Audrey is a Chinese-American student. She has found many value differences between Chinese and Americans.

About money

Americans would like to spend more than they have, so many of them are always in debt(欠债). Chinese usually spend less than they have, so many of them have money left in the bank.

American kids love to make money by themselves. Chinese kids always ask their parents for money.

American parents think it is not useful to send their children to an expensive university. Chinese parents would do anything to send their children to a good university and that might make them very poor sometimes.

About school

Many American girls take part in sports, dancing and singing groups while Chinese girls take part in academic groups.

Some American students think that “B” is a gift while Chinese students think that “B” is terrible.

American parents and Chinese parents

American parents allow their daughters or sons to go out to have some part-time jobs in their free time or at the weekends. Chinese parents usually don’t allow their children to do so in middle or high schools.

1.What would a Chinese middle school student probably NOT do at the weekends according to the passage?

A．Study at home                          B．Do part-time jobs

C．Take part in sports groups                 D．Do chores

2.Some Chinese people have money left in the bank because _______.

A．they usually spend less than they have

B．they spend more than they have

C．they don’t like spend money at all

D．they make a lot of money

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Chinese parents usually give their kids money.

B．American children love to make money by themselves.

C．The reason why Chinese parents would do anything to send their children to good universities.

D．Americans usually spend more money than they have.

4.The underlined word “academic” probably means _________ in Chinese.

A．学术的           B．娱乐的           C．运动的           D．休闲的

5.The best title for the passage would probably be _______.

A．Differences between Chinese and Americans.

B．Chinese students and Americans

C．Chinese parents and American parents.

D．Chinese values and American values

There are many things we should know, but we do not learn them at school. For example, if we want to use our money better, we need to shop carefully. We need to know how to compare（比较） the prices of the things in different shops. We also should know how to make the best choice when we shop.

      Knowing how to make such choices is a life skill, and we should practice it in our daily life.

1.Which supermarket has the longest business hours?

A. Supermarket W.                                         B. Supermarket T.    

C. Supermarket Y.                                            D. Supermarket U.

2.The price of the meat in     is the same as that in           .

A. Supermarket W, Supermarket U            

B. Supermarket Y, Supermarket T

C. Supermarket W, Supermarket Y             

D. Supermarket U, Supermarket T

3. If you want to spend the least money on eggs, which supermarket will you go to?

A. Supermarket W.                                         B. Supermarket U.    

C. Supermarket Y.                                            D. Supermarket T.

4. Which supermarket has the best service?

A. Supermarket W.                                            

B. Supermarket T.    

C. Supermarket U.                                               

D. Supermarket Y.

5. What may be the reason if Linda usually shops in Supermarket Y?

A. The environment.                                      B. The service.         

C. The business hours.                                   D. The price.

When we talk about stars, especially women stars, it seems that they are always young, pretty and own attractive body shapes. But recently a Britain’s Got Talent(英国达人) star Susan Boyle has changed our views completely.

Simon Cowell, one of the organizers of the talent show spoke of his surprise over Ms Boyle’s voice. “This lady came up, and I’m thinking, ‘This will take five seconds and I can go to have a cup of tea.’ That changed when she began to sing I Dreamed a Dream from Lea Miserables. She knew we were going to have that reaction(反应) and just to see that look of satisfaction on her face midway through — it was one of my favorite moments,” Cowell said.

The performance was posted online and before long, the 47-year-old Scottish woman has been famous all over the world.

Speaking from her home in Scotland, Ms Boyle said that she hadn’t thought of changing her appearance. She said that her friend helped her with make-up. “I mean, it’s meaningless.” She added.

Ms. Boyle also spoke of the reason she first began to explore her musical talents. “ I was kind of slow at school, so getting something like singing was a good way of hiding behind that and therefore it built my confidence.’’

1.Susan Boyle had a look of satisfaction on her face when she was singing because  ________.

A．she was confident of her singing

B．she was satisfied with the organizers

C．she was pretty and in good shape

D．she sang the song I Dreamed a Dream from Lea Miserables

2.According to the passage, which is NOT true?

A．It was the musical talents that built Susan's confidence.

B．Susan Boyle was not good at her lessons when at school.

C．Susan Boyle became famous because of her appearance.

D．Simon Cowell didn't think Susan Boyle a good singer at the first sight.

3.What can we learn from Susan Boyle’s success?

A．It’s never too old to learn.

B．It’s easier to succeed at the age of 47.

C．If you have a dream, keep trying to make it come true!

D．If you are not able to study well, to be a singer instead.

Have you heard about “Survival （生存）Holidays”? “Survival Holidays” is for children to go into the lonely place for exciting activities. Now about 1,100 companies are allowed to take children into the great outdoors without their parents.
The reason why people like “Survival Holidays” is that they think being close to nature is good for children. Many children in big cities spend all time watching TV and playing computer games. “Survival Holidays” gives them an important change.
Is “Survival Holidays” a wonderful idea? Maybe it is. Children need more free time to play. They need to be left on their own, without adults disturbing(打扰) them. Parents care too much about their children. They like to see the children being busy with activities that are controlled by adults, but children don’t know what to do when they are in danger. Even something like crossing a small river seems to be a hard challenge. Children are not comfortable with danger. Even small danger like getting their feet wet or falling down seems very terrible to them.
Many people think the survival activities are good for children. Even years later, they will still remember what they have learned. Some have learned to stay calm in different times. Some have learned how to keep safe. Others have learned how to work in a team. All these skills will help them a lot in their lives.
【小题1】Is “Survival Holidays” for children or parents?
_______________________________________________________________________________
【小题2】Why do people like “Survival Holidays”?
_______________________________________________________________________________
【小题3】What do the children in big cities usually do?
_______________________________________________________________________________
【小题4】How do children feel when they are in danger?
_______________________________________________________________________________
【小题5】What can children learn in the survival activities?
_______________________________________________________________________________

Betty is not a traditional American beauty. She is unfashionable, has thick red glasses, untidy hair and large metal braces (牙套) on her teeth. But this hasn’t stopped her from becoming one of American’s favorite TV characters. So how did she manage to do it?

The answer is that charm can be more attractive than beauty. Betty is the main character in a TV show Ugly Betty. The show is about her life as an office worker at a fashion magazine in New York.

　　The TV show has just started. Betty has many exciting experiences and romantic stories. Betty is often looked down on and laughed at by the people around. But she manages to do better than others with her hard work, charm and wisdom. The show tells us about how a girl goes from an ugly young duck into a beautiful swan.

　　Though you may know the ending of the show from the beginning and the story is familiar to many of us, it has still been a big success in the USA. It has attracted a large number of viewers and won two Golden Globes awards, one of the highest honors for a television program in the USA.“ I think you can see a bit of Betty in all of us, and I mean men as well, because it’s about the underdog (弱者)”，says Ashley Jensen, who plays one of the characters on the show.

　　The program is so successful because of the good performance of the 23-year-old actress America Ferrera who plays the role of Betty. She brings the character alive on the screen.

1.Betty is popular because of ____.

A. her clothes 　　　　　B. her charm 　　　   C. her metal braces  　　　D. her appearance

2.In Paragraph 4, the underlined word “it” refers to (指的是) ____.

A. the beginning 　　　　B. the ending 　　  　C. the story 　　　        D. the show

3.Which is the reason for the success of the show?

A. A large number of viewers. 　　　　　　B. Her life as an office worker.

C. The wonderful performance. 　　　　　 D. Two Golden Globes awards.

4.Which of the following is NOT true according of the show?

A. Betty is a girl of wisdom.

B. Betty acts as a beautiful swan on the show.

C. Betty is an American favorite TV character.

D. Betty is often looked down on by the people around.

5. What can be the best title for the passage?

A. Beauty from within. 　　　　　  B. A romantic story.

C. An ugly girl. 　　　　　　　　  D. An exciting experience.