Last week at a friend’s birthday party, there was a mooncake eating contest and I persuaded my good friend Jonathan to take part in it. Even though he had just finished a big dinner, he managed to win the contest. Not only did he win a bottle of nice whiskey, but also a big box of expensive Hong Kong mooncakes. A few days later, I was hosting an opening party for my new office. Jonathan showed up with the lovely box of Hong Kong mooncakes he had won the other night. I thought it was a lovely joke, and the mooncakes were delicious. Still, it got me thinking about the concept of regifting in China.

In the States, we have a tradition around Christmas similar to giving mooncakes, only we call them fruitcakes. Fruitcakes are made from terrible preserved (加工过的) fruit and nobody likes to eat them. You often find your friends giving the fruitcake you gave them to someone else, and so on. But fruitcakes aside, it isn’t very often to catch someone regifting something in America, as it’s seen to be very cheap and embarrassing (尴尬的). An obvious way to tell if something has been regifted is to check the wrapping (包装).

However, many of my friends in China will proudly regift an old gift, especially if it is still wrapped in a pretty box. I find it somewhat uncomfortable to receive a gift that I know wasn’t bought for me. But I also understand that the gift is perfectly good, it just lacks the special meaning of being picked out by a friend. There are many occasions in Chinese culture when gifts are necessary. There are traditional items such as tea, cigarettes and liquor which seem fine to regift. These gifts are not personal and have no special meaning. But is it really proper to give someone something that was never bought for them in the first place?

68．This article is written to          .

       A．praise some customs in China               B．question a social practice

       C．show how to regift                              D．tell an embarrassing story

69．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

       A．Americans often regift things on holidays.

       B．Regifting can hardly be seen in China.

       C．It is comfortable to be seen to regift in America.

       D．It is acceptable to regift some traditional items in China.

70．The second paragraph is mainly about         in the USA.

       A．giving fruitcakes                                  B．regifting

       C．checking the wrapping of gifts              D．Christmas tradition

71．The author thinks it really uncomfortable to receive           .

       A．an expensive gift from a close friend      B．a gift given again by a friend

       C．some items such as tea and cigarettes    D．a box of mooncakes from Hong Kong

“Dinning out” and “eating out” are phrases people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or pub（小酒馆）. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than it has ever been. In 2006, for the first time ever, British people spent more eating out than cooking for themselves and eating at home. It seems that many British people are becoming increasingly interested in how good their food tastes, and also how healthy it is.
However, eating out can also be expensive. As British people do not eat out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going on a first date and wanting to impress him/ her , or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant to eat, and people often also eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theater.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette(礼仪) surrounding food and eating. The knife and fork should be used in the correct way! It is also impolite to have your elbows(肘部) on the dinning table when you are eating.
Almost all British cities have a vast range of food as well as traditional British food, and all from the very cheap to the very expensive---French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Greek, Thai, Japan and many, many more. In fact, when asked which was their favorite food, more British people said an Indian curry(咖喱菜肴) than any other dish !
As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “take-away”. This means that they order from a take-out restaurant by telephone, and then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many take-out restaurants also deliver it your house. While you can normally find a take-out restaurant for almost any food, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese and then all of you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat !
【小题1】On which of the following occasions are British people likely to eat in a restaurant ?