Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is just across the bus stop.”
In the Midwest of America, usually there are not many landmarks. So people will tell you directions(方向) and distance. In Kansas(堪萨斯州), for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure(测量) distance by telling time. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
People in Greece(希腊) sometimes do not even try to give directions because few visitors understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico(墨西哥), no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think “I don’t know” is not polite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
One thing will help you everywhere. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go on in that direction, and you may find the post office!
【小题1】What do you think of the word “landmarks” mean?

Foreign visitors are often puzzled (迷惑不解) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is just across the bus stop.”

In the Midwest of America, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so people will tell you directions (方向) and distance (距离). In Kansas, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”

People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure (测量) distance by telling time. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.

People in Greece (希腊) sometimes do not even try to give directions because few visitors understand the Greek languages. Instead of giving you the directions, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.

Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think “I don’t know” is not polite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

One thing will help you everywhere. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go on in that direction, and you may find the post office!

(　 ) 53. What do you think of the word “landmark” mean?

　　　　 A. Street names.　　　　　　　

B. Building names.

　　　　 C. Hotels, markets and bus stops.　

D. Buildings or places which are easily seen (看到).

(　 ) 54. In the passage, ________ countries are mentioned (提到).

　　　　 A. seven　　　　　　　　　　 B. four　　　　　 C. five　　　　　 D. eight

(　 ) 55. The passage mainly tells us that _________.

　　　　 A. there are not many landmarks in the Midwest of America

　　　　 B. we needn’t carry a map for travel

　　　　 C. there’re different ways to give directions in different parts of the world

　　　　 D. people give directions in the same way in different parts of the world

Can you swim? Do you like swimming? Well, how can you learn to swim? I think the best way is to go into the water and learn. I’m afraid you’ll never learn to swim just by reading books about Swimming or looking at others swimming. It’s the same with the English study. We must practice, practice and practice.
Listening and speaking are very important for beginners. We can listen to English programs on radio. You may just understand a few words. It doesn’t matter. Just be relaxed, try to catch every word.
Somebody may be a good listener, but he is afraid to speak because he’s afraid of making mistakes. You know we sometimes make mistakes when we speak Chinese. Don’t be afraid. We must be brave. If you really want to learn English well, you must try to speak with everyone as long as he knows English. When there’s nobody to talk with, you can talk to yourself in English. It’s interesting and also a good way to practice your spoken English. Remember, the more you speak, the fewer mistakes you’ll make.
Reading and writing are more important for senior（年级较高的）school students. First we must choose the books we’re interested in. A lot of reading will improve your language sense. This is very important.
It’s easier said than done. Well, let’s do more practice from now on. I’m sure you’ll learn English well in this way.
根据短文内容，从题中所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选择最佳答案。（10分）
【小题1】 What’s the best way to learn to swim?