In the deep blue Indian Ocean, there’s a beautiful island (島) country called Maldives(馬爾代夫). It’s the smallest in population and area of all the Asian countries. It has an area of 90,000 km², but 99% of the area is covered by the sea. It has 1,190 islands and is about 820 km from North to South. People live on no more than 200 islands, while another 87 are visited by tourists. Some of the islands are only used for fishing or farming. The capital Maléis is on one of the middle islands, and about 75,000 people live there. The people there are friendly and welcoming. They use their traditional games to welcome people from all over the world. It is sunny on the islands almost every day, and makes them look so beautiful. People can enjoy lots of things in Maldives.
【小題1】How many people live in the capital Maléis?

The Year of the Rabbit(兔) will begin on February 3, 2011. We Chinese use 12 different animals to stand for（象征）the order of our birth year. What does it mean to be a “rabbit” ? The rabbit is a symbol(象征) for kind, elegance(優(yōu)雅) and a love of beauty. People born in the Year of the Rabbit are kind and quick-minded(思維敏捷的). Although they are sometimes shy, they have a strong mind and will run after their dreams all their lives.
Rabbit people are talented and they like artistic activities, such as music and painting. They are so kind and well organized (有良好組織能力的) that they can be great teachers. There are some famous people who were born in the Year of the Rabbit. For example, actress US Angelina Jolie and England soccer star David Beckham. In China, famous director Zhang Yimou and kung fu star Jet Li are rabbits, too.
【小題1】2011 is the Year of ________.

“Haibao，the mascot(吉祥物)of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo，is very cute，”said Gu Hui，a school kid．“I want a big toy like the mascot．”
Haibao looks like the Chinese word ren，which means people or a person．The name，a typical lucky one in Chinese tradition comes from the Chinese phrase “Si Hai Zhi Bao” —the treasure of the four seas．It also means the treasure of Shanghai，which lies beside the sea．
Haibao’s blue curly(卷曲的)hair looks like the waves of the sea．Its smile is a sign of the healthy spirit of China．Those thumbs-up(翹拇指)will welcome millions of people to Shanghai from around the world．Its big feet show China has the ability to host a successful Expo．
Haibao was created by two artists，one from the mainland(大陸) and the other from Taiwan．The design is about people living together in the city．The designers want it to fit the theme of the Shanghai Expo，that is，a good life should be created by all the people and people should have harmonious relationships(和諧關(guān)系) with nature and society，so that life in cities would be better．
Surely the mascot will become the lucky symbol and cultural remark of Shanghai Expo．
【小題1】 Which is the mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo?

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT true?

In China, there’re many different kinds of food. Some of them are very popular. The real Chinese food is dumplings. Now let’s talk about them, OK?
Everyone in China likes dumplings very much, and there are many different kinds of dumplings. Some have meat and vegetables in them, others have sugar, eggs and so on. I like dumplings with vegetables and pork better than any other kind.
Usually people make dumplings at home. If you have no time to make them, you can buy them from any supermarket. Then you take them home and eat them with vinegar.
The Spring Festival is very important in China. When it comes, we make dumplings, usually we put a coin(硬幣) in a dumpling. If one eats the dumpling with the coin in it, he or she will be lucky in the year.
In the old days, people couldn’t often eat dumplings, because they were very poor. Now our country is becoming stronger and stronger, and our people are richer and richer. We can eat them very often.
Now tell me, do you like dumplings?
Welcome to China, and we’ll invite you to eat the real Chinese food —dumplings.
【小題1】—What does the writer like dumplings with best？ —     

People like to say “Thank you” when others help them or say something kind for them. It is a very good habit.
You should say “Thank you” when someone walking ahead of you keeps the door open for you, when someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought a nice thing, or your city is beautiful. We can use “Thank you” not only between friends, but also between parents and children, brothers and sisters.
“Excuse me” is another short sentence we often use. When you hear someone say so behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk pass you without touching you.  When others are talking, if you want to speak to one of them, say “Excuse me” first, and then begin talking. You should also do so when you begin to cough or make any noise before others.
Let’s learn to say “Thank you” and “Excuse me”.
【小題1】You should say “Thank you” when__________.

Compared with other European countries, lifestyle in Italy is slower and more relaxing in its own way. Italians love to chat over a cup of coffee, go out for a walk in the middle of the day, and enjoy long lunches and dinners.
Family is important to Italians. They can’t think of spending a day without asking about their parents or children, and a weekend without a family lunch or dinner. Italians living outside their country also miss their family a lot.
Italians like simple life. Their days start and end with a cup of coffee. A cup of coffee after every meal is a must. Italians love to spend time over a hot cup of coffee and even hotter conversation with friends. Topics are usually about family, football and politics(政治).
Sport is a very important part in the lives of many Italians. Football is their favorite sport. There are hundreds of football clubs with top soccer teams in Italy. Also, many top players from all over the world play in Italy. Volleyball is also popular and so is rugby(橄欖球), with the top rugby team playing for the European Challenge Cup.
Every Italian province, city, town and street has a historical(歷史的) even that took place there and the Italian calendar is filled with national holidays that they love to celebrate(慶祝).
【小題1】We can learn from the first paragraph that ________.

People in different countries have different ways of doing things. Something that is polite in one country may be quite impolite in another. In Britain, you mustn’t lift (舉起) your bowl to your mouth when you are having some soup. But it’s different in China. And in Japan you even needn’t worry about making a noise when you have it. It shows that you are enjoying it. Making a noise is considered as (被認(rèn)為) bad manners (舉止，禮儀) in Britain. If you are a visitor in Mongolia, what manners do they wish you to have? They wish you to give a loud “burp” (打嗝) after you finish eating. Burping shows that you like the food.
In Britain, you should try not to put your hands on the table when you’re having a meal. In Mexico, however, they hope you keep the hands on the table during a meal. But Arabians consider you must be very careful with your hands. You mustn’t eat with your left hand. Arabians consider it very bad manners eating with left hands. So, what should you do if you are on a visit in another country? Well, you can ask the local people to help you or just watch carefully and follow them if you are on a visit in another country.
【小題1】It is impolite to lift your bowl to your mouth when you are having some soup in _________.

Many cultures have different ideas about why people catch colds. For example in the United States, some people think that you can catch a cold if your feet get cold. So, mothers tell small children to wear warm boots in the winter. In other places, including parts of the Middle East, some people believe that strong winds cause colds. So, on trains and buses, people usually don’t like to sit next to open windows. In parts of Europe, some people think that wearing wet clothes will give you a cold. They say that after you go swimming, you should quickly put on dry clothes. Today, scientists know that colds are caused by a virus（病毒）. But the old ideas are still very strong, and many people still follow them to avoid（避免）getting ill.
【小題1】What is the main idea of this reading?

Many people take trains for their trips in China, because the train is fast and cheap. But there are many problems when people take trains. It’s not easy to take trains when it is a festival. Lots of people hope someone can solve (解決) the problems.
Then, the CRH (和諧號(hào)列車) trains come out. The first CRH train from Beijing to Tianjin runs in August, 2008. CRH1 and CRH2 can go up to 200 km/h, and CRH3 can run 300 km/h. Taking CRH trains is more expensive than taking a traditional train, but cheaper than taking a plane. Some people think the CRH trains and their workers are good, and they enjoy the trips by CRH train.
China starts to make a CRH train, 350 kilometres an hour from Beijing to Shanghai. It can save people more time than taking the traditional trains.
Can CRH trains solve the problems? “Of course not. There is still a long way to go,” about 80% of the people answer.
【小題1】The first CRH train runs __________.

There are differences between western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let’s look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese is about the dog, for example, “a homeless dog”, “a mad dog”, “a running dog” and “a dog catching a mouse”, have negative(消極) meanings. But in western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive(積極的) actions. For example, “you are a lucky dog” means you are a lucky person. And “every dog has its day” means each person has good luck sometimes. To describe a person’s serious illness, they say “sick as a dog”. The word “dog—tired” means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in western culture, “cat” is often used to describe a woman who is cruel(冷酷的). There are many other examples of how “cat” is used differently as well.
The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some western countries. People think the rose stands for love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is the national flower of England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.
【小題1】The word “dog” in Chinese usually ______.
A. stands for friendship    B. has a negative meaning   C. has a positive meaning
【小題2】“Every dog has its day.” means “______”
A. Everybody in the world is lucky. B. Each person lives his own way of life.
C. Everybody has a time in life to be lucky.
【小題3】 Western people usually use “cat” to refer to “______”.
A. a tired person   B. a brave man  C. an unkind woman
【小題4】 Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Words show differences in cultures. 
B. Western people think cats to be good friends.
C. Rose is the national flower of all western countries.
【小題5】 This passage mainly tells us ______.
A. negative or positive things  B. different countries have different cultures
C. what dog and cat mean in English and Chinese