I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”

Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions 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 across from the bus stop.”

In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, 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 distance in time, not miles. “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.

It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

1.When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.

   A. describe the place carefully           B. show him a map of the place

   C. tell him the names of the streets D.refer to recognizable buildings and places

2.What is the place where people measure distance in time?

   A. New York..              B. Los Angeles.                  C. Kansas.                  D. Iowa.

3. People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.

   A. in order to save time                           B. because of honesty

   C. so as to be polite                                   D. for fun

4.What can we infer from the text?

   A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.

   B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.

   C. People have similar understandings of politeness.

   D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

Don't go to Kauai. Go to any of the other Hawaiian Islands --- Maui, Lanai, the Big Island --- but leave Kauai for us. The weather on Kauai is so unpredictable (不可预测的) that sometimes it rains all day --- in fact, it's the second-wettest spot on the earth. Yes, there are giant double rainbows all the time, and the sunlight through the clouds is magical. But if you are not interested in these, go somewhere else. You just can't control the nature on Kauai, and who wants to surrender (屈服) to the nature when you could be at a fine hotel, lying in a comfortable chair next to a swimming pool, with food served upon request?

So what if Kauai produces surf champions the way Texas produces cowboys？Most of its 300 white-sand beaches are unmarked. Unless you connect with the local people, the hidden spots are hard to find. While Hanalei is the most beautiful town you've ever dreamed of, you can forget about discos and clubs. Worse, it doesn't have one single four-star restaurant. What it does have is the original drive-through places where you pass by a rambutan tree (红毛丹树), and pick a piece of fruit.

Shopping in Kauai? Forget it --- unless you are interested in shell necklaces and beautifully carved wood bowls. Kauai is not about pampering. It's about going natural and finding the nature within you. It's a do-it-yourself place that offers walking along the coast, diving and swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and lying on the beach.

Don't go to Kauai unless you have a lot of time, because there's only one road, which can be slightly dull. It winds through the beautiful scenery of waterfalls, rivers flowing into the ocean, and taro (芋头) fields. You have no choice but to look at everything, because the speed limit is 35 m.p.h.

If you're not interested in color, don't bother with Kauai, because that's what you get --- red roads, blue oceans, and a hundred different shades of green. It's like diving on land. Many people on Kauai believe that this is Lemuria --- a lost island in the Atlantic. Can you imagine? Those Hawaiians, surfers, New Agers, and people who love nature and beauty and want a different quality of life --- what do they know, anyway? Forget about it --- you're not going to like it. Go somewhere else. Leave Kauai for us.

After reading the text, we come to know that it is _____.

A. a piece of shocking news B. an exciting story

C. an interesting introduction D. a moving advertisement

It can be learned from the text that _____.

A. Kauai is an island near the Hawaiian Islands  

B. Kauai is another name of the Hawaiian Islands

C. Kauai is one of the Hawaiian Islands

D. Kauai does not belong to the Hawaiian Islands

In the writer's real opinion, Kauai _____.

A. is not worth visiting at all B. is well worth visiting

C. is not a beautiful island D. is a dangerous island

Who would like to visit Kauai?

A. Those who love nature. B. Those who love city life.

C. Those who love the comfort in a fine hotel. D. Those who love going shopping.

根据对话情景和内容，从对话后所给的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑

After getting a good grade on her history essay, Ellen talks to Shirley after class one day.

Ellen: Shirley, can I talk to you for a minute?

Shirley: 1.? I have to rush to my next class.

Ellen: ? 2. It’s about my history essay.

Shirley: Oh, that. I hope you aren’t still having trouble with it. ? 3.?

Ellen: No, no! I handed it in on time and the professor just returned it to me. Thanks to you, I got a B+. That’s the best grade I’ve had on an essay this year!

Shirley: ? 4.? I’m glad you’re happy about it.

Ellen: I am, Shirley. And to express my thanks, I’d like to give you something. Here.

Shirley: ? 5.?

A. What a beautiful pen! Thank you!

B. Sure, if it’s only a minute.

C. It was due a while ago.

D. History has always been your headache.

E. Congratulations!

F. You don’t need to thank me for that.

G. This won’t take long.

President Bush may talk about a plan to Mars, but Bruce Jones thinks there is still a healthy thirst for exploration into underwater worlds on our own planet. After growing up with a grandfather in the marine construction① business, Jones quickly got a feel for the water. He started diving at age 9 and, by the 1980s, began offering advice for those interested in the submarine② business. By 1993, he was running his own company, U.S. Submarines, which designs and builds submarines for others.

Jones has $40 million spent in building a hotel where the most expensive rooms will be 50 feet under the sea off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. Unlike the Jules Undersea Lodge — the only undersea hotel now, just off the coast of Key Largo, Fla. — guests at the Poseidon won’t need to put on a wet suit to their rooms. They also won’t need to worry about changing pressure levels since the rooms will be kept at above-surface pressure. Instead, they can move easily to their $1,500-a-night underwater rooms by escalator③.

“I think there are a large number of people who would be interested,” said Jones, “including anyone who is looking for a different experience.”

Each room will feature strong walls that look out onto coral④ gardens. There will be controls in each room that guests can use to change the lighting of the underwater worlds outside their windows and to provide food to fish swimming just outside. It sounds exciting— but will it happen? It’s hard to say.

“By now I envisioned⑤ we’d have whole underwater cities,” Cooper said. “It’s about time some of these visions became reality.”

Notes:

① marine construction  海洋建筑

② submarine  adj. 海下的

③ escalator  n.  自动梯

④ coral  n.  珊瑚

⑤ envision  v.  展望

1. The first paragraph takes President Bush for example in order to ______.

  A. praise President Bush’s plan to Mars

B. humorously introduce the main subject to readers

  C. support President Bush’s plan to Mars

D. show Bruce Jones is against President Bush’s plan

2. According to the text, who had a great effect on Bruce Jones?

  A. His father.     B. His friends.       C. His grandfather      D. His grandmother

3. According to Bruce Jones’s undersea hotel, we know that ______.

  A. fish outside can be seen through the hotel’s walls

  B. the hotel has been built and came into use

  C. it will be easy to swim into the underwater rooms

  D. visitors will have to wear wet suits against water

4. According to Cooper’s words, his attitudes towards the underwater hotels are ______.

  A. disappointed       B. critical       C. objective      D. hopeful

I used to believe in the American dream that meant a job, credit, success．I wanted it and worked toward it like everyone else, all of us separately chasing the same thing．

One year, through a series of unhappy events, it all fell apart．I found myself homeless and alone．I had my truck and $56．I searched the countryside for some place I could rent for the cheapest possible amount．I came upon a deserted cottage in a small remote valley．I hadn't been alone for 25 years．I was scared, but I hoped the hard work would distract and heal me．

I found the owner and rented the place for $50 a month．The locals knew nothing about me．But slowly they started teaching me the art of being a neighbor．They dropped off blankets, tools and canned deer meat and began sticking around to chat．They would ask if I wanted to meet cousin Albie or go fishing．They started to teach me a belief in a different American dream, not the one of individual achievement but of neighborliness．Men would stop by with wild berries, ice cream, truck parts to see if I was up for courting．I wasn't, but they were civil anyway．The women on that mountain worked harder than any I'd ever met．They taught me how to store food in the stream and keep it cold and safe．I learned to keep enough for an extra plate for company．

What I had believed in, all those things I thought were necessary for a civilized life, were non-existent in this place．Up on the mountain, my most valuable possessions were my relationships with my neighbors．

After four years in that valley, I moved back into town．I saw a lot of people were having a really hard time, losing their jobs and homes．With the help of a real estate broker （房地产经纪人） I chatted up at the grocery store, I managed to rent a big enough house to take in a handful of people．It's four of us now, but over time I've had nine come in and move on to other places from here．We'd all be in shelters if we hadn't banded together．

The American dream I believe in now is a shared one．It's not so much about what I can get for myself; it's about how we can all get by together．

Before a series of unhappy events happened, the writer ____．

       A．had a well-paid job

       B．worked hard for his American dream

       C．worked hard and liked to share

       D．felt hopeless about his American dream

What does the underlined sentence "I learned to．．．" in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?

       A．The writer learned to run a company．

       B．The writer learned to share with others．

       C．The writer learned to keep enough plates．

       D．The writer learned to save money for his company．

Why did the writer rent a big house?

       A．To make some money．                B．To show off his wealth．

       C．To share with those people in need．     D．To make friends with his neighbors．

The writer mainly tells us about ____．

       A．his unhappy experiences                B．the friendly people in the valley

       C．the change of his living conditions     D．his new idea of the American dream