British people pride themselves on their polite manners towards one another in public. They often use the word ‘sorry’—even when they don’t really mean it! Usually, if they want to ask a stranger for the time, they would start by saying ‘Sorry to bother you. Do you know what time it is?’ If they’re five minutes late for an appointment (约会), they would generally greet the person by saying ‘Sorry I’m late!’

They use the word ‘sorry’ in so many different situations that the meaning of the word has changed a little over time. The two main dictionary definitions (释义) of ‘sorry’ are: 1) feeling sad for someone else because of their problems or bad luck; 2) feeling regret because you’ve done something wrong. Now, think about this. Normally, when they want to ask a stranger a question, they start with ‘Sorry to bother you’. In this situation, they aren’t saying sorry because they feel sad for that person or because they feel regret.

So what does ‘sorry’ really mean? And why do British people use it so much? Well, in the British culture, saying ‘sorry’ is a way to be polite, especially to people who they don’t know very well. It’s also a very clever way to get what they want. In a recent experiment, an actor went up to a different strangers on a rainy day to ask if he could use their mobile phones in order to make a call. When he went up to one group of strangers and asked them without saying ‘sorry’ first, he was only 9 per cent successful in borrowing their phones. However, when he said ‘sorry’ to another group of strangers about the bad weather before asking if he could use their mobile phones, he was 47 per cent successful. So maybe saying ‘sorry’ is not just being polite, but it is also a good method to get what they want too!

Today, there are plenty of opportunities(机会) to get to know people from other c1.. Don’t just stare at your shoes, go and say “Hi”. These ice-breakers will help you get through the embarrassing（尴尬的）moments:

British: “Beautiful day, isn’t it?” The w2. in Britain is unpredictable (不可预测的), so, it’s one of the topics the British talk a lot about. And there’s a s3. rule about weather conversation: just say, “Yes” whether you agree with the person’s idea on the weather or not. That’s because the British s4. a conversation using the weather so that they can find common ground and move on to something else.

French: “Where did you go o5. holiday?” To get close to a French student, the safest way is to ask about his or her l6. holiday. French students enjoy a 10-to-15-day holiday every two months. And the French are famous for their conversations over a cup of coffee. Then, all you need to do is keep your ears o7. when the conversation starts.

American: “What do you like to do on the weekends?” Young American people like to use weekends to relax and have f8.. They go to see movies, visit friends’ houses or go shopping. So s9. “What did/will you do on the weekend?” is a good way to turn the conversation on and get to know more about some of your new f10..

在八年级即将结束之际，八(1)班将举行一次主题班会，要求同学们谈谈一年来自己的收获与变化。请为David准备一份英文演讲稿，具体内容如下：

注意：

1、表达中必须包含所给要点，可以适当发挥，不要简单翻译；

2、词数100左右，开头和结尾均已给出，不计入总词数；

3、表达中请勿出现真实校名及姓名。

Hello, everyone. I’m David from Class 1, Grade 8. Back to the life in the last year, I think I have changed a lot and made great progress in many ways.

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Thanks for listening!

A Seeing Eye dog is very special. One________thing about having a Seeing Eye dog is the you can go anywhere in the city safely.

I live in Barcelona, Spain. It's a big________, and there are many cars, but my dog Terra goes everywhere________me and doesn't let me get hit by a car. Terra also guides me to walk safely in the subway.

I have a baby boy, so another good thing is that my dog watches out for_______ , too. I can put the baby in his stroller, and Terra makes sure we are________okay. I have had Terra for ten years, and I'm happy to have it.

1.A. small B. good C. bad D. unusual

2.A. mountain B. village C. city D. room

3.A. like B. for C. behind D. with

4.A. him B. us C. them D. her

5.A. all B. both C. still D. just

Once a gentleman was traveling in a train. He felt ______ and got down at a station to look for some water. But when he got to the water tap, the train had started. He ran back but ______ the train.

It was getting late and he decided to spend the night at the station. The next morning he asked about the next ______ . He came to know that the next train was on the other day. So he decided to find a place for a day's stay It was getting ______ and he could not find a place near the station.

At last he reached a small village Ile asked a villager ______ he could stay in his house for a night. The villager agreed. The villager cooked him food and ______ him a room to stay. But he did not ask for anything in return.

At seven in the evening, the gentleman heard a knock at the door, The villager opened the door. It was a ______ man in black. He asked the man to pay his debts (债务).

The next morning, the gentleman ______ some money on the bed. When the villager found the money, he also found a note. It said: "You ______ me but didn't want any pay from me.

Yesterday I heard the conversation between you and the rich man. I knew that you were in need of ____ . This is what you need."

1.A. hungry B. thirsty C. tired D. busy

2.A. caught B. missed C. got D. saw

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

4.A. dark B. clean C. dirty D. quiet

5.A. and B. or C. if D. but

6.A. gave B. built C. had D. bought

7.A. poor B. rich C. ugly D. nice

8.A. forgot B. remembered C. left D. borrowed

9.A. cooked B. taught C. talked D. helped

10.A. food B. money C. time D. house

12).

Friendship Restaurant

We have different kinds of Japanese food here. The food menu is in Japanese and Chinese. All the waiters and waitresses can speak at least one foreign language.

Tel: 312--9997

Time:11:30 am-10:00 pm

Friendship Restaurant

We have different kinds of Japanese food here. The food menu is in Japanese and Chinese. All the waiters and waitresses can speak at least one foreign language.

Tel: 312--9997

Time:11:30 am-10:00 pm

Volunteer Project

Maybe you want to help others but don't know how. Then the Volunteer Project will help you. Here you will get the best idea of volunteering.

Call 822--5566 to join it.

There once lived a rich businessman who had a lazy son. The businessman wanted his son to realize the value of labor.

One day, he told his son, “Today, I want you to earn something. If you fail, you won't have your meal tonight.”

The boy didn't want to find a job, so he asked his mother for help. She gave him a gold coin. In the evening, when the father asked his son what he had earned, the son showed him the gold coin. The father then asked him to throw it into the well (水井). The son did as he was told.

The father guessed that the gold was from the boy's mother. The next day, he sent his wife to her parents' home and asked his son to earn something. Since no one helped him, the son had to go to the market to look for a job. A shopkeeper told him that he would pay him a coin if he carried heavy tools for him. The son accepted. As he returned home and gave the coin to his father. he was asked to throw it into the well. The boy cried, "Dad! My body is aching. I'm tired. How are you asking me to throw my hard-carned coin into a well?"

The businessman smiled. He told his son that one feels pain only when the fruits of labor are wasted. The son realized the value of hard work. He promised not to be lazy any more.

1.Who helped the son when he was asked to earn something for the first time?

A. His father.

B. His mother.

C. His sister.

D. The shopkeeper.

2.The underlined word "aching" has the similar meaning with "_________".

A. painful

B. hopeful

C. helpful

D. powerful

3.Why did the father ask the boy to throw his coin into the well?

A. To fill the well.

B. To check if the coin is real.

C. To keep the coin for the boy.

D. To check if the boy had earned the coin by himself.

4.How did the son feel when his father asked him to throw the coin into the well again?

A. Surprised

B. Sad

C. Excited

D. Relaxed

5.The story is mainly about ________.

A. a wise father

B. a gold coin

C. the fruits of labor

D. a lazy boy

People read books less often in these days. With the invention of radio, television and most recently, the Internet and computer games, it seems that reading books is no longer a popular activity. However, I believe that books are an important part of our lives.

Books offer an outstanding wealth of learning and at a cheaper price than taking a course. Books can make people cleverer, because heavy readers have greater knowledge of how things work and who or what people were.

Everything in today’s society requires reading. Imagine trying to do something as simple as reading the directions on a medicine bottle without good reading skills. Someone could not understand them and become very sick or even die.

Even something as simple as walking or driving through the city could become very dangerous without enough reading. Sometimes, you must be able to understand what is written and explain the meaning of them.

Some people say that reading is a waste of time and we can do better things with our time. Even if we don't read books, we still read every day, and reading books can strengthen (加强) our abilities. Reading is one of the greatest things we can do in our spare time.

With a book, you can travel anywhere you want, do anything you want, and talk to anyone you want. Reading is very important in our lives, no matter your age. So I think people should read books.

1.What activity is less popular these days than before?

A. Reading a book.

B. Listening to the radio.

C. Watching TV.

D. Surfing the Internet.

2.We can learn from the second paragraph that _______.

A. reading can improve your memory

B. reading can make you interesting and attractive

C. reading can make you smarter

D. reading can reduce stress

3.The underlined word "them" in the third paragraph refers to ________.

A. the books they are reading

B. the directions on a medicine bottle

C. the good reading skills

D. the words a doctor tells a sick person

4.Some people disagree to read books because they think _________.

A. walking in the city also needs reading skills

B. driving along the road is dangerous

C. reading books is very helpful for our abilities

D. reading books just wastes their time

5.The best title of the passage can be _________.

A. People Should Enjoy Themselves

B. How We Improve Reading Skills

C. Why People Should Read Books

D. What We Love Doing in Spare Time

Different weather makes people feel different. It influences health, intelligence (智力) and feelings.

In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is very hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in these states have more heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.

The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a scientific report, IQ (智商) of a group of students was very high when a very strong wind came, but after the strong wind, their IQ was 10% below. The wind can help people have more intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand (另一方面), can make it lower. Students in many schools of the United States often get worse on exams in the hot months of the year (July and August).

Weather also has a strong influence on people's feelings. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel unhappy during cold weather. But fat people may have a hard time in hot summer. At about 18 ℃, people become stronger.

Low air pressure (气压) may make people forgetful People leave more bags on buses and in shops on low-pressure days. There is a "good weather" for health. People feel best at a temperature

of about I8℃.

Are you feeling sad, tired, forgetful, or unhappy today? It may be the weather's problem.

1.What kind of weather can have a bad effect (影响) on health?

A. Hot and wet weather.

B. Good weather.

C. Warm weather.

D. High intelligence.

2.When may people have more intelligence?

A. When a rain comes.

B. When very hot weather comes.

C. When a strong wind comes.

D. When low air pressure comes.

3.How may low air pressure make people feel?

A. Forgetful.

B. Sad.

C. Angry.

D. Tired.

4.What will happen to people in "good weather" of I8℃?

A. People are very forgetful.

B. People can’t do their work well.

C. Thin people feel cold.

D. People are in better health.

5.What does the writer want to tell us?

A. Hot and cold weather influences all people in the same way.

B. Weather influences people's lives.

C. IQ never changes during weather changes.

D. There is a good kind of weather for people's work and health.

第一节 根据汉语提示,用单词的正确形式填空,每空一词,并将答案写在答题卡上相应的位置。

1.Jane would like to live on the __________ (第十二) floor.

2.Monkeys cat meat, ________ (树叶) fruit and even eggs.

3.In some places, it isn't ________ (有礼貌的) to look at people when you talk.

4.Millie lives on a healthy diet. She ______ (很少) has sweet snacks.

5.It ______ (闻起来) so strong that I don' t like it at all.

6.You will be heavily_________ (惩罚) if you don' t obey these rules.

7.-- Where is your father?

-- He has already ________ (飞) to Beijing.

8.-- When will our school sports meeting be held?

-- It will be held on ______ (十一月)10th.

9.The restaurant is open every day _______ (除了) Monday.

10.Danniel did the exercises too _______ (粗心地), and it made his teacher angry.