You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unluckily, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.
As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.
or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether it is “easy” reading or not. Do you become so interested in the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? The second situation is a chance to learn from the writer’s mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how a writer does “his thing” ... he should be able to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing (分析) the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.
Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction (非小说) books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common reader rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than devoting yourself to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book’s worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft (工艺).
As you can see, there is no simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select writers you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer.

In England, afternoon tea, taken between four and five, is the most informal(非正式的) meal of the day. If you are a friend of the family, you may drop in for tea without an invitation（邀请） or telling that you are coming. Very often it is not served at a table. The members of the family and visitors take tea in the sitting room. Each person has a cup and saucer(托盘)，a spoon and a small plate for bread-and-butter and cake. By the way, do not help yourself to cake first; bread-and-butter first, then cake if there is any. Another piece of advice: Do not put more than one piece of bread or cake on your plate at the same time.
6.Afternoon tea is usually taken with __________.
A. in the morning                  B. between four and five   
C. in the early afternoon              D. in the evening
7.If you want to have afternoon tea in a friend’s home, ___________.
A. it is necessary for you to send a message
B. you should wait for his invitation
C. it is impolite for you to go there without taking anything with you
D. it is not necessary for you to call him or send a message.
8.In the passage, “drop in” means “_________”。
A. pay an informal visit       B. fall down   
C. drink at a friend’s home       D. break
9.It’s impolite for you to _________.
A. help yourself to cake first      
B. share a cup with your friend
C. put more than one piece of bread or cake on your plate once
D. all of the above
10.Which of the following is not true?
A. Afternoon tea is often taken in the sitting room.
B. The members of the family often share a cup and saucer, a spoon, etc.
C. Afternoon tea is usually taken between lunch and supper.
D. Help yourself to bread-and-butter before cake if there is any.

Americans with small families own a small car or a large one. If both parents are working, they usually have two cars. When the family is large, one of the cars is sold and they will buy a van (住房汽车).
A small car can hold (容纳) four persons and a large car can hold six persons but it is very crowded(拥挤). A van hold seven persons easily, so a family with three children could ask their grandparents to go on a holiday travel. They could all travel together.
Mr Hagen and his wife had a third child last year. This made them sell a second car and bought a van. The sixth and seventh seat are used to put other things, for a family of five must carry many suitcases(衣箱) when they travel. When they arrive at their grandparents' home, the suitcases are brought into the home and the two seats can then carry the grandparents.
Americans call vans motor homes. A motor home is always used for holidays. When a family are traveling to the mountains or to the seaside, they can live in their motor home for a few days or weeks. All the members of a big family can enjoy a happier life when they are traveling together. That is why motor homes have become very popular. In America there are many parks for motor homes.
【小题1】 From the passage, a van is also called _________。

Although cliff diving may bring great excitement, it’s a very dangerous sport that people should be careful about. It is completely wrong to think that the diver is cushioned by the water below—this could not be further from the truth. When jumping from a cliff that is over 70 feet high, a diver hits the water at over 46 mph (miles per hour). Such high speeds make the point of contact feel like a wall, so the diving skills are very important.
Professional divers are trained and well-prepared to make dives. However, non-professionals should never dive because a diver’s body position at the time of contacting water is very important to his or her safety. Because of the great danger, divers should always seriously think about their skills before trying any moves.
Although there is no truly safe way to jump off a cliff, non-professional divers are encouraged to pencil dive. To do a pencil dive, the jumpers leap their feet first off the cliff, keep arms at their sides with legs together and pointing downward. The diver should keep the body tight and vertical. This is safer because it makes the point of contact smaller when the diver enters the water and puts less stress on the body.
Wearing a wet suit while diving will result in less pain. So it is wise for new divers to wear wet suits. But professional divers suggest staying away from water shoes. Although wearing shoes might seem like a good idea, they actually increase the force of impact because they increase the surface area of the diver at impact. The increased force of impact puts stress on a diver’s body and can lead to broken bones. Without a doubt, diving without shoes is the safer way to go.
Besides the height, speed, water depth and body position, it is also important for divers to make wise decisions when they are thinking about diving. Cliff diving tests both a person’s physical and mental skills, so it is never a good idea to jump with a sudden idea. A person needs to be of sound mind and in good health to even think about a dive. One should never try a dive if he has drunk wine. What’s more, a person should never make someone who is not feeling 100% confident dive.

【小题1】What does “this could not be further from the truth” mean?