Foods from Around the World

Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries. Here are four people’s experiences with foreign food.

Shao Wong is a student in France. He comes from China. “I’d never tasted cheese or even milk before I came here. Cattle are rare in my part of China, so there are no dairy products. I tried milk when I first arrived in France. I hated it! I sampled cheese too, but couldn’t manage more than one bite. I love ice cream, though, and that’s made from milk.”

Birgit is from Sweden. She traveled to Australia on vacation. “I was in a restaurant that specialized in fish, and I heard some other customers order flake. So I ordered some too and it was delicious. Later, I found out that flake is an Australian term for shark. After that pleasant experience, whenever I see a new food I try it out on purpose. You know why? I remember how much I enjoyed flake.”

Chandra is a dentist in Texas. She originates from India. “I’m frightened of eating new foods because they might be made from beef. I’m a Hindu, and my religion forbids me to eat meat from the cow. It’s a sacred animal to Hindus, so that’s the reason I can’t eat hamburgers or spaghetti with meatballs.”

Nathan is American. He taught for a year in China. “My friends gave me some 100-year-old eggs to eat. I didn’t like the look of them at all. The insides were green, but my friends said the color was normal. The Chinese put chemicals on fresh eggs. Then they bury them in the earth for three months. So the eggs weren’t really very old. Even so, I absolutely refused to touch them.”

Life in a new country can be scary, but it also can be fun. Would you sample a 100-year-old egg? Would you order shark in a restaurant?

1. What kind of girl is Birgit?

A. Religious.  B. Brave. C. Confident.  D. Open- minded.

2. Chandra is frightened of eating food made from beef, because _________.

A. It’s against Hindus’ religion.

B. She is a doctor and she thinks beef is not easy to chew and digest.

C. She is an Indian.

D. Hindus think beef is not tasty.

3. The underlined word “Sacred” in paragraph 4 means _________.

A. frightening B. large   C. man – eating      D. greatly respected

4. What can you infer from this passage?

A. Foods that are well known to you may not be familiar to people from other countries.

B. Despite (虽然) cultural differences in food, have a try and maybe you’ll get used to it.

C. A vacation is a good way to learn about new foods. Be sure to go on vacation more often.

D. People dislike eating new foods only because their religion forbids it.

Holidays

1.What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A. Choose the holiday in Devon. 

B. Go to the Snowdonia Centre

C Join the World Sea Trip of 2008

D. Visit Acapulco and Hawaii

2.In what way is the Snowdonia Centre different from the other two holidays?

3.What is special about the World Sea Trip of 2008?

4.At the Snowdonia Centre, the beginners’ costs of ￡57 do not cover               .

Barack Obama makes his first trip to Asia as president this week, leaving behind a host of domestic (国内的) problems with the visit that recognizes the region’s economic and diplomatic importance. “Obama”s trip includes stops in Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea, and his message will be simple, says Nicolas Lardy at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “Well, I think his broadest aim is to convince Asians that the United States is fully committed to the region that we have an agenda that’s much broader than they saw over the past eight years of the very heavy focus on anti-terrorism.”
Obama’s first stop is Japan, where he meets with the new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama who has promised to steer a diplomatic course more independent of Washington. While Japan is seen as a getting-to-know-you stop, when Obama heads to the Singapore for the APEC meeting, he will likely face pressure on trade. “Many Asians are concerned about what US trade policy will be, and they’ve been somewhat alarmed by the fact that the president really hasn’t set out very much revision for what US trade policy is in his administration.”
But the critical leg of the trip will come in China, his third stop where Obama will have to navigate the complex relationship with the country that is the largest holder of US debt. “As you say, you know, if you owe the bank one dollar, it’s your problem, if you owe the bank, you know, 3 million dollars, it’s the bank’s problem, so it’s similar with China. I mean they have no interest in trying to use the influence with us, because eventually, they’re the one that they own all those dollars.”
Also on the table will be North Korea and Iran’s nuclear ambitions as well as cooperation on Afghanistan.
With Obama enjoying sky high popularity level in the countries he is visiting, detailed results may be beside the point, given that Obama is still in his first year in office, analysts say this trip is mostly about laying the ground work for the future.
【小题1】From the second paragraph, we can infer that       .

“Buy-A-Something” Campaign

One way to request for general donations is to tie it into a campaign like “Buy-A-Brick to Help Build a School in Bolivia”.  Make sure you have some literature to give people as well as a registration form(登记表) that includes name, address, and how many bricks the person purchased.

University Funds

If you are a student, one major source of funding is your own college or university. Many school clubs can raise a certain amount of funds through student activities. See if your club is suitable.

Letter Writing

One of the most effective ways of raising money is to do a letter campaign to as many relatives, friends, former teachers, etc. as possible. Sending a detailed letter to over 100 friends and relatives explaining the program and what you hope to accomplish while you’re on it will help you reach your goal.

Parties, Dances, Music

Use the “Who Do You Know” principle. Do you have a friend in a band? Do you know the owner of a bar or restaurant? Some simple events include playing in a band at a club, and your group gets the cover charge or a percentage of the drink sales.

Exhibitions

This is limited to people with professional art genius. If you are an artist, you can ask friends to help you hold exhibitions and donate your profit to charity or give people who need financial help.

Note: Please remember there are some people who are not so lucky as we are and it’s our duty to help them.

1. . What is the best title for the passage?

2. . What is the “Who Do You Know” principle?

3.  Which is the best way for Albert, a pianist in a small band, to raise money?

4.  What will the money collected be used for?

Have you ever been to the beautiful country of Holland and its capital Amsterdam? Anyone who has traveled to Amsterdam would probably agree on one thing: Amsterdam’s story is a tale of two cities — one during the day and a completely different one at night.

When the sun is up, this largest city in the Netherlands sits quietly on the Amstel River. You can rent a bicycle, visit the Van Gogh or Anne Frank museum, or take a water taxi. But when the sun goes down, the partying begins. In the big clubs and in the coffee shops, tourists gather to talk politics and smoke.

Several areas of the city clearly show the two worlds that rule Amsterdam. And they’re all within a short cab ride of each other. For example, Dam Square attracts daytime sightseers to its festivals, open markets, concerts and other events. Several beautiful and very popular hotels can be found there. And there’s the Royal Palace and the Magna Plaza shopping mall. But at night party-seekers come to the square. Hip hop or funk music (疯狂音乐) is heard there. So if you come, be ready to dance. The clubs don’t shut down until 4 am.

And while you’re there, check out the various inexpensive ways to tour the city. Don’t worry about getting lost. Although Dutch is the official language, most people in Amsterdam speak English and are happy to help you with directions. And you’ll notice that half the people walking around in the streets are on bicycles they rent. Amsterdam also has a well-planned canal system. For about 10 dollars, you can use the canal bus or a water taxi to cruise (巡游) the “Venice of the North”.

The city has a historic past. One impressive (印象深刻的) place to visit is the Anne Frank House on Nine Street. It was there that the young Jewish girl wrote her famous diary during World War II. Visitors can view Anne’s original diary and climb behind the bookcase to the room where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years.

1. What means of transport is not available to visitors in Amsterdam?

A. A carriage.                  B. A bicycle.

C. A canal bus.                   D. A water taxi.

2.What can you learn about by visiting the Anne Frank House?

A. The wonderful past of Amsterdam.     

B. The experience of a beautiful girl survivor.

C. The life of Jewish during World WarⅡ.   

D. The suffering of the Dutch in wars.

3.The passage is intended to _______.

A. call up people’s memories of World WarⅡ

B. tell readers what A Tale of Two Cities is about

C. instruct visitors what to do and see in Holland

D. offer readers some information about Amsterdam

4.This passage is most likely taken from _______.

   A. a private diary   B. a test paper C. a travel journey  D. a history book