A survey of young people around the world looked at their ideas of today's teenagers.It shows how different they are to those of their parents and grandparents.The survey wanted to try and understand the next generation ( 一 代 人 ) of adults better and these are some of the results.They show that there are many more (A) similarities between young people around the world than differences.
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Gap years (间隔年) between school and university are becoming more and more common.Today's teenagers want to travel to different countries and experience different cultures.They regard this as an important part of their character development.
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For most teenagers,family and friends are the most important side of life.According to the survey,60 percent of British young people said their relationship with their family was of the highest importance to (B) them .
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75percent of teenagers in Western Europe expect to have enough money to live when they are adults.They are a happy generation.Eight out of ten believe they will have a good profession with a job they enjoy.They also expect that they will be happy and healthy.
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Young people now are hungry for all kinds of information on mass media.57percent of teenagers in the UK read at least one magazine every week,which is one of the highest totals in the world.
A.Hopeinthefuture B.Crazyforinformation
C.Discoveringtheworld D.Familyandfriends
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②
③
④.
As we know,there are differences between Westren culture and Chinese culture..Let's look at some words about animals and plants.Most expressions in Chinese about the dog,for example,"a homeless dog","a mad dog","A running dog"and"A dog catching a mouse",have bad meanings.,In English,people use the dog to describe good actions.For example,"you are A lucky dog"means you are A lucky person.And‘every dog has its day"means each person has gool luck sometimes.To describe a person's serious illness,they say‘sick as a dog".The word"dog﹣tired"means very tired..But in Western culture,"cat"is often used ti describe a woman who is unkind.There are many other examples of how"cat"is used to describe a woman who is unkind.There are many other examples of how‘cat"is used differently as well.
People think the rose stands for love,peace,courage and friendship.And the rose is the national flower of England,America and many other countries.
We can learn about many differences in cultures by comparing how some words are used.
A.Howerver,Chinese love cats very much
B.The words about plants and animals are used in good or bad ways in different cultures
C.We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used
D.However,westerners love cats very much
E.We can see simliarities when we pay attention to the way words are used
F.The rose is regarded as a symbol of love in both China and some Western countries
G.But in Western countries,dogs are considered to be honest and good friends of humans.
A. One idea is to test yourself. B. Even worse, you could have an English test. C. She believes they are not as useful as other habits. D. These methods are commonly used in schools around the world. E. So it's possible that you are underlining something not so important. |
Imagine you have a history or math test in school. How should you prepare for this terrible event?
Should you reread your history, math or English books? What about underlining important words or sentences? But are these truly the best methods?
Mary Pym, an American scientist, says that both rereading and underlining are ineffective(无效的)study tools, but better than not studying at all.
When you reread something, you are not trying to actively receive the information. It seems that you already know the information because you've already read it.
The problem with underlining is that you don't always know what the most important information is. .
What should you do if rereading and underlining are not the best ways to study for a test?
simple cards and practice exams can help when you want to make sure that you have learned something.
No matter what methods you choose, you should know that effective learning takes time and effort.
Complain(抱怨) Politely
Not everything goes the way you want it to. You may go to a restaurant and order a nice meal. But your order is wrong or not cooked properly. You may buy a product that breaks the next day.However, if you speak angrily to people, they will become defensive(自卫的). Then they are less likely to help you. A more effective (有效的)way to get what you want is to stay calm.
Use polite language and a friendly tone of voice. Start with phrases such as, " I'm sorry to bother you, but. "or" Excuse me, but could you.?" For example, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I ordered potato soup, not vegetable, "Phrasing your complaint as a question also helps. Could you help me? I just bought this phone case yesterday, but it's cracked."
There is no faster way to make someone defensive than by blaming them. Use the phrase." I know this isn't your fault, but…"or"There has been a misunderstanding." Blaming people isn't as important as getting a problem fixed!
There are honest mistakes, but at times someone may try to take advantage of you. In that case, don't say "Hey! You're trying to cheat me! "Instead, use the phrase, "I understood that…" For example. "I understood that the service charge was included in the price. Then give the person a chance to answer.
If you don't get what you want with polite conversation, ask to speak to a manager or supervisor. .
A. When trying to comet a problem, don't blame (责备)the person you're talking to. B. People like to be asked rather than told! C. But usually, you'll find that polite words and a smile will resolve a situation. D. These kinds of experiences make you want to complain. E. These phrases let people know you are only angry at the situation |
Dawa Dorji has many jobs: singer, barkeeper and English tour guide, but he is most famous as the lead singer of the first folk(民间的) pop band in Tibet(西藏).
In 2003, Dawa Dorji met two fans of Tibetan music., and later another two joined the band.
, so they had to practise on weekdays in a small village after work. Dawa Dorji and his band members believed that they needed to communicate with their audience(听众) in order to write good songs. .
At the beginning, most audience were foreigners, but after a couple of months, many local people came to enjoy their music. .
“Whenever there is a festival, we Tibetans sing and dance, I sang songs with the old people, and I learned more about how to sing,” said Dawa Dorji.
, and many of them are from traditional ones.
Dawa Dorji believes that their efforts(努力) are meaningful for introducing Tibetan folk music to the whole nation, and even the whole world.
A. Dawa Dorji was born in Lhasa B. Each member of the band had his own job C. They became good friends and started a band D. As a result, the band became more and more popular E. So at weekends they rushed to restaurants to sing for free F. So far, four albums(唱片) with 48 Tibetan language songs have come out |
Susie Sunbeam was not her real name; that was Susan Brown. But every one called her Susie Sunbeam because of her such a sweet, smiling face..
Her grandfather first gave her this name, and it seemed to fit the little girl so nicely that soon it took the place of her own.
Even when a baby, Susie laughed from morning till night. .
When she had learned to walk, she loved to go about the house and get things for her mother, and in this way save her as many steps as she could. She would sit by her mother's side for an hour at a time, and ask her ever so many questions, or she would take her new book and read
She never used an unkind word, but tried to do whatever would please her playmates best.
One day, a poor little girl with a very ragged dress was going by and Susie heard some children teasing her and making fun of her. She at once ran out to the gate, and asked the poor little girl to come in. "What are you crying for?" Susie asked. "Because they all laughed at me," she said.
She cheered her up with kind words, and gave her a nice dress and a pair of shoes.
This brought real joy and gladness to the poor child..
A. That's why we called her Susie Brown. B. Susie was always pleasant in her play with other children. C. No one ever heard her cry unless she was sick or hurt. D. She always brought brightness with her when she came. E. Susie liked to read books when her mother was busy in doing chores F. And she thought that Susie was rightly called Sunbeam G. Then Susie took the little girl into the house. |
Shanghai is one of the first cities in China to see bike sharing fever. Shared bikes can now be found all over the city. On streets see riders of your age. Some might even be younger than you. Unluckily, there have been some accidents involving (涉及) shared bikes.
One of the most serious accidents took place in March. One Sunday afternoon, a boy was riding an ofo bike (共享单车). He was hit by a bus and later died. The boy's parents were not by his side. He was only about 10 years old.
The good news is that Shanghai has been trying to manage bike sharing by making rules. The rules are still being discussed, but some of the rules have been decided on. Users must be between 1. 45 and 1.95 meters tall.
However, it could be hard to make these rules work. Ou Jing is ofo's manager in Shanghai. He said the company had banned (禁止) children under 12 from using its service. Yet, young children can still be seen riding ofo bikes. That's because many ofo bikes use manual (手动的) locks. Ofo has developed electronic locks. However, it will take some time for the company to fix the new locks on all of its bikes.
Most of you are old enough to ride a shared bike. Still, please ride slowly for your own safety. When you finish using the bike, don't forget to park and lock it properly—for everybody's safety.
根据短文内容, 从方框中选出五个句子填入文中空缺处,使短文内容通顺完整。
A. If a user doesn't lock the bike properly after using it, anyone can ride it away. B. In fact, they are popular not only among adults but also among teens. C. All of the children under 12 have stopped riding ofo bikes. D. Besides, the boy was considered too young to ride a bike. E. For example, only people aged between 12 and 70 can ride shared bikes. F. These accidents warn us that shared bikes are not for everybody. |
The Chongyang Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As both the month and the day are nine, it got this name. To celebrate the day, people usually climb mountains and enjoy chrysanthemum (菊花), so the festival is also known as the Height Ascending (登高) Festival or the Chrysanthemum Festival. In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word “forever”, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors' Day.
The festival has a history of over 2000 years. During the Warring States Period, there was the Chongyang Festival. But it was only celebrated in the imperial palace. From the Han Dynasty, it began to be popular among the common people. The name of the Chongyang Festival first appeared in the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Jin Dynasty, there were customs of enjoying chrysanthemum and drinking wines on the day. It was not (A) officially set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. Since then, all the people have spent the festival with kinds of activities. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the imperial palace all ate flower cakes to celebrate. The emperor climbed the mountain on the day as well. In 1989, the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors' Day.
As September has the clear sky and fresh air, it is a very good time to climb the mountain. There will be a happy sense of excitement by climbing the mountain in this season. Also, it is good for health. Since the Western Han Dynasty, it has been the custom of climbing on the Chongyang Festival.
On the day, enjoying chrysanthemum is very popular as the flower means long life. Drinking chrysanthemum is regarded as a way to prevent disasters and bad things. Inserting Zhuyu and sticking chrysanthemum are also traditions to avoid the bad as (B) they have special smells which can repel (驱逐) insects and keep out the cold.
Eating Chongyang cakes is another tradition on the festival. There is no fixed way of the cake but the one with nine layers (层) with two sheep on it is the best. Two sheep means Chongyang. Nine layers show people could do well in everything.
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There have been many traditions and customs on the Chongyang Festival. People show respect for the seniors, ①, ② ③, insert Zhuyu and enjoy chrysanthemum.
In the Middle Eastern country of Syria (叙利亚), there are over 4 million refugees (难民). Youssef was 10 years old when a local Syrian musician discovered his talent: a deep, powerful voice. However, Syria's civil (内部的) war took place. He and his family lost their home.
When the Action for Hope Music School announced that it was looking for talented children to train, his family encouraged him to attend the school. A year and half later, the now 14-year-old, Youssef, with another 11 children, was chosen to take part in a concert.
Youssef, a shy boy, was a lead singer in the concert. He gave a confident performance of traditional Syrian songs. “We only heard the sound of a mortar ( 迫 击 炮 ). It fell near us. Many buildings fell down. That is all I remember,” said Youssef. “Music makes me forget everything. Music is the most important thing.”
Basma, director of Action for Hope, said the music school offers strength to the children who suffer (遭受) from the war. They can find a good way to express themselves and stop thinking of themselves as refugees.
“Art gives strength. It comes from the ability to create,” Basma said. “People who are in difficult conditions need this strength much more than the rich.”
Have you ever counted the number of digits (数字) in your mobile phone number? Your number has 11 digits. You may sometimes find it hard to remember your number. That's because China has the longest mobile phone numbers in the world. Why is that?
The 11 digits can be divided into three parts. Each part has a different meaning. The first three numbers tell you which mobile phone service provider (提供者) you are using For example, 135 is for China Mobile Communications Corporation and 188 is for China Unicom. The fourth to the seventh digits tell you where the number is registered (注册). And the last four digits are random (随机的).
The main reason for using 11 digits is that we have the largest population in the world. We once had 10 numbers. But as our population grew, there were not enough numbers for us to use. So we began to use 11 digits starting from 1999. Eleven digits can be used to make tens of billions of mobile phone numbers. That's enough for each person to have seven or eight phone numbers to use in China.
And mobile phone numbers can be recycled. Usually, the service provider will reuse a canceled number after three to six months. If you call a number that you haven't contacted (联系) for a long time, you may find that its owner has changed.
Besides China, Britain and Japan also use 11-digit mobile phone numbers. But their numbers always start with 0. So they cannot create as many numbers as we can. Countries like the United States, Australia and India use phone numbers with 10 digits. Canada's mobile phone numbers are perhaps the shortest in the world: they use seven digits.
E
Sara wants to buy a motorcycle. She sees an ad in the newspaper for a used one. She calls the telephone number in the ad. The person who is selling the motorcycle lives on Flag Street in Clifton, about 15 miles from Fairview where Sara lives. She'll take a bus to get there on Sunday.
At the bus station. Sara looks through the bus schedules(时刻表). She sees one that says “Fairview, Clifton" on the front. That's what Sara needs.
Please look at the bus schedule carefully. Then help Sara make her decision, and answer the following questions.
In early spring, the changing temperature usually makes a number of Chinese people uncomfortable. Cold air, bringing rain or even snow, easily tears up(破坏) the warmth of the spring within a night(一夜之间).
However, with the coming of Guyu-the Grain(谷物) Rain, the blue sky and gentle winds would finally stay. Falling usually on or around April 20 every year, Guyu is the sixth of the 24 solar terms(节气). It means the beginning of a lively summer and people get busy from now on.
Sow(播种) grains
This is an important period of the growth of grains. The ancient Chinese already knew that as Guyu comes, the weather will become warm enough for sowing. The farmers usually catch the chance to plant rice, corn and beans.
Hope for safety and harvest
For those living near the sea, they will hold some ceremonies(仪式) on Guyu, hoping for safety as well as harvest during the coming fishing season.
Watch the peony
It's also a great time to see the peony(牡丹), which is known as “the Queen of All Flowers” in Chinese culture. As a result, watching peonies becomes one of the most enjoyable activities for many. The flower is said to be the favourite of Empress(女皇) Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty, who was the only woman ruler in Chinese history.
Pick tea leaves
Tea leaves picked before Guyu are among the best tea leaves. People believe that the tea leaves picked on the day of Guyu can make eyes clear and drive away bad luck. So the habit of drinking tea at this time of year has become a tradition in some places of China.
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Every year animals all around the world take part in some wonderful journeys.Here are the stories of two amazing animal travelers.
Humpback whales ( 座 头 鲸 ) prefer a slow journey.The humpbacks,
which travel over 10,000kilometers on their journey from Alaska to Hawaii,swim at a relaxing speed of about 1.6kilometers an hour.Although they don't swim fast,humpback whales travel farther than any other kinds of whale.
Every August a fantastic sight can be seen in the skies above Ontario and Montreal﹣millions of amazing Monarch butterflies ( 帝 王 蝶) beginning their 4,000﹣kilometer journey from Canada to Central Mexico.In fact,the journey,which takes about 3months,is longer than the average ( 平 均 的 ) life of the butterfly.Finally many of the butterflies reaching their final place are the great grandchildren or even the great great grandchildren of the butterflies who began the journey in Mexico the year before.
Humpback whales swim at a speed of an hour from Alaska to .They travel slowly but among all whales.Monarch butterflies spend flying from Canada to Central Mexico.It lasts longer than their average life.The ones which arrive at the final place are or even the great great grandchildren.
The passage is mainly about.
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Everywhere in the world there are different ways of behaving.When we meet someone,everything we say and do expresses our cultural background.So if you want to get on with someone from another culture,it helps to understand something about these differences.
Even how we stand depends on our culture.English people talk to each other at an average (平均的) distance of 130 cm,while Italians chat at an average distance of 80 cm.So Italians can think that English people are unfriendly because they stand too far away!And English people can think that Italians are too close.
Touching is also cultural.The French touch much more than Americans.A French couple may touch 100times in half an hour while an American couple may only touch twice!And French teenagers touch each other much more than American teens.
[1]Once, when there was a famine(饥荒), a rich baker sent for twenty of the poorest children in the town, and said to them, “In this basket there is a loaf(面包)for each of you. Take it, and come back to me every day at this hour for more.”
[2]The hungry children gathered eagerly about the basket, and fought over the bread because each wanted the largest loaf. At last they went away without even ______ the good baker.
[3]Gretchen, a poorly dressed little girl, did not fight or struggle with the other children, but stood quietly in the distance(远处), When the badly behaved children had left. Gretchen took the smallest loaf, which was all that was left in the basket. She kissed the baker's hand and went home.
[4]第二天,孩子们表现得像以前一样糟糕。Gretchen got a loaf almost half the size of the one she got the first day. When she came home, her mother cut the loaf open. Many new shining pieces of silver fell out of it.
[5]Her mother was very worried and said, “Take the money back to the baker at once. The silver must have fallen into the dough by accident. By quick, Gretchen!”
[6]When the little girl gave the rich man her mother's message, he said, “It was no mistake, I had the silver pieces put into the smallest loaf to reward(奖赏)you. Always be as content(满足),peaceable, and thankful as you now are. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is yours to keep.”