You’ve just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you’ve been away, has this country changed for the better or for the worse?
If you’ve just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight’s holiday, small changes have probably surprised you—anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed—or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families—all very conservative (保守的).The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant (移民) myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I’d think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they’re more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we’d left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening — in Cyprus, they’re very relaxed — and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers. But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would appreciate what they’ve got.After a short overseas holiday, people tend to ______ .
| A．expect small changes |
| B．notice small changes |
| C．welcome small changes |
| D．exaggerate (夸大) small changes |
How does Debi look at the foreign settlers?
| A．Cautiously. | B．Skeptically. |
| C．Positively. | D．Critically. |
When arriving at the airport in Britain, Christine was shocked by ______ .
| A．the tight security | B．the messy arrivals hall |
| C．the relaxed policemen | D．the bank robbers |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Life in Britain. | B．Britain in Memory. |
| C．Britain in Future. | D．Back in Britain. |
| SHEFFIELD |
| LINCOLN COLLEGE OF ENGLISH |
| Classes for foreign students at all levels |
| 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year course |
| Open all year |
| Small class (at most 12 students ) |
| Library, language laboratory and listening center |
| Accommodation(膳食供应) with selected families |
| 25 minutes from London |
| Course fees for English for one year are ￡1, 38 (with reduction for shorter periods of study) |
| |
Lincoln College of English _______.
| A．is at the centre of London |
| B．accepts students only at the beginning of the year |
| C．takes in foreign students, from beginners to the advanced |
| D．lies far away from London |
While you stay there, _______ will take care of you.
| A．the school where you study | B．the family you have chosen |
| C．your classmates | D．your own parents |
If you go there for a one-term course, you will pay _______ for it.
| A．￡1, 380 | B．over ￡ 1, 380 |
C．much less than ￡1, 380 | D．nothing |
According to the introduction above, which is NOT mentioned(提到)?
| A．Course fees | B．Accommodation | C．The size of class | D．Teachers’ work |
I went over my grandmother’s house today and she didn’t have time for me. You see, the lady’s husband downstairs died and my Grandmother wanted to make some cookies for her. My grandmother did not analyze (分析) how the lady treated her, or if the lady needed any cookies, or even if the lady would like the cookies. She didn’t think how much the lady has done for her. She simply began baking.
My Grandmother turned 94 last week and this I believe is her secret to life. My grandmother is generous (慷慨) and hard-working in a way that is rare for our time. She lives by a simple belief: if someone needs your help, you help. Never mind all the analyzing and thinking whether the person deserves or appreciates the help. My grandmother doesn’t sit around thinking about who might be making use of her; she simply does what is needed.
At 94, she is busy in life. She is making a blanket for a new great grandchild, and worried that I don’t have enough kitchen towels for my home. She is bringing soup to a sick neighbor, and teaching the new wife of her cousin (who is 88) how to cook Italian food.
My grandmother had every right to give up, but she didn’t — and amazingly life did bring her good things, like a husband with twinkling blue eyes who was much ahead of his time and believed that men should do an equal amount of cooking and cleaning in the home, three beautiful children (my father and two aunts), 22 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. My grandmother is not afraid to give someone she barely knows a bowl of soup. She never keeps herself out of the world. The reason why my grandmother made cookies for the lady downstairs is that ________.
| A．she thought the lady was too busy |
| B．she would make them as thanks to her |
| C．she thought she should do something for the lady at the special time |
| D．they had had an agreement before |
In the writer’s opinion, ________.
| A．my grandmother has a secret way of living |
| B．my grandmother does everything on careful consideration |
| C．few people are as generous as my grandmother now |
| D．my grandmother will get something in return |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．My grandmother cares for her children even some strangers. |
| B．My grandfather does not treat women in an unfair way. |
C．This is a family in which there are nearl y 30 people now. |
| D．My grandmother never keeps everything for herself. |
We may infer from the text that the writer ________.
| A．thinks his grandmother is living a tired life |
| B．thinks his grandmother is doing what she should do |
| C．thinks his grandmother should not be so kind |
| D．is proud of his grandmother |
Dear Betty,
My roommate’s family wants me to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with them in their home. I accepted the invitation, and I’m excited about going, but I’m a little nervous about it, too. The social customs in my country are different from those here, so I’m a little worried about making mistakes.
Should I bring a gift, such as candy or flowers? Should I arrive on time or a little late? At the dinner table, how can I know which fork or knife to use? How can I let the family know that I’m thankful for their kindness?
Yours,
Knowing Nothing
Dear Knowing Nothing,
It’s a good idea to bring a gift when you go to a dinner party. Flowers are always welcome, or you can bring a bottle of wine if you know the family drink it.
You should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late. Don’t get there early. If you are going to be more than fifteen minutes late, you should call and tell them.
Try to relax at the dinner table. If you don’t know how to use the right fork, knife or spoon, just watch the other guests, and follow them. If you still have no idea of what to do, don’t be shy about asking the person next to you; it’s better to ask them than to be silently uncomfortable and nervous.
If you like the food, say so. Of course, you’ll thank the host and hostess for the meal and for their kindness. It’s also a good idea to send a card to thank them the day after.
Yours,
BettyKnowing Nothing wrote a letter to Betty to _____.
| A．tell Betty some good news | B．ask for some advice |
| C．answer some questions | D．invite her to dinner |
According to Betty, Knowing Nothing ______ when going to a dinner party.
| A．can only bring some flowers | B．can’t bring wine |
| C．should arrive on time or five to ten minutes late | D．should arrive twenty minutes late |
Betty does NOT advise Knowing Nothing to _____.
| A．relax at the dinner table | B．watch the other guests |
| C．ask the person beside him | D．keep silent at table |
Botany, the study of plants, occupies a special position in the history of human knowledge. For many thousands of years it was the one field of awareness about which humans had anything more than the vaguest (含糊的) of insight. It is impossible to know today just what our Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must extremely ancient. This is logical. Plants are the basis of the food pyramid for all living things, even for other plants. They have always been enormously important to
the welfare of peoples, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, eyes, medicines, shelter, and a great many other purposes. Tribes living today in the j
ungles of the Amaz
on re
cognized accurately hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them, botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of knowledge at all.
Unfortunately, the more industri
alized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid. When our Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000 years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer productions the next season, the first great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the wonder of agriculture; cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the built up knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and close relationship with plants in the wild would begin fade away.Which of the following statements about early humans is expressed in the passage?
| A．They probably had extensive knowledge of plants. |
| B．They thought there was no need to cultivate crops. |
| C．They did not enjoy the study of botany. |
| D．They placed great importance on the ownership of property. |
What does the comment “This is logical.” In the first paragraph mean?
| A．There is no clear way to determine the extent of our ancestor’s knowledge of plants. |
| B．It is not surprising that early humans had a detailed knowledge of plants. |
| C．It is reasonable to assume that our ancestors behaved very much like people in pre-industrial societies. |
| D．Human knowledge of plants is well organized and very detailed. |
According to the passage, why has general knowledge of botany begun to fade?
| A．People no longer value plants as a useful resource. |
B．Botany is not recognized as a specia l branch of science. |
| C．Research is unable to keep up with the increasing numbers of plants. |
| D．Direct contact with a variety of plants has decreased. |
In the second paragraph, what is the author’s purpose in mentioning “ a rose, an apple, or an orchid”?
| A．To make the passage more poetic. |
| B．To give an example of plant that are attractive. |
| C．To give botanical examples that all readers will recognize. |
| D．To explain the variety of botanical life. |
According to the passage, what was the first great step toward the practice of agriculture?
| A．The invention of agricultural tools and machinery. |
| B．The development of a system of names for plants. |
| C．The discovery of grasses that could be harvested and replanted. |
| D．The changing diets of early humans. |
All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy. You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house, leave a half-written letter on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my mother had “put it back where it belonged,” as she explained.
My wife, one of her first visits to my mother’s house, placed a packet of biscuits on an end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet had been removed. Confused,
she s
et down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared. Up to then she had guessed that everyone in my family held onto their drinks, so as not to make water rings on the end tables. Now she knows better
These disappearance had a confusing effect on our family. We were all inclined to (有……的倾向) forgetfulness, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find th
at every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. “ Do you remember what I was doing?” was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of cleaning windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house, perhaps to avoid having to be the one to lift his feet. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We have all become busy persons.Which of the following is TRUE about my mother?
| A．she enjoyed removing others’ drinks. | B．She became more and more forgetful. |
| C．She preferred to do everything by herself. | D．She wanted to keep her house in good order. |
My wife could not find her biscuits and drink in my mother’s house because _______.
| A．she had already finished them | B．my mother had taken them away |
| C．she forgot where she had left them | D．someone in my family was holding them |
The underlined part suggests that my sister ______.
| A．is happy to clean windows | B．loves to clean used windows |
| C．is fond of cleaning used windows | D．likes cleaning windows as my mother did |
How many persons are mentioned in the passage?
| A．Six. | B．Seven. | C．Five. | D．Four. |
This passage mainly tells us that ______.
| A．my mother often made us confused | B．my family members had a poor memory |
| C．my mother helped us to form a good habit | D．my wife was surprised when she visited my mother |
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