there. Starting over at their age, we know, would not be easy

These wonderful people lost practically(实际上地) everything they had and still would not accept any money for their food and drinks. Joe said that it was better to give than to receive.

1.What was the writer doing after being stopped by the accident?

A.He was complaining on the truck.

B.He was sleeping by the truck.

C.He was standing by the truck with some other drivers.

D.He was carrying a lot of dangerous materials.

2.The word “damaged”in Paragraph 3 probably means “__________”.

A.被拯救 B.被发现 C.被毁坏 D.被恢复

3.Which one is TRUE according to the passage?

A.The truck drivers were complaining because the police didn't give them drinks.

B.The old couple from Mississippi were planning to start over in Virginia.

C.The son of the couple was living in Mississippi..

D.Joe thought receiving is better than giving in life.

4.Which of the following is the right structure of the passage?

(①= Paragraph1,②= Paragraph2…)

A.①②/③④/⑤ B.①/②③④/⑤

C.①②③/④⑤ D.①②/③④⑤

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