The world is getting smaller and smaller, but gaps between people have always existed and
will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. Different sets of cultures, belief systems and
values have shaped today"s world. To avoid misunderstandings, we need to learn not only
other languages, but the cultures behind the languages as well. To understand English-speaking
people, we first need to understand their culture, history and way of life. British and American
Culture Reader will give students a good general idea of life and culture in the United Kingdom
and the United States.
The articles in this series vividly describe the structure of Western society from the
perspectives (视角) of ordinary people - and their own experiences of life. As an American
living in the United Kingdom, I am in a better position to know what"s best about American
culture through the eyes of my British friends. Actually, all the articles in this series are written
by native English speakers who have lived in the West for a significant period. This ensures
that the text presents an accurate picture of life in the English-speaking world.
As a children"s publisher, I know that young students in particular need lively lessons that
will engage their curiosity and desire to learn. Therefore, topics have been carefully chosen to
include those of greatest relevance to children, including games, schools, clothes and festivals.
The series also provides an interesting contrast of British and American culture, which gives
young Chinese readers an insight into the differences between them and therefore enables the
students to better understand the two countries. Being aware that the teacher will pass on the
information to students, the authors have made sure to present the text in a light-hearted and
fun way, with interesting stories inserted where appropriate.
British and American Culture Reader is a reflection of our society. Readers of this series
will shake off the bad stereotypes (旧框框) that they hold about Westerners and may be
surprised to find how similar Westerners" way of life is to their own in many ways. I hope
you enjoy reading the articles as much as I have enjoyed writing them.
B. an official document
C. a personal diary
D. a movie review
B. Differences between East and West.
C. Cultures of the UK and the US.
D. Customs in the English-speaking world.
B. US and UK teachers
C. parents living in the East
D. young Chinese students
watch a baseball game or another sports event.Even thousands of years ago,groups
of people gathered to watch skilled athletes(运动员).
Over 2000 years ago in Greece,certain days in the year were festival days.These
were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves.They liked to watch
athletes take part in races and other games of skill.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia.It was
held in honor of the Greek god Zeus(Zus).For five days,athletes from all parts of the
Greek world took part in the Olympic Games.At the Olympic Games,people could
watch them box,run,jump and so on.There was a relay race between two teams of
men in which a lighted torch(火矩)was passed from runner to runner.The Olympic
Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had
to stop fighting.People were allowed to travel to the games safely.Thousands of people
came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies(殖民地)in Africa,Asia
and Italy.They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves.
B.The cities there were often against one another.
C.People watched baseball games.
D.People didn’t go to any games at all.
B.Enemies.
C.Colonies.
D.Other cities.
B.They just talked to friends.
C.They cheered for good athletes.
D.They tried to find friends.
B.were strong
C.couldn’t go to other cities freely
D.could see each other
B.Together for the Games
C.Stop Fighting
D.Sport
category in China’s world of fine arts.Through the centuries Chinese characters have changed constantly
and are mainly divided into five categories today:the seal script(zhuan shu),official script(li shu),regular
script(kai shu),running script(xing shu)and cursive script(cao shu).
Calligraphy involves a great deal of theory and requires many skills.Among the most outstanding
calligraphers in ancient China were Wang Xizhi,Ouyang Xun,Yan Zhenqing,and Liu Gongquan,who are
known for pioneering their own styles.
In writing calligraphy,one will need a brush,paper,an ink stick and an ink stone,commonly referred to
as the “Four Treasures of the Study”.There are different types of brushes.White goat hair,black rabbit hair and yellow weasel hair brushes are the main ones.According to their function,brushes are classified into
three groups:hard,soft and medium.Brush sticks are usually made of bamboo,wood,or porcelain;ivory or
jade sticks are rare and precious.
The ink stick is a unique pigment used for Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy.The most famous
ink stick is hui mo(Anhui ink stick),made from pines that grow on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province.Clean water is needed to grind the ink stick.Press the ink stick hard and rub it lightly,slowly and evenly
against the ink slab to make thick,liquid ink.
While paper comes in many varieties,Xuan paper, produced in Xuanzhou(today’s Anhui Province),is
considered the best for Chinese calligraphy.The paper is soft and fine textured,suitable for conveying the
artistic expression of both Chinese calligraphy and painting.With a good tensile strength and moth proof
quality,the paper can be preserved for a long time.
Ink stones or ink slabs have been classified into three categories:Duan,She and Tao.Features common
to all three are hardness and fineness.Although the stone is hard and fine,it is not dry or slippery.Using a
hard and smooth stone,liquid ink can be produced easily by rubbing the ink stick against the stone.
By handling the brush and ink skillfully and carefully,the artist can produce an infinite variety of
calligraphic styles and forms.
"fat little hands". Nor does he "sit well or firmly on the horse". He is said to be "undersized", with
"short legs" and a "round stomach". The issue here is not the accuracy of Tolstoy"s description-it
seems not that far off from historical accounts but his choice of facts: other things that could be
said of the man are not said. We are meant to understand the difference of a warring commander
in the body of a fat little Frenchman. Tolstoy"s Napoleon could be any man wandering in the streets
and putting a little of powdered tobacco up his nose-and that is the point.
It is a way the novelist uses to show the moral nature of a character. And it turns out that,as
Tolstoy has it,Napoleon is a crazy man. In a scene in Book Three of War and Peace,the wars having
reached the critical year of 1812,Napoleon receives a representative from the Tsar (沙皇) ,who has
come with peace terms. Napoleon is very angry:doesn"t he have more army? He,not the Tsar,is the
one to make the terms. He will destroy all of Europe if his army is stopped. "That is what you will have
gained by engaging me in the war!" he shouts. And then, Tolstoy writes,Napoleon "walked silently
several times up and down the room,his fat shoulders moving quickly".
Still later, after reviewing his army amid cheering crowds,Napoleon invites the shaken Russian
to dinner."He raised his hand to the Russian"s... face," Tolstoy writes,and "taking him by the ear pulled
it gently. . . ". To have one"-s ear pulled by the Emperor was considered thegreatest honor and mark
of favor at the French court."Well,well,why don"t you say anything?" said he,as if it was ridiculous in his
presence to respect any one but himself, Napoleon.
Tolstoy did his research, but the composition is his own.
B. based on the Russian history
C. based on his selection of facts
D. not related to historical details
B. the Tsar"s peace terms were hard to accept
C. the Russians stopped his military movement
D. he didn"t have any more army to fight with
B. To show agreement with him
C. To say something about the Tsar.
D. To express his admiration.
B. fond of showing off his iron will
C. determined in destroying all of Europe
D. crazy for power and respect
B. A writer may write about a hero in his own way.
C. A writer may not be responsible for what he writes.
D. A writer has hardly any freedom to show his feelings.
even for those who scoff (嘲笑) at superstition (迷信), Chinese New Year customs can bring a welcome sense of renewal to a seemingly endless winter.
1. Clean Your House
The Chinese make sure to sweep every corner of a room to rid their homes ghosts and bad luck
associated with the old year. If negative spirits don"t hide in your living room, chances are a layer of dust
and grime (污垢) from dry heat and slushy (有泥有雪的) boots does. Get a jump on your spring
cleaning while the weather outside"s still frightful enough to keep you stuck indoors
2. Get a Mini Makeover
In China, it"s customary to get a haircut and new clothes for the new year. The idea is that with a new
look, bad spirits won"t recognize a person and follow them into the new year.
3. Make Apologies
Carrying grudges (怨恨) into the new year is a no-go according to Chinese tradition, so differences
with family, friends, and associates must be settled before New Year"s Eve. If your shoulders are
sagging(向下凹,下陷) from the weight of a grudge or two, take the initiative to resolve them.
4. Pay Off Your Debts
Like grudges, old debts are a bad omen (预兆) for a new year. No matter which calendar you follow,
there"s no time like the present to settle any outstanding accounts and repay loans from friends and
relatives.
5. Spend Time With Your Family
In China, offices and stores close down for Chinese New Year and people spend days travelling to
their hometowns to reconnect with family, feast, and simply enjoy the company of their loved ones.
B. bring happiness to Chinese people
C. imply the ending of the winter
D. are neglected by many people
B. find out the bad spirits in the rooms
C. clean up all the dust and grime
D. keep away the bad weather
B. You will be looked down upon.
C. You will be seen as lack of good luck.
D. You will be followed by a bad guy.
B. Have family union.
C. Share debts.
D. Set goals.
used steam engine. He had no way of telling people exactly how powerful it was, for at that time there
were no units for measuring power.
Watt decided to find out how much work one strong horse could do in one minute. He called that unit
one horsepower. With this unit he could measure the work his steam engine could do.
He discovered that a horse could lift a 3,300-pound weight 10 feet into the air in one minute. His
engine could lift a 3,300 pound weight 100 feet in one minute.
Because his engine did ten times as much work as the horse, Watt called it a ten-horsepower engine.
B. engine
C. steam engine
D. bus
B. to show how useful his steam engine was
C. to tell people exactly how powerful his steam engine was
D. to measure the weight of his steam engine
B. what one strong horse can do in one minute
C. what one horse can do in a day
D. what work one horse can do as much as possible
B. Watt decided to make the world"s first widely used horse engine
C. He wanted to find a way to tell people exactly how powerful his engine was
D. to measure the weight of his steam engine
B. Watt"s steam engine
C. A ten-horsepower engine
D. The beginning of horsepower
- 1已知a、b、c满足c<b<a,且ac<0,那么下列选项中一定不成立的是( )A.ab>acB.ac(a-c)<0C.c
- 2教室里挂有图幅同样大小的下列四幅地图,比例尺最大的是[ ]A.世界地图 B.中国地图 C.山东地图 D.灵
- 3----______ does ______ take to play tennis? ----Let me see.
- 4《中国妤声音》另一个创新点是它的运作模式,即尝试制播分离,与市场化运作结合,打造媒体、营销、资源整合的产业链条,利用微博
- 5—Why do you like him? —____ he looks so serious.
- 6In this voyage I visited my new colony on the island, saw th
- 7一端封闭的玻璃管自重为G,横截面积为S,内装一段高为h的水银柱,封闭了一定质量的气体。现将玻璃管封闭端用弹簧测力计悬起,
- 8(6分)杭州某中学的小胡同学早晨仅吃了一小片奶油面包就匆匆去参加学校秋季运动会的1500米长跑比赛。赛后,小胡感到头晕乏
- 9已知函数在处连续,则( )A.0B.1C.D.
- 10—Well, let"s go to visit the Ren"ai Park this Saturday. —Tha
- 1在下面文段的括号内填上恰当的标点符号。老舍把此稿寄给上海的大型文学刊物《小说月报》(商务印书馆出版 ① 主编郑振铎收到来
- 2下列所示器物,在古代能测定地震方向的是___________所示器物。[ ]A、B、C、D、
- 3已知等差数列{an}的公差为2,若a1,a3,a4成等比数列。则a2的值为A -4 B 4
- 4(15分)中外历史人物评说。材料 甲午战败后光绪帝痛感危亡在即,锐意变法,他曾对庆亲王奕劻说:“太后若仍不给我事权,我远
- 5读图,回答下列问题:(10分) (1)受地势的影响,我国大多数河流流向为___________,最终奔流入海,沟通了东西
- 6天然皮革的主要成分是[ ]A.凝固和变性的蛋白质B.糖类物质 C.脂类物质 D.纤维类物质
- 7直线x+6y+2=0在x轴和y轴上的截距分别是 A.B.C.D.-2,-3
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- 9下列各句中,没有语病的一句是[ ]A.金乌炭雕工艺精湛,采用纯天然颜料着色,具有高雅、时尚、个性的艺术享受,还能
- 10综合性学习。 材料一 汶川大地震令人震惊的情景:废墟下面,一位已经停止了呼吸的年轻母亲双膝跪着,上身向前匍