Like most English children, I learned foreign languages at school. When I made my first visit to the United States, I was sure I could have a nice and easy holiday without any language problem. But how wrong I was!

At the American airport, I was looking for a public telephone to tell my friend Danny that I had arrived. An American asked if he could help me. “Yes,” I said, “I want to give my friend a ring.”

“Well, that’s nice. Are you getting married?” he asked.

“No,” I replied, “I just want to tell him I have arrived.”

“Oh,” he said, “there is a phone downstairs on the first floor.”

“But we’re on the first floor now,” I said.

“Well, I don’t know what you are talking about. Maybe you aren’t feeling too well after your journey,” he said. “Just go and wash up, and you will feel a lot better.” And he went off, leaving me wondering where on earth I was: At home we wash up after a meal to get the cups and plates clean. How can I wash up at an airport?

At last we did meet. Danny explained the misunderstanding: Americans say “to give someone a call”, but we English say “to give somebody a ring”. When we say “to wash your hands”, they say “to wash up”. And Englishmen start numbering from the ground floor so the first floor is the second for Americans.

1.The writer went to America by __________.

A. plane B. ship C. bus D. train

2.The writer went to America for __________.

A. education B. business

C. holiday D. friendship

3.The American thought “a ring” should be a __________.

A. phone call B. present

C. person D. letter

4. Englishmen usually wash up __________.

A. after dinner B. after a journey

C. when they are tired D. before they telephone someone

5. The third floor in England is the __________ floor in America.

A. first B. second C. third D. fourth

 

Where do you think people will live in the future? Can you predict people will work and live in the sea? But how will people go to work then? By submarine!

Some scientists believe that some day submarines will be as many as today’s cars. A famous French driver says, “ One day, man will work on the ocean floor as they do on the street!”

If people want to live in the sea, they have to solve a lot of problems first. Some of these problems, similar to those of living on the moon, are lack of oxygen (缺氧) and weightlessness (失重). Many questions are hard to answer. For example, what will happen to our bodies if we live in the sea for a very long time? Scientists are looking for answers.

Maybe in 50 years man will be able to live in the sea, away from the crowded and noisy cities on land. Man will find it fun and interesting to live in the sea. And life in the sea is more comfortable. Don’t you think so?

1. Maybe people in the future will __________ to work on the ocean floor.

A. drive a car B. take a bus

C. take a submarine D. swim

2. People have to _________ first before living in the sea.

A. build houses B. learn to swim

C. learn to drive the submarine D. solve some problems

3. What problem will people have if they live in the sea?

A.They will have difficulty in breathing.

B.They will become quite short.

C.They will feel cold.

D.They will feel tired.

4. The writer thinks living in the sea is _________ than living on land.

A. more comfortable B. less comfortable

C. easier D. more crowded

5. Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A.There are also some problems for people to solve if they want to live on the moon.

B.The sea is noisy and crowded for man to live in.

C.Some of the problems are very hard to solve.

D.Some scientists believe submarines will be popular in the future.

 

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