Cars are very popular in America. When the kids are fourteen years old. They dream of having their own ____1___. Many students work after school to ___2___ a car. In most places ____3___ people learn to drive in high school. They have to take a ___4____ test to get a license. Learning to drive and getting a driver’s ___5___ may be one of the most exciting things in their lives. For many, that piece of paper is an important symbol(象征)that they are now grown-ups.
Americans seem to love their cars almost more than anything else. People almost never go to see a doctor when they are ____6_____. But they will take ____7____ cars to a “hospital” at the smallest sign of a problem. At weekends, people ___8___ most of the time in washing and waxing(打蜡) their cars. For some families it is not enough to have ___9___ car. They often have two or even three. Husbands need a car to go to work. Housewives need a car to go shopping or to take the children to school or ___10____ activities.  
（ ）1. A. cars     B. computers  C. bikes    D. houses
（ ）2. A. borrow  B. buy     C. lend     D. sell
（ ）3. A. old     B. tall      C. strong    D. young
（ ）4. A. language  B. listening  C. driving   D. body
（ ）5. A. address  B. book    C.name     D.license 
（ ）6. A. sick    B. healthy   C. pleased  D. angry
（ ）7. A. his     B. her      C. your     D. their
（ ）8. A. cost     B. take      C. spend     D. pay
（ ）9. A. no      B. one      C. some    D. several
（ ）10.A . other   B. another   C. others   D. else

As prices and building costs keep rising , the “do-it-yourself”(DIY) trend(趋势)in the USA continues to grow .
“We needed furniture for our living rooms ,” says John Ross , “and we just didn’t have enough money to buy it . So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs .” John got married six months ago , and like many young people these days , they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high .The Rosses took a 2-week course for $280 at a night school .Now they make all their furniture and repairs around the house .
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife has died .He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory .Last month, he received a car repair bill for $420 . “I was deeply upset about it .Now I’ve finished a car repair course .I should be able to fix the car by myself .”
John and Jim are not unusual people .Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a “do-it-yourself”, you can go to DIY classes .And for those who don’t have time to take a course, there are books that tell them how they can do things themselves.
小题1:We can learn from the passage that many newly married people ______ .

A．take DIY courses run by the government

B．have to learn to make their own furniture

C．find it hard to pay for what they need

D．seldom go to a supermarket to buy things

小题2:John and his wife went to evening classes to learn how to _______ .

A．run a DIY shop	B．save time and money
C．make or repair things	D．improve their life

小题3: When the writer says that Jim has a full-time job at home ,he means Jim___ .

A．makes shoes in his home	B．does extra work at night
C．repairs his own car at home	D．keeps house and looks after his children

小题4: Jim Hatfield decided to become a do-it-yourself when he found _____ .

A．his car repairs cost too much

B．the car repair class was not helpful

C．he could not possibly do two jobs

D．he had to raise the children all by himself

All over the world, people enjoy sports. Sports are good for people’s health. Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TV sets or may be online to watch.
Sports change with the seasons. People play different games in different seasons. Sometimes they play inside the room. Sometimes they play outside. We can find sports here and there. Some sports are rather interesting and people everywhere like them. Football, for example, is very popular in the world. People from different countries cannot understand each other, but after a game they often become very friendly to each other.
(    )6.Sports are good for _______.
A.the players       B.people’s health
C.the coaches       D.people who like sports
(    )7.If you like sports, you can _______.
A.buy tickets to watch the games    B. watch the games on TV
C. watch the games on the Internet  D.A、B and C
(    )8.People play _______ in different seasons.
A.the same game     B.different games
C.any games     D.all kinds of games
(    )9._______ is very popular in the world.
A.Table tennis  B.Baseball  C.Football      D.Skating
(    )10.From this passage we can see that _______ can become very friendly.
A.people from different countries all
B.people from the same country
C.people who do the same sports
D.after a game, people from different countries

Spain and Greece are now more popular than France or Italy. Travel to both places is cheaper in early summer. It is also cheaper to go by train than to go by plane, and it’s easier to get a ticket in May than in June, July or August.
Most people think that Greece is prettier. Others say Spain is hotter and more expensive. Certainly hotels in Spain are far more expensive than ones in Greece, but also they are more comfortable. Greece is much more interesting and it is far quieter than Spain.
Spain is nearer and one can get there more quickly. But Spain can be very crowded.
Some people feel that Greece is more beautiful, the air is cleaner and the sea is bluer. Also the food is simpler in Greece.
“Which Holiday?” prefers(推荐) Greece this summer, Greece is the better choice.
根据短文内容，判断正（T）误（F）。
小题1:Spain and Greece are now less  popular than France or Italy.
小题2:Hotels in Greece are much more expensive  than ones in  Spain.
小题3:People can get tickets more easily in  May.   
小题4: If you like too many people, you should go to Spain for vacation
小题5:“Which Holiday?” prefer people to go to France this summer.

Today is the last Saturday before Christmas. Almost everyone in the USA  31  shopping for presents.   32 is falling and people are walking fast. They are trying   33  warm as they move from shop to shop. Inside the shops the children are   34  at the toys and talking to a man called Father Christmas. He is asking them what they want for Christmas.
In the USA it is warm and beautiful in summer, the trees and fields are green then. But now it is winter and   35 is white. The white snow is as almost   36  as Father Christmas.
At   37  there are different colours. Thousands of lights decorate(装饰)the houses and buildings of every town. These bright red, green, blue, orange and yellow lights help to make Christmas a beautiful   38  of year.
Christmas Day always begins    39   breakfast. The children wake up very early and can’t wait to open the   40  from their parents. Then they wake their parents up calling  "Merry Christmas! "

小题1:	A．go B．goes C．went D．going

小题2:	A．Snow B．Rain C．Leaf D．Kite

小题3:	A．kept B．keeping C．keeps D．to keep

小题4:	A．seeing B．looked C．looking D．saw

小题5:	A．everything B．nothing C．anything D．some things

小题6:	A．interested B．thin C．welcome D．strong

小题7:	A．evening B．night C．morning D．afternoon

小题8:	A．time’s B．times’ C．times D．time

小题9:A, before        B. at           C. from          D. in
小题10:A. doors        B. presents        C, windows       D. books

Walking in the street in the USA or the UK, you can often hear people talking about the weather. "Lovely day, isn’t it?" "It’s cold, isn’t it?" and so ox
Americans and English people like talking about the weather. This makes lots of Chinese puzzled（困惑）. But they talk about the weather not only because the weather there changes a lot, but also they do not like to talk with others about private things like age, family and income. Stay with strangers, people all like talking about the weather, then they can talk about other things naturally（自然）. They think if you like spring, you have a warm heart; if you like summer, you have a great will; if you like autumn, you have abundant feeling（丰富的感情）；if you like winter, you have a vast mind（广阔的胸怀）．
小题1:What is the Chinese meaning of ‘private’?

A．私人的

B．公共的

C．未知的

D．不感兴趣的

小题2:Why do Americans and English people like talking about the weather?

A．Because the weather there is changeable.

B．Because they do not like to talk about private things.

C．Because then they can talk about other things naturally.

D．Both A and B

小题3:Which is NOT true?

A．If you like spring, you like to help others.

B．A lot of Chinese don’t know why the English people like talking about the weather.

C．The weather often changes in UK,

D．English people will talk about their ages with the strangers.

What is a library for? Most libraries have books and other things to read. Many of them  have things to listen to. Some libraries even have computers. Very few people would think of a library as a place to live in.
One library in New York City turned into(变成)a home for 250 people for a few days. These were all people near the library. They slept on the floor. Why did the people move into the library?
The people moved into the library because the city wanted to close it to save money. These 250 New Yorkers loved their library. They didn’t want to lose it. So they moved in. They knew that the library couldn’t be closed if they were living inside it. At last the city agreed to keep the library open, and the people all went home.
(   )11. Where did the story happen?_________.
A. In New York City.                 B. In a school in New York City.
C. In the streets in New York City.      D. In most libraries in New York City.
(   )12. The library had hundreds of ___________.
A. workers in it                      B. policemen in it
C. people living in it                  D. computers in it
(   )13. The people in the story _______________.
A. were all the workers in the library     B. were all people near the library
C. didn’t read any books               D. wanted to buy some computers
(   )14. Why did 250 people move into the library? Because_____________.
A. these people wanted to save money
B. these people needed places to live in
C. the library was very quiet
D. they loved the library and they didn’t want to lose it
(   )15. From the passage we know that ___________.
A. the library was kept open at last
B. the library was closed because no one read in it
C. the library became a home of these people
D. the city saved a lot of money

Americans can travel almost anywhere they choose. But to protect (保护) its people, the government lists a few dangerous places where Americans cannot go. These places are unfriendly countries or countries at war. There, the travelers might not be safe. These countries are listed in a small book called a passport (护照).
This passport is for the safety of its traveling people. It is also a government’s pledge (保证) that the people will follow the rules of the host country. To receive a passport from the government, a traveler must show that he is an American citizen (公民). An American cannot go abroad without a passport. Only the close countries such as Canada and Mexico do not ask for passports. The traveler’s picture is inside the passport. Children traveling with their parents are also in one parent’s book.
Thousands of people from the United States visit other countries every year. An American traveler might carry plane tickets, money, clothing and many other things. But the most important thing that he carries in another country is his passport.
小题1:Why does a traveler need a passport?

A．It helps to protect the people.	B．It helps to know where he will go.
C．He needs to take pictures often.	D．He needs to carry more when he travels.

小题2:A passport is not needed when an American goes to       .

A．European countries

B．Dangerous areas

C．Canada or Mexico

D．Russia and China

小题3:We believe       .

A．some countries don’t ask for passports	B．people should look after their passports
C．money is more important than a passport	D．children are never in a passport

小题4:We can know from the text that       .

A．Americans travel abroad a lot	B．a traveler is not safe in most countries
C．children can’t travel abroad	D．Americans abroad only need a passport

We recycle(回收利用）rubbish, so why not language? Recycling language means using vocabulary that you have learnt before again and again. However, unlike rubbish that piles up(堆积)in our environment. if we do not recycle language, we simply forget it. So how do you recycle language?
There are basically three ways to do it. The first is through reading. Go back to your favourite articles and read them once more. Just reread them and do not worry about each vocabulary item. If there are some that you are not sure about, make a guess and you will probably guess right. The second way to recycle is through writing. Look at some of your favourite articles and write either a short paragraph or a few sentences in your own words. After you have done this a few times, go back and read through what you have written, checking vocabulary functions. Don’t worry if you have made mistakes. That’s how you learn. The third way to recycle language is by having an imaginary chat with yourself about your favourite articles at home. You can pretend there is someone with you who speaks English and tell him what you are thinking about or how you feel.
(     )12. According to the passage, recycling language means ______.
A. repeating vocabulary at times    B. revising vocabulary at a proper time
C. learning new vocabulary as much as possible
D. using vocabulary that we have learnt very often
(     )13. If we recycle language, it may ______.
A. be kept in our mind                   B. be forgotten easily
C. pile up in our environment            D. disappear from our mind soon
(     )14. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in recycling language?
A. Reading.        B. Listening.       C. Writing.        D. Speaking.
(     )15. Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?
A. Why to Recycle Language              B. How to Learn Vocabulary
C. How to Recycle Language              D. Why to Learn Vocabulary

In the United States, sixteen, eighteen, and twenty-one are important ages in a person’s life. There are no special celebrations for these birthdays, but each is a time when a person can do new things to mark their transition(转变) into adulthood.
After turning sixteen a person can work, get a driver’s license and leave home. Many high school students learn to drive and get part-time jobs soon after celebrating their sixteenth birthday.
At the age of eighteen a person in the United States can vote and smoke, but they are prohibited from going into nightclubs, buying wine or gambling(赌博) until they are twenty-one.
In many Latin(拉丁的) cultures, a young woman’s fifteenth birthday is important. At this age, she is regarded as an adult. To mark this special day, families with teenage daughters have a celebration called a Quinceanera. The day begins with the young woman and her family going to church. Later, there is a party and many guests are invited.
In Japan, young people became adults at twenty. At this age, they can legally(合法地) vote, drink wine and smoke. The second Monday in January is a national holiday called “Coming of Age Day”. On this day, twenty-year-old celebrates by first going to church to pray with their families. Later, they listen to speeches given by city and school leaders. Afterward, they may celebrate with family or friends late into the night.
In some countries, birthday celebrations continue through adulthood. Some people celebrate their fortieth and fiftieth birthdays, or their retirement(退休) year, with a huge party.
小题1: In the United States, age sixteen marks the time when you can ___________.

A．vote and drive

B．drive and get a job

C．drink wine and smoke

D．go into nightclubs

小题2:Which of the following is not the turning point in a person life in the USA?

A．The 15th birthday.

B．The 16th birthday.

C．The 18th birthday.

D．The 21st birthday.

小题3:What is the meaning of the word “prohibit”?

A．允许

B．禁止

C．终止

D．停止