For her first twenty-four year, she'd been known as Debbie-a name that didn't suit her good looks and
elegant manner. "My name has always made me think I should be a cheerleader," She complained. "I just
don't feel like a Debbie!"
     One day, while filling out an application form for publishing job, the young woman suddenly changed
middle name, Lynne, for her first name Debbie. "That was the smartest thing I ever did," She says now.
"As soon as I stopped calling myself Debbie. I felt more comfortable with myself… and other people started
to take me more seriously". Two years after her successful magazine editor-friends and associates call her
Lynne.
     Naturally, the name change didn't cause Debbie/Lynne's professional achievement-but it surely helped
if only by adding a bit of self-confidence to her talents. Social scientists say that what you are called can
affect your life. Through history, names have not only identified people but also described them. "As his
name is, so is he..?" says the Bible. For better or worse, qualities such as friendliness or reserves, simpleness
or charm may be suggested by your name and encourage other people before they even meet you.
     Of course, names with a good sense can work for you-even encouraging new acquaintances. A recent
survey showed that American men thought Susan to be the attractive female name, while women believed
Richard and David were the most attractive to men. One woman I know turned down a blind date with a
man named Harry because "he sounded dull." Several evenings later she came up to me at a party, pressing
for an introduction to a very nice man with whom they looked at each other all evening. "Oh," I said. "You
mean Harry?" She was ill at ease.

1. Debbie's changing her name _____.

A. had actually little to do with her career
B. was what she happened to do when filling out the form
C. did have an effect on her success
D. entirely contributed to her luck

2. The author introduced Harry to the woman _____.

A. at the request of the woman herself
B. to tell her that names didn't matter really
C. to make her feel uneasy in mind
D. the person is more important than his /her name

3. The name Debbie may be connected with something _____.

A. huge
B. quiet
C. dull
D. attractive

4. The best possible title for the passage may be _____.

A. Names are the most important
B. Your name is your fortune
C. Don't care much for names
D. Names and making friends

    When I lived in Spain, some Spanish friends of mine decided to visit England by car.
Before they left, they asked me for advice about how to find accommodation (住所). I
suggested that they should stay at 'bed and breakfast' houses, because this kind of
accommodation gives a foreign visitor a good chance to speak English with the family.
My friends listened to my advice, but they came back with some funny stories.
    "We didn't stay at bed and breakfast houses," they said, "because we found that most
families were away on holiday."
    I thought this was strange. Finally I understood what had happened. My friends spoke
little English, and they thought 'VACANCIES' meant 'holidays', because the Spanish word
for 'holidays' is 'vacaciones'. So they did not go to house where the sign outside said
'VACANCLES', which in English means there are free rooms. Then my friends went to
house where the sign said 'NO VACANCLES', because they thought this meant the people
who owned the house were not away on holiday. But they found that these houses were
all full. As a result, they stayed at hotels!
    We laughed about this and about mistakes my friends made in reading other signs. In
Spanish, the word 'DIVERSION' means fun.In English, it means that workmen are
repairing the road, and that you must take a different road.When my friends saw the word
'DIVERSION' on a road sign, they thought they were going to have fun.Instead, the road
ended in a large hold.
    English people have problems too when they learn foreign languages. Once in Paris,
when someone offered me some more coffee, I said "Thank you" in French. I meant that I
would like some more. However, to my surprise, the coffee pot was taken away! Later I
found out that "Thank you" in French means "No, thank you."

1. My Spanish friends wanted advice about _____.

A. learning English
B. finding places to stay in England
C. driving their car on English roads
D. going to England by car

2. 'NO VACANCIES' in English means _____.

A. no free rooms
B. free rooms
C. not away on holiday
D. holidays

3. When someone offered me more coffee and I said "Thank you" in French, I _____.

A. didn't really want any more coffee
B. wanted them to take the coffee pot away
C. really wanted some more coffee
D. wanted to express my politeness

4. I was surprised when the coffee pot was taken away because I _____.

A. hadn't finished drinking my coffee
B. was expecting another cup of coffee
C. meant that I didn't want any more
D. was never misunderstood

     In the centre of London there is a tall white building with the name "Bush House". It is the home of BBC
English.
     BBC is the abbreviation of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It is an organization maintained by the
government, providing British people with broadcasting and TV service. At first, BBC was established as a
private business. It began to broadcast on February 14, 1922. In 1927, it was reorganized and replaced by
the British Broadcasting Corporation. In November, 1936, it became the first TV broadcasting corporation
in the world with TV programmes broadcast. BBC provides people with the latest news, entertainment and
education. These programmes are not under the control of the government. Nor are they affected by other
organizations. In the meantime, BBC does not express its own opinion on international affairs or public
policy. BBC has two TV channels, covering the whole country, that is BBC-1 and BBC-2 and three radio
broadcast webs, one for family service, another for entertaining programmes, the third for special interesting
programmes. The third web broadcasts four programmes. They are classical music, teaching programmes,
sports and famous arts and common knowledge. BBC programmes include foreign language programmes,
broadcast in 35 foreign languages.
     The BBC World Service sends radio programmes around the world in 42 languages. With a regular
audience of about 140 million listeners, it reaches more people than any other ternational broadcaster. The
World Service also prepares news programmes for its sister television organization and is responsible for
a major new gathering service getting information form the world's media. The World Service receives a
direct grant from the British Parliament for operating international broadcasting.
     BBC English is part of the BBC World Service. BBC English is for people who want to improve their
English. It broadcasts all kind of programmes, which change from month to month. There is a special
grammar programme for explaining difficult grammar points. There are programmes about life in Britian.
There is also a programme about the differences between written and spoken English. English lessons are
broadcast every day on the radio with explanations in English and other languages. They are the easiest to
follow. For example, BBC English broadcasts programmes for China with explanations in Chinese.
     It is not difficult to find out information about the programmes. You can write to BBC English and ask
for any information you need.
     It is necessary to use a short-wave radio to pick up the programmes. Sometimes it is difficult to receive
them clearly. If you do have difficulties, it is better to try once again another day.

1. BBC English broadcasts all kinds of programmes _____.

A. which change from month to month
B. which change regularly
C. in special grammar rules
D. by explaining different grammar points

2. If one needs any information from BBC English, one can _____.

A. get it easily free of charge
B. get it easily by paying something
C. hardly get it without paying anything
D. seldom get it just by writing a letter

3. I think all the programmes from BBC English is of great use to you. This sentence means _____.

A. I think all the programmes from BBC English is very great
B. BBC English has many great useful programmes
C. You can use all the programmes from BBC English
D. All programmes from BBC English are very useful for me

     Shanghai is hosting the 2010 World Expo with the theme:"Better City, Better Life." The Expo is
a window to the world. Haibao, the mascot, will guide you around the Expo Park.

1. Which part of the China Pavilion should people go to if they are interested in the four great inventions?

A. The ground floor.
B. The second floor.
C. The third floor.
D. The top floor.

2. What is the typical feature of the UK Pavilion?

A. People can see it on line.
B. It is the largest national pavilion.
C. People can see 60,000 seeds here.
D. All the seeds are from the UK.

3. Which of the following can best explain the meaning of "a green pavilion"?

A. A pavilion using green energy.
B.A pavilion painted in green.
C. A pavilion with more sunshine.
D. A pavilion with cleaner air.

                                                               To face the music
     Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the
day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is "to face the music".
     When someone says,"well, I guess I'll have to face the music," it does not mean he's planning to go
to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did
this and did that, and why you didn't do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At
sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all
remember father's angry voice,"I want to talk to you." and only because we did not obey him. What an
unpleasant business it was!
     The phrase "to face the music" is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 00 years old.
And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist,
James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 85, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the
wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, "Well, it's time to face the
music." And that was exactly what they did - facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an
actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be
friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would
be no play. So the expression "to face the music" come to mean "having to go through something, no matter
how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice."
     Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by
their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny
enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the
inspection. What else could they do?
     Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the
responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example, when a man is forced out
of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums
tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his
horse.

1. How many ways does the phrase"to face the music" comes from?

A.1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4

2. What's the meaning of "to face the music?"

A. To face something far less pleasant.
B. To face the stage.
C. To face the back of one's horse.
D. To face one's leader.

3. Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?

A. When we are playing basketball.
B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party.
D. When we are talking with somebody.

4.  The underlined word "hostile" means _______.

A. unfriendly
B. useless
C. unkind
D. unnecessary

     Nearly all the visitors to southeast France pay a visit a Monaco, too. Lying near the French-Italian
border, Monaco is not part of France, but a separate principality (大公國)-though it is surrounded by
its great neighbour.
     Monaco became a principality in the 16th century after being owned by a family member of a certain
Italian king. The French and Italian, however, soon came to protect it one after another until 1861, when
it became its own master again.
     Facing the blue Mediterranean (地中海), Monaco is mainly made up of two cities, Monaco, where
the palace for the Prince stands, and Monte Carlo, which is a wonderful place for visitors. Every year,
about half a million people come to Monaco, nearly 25 tiroes as much as its population.
     Believe it or not, Monaco has no soldiers or policemen of its own. Law and order is kept by the
French police, and the French stand for it in its foreign affairs, even the money used in Monaco is the
franc, too.

1. Which of the following maps shows the right position of Monaco and its neighbouring countries?
(Mc=Monaco, Fr==France, I=Italy, Md=Mediterranean)

2. Monaco has a population of ____.

A. nearly 25 thousand
B. no more than 20 thousand
C. about 12,500 thousand
D. a little over 20 thousand

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The national income of Monaco must be very little.
B. Monaco isn't a completely independent country.
C. A principality is a country ruled by foreigners.
D. Monaco belongs to France since law and order is kept by the French police.

4. Now the head of the government of Monaco is ____.

A. an Italian
B. a French
C. a prince
D. a president

     Ideas about polite behavior are different from one culture to another. Some societies, such as America
and Australia are mobile and very open, people here change jobs and move house quite often. As a result,
they have a lot of relationships that often last only a short time. So it's normal to have friendly conversations
with people that they have just met, and you can talk about things that other cultures would regard as personal.
      On the other hand there are more crowded and less mobile societies where long-term relationships are
more important. A Malaysian or Mexican business person will want to get to know you very well before he
or she feels happy to start business. But when you do get to know each other, the relationship becomes much
deeper than it would in a mobile society.
     To Americans, both Europeans and Asians seem cool and formal at first. On the other hand, as a passenger
from a less mobile society put it, it's no fun spending several hours next to a stranger who wants to tell you all
about his or her life and asks you all sorts of questions that you don't want to answer.
     Cross-cultural differences aren't just a problem for travelers, but also for the flights that carry them. All
flights want to provide the best service, but ideas about good service are different place to place. This can be
seen most clearly in the way that problems are dealt with.
     Some societies have "universalist" cultures. These societies strongly respect rules, and they treat every
person and situation in basically the same way. "Particularist" societies, on the other hand, also have rules,
but they are less important than the society's unwritten ideas about what is right or wrong for a particular
situation or a particular person. So the normal rules are changed to fit the needs of the situation or the
importance of the person.
     This difference can cause problems. A traveler from a particularist society, India, is checking in for a
flight in Germany, a country which has a universalist culture. The Indian traveler has too much luggage,
but he explains that he has been away from home for a long time and the suitcases are full of presents for
his family. He expects that the check-in official will understand his problem and will change the rules for
him. The check-in official explains that if he was allowed to have too much luggage, it wouldn't be fair to
the other passengers. But the traveler thinks this is unfair, because the other passengers don't have his
problem.

1. Often moving from one place to another makes people like Americans and Australians ____.

 A. like traveling better
B. easy to communicate with
C. difficult to make real friends
D. have a long-term relationship with their neighbors

2. A person from a less mobile society will feel it _____ when a stranger keeps talking to him or
    her, and asking him or her questions.

A. boring
B. friendly
C. normal
D. rough

3. In "particularist societies", ______.

A. they have no rules for people to obey
B. people obey the society's rules completely
C. no one obeys the society's rules though they have
D. the society's rules can be changed with different persons or situations

4. The writer of the passage thinks that the Indian and the German have different ideas about rules
    because of different ______.

A. interests
B. cultures
C. habits and customs
D. ways of life

     The capital of Switzerland, Bern, is a beautiful city. It was founded in 1191 and has a lot of attractions
and historic sites as well as an active cultural life. It is here that Albert Einstein once worked.
     The city of Bern was built with local sandstone in Gothic style (哥特式) with more arcades (拱廊)
than any other city in Europe. It is one of the most attractive old towns in Europe,and is famous for its
great sandstone buildings,historical towers and eleven famous fountains. Over the centuries,the city has
been protected very well,and in 1 983 the UNESC0 (聯(lián)合國科教文組織) claimed Bern a World Heritage
Site.
     One house after the other and shop after shop,rows of shops are connected by ong sandstone arcades.
Rain or shine, it is a pleasure to walk along one of the longest shopping streets. Bern has Switzerland's tallest
Gothic cathedral (大教堂). The Münster-Terrasse,a square in front of the cathedral,has been a famous meeting
place for centuries.
     The wonderful Clock Tower has puppets (木偶) that come out before the hour and perform a 1ittle short
play. The Center Paul Klee shows the largest collection in the world of one of the world's greatest 20th century
artists. The Swiss Alpine Museum displays a history of the Swiss Alps (阿爾卑斯山). Bern's shining green
river,Aare,winds its way alongside the old town and is lined with a number of scenic spots. Only a few
minutes' walk from the station will take you to its tree-lined banks surrounded by nature. The Aare attracts
people of all ages,especially in summer when the clean water invites you to iump into the river. It is during this
time that mahy of the people in Bern enjoy swimming.

1. According to the passage,which of the following does Bern NOT have?

A. A long history.
B. Tower Bridge.
C. Puppet performances.
D. Historic sites.

2. You may find the passage on a ______.

A. city magazine
B. travel poster
C. school newsletter
D. company notice board

3. The UNESCO claimed Bern as a World Heritage Site because _______.

A. it has the tallest Gothic cathedral of Switzerland
B. the attractions are well protected
C. people living there have an active country life
D. it is the place that'Albert Einstein onee worked in

4. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE?

A. Bern is a capital city with a lot of places of interest in the world.
B. The river Aare is a beautiful place attracting people of different ages.
C. Paul Klee is one of the most famous artists in the World.
D. Many of the people in Bern enjoy swimming in summer.

     If you ask people to name the one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will
get answers like "Shakespeare," "Samuel Johnson," and "Webster," but none of these men had any effect at
all compared to a man who didn't even speak English -William the Conqueror.
     Before 1066,in the land we now call Great Britain lived peoples belonging to two major language groups.
In the west-central region lived the Welsh, who spoke a Celtic language,and in the north lived the Scots,
whose language, though not the same as Welsh, was also Celtic.In the rest of the country lived the Saxons,
actually a mixture of Anglos, Saxons,and other Germanic and Nordic people,who spoke what we now call
Anglo-Saxon (or Old English ), a Germanic language. If this state of affairs had lasted, English today would
be close to German.
     But this state of affairs did not last. In 1066 the Normans led by William defeated the Saxons and began
their rule over England.For about a century,French became the official language of England while Old English
became the language of peasants. As a result,English words of politics and the law come from French rather
than German. In some cases,modern English even shows a distinction (區(qū)別) between upper-class French
and lower-class Anglo-Saxon in its words.We even have different words for some foods, meat in particular,
depending on whether it is still out in the fields or at home ready to be cooked,which shows the fact that the
Saxon peasants were doing the farming, while the upper-class Normans were doing most of the eating.
     When Americans visit Europe for the first time, they usually find Germany more "foreign" than France
because the German they see on signs and advertisements seems much more different from English than
French does.Few realize that the English language is actually Germanic in its beginning and that the French
influences are all the result of one man's ambition.

1. The two major languages spoken in what is now called Great Britain before 1066 were _____. 

A. Welsh and Scottish
B. Nordic and Germanic
C. Celtic and Old English
D. Anglo-Saxon and Germanic

2. Which of the following groups of words are,by inference,rooted in French?

A. president, lawyer, beef
B. president, bread, water
C. bread, field, sheep
D. folk, field, cow

3. Why does France appear less foreign than Germany to Americans on their first visit to Europe?

A. Most advertisements in France appear in English.
B. They know little of the history of the English language.
C. Many French words are similar to English ones.
D. They know French better than German.

4. What is the subject discussed in the text?

A. The history of Great Britain.
B. The similarity between English and French
C. The rule of England by William the Conqueror.
D. The French influences on the English language.