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Once there was a piano player in a bar. People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.

"I don't sing," said the man.

But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!

The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'

So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!

He had talent(天赋) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.

You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.

1.The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____.

A. she had paid him for this

B. she knew him very well

C. she wanted to have a change

D. she enjoyed his singing

2.Nat King Cole succeeded because _____.

A. the lady helped him a lot

B. he caught the chance

C. he continued to play in the bar

D. he stopped playing the piano

3.The words "sit on" in the passage probably mean"

A.参加                 B.搁置            C. 开发                D.展示

4.Which could be the best title for the passage?

A. Sing in the Bar

B. Achieve Success in Life

C. Never Lose Heart

D. Find Your Hidden Talent

At present, more and more people are crazy about travelling. Why do people travel?  “To see more of the world,” many people would say. But travelling abroad now means much more than that for the growing number of Chinese tourists. Of course it offers us good opportunities to meet people from other countries, learn about their culture and customs.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), more than 1 billion people travelled to another country in 2012. In 2012, Chinese people travelled abroad 30 percent more than in 2011. The prosperity (繁荣) of the tourism industry can also bring both our country and foreign countries great economic benefits (经济利益). Chinese people usually join large tourist groups and visit several countries in one trip.

Chinese people don’t just travel for sightseeing. The China International Travel Service Company said that all their tour trips sold out a month before Christmas Day. Stores offered discounts (打折) during that time, so shopping in Europe and the United States is popular among Chinese travellers.

In December, China is going through a very cold winter. So many people like to go to some countries in Southeast Asia because the weather there is quite pleasant.

The improvement of living standards means more Chinese can travel abroad. But many of them don’t have a sense of public manners. A report by Living Social website in March 2012 even listed Chinese as the world’s second worst tourists.

If you want to change that bad name, remember to avoid the following: littering, spitting, snatching bus seats, line-jumping, taking off shoes in public, talking loudly and smoking in non-smoking areas. Besides, we should learn some necessary manners of foreign countries.

1.Chinese people travel abroad not to _________.

A. go shopping                                            B. see more of the world

C. go sightseeing                                         D. make money

2.According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, ________.

A. 30% of the people who travelled abroad are Chinese

B. the number of people who travelled abroad rose by 30%

C. more than 1 billion people travelled abroad in 2012

D. more than 1 billion Chinese people travelled abroad in 2012

3.Which of the following is NOT true about Chinese people? _________

A. Chinese people like joining large tourist groups.

B. Many Chinese like to go to Southeast Asia in winter for sightseeing.

C. More and more Chinese people can travel abroad now.

D. Chinese are the second worst tourists in the world.

4.As a good tourist, you should ________.

A. litter and spit here and there

B. jump the line and take off the shoes in public

C. have a sense of public manners

D. speak loudly and smoke as you like

5.What’s the best title of the passage? __________

A. Travelling                                                      B. Travelling abroad

C. Chinese tourists                                                D. Chinese people like travelling

China and the Netherlands (荷兰) are long-time friends. The Netherlands is more than 41,500 square kilometres in area. It is a bit larger than the size of Taiwan, China.
The Netherlands is rich in culture and art. It is home of many great artists, for example, Vincent van Gogh. Besides fine art, the Netherlands is also called the country of tulips (郁金香). It has the world’s largest tulip garden: Keukenhof garden.
Dutch people are very hard-working. There’s a saying: “God made the Earth, but the Dutch made Holland.” More than a quarter of the country is below sea level. So Dutch people build many dams (水坝) to protect the country from flooding. They have created almost one sixth of the country from seas and rivers!
Did you know?
◆ Rubber ducks are popular around the world. Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman created it in 2007. The yellow duck is 26 metres high.
◆ Wooden clogs (木底鞋) are traditional shoes in the Netherlands. They make good gifts for tourists.
◆ In the Netherlands, it is impolite to start eating at once. Dutch people will sometimes say “delicious” before eating.
◆ Like the UK, the Netherlands also has
kings and queens.
【小题1】Taiwan, China is 　　　 than the Netherlands in area.

At 18, many American young people go off on their own. They go away to college or find full-time jobs, and they often rent their own apartments. Some get married and start families. This independence(独立性)is learned from childhood. From an early age, American children learn responsibility. Children as young as 2 begin to put away their toys and dress themselves. At 3, many children do simple chores like setting the table.

Using money wisely is also taught early. As soon as a child understands the value of money, he or she receives a weekly allowance. This is used for things the child wants, like toys or treats. The child can spend of save it, usually with little guidance(指导) from parents. If the child wants money besides his or her allowance, it must be made by doing extra chores.

Children are taught early in life to think for themselves. They are allowed to make some decisions-and make mistakes. Failure(失败) often teaches more than success.

1. Many American young people begin to live on themselves _____ .

A. at eighteen years old      B. from childhood 

C. after they get married     D. from an early age

2. An American child learn to _____ at the age of 2 .

A. find a full-time job     B. from childhood

C. put away his or her own clothes      D. do lots of chores

3.The word “allowance” (in paragraph 3 ) means ______ in Chinese.

A. 奖品       B. 零花钱       C. 财产       D. 礼物

4. A child can get some more money by ______.

A. understanding the value of money        B. helping the rich

C. reading many books                   D. doing extra chores

5.The passage is mainly about ______ .

A. the independence of American children      B. the value of money

C. the guidance from parents          D. failure and success of American children