Good technique in medicine means less pain and fewer deaths; __________, it is our duty to master it.

      A. thus           B. therefore           C. otherwise             D. however

The president , along with his bodyguards, _______ rushed away from the stadium.

   A. is           B. was              C. were          D. are

When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car. Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation (住所). I suggested that they should stay at ‘bed and breakfast’ houses, because this kind of accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family. My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories.

    “We didn’t stay at bed and breakfast houses,” they said, “because we found that most families were away on holiday.”

    I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke little English, and they thought ‘VACANCIES’ meant ‘holidays’, because the Spanish word for ‘holidays’ is ‘vacaciones’. So they did not go to house where the sign outside said ‘VACANCLES’, which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to house where the sign said ‘NO VACANCLES’, because they thought this meant the people who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels!

    We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In Spanish, the word ‘DIVERSION’ means fun. In English, it means that workmen are repairing the road, and that you must take a different road. When my friends saw the word ‘DIVERSION’ on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun. Instead, the road ended in a large hold.

    English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris, when someone offered me some more coffee, I said “Thank you” in French. I meant that I would like some more. However, to my surprise, the coffee pot was taken away! Later I found out that “Thank you” in French means “No, thank you.”

My Spanish friends wanted advice about ______.

  A. learning English                         B. finding places to stay in England

  C. driving their car on English roads           D. going to England by car

‘NO VACANCIES’ in English means ______.

  A. no free rooms          B. free rooms      C. not away on holiday    D. holidays

When someone offered me more coffee and I said “Thank you” in French, I ______.

  A didn’t really want any more coffee           B. wanted them to take the coffee pot away

  C. really wanted some more coffee             D. wanted to express my politeness

I was surprised when the coffee pot was taken away because I ______.

  A. hadn’t finished drinking my coffee          B. was expecting another cup of coffee

  C. meant that I didn’t want any more           D. was never misunderstood

Almost every day we come across situations in which we have to make decisions one way or another. Choice, we are given to believe, is a right. But for a good many people in the world in rich and poor countries, choice is a luxury, something wonderful but hard to get, not a right. And for those who think they are exercising their right to make choices, the whole system is merely an illusion, a false idea created by companies and advertiser, hoping to sell their products.

The endless choice gives birth to anxiety in people’s lives. Buying something as basic as a coffee pot is not exactly simple. Easy access to a wide range of everyday goods leads to a sense of powerlessness in many people, ending in the shopper giving up and walking away, or just buying an unsuitable item(商品) that is not really wanted. Recent studies in England have shown that many electrical goods bought in almost every family are not really needed. More difficult decision-making is then either avoided or trusted into the hands of the professionals, lifestyle instructors, or advisors.

It is not just the availability of the goods that is the problem, but the speed with which new types of products come on the market. Advances in design and production help quicken the process. Products also need to have a short lifespan so that the public can be persuaded to replace them within a short time. The typical example is computers, which are almost out-of-date once they are bought. This indeed makes selection a problem. Gone are the days when one could just walk with ease into a shop and buy one thing; no choice, no anxiety.

What does the author try to argue in Paragraph 1?

A. The exercise of rights is a luxury.

B. The practice of choice is difficult.

C. The right of choice is given but at a price.

D. Choice and right exist at the same time.

Why do more choices of goods give rise to anxiety?

A. Professionals find it hard to decide on a suitable product.

B. People are likely to find themselves overcome by business persuasion.

C. Shoppers may find themselves lost in the broad range of items.

D. Companies and advertisers are often misleading about the rage of choice.

By using computers as an example, the author wants to prove that _______.

A. advanced products meet the needs of people

B. products of the latest design flood the market

C. competitions are fierce in high-tech industry

D. everyday goods need to be replaced often

What is this passage mainly about?

A. The variety of choices in modern society.

B. The opinions on people’s right in different countries

C. The Problems about the availability of everyday goods.

D. The helplessness in purchasing decisions

Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.

Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.

Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.

Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.

People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.

In some countries, eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to _______.

     A. develop closer relations               B. share the same culture

     C. get to know each other                 D. keep each other company

The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _________.

     A. the English prefer to make long speeches               

B. too many words are of no use

     C. people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature

     D. even talk and silence can be culturally different

According to the text, how can people from different cultures understand each other better?

     A. By sharing different ways of life.       B. By accepting different habits.

     C. By recognizing different values.         D. By speaking each other' s languages.

What would be the best title for the text?

     A. Multicultural Environment.           B. Cross-Cultural Differences.

     C. How to Understand Each Other.        D. How to Build Up a Relationship.

Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills （读写能力）With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence （自信心） , according to Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ).

The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.

Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.

The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.

What is mainly discussed in the text?

A. Children’s reading difficulties.               B. Advantages of raising dogs.

C. Service in a public library.                    D. A special reading program.

Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think _______.

A. dogs are young children’s best friends

B. children can play with dogs while reading

C. dogs can provide encouragement for shy children

D. children and dogs understand each other

By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library_______.

A. uses dogs to attract children           B. accepts the idea put forward by ITA

C. has opened a children's department    D. has decided to train some dogs

A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _______.

A. a book used in Saturday classes         B. a book written by the children

C. a prize for the children                    D. a gift from parent

Have you realized the difficulty we have ____ the problem?

A. worked out       B. to work out  C. work out    D. working out

The child was ____to go fishing alone because it was dangerous .

A. allowed   B. required   C. forbidden   D. encouraged

I ____him to give up smoking, but I failed.  

A. preferred             B. hoped        C. advised         D. suggested

If we can        our present difficulties , then everything should be all right .

       A．come across    B．get over   C．come over       D．get off