Every culture has a recognized (公认的) point when a child becomes an adult, when rules must be followed and tests passed.
In China, although teenagers can get their ID cards at 16, many only see themselves as an adult when they are 18. In the US, where everyone drives, the main step to the freedom of adult life is learning to drive. At 16, American teens take their driving test. When they have their license（证）, they drive into the grown-up world.
"Nobody wants to ride the cheese bus to school," said Eleanor Fulham, 17. "It's like you're not cool if you don't have a car," she said.
According to a recent research, 41% of 16 to 19 year olds in the US own cars, up from 23% in 1985. Although, most of these cars are bought by parents, some teens get part-time jobs to help pay.
Not all families can afford cars for their children. In cities with undergrounds and limited(有限的) parking, some teenagers don't want them. But in rich areas outside the city, if there are no undergrounds, and bicycles are more for fun than cars, it is strange for a teenager not to have a car.
But police say 16-year-olds have almost three times more accidents than 18 and 19-year-olds. This has made many parents stop before letting their kids drive. They need to wait until they are more experienced.
Julie Susiana, of Virginia, decided that her son Chad, 15, will wait until he is 17 to apply for his learner's permit (许可)
Chad said he has accepted his parents' decision, although it has caused some laughing from his friends. "They say that I am unlucky," he said. "But I'd rather be alive than driving, and I don't really trust my friends on the road either."
In China as more families get cars, more 18-year-olds learn to drive. Will this become a big step to becoming an adult?
【小题1】16-year-old drivers have more accidents possibly because _______.

     Mary is an American girl. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith find work in China. So Mary is living in China now with her parents. Mr. Smith works in a big shop. Mrs. Smith teaches English in a middle school. Mary goes to school from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays she goes to the library with her mother. She likes reading newspapers there very much. Then she eats dinner at a restaurant with her parents. On Sundays, Mary helps her mother do the housework. Mary is a good girl.

56. Mary comes from ________.

   A. America       B. England          C. Australia         D. China

57. The Smith family are living in _______ now.

    A. America       B. China            C. Japan             D. France

58. What does Mary's mother do?

    A. A shop worker.     B. A bank clerk.    C. An English teacher.  D. A shop assistant.

59. Where does Mary eat dinner on Saturdays?

    A. At home.      B. At school.     C. At a restaurant.     D. In a library.

60. Which one is RIGHT (正确的) ?

    A. Mary goes to school from Monday to Saturday.

    B. Mary goes to the library with her father.

    C. Mary likes reading newspapers in the library.

    D. Mary's father doesn't want to work in China.

Linda went back to America. She is looking for more information on a website about the places she saw in the World Park in Beijing. Read it with her.

Call 1-800-TRAVEL

In the World Park you can find more than 100 places of interest from all over the world. See them for yourself! Book the tickets now! It will be the best trip in your whole life!

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is the symbol of San Francisco, USA. It was completed in 1938. It is 18 metres wide and 2,737 metres long. You can either drive or walk across the bridge. Driving is very exciting when you pass under the bridge's towers, and walking can give you time to enjoy the wonderful view of the city.

 The Egyptian pyramids

About 4,500 years ago, the Egyptians built the mysterious pyramids with stones. Egyptians used these pyramids to keep the dead bodies of their kings and queens.

 　The Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973. It is near the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is one of the busiest art centres in the world. Visitors from all over the world are surprised to see so many theatres and halls inside the opera house.

 　The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is in France. It was built in 1889 in the centre of Paris. It is about 320 metres high. Millions of people come to see it every year. At night, you can see many car lights from the top of the Tower. It is very beautiful.　

Linda is telling her parents about the places she read about. They are very interested and ask Linda more about them. Help Linda answer their questions. 

(1) Where did you find the information?

　A　from a dictionary.

　B　From my Geography book.

　C　From a travel website on the Internet.

(2) Where is the Golden Gate Bridge?

　A　It's in Europe.

　B　It's in America.

　C　It's in China.

(3) What are there in the Sydney Opera House?

　A　Theatres and halls.

　B　The Sydney Harbour Bridge.

　C　Art centres.

Rose is an American school girl. She is now in Beijing with her parents.

It’s Sunday morning. Rose gets up early in the morning. After breakfast her parents take her to the zoo. They go to see the pandas and other animals. The pandas live only in China. There are not any pandas in America. So they like the pandas best. Outside the zoo gate there is a picture. It’s a picture of a panda with “Welcome”. In the zoo, Rose sees not only pandas but also many other animals.

A panda is round and fat. It looks like a ball. It always moves slowly like a ball rolling (滚动). There are also elephants. The elephant is the biggest animal on land. There are many monkeys on the hill. Some of them are sitting in the trees. Some are picking nuts. And the others are running or climbing up the trees. Rose and her parents have a good time in the zoo.

1.Rose comes from __________.

2.They like pandas best because __________.

3. Which is the biggest animal on land?

4. Many monkeys are __________.

5. Rose and her parents are __________ that day.