You can mail a letter or package under 16 oz. (unit of weight, 454g) in a mailbox, a blue box found on many street corners in U.S. cities and towns. Each mail box should have pick-up times clearly posted on top.
!Packages over 16 oz. placed in a mailbox will not be sent. Bring the package to the post office or retail (零售的) mailing shop instead. The clerk will process if for you.
The Post Office
In the larger cities, when you go to the post office you must take a number and wait in line. Post offices tend to be extremely crowded around Christmas. Try to go as early in the morning as possible. Post office branches open at 9 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. while main branches close at 6 p.m.
Buying Stamps
! The cost of a first-class postage stamp to mail a letter is currently 39 cents, although rates tend to change often.
Stamps are sold individually or in booklets (小册子) of 10 (US$3.90) or 20(US$7.80) or in rolls of 100(US$9.00). You can buy stamps at the following locations:
·online, if you have a computer.
Link to the U.S. Postal Service website (http://www. usps.com) and click on “stamps online”.
·at your local post office
·at some ATMs (automated teller machine)
·at some supermarkets
·by mail
·retail mailing stores(you may have to pay extra for stamps and to mail packages through the U.S. Postal Service)
Postal Rates and Fees
The U.S. Postal Service’s online postage calculator(计算器) tells you the cost to mail a letter or package anywhere in the world. But you should know the weight of the package and the post code of the package’s origin and destination. If you don’t know the weight of the letter or package to be mailed, you can go to your local post office and the postal clerk will weigh it for you.When do the post office main branches close?
| A．At 9 p.m. | B．At 6 p.m. | C．At 5 p.m. | D．At 5:30 p.m. |
If you have only 39 cents, you can NOT buy a stamp at_____.
| A．a local post office | B．a supermarket |
| C．an ATM | D．a retail mailing store |
The cost to mail a letter can be calculated when you know _____.
①its weight ②its origin ③its destination
④its origin’s post code ⑤its destination’s post code
| A．①③④ |
| B．①④⑤ |
| C．①②③ |
| D．①②⑤ |
A HOLIDAY jet pilot （飞行员） said that he would land and call the police after a woman refused to stop smoking．
He warned Maureen Harkavy, “Put that cigarette out, or I’ll land the plane and have you arrested．”
Maureen, 47, was so shocked she wrote to the airline’s chairman．But his reply was even ruder．
“You seem to think you have a God-given right to pollute your neighbors’ atmosphere,” wrote John Ferriday of Paramount Airways．
（a）Said Maureen, “I only found out about it when I was checking in．I’m a nervous flyer so I lit a cigarette during the flight．A stewardess （空姐） asked me to put it out, but I said I wanted to carry on as there was no rule against smoking on the plane．” She was just finishing her cigarette when the pilot arrived．
（b） “I’ve never seen such an unpleasant letter．” She said, “I don’t think I’ll ever fly again．” But there was a funny side．Maureen explained, “We were offered duty-free （免税） cigarette from the stewardess on the plane!”
（c） Mr．Ferriday went on: “Believe me, you haven’t．Especially when you travel on my planes．”
Maureen and her husband Michael were moved to Paramount flight just before they left Portugal．But they were not told of the company’s no smoking policy．
（d） “He was loud and rude,” said Maureen．“He said if I lit another cigarette he would land the plane at Bordeaux and hand me to the French police．”
Later, from her home in Mosely, Birmingham, Maureen wrote to the company and received the rude reply．The second half of the story has been in wrong order．（Parts a-d） Choose the rearranged order which you think is right．
| A．a, c, b, d | B．c, a, b, d | C．c, a, d, b | D．d, a, b, c |
The pilot warned Maureen Harkavy ____________________．
| A．to throw her cigarette out of the plane, or he would get her off the plane． |
| B．to stop smoking, or he would bring down the jet and hand her to the police． |
| C．not to light another cigarette after her first one． |
| D．to stop smoking, or he would bring her to justice． |
Maureen Harkavy ______ on the plane．
| A．accepted the warning |
| B．agreed to the warning |
| C．refused to do what she was told to |
| D．was so shocked that she wrote to the airline’s chairman |
In the answer letter to Maureen Harkavy, the airline’s chairman ____ ．
| A．made an apology to her for his worker’s rudeness |
| B．made sure that he would solve the problem |
| C．said that she had the right to smoke on his plane |
| D．actually completely agreed with what the pilot said |
“The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful,” says Plato．Self-control is at the root of all the advantages．Let a man give in to his impulses （冲动） and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom．
A single angry word has lost many a friend．When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself．If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger．Many a person has dropped dead in great anger．Fits of anger bring fits of disease．“Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad．” “Keep cool”, says George Herbert, “for fierceness makes error a fault．”
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself．“Anger,” says Pythagoras, “brings with folly（愚蠢） and ends with regret．” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him．
Self-control is man’s last greatest victory．
If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything．Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling．If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also．What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?
| A．The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself． |
| B．One’s moral freedom is based on the control of himself． |
| C．To control oneself is the most difficult in one’s life． |
| D．If a person is too stubborn, he will feel most shameful． |
What does the underlined sentence “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad” mean ?
| A．If the gods want to kill you, they make you crazy first． |
| B．If you are mad, you will be punished by the gods． |
| C．If you cannot control yourself, you will become crazy． |
| D．If you always lose your temper, you will soon be finished． |
If a man lacks self-control, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT _______．
| A．the very backbone and nerve of character |
| B．the patience and power to control himself |
| C．strong feelings |
| D．self-confidence |
The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to _______．
| A．explain that self-control is the key to success |
| B．teach people how to control everything in order to make a great success |
| C．distinguish all kinds of self-control and suggest ways for keeping it |
| D．advise people not to lose temper so as to make and keep more friends |
To switch or not to switch, that is the question．Google’s announcement of its Nexus One smartphone（智能手机） happened over a week ago and I’m still receiving lots of e-mails from readers asking the same question: Should they give up their iPhone for the Nexus One?
Some people with iPhones, disappointed by American Telephone&Telegraph’s inadequate service and the high monthly cost, are wondering if they have really got something to replace it．Does the Nexus One offer the functions that Apple has led them to expect?
I’m on the fence myself, even though I never thought I’d be interested in anything but the iPhone．From my experience using the Nexus One, and from talking to people who have made the change, it’s not necessarily about the differences between the iPhone and the Nexus One．The phones are extremely similar in design and general feel．Instead, the decision can be made based on the software（软件） services you use on your desktop．
My friend Chad Dickerson received a pre-launch Nexus One from Google three weeks ago．He said Google’s phone feels connected to certain services on the Web in a way the iPhone doesn’t．“Compared to the iPhone, the Google phone feels like it’s part of the Internet to me,” he said．“If you live in a Google world, you have that world in your pocket in a way that’s cleaner and more connected than the iPhone．”
Personally, the phones work perfectly with their own software, but both of them don’t make an effort to play well with other services．Why are some iPhone users expecting a new type of phone?
| A．Because their old ones are out of date． |
| B．Because they accept Google’s announcement． |
| C．Because of the limited service and high cost． |
| D．Because of the terrible software they can use．． |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the new phones in the third paragraph?
| A．Negative | B．Neutral | C．Indifferent | D．Positive |
In Chad Dickerson’s opinion, the Nexus One is ________ the iPhone．
| A．better than | B．worse than | C．as good as | D．as bad as |
The best title of the passage might be ________．
| A．Apple’s New Smartphone |
| B．Torn Between Two Phones |
| C．Good Services Matter |
| D．Google’s New Smartphone |
I really hadn’t meant to yell（吼叫）at them．But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen．
With a tiresome report to write，I felt bothered at my desk．Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault．A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly．
“OK，you two here．but what an awful thing you are attempting!” shouting angrily, I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me．“Get away from us!” he shouted back，there being expression of support from his sister．
All of a sudden，I found the fault in myself．Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers（螃蟹螯）and crawled towards them，“Crabby（似螃蟹的）Daddy is here Ha，Ha，Ha，he likes to yell at children，and then eat them!” My son continued to keep me away，but now he was laughing and crying at the same time．My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well．Still，I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way that my children could do after．
Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming? This is a lesson that serves myself．It only shows just how to get rid of something（ill-feelings，responsibility）by blaming others．It’s not my “best self”．
We have to search for our “best self” when with our children．They don’t need perfect parents，but they do need parents who are always trying to get better．Here，I’m reminded of the words of a great thinker，“When a man lives with God，his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook…” Then，in our lifetime，couldn’t we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since，most of us consider them as the most precious in the world? And before we reach this level，what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children? The author couldn’t help yelling at his kids this time probably because______．
| A．the weather was so unpleasant | B．a Daddy has his right to do so |
| C．the kids didn’t ask him to join them | D．he was tired of his boring work |
Which of the following made the author aware of his fault?
| A．No obvious reason． | B．The children’s reaction． |
| C．His self-control． | D．The mess made by the children． |
According to the passage the author will in another similar situation．
| A．play a crab again like this time | B．apologize to kids in a sincere way |
| C．avoid blaming kids in a hurry | D．beat them up about such things |
What will the writer go on to write about in the next paragraph（s）?
| A．How to behave ourselves properly when kids are at fault． |
| B．How to blame our children in a more interesting way． |
| C．How to deal with the terrible mess made by our kids． |
| D．How to persuade children to do what they are told to． |
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 (多元文化环境) 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. |
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