One day an American friend invited me to a party. It wasn’t a real party, it was some kind of informal get-together. Since it was summer time, he had a cookout where most of his American friends and relatives were known to me, but there were others I had never met before.

       It was the most embarrassing (令人尴尬) party for me when I noticed that everybody was wearing jeans and simple T-shirts for the day, while I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party. It was hard to explain my embarrassment to other guests. When one of them turned around and said, “What nice clothes! What’s the occasion?” I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment. I did not answer at all. If she knew how bad I already felt, she wouldn’t have come near me. But she did. Maybe she didn’t ask intentionally to make me feel bad or uncomfortable, but my reaction had to do with the way I already felt. I could have told her I had to go to another party afterwards, but I did not want to continue the conversation.

       Many times I thought about going home and changing, but I knew that they would notice. It would be even worse for me, because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of place. So I wanted to pretend that I was okay…

       I had already realized their customs were different from mine; but after I talked to my friend, I was more convinced that people here are more casual (休闲的，随意的). They care less about formality, unless it is a special occasion, like a wedding or a very formal invitation.

       In contrast, my culture is totally the opposite. For instance, in Cape Verdean culture, if a friend invited me to his house on a special day, even if it is not a real party, one should appear well dressed or otherwise the host will be annoyed thinking you are disrespectful to him or the other guests. We do dress casually for going on picnic or on ordinary days, but not normally to go over to a friend’s when invited, especially if other people will be there.

       After all, I think that my problem at the party wasn’t that I wasn’t accepted by the Americans; but my feeling was so bad that I couldn’t fit in the group even if nobody noticed, because I was the one who discovered the difference in the first place. It doesn’t matter if people dress differently, but I was the only one different in the group. I felt I was the one who should adjust to their customs. After that, I decided to learn more about American culture, so now I don’t have as many problems as I’ve had in the past.

61．Which of these statements describes the cookout in the story?

       A. It was very formal.                                      B. People wore casual clothing.

C. It took place in a restaurant.                          D. People care more about formality.

62．This story is mainly about _________.

       A. culture differences                                        B. living in the United States

C. what to do at a cookout                                 D. how to get prepared for a cookout

63．It can be inferred from the story that the author _________.

       A. left the cookout early                                    B. probably didn’t enjoy the cookout

C. never wears blue jeans                                  D. will never go to a cookout

64．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “intentionally” in the second paragraph?

       A. Patiently.                 B. Willingly.                 C. Carefully.                 D. On purpose.

One day an American friend invited me to a party. It wasn’t a real party, it was some kind of informal get-together. Since it was summer time, he had a cookout where most of his American friends and relatives were known to me, but there were others I had never met before.

       It was the most embarrassing （令人尴尬） party for me when I noticed that everybody was wearing jeans and simple T-shirts for the day, while I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party. It was hard to explain my embarrassment to other guests. When one of them turned around and said, “What nice clothes! What’s the occasion?” I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment. I did not answer at all. If she knew how bad I already felt, she wouldn’t have come near me. But she did. Maybe she didn’t ask intentionally to make me feel bad or uncomfortable, but my reaction had to do with the way I already felt. I could have told her I had to go to another party afterwards, but I did not want to continue the conversation.

       Many times I thought about going home and changing, but I knew that they would notice. It would be even worse for me, because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of place. So I wanted to pretend that I was okay…

       I had already realized their customs were different from mine; but after I talked to my friend, I was more convinced that people here are more casual （休闲的，随意的）. They care less about formality, unless it is a special occasion, like a wedding or a very formal invitation.

       In contrast, my culture is totally the opposite. For instance, in Cape Verdean culture, if a friend invited me to his house on a special day, even if it is not a real party, one should appear well dressed or otherwise the host will be annoyed thinking you are disrespectful to him or the other guests. We do dress casually for going on picnic or on ordinary days, but not normally to go over to a friend’s when invited, especially if other people will be there.

       After all, I think that my problem at the party wasn’t that I wasn’t accepted by the Americans; but my feeling was so bad that I couldn’t fit in the group even if nobody noticed, because I was the one who discovered the difference in the first place. It doesn’t matter if people dress differently, but I was the only one different in the group. I felt I was the one who should adjust to their customs. After that, I decided to learn more about American culture, so now I don’t have as many problems as I’ve had in the past.

1．Which of these statements describes the cookout in the story?

       A．It was very formal.                                     B．People wore casual clothing.

C．It took place in a restaurant.                         D．People care more about formality.

2．This story is mainly about _________.

       A．culture differences                                      B．living in the United States

C．what to do at a cookout                               D．how to get prepared for a cookout

3．It can be inferred from the story that the author _________.

       A．left the cookout early                                  B．probably didn’t enjoy the cookout

C．never wears blue jeans                                D．will never go to a cookout

4．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “intentionally” in the second paragraph?

       A．Patiently.                B．Willingly.                C．Carefully.                D．On purpose.

　　　 One day an American friend invited me to a party. It wasn’t a real party, it was some kind of informal get-together. Since it was summer time, he had a cookout where most of his American friends and relatives were known to me, but there were others I had never met before.

　　　 It was the most embarrassing (令人尴尬) party for me when I noticed that everybody was wearing jeans and simple T-shirts for the day, while I arrived in proper dress with my shoes and my hair all fixed for a fancy party. It was hard to explain my embarrassment to other guests. When one of them turned around and said, “What nice clothes! What’s the occasion?” I felt my face burning hot with embarrassment. I did not answer at all. If she knew how bad I already felt, she wouldn’t have come near me. But she did. Maybe she didn’t ask intentionally to make me feel bad or uncomfortable, but my reaction had to do with the way I already felt. I could have told her I had to go to another party afterwards, but I did not want to continue the conversation.

　　　 Many times I thought about going home and changing, but I knew that they would notice. It would be even worse for me, because I knew they would quickly think that I felt out of place. So I wanted to pretend that I was okay…

　　　 I had already realized their customs were different from mine; but after I talked to my friend, I was more convinced that people here are more casual (休闲的，随意的). They care less about formality, unless it is a special occasion, like a wedding or a very formal invitation.

　　　 In contrast, my culture is totally the opposite. For instance, in Cape Verdean culture, if a friend invited me to his house on a special day, even if it is not a real party, one should appear well dressed or otherwise the host will be annoyed thinking you are disrespectful to him or the other guests. We do dress casually for going on picnic or on ordinary days, but not normally to go over to a friend’s when invited, especially if other people will be there.

　　　 After all, I think that my problem at the party wasn’t that I wasn’t accepted by the Americans; but my feeling was so bad that I couldn’t fit in the group even if nobody noticed, because I was the one who discovered the difference in the first place. It doesn’t matter if people dress differently, but I was the only one different in the group. I felt I was the one who should adjust to their customs. After that, I decided to learn more about American culture, so now I don’t have as many problems as I’ve had in the past.

48．Which of these statements describes the cookout in the story?

A. It was very formal.

B. People wore casual clothing.

C. It took place in a restaurant.

D.People care more about formality.

49．This story is mainly about _________.

A. culture differences

B. living in the United States

C. what to do at a cookout

D. how to get prepared for a cookout

50．It can be inferred from the story that the author _________.

A. left the cookout early

B. probably didn’t enjoy the cookout

C. never wears blue jeans

D. will never go to a cookout

51．Which of the following can replace the underlined word “intentionally” in the second paragraph?

A. Patiently.　 B. Willingly.　 C. Carefully.　　　　　　　　 D. On purpose.

Since I was a child, I called my father my Kong, after King Kong. I believed that he was just as strong as the giant ape(猿猴). As he faced death, I did my best to help release him to the next life.

Two months after he passed away, my sister called to ask if I would like to go see Lisa Williams, a well-known witch（巫婆）. I was familiar with Lisa from her show on Lifetime, and since I was eager to get a sign from my father, I agreed to go.

I took my father’s gold watch and listened as Lisa helped audience members communicate with their loved ones. “I have a grandfather-like figure with me and he is speaking about his granddaughter Jilly,” she announced. The audience was quiet; no one raised a hand. I nudged（用肘轻推） my sister and whispered to her that this was Dad ,for my third child and my father had a deep bond(关系，纽带) and he called her Jilly.

Although I sensed his presence, I wasn’t confident enough to raise my hand. I needed something a bit more concrete, something undoubted.

“This man is letting me know he had cancer,” she continued. I nudged my sister harder and assured her this was our father. Lisa went on to say that this person died in June (my father had died June 8th). There was swelling of the legs.

“Important information,” she called out. My heart beat fast . I jumped up when she asked, “Who is holding his watch?” I waved the watch in the air.

 “He wishes you congratulations.” My fourth child was born three weeks after my father died. I was in shock and could not believe I was getting a chance to hear from him, yet I knew our bond was strong enough that he could come to the world. She banged on her chest like an ape and apologized, saying, “I don’t know why but he wants me to do this like Tarzan.” It didn’t resonate（共鸣） with me until my sister called out “King Kong!” I was convinced. No way could this woman have ever known a detail unless Dad was communicating through her.

Each bit of information she gave us was just as meaningful. She ended our session by informing us that he would send us coins. The very next day I found six coins in various places; they seemed to have come out of nowhere. Even in death he is my Kong, and he remains important in my life.

1.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Information from Lisa Williams

B. Miraculous Messages from Heaven

C. Strange Things in the Party.

D. Unforgettable memories 

2.What’s the meaning of underlined sentence?

A. I tried my best to make my father feel relieved in another world .

B. I wanted to help my father live a better life in future.

C. I tried to set my father free next time.

D. I wanted to help my father in everything.

3.What do we know about Lisa Williams? 

A. She may be a learned teacher.     

B. She may be a woman knowing witchcraft

C. She may be is a scientist researching Lifetime. 

D. She may be a fairy.

4.From the passage we know that father _________________.

A. cared little about our life                  

B. withdrew from the society and lived alone

C. liked to live with giant ape

D. was still concerned about my family after his death .

5.What kind of writing style did the author use in the passage?

A .Narration            B. Illustration       C. Discussion    D. Description