In the US, people prefer waiting for a table to sitting with people they don’t know. This means a hostess may not seat a small group until a small table is available, even if a large one is. If you are sitting at a table with people you don’t know, it is impolite to light up a cigarette without first asking if it will disturb them.

At American restaurants and coffee shops you are usually served tap (水龙头)water before you order. You may find the bread and butter is free, and if you order coffee, you may get a free refill(重续).

Most cities and towns have no rules about opening and closing time for stores or restaurants, though they usually do make rules for bars. Especially in large cities, stores may be open 24 hours a day.

 Serving in restaurants is often large; too large for many people. If you can’t finish your meal but would like to enjoy the food later, ask your waitress or waiter for a “doggie bag”. It may have a picture of a dog on it, but everybody knows you’re taking the food for yourself.

Tips are not usually added to the check. They are not included in the price of the meal, either. A tip of about 15% is expected and you should leave it on the table when you leave. In some restaurants, a check is brought on a plate and you put your money there. Then the waiter or waitress brings you your change.

21. Which statement is TRUE?

   A. American people like sitting with people they don’t know.

   B. Hostess always seats a small group at a large table.

   C. American people never sit with people they don’t know.

   D. American people would not light a cigarette if the people who sit at the same table mind their smoking.

22.What is served before you order?

A. Cold water.     B. Butter.    C. Coffee.      D.  Bread.

23. What do American people always do when servings are too large for them?

A. They take the food home with a doggie bag for their dogs.

B. They leave the food on the table and go away.

C. They take the food home with a doggie bag and enjoy the food later.

D. They ask the waitress or waiter to keep the food for them.

In South Africa ,paragliding（滑翔伞运动）is one of the most popular sports around .Paragliding in South Africa is a delight and at times, a frightening challenge.

  A paragliding is , firstly, someone who has been well taught in the skill of flying . Once you have done the 4-day course and decide that you have the right mental attitude and the basic physical requirements, the mountain slops wait for you . If you have never tried before, you are sure to learn it in a few days, but safety comes first.

  Strangely , the relatively flat Karoo heartland is one of the best areas to paragliding in. The town of De Aar and Kuruman in the Northen Cape province are center of Karoo paragliding . South Africa paragliders hold more than 50% of the world records in this sport---most of them set in the Karoo. But why are paragliders so crazy about the Karoo? “The cloud base there is so high and the wind is proper and stable . You can glide for hours , going up as high as 4000meters in the sky.” They explain.

  Foreign pilots wanting a taste of South Africa’s paragliding opportunities can get a short-time license. They can hold it for three months at most .Medical examination and insurance are needed by the South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.

  The Western Cape has more than 60 official paragliding launch and flight sites. Up north along the Drakensberg slope, you will see the brave “One-Wing” doing their thing daily, flying in the sky or taking the “redge lift”, riding a wave of wind as it clears a mountain slope.

24. If you want to learn paragliding, you must be_____.

  A. brave and healthy     B. calm and delighted 

 C. young and clever      D. excited and powerful

25. Why does Karoo attract paragliders from all over the world?

 A. Because it has very beautiful scenery    

  B. Because it is easy for them to get licenses.

  C. Because the conditions and climate are ideal for paragliding

  D. Because it is well known in the world.

26. What do we know from the passage?

  A. De Aar is the only center of Karoo paragliding.

  B. People can go high up in the sky while paragliding.

  C. Paragliding needs skills , but is very safe.

  D. All the world records of paragliding were set in South Africa

27. Foreign pilots who go to paraglide in South Africa____.

  A . needn’t have a medical examination

  B. will spend a great deal of money

  C. can stay there for two months at most

  D. must hold a short-time license

A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the result of a condition known as jet lag. Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane. People with jet lag feel extremely tired for several days. They may also have problems in thinking clearly and remembering.

Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty women who worked for international airlines. They had served passengers on airplanes for five years. These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones. In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag. Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights. The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas.

The researcher took some saliva from the women’s mouths to measure levels of a hormone  (荷尔蒙 ) that increases during stress . He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen .And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain’s temporal lobes. (脑叶).

It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes. This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen. The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test. And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones.

The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip. He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years. Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory.

Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain. They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently affect memory.

28．According to the text, jet lag _____.

A. can cause difficulties in speaking

B. can make people feel tired for a few weeks

C. can be only found in flight attendants

D. can be caused by flying over several time zones

29．It can be inferred from the text that ______.

A. the conclusion is refused by many scientists

B. scientists fear that this research is not done properly

C. every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests

D. the women who were examined in the research were not healthy

30．From the result of the research we can see that _____.

A. the women who have longer rest at home perform better on the test.

B. the women who fly in short time have smaller right temporal lobes

C. the women who have longer flights fail the memory test

D. the women who rest more than 14 days produce more hormones

31．What is the subject discussed in the test?

A. The cause of jet lag.

B. A story of a group of flight attendants.

C. The importance of having enough rest after flights.

D. A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain.

Mainland couples who give birth to a second child in Hong Kong will be fined for breaking the family planning policy，a senior official has warned．

As more women flock to Hong Kong to give birth to their second child，Zhang Feng，family planning department director of Guangdong Province，stressed that this violated China's policies．“And those who are government employees will even be dismissed from their posts．”he said．

 “If they give birth to their second child on the mainland or in other countries and regions, they have violated the country’s policies and the province’s regulations”.

 He said that some families had been punished in the past few months after having a second child in Hong Kong, but gave no details.

 Zhang made his remarks when a Hong Kong newspaper carried a controversial ( 有争议的 ) notice claiming residents’ medical services had been affected by the growing number of mainland women who arrive in the city to give birth and gain right of abode ( 居住) there.

According to statistics (数据) revealed by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government，about 88，000 babies were born in Hong Kong in 2010，but more than 41，000 or 47 percent，were to mainland couples，including a large number from Guangdong．

Hong Kong has limited the number of mainland women permitted to give birth in the city at 34，000 this year．

The issue also has caused calls for an amendment（修正）to Hong Kong's Basic Law so that babies born to mainland women are no longer granted permanent right of abode．

“I support Hong Kong government's decision to reduce or limit the number for mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong．”Zhang said．

China introduced its family planning policy in 1979 to limit births in the world's most populous nation，although the rules have been relaxed in recent years．

32．Which of the following is true?

A．Those who give birth to a second child in Hong Kong will be fined．

B．Many government employees have been dismissed from their posts．

C．Zhang Feng is family planning department director of Guangdong Province．

D．It doesn't matter if they give birth to their second child on the mainland．

33．What does the word “violated” mean in the second paragraph?

A．went against         B．was obeyed          

C．was for            D．was dismissed

34．According to what Zhang Feng said, we can know that           .

A．few families had been punished after having a second child in China

B．about 88，000 babies were born in Hong Kong in 2010

C．the residents' medical services in Hong Kong had been affected

D．he agreed to reduce or limit the number for mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong

35．From the passage we can infer       .

A．in 2010 most of the babies born in Hong Kong belonged to mainland couples

B．the number of mainland women permitted to give birth in Hong Kong has been reduced

C．babies born to mainland women in Hong Kong can't get permanent right of abode now

D．the family planning policy in China is as strict as before

A couple of weeks ago，my friend offered to sell some of our things for us. I thought it was a good opportunity to    41  my 7 year old son’s room and   42    some toys that were no longer suitable for him to play with. We   43  that all the money we got from selling the toys would be his money.

The night before the   44  ，we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that was too   45  for him. In the yard he   46  the bike for the last time and then happily put it onto the truck. This little bike had at least two previous owners as far as we   47  .It wasn’t in the best   48  and was certainly not new，but the tires were   49  good.

We put a price of $10 on it，but it didn’t sell. So，after the sale was   50  ，my friend put it on the sidewalk with a sign that   51  “FREE，BIKE”. Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was   52  there. In poor English he asked whether the bike was    53  free. She said yes and that he could have it for   54  He smiled，got on the bike and rode away.

Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the sale，he was very  55  ，shouting happily. He asked about a few of his things，wondering  56 they had been sold. When he asked about the bike，I told him about the little boy and that made him   57  .He was much happier than when I told him how much he had   58  .He was so happy to   59  that someone else would make good   60  of that little bike!