As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts．Then, what is the situation in American English?
Red is a hot color．Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair．They are red hot when they are very angry about something．The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste．Fast loud music is popular with many people．They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz．
Pink is a lighter kind of red．People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health．The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century．It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health．
The color black is often used in expressions．People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day．People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now．But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations．
The color green is natural for trees and grass．But it is an unnatural color for humans．A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green．A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green．
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has．That person may say he is green with envy．Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks．Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money．
【小题1】Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______．

– John seems to be upset. What happened?

   -- The boss disliked the plan he ________ for the new project?

   A. put up with     B. put forward     C. put away      D. put up

Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. You should not be upset (不安的) if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you!?Dinner parties usually start between 7p．m．and 8p．m．, and end at about 11p．m． Ask your host (主人) what time you should arrive． It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift．

  Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks (小吃)． Do you want to be extra (特别地) polite? Say how much you like the room, or the pictures on the wall. But remember — it's not polite to ask how much things cost．

  In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other side． They eat with their guests．

  You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert (甜点心) followed by coffee． It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it．

  Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short “Thank you” letter． British and American people like to say “thank you” all the time!

An English friend doesn't invite you to his or her dinner, which ＿＿＿＿．

 A． means he or she doesn't like you   B． means he or she likes you

 C． doesn't mean he or she likes you    D． doesn't mean he or she doesn't like you

You are going to attend a dinner party and ＿＿＿＿．

  A． you'd better bring a certain present with you

  B． you must leave home for it at 7 p．m．

  C． you should ask your host when you should leave

  D． you must arrive before 8 p．m．

It's impolite ＿＿＿＿＿．

  A． to say that you like the host's room very much

  B． for a guest to ask the host the price of the things in the room

  C． for a guest to have drinks and snacks before the evening

  D． for the host and the hostess (女主人) to sit and eat with their guests

In which order will you eat or drink the following things at a meal？

  A． Snacks, vegetables, meat, coffee．

  B． Coffee, drinks, soup, fish, vegetables, dessert．

  C． Soup, meat with vegetables, dessert and coffee．

  D． Drinks, soup, something small, fish and vegetables．

What is the proper way to express your enjoyment of the evening？

 A． Before leaving for home, you should say, “Thank you for inviting me．”

 B． When you shake hands with your host, you should say, “I did enjoy the evening．”

 C． You can write a “Thank you” letter to your host after that．

 D． You should finish everything on your plate and take more if you want it．

As is known to all, colors appear in every language to express people’s feeling and thoughts．Then, what is the situation in American English?
Red is a hot color．Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair．They are red hot when they are very angry about something．The small hot-tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their color and their fiery taste．Fast loud music is popular with many people．They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland Jazz．
Pink is a lighter kind of red．People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health．The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century．It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health．
The color black is often used in expressions．People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day．People or things on a blacklist are connected with things illegal now．But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations．
The color green is natural for trees and grass．But it is an unnatural color for humans．A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green．A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green．
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has．That person may say he is green with envy．Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks．Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the color of the back side of the paper money．
【小题1】Americans use “red hot” to describe the following EXCEPT _______．

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
Children find meanings in their old family tales.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker,   31  all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times   32  his strong-minded grandfather was nearly   33   , he loaded his family into the car and   34   them to see family members in Canada with a   35  ,“There are more important things in life than money. ”
The  36  took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to a   37   house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was _ 38  that his children, a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset. To his surprise, they weren’t.   39  , their reaction echoed （共鸣） their great-grandfather’s. What they   40  was how warm the people were in the house and how   41   of their heart was accessible.  
Many parents are finding family stories have surprising power to help children   42   hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing  43  in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in a storytelling events and festivals.  
A university  44  of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to  45_  parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.  
31. A. missed             B. lost                       C. forgot                    D. ignored
32. A. when               B. while                     C. how                      D. why
33. A. friendless         B. worthless               C. penniless                D. homeless
34. A fetched             B. allowed                 C. expected                D. took
35. A. hope               B. promise                C. suggestion              D. belief
36. A. tale                B. agreement             C. arrangement          D. report
37. A. large               B. small                    C. new                      D. grand
38. A. surprised          B. annoyed                 C. disappointed           D. worried
39. A. Therefore         B. Besides                  C. Instead                  D. Otherwise
40. A. talked about     B. cared about            C. wrote about            D. heard about
41. A. much               B. many                     C. little                     D. few
42. A. beyond            B. over                     C. behind                   D. through
43. A. argument          B. skill                      C. interest                  D. anxiety
44. A. study               B. design                   C. committee            D. staff
45. A. provide           B. retell                    C. support                  D. refuse