Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar, but also about understanding the culture. Here is some important advice to remember when speaking English in the United States.
◆Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents. Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you.
◆Talk about places: Americans love to talk about places. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they come from and then say something about that place. For example: “Oh, I have a friend who worked in Los Angeles. He says it’s a beautiful place to live in.” Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences of living in or visiting that city or place.
◆Talk about work: It is common for Americans to ask “What do you do?” It’s not considered impolite as in some countries and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
◆Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand “American football”, not soccer.
◆Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive(敏感的)topics:The United States is a society with different cultures. Americans are very sensitive to other cultures and ideas.
【小题1】For Americans, the question “what do you do?” is ________.

A.commonB.impoliteC.boringD.surprising
【小题2】 What can we learn about Americans?
A.They like to learn foreign accents.
B.They are willing to talk about places.
C.They prefer soccer to American football.
D.They accept other ideas and cultures easily.
【小题3】The writer gives some advice mainly on ________.
A.talking with Americans
B.working with Americans
C.speaking American English
D.understanding American society

Good morning, class!
We know that there are too many net bars around us. The Internet is popular and it makes our lives colorful. Many of us like going online very much because we can learn how to use the computer and get more information from the Internet. We can learn English. We can read some good newspapers and magazines. It can make us clever in playing computer games. We can send E-mails to our friends quickly. We can chat(聊天) freely online with our friends. It can help us get in touch with people from all over the world.
But some students spend too much time in playing computer game and some stay in the net bars all day and all night. Teenagers even get to have boyfriends or girlfriends online. They write too many letters to each other. It takes them too much time to chat online so they do worse and worse in their lessons and they don’t study well any more. I think we mustn’t get online when it is time for us to study. We can do it in summer or winter holidays. We should get online with adults(成人)--our teacher or parents.
At the same time, if we have lots of free time, we can do some out-of-class activities at school. We usually have activities from 4:50 to 5:50 in the afternoon. We have different kinds of activities. If you are interested in sports, you can play basketball or football. We can go to the English Corner. We can practice talking in English there. We hope we can spend more time on our subjects or on such activities that we can learn a lot from and less time on the Internet.
Thank you for listening to me. That’s all.
【小题1】The short passage is about __________.

A.going online
B.how to communicate with others
C.how to spend our free time
D.different kinds of activities
【小题2】The Internet can make our lives _________.
A.helpful and important
B.enjoyable and interesting
C.enjoyable but expensive
D.different kinds of activities
【小题3】________ is not good.
A.Sending E-mails
B.Reading newspapers and magazines online
C.going online with adults
D.Spending all day in the net bars
【小题4】Playing computer games________.
A.gives us lots of information
B.makes our studies worse
C.makes us more clever
D.is harmful to our health
【小题5】Which of the following is NOT right?
A.There are too many net bars in the cities.
B.We can learn English from the Internet.
C.We mustn’t get online when we are studying at school.
D.We cannot do out-of-class activities from 4:50 to 5:50 p.m.

阅读下面的短文,并根据文章后的要求答题。
 It is widely accepted that television is playing an important part in people's lives. But, there is a heated discussion as to whether television does good or harm.
Television keeps one learning more about present events, allows one to follow the most re¬cent developments in politics and science, and offers various programs which are .both instructive and exciting. The most distant countries, the strangest customs and the most attractive scenes of nature are brought right into one's room or house.
However, some people insist that television is bad rather than good. They argue that it has brought about many serious problems. The major one is its effects on young people. Children are now so used to getting their information and entertainment from television that their ability to read and write as well as physical ability has been greatly weakened. Even worse than that, vulgar( 庸俗的) advertisements and poor programs may develop their bad tastes, shape their view points badly towards human life to such a degree that their minds might be destroyed.
In a word, television has both advantages and disadvantages. Whatever effects it has, one point is certain, television in itself is neither good nor bad. It is the use to which it is put that decides its value to society.
【小题1】What are people discussing nowadays?
___________________________________
【小题2】What are the advantages television has brought us ?(至少2点)
___________________________________
【小题3】Why do some people think television is bad rather than good?
___________________________________
【小题4】It is the use to which it is put that decides its value to society. ___________________________________
【小题5】What's your opinion about television?

“Mind your own business.” we’re told.“Don’t talk about others behind their backs.”The problem with this advice is that,not only is it unrealistic,it’s also counterproductive(起反作用的).
Common sense holds that gossip(流言蜚语)hurts people’s feelings and damages relationships.But recent research shows the opposite—that strong communities and relationships between people would be impossible without gossip.
Gossip is a way for people to let you know the limits of social behavior.“If you move into a community and your neighbor tells you how the former homeowner never dealt with his rubbish properly,his gossip is letting you in on something,”says Dr.Ralph Rosnow of Temple University.“Gossip says:these are the boundaries and you are crossing them.You’re not abiding by the rules and you’d better get back in line.” Seen this way,gossip is a way to communicate criticism(批评)without conflict(冲突),giving you a chance to change your behavior without losing face.
On the other hand,what about ill-willed gossip,the kind that puts other people down? Gossip is hearing something we like about someone we don’t and,in nearly every country in the world,gossip magazines have huge numbers of readers.According to researchers,however,this kind of gossip also has a good side because it helps us put our own problems in perspective(正确地).“If we read bad news about well-known people,or get the frightful details of our neighbors’ bad situation over a cup of coffee,our own problems begin to pale in comparison(对比),”says Dr.Jack Levin of Northeastern University.
However,that doesn’t mean that gossip is necessarily a good thing,either.Researchers found that people who gossip a lot tend to feel like they’re under a lot of stress.This might be because while they’re busy talking about other people,they’re also busy thinking what other people are saying about them.
【小题1】What is the purpose of the text?

A.To encourage us to spread gossip about others.
B.To prevent us from spreading gossip about others。
C.To make a comparison between good gossip and bad gossip.
D.To recognize certain positive functions of gossip.
【小题2】According to the passage,people in general think that__________.
A.it’s a bad habit to gossip
B.nobody pays attention to gossip
C.not all the gossip you hear is worth believing
D.it’s necessary to have a nice gossip with a friend or neighbor
【小题3】The underlined phrase “abiding by” in Paragraph 3 most probably means“________”.
A.makingB.breakingC.obeyingD.changing
【小题4】It could be learned from the passage that__________.
A.people under much stress enjoy gossiping about others.
B.in a way gossip helps us deal with our own problems.
C.in fact most people tend to believe gossip.
D.the more there is gossip, the stronger relationships become between people.

Most American families are smaller than the families in other countries. Most American families have one or two parents and one or two children each.
  Children in the US will leave their parents’ home when they grow up. They usually live far from their parents because they want to find good jobs. They often write to their parents or telephone them. And they often go to visit their parents on holiday.
  Parents usually let their children choose their own jobs. Americans think it important for young people to decide on their lives by themselves.
Children are asked to do some work around their house. And in many families, children are paid for doing some housework so that they learn how to make money for their own use.
【小题1】The size of most American families is _________that of other countries

A.larger thanB.smaller thanC.as big asD.as small
【小题2】When children grow up, they leave their parents’ home to_________.
A.get marriedB.be freeC.find good jobsD.study
【小题3】They visit their parents__________.
A.on weekdaysB.on weekendsC.at any timeD.on holiday
【小题4】Which of the following statements is WRONG?
A.Children have the freedom to choose their own job.
B.Parents don’t ask their children to do the housework.
C.Parents think it important for children to make their own decision.
D.When children grow up, they usually live far away from their home.
【小题5】Some parents pay their children for doing housework because ___________.
A.children can learn how to make money for themselves
B.their children required them to do so
C.they are rich
D.it is required by law


Some people say, “Extreme(极限的) sports are so dangerous. Why would anyone want to do them?” But the danger is what makes them so excited. Keep reading to find out the most popular ones.

Bungee jumping: People on some South Pacific islands have been bungee jumping for hundreds of years. In 1979, some people bungee jumped off a bridge in England and made the sport popular around the world. Bungee jumping came to China in 1996.
Skateboarding: At first, this sport was called “sidewalk surfing”. Skateboarders often jump high into the air, go down steps or slide(滑行) down rails on their boards. They wear baggy trousers(宽松裤) so they can move more freely.
Skydiving: This is probably the scariest(最惊险的) extreme sport. Skydivers jump out of airplanes about four kilometers up in the sky. They usually free-fall for a while and then open a parachute to slow down for a safe landing.
Snowboarding: This became a winter Olympic sport in 1998. People tie their feet to the board with special shoes. They don’t use any ski sticks. Then, they ride down hills, jump high and do tricks.
【小题1】What made bungee jumping popular all over the world?

A.A history of hundreds of years.
B.Jumping over a river in England.
C.Coming to China in 1996.
D.Jumping off a bridge in Britain.
【小题2】In which sport do people jump from a plane?
A.Bungee jumping. B.Skydiving.
C.Skateboarding. D.Snowboarding.
【小题3】Why do people wear “baggy trousers”?
A.They have many bags on them.
B.They can hold many things.
C.They make people move freely.
D.People wearing them can move fast.
【小题4】What’s the meaning of the underlined word “parachute”?
A.直升飞机 B.降落伞 C.滑板 D.飞艇
【小题5】Why do some people like to do the extreme sports?
A.It’s dangerous but exciting. B.It’s exciting and safe.
C.It’s scary but safe. D.It’s easy to learn.

A large number of people in the world eat fast food. Whenever you go into a fast food restaurant, you can see lots of people enjoying their meals there. How do you know in which country people like fast food best?
The English people are the world’s biggest fans of fast food, while the French(法国人) are the least interested in quick meals, according to a survey done last year.
The survey of thirteen countries shows 45% of the English people say they can’t give up fast food because it’s delicious. And 44% of Americans and 37% of Canadians say the same.
The French, proud of their delicious and high-class cuisine, don’t like fast food. 81% of them think it is unhealthy, followed by 75% of the Japanese.
How about the Chinese? How often do you have hamburgers or fried chicken? It doesn’t matter whether you like Western fast food or Chinese food. The most important thing is to keep a balanced diet.
【小题1】From the survey we know _____ like fast food best.

A.the ChineseB.the FrenchC.the JapaneseD.the English
【小题2】The survey shows _____ of Americans like fast food.
A.37%B.44%C.75%D.81%
【小题3】According to the survey, some people can’t give up fast food because _____.
A.it’s cheapB.it’s safeC.it’s deliciousD.it’s healthy
【小题4】The word “cuisine ” in the passage means _______.
A.foodB.houseC.waterD.country
【小题5】The survey is about _______.
A.Western countriesB.fast foodC.restaurants in the worldD.Chinese food

Red is used in many American expressions. It can be used to show happiness, as in the expression “a red-letter day”. This is a day when something special happens. The expression is probably based on church customs. For almost 600 years, church calendars have been marked with red to show special holy(神圣的)days. Today’s calendars are still marked that way with the dates of holidays and special days printed in red.
The expression “a red-letter day”is often heard in daily life. “A red-letter day” is a day that people are especially happy. It may be a day that you have waited for a long time, a wedding day, for example. Or it may be a day with a happy surprise. You might tell a friend that yesterday was a red-letter day, because you won some money in the lottery.
“Rolling out the red carpet” is another commonly heard expression. It describes an especially warm welcome of any kind. A city may “roll out the carpet ”for its baseball team, when the team arrives home after winning a championship. A group of supporters go to the air port to the greet the team. The red-carpet welcome includes a lot of cheering by thousands of fans, a parade, music and speech of praise by local statesmen.
Red is also used in some expressions that are not happy. “Red-handed ” is an example. To be caught “red-handed” is to be found in an act of wrong doing. The evidence is clear. You are guilty. Today we use the expression “ to be caught red-handed ”in situation(情况)that are not serious. For example, a mother might say she caught her son red-handed, taking cookies out of the cookie jar.
Some American Expressions with __【小题1】___

Be used for_【小题2】__
happiness
a red -letter day
a day that people are happy
a day with a ___【小题3】__
rolling out the red carpet
describes an especially warm___【小题4】_____
Be used in_【小题5】expressions
to be caught red-hanged
to be found doing a wrong action can’t be used in a serious situation

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