user: It was Mother's Day, but the young mother was a little unhappy, because she was 800 miles away from her parents. In the morning she phoned her mother to wish her a happy Mother's Day, and her mother told her about the beautiful lilacs in the garden. Later that day, when she told her husband about the lilacs, he said, "I know where we can find all that you want. Get the children and come on." So they went, driving down the country roads. There on a small hill, they saw a lot of beautiful purple lilacs. The young woman ran quickly to enjoy the flowers. Carefully, she picked a few here and there. On their way home there was a smile on her face. When they were passing an old people's home, the young woman saw an old granny sitting in a chair. They stopped the ear and the young woman walked to the old woman, put the flowers in her hands, and smiled at her. The old granny thanked her again and again. She smiled happily, too. When the young mother came back to her car, her children asked her, "Who is the old granny? Why did you give our flowers to her?  I don't know her," their mother said. "But it's Mother's Day, and she has no children. I have all of you, and I still have my mother. Just think how much those flowers meant to her." The young woman gave the flowers to the old granny because   _  . A) the old granny was her mother B) she didn't like those flowers C) her mother asked her to do so D) she wanted the old granny to be happy too
D


Close contacts between Japan and the rest of the world were created in the twentieth century. In the last forty years, business contacts between Japan and the West have become very important. Many foreign companies now have offices in Japan and Japanese businessmen do business around the world. Differences between Japanese and Western ways of doing business, however, often _ and make doing business in Japan difficult for foreigners. The American businessman, for example, wants to start talking business immediately. He does not want to wait. The Japanese businessman, on the other hand, likes to arrive at decisions after giving them serious thought. Another thing foreign businessmen have difficulty in understanding is when a Japanese means "Yes" or "No". This is because of cultural differences between Japanese and Western society , Which make it difficult for a Japanese to say "No" directly. In the USA, it is easy to say "No" to something one does not want to do. But in Japan, it is very difficult to say "No". To refuse an invitation or a request  with "No" is felt to be impolite. It is thought to be selfish and unfriendly. So instead of saying "No" directly, the Japanese have developed many ways to avoid  saying "No". These can help them avoid hurting other people's feelings. However, this often makes their ways of doing business rather difficult for foreigners to understand and follow. What fact does the passage lead you to believe? A) American businessmen do things more slowly than Japanese ones. B) American businessmen like to say "Yes" and "No". C) Americans usually say what they are thinking. D) Americans do not say what they think or feel clearly.
C


Q: A rich man was riding along the road and saw an old man digging in his garden. On the ground lay a young tree, ready to be planted. The rich man called out to the old man. "What kind of tree are you planting there, my good man?" "This is a fig  tree, sir." He said. "A fig tree?" The rich man was very surprised. "Why, how old are you, may I ask?" "I am ninety years old this year." "What ?" cried the man. "You are ninety years old. You are planting a very young tree now and it will take years to give fruit. You certainly don't hope to live long enough to get any fruit from this tree." The old man looked around the garden. Then he said with a smile, "Tell me , sir. Did you eat figs when you were a boy?" "Sure , why do you ask this question?" the man asked. "Then tell me this,"he said. "Who planted the fig tree?" "Why-why? I don't know." "You see, sir. Our forefather planted trees for us to enjoy and I am doing the same for the people after me." The rich man was quiet and said, "You are right, my good man. We should do something for the people after us. Thank you very much." The rich man rode away. The rich man didn't eat figs when he was a boy, did he ? A) No, he did. B) No, he didn't. C) Yes, he did. D) We don't know.
A: C


Question: Are you able to send a letter with pictures and sounds to someone, anywhere in the world without putting a stamp on it? With an e-mail you can just do that. Using computers you can send e-mails quickly and easily. The post is much slower than email. E-mail can send its messages to the other side of the world in seconds. E-mail is easy to use and it saves time and money. The different time and different parts of the world do not matter when you send an e-mail. It does not matter if your friends are in bed when you send an e-mail to them, or you are seeing a film at the cinema when they send an e-mail back. When can you send an e-mail to your friend? A) In the day. B) At night. C) At any time. D) When your friends are at home.
Answer: C


*Question*
Dear Sammy, I'm sorry I can't go to the Sports Center with you today.I have to see a doctor. Here are the directions   to the Sports Center. From our house, go right ahead on Main Avenue. Walk past the police station and the City Fountain. Then cross the bridge. At the other side of the river, turn right. The Sports Center is on your left. You can't miss it. The basketball game starts at 1:00 p.m. so don't be late. By the way, let's have some ice-cream after you finish playing. We can meet at Choco's Ice-Cream Shop. It's right around the corner from the Sports Center. Your game should be over at 3:00 p.m. so I'll meet you there 10 minutes later. Have fun! Mom Why won't Sammy's mother go to the Sports Center with him? A) Because she has a meeting. B) Because she has to go to work. C) Because she has to see a doctor. D) Because she has to go swimming.
**Answer**
C


*Question*
In Britain, children go to school from Monday to Friday. School usually starts nine o'clock in the morning and finishes at about three o'clock in the afternoon. Most schools ask their students to wear a school uniform. School always starts with registration. What is registration? Every child going to school each morning and afternoon is recorded  in a special book. The teacher reads out each child's name in turn. On hearing his/her name, the child makes a reply  and the teacher writes in the book. From the book, you can see whether  the child is in school or not. At 9:10, children go to the meeting place. There they sing songs, listen to a story and pray . The first lesson begins at 9:20. They have break time from 10:20 to 10:35. During break time, the children have a snack and play games outdoors. After that, they go back in for another lesson until lunch at 12:00. Afternoon lessons begin at 1:10 and end at 3:15, and children go home. They don't have a break in the afternoon. Which of the following is true? A) In Britain, most students live at school at night. B) Students in Britain mustn't call their teacher's names. C) Students in Britain go to school before nine every morning. D) Students in Britain have a long break between the afternoon lessons.
**Answer**


assistant: D