I attended a birthday party in 1991. My teacher was then 59 years old. But her fellow teacher said that we were celebrating her 39thbirthday! We were all surprised and puzzled. After the party I was told by the fellow teacher that American women have a special saying about birthdays. If a woman is over 40, or even if she is 80, her birthday is always the 39th. If she is in her thirties, her birthday will be the 29th. And in her twenties, it's the 19th. They usually have their "real" birthday when they are below 20. This shows that American women, especially elderly women, are very sensitive  about their ages. But my teacher always says, "We want to be younger," so about the age of Western women, my advice is that if you don't know it, don't ask about it; if you really know it, don't mention it. In order to please an old Western woman , you can say to her,"  _  " A) You are so old that you shouldn't do that. B) How old are you? C) You look so young and beautiful. D) Can I help you, granny?
C

Adrian's "Amazing Race  started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn't hear a thing, not even loud noises.In a special school for the hearing.impaired ,  he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled childRn. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words. Later OHg Adrian's paRnts decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular schools couldn-t take care of a special-needs student  His parents were determined to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work every day because they want to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything.Adrian made the grade and got accepted.lt was a big challenge. The pace was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn' t always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after schooL The effort made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06-being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so. But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother. "If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great result,  she often said. Which of the following sayings can most appropriately be used to describe Adrian' s experience? A) Knowledge is power. B) lf winter comes, can spring be far behind? C) Rome was not built in one day. D) Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.
D

Many experts say that Billy Wilder changed the history of American movies. He is often called the best movie maker Hollywood has ever had. He was known for making movies that offered sharp social comment.Wilder was one of the first directors to do this.Between the middle l930s and the l980s,Billy Wilder made almost fifty movies.During that time he received more than twenty nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.He won six of the Oscar awards.His movies have been seen by people around the world. In l944,Billy Wilder made the film Double Indemnity.Some critics said this movie established him as one of the greatest Hollywood directors.Wilder directed The Lost Weekend in 1945.Ray Milland plays the part of an alcoholic writer in the movie.It shows that alcohol rules his life,yet he does not admit it.He hides alcohol in his home and says he is not drinking. In l950, Wilder made Sunset Boulevard.This movie told of an aging actress in silent movies.She plans to return to movies though facing many problems.In l954,Billy Wilder became an independent producer.The next year,Wilder's first movie as an independent filmmaker was a huge success.It was The Seven Year Ihch.In this movie,a married man wants to cheat on his wife with some of his friends.In l959,Wilder made a funny movie that was very popular.It was Some Like It Hot.It tells about two jazz musicians being chased by criminals.They decide to wear women's clothes and join a band in which all the musicians were women. Wilder died in March,2002.He was ninety--five.A current Hollywood producer said:"Billy Wilder made movies that people will never forget." The text is mainly about   _ A) the background of American movies B) Wilder's achievements in American movies C) Wilder's attitude to American movies D) the development of American movies
B

A few years ago, pop poets such as Murray Lachlan Young began to set poetry to rock music with some surprising results. People thought that poetry was the new rock 'n' roll. However, despite the brief popularity of a few pop poets, poetry and pop music didn't seem to mix. But are they really so different? If you look back at the origins of poetry, there is a strong connection between poems and popular music. In Greek mythology, for example, the muse   Erato is pictured with a lyre   in her hand, and looks just like the ancestor of the modern rock star with his electric guitar. In addition, the poets Shelley and Byron were as famous in the nineteenth century as the pop stars of today. But despite their common origins, there are many differences between poetry and pop music. Pop songs are always written for a public performance, whereas poetry often isn't. And the lyrics in pop songs sometimes have less rhythm than those in poetry. This is because the music provides the rhythm rather than the words. Pop lyrics are also simpler and often keep on saying the same thing. This repetition works well in a performance and means that pop songs are easier for people to sing and learn by heart. Both songs and poems tell a story or talk about feelings. Songs in particular deal with the different stages in a relationship, such as falling in love or breaking up. The words and ideas in songs are usually easier to understand than those in "serious" poetry. However, talented performers like Paul McCartney, or newer stars like Robbe Williams, often give simple songs more expression when they perform them. And some of the best lines from pop lyrics are as beautiful as poetry. So although pop music and poetry have many differences, they do have one important thing in common: the power to make us think about how we feel. According to the article, the difference between poetry and pop songs is that   _  . A) there is more rhythm in pop songs than poetry B) pop songs are more difficult to understand than poetry C) some words in pop songs are repeated over and over again D) pop songs are not always performed before audience

C