One of my favorite things to do is hiking in mountains．Because

nobody likes the idea of getting lost，I always prepare before every

trip．But what’s the best navigation tool，a Global Positioning Sys-

tem(GPS)or a good old map and compass?

  Five of my friends and I hiked through the mountains on a trail

(路线)I marked．One team of three carried a GPS，and the other[来源:Z+xx+k.Com]

team used a map and compass．

    It took the GPS team 3 hours and 1 1 minutes to get through the

whole hike，however，it took the map and compass team only 2

hours and 49 minutes．The biggest problem the GPS team met was

that they lost the satellite signal(卫星信号)in some places．With

no map or compass，they had to walk around until they were in a

place where the signal was good．The map and compass team was

able to spot different landmarks，compare them to their maps and then use the compass to point them in the right direction．

    When I head out on my future hikes，I'm bringing a map，a compass and a GPS to show me the way．

(    ) 1.The two teams____．

    A．had the same navigation tool  B．went along the same trail    C．had the same problem

(    ) 2.The GPS team spent ____ time than the map and compass team in the whole hike．

    A．1ess    B．more    C．the same

(    ) 3.In the end，the writer found out____．

    A．the map and compass were too old navigation tools to use any more

    B．it wasn’t necessary to bring a map and a compass together with a GPS

C．the GPS had some disadvantages in hiking in mountains

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.

Afternoon tea

    People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供应) to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.

Will you come for coffee?

Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.

Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange

In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(伦敦股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.

1.Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ______.

   A. enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

   B. loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

   C. wanted to share nice food with her friends

   D. found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

2.What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

   A. 集体婚礼       B. 社交活动       C. 社区表演      D. 公共场合

3. If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee,” you ______.

   A. will be offered coffee only       

 B. are asked what you would like to drink

   C. will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D. you are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

4. From the last paragraph we can see______

   A. a new business was started in coffeehouses.

   B. coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers.

   C. businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee.

   D. most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise.

5. Which is the best title of the article?

   A. British and Chinese cultures.        B. The beginning of Tea and Coffee.

   C. Coffeehouse and Business.          D. English tea and coffee culture.  

The red phone box in Britain is a perfect example of the British traditional culture. However, with the fast development of mobile phones, it has lost its place in people’s everyday life. In order to save their loved red phone boxes, people have come up with many ideas, for example, to turn them into toilets or art houses. 
In a village in Somerset, a place in South West England, villagers have found a new way to save their red phone box. They turned it into a mini library to deal with the shortage of libraries in their area. The idea was given by a local villager, Janet Fisher, who lives opposite the phone box. Villagers got together to set up the book box. Over 100 books and a lot of movies and music CDs are available at this mini library. The books are of different kinds, including from cooking books to the classics and children’s books. People can put the books that they have read inside the phone box, and take away the books that they’d like to read. The books are always changing. There is a regular check on the books to keep the phone box collection fresh.
Anyone is free to come to read books there. The phone box library is open every day around the clock and is lit (the past form of “light”) at night.  “ It’s very pleasing that the red phone box has been saved. More importantly, it can continue providing a service for us,” said one of the villagers.
【小题1】The red phone box has been a symbol of _________.

Learning Chinese may seem difficult to foreigners outside China. However, Daisy Raffan, an

36   girl in Britain, hopes to bring the   37   to the young people.

Daisy has   38   an online learning website to teach the language to as   39   people as possible, all over the world.

With China’s fast development in the world, Daisy thinks   40   important for people to learn the language sooner rather than later.

Daisy has been learning Putonghua   41   the age of five. Two years ago,   42   she decided to pass on what she had learned, she   43   the idea for the website, kidschineseclub.com.

She said: “People are afraid to learn Putonghua. One of the main reasons is that they think it’s an   44   language to learn, but I have had fun   45   it .And I hope what I have done is easy and fun.”

Her   46    offers a series of lessons, which are videos of Daisy teaching a group of students on topics from greetings and numbers to Chinese culture.

Daisy’s website has   47   the support of several important persons —the teenager says she has received a letter praising(赞扬) her work from Gordon Brown,   48   is the British Prime Minister(首相).

She said: “I wrote to him and told him what I was doing and got a letter   49  . He said that what I was doing was a really good idea. I thought it was amazing. I was excited that   50   was supporting what we’re doing.”

The idea ____ they came up with was very good.

  A. then   B. it   C. /   D. what