Today, roller-skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, no one had any ideas of roller-skating. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. He liked to make things and play the violin in his free time. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin was invited to a party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make an amazing entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought everyone at the party would show much interest if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was proud of his invention and dreamed of arrived at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. The mirror fell down, breaking into pieces. Merlin’s idea was so good that nobody forgot his special entrance for a long time. But could he find out a way to stop his roller skates?
【小题1】People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he __________.

Going to a friend’s house is very exciting. You may spend time with a friend and get to see where he lives. So remember to be polite.
When to arrive
The first thing to remember is that when a friend invites you, you need to arrive on time. If your friend tells you to come “around 3:00”, that means you can turn up a little bit after 3:00. But usually it is a good idea to arrive at the right time.
What to bring
Often it is also nice to bring something to your friend’s house. This could be a box of chocolates for you two to share, or maybe a movie that you can watch together. You can also bring some flowers. A little gift is a nice way to show your friend that you are excited to be at his house.
How to greet (问候)
When you visit your friend’s house, you may also meet his parents. You should tell them who you are and they may tell you their names. As a child, I went to visit my friend Paul. I called his parents by their first names John and Mary. But now I know it is more polite to call them Mr. or Mrs. Smith. This will show them more respect (尊重) and then they may tell you to call them by their first names. Another way to show respect is to call them Madam or Sir. 
It is a cool thing to visit a friend’s house. Be polite to your friend and your friend’s parents, and you will be invited again!
【小题1】 If you are told to get to your friend’s house around 5:00 p.m., it is polite to arrive at_____

I had a summer camp with my classmates last year. Early in the morning, we gathered (集合) at the bus station. After saying goodbye to our parents, we got on the buses. It took us more than two hours to arrive at the campground (野营地). We got off the buses cheerfully. Laughing and shouting. We jumped and ran all over the place. It was the first time for us to be away from the parents. Some of us started to feel homesick (想家). However, when the night party and dances began, the homesickness was gone. The next day, everybody rushed to the boating class, hoping to be at the head of the others. At first, my friends and I worked hard, but the boat wouldn’t listen to us and kept going round and round. Then the teacher taught us how to work together. After many tries, we did much better. Swimming class was my favorite. It was about the hottest time of a day and the best time to stay in the cool water. The swimming teacher was a funny man, and during (在…期间) the class he often made us laugh happily. During the week I learned a lot of new things and made many new friends. I also learned how to take care of myself.
【小题1】 They got to the campground ________.

What time did you          home?

A．arrive            B．get to             C．arrive in          D．arrive at

America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon. They don’t feel hurt. If the same two people meet again, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand. Friendships between us develop more slowly but may become lifelong (终身的)feelings, extending (延伸) deeply into both families.
There is another difficult point for us to understand. Although Americans treat friends warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don't show their politeness to them if it requires a great deal of time. But in China, we are usually generous with our time. We, as hosts, will appear at an airport even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take a day off from our work to act as guides to our friends: It is opposite in America, Americans can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily plans. They will probably expect the visitors to get themselves from the airport to the hotels. And they expect the visitors will phone them from there. Once the visitors arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real.
For Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to restaurants, except for business matters. Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. So accept their hospitality (好客) at home and enjoy your visit in America! 
【小题1】The underlined phrase “pick up”in Paragraph 1 may mean“_____”.