Making sense of how the US shows humor
Living in a new country gives me many surprises. The first surprise was the way that the US people speak
One day I saw someone was having a public speech in a square. I thought it would be a serious speech. But I soon found it became a kind of entertainment show.
The speaker told the audience to protect the environment with humorous words. Later he said some people’s behavior didn’t go with their words. He took the example of Taylor Swift’s song We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.[
He said that since Swift doesn’t want to be with the boy any more, she doesn’t need to speak it aloud, she doesn’t need to sing unless she still keeps in touch with that guy. It sounds like she is a hypocrite.
Then he sang the song in a funny way. The audience laughed out loudly. I felt a little angry because Swift is my favourite star. I couldn’t understand why they laughed at Swift.
As time goes on, I find many US people make fun of others. But they don’t mean to hurt them. They do that to show closeness and humour. And people who are laughed at seldom get angry. Now I understand the speaker at the square. Now I’ve got used to the way the US people speak.
It’s easy to find culture shock when you’re in a new place. But everyone should learn to understand different cultures and customs. The man in the square was _______________.
| A．teaching people how to give a speech |
| B．calling on people to protect the environment |
| C．giving a singing show in public |
| D．criticizing the US government |
What does the underlined word “hypocrite” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．会唱歌的人 | B．真诚的人 | C．虚伪的人 | D．爱护环境的人 |
From Paragraph 6, we learn that_________________.
| A．many US people like to laugh at others |
| B．many US people are friendly and humorous |
| C．the US people get angry at others easily |
| D．the writer doesn’t like the way the US people speak |
Which is Not suitable for the passage?
| A．The writer went to America and protect the environment. |
| B．Americans show humour in a different way from China. |
| C．It’s easy to find culture shock when you are in a new place. |
| D．Tailor Swift is an American famous singer. |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．Differences between the Chinese and the US people. |
| B．In what way the US people speak in public. |
| C．How to get used to life in the US. |
| D．A Chinese girl’s culture shock experience in the US. |
Different types of maps have different uses.
| Tourist maps, for example, have signs to show places of interest in an area. When tourists read these maps, it is easy for them to find where to go and what to see in a place and it is easy for them to go and find their ways to these places. |
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| Road maps show large areas so that people can plan long journeys. Different types of roads are given different numbers. For example, if you want to go to Wood Green, you just follow No. 621 Road and keep looking at the road signs. |
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| Distribution maps (分布图) use colors or signs to show facts about an area. For example, where different languages are spoken, how many people live in an area, how cold and hot some places are, or whether a place is short of water. |
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| Some maps, such as railway maps, use straightlines to show everything. This is easy for people to read. Trains are fast. People don’t have to think about small places they go past. They just need to know the two ends of their trips. |
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Jim is going to Beijing Zoo. Which map does he need most?
| A．A tourist map. | B．A road map. |
| C．A distribution map. | D．A railway map. |
How can you tell different roads on road maps?
| A．By using different colors. | B．By finding the numbers. |
| C．By following No. 621 Road. | D．By looking at the road signs. |
Why do railway maps use straight lines?
| A．Because railways are straight. |
| B．Because people like straight lines. |
| C．Because people can read them easily. |
| D．Because railways have only two ends. |
How often do you use your car? Can you use your car less often? Do you know the following facts in the UK?
·About 50% of all car journeys are just for fun.
·Over 80% people go to work by car.
·25% car journeys are under two miles.
·70% car journeys are under five miles.
WALKING & CYCLING
Instead of using the car for short journeys, why not walk or ride a bicycle? Walking is the most popular form of exercise—it’s healthy and it can save money. If you work nearby, try walking or cycling instead of driving. Walking your children to school gives them valuable road experience.
BUSES
Bus companies are using new buses: some run on new fuelswhich produce less pollution; some have easier access（通路）for disabled and old people. There are special traffic lanes (行车道)to make bus journeys easier. So do something to help solve the pollution problem----let the bus take you to work and your children to school.
TRAINS
All car journeys, long or short, can be hard work. For some trips, it is wiser to take the train. Leave your car at home and walk, cycle or take a bus to and from the station. Train travel is fast, safe and comfortable. Train tickets are not always expensive.How many of car journeys are just for fun in the UK?
| A．25%. | B．About 50%. |
| C．70%. | D．Over 80%. |
The writer believes that _____________________ can give children valuable road experience.
| A．walking to school | B．traveling by train |
| C．taking new fuel buses | D．having car journeys for fun |
What does the writer think of traveling by train?
| A．Tiring. | B．Exciting. |
| C．Terrible. | D．Comfortable. |
Before you go to another country it is a great help if you know the language and some of the customs（风俗）of the country.
When people meet each other for the first time in Britain, they say “How do you do?” and shake hands（握手）. Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say “Goodbye”. But they shake hands after they haven’t met for a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time.
Last year a group of German students went to English for a holiday. Their teacher told them that the English people hardly shake hands. So when met their English friends at the station, they kept their hands behind their backs. The English students had learned that the Germans shake hands as often as possible. So they put their hands in front and get ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh.
| A．not useful | B．not helpful |
| C．very helpful | D．very bad |
| A．meet every time | B．meet for the first time |
| C．say goodbye to each other | D．say hello to each other |
| A．German people shake hands as often as possible. |
| B．English people like shaking hands very much. |
| C．German people hardly shake hands. |
| D．Neither people hardly shake hands. |
| A．shaking hands | B．language |
| C．customs | D．languages and customs |
We all know that smoking is bad for people’s health. But not many people know about the danger of secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is the smoke that comes from the smoker’s breath(呼吸). If people breathe in secondhand smoke from time to time, they could get sick from it.
But how serious is the problem of the secondhand smoke? The World Health Organization(WHO) did a study of 194 countries. They found that secondhand smoke causes about 600,000 deaths every year. That is about 1% of the world’s deaths.
Secondhand smoke is especially bad for children because their bodies are still growing. According to the study, around 165,000 children under the age of 5 die each year because of secondhand smoke. Most of these deaths happen in Africa and southern Asia.
You can do something to keep yourself and other people away from secondhand smoke. You can ask the smokers, such as your parents, to smoke outside. And, if someone smokes close to you, you’d better hold your breath or just walk away.
| A．they are from Africa | B．their bodies are still growing |
| C．secondhand smoke is very dangerous | D．they are all under the age of 5 |
| A．Africa and Australia | B．Africa and eastern Asia |
| C．southern Asia and Africa | D．southern Africa and India |
| A．asking the smokers to smoke outside | B．walking away |
| C．holding your breath | D．smoking with them |
| A．Smoking | B．Secondhand Smoke |
| C．Giving up Smoking | D．Children Are Dying |
A jobless man wanted very much to be an “office boy” at Microsoft. The manager interviewed him and then watched him cleaning the floor as a test. “You have passed the test.” he said. “Give me your e-mail address and I'll send you the form(表格) to fill in and the date when you may start.” The man replied. “But I don't have a computer, neither an e-mail.” “I'm sorry,” said the manager. “If you don't have an e-mail, that means you are not living. And anyone who isn't living cannot have the job.”
The man left with no hope at all. He didn't know what to do with only $10 in his pocket. He thought and thought. Then he went to the supermarket and bought 10 kilos of tomatoes. He sold the tomatoes from door to door. In less than two hours, he had 20 dollars. He did this again and again for three times, and started to go early every day, and returned home late. At last, he had his own fleet of delivery vehicles(运货车队).Five years later, the man was one of the biggest food retailers (零售商) in the US.
One day, one of his friends asked him for his e-mail. He said, “I haven't got one.” His friend couldn't believe his ears. “Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an e-mail?”The man thought for a while and replied, “Yes, I'd be an office boy at Microsoft!”
| A．He sent e-mails. | B．He did the cleaning |
| C．He sold computers. | D．He filled in forms. |
| A．disliked such a job | B．didn't pass the test |
| C．didn't have an e-mail | D．knew nothing about computers |
| A．went home directly | B．asked for food from door to door |
| C．thought up an idea to make money | D．bought a computer and got an e-mail |
| A．Computers are very important in our daily life. |
| B．Everyone can make a lot of money with only $10. |
| C．The manager didn't like the man. |
| D．Nothing in the world is impossible if we work hard. |
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