One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.
Afternoon tea
People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供應) to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.
Will you come for coffee?
Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.
Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange
In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(倫敦股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.
【小題1】Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ______.

A．enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

B．loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

C．wanted to share nice food with her friends

D．found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

【小題2】What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

A．集體婚禮

B．社交活動

C．社區(qū)表演

D．公共場合

【小題3】 If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee,” you ______.

A．will be offered coffee only

B．are asked what you would like to drink

C．will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D．you are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

【小題4】 From the last paragraph we can see______

A．a new business was started in coffeehouses.

B．coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers.

C．businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee.

D．most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise.

【小題5】 Which is the best title of the article?

A．British and Chinese cultures.	B．The beginning of Tea and Coffee.
C．Coffeehouse and Business.	D．English tea and coffee culture.

Many of us feel uneasy when someone stands too close to us, talks to us too loudly or makes eye contact(接觸) with us for too long. But have you ever wondered why those things make you uncomfortable?

     It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated(侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume(香水) makes you feel angry.

     Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire(渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey by TripAdvisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.

     Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.

     Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.

     Preference(偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin(拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.

1.The writer mainly _________ in this article.

A. tells us how to achieve personal space

B. explains why people need personal space

C. introduces some knowledge about personal space

D. argues for the importance of keeping personal space

2.Who might feel his personal space is safe according to the passage?

A. A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume.

B. A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time.

C. A person who hears strange noises when reading at home.

D. A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him.

3.What can we know from the survey by TripAdvisor?

A. People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before.

B. People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times.

C. There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs.

D. Food service is better provided than seats on the plane.

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses.

B. If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated.

C. People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space.

D. Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space.

 

Can you imagine a world without the Internet? It’s surprising to think about it. Now, China has more than 162 million Internet users, according to the China Internet Network Information Centre. This is the second largest number of users in the world after the United States. Today, 66% of Chinese “netizens(網民)” are teenagers. “They spend about thirteen hours every week online,” said Qian Hulin, an Internet expert. Doctor Song in Beijing Xuanwu Hospital said about 14% of Chinese netizens who are teens often went on playing online games for over ten hours.

The main reasons why teenagers surf the web are to search for information, to communicate with others and to have fun. On the Internet, teenagers can find out almost anything. And surfing the web can help students with their homework and widen their knowledge.

Li Dong, a teacher at No. 41 Middle School in Shijiazhuang, is for her students using the Internet. “When we talk in class, students who surf the Net usually know more background information than the others,” she said.

In addition, people can use the Internet to write letters or stories and send emails. Many teens keep in touch with their friends online. It is cheaper than phoning somebody far away and also much quicker.

1.______ has the most Internet users in the world according to this article.

A. China    B. America      C. Canada     D. Russia

2.There are about ____Chinese netizens to surf the web about 13 hours every week.

A. 107 million old    B. 22.7 million old   

C. 107 million young   D. 22.7 million young

3.Doctor Song said some teenagers continued ________ more than ten hours.

A. playing online games    

B. searching for information 

C. chatting with their friends  

D. sending emails to others

4.Li Dong in No.41 Middle School is for her students using the Internet because she _       .

A. thinks surfing the Net can help students spend less time on homework

B. thinks the students surfing the Net can get more background information than the others

C. wants her students to talk to her about their hobbies and interests

D. wants to know what her students do and think about at home

5.Which of the following is NOT true?

A. China has the second largest number of Internet users in the world.

B. From the first paragraph we can know that Doctor Song works in Beijing Xuanwu Hospital.

C. Surfing the web can widen the students’ knowledge.

D. “It” in the last paragraph only refers to sending emails.

 

One thing that British and Chinese cultures share is a love for fine tea. Today, when we think of Western tea culture, we often think of the English and beautiful china tea cups.
Afternoon tea
People believe that an English lady, Anna, first introduced the idea of afternoon tea. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the English ate only two main meals each day: breakfast and a heavy supper that would last for several hours in the evening. As a result, people often got very hungry during the long wait between these two meals. To solve this problem, Anna came up with the clever idea of inviting some friends to join her for an afternoon meal between four and five o’clock. This meal included cakes and sandwiches. And tea was served(供應) to wash down the food. In order to make this afternoon meal important, fine china cups and plates and silver teapots, knives, forks and spoons were used. Soon, afternoon tea parties became popular social occasions. Today, afternoon tea parties continue to play an important part in the social life in modern Britain.
Will you come for coffee?
Coffee also has an important role in British culture. People often use the words “Will you come for coffee” to mean “Would you like to come to my home for a chat?” Normally, several different drinks such as tea, hot chocolate or a soft drink like orange juice will be served as well as coffee, and you will be asked what you would like. However, you will not normally be offered wine at a “coffee” party.
Coffeehouses and the London Stock Exchange
In the 17th century London, coffeehouses were busy and noisy places. Businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses to do their business, as well as to drink coffee. In fact, the London Stock Exchange(倫敦股票交易所) is believed to have started from these coffeehouses.
【小題1】Anna introduced the idea of drinking afternoon tea because she ______.

A．enjoyed chatting with her friends at home

B．loved fine tea and beautiful china tea cups

C．wanted to share nice food with her friends

D．found people felt hungry during the long wait between the two meals

【小題2】What does “social occasions” mean in Chinese?

A．集體婚禮

B．社交活動

C．社區(qū)表演

D．公共場合

【小題3】If someone says to you “Will you come for coffee,” you ______.

A．will be offered coffee only

B．are asked what you would like to drink

C．will be asked to have a chat with him or her

D．you are invited to take part in an afternoon tea party

【小題4】 From the last paragraph we can see______

A．a new business was started in coffeehouses.

B．coffeehouses are still used by businessmen and bankers.

C．businessmen and bankers went to coffeehouses just for coffee.

D．most people wouldn’t like to go to coffeehouses because of the noise.

【小題5】 Which is the best title of the article?

A．British and Chinese cultures.	B．The beginning of Tea and Coffee.
C．Coffeehouse and Business.	D．English tea and coffee culture.