You want to know about my staying in America, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it is really an eye-opening experience to study here.
In China, I had English classes five times a week since fifth grade. However, I didn’t know how different textbook English could be from everyday English until I came to Hotchkiss School, Connecticut.
When I first studied English, I was told to say, “I am fine.” when people say “How are you?” But in the US, I found that people say, “I am good.” or “I’m tired.”
One day, someone greeted me with “What’s up?” It made me confused(不知所措). I thought for a moment and then smiled because I didn’t know what to say.
Since then, I have discovered more and more differences between Chinese and US cultures.
To my surprise, US girls spend a lot of time in the burning sun to get a tan(晒黑). However, in China, girls try every possible way to get their skin paler, or “whiter”.
I was also surprised by how hard-working US students are.
In China, schoolwork is almost everything, so we study hard and that’s it. But here, a “good” student gets good grades, does a lot for the public and plays sports or music.
The kids here are so talented, I am starting to be sorry that I gave up playing the piano at an early age and that I have never thought about sports.
【小题1】According to the writer, textbook English is ______ everyday English.

The size and shape（外形）of your ears show your character（性格）more than any other part of the face. Other parts of the face change shapes as we get older，but ears do not change their shapes. They only change in size.
Reading people’s character from their ears is a very old science. In the past people thought that a person’s ears with colour was dangerous. They also thought that the shape of the ears showed if a person was musical or not. Today，too，many people believe that the size and shape of the ears help you know if a person is musical.
Ears are all different，and each different thing has a meaning. Next time you look at a person，see if his or her ears are large，medium-size，or small. Look at the lobes（耳垂）.Do they stick to the face? Ears that are always red mean that a person may get angry easily. Ears that are always cold and  nearly white colour mean that a person has a nervous（神经质）character.
1. Reading people’s character from their ears is____________ .
A．only for music      B．an old idea   C．very new     D．a good way to talk with others
2. When a baby is born,___________ .
A．his / her ears are red               B．his / her ears will not change all the life
C．his / her ears will not change in shape  D．he / she will get large ears
3. When one’s ears are red，it means_____________ .
A．he is a kind man                B．he is very happy
C．he may get angry easily             D．he drinks too much
4. Which may be the best title of the article?___________.
A.Looking at a person in the right way.    B.Ears and colours.
C.The change of ears.                   D.Ears and characters
5.If you look at someone’s ears，the right way is____________  .
A．to look at his face，ears and nose     
B．to look at the size，colour，and shape
C．to look at his mouth，eyes and nose                
D．to look at the hair，eyes and colour[

Be sure to come to the City Gallery! Amy Kim is one of the best-known Chinese   51  in the world today, and some of her most famous   52  are on display in this exhibition. She has something for   53 . There are many great photos of people   54 . Because people at work are the most   55 . There are also photos of the countryside and city views. This is a great show from a world-class photographer. Whatever you do, don’t miss this exhibition.
【小题1】A. writers B. painters C. photographers
【小题2】A. photos B. books C. paintings
【小题3】A. no one B. someone C. everyone
【小题4】A. working B. exercising C. relaxing
【小题5】A. common B. beautiful C. boring

In Britain ,people often invite friends for a meal , a party or just coffee. People who know each other very well may visit each other’s houses without  an invitation(邀请),but if we invite new friends, usually an invitation is needed. When people invite someone to their homes , they often say ,“Would you like to come for dinner on Saturday ?” Answers are, “Thanks, we’d love to. What time?” or “I’m sorry, We’d love to ,but we have tickets for the concert.” However, it is not polite to say,“No, we wouldn’t.”
Sometimes, the British use expressions that sound like invitations but which are not invitations. For example. “You must come over for a drink sometime .” or “Let’s go out for a meal one of these days.”  These are usually just polite ways of ending a talk . They are not real invitations because they don’t mention an exact time or day. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly and the answers are ,“Yes , that would be nice .” or “OK, yes ,thanks.”
So next time you hear what sounds like an invitation, listen carefully. Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?
【小题1】It’s always necessary for        to visit each other’s houses with an invitation.

In every country, there are thousands of people who want to help out. Many join organizations run (管理) by their governments, for example, the Peace Corps in the United States and Voluntary Service Overseas in Britain. Since the powerful (猛烈的) earthquake took place in Sichuan, more than 200 thousand volunteers across China have been helping there! They do all kinds of work or come up with ways to help improve life. Some offer their professional skills for free. Others have no qualifications (资历), but they love to work hard to help.
One of the most famous volunteers in the world was Mother Teresa. She could be the best volunteer because she gave her life to helping the poorest people of Calcutta. She helped the homeless, cared for the sick, gave out food, and became the mother of those without families.
Now more and more teenagers actively look for volunteering opportunities, too. They volunteer because they think it will be fun or they will learn something. They also like the idea of being helpful to others, even if it is just handing out books for the teacher. As they get older, these reasons are still the same, but there are other important reasons for volunteering such as learning on-the-job, getting work experience, and improving their social life.
All volunteers bring joy to the people they help in so many ways. They might read books to the blind, fix up broken homes, find ways to get water for villages. Could you be a volunteer? What kind of volunteer work could you do? There is someone in the world who needs you.
【小题1】The Peace Corps is   __   in the United States.