People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days offer a chance to think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child-care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one stands for a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit their graves. On these days, families get together at home and in restaurants. They often have outdoor BBQs for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephones companies and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.

Which is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A. Parents bring up children.       

B. Parents give love and care to children.

C. Parents pass away before children grow up.

D. Parents educate children to be good persons.

What do you know from the passage?

A. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B. Not all the children respect their parents.

C. Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

D. Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A. It only has two kinds of color.

B. It is a special kind of clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

C. People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in June.

D. It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

What do you think “florists” do?

A. They sell flowers.                  

B. They made bread.

C. They offer enough room for having family parties.

D. They sell special clothes for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

I was reading these interesting stories behind a group of great logos in the world. Personally Nike is my favorite one – it’s so simple. And I liked the stories behind them, which made me forget all other things. McDonald’s, Apple, Mercedes Benz and Adidas own great logos as well, and they are among my favorites.
Nike
In the Greek myth, Nike is the goddess of victory and the source of inspiration for soldiers. This logo represents the wing in the famous statue of the Greek goddess. Nike’s logo was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971 for $ 35, and was registered as a trademark in 1995.
McDonald’s
The logo was designed in 1962 by Jim Schindler to resemble the archshaped(拱形的) signs on the side of the company’s then walk-up hamburger stand. Later on, the two golden arches were combined together to form the M. The McDonald’s name was added to the logo in 1968.
Apple
There are different stories behind Apple’s logo. The first logo was a reference to the religious story of Adam and Eve, in which the apple represented the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. One year later, the second logo was designed in 1977 by Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne, and it described Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. This logo didn’t stay long. One year later it was replaced almost immediately by graphic designer Rob Janoff’s “rainbow apple”, a rainbow-colored silhouette(轮廓)of an apple with a bite taken out of it. And then the rainbow-colored apple was replaced by the one-colored logo in 1998. It has not been changed so far.
Mercedes Benz
The Mercedes Benz logo, which was originally created by Gottlieb Daimler in 1909, consists of a simple description of a three-pointed star that represents its rule of the land, the sea and the air. The company was founded by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. Mercedes is the name of Maybach’s elder daughter, while Benz came as a result of a combination with Benz, Cie and DMG in 1926.
Adidas
The Adidas logo, which was created by the founder of the company Adi Dassler, represents mountains, pointing towards the challenges that are seen ahead and goals that can be achieved. The logo was used for the first time in 1967.
【小题1】What does the author think of the stories of the great logos?

Slang is a popular, less official and often very current form of language. It is an important part of a living language and is constantly changing as language changes. Slang is often playful, direct and sometimes less respectful than the more official and traditional version of language. So now I'm going to lay it on you! To “lay it on” is American slang for “to tell” or “to explain.”

Slang can take many forms. For example, slang can be local to one city or area. In Washington, D.C. there is a whole set of slang to describe politics and business in the city. For example, the term POTUS stands for President of the United States. POTUS can often be found with his wife, FLOTUS, the first lady of the United States. “Inside the Beltway” is a popular expression that describes the area of Washington, D.C. The beltway is the large highway that circles the city.

The Internet has helped create a whole new kind of computer-related slang. An “angry fruit salad” is an expression that describes a Web site with too many bright colors. “Netiquette” is slang for correct behavior when using the Internet.

Young people often develop the latest slang. For example, to say Special English “rocks” or is “phat” means Special English is really great. A “kegger” is a party where beer is served.  If something is “wack” it is wild and crazy.

Different professions often have their own slang as well. For example, medical workers might refer to a complaining patient as a “gomer”.  A "tough stick" is someone whose veins are difficult to find when he or she needs to have blood taken.

No matter how well you speak English, there are always new and interesting slang words to discover. There are entire dictionaries for describing slang. Many experts do not even agree on what is and what is not slang. Often slang words later become a part of officially accepted language. Official or not, slang is an energetic and exciting part of the American language that continues to change. 

46. Which of the following is not true for slang compared with the official language?

A. Playful                                                   B. Direct                    

C. Less respectful                                     D. More official

47. It can be inferred from the passage that______.

A. if you speak English very well, there is no problem for you to understand English speakers

B. slang words are created by people in their daily life

C. English speakers are clear whether it is a slang

D. slang words will never be accepted as official language

48.Which of the following is not mentioned to have helped create slang?

A. The internet.                                        B. Young people.          

C. President of the United States.         D. Professions

49. Where do you think is the passage adapted from?

A. A radio speech                                      B. A magazine.             

C. A textbook.                                           D. A newspaper.

50. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?

A. What is slang?                                      B. Slang is popular

C. Who creates slang?                                   D. Slang is a language.

The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card fraud．Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal Website. Websites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with card．On line, shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought.

The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet. Computer hackers have broken down security system, raise questions about the safety of card-holder information.

Several months ago, 25,000 customers of CD universe, an on-line music retailer (零售商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Website after the retailer refused to pay US ＄157,828 to get back the information.

Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud．Master-card is working on plans for Web-only credit-card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated.

Ask about your credit-card firm’s on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders are responsible for the first US ＄78 of any fraudulent spending.

And shop only at secure sites: Send your credit-card information only if the Website offers advanced secure system.

If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.

Keep your password safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your password with care.

The underlined word “fraud” in the first paragraph probably means _____.

A．cheating   B．sale   C．payment   D．use

Thieves usually get the information of the credit-card _____.

       A．because many customers lost their cards

       B．by paying money for people working in the information companies

       C．because of the carelessness of the customers

       D．by stealing the information from Websites

The best title for the passage might be _____.

       A．How to Beat On-line Credit-card Thieves

       B．How to Shop on the Internet

       C．Never Use Credit Cards without an Advanced Computer

       D．Why Thieves Steal Credit-Card Information

It’s the sort of work that _______a high level of concentration.

A. calls for                  B. makes up                 C. lies in                      D. stands for