Last week， I visited my friend Pete in his new home， where he lives with his wife and daughter． Pete used to spend his holidays traveling around the world ﹣ visiting the pyramids in Egypt or scuba diving （水肺潜水） in the Caribbean． Nowadays， he prefers to spend his holidays and weekends making his house look more beautiful． Like hundreds of thousands of other British people， he's found the joy of DIY （do it yourself） home repairs． This means that if there's anything that needs fixing around the house， he will try to do the job himself．
Pete showed me his new kitchen， which he put together himself， and his newly﹣painted walls． I asked him where he got the idea to do these things． He told me that his favourite source （来源） of ideas is a DIY program on TV．
This got me thinking about how popular DIY programs are in the UK． Each main channel （频道） has at least one home or garden makeovershow． There are even channels totally on the subject．
I suppose it's not really surprising that DIY programs are so popular． There are two common sayings in Britain ﹣ "an Englishman's home is his castle （城堡）" and "there's no place like home" ﹣ which show how important our houses are to us． With the social changes of the last ten years or so， many people can't afford to buy bigger houses． So they are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money． DIY， clearly， is the perfect choice．
（1）Pete usually spent his holidays in the past．
| A． |
traveling round the world |
| B． |
visiting Egypt |
| C． |
diving in the Caribbean |
| D． |
building a new house |
（2）What do most British people enjoy doing nowadays？
| A． |
Finishing their work at home． |
| B． |
Doing everything on their own． |
| C． |
Spending their spare time at home． |
| D． |
Doing the home repairs themselves． |
（3）How did Pete manage to make his house more beautiful？
| A． |
He asked house builders for advice． |
| B． |
He got help from a DIY TV program． |
| C． |
He called some of his friends for help． |
| D． |
He paid workers to do the house work． |
（4）What does the underlined word " makeover" in Paragraph 3probably means？
| A． |
修建 |
| B． |
交换 |
| C． |
修饰 |
| D． |
化妆 |
（5）DIY programs have become popular because ．
| A． |
other programs are too boring to watch |
| B． |
people are spending more time watching TV |
| C． |
people can't afford new houses any more |
| D． |
people are spending more time fixing their houses |
Many students ask for advice about improving (提高) their English. There are three basic(基本的) questions.
The first question is about real English. Li Hao from Hubei wrote, “I enjoy watching English films and listening to real English songs. But it takes a long time. What do you think?”
This is a great way to learn English! Talk about the film or song with your friends, and guess the meaning of the new words. Just enjoy yourself!
The second question is about speaking. Sam, from Suzhou wrote, “Our school has a foreign teacher. But I'm shy and can’t speak to her. What should I do?”
When I visit China, lots of people in the street say, “Hello! How are you? Where are you from? Do you like China?” These are good questions to start a talk. Many people are shy when they speak English, so before you begin, take a deep breath and smile! Smiling always helps.
The third question is about vocabulary. Oliver, from Anhui wrote, “I want to remember all the new words. I write them down, but I forget them quickly. What should I do?”
Try to remember eight or ten words a day. Write them on pieces of paper and place them in your bedroom. Say the words when you see them, and change them every day. And when you’re shopping, how about counting the English words, or saying the English names for everything you see?
| A．Two. | B．Three | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．Watch English films. |
| B．Write down the words first. |
| C．Listen to real English songs. |
| D．Take a deep breath and smile before you begin. |
| A．How to learn English. |
| B．Talking about English films. |
| C．Advice about English writing. |
| D．The way of beginning an English talk. |
| A．Listening to English songs. |
| B．Practising English with a foreigner in the street. |
| C．Sitting in your bedroom to remember words. |
| D．Saying the English names for everything you see. |
Miss Evans was going to give a lecture (讲座) on Friday afternoon. But on Thursday night she was told that she had to go to an important meeting the next day at the same time. “No one can be in two places at the same time. What shall I do?” she thought. But soon, she had an idea. At five to three on Friday afternoon, Miss Evans went to the lecture room. There were twenty students waiting there for her. “I'm sorry,” she told them, “I won't be able to give my lecture today.” The students looked surprised. Miss Evans explained（解释） that she had an important meeting. “However,” she went on, “though I can't be with you myself, my voice can.” Then she put a small tape recorder (录音机) on the desk, “You see, I've recorded my lecture and you can listen to it without me.” Miss Evans turned on the recorder and left.
The meeting ended a little early. Miss Evans decided to go back to her students. She stood for a moment outside the lecture room, listening to her own voice. Then quickly, she opened the door. To her surprise, the room was empty. As she looked around, she saw a number of small recorders “listening” to her lecture!
“Well,” she thought, “If I can be in two places at the same time, why can't they?”
| A．give a lecture | B．go to a meeting |
| C．record her lecture | D．both A and B |
| A．the students could listen to it |
| B．she could listen to her own voice |
| C．her voice could be with her |
| D．the students could do the same |
| A．all her students listening to |
| B．every student recording |
| C．her students had left some recorders recording |
| D．some of her students listening to |
| A．all right for her students to do the same as she did |
| B．wrong for her students to be absent（缺席的) from the lecture |
| C．kind of her students to leave so many recorders |
| D．good for her students to do the same as she did |
Jack is a twenty-year-old young man. Two years ago, when he finished middle school, he found work in a shop. Usually he works until ten o'clock in the evening. He is very tired when he gets home. After a quick supper he goes to bed and soon falls asleep. His grandma lives downstairs. She is happy with him.
One day, on his way home, he met Mary. They were both happy. He asked the girl to his house, she agreed happily. He bought some fruit and drinks for her. And they talked about their school, teachers, classmates and their future . They talked for a long time.
"Have a look at your watch, please," said the girl. "What time is it now?"
"Sorry, something is wrong with my watch," said Jack. "Where's yours?"
"I left it at home."
Jack thought for a moment and found a way. He began to stamp his foot on the floor, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound woke his grandma up. The old woman shouted downstairs, "It's twelve o'clock in the night, Jack. Why are you still jumping upstairs?"
| A．sixteen | B．eighteen | C．twenty | D．fifteen |
| A．he's her grandson | B．he's clever |
| C．he can keep quiet | D．he gets home on time |
| A．盖印 | B．跺 | C．贴邮票 | D．承认 |
| A．to wake his grandma up |
| B．to make his grandma angry |
| C．that his grandma was going to tell him the time |
| D．that his grandma was going to buy him a watch |
The price of rice changes during the year.
It is useful for rice farmers to know how the price changes, then they can sell their rice when the price is high. But it was hard for farmers to guess how the price would change from month to month.
Last year, the price of rice was very low in November. This was a bad time for farmers to sell their rice. November, December, and January were all bad months. The best month for farmers to sell rice last year was April. July and August were also good times to sell rice.
Between August and November, the price of rice were down every month. During other parts of the year, the price went up and down.
| A．January | B．April |
| C．July | D．November |
| A．April and May | B．February and December |
| C．July and August | D．March and September |
| A．Farmers and Rice | B．Buying and Selling Rice |
| C．High Price of Rice | D．Changes in Price of Rice |
The Chinese New Year is the most important holiday for the Chinese people. For the Chinese，the New Year comes with the first day of the First Moon，between January 21 and February 19. People get ready for the holiday for fifteen days.
Finally，at midnight it is the first day of the First Moon. People close the shops and the streets are empty. Everyone locks（锁） the doors and stays at home.
It is an important time for the family. The younger people bow(鞠躬) to the older people. The Chinese call this Ke Tou. This means “to touch the ground with the forehead（额头）”．Then the younger people wish the older people a happy New Year. The older people give children gifts of money inside envelopes（信封）. The family then go to sleep.
In the morning，people dress in（穿上） their best clothes. Some people stay at home，others go out to pay a New Year Call. They are very polite and do not use bad words. It's the most important day of the year.“The Chinese New Year” in the passage means “______”．
| A．MidAutumn | B．the Spring Festival |
| C．Christmas Day | D．the Dragon(龙)Boat Festival |
It takes about ______ to get ready for the Chinese New Year.
| A．a few days | B．twelve days |
| C．half a month | D．three weeks |
At midnight you can see ______people in the street. Everyone stays at home.
| A．lots of | B．hundreds of |
| C．many | D．few |
What’s the meaning of Ke Tou?
| A．to touch the ground with the forehead . |
| B．to touch the ground with the head . |
| C．to feel the ground. |
| D．to feel the head. |
On the Chinese New Year's Day, what do people usually say to each other when they meet?
| A．Good luck! | B．Best wishes! |
| C．Good morning. | D．Happy New Year! |
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