When you are about to do something brave, a cheerful wish of “Good luck!” from a friend can be helpful. But if you think you need lots of luck, what else might you do?
In the UK and US there are some strange traditions for bringing yourself a little more good luck. Some are hundreds of years old and some are much newer.
Have you heard the saying “When you wish upon a star”? If you are looking up at the sky on a clear night and you see a sudden flash of light, it is probably a shooting star! Seeing one doesn’t happen very often. The saying goes that if you see one you have been very lucky, and so if you make a wish, it will come true.
Maybe you have heard of the lucky rabbit’s foot. Some people believe that rabbits are lucky animals, so they carry a part of the rabbit, its foot, for good luck. There are all kinds of strange, unclear rules about which of the rabbit’s feet is the luckiest. It is said that this good luck tradition is the oldest one of all. However, as the funny saying goes, “Depend on the rabbit’s foot if you will, but remember it didn’t work for the rabbit!”
People in Britain love trees. If it is autumn and leaves are falling from the trees, some people try to catch the leaves as they fall because they think each leaf they catch will bring them a lucky month in the following year—they will need to catch 12 falling leaves to have a whole of good luck!
【小题1】______ is mentioned in the oldest good luck tradition.

A.A rabbit’s foot
B.A falling leaf
C.A cheerful wish from friends
D.A shooting star
【小题2】From Paragraph 3, we know that ______.
A.shooting stars can often be seen
B.people can see a shooting star on a rainy night
C.your wish may come true if you see a shooting star
D.people believe that it’s unlucky to see a shooting star
【小题3】British people try to catch 12 falling leaves because ______.
A.the leaves fall in autumn
B.there are so many leaves to catch
C.the leaves can bring them a lucky month
D.they want to have a whole year of good luck
【小题4】In Paragraph 5, the underlined word “them” refers to(指)______.
A.treesB.peopleC.leavesD.years
【小题5】The passage is mainly about ______.
A.how to wish upon a star
B.things that bring good luck
C.British people love leaves
D.which of the rabbit’s feet is the luckiest

Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English? How important are these differences?

Certainly, there are some differences between British and American English. There are a few differences in grammar. For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you got a pen?” while Americans say “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?”. Pronunciation is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the “r” in words like “bird “and “hurt”. Some speakers of British English do not sound the “r” in these words. There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour” and “honour” are British, while “color” and “honor” are American.

These differences in grammar, pronunciation, spelling, and vocabulary are not important, however. For the most part, British and American English are the same language.

1.Are there many differences in grammar between British and American English?

A.There are few differences between them.

B.There are many differences between them.

C.There are some differences between them.

D.There are great differences between them.

2.Americans don’t say “Have you got a pen.” do they?

A.Yes, they do.       B.Yes, they don’t.    C.No. they don’t.    D.Sorry, they do .

3.Who says “ in hospital ”? Who says “ in the hospital ”?

A.Americans say “ in the hospital ” while Englishmen say “ in hospital ”.

B.Americans say “ in hospital ” while Englishmen say “in the hospital ”

C.Both Americans and Englishmen say “ in the hospital ”

D.They are the same .

4.From the article we can know____.

A.American English is better than British English.

B.it’s not so difficult for a British English speaker to understand American English.

C.the spelling of “color” is wrong while the spelling of “colour” is right.

D.British English is better than American English.

5.What’s the main idea of the article?

A.We should learn both American English and British English.

B.British and American English are two different languages.

C.Speakers of British and Americans speak the same language.

D.We should learn other languages .

 

British English and American English

A student is studying British English. He wonders: Can I have a talk with Americans? Can they catch me? Learners of English often ask--what are the differences between British English and American English? How important are these differences?

Certainly, there are some differences between British English and American English. There are a few differences in grammar(语法). For example, speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you a pen?” Americans “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?” Pronunciation (发音) is sometimes different. Americans usually sound the “r” in words like “car”and “farm”. Some speakers of British English do not sound the “r” in these words. There are differences between British English and American English in spelling and vocabulary. For example, “colour”and “honour” are British English spellings. “Color” and “honor” are American English spellings.

These differences are in grammar, pronunciation, spelling and vocabulary. However, they are not important. For the most part, British English and American English are the same language.

1.In American English, we can say, “      ? ”

A.Have you a new book

B.Do you have a new book

C.Are you have a new book

D.Can you to have a new book

2.Between British English and American English, sometimes pronunciation is        .

A.poor             B.different          C.high              D.short

3.In American English, the word “favourite”can be spelt      .

A.favoruite          B.favurite           C.favorite           D.favrite

4.Englishmen say “in hospital”, while Americans say        .

A.at the hospital                          B.in the hospital

C.by hospital                            D.to hospital

5.The main idea of the passage is that                  .

A.there are no differences between British English and American English

B.British English and American English are two different languages

C.speakers of British English and American English speak the same language

D.we shouldn't speak English

 

阅读下面短文,根据所读内容,在文章后小题的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意:每个空格只填一个单词。

It seems school children all over the world complain about their school food. Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that she would prepare a packed lunch for her son if school dinners do not improve. So what do students of your age eat for lunch at school?

Japan

High schools have canteens, which serve everything from noodles to rice, but not burgers and chips. Other children bring food from home such as cold rice balls, meat or fish, pickles(泡菜) and vegetables.

Students take home a menu for the coming month containing notes on nutrition value. Twice a year parents are invited to have a taste of the food. The class with the fewest leftovers(剩饭) at the end of the month receives a prize.

United States

A typical menu from a US school is made up of a hamburger with fried potatoes or roast chicken, lettuce and pickles, fruit and cookies. School lunches must also provide at least one-third of the daily dietary allowances(定量) of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories.

Australia

Meat pies, sausage rolls and hot dogs are all traditional dishes in Australian school shops. But as the nation pays more attention to children’s health, healthier foods have started to find their way onto school menus.

Many schools have used a traffic light system. The sale of red-labelled foods, including pastries, chocolate and soft drinks, is served only twice a week. Healthier green-labelled foods such as sushi, sandwiches, corn and watermelon, however, are available every day.

In some schools, students have a choice of up to 89 foods to choose from, including popcorn and rice.

South Africa

Most of South Africa’s schools do not serve meals at all. Classes end at 1:30 pm and students get their own lunches. Many students bring food from home, usually sandwiches.

Fast food and fried food sell the best among students, which has led to a rise in obesity among children. But as more people began to realize the fact that being too fat may cause different diseases, some schools in towns have led the way towards better nutrition(营养). Now students at these schools are provided with lunches of porridge with vegetables, such as cabbages, onions, beans, carrots and tomatoes.

Schools serve different foods in different   1   .

Japan

In high schools, children can buy everything, such as noodles and rice. But they can’t buy burgers and   2   from canteens.

Some children   3   food from their homes.

The class will get a prize if they have the   4   leftovers in a   5   .

United States

Children can get   6   of daily nutrition from their lunch at school.

   7 

School shops   8   students with traditional dishes.

The sale of green-labelled foods is served every day,   9   Red-labelled foods are sold once a week.

South Africa

Students like eating fast food and fried food so that they are overweight.

Students in some schools in towns can eat vegetables to   10    fit.

 

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