I travel a lot, and I find out different "styles" (风格) of directions every time I ask “How can I get to
 the post office?"  
     Foreign tourists are often confused (困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in
 Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the 
Japanese will say to travelers, "Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a 
fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop."
     In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no 
mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead
 of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will 
say, "Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile."
     People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in 
time, not miles. "How far away is the post office?" you ask. "Oh," they answer, "it’s about five minutes
 from here." You say, "Yes, but how many miles away is it?" They don’t know.
     It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a
 situation? A new Yorker might say, "Sorry, I have no idea." But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers "I 
don’t know." People in Yucatan believe that "I don’t know" is impolite. They usually give an answer, 
often a wrong one.  A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!

1. When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.  

A. describe the place carefully
B. show him a map of the place   
C. tell him the names of the streets
D. refer to recognizable buildings and places

2. What is the place where people measure distance in time?    

A. New York.    
B. Los Angeles.  
C. Kansas.   
D. Iowa.

3. People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.    

A. in order to save time     
B. as a test    
C. so as to be polite     
D. for fun

4. What can we infer from the text?    

A. It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences.    
B. It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.    
C. People have similar understandings of politeness.    
D. New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.

     If you go to Juliano's restaurant in San Francisco, you can't get a cup of coffee or a hot cheese
sandwich.All the food in the restaurant is raw, including the pizza and the rice.
     Juliano thinks that cooked food makes us sick. "Food is alive, like you and me.When you cook food,
you take away some of the vitamins,"he says, Juliano never eats food that is over 50 degrees. His
restaurant doesn't have a stove (火炉) or a microwave (微波炉). But he has lots of clever ideas for
making raw food taste great. Instead of heat,Juliano uses water to prepare foood. He puts foods in wate
r to make them soft.For example, he places beans in water for a few days and rice in water for two or
four weeks.
     Everything at the restaurant is cold, and the pizza and the rice taste good.So do the fruit and vegetable
juices made from carrots , apples, oranges and so on. Juliano's restaurant doesn't serve meat,but some
people who cat raw food also eat raw meat.Juliano has three friends who ate raw meat.They all got very
sick.One of them is still sick.
     Juliano eats mostly fruits,vegetables, nuts, rice and beans. He says he feels very healthy. "Raw food
gives you lots of energy,"he says, Juliano says he needs only six hours of sleep a night,and he never gets
sick..

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. A man who eats only raw food.              
B. A special restaurant in San Francisco.
C. Raw food is better than cooked food.          
D. How to make raw food taste good.

2. How is the food in Juliano's restaurant prepared?

A. Foods are put into water to make them soft.
B. Foods are cooled in a fridge.
C. Foods are heated on a stove to a certain degree.
D. Foods are boiled and then cooled.

3. What is NOT served in Juliano's restaurant?

A. Carrot juice.        
B. Cold pizza.          
C. Raw rice.         
D. Hot meat.

     Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego(UCSD)
for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book,
"Versed".
     "I'm delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even
the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win," said Armantrout.
     "For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention,
suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising."
     Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied
with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master's in creative writing from San Francisco State
University. She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the
way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think.
      In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Versed."
     "This book has gotten more attention," Armantrout said, "but I don't feel as if it's better."
     The first half of  "Versed" focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the
war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after
Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
     Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not.
"Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry," said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at
UCSD.
     "Versed",  published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier
works, which is about 2,700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May.

1. According to Rae Armantrout, ____________.

A. her 10th book is much better
B. her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected
C. the media is surprised at her works
D. she likes being recognized by her readers

2. Which of the following is true of Rae Armantrout?

A. She published a poetry textbook.            
B. She used to teach Denise Levertov.
C. She started a poets' group with others.        
D. She taught creative writing at UC Berkeley.

3. What can we learn about "Versed"?

A. It consists of three parts.                  
B. It is mainly about the American army.
C. It is a book published two decades ago.      
D. It partly concerns the poet's own life.

4. Rae Armantrout's colleagues think that she ____________.

A. should write more        
B. has a sweet voice
C. deserves the prize        
D. is a strange professor

5. What can we learn from the text?

A. About 2,700 copies of "Versed" will be printed.    
B. Cancer made Armantrout stop writing.
C. Armantrout got her degrees at UCSD.            
D. "Versed" has been awarded twice.

     Happy birthday! Do birthday really make people happy? Of course they do.Birthday celebrate the
day when we were born.Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggest another year of growth and
maturity (成熟)-or so we hope.We all like to imagine that we are getting wiser and not just older. Most
of us enjoy seeing the wonder of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and
learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a
wonderful process. But growing old? That is a different story.
     Growing old is not exactly for people in youth-oriented (以年轻人为中心) American culture. Most
Americans like to look young, act young and feel young.As the old saying goes, "You're young as you
feel." Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People
in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom.But Americans seem to favor
those that are young, or at least "young at heart".
     Many older Americans find the "golden years" to be anything but golden.Economically, "senior
citizens" often struggle just to get by. Retirement at the age of 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal
income.Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from
poor nutrition, medical care, and housing. Some even experience age discrimination(歧视).American
sociologist Pat Moore once dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets.She was often
treated rudely-even cheated and robbed.However, dressed as a young person, she received much more
respect.
     Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast.Why? People are living longer.
Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged "baby boomers" are rapidly entering the group of the
elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹)are "in".Marketing experts are ready noticing
this growing group of consumer.

1.We can infer from the second paragraph that       .

A. young people lack experience and wisdom
B. American older people often joke about their old age
C. American culture is very young
D. different countries have different opinions on the old age

3.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?

A. The golden years can make the old earn lots of money and receive good medical care.
B. The old in America are leading a hard life without good nutrition, medical care or housing.
C. The old in America have to retire at the age of 65.
D. American social security benefits are not good.

3.What does the underlined word "in" in the last paragraph mean?

A. serious              
B. cool
C. disappearing slowly
D. growing fast

4. According to this passage, which of the following statement is CORRECT?

A. The young are much more respected than the old in America.
B. The old are much more respected than the young in America.
C. Growing old makes people feel proud in America.
D. The young are often discriminated in America.

     Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself. Sometimes you'll
hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself. Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky. Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents and our Uncle Roberts thinks we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves. If you find that believing in
yourself is a challenge, it is time you build a positive self-image and learn to love yourself.
     Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself. This image includes the way you look, the way you
act, the way you talk and the way you think. Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different form
the images others hold about us. Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should
be. Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and you whole world.
The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes. That is,
make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day. Don't allow doubts to
occur in it.
      It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one
flaw or weakness that you see about yourself. Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your
primary task. If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor. If you think you're
weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice. If you think you're dull because you
don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes. But remember, just because you think it doesn't mean
it's true.
     The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far form objective, and
to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities. Changing the way you think and working on those
you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image. When you can pat
yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way. Good luck!

1. You need to build a positive self-image when you ______.

A. dare to challenge yourself
B. feel it hard to change yourself
C. are unconfident about yourself
D. have a high opinion of yourself

2. According to the passage, our self-images ______.

A. have positive effects
B. are often changeable
C. are probably untrue
D. have different functions

3. How should you change your self-image according to the passage?

A. To keep a different image of others.
B. To make your life successful.
C. To understand your own world.  
D. To change the way you think.

4. The passage is mainly about how to ______.

A. prepare for your success
B. face challenges in your life
C. build a positive self-image
D. develop your good qualities