Sweetest Day in America is always the third Saturday in October. This holiday is much more important in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day cities). It is a holiday that is gaining in popularity every year throughout the country.
Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged, and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, a man in Cleveland, believing that the city's orphans and shut­ins (臥病在床的人) too often felt forgotten and neglected, thought of the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this through the distribution of small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he distributed these small remembrances on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to participate in the celebration ceremony, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. In time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the underprivileged was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small remembrance. And soon the idea spread to other cities all over the country.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group's religious affection or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift­giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a practical way.
小題1:We can learn from the first paragraph that Sweetest Day is ________.

A．sometimes the third Saturday in October

B．hardly celebrated in Detroit

C．of equal importance in every part of the USA

D．getting increasingly popular in the USA

小題2:Sweetest Day was intended to remember ________.

A．the young and disabled

B．friends and relatives

C．orphans and shut­ins

D．the sick and aged

小題3:We can infer from the passage that the birthplace of Sweetest Day is ________.

A．Detroit	B．Cleveland
C．Buffalo	D．Washington

小題4:Now on Sweetest Day gifts are given to those ________.

A．we care	B．we admire
C．in need of help	D．in trouble

Brighton: It is a seaside resort on the English Channel. Only 50 miles from London, it offers a good variety of lively entertainment. It is a cheerful place, busy and crowded in the summer, but alive in every season of the year. Its royal pavilion(布萊頓皇宮)is a masterpiece of English architecture.
Durham: Whatever travelers see or don't see in England, they must see this city, in the northeast, just south of Newcastle­upon­Tyne. No one will forget the sight of its cathedral(教堂)and castle rising together on a steep hill overlooking a loop in the River Wear, which almost surrounds them. The cathedral itself is one of the great medieval(中世紀(jì)的，公元476～1500)buildings in Europe.
Liverpool: A port in the northwest of England which possesses a quality that is not found in quite the same way anywhere else in England: the quality of grandeur (壯觀). Liverpool has this grandeur in its site on the broad River Mersey (more than half a mile wide) with the houses rising near it; in its great dock buildings, its broad streets, and its two enormous cathedrals.
Edinburgh: It has long been the capital of Scotland. Edinburgh Castle is Edinburgh's important building, controlling the city from its perch on a rock over a hundred meters above sea level. Another important building is the Palace of Holyrood House, begun by James Ⅲ around 1500. Between the castle and the palace is the Royal Mile, which was the center of Edinburgh life before the 17th century and is fascinating to visit now.
小題1:Which is the suitable time to visit Brighton ?

A．Only summer	B．All the year around
C．Holidays	D．Weekdays

小題2:Which of the following place mentions both a castle and a cathedral ?

A．Brighton	B．Durham
C．Liverpool0	D．Edinburgh

小題3:From this article, which of the following statements is WRONG?

A．Around the broad River Mersey you can enjoy the unique quality of Liverpool .

B．The sight of Durham's cathedral and castle is probably best seen from the banks of the Riverwear .

C．The Palace of Holyrood House is much older than the cathedral in Durham.

D．Edinburgh Castle was built over a hundred meters above sea level.

小題4:This article can be found in ________.

A．a(chǎn) travel magazine

B．a(chǎn) daily newspaper

C．a(chǎn) chapter of science fiction

D．a(chǎn) column in the financial press

Americans like to travel all their yearly holiday. Today，more and more travelers in the United States are spending nights at small houses or inns instead of hotels. They get a room for the night and the breakfast the next morning.
Rooms for the night in private homes with breakfast have been popular with travelers in Europe for many years. In the past five to ten years，these bed­breakfast places have become popular in the United States.Many of these America's bed­and­breakfast inns are old historic buildings.Some bed­breakfast inns have only a few rooms；others are much larger.Some inns do not provide telephones or televisions in the rooms；others do.
Staving at a bed­and­breakfast inn is much different from staying at a hotel.Usually the cost is much less.Staying at an inn is almost like visiting someone's home.The owners are glad to tell about the areas and the interesting places to visit.Many vacationers say that they enjoy the chance to meet local families.
小題1:Americans like to take a holiday trip ________.

A．a(chǎn)ll the year round	B．for years
C．every year	D．every other year

小題2:According to the passage，which of the following is NOT true?

A．Some Americans like to stay at bed­and­breakfast homes instead of at hotels.

B．The bed­and­breakfast inns are private homes opened to vacationers.

C．The bed­and­breakfast inns have been popular in America for a long time.

D．The bed­and­breakfast inn owners provide a morning meal for their visitors and a room for the night.

小題3:Why do American travelers prefer staying at bed­and­breakfast inns?

A．It is like visiting someone's home.

B．The money they spend there is much less.

C．They can meet local families.

D．All of the above.

小題4:Staying at the bed­and­breakfast inns，________.

A．the travelers needn't pay anything

B．the travelers don't have to pay for the telephone or television

C．the travelers can meet and talk with the local people

D．the owners will show the travelers around the area

The dollar is becoming weaker and weaker. What effects will it have?
Look at the record­high price of oil. Even if the same amount of oil is being pumped out of the ground，since it is traded in dollars and the dollar has weakened，the price of oil has increased to make up for the lost value of the dollar，creating a sort of vicious cycle(惡性循環(huán))．
Oil­producing countries don't want to keep all the dollars they are getting for their oil，since it's declining in value，so they exchange their dollars for euros or other currencies. That pushes more dollars back out into currency markets，which in turn pushes down the dollar's value.
One expert told ABC News that Russia used to have 90 percent of its financial reserves in dollars. It now has 45 percent in dollars,45 percent in euros and 10 percent in British pounds.
In the US itself，the news is mixed. It's good，because it makes what we produce here cheaper to sell in foreign markets，and that in turn spurs(刺激) exports of our products around the world. That translates into more manufacturing and more jobs.
But a weak dollar is bad，because it leads to inflation (通貨膨脹) in this country. Imports from foreign countries will become more expensive，and in particular，oil will be more expensive. That puts pressure on businesses to increase prices for anything that uses oil or products that come from overseas. One benefit for American shoppers is that China has largely pegged its currency to ours，so that keeps the price of Chinese­made goods low and therefore，keeps a check on inflation.
小題1:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．Why is the dollar losing value?

B．What caused the weak dollar?

C．What to do with the weak dollar?

D．What effects will the weak dollar have?

小題2:With the dollar losing its value，oil­producing countries will do all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A．raising the price of oil

B．raising their production of oil

C．exchanging their dollars for other currencies

D．decreasing their financial reserves in dollars

小題3:It can be inferred that ________.

A．the American economy is having a hard time

B．Russia is making the situation worse on purpose

C．American export businesses would like a stronger dollar

D．Chinese­made goods remain as competitive as before in the USA

A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially­made lanterns(燈籠) are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle(景象，場(chǎng)面), for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.
小題1:The festival is a cheerful one，because________.

A．people specially make some lanterns

B．a(chǎn)ll night long, people dance and sing

C．people make much delicious food

D．the dead are said to return to their homes and are welcomed by the living

小題2:Specially­made lanterns(燈籠) are hung outside each house to________.

A．help the dead to find their way

B．a(chǎn)dd the cheerful atmosphere

C．welcome the dead to go home

D．help the dead to find the food

小題3:What happens to the lanterns at the end of the festival?

A．The lanterns are put away to be used next year.

B．They are thrown away.

C．They are placed into the water.

D．They are hung outside all the way.

Body language is the quiet，secret and most powerful language of all！It speaks   ____than words.According to specialists，our bodies send out more___than we realize.In fact，non­verbal (非言語) communication takes up about 50% of what we really____.And body language is particularly____when we attempt to communicate across cultures.Indeed，what is called body language is so____a part of us that it’s actually often unnoticed.And misunderstandings occur as a result of it.____，different societies treat the____between people differently.Northern Europeans usually do not like having___contact (接觸) even with friends，and certainly not with____.People from Latin American countries，____，touch each other quite a lot.Therefore，it’s possible that in____，it may look like a Latino is____a Norwegian all over the room.The Latino，trying to express friendship，will keep moving ____.The Norwegian，very probably seeing this as pushiness，will keep____—which the Latino will in return regard as  ____.
Clearly，a great deal is going on when people____.And only a part of it is in the words themselves.And when parties are from____cultures，there’s a strong possibility of ____.But whatever the situation，the best____is to obey the Golden Rule：treat others as you would like to be____.

小題1:	A．straighter　　　　　　　　　　 B．louder C．harder D．further

小題2:	A．sounds B．invitations C．feelings　 D．messages

小題3:	A．hope　 B．receive C．discover　 D．mean

小題4:	A．immediate　 B．misleading C．important　 D．difficult

小題5:	A．well　 B．far C．much D．long

小題6:	A．For example 　 B．Thus C．However 　 D．In short

小題7:	A．trade　 B．distance C．connections 　 D．greetings

小題8:	A．eye 　 B．verbal C．bodily D．telephone

小題9:	A．strangers　 B．relatives C．neighbours D．enemies

小題10:

A．in other words B．on the other hand C．in a similar way D．by all means

小題11:

A．trouble　 B．conversation C．silence 　 D．experiment

小題12:

A．disturbing　 B．helping C．guiding 　 D．following

小題13:

A．closer　 B．faster C．in D．a(chǎn)way

小題14:

A．stepping forward B．going on C．backing away D．coming out

小題15:

A．weakness B．carelessness C．friendliness D．coldness

小題16:

A．talk　 B．travel C．laugh D．think

小題17:

A．different B．European C．Latino 　 D．rich

小題18:

A．curiosity B．excitement C．misunderstanding D．nervousness

小題19:

A．chance 　 B．time C．result 　 D．a(chǎn)dvice

小題20:

A．noticed　 B．treated C．respected　 D．pleased

After living in the United States for quite a long time, I do not think about the cultural differences any more. Last month, my parents came to visit me. Their observations (觀察) on the American lifestyle reminded me that cultural differences between living in China and America are actually everywhere.
When my parents came to America, they praised my house. Everyone had his/her own bedroom; there was a front yard, a backyard and a garage; there were many bathrooms – all convenient and comfortable. However, they were not used to the glass doors at the first floor. My mom, from southern China, was worried that someone would break open the glass doors. Though I said that nobody would do that, she was still worried about it.
When I brought them to eat in fast food restaurants, whether it was in McDonald’s or KFC, they saw that refilling drinks was for free. This concept (觀念) of free refill was so new to them.
A Chinese friend told me a story. He and his American girlfriend ate at a restaurant. His girlfriend wanted to drink English tea. He was curious, so he tried some and found that it didn’t taste bad with milk and sugar in it. Adding more water to tea is free of course, so he drank more cups. His girlfriend found it embarrassing and explained to him that what he was doing was not exactly fair. If he wanted to drink more tea, he should buy another cup. My friend thought that Americans could take advantage of the free refills, but only a few of them did that. After staying in America for some time, he changed his habit.
小題1:We can infer that the writer _____.

A．doesn’t like American culture

B．has got used to her life in America

C．received an American education as a child

D．thinks American and Chinese cultures are the same

小題2:What made the writer’s parents worried?

A．That someone would break into the house.

B．That someone would be hurt by the glass doors.

C．That they wouldn’t have a bedroom of their own.

D．That they wouldn’t live comfortably in the house.

小題3:When eating at McDonald’s for the first time in America, the writer’s parents were probably surprised that _____.

A．there were so many choices

B．the prices for food were so low

C．they could refill drinks for free

D．they could get extra food for free

小題4:The American girl mentioned in the last paragraph thought that _____.

A．Americans like taking advantage of other people

B．her boyfriend wouldn’t like traditional English tea

C．drinking too much English tea harmed people’s health

D．her boyfriend shouldn’t take advantage of the free refills

The nose is used in many popular expressions. Some people are able to lead other people by the nose. For example, if a wife leads her husband by the nose, she makes him do whatever she wants him to do. Some people are said to be hard-nosed. They will not change their opinions or positions on anything.
It is always helpful when people keep their nose out of other people’s business. They do not interfere (干涉). The opposite of this is someone who noses around all the time. Such people are interested in other people’s private matters. They’re considered nosy. Someone who keeps his nose to the grindstone (磨石) works very hard. This can help a worker keep his nose clean or stay out of trouble.
One unusual expression is that is no skin off my nose. This means that a situation doesn’t affect or concern me. We also say that sometimes a person cuts off his nose to spite his face. That is, he makes a situation bad for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry.
More problems can develop if a person looks down his nose at someone or something. The person acts as if something is unimportant or worthless. This person might also turn up his nose at something that he considers not good enough. This person thinks he is better than everyone else. He has his nose in the air.
In school, some students thumb their nose at their teacher. They refuse to obey orders or do any work. Maybe the students do not know the correct answers. My mother always told me when I was a student, “If you study hard, the answers should be right under your nose or easily seen.”
小題1:If we say a wife leads her husband by the nose, we probably mean she _____.

A．loves her husband very much

B．controls her husband’s actions

C．gets on well with her husband

D．does whatever her husband wants her to do

小題2:Which of the following expressions could be used to tell someone to stay away from your private affairs?

A．Don’t keep your nose to the grindstone.

B．Keep your nose out of my business.

C．Please keep your nose clean.

D．You are really hard-nosed.

小題3:We can use the expression “has his/her nose in the air” to describe someone _____.

A．who is too proud of himself/herself

B．who is very angry about something

C．who often makes a situation bad

D．who doesn’t care about anything

小題4:If a student thumbs his/her nose at his/her teacher, the teacher would most probably feel _____.

A．happy

B．excited

C．a(chǎn)ngry

D．relaxed

Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers, whereas the people who really helped civilization forward are often never mentioned at all. We do not know who first set a broken leg, or launched a seaworthy boat, or calculated the length of the year, or manured(施肥)a field; but we know all about the killers and destroyers. People think a great deal of them, so much so that on all the highest pillars (紀(jì)念柱) in the great cities of the world you will find the figure of a conqueror or a general or a soldier. And I think most people believe that the greatest countries are those that have beaten in battle the greatest number of other countries and ruled over them as conquerors. It is just possible they are, but they are not the most civilized.
　　Animals fight; so do savages (野蠻人); hence to be good at fighting is to be good in the way in which an animal or a savage is good, but it is not to be civilized. Even being good at getting other people to fight for you and telling them how to do it most efficiently －this, after all, is what conquerors and generals have done －is not being civilized. People fight to settle quarrels.            Fighting means killing, and civilized peoples ought to be able to find some way of settling their disputes other than by seeing which side can kill off the greater number of the other side, and then saying that that side which has killed most has won. And it not only has won, but, because it has won, has been in the right. For that is what going to war means; it means saying that might is right.
　　That is what the story of mankind has on the whole been like. Even our own age has fought the two greatest wars in history, in which millions of people were killed or disabled. And while today it is true that people do not fight and kill each other in the streets －while, that is to say, we have got to the stage of keeping the rules and behaving properly to each other in daily life － nations and countries have not learnt to do this yet, and still behave like savages.
小題1:In the opening sentence the author indicates that ________.

A．conquerors, generals and soldiers should not be mentioned in history books.

B．history books focus more on those who helped civilization forward.

C．those who truly helped civilization forward is rarely mentioned in history books.

D．most history books were written by conquerors, generals and soldiers.

小題2:In the author’s opinion, the countries that ruled over a large number of other countries are           

A．certainly both the greatest and the most civilized

B．neither the most influential nor the most civilized.

C．possibly the most civilized but not the most powerful.

D．likely the greatest in some sense but not the most civilized.

小題3: The meaning of “it means saying that might is right.”(The last sentence of Paragraph 2) is that ________.

A．in a war only those who are powerful will win.

B．those who are right should fight against those who are wrong.

C．only those who are powerful have the right to go to war.

D．those who fight believe that the winner is right and the loser wrong.

小題4: In the third paragraph, what the author wants to convey to us is that ________.

A．we have fought fewer wars but suffered heavier casualties.

B．modern time is not so civilized compared with the past.

C．our age is not much better than those of the past.

D．World War I and World War II are different from previous wars.

小題5: According to the passage, who helped civilization forward?
A. The pioneers in science and technology.
B. Conquerors and generals.
C. Those setting disputes by force.
The experts in military matters
小題6: This passage is most likely taken from an article entitled ________.

A．Who Should Be Remembered

B．Civilization and History

C．War and World Peace

D．Great conquerors in the world

“Can’t hold a candle to” is a popular expression．When there wasn’t electricity, someone would have a servant light his way by holding a candle．The expression meant that the person who cannot hold a candle to you is not fit even to be your servant．Now，it means such a person cannot compare or compete．
Another expression is“hold your tongue．”It means to be still and not talk．“Hold your tongue”is not something you would tell a friend．But a parent or teacher might use the expression to quiet a noisy child．
“Hold out”is an expression one hears often in sports reports and labor news．It means to refuse to play or work．Professional football and baseball players“hold out” if their team refuses to pay them what they think they are worth．
The expression“hold up” has several different meanings．One is a robbery．A man with a gun may say,“This is a hold up．Give me your money．”Another meaning is to delay．A driver who was held up by heavy traffic might be late for work．Another meaning is for a story to be considered true after an investigation．A story can hold up if it is proved true．
“Hold on”is another expression，which means wait or stop．As you leave for school，your brother may say,“Hold on，you forgot your book．” It is used to ask a telephone caller to wait and not hang up his telephone．
Our final expression is“hold the line．”That means to keep a problem or situation from getting worse—to hold steady．For example，the president may say he will“hold the line on taxes．”He means there will be no increase in taxes．
小題1:The author introduces the expressions mainly by _____________．

A．giving examples	B．making comparisons
C．raising questions	D．quoting famous remarks

小題2:The expression“can’t hold a candle to”call be used when ____________．

A．some footballers refuse to play a game

B．someone else is wanted on the phone

C．someone is not qualified for a position

D．someone was delayed by heavy traffic

小題3:The tune ofthe phrase“hold your tongue”is probably a little ___________．

A．a(chǎn)musing

B．polite

C．unfriendly

D．offensive

小題4:If some teachers“hold out”，they probably __________．

A．change their artitude	B．refuse to work
C．make a compromise	D．show their devotion

小題5:Which of the following sentences can convey positive meanings?

A．I was late as I was held up by a hold up．

B．Hold on!You have to pay the bill，sir．

C．You can’t even hold a candle to Michael．

D．I promise to hold the line on house prices．