There is much more to growing up in a bilingual(双语的) family than learning two languages, and the cultural influences from both cultures are just as important.

In July we had a curious incident that shows the slight differences between cultures. My son has already changed a few of his baby teeth and since we lived in Italy we decided to go with the Italian version(版本) of the Tooth Fairy, which is not a fairy(仙女) but a little mouse. So last year when he lost his first tooth we had a visit from the little mouse who took the tooth away and left a rather good amount of coins --- when he lost the second tooth a few days later, however, the amount was significantly less! That in itself caused quite a few questions, but the real questions started when in July during a visit to the UK another tooth left my son’s mouth in Tooth Fairy land! The grandparents made a real problem out of it --- it was their first grandson’s tooth they got to say Goodbye to, so it was Tooth Fairy and rather generous, too!

The Qs & As

Son: Mum, how is the little mouse going to smell my tooth all this way? (as the story goes the little mouse smells a milk tooth and comes to collect it)

Me: No dear, it won’t! We are in England now so the Tooth Fairy will come.

Son: Oh, is she stronger than the little mouse? (I knew where this was going)

Me: She is very strong, and she is magic.

Son: What does the Tooth Fairy bring? (straight to the point)

Me: I am not sure. We’ll find out maybe a nice message.

Son: So is the little mouse coming too?

Me: No, it won’t make it all the way from Italy.

Son: But why don’t they have little mice in England?

Me: Because here the Tooth Fairy collects all baby teeth and she’s too fast, so the little mouse would always get there late.

Son: Oh!?

Italian kids are supposed to believe ________ will come and collect the milk teeth.

A. a little mouse

B. Tooth Fairy

C. their parents

D. the grandparents

The author thought Tooth Fairy would be rather generous because ________.

A. Italian parents often give much money for their kids’ lost baby teeth[

B. she knew Tooth Fairy was more generous than the little mouse 

C. she knew the grandparents would give her son a big gift

D. English people are usually more generous than Italians

Hearing “Oh, is she stronger than the little mouse?”, the author knew her son was actually worried about ________.

A. the tooth fairy’s health    

B. the little mouse’s coming

C. the amount of coins he could get

D. the story his grandparents know

By telling this story, the author intends to say it’s important to _________ in a bilingual family.

A. make kids know the folk stories

B. help kids choose one of the cultures

C. teach kids two languages

D. keep the balance of both cultures

C

       When important events are happening around the world, most people turn to traditional media sources, such as CNN and BBC for the news．However, during the war in Iraq in 2003, many people followed the war from the point of view of an unknown Iraqi citizen who called himself “Salam Pax ” ．(Salam Pax means peace)

       Salam Pax wrote a diary about everyday life in Baghdad during the war, and posted it on his website．Pax’s online diary was a kind of website known as a “blog”．Blogs are online diaries, usually kept by individuals, but sometimes by companies and other groups of people．They are the fastest growing types of website on the Internet．

A blog differs from a traditional website in several ways．Most importantly, it is updated much more regularly．Many blogs are updated every day, and some are updated several times a day．Also, most blogs use special software or websites, which can help ordinary people easily set up and start writing their own blogs．

       There are many different kinds of blogs．The most popular type is an online diary of links where the blog writer surfs the Internet and then posts links to sites or news articles that they find interesting , with a few comments about each one ．Other types are personal diaries, where the writer talks about their life and feelings．Sometimes these blogs can be very personal．

       There is another kind of blogging, called “moblogging ”, short for “ mobile blogging ”．

Mobloggers use mobile phones with cameras to take photos, which are posted instantly to the Internet．The use of mobile phones in this way made the headlines in Singapore when a high school student posted a movie he had taken of a teacher shouting at another student on the Internet．Many people were shocked by what the student did, and wanted phones with cameras to be banned from schools．

       Many people think that as blogs become common, news reporting will rely less on big media companies, and more on ordinary people posting news to the Internet．They think that then the news will be less like a lecture, and more like a conversation, where any one can join in．

49．Which statement about Salam Pax was true?

A．He worked for CNN．

B．Salam Pax was not his real name

C．He was famous as a host in BBC

D．He used a mobile phone for his blog

50．What is the biggest difference between blogs and traditional websites?

A．Blogs are updated much more often      B．Blogs contain links to other websites

C．Blogs use special software              D．Blogs contain personal information

51．According to the passage, which statement about the future is most likely ? In the future ____

A．everyone will have a blog

B．large media companies will be unnecessary

C．people will be able to learn the news from other points of view

D．blogging technology will be banned

52．What is the passage mainly about ?

A．the history of the Internet           B．new types of media

C．the war in Iraq                D．the increase of using computers

This is a story  that happened 15 years ago but it has always stayed with me since then.On the way back from work every evening,more often than not there would be a homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway.He always waved at every car,he was always happy and smiling and sometimes almost dancing.Every day after work when I got there，I would quickly roll down my window and give him the coins.Occasionally the red light would be on for a minute and we would ask each other about our day.His answer would always be the same，“I’m blessed！”.

It amazed me that even in his situation of being homeless he was so positive，and his answer would remind me of how blessed I was.A single mother of four amazing kids,with a place to call home and with a job to provide for my kids.Then one day I was called into my boss’s office and was told that I was being laid off due to the economy.Needless to say that on my was home that day I was very sad and upset.I didn’t remember to look for my spare change and keep it ready like I usually did.I wasn’t feeling the joy as I got off the ramp where the homeless man would be.Yet there he was as alway，as l turned the ramp.He set his eyes on me，while still smiling and waving at others.

While I was waiting for the red light to turn，he strolled over to my car.He had a big smile he looked me straight in the eyes and said “today I will give you a dollar”.He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar bill.I was blown away.I burst into tears.I wanted to jump out of my car and hug him！

You see that day he gave me more than a dollar bill，he taught me a valuable lesson.No matter  what material things are taken  from you，no one can take away your choice to be joyful.

What is the passage mainly concerned？

A.A dollar bill from a homeless person.

B.A blessing coming from a homeless person.

C.A woman who lost her job due to the economy.

D.A homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway.

From the lst paragraph，we know the homeless man is         .

A.optimistic        B.brave         C.Iazy          D.kind-hearted

After leaving the boss’s office，the author         .

A.felt relaxed to get rid of the tiring job

B.still felt joyful when coming off the ramp

C.took it for granted that she was fit for her job

D.didn’t put some change aside to give to the man

The underlined phrase“blown away”in the 3rd paragraph most probably  means

         .

A.completely defeated               B.wholly blown down

C.really amazed                         D.murdered by gunfire

It can be inferred from the passage that         .

A.material things are the most important in life

B.people should be encouraged to beg by smiling

C.the author’s ride home that dog was smooth sailing

D.we should wait others’help when faced with challenges

This is a story  that happened 15 years ago but it has always stayed with me since then.On the way back from work every evening,more often than not there would be a homeless man standing at the exit of the freeway.He always waved at every car,he was always happy and smiling and sometimes almost dancing.Every day after work when I got there，I would quickly roll down my window and give him the coins.Occasionally the red light would be on for a minute and we would ask each other about our day.His answer would always be the same，“I’m blessed！”.
It amazed me that even in his situation of being homeless he was so positive，and his answer would remind me of how blessed I was.A single mother of four amazing kids,with a place to call home and with a job to provide for my kids.Then one day I was called into my boss’s office and was told that I was being laid off due to the economy.Needless to say that on my was home that day I was very sad and upset.I didn’t remember to look for my spare change and keep it ready like I usually did.I wasn’t feeling the joy as I got off the ramp where the homeless man would be.Yet there he was as alway，as l turned the ramp.He set his eyes on me，while still smiling and waving at others.
While I was waiting for the red light to turn，he strolled over to my car.He had a big smile he looked me straight in the eyes and said “today I will give you a dollar”.He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a dollar bill.I was blown away.I burst into tears.I wanted to jump out of my car and hug him！
You see that day he gave me more than a dollar bill，he taught me a valuable lesson.No matter  what material things are taken  from you，no one can take away your choice to be joyful.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly concerned？

Below is a page from TV guide:

1.The main purpose of writing these three texts is ________．

       A．to invite people to see films

       B．to invite people to topic discussions

       C．to attract more students to attend lectures

       D．to attract more people to watch TV programs

2.Who will be most probably interested in Discovery?

       A．Parents who want to send their children to school of medicine．

       B．Children who are good at mathematics．

       C．Parents who want their child to become another Albert Einstein．

       D．Children who are interested in playing chess．

3.In Science/Health, “Johns Hopkins” is _______．

       A．a famous university                         B．a medical center

       C．a well-known doctor                       D．a drug company

4.According to the third text, which of the following has almost the same effect as Hypertension drugs?

       A．Exercise plus a healthy diet．              B．Loss of thirteen pounds in weight．

       C．Six months of exercise without drugs． D．Low-salt and low-fat food．