I fell in love with the minister's son the winter I turned fourteen. He was not Chinese. For Christmas I prayed for the boy, Robert. When I found out that my parents had invited the minister's family over for Christmas Eve dinner, I cried in panic. What would Robert think of our shabby Chinese Christmas? What would he think of our noisy Chinese relatives who lacked proper American manners? On Christmas Eve, my mother created abundant Chinese food. And then they arrived--the minister's family and all my relatives. Robert greeted hello, and I pretended he was not worthy of existence. Dinner threw me deeper into disappointment. My relatives licked the ends of their chopsticks and reached across the table. Robert and his family waited patiently for a large plate to be passed to them. My relatives murmured with pleasure when my mother brought out the whole steamed fish. Robert made a face. Then my father reached his chopsticks just below the fish eye and picked out the soft meat. "Amy, your favorite," he said, offering me the tender fish cheek. I wanted to disappear. At the end of the meal, my father leaned back and burped loudly, thanking my mother for her fine cooking. "It's a polite Chinese custom to show you are satisfied," explained my father to our astonished guests. Robert was looking down at his plate with a reddish face. The minister managed to bring up a quiet burp. I was shocked into silence for the rest of the night. After everyone had gone, my mother said to me, "You want to be the same as American girls on the outside." She handed me an early gift. It was a miniskirt. "But inside you must always be Chinese. You must be proud that you are different. Your only shame is to have shame." It was not until years later that I was able to fully appreciate her lesson and the purpose behind her particular menu. For Christmas Eve that year, she had chosen excellent Chinese food. What does "he was not worthy of existence" probably mean? It means _ . A) he should not exist B) he was worthless C) the writer was not interested in his existence D) the writer expected his coming
C
China is casting such a huge shadow on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn Chinese in order to maintain their competitive edge, "Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown dramatically in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart at the Asia Society, a US group trying to bridge the gap between Americans and people of Asia and the Pacific. China, the world's most popular nation, is critical to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor- Its political influence is also rising across the globe.It has replaced the United States as the world's largest consumer and become the second largest economy in the world after the superpower status and its telling effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the interest to learn the language, experts say. From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language. Even though the US State Department has stressed the Chinese language "critical " to national prosperity and security, the "current infrastructure to support recruitment of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is -badly inadequate," an Asia Society study says.The Society has set a target of having at least 5% of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015."Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco - based Chinese American International School. The most popular languages after English in the United States at present are Spanish and French. The passage mainly tells the readers that _ , A) China is getting under a shadow from USA B) American competitive edge is shaking C) Americans object to learning Chinese D) Chinese appeals to more Americans
D
Q: Alexis was _ and tired. With anger in her voice she shouted,"Pull me up. I give up. I hate this. This is stupid!"It was at that moment when Jason, the adviser on the trip, looked at me and said,"Ed, I'm going to go down and talk with her."I then shouted down to Alexis,"Hold on! You can do this. We know you can!" Jason grasped another rope, put this climbing harness on and began to move down the cliff. Within moments Jason was beside Alexis. She had her cheek directly against the face of the rock with her feet barely resting on a small piece of the cliff that jetted outward. Jason said to Alexis,"I know that you have been on this cliff now for what seems like a long time. Your feet and fingers are cramping " up and your forearms feel as though they are on fire. But, Alexis, you are strong. Look how far up you are already. You have taken one of the more difficult parts up the cliff. Alexis, look at the path you have taken." At that moment, Alexis moved her cheek away from the rock face and looked down. The bright white chalk she used on her hands to give her a better hold, showed the path where her tired hands had moved her upward on the cliff. Jason was right. Alexis had taken the hardest way up the cliff. Jason then looked straight into Alexis' eyes and in a calm voice he said,"You are not alone out here. There are people who care about you, who want to help you and see you succeed. We are going to do this together. Are you ready?"Slowly she nodded and took a deep breath. Jason went down the cliff because_. A) Alexis took a wrong path B) Alexis was trapped in rocks C) Alexis didn't believe in herself D) Alexis' forearms were badly hurt
A: C
I've spent over a year in India, and in those 365 plus days, I've learned a lot about getting around Indian cities. My biggest lessons have been learned through being cheated, particularly by taxi and rickshaw drivers, but that doesn't mean those are bad ways to travel, as long as you know what you're doing. Below are the best ways to get around the city of Delhi, India, and tips for how to keep from being the victim of scams . Taking taxis is a great way to get around the city of Delhi and chances are, if you arrive in Delhi by plane, as soon as you make it through customs, you'll be swarmed by Indian taxi drivers. At the Delhi airport, be sure to arrange for a taxi to your hotel at one of the two Delhi Traffic Police Taxi Booths. One is inside the airport, and one is outside. The key is to make sure to go to a booth run by the police, rather than by independent taxi drivers. Rickshaws are one of my favorite ways to get around Indian cities, partly because it's how the locals often travel. Auto-rickshaws are more common, but bicycle rickshaws are still used in Old Delhi. If you do have a chance to take a bicycle rickshaw, you should do it at least once for a unique experience that should only set you back about 15 rupees. Auto-rickshaw rates around Delhi range between 30 and 80 rupees, depending on distance. If you really want to travel around Delhi like the locals, take a public bus. Indian buses become very crowded and most do not have air conditioning. They are, however, very cheap. A bus trip won't set you back any more than 15 rupees, as long as you stay within the city limits. Since Indian buses get so crowded, try to board the bus at the start of the route so you can get a seat. The train is a great way to get around within the city of Delhi. Fares are reasonable, between six and 22 rupees. All departure announcements are in both Hindi and English, and tokens can be purchased for between six and 22 rupees. Which may be the topic that follows? A) Car rentals in Delhi B) Food and drink in Delhi C) Weather conditions in Delhi D) Hotel recommendations in Delhi
A