It is widely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson’s famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson’s observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators(评论员) fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weather-speak.

Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that” To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.

Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English weather is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, “because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena(现象).” The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.

Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weather-speak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point. The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weather-speak is a system of signs ,which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weather-speak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”, In other words, English weather-speak is a means of social bonding.

【小题1】The author mentions Dr. Johnson’s comment to show that________.

A．most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson

B．Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather observation

C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago

D．English conversations usually start with the weather

【小题2】What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?

A．A social trend.	B．An emotional state.
C．A historical concept.	D．An unknown phenomenon.

【小题3】According to the passage, Jeremy Paxman believes that________.

A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather

B．there is nothing special about the English weather

C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles

D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty

【小题4】What is the author’s main purpose of writing the passage?

A．To explain what English weather-speak is about.

B．To analyze misconceptions about the English weather.

C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman.

D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable.

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Forbidden City in Beijing, home to the Palace Museum, houses more than 1.8 million cultural relics and is one of the world’s most visited tourist 【小题1】attract).

【小题2】(mark) the 600th anniversary of the Forbidden City, the Palace Museum will hold a series of events throughout 2020. Over 20 exhibitions will be held,【小题3】(cover) different areas such as history, art, festivals, and so on. For the special occasion, Along the Bian River during the Qingming Festival, one of China’s most 【小题4】(wide) known masterpieces, will go 【小题5】display in September 2020. For【小题6】(it) best preservation, this treasured artwork is seldom fully exhibited. The painting 【小题7】(display) for the first time back in 2005 to celebrate the museum’s 80th anniversary. Such 【小题8】 rare sight is expected to draw huge crowds.  In addition, the museum will also display exhibits from other【小题9】(country).

During the past few years, the Palace Museum has been working hard to get the public familiar with the history and culture of the Forbidden City. And it seems that these efforts have been paying off, with its popularity reaching a new height. Over 17 million people visited the museum in 2018, of【小题10】 40 percent were under 30 years old.

   Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities).Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to "read" people from another culture as we would "read" someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions.

Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of "reading" the other person incorrectly.

【小题1】What does the smile usually mean in America?

A．Love.	B．Politeness.
C．Joy.	D．Thankfulness.

【小题2】The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .

A．show friendliness to strangers

B．be used to hide true feelings

C．be used in the wrong places

D．show personal habits

【小题3】What should we do before attempting(尝试) to "read" people?

A．Learn about their relations with others.

B．Understand their cultural backgrounds.

C．Find out about their past experience.

D．Figure out what they will do next.

【小题4】What would be the best title for the test?

A．Cultural Differences

B．Smiles and Relationship

C．Facial Expressiveness

D．Habits and Emotions

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The warm weather outside may look perfect for outdoor exercise. But for those 【小题1】 are not that sporty， what would be 【小题2】（nice） than having relaxing afternoon tea with a few good friends and taking 【小题3】 break?

But are you familiar with the culture of afternoon tea its origins， what 【小题4】（include）， and the proper etiquette（礼仪）? We sum up a few things you need to know about this traditional English custom so that you can enjoy it more.

While the tradition of 【小题5】（drink） tea dates back to about 3000 BC in China， it was not until the mid-17th century that the concept of “afternoon tea”first 【小题6】（appear） in the UK.

In 1840， Anna Maria Russell， the seventh Duchess of Bedford， started to ask for a tea tray with butter， bread and cakes at 4 pm every day，【小题7】 she found she was hungry at that time every day and the evening meal in her house was served late at 8 pm. She found this new habit difficult 【小题8】（break） and soon invited other ladies to join her.

This pause for tea quickly became a fashionable social event. 【小题9】 the 1880s， the upper class would put on gowns，【小题10】（glove） and hats for their afternoon tea.

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Americans think time is money. They say, “You only get so much time in this life — you’d better use it 【小题1】 (wise).” Americans are trained to use their time for constructive activities,【小题2】 Americans admire a “well-organized” person, 【小题3】 has a written list of things to do and a schedule for doing them. They do not waste people’s time with conversations or other activities that have no obvious 【小题4】 (benefit) result.

The American attitude to time is not necessarily the one 【小题5】 (share) by others, especially non-Europeans. Non-Europeans are more likely to regard time 【小题6】 something that is simply there around them, rather than something of great value. In this background, the fast food industry can 【小题7】 (view) as a clear example of American cultural product. McDonald’s, KFC, and other fast food 【小题8】 (company) are successful in a country where many people want to spend the 【小题9】 (little) amount of time preparing and eating meals. As McDonald’s restaurants spread around the world, they have been viewed as symbols of American society and culture,【小题10】 (bring) not just hamburgers but speed, efficiency (效率), and shiny cleanliness.