Before you go to another country, it is a great help if you know the language and some of the customs of the country. When people meet each other for the first time in Britain, they say "How do you do?" and shake hands . Usually they do not shake hands when they just meet or say goodbye. But they shake hands after they haven't met for a long time or when they will be away from each other for a long time. Last year a group of German students went to England for a holiday. Their teacher told them that the English people hardly shake hands. So when they met their English friends at the station, they kept their hands behind their backs. The English students had learned that Germans shake hands as often as possible, so they put their hands in front and got ready to shake hands with them. It made both of them laugh. It is _ if you know the language and some of the customs of the country. A) not useful B) not helpful C) very helpful D) very bad
C
I'm afraid to grow old--we're all afraid. In fact, the fear of growing old is so great that every aged person is an insult and a threat to the society. They remind us of our own death, that our body won't always remain smooth and responsive, but will someday betray us by aging. The ideal way to age would be to grow slowly invisible, gradually disappearing, without causing worry or discomfort to the young. In some ways that does happen. Sitting in a small park across from a nursing home one day, I noticed that the young mothers and their children gathered on one side, and the old people from the home on the other. Whenever a youngster would run over to the "wrong" side, chasing a ball or just trying to cover all the available space, the old people would lean forward and smile. But before any communication could be established, the mother would come over, murmuring embarrassed apologies, and take her child back to the "young" side. Now, it seemed to me that the children didn't feel any particular fear and the old people didn't seem to be threatened by the children. The division of space was drawn by the mothers. And the mothers never looked at the old people who lined the other side of the park. These well-dressed young women had a way of sliding their eyes over, around, through the old people; they never looked at them directly. The old people may as well have been invisible; they offended the aesthetic eye of the mothers. My early experiences were somewhat different; since I grew up in a small town, my children had more of a nineteenth-century flavor. I knew a lot of old people, and considered some of them friends. People are afraid of growing old because it is usually associated with _ . A) insult B) threat C) death D) betrayal
C
Q: Microsoft founder Bill Gates has opened up about being a parent, stating that 13 is an appropriate age for a child's first cell phone. The 57-year-old, father-of-three, revealed on the Today Show that his children Jennifer and Rory were not allowed phones until their thirteenth birthday and his youngest daughter Phoebe is still waiting for one. "We've chosen in our family that it's 13 where you get a phone," the self-made billionaire explained. He said as a result his children often return home from school complaining: "All the other kids have it.I'm the only one without it, and it's so embarrassing." Asked if he keeps passwords to his son and daughters' email and Facebook accounts, Mr Gates said that he doesn't for Jennifer, 16, who he describes as "independent". He admitted that monitoring online activity is "a very tricky is sue for parents now." Despite their vast wealth Mr and Mrs Gates, who live in Lake Medina, just outside Seattle, Washington, have said they want to give their children as normal an upbringing as possible. It was previously reported that their youngsters have to complete household chores and are given a modest smount of pocket money. And in 2010 Mr Cates said that he intends to give most of his $ 61 billion fortune away rather than hand it down." _ wouldn't be good either for my kids or society," he said. Also during the Today Interview with host Matt Lauer, Mr Gates, who stepped down from Microsoft in 2008 to concentrate on philanthropy , said that helping others gives him same excitement as creating software. " What you really feel is what you've achieved.If a piece of software gets out there and lots of people love it-it lets them get their work done in better ways-that's exciting," he explained. What is the text mainly about? A) How Bill Gates made himself a billionaire. B) How Bill Gates deals with his money. C) How Bill Gates managed his business. D) How Bill Gates brings up his children.
A: D
Question: How did people in ancient China change their luck? Most of them would take the exam, Keju, which began during the Sui Dynasty and lasted for 1,300 years before it was ended in the Qing Dynasty. Keju, the early "gaokao", played a very important role in choosing qualified persons to work for the king. The Keju exams were mainly based on classical literature and philo- sophy. Poetry was very important in earlier Keju exams, and later Keju focused more on writing. All _ had to write an article explaining ideas from those books, which was called Eight Part Essay. Two sentences were required at the start of the article, about the main idea of the title, which was called "to clear the topic". The exams also focused on more practical matters. Most candidates in ancient China had to go a long way to the capital city for the exam. As transportation in ancient times was not developed, they usually went to the capital on foot, and some took several months to reach the capital. The exam was held once every three years and it was made up of four levels: the county examination, provincial examination, academy examination and palace examination. Candidates had to first pass one level in order to take part in the next level. Each examination would take from one to three days to finish, and they were locked in a small room and received cold meals. On the exam day, candidates had to first go through safety check. They had to let their hair loose so that it could be checked and their trouser legs, shoes and socks, even bottoms were also checked. Candidates used to walk to the capital because _ . A) they were too poor B) they didn't have developed transportation C) they wanted to build up their body D) they had much time
Answer: B
Q: On the coast of Brazil lies its most famous city Rio de Janeiro. Rio is a beautiful place to visit. It is full of exciting parades, historical architecture and natural beauty. The most famous time of year in Rio is the spring when the samba schools organize a giant parade of dance, music and costumes. Samba is a type of fast Brazilian music, which is perfect for dancing. The carnival lasts two days and over 20 samba schools perform, a total of 70,000 people in brightly coloured costumes, all dancing and singing! It is a magnificent spectacle and millions of people watch the carnival on television around the world. Rio de Janeiro is a religious city and it is full of churches. Some, like the former Imperial Church, were built over 400 years ago while others, like the Metropolitan Cathedral, are very modern. The Metropolitan Cathedral was built in 1976 and is so large that 20,000 people can stand inside at one time! Another important religious site in Rio is the Corcovado hill. On the top of the hill, along with a small church, stands a 30-metre high statue of Jesus with his arms stretched out. From this point you can see every part of the city. The Corcovado Hill is famous for _ . A) the samba parade B) the beautiful view of the city C) the statue of Jesus D) the small church
A: B