In Europe, many people make friends between their countries through town twinning. Town or city twinning means two towns in different countries agree and decide to become “twins” with a sister city relationship.
The people find pen friends in the twin town. They exchange newspapers and stamps. The school teachers discuss teaching methods with the teachers in the twin town. Officials visit the twin town for celebrations. Ordinary people travel to the twin town, too, but not very often if it is far away.
Sometimes, schools even exchange their classes for two or three weeks! For example, German middle school students study for a while at the school in their twin town in Britain, staying with British families. A few months later, their British friends come to study in Germany.
Many British towns are so pleased with the results of the twinning that they set out to find more than one twin town!
Tonbridge, a small town in Kent, for example, has twin town in both Germany and France. Richmond near London has relationships with Germany, France and even a town in a Balkan(巴尔干半岛的) country!
Town twinning can help make friends. It helps students improve their language skills, and also helps people to understand the differences between nations

  1. 1.

    Twin towns develop ______

    1. A.
      between European countries and China
    2. B.
      in the English-speaking countries only
    3. C.
      in the same country
    4. D.
      between different countries
  2. 2.

    How many countries are mentioned in the passage?

    1. A.
      4
    2. B.
      5
    3. C.
      6
    4. D.
      7
  3. 3.

    One of the advantages of town twinning is _____

    1. A.
      to earn more money
    2. B.
      to set up schools
    3. C.
      to improve students’ language skills
    4. D.
      to develop industry and agriculture

One night when my wife was preparing dinner, our little son took a piece of paper to her which read:  
For washing the car...........................................$5.00 
For making my own bed this week...................$1.00 
Going to the provision shop..............................$0.50 
Playing with little sister ...................................$0.25 
Taking out the rubbish......................................$1.00 
Getting a good report card................................$5.00 
And for sweeping the common corridor...........$2.00 
Total .......................................................... ......$14.75 
His mother looked at him standing there expecting payment. I could see a thousand memories flashed through her mind. So she picked up the pen and turning the paper over, this is what she wrote: 
For 9 months I carried you, growing inside me.....................................No Charge
For the nights I sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you..............No Charge
For the toys, food and clothes and wiping your nose............................No Charge
When you add it all up, the full cost of my love...................................No Charge
Well, when he finished reading, he had great big tears in his eyes. He looked at his mother and said, “Mummy, I love you.” Then he took the pen and in great big letters wrote on the “bill”“All paid.”.

  1. 1.

    What’s the best title for this passage?

    1. A.
      Part-time Job
    2. B.
      Mother’s Love, No Charge
    3. C.
      Payment for House Work.
    4. D.
      Greedy Mother
  2. 2.

    The writer wrote the passage in order to ______.

    1. A.
      show that children should be paid for their housework
    2. B.
      show that children should not be paid for their housework
    3. C.
      show a clever way of teaching children
    4. D.
      tell children how to spend their spare time
  3. 3.

    How do you think of the mother in the passage?

    1. A.
      Clever.
    2. B.
      Greedy.
    3. C.
      Cold-hearted.
    4. D.
      Selfish.
  4. 4.

    From the last passage we know that ______.

    1. A.
      the boy got all the money he wanted
    2. B.
      the mother was unwilling to give the money to the boy
    3. C.
      the boy realized that it was not right to ask for money for the housework
    4. D.
      the mother was angry with what the boy said

TIPPING
How much and who on your cruise(乘船旅游) should be tipped? When and how should tips be given? Generally, you should plan to tip your room steward (服务员) $3.00 to $3.50 per person, per day, and plan an equal amount for your dining room waiter, and half of that for the busboy(餐厅侍者助手).
On most ships, tip the maitre d’(侍者总管) or dining room captain only if you ask for special favors or table-side service; $5 to $10 is normal. Barmen and wine stewards are tipped 10 to 15 percent, but many cruise lines will add this tip to your bar or drink bill. Check the bill to see how it is handled. Also, tips for special services such as salon && spa treatments and room service are left to the guest, depending on services offered. Sometimes tips are placed in envelopes from your cabin’s stationery supply. Generally, passengers on cruises of 10 days or less will tip at the end of the cruise; on longer voyages, tipping weekly.
As part of a new trend that seems likely to grow, Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Cunard now charge tips to your account (账). Norwegian, for example, charges $10 per day, per guest, to cover service in the various dining rooms and your room steward. If you feel this amount needs to be increased or decreased, arrangements can be made onboard the ship, generally at the end of your cruise.
A few lines do not encourage tipping, including Radisson Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea and Windstar. Crew members are reportedly higher paid and not tip dependent. Many passengers tip anyway for outstanding service or special favors and give them tips face to face immediately they get serviced.
Tips on Tipping
Cabin steward
$3.00 to $3.50 per person per day
Waiter
$3.00 to $3.50 per person per day
Assistant waiter
$1.50 to $2.00 per person per day
Bartender, wine and deck stewards
10-15% of the bill
Maitre d’
$5.00 to $10.00 tip for each special service

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, if your bill for bartender and wine is $50, you will probably tip the steward ______.

    1. A.
      $3.50
    2. B.
      $3.00
    3. C.
      $6.50
    4. D.
      $10.00
  2. 2.

    How many ways does the passage mention on how to tip the waiters?

    1. A.
      3.
    2. B.
      2.
    3. C.
      4.
    4. D.
      5.
  3. 3.

    According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

    1. A.
      Sometimes you must spend more money tipping waiters on cruise.
    2. B.
      In the line Seabourn, you must tip crew members for the special service.
    3. C.
      In some lines, you can bargain on how much to tip.
    4. D.
      Generally speaking, maitre d’ can get the most tips.
  4. 4.

    The passage is written mainly for the readers who are ______.

    1. A.
      travelers on cruise to America
    2. B.
      students to foreign countries to study
    3. C.
      tourists not knowing how to tip in hotels
    4. D.
      travelers on cruise the first time

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网