When I was young and going to school, a joke was played on me. My friend said, "What is black and
white and red all over?" Of course I said, "I do not know." My friend said, "The newspaper." And he started
to laugh. Those were the days before I read the newspaper. That was before I knew what was ahead and
how important the newspaper would become in my life.
The first American newspaper was published in Boston in 1690. The paper had only one issue (期刊).
The next newspaper was the Boston Newsletter, printed in 1704. During the following years several other
papers were printed in different parts of America. Today there are thousands of newspapers throughout the
world that report world, national and local news in many different languages. There are morning and evening
papers, all of which have material for every reader. You automatically (自动的) think of the newspaper if you
want to know what is happening in the community (社会).
But what is a newspaper? A newspaper is a piece of printed paper that presents the current news in the
local community as well as news of national and world events. The world events and important local events
are usually reported on the front page. As you go through the paper, you find sports news, comics, news on
deaths, and news of sqcial events. Often the important speech of a public officer is printed in the paper. You
can even find out who got married in the community.
B. A picture-book.
C. A storybook.
D. An examination paper.
B. In 1690.
C. In 1540.
D. In 1890.
B. Important local events.
C. Important speeches.
D. Above all.
B. Newspaper Types.
C. Newspaper Jokes.
D. Newspaper News.
B. The front page contains the world events and important local events.
C. Sports news,comics,news on deaths are reported on the front page.
D. Th"e front page contains the current news in the local community.
Claus. According to the modem legend, he is a magical figure who visits all the children of the world during
the night before Christmas Day, leaving presents which they find the next moming. He flies through the
night sky in a sledge pulled by reindeer, and enters houses by climbing down chimneys. This strange legend
is based on the life of a man called Nicholas, but in fact we know very little about him. Historians think he
was a Christian bishop (主教) in Turkey in about 285-350. One of the stories about him is that he helped
three poor girls. No one would marry them because they were so poor.To provide them with money for their
weddings, Nicholas secretly dropped some gold coins down the chimneys of their houses. After Nicholas
died, he was made a saint (圣人) by the church. (The name Santa Claus thus comes from St Nicholas.) His
feast day was celebrated in December, and parents started giving their children secret presents from St
Nicholas. Over the years, this custom became part of our Christmas traditions.
Recently, a psychologist has claimed that Father Christmas is "the perfect fantasy" for children. According
to Professor Anthony Clare, children love the character of Father Christmas because he is like an ideal father:
he loves children and gives them presents, but he never criticizes them, or becomes angry, and children do
not even need to thank him for the presents. Other writers, however, point out that Father Christmas can be
a frightening character to some children. Jane Bidder says that some children are terrified of this fat, bearded
old man. It can certainly confuse many children. As parents, we warn our children to be careful of strangers
and never let them onto the house, and yet we tell children that a strange man will come into their bedroom at
night! Some children can become very worried about this idea and fear that he is a kind of burglar.
Most children, however, understand from their parents and from the media that Father Christmas is
basically a benign character, and look forward to his annual visit with joy and excitement.
B. the tradition of Father Christmas is a modem idea
C. Father Christmas is a magical figure who can fly
D. the legend about Father Christmas are not true
chimneys because he _____.
B. is describing the history of St Nicholas
C. wants everyone to believe that Father Christmas is real
D. is explaining the modern legend of Father Christmas
B. This story explains why parents give secret presents to children.
C. It supports the writer"s main point that Father Christmas is based on an untrue story.
D. This story explains why we celebrate. Christmas in December.
B. friendly
C. frightening
D. unreal
B. The True History of St Nicholas
C. The Legend of Santa Claus
D. The Traditions of Christmas
Consider the different parts of the day, for example. The time of the day when something is done can
give a special meaning to the event. Factory managers in the United States fully realize the importance of
an announcement made during the middle of the moming or afternoon that takes everyone away from his
work.
In the United States, it is not customary to telephone someone very early in the morning. If you telephone
him early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is
very urgent and requires immediate attention. It is the same with telephone calls made after 11:00 p. m. if
someone receives a call during sleeping hours. He probably thinks it is a matter of life or death. The time
chosen for the call communicates its importance.
The meanings of time differ in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstanding arises between
people from cultures that treat time differently. In the United States, people tend to think of time as something
fixed in nature, something from which one cannot escape. As a rule, Americans think of time as a road into
the future, along which one progresses. The road has many sections, which are to be kept separate..."one
thing at a time". Thus, an American may feel angry when he has made an appointment with someone and
then finds a lot of other things happening at the same time.
Americans look ahead and are concerned almost entirely with the future. The American idea of the future
is limited, however. It is the foreseeable future and not the future of involving many centuries.
Since time has many different meanings in different cultures, communication is often difficult. We will
understand each other a little better if we can keep this fact in mind.
because _____.
B. it is made by the manager
C. it makes everyone lose his job
D. it communicates in many ways
B. impolite since it disturbs the receiver"s sleep
C. to be a threat to the receiver"s life
D. as urgent as one made early in the morning
B. people from different cultures misunderstand him
C. he cannot escape from something fixed in nature
D. others do not keep things separate
B. the future that one looks forward to
C. the future toward which one makes progress
D. the future which involves centuries
B. they are concerned with the future
C. they learn the way time communicates
D. they keep in mind that different cultures treat time differently
to Sydney, and over twice to Melbourne. Sydney faces the Pacific Ocean, and Melboume is close to the Bass
Strait through which ships from Sydney can enter the Indian Ocean.
When the Federal government of Australia was formed in 1901, no one knew where Australia"s capital
would be. The two cities of Sydney and Melbourne both wanted the honour. Instead, the founding fathers
chose a piece of land between the two cities for the new capital. The govemment would build a new city
called Canberra as the country"s capital.
In 1991, the govemment invited the world leading architects (建筑师) to enter designs for Canberra in a
contest (比赛). An architect from Chicago (芝加哥) named Walter Griffin won. The government decided to
build Canberra according to his plan. Men started to work on Canberra in 1913. Twenty-four years later, the
city was finished. But the government moved to this new city ten years before it was completed.
At one time, almost everyone in Canberra worked for the government. However, the city today has become
a centre of education and a favorite place for tourists (观光者). Now people can hold a govemment job, or
they can work in business. They also make a living by teaching or meeting the needs of tourists.
People find life in Canberra very relaxing and pleasant. The crty is surrounded by beautiful mountains
where people can ski (滑雪). There is a large man-made lake lined with beaches (海滩) and parks in the centre
of Canberra. Canberra is now Australia"s largest island city. Many people living there have come from other
cities in Australia and from other lands. They have come to Canberra to work. Some have come to get away
from the busier way of life found in many other cities.
B. 480
C. 740
D. 720
B. an American
C. the Federal govemment
D. the world leading architects
B. the largest island city and an education centre in Australia
C. a beautiful coastal city with beaches and parks
D. a pleasant place with lakes surrounding it
a. The founding fathers decided to build Canberra.
b. The Federal government was founded in 1901.
c. Canberra was completed ten years later.
d. Both Melbourne and Sydney wanted to be the capital.
e. The government had a contest to design the capital.
f. The people began to build Canberra in 1913.
g. The Federal government moved to the new city.
B. b, f, d, e, g, a, c
C. b, d, a, e,f, c, g
D. b, d, a, e, f, g, c
first made. One might think that something genius thought up the first potato chips, but it didn"t happen
that way. The Moon Lake Restaurant was a well-known restaurant in New York in 1853. Its menu included
French-fried potatoes: a popular food recipe brought back from France by Thomas Jefferson. These were
thickly cut potatoes, fried until golden brown and crisp in the outside. One evening a guest in the dining hall
felt that his potatoes were too thick and sent them back to the kitchen. The cook sliced some potatoes thinner
than before and prepared them for the complaining guest. He was still not satisfied and sent them back again!
By this time the cook was angry and decided to do exactly what the dinner guest wanted: slice the potatoes
as thin as possible. Then they would be so crisp that the diner wouldn"t be able to use his fork to eat them.
When the paper thin browned potatoes arrived the dinner was pleased. He was so happy with them that other
guests started ordering the new potatoes. The cook"s plan to stop the dinner guest from complaining did not
turn out as he had planned. Soon Saratoga Chips appeared on the menu and became so popular that people
wanted to take some home. The restaurant started selling small packages of the potato chips. A few years later
they were selling all over the United States. But because the potatoes had to be peeled by hand, it was a time-
consuming chore and potato ships were often out of stock. In the 1920s a mechanical potato peeler was
invented and soon there were potato chips in abundance. They gradually spread all over the world, and have
remained popular ever since.
B. wanted to silence a guest"s complaining
C. liked playing jokes on guests
D. was pleased that other guests liked the chips
B. the dinner guest asked for them
C. it was not difficult to cook them
D. they were pleased with the thick potato chips
B. potatoes were peeled by a large number of cooks
C. there was a growing demand for them
D. they first appeared in a restaurant
B. ever since 1920
C. for less than 100 years
D. since the 19th century
History experts say Halloween goes back more than two thousand years to the Celts (凯尔特人) of ancient
Britain. October 31 was the Celtic Day of the autumn feast (宗教节日). On that day, priests (牧师) of the Celtic
religion (宗教) prayed that the spirits of the dead would retum to their homes for a few hours. The Celts built
huge fires to frighten away evil spirits released with the dead on that night.
Hundreds of years later, the Roman Catholic (天主教的) Church made November first a day to honor
Christian Saints. It was called All Saints Day or All Hallows Day. The day before was called Hallow Eve or
Halloween. The name came from the church. But the traditions were closer to the old Celtic beliefs.
People from Scotland and Ireland brought these traditions to America. Many people still believed spirits
played tricks on people on the last night of October.
In the late 19th century, American boys helped the spirits with tricks of their own. On Halloween, they
would do things like changing street signs or putting a wagon on top of a house.
American children continue to celebrate Halloween today. Many adults enjoy the holiday as well. They go
to holiday parties dressed as ghosts, monsters or famous people from history.
Children continue these Halloween traditions by going out to "Trick or Treat". They dress as frightening
creatures or characters from popular movies. They go from house to house asking for candy. They may also
ask for money for the United Nations International Children"s Emergency Fund (联合国国际儿童急救基金会).
They send the money to UNICEF to help needy children around the world.
B. American boys.
C. People from Italy.
D. People from Rome.
B. American boys.
C. People from Scotland.
D. Roman Catholic Church.
B. give us candy or we"ll make trouble
C. give us apples or we"ll go into your kitchen
D. give us oranges or we"ll cry here
B. to buy their pens
C. to send to their parents
D. to help the poor children in the world
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